Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player - John, Elton (CD 1996)

Elton John's success in the 1970s was a progression with some nominal hits as early as his second album, Elton John with a top ten hit Your Song, and with each album Elton released he received either more success with the singles released or critical acclaim. Elton's music has been more often than not been strictly piano ballads with few exceptions, but hardly commercial as he would become more and more. This album, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player is the bridge that spanned from Elton's classic early blusier sound (Madman Across the Water or Burn Down the Mission) into the Elton of...

By 1972 Elton John was becoming a serious force on the pop rock scene. He had already acquired a reputation as an outrageous and entertaining live act. He had released several US albums in rapid succession ("Elton John", "Tumbleweed Connection", an odd live album "11/5/70" or something like that, and "Madman Across the Water") to increasing critical approval. "Honky Chateau" hit the best seller lists in early 1972 and the first single, "Rocket Man", received heavy airplay on FM radio and some AM (back then, MUCH different from what it is now--mostly underground stuff). The next single, "Honky.