by
Elton John
- Record Label: Universal
- Release Date: Mar 25, 2014
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Mar 25, 2014This welcome five-CD-plus-DVD expansion adds several non-LP singles; a new, nine-cut tribute set featuring contemporary fans from Miguel to Fall Out Boy (John Grant's sighing "Sweet Painted Lady" is the highlight); a vintage documentary about the album's creation; and, best of all, an explosive London concert that demonstrates how hard John and his kickass band could rock between eloquent ballads.
-
Mar 19, 2014A glittering glam-pop bounty of androgynous pop bots, dock prostitutes, Depression-era outlaws, cowboys and nun-baiting schoolgirls, GYBR remains a vital and versatile vision of brilliance that deserves to be heard.
-
UncutMar 19, 2014The larger-than-life Elton of the live stage gets a workout on "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" and "Benny And The Jets," pounding rockers on the most impressively diverse collection in his catalogued. [Apr 2014, p.91]
-
Mar 26, 2014The expansive tracklisting makes for a CD-era 70+ minute listening experience. You can appreciate the varied approach that John and Bernie Taupin brought to the studio with the balladry (“Candle In The Wind,” surprisingly not a US-charting song), the ballsy (“Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting”) and the busy (“Funeral For A Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)”) even if the results led to a less-than-cohesive album on the whole. As with many Elton John albums, there are hidden gems to be found.
-
Mar 25, 2014An insanely confident effort that, 40 years on, still surprises in its sensitivity. Sequins and all.
-
Mar 31, 2014Packed with motifs and allusions to cinema, it’s also a subtle commentary on the singer’s stratospheric rise to superstardom, lyricist Bernie Taupin retrospectively suggesting disillusionment was a recurring theme.
-
Q MagazineMar 19, 2014It's a good album. [Apr 2014, p.122]
-
Mar 19, 2014It’s a flawed album that’s at times unbelievable, at times unbelievably bad but for those interested in investigating the moment Elton John became the legend he sought to be this is a thorough and generous offering.
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 36 out of 43
-
Mixed: 1 out of 43
-
Negative: 6 out of 43
-
Mar 27, 2014
-
Nov 20, 2021The very first Elton album I listened to back in the day on cassette. Such a classic and will always be one of his best albums.
-
May 29, 2020Elton's magnum opus is back in full force. The classics still remain as enticing as they were on release and the additional material adds more layers.