Elton John - Honky Chateau (1972). butchT Greatest Albums of all Time

Honky Château is the fifth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1972. In 2003, the album was ranked number 357 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was certified gold in July 1972 and platinum in October 1995 by the RIAA. This was the final Elton John album on the Uni label in the US and Canada before the MCA consolidated all of its various labels under the MCA brand. This and John's earlier Uni albums were later reissued on MCA Records.
This is the first album since John's debut (Empty Sky) not to feature strings on any songs, except for violinist Jean-Luc Ponty on "Mellow" and "Amy". It also marks the beginning of his transition from a singer/songwriter in the mould of James Taylor, Leon Russell or Carole King to a more rock 'n' roll style that would become more evident on such albums as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Caribou and Rock of the Westies.

It was also the first album to feature John's road band of Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums (along with new member Davey Johnstone on guitars and other fretted instruments) as the sole core group of musicians. Previously, due to his record label's insistence, John had been limited to using his road band for only one track each on Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water; the rest of the songs on those two albums were performed by various groupings of session players.

The opening track "Honky Cat" is a New Orleans funk track reminiscent of Dr. John and Allen Toussaint and features a four-piece horn section arranged by producer Gus Dudgeon. Also of note is the debut on record of the backing vocal combination of Johnstone, Murray and Olsson, who first added what would soon become their "trademark" sound to "Rocket Man". The trio's unique approach to arranging their backing vocal tracks would be a fixture on John's singles and albums for the next several years.

In 1995, Dudgeon remastered the album, adding only an uptempo, rock and roll version of "Slave" that was sidelined in favour of the steamier, more laconic version that made the LP's original lineup.

Released 19 May 1972
Recorded Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France, January 1972
Genre Rock
Length 45:15
Label Uni (US/Canada)
DJM Records
Producer Gus Dudgeon

Elton John – vocals, acoustic and electric pianos, organ
Davey Johnstone – guitars, banjo, mandolin, backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
Dee Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
Nigel Olsson – drums, congas, tambourine, backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10)

Additional musicians

Ivan Jullien (fr.) – trumpet (track 1)
Jacques Bolognesi (fr.) – trombone (track 1)
Jean-Louis Chautemps, Alain Hatot – saxophones (track 1)
Jean-Luc Ponty – electric violin (tracks 2, 8)
"Legs" Larry Smith – tap dance (track 3)
David Hentschel – ARP synthesiser (tracks 5, 10) (credited as "David Henschel" on sleeve)
Ray Cooper – congas (track 8)
Gus Dudgeon – rhino whistle and backing vocals (track 10)
Madeline Bell, Liza Strike, Larry Steel, Tony Hazzard – additional backing vocals

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