Retro Countdown: Top 50 US Hits Of Elton John

[bestmusicexpert]

Here is the third and final Countdown Spectacular:

The Top 50 US Hits Of Elton John:

www.megaupload.com/?d=FKD41Y3J

Cue Sheet:

www.megaupload.com/?d=09UK2OIU

There are alot more Bonus Tracks in this one than in the Bee Gees show. The Bee Gees show was a 4 hour show and this is a 5 hour show. (Early Bee Gees songs are short!)

ENJOY!

[dukelightning]

Gonna leave 2 posts about this countdown. Great work bme. Liked both extras in the final hour. You said so much about Philly Freedom, it is hard to add anything to it. But I can. Billie Jean King founded World Team Tennis which is still going and just started its latest season. But the name of that song actually refers to the team that Billie Jean played for...the Philadelphia Freedoms.

[dukelightning]

bme, you did a great job on this countdown but half of the top 10 were from the Soundscan era. I was wondering how that happened and then I remembered. That is because of the chart changes in that era. To make a long story short, let me pull out the 50 year Hot 100 anniversary issue of Billboard from Sept. 2008. Here is an excerpt titled....How We Charted the Charts.

The 50th anniversary issue Hot 100 Song and All-Time Top Artist charts are based on actual performance on the weekly Hot 100 since the chart's inception in August 1958 through July of this year. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at #1 earning the greatest value and weeks at #100 earning the least.
Prior to the implementation of enhanced radio and sales information from Neilsen BDS and Neilsen Soundscan on the Hot 100 in 1991, songs had shorter reigns at the top and shorter chart lives.
Before that conversion, UB40's "Red, Red Wine" which was on the chart for 39 weeks, represented the longest chart stay by a #1 title. Since December 1991, 17 #1 titles have surpassed UB40's record, the longest being 60 weeks by Los Del Rio's "Macarena".
To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from all 50 years, earlier time frames were each weighted to compensate for the differences in the faster turnover rates from those earlier decades, compared with the slower churn the Hot 100 has experienced since the advent of Neilsen Music data.
This methodology differs from the formula used in recaps from Billboard's 100th anniversary issue of 1994 and the Hot 100's 40th anniversary issue in 1998, which were solely based on weeks titles spent in the top 10.
That difference, and the weighing of earlier titles' chart weeks, explains why some titles that appeared higher in those earlier recaps stand lower on the new Songs list. In particular, titles that debuted at #1 during the '90s are particularly affected, because the delayed release schedules labels employed to garner high debuts artificially shortened the chart life of such singles.

I add this mainly as an FYI. It does not change the fact that Candle.../Something... is Elton's biggest hit. I was one of many people who wrote in after those 1994/98 issues complaining that all of the top songs were from the '90s. I was really gratified when this issue came out with the top songs from all the decades.

That said, this was a great countdown and all of his hits that should have been included were there.

[bestmusicexpert]

I agree and thank you for your kind words.

I decide on my own based on the top 40 charts (unless I announce otherwise in the countdown) I couldn't deny the #2 and #1 songs their places up there. Hey, if I decided it, his version of Lucy would've been at #1.

Didja like From Denver To LA? Its a rare one but decent. Wanted to mix it up, some non charting singles (Pinball Wizard, Song For Guy), Some album cuts (Harmony, Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters), some that just missed (Written In The Stars, Bite Your Lip) and decided a rarity would round it out nicely.

And believe me, picking album cuts for me was HELL! I am a HUGE fan of the Honky Chateau-Captain Fantastic albums.

I record the extras after I do the countdowns and insert them into the right places. I recorded 4 more for the Bee Gees one that didn't get used and 3 more for Elton John's show. (The 3 not used for the Elton show were Country Comfort, Have Mercy On The Criminal & an edited Ticking)

New ones are coming, probably in August, at the latest Labor Day!

[dukelightning]

BTW, I did like Denver to LA.

Good story about Daniel. I have been wondering ever since I heard the story on a show earlier this year as to why his record company was vehemently against releasing that as a single. If it was because the song had to do with the Vietnam war, they were worried about nothing. In 38 years of knowing that song, this is the first time I was made aware that Daniel had anything to do with that war. You can't figure it out just by listening to the song.

[bestmusicexpert]

I know, I never knew it until I saw a special on Elton a while back.

There's actually a verse they didn't record that explains the whole thing. Elton didn't record it because he thought it made the song too long. (I'd guess another minute for a verse and chorus tops.)

[blackbowl68]

BME, I love your 60s retro countdowns and loved your Bee Gees countdown special, but I have to give this one an overall THUMBS DOWN!!

WHY?! I felt this show came off as an fans show or a 5-hour informercial for an Elton John Giant CD Box Set.

I know your shows are designed to emulate classic American Top 40, but one thing I noticed in all of those classic shows was that it never focused solely on one act. Your Bee Gees countdown did not do this. It displayed their influence in the SUCCESS of other performers.

This countdown sounded like it was solely about Elton John. The guests on the show were just that, guests. I heard no influence of EJ directly affecting other artists. There was no variety.

I feel this show would've been appreciated only by diehard EJ fans, but residual fans (like me) could really care less (as a countdown show none the least).

With that in mind, looking forward to your Jackson family countdown, and a possible idea, songs of Carole King!!

[dukelightning]

I think he did everything possible to play other artists. He included Bad Blood and Whatever Gets You Through the Night even though Elton has no label credit on either song. It just so happens that Elton had less influence over artists than the Bee Gees did. But almost every artist out there had less influence over artists than the Bee Gees did.

[bestmusicexpert]

Blackbowl. I appreciate your comments. I did Elton John because I am planning on doing countdowns of any and all deserving acts. Now Elton being a solo performer and never in a charting group, he's on his own. Adding in album cuts and whatever other artists he worked with (Sadly Jennifer Rush's hit Flames Of Paradise and Written In The Stars with LeAnn Rimes didn't make the top 50)

Elton did influence alot of people. Axl Rose once said without Elton or Freddie Mercury, he wouldn't have become interested in performing. Sadly, he didn't work with them on any chart hits.

I guess the point of this and future episodes we'll do (such as Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Chicago etc...) are for the fans of the group and a chance for casual fans of some of their songs to hear something different. Also to see where their favorite songs rank.

Now, I will say, I am planning MANY other non one artist focused shows soon. One Hit Wonders, Instrumentals, Country Crossover Artists, Classic Rock artists charting in the top 40, and the Carole King one sounds like an idea that makes my list of shows we'll do at some point or another.

Thanks again for your input.

[blackbowl68]

BME, I just want to make that clear my opinion was not designed to put down the artist or the songs (of which there were many good ones); it was based on the overall presentation. I felt it was better suited or more interesting as an ARTIST PROFILE show rather than as a COUNTDOWN.

While there were lots of interesting tidbits mentioned throughout, the fact that you made it a 5-hour show & played LOTS of his album cuts gave it more the vibe of a fans show and the hits were not that important. Plus the fact that Elton's style has not really changed throughout the course of his career made the songs seem rather undeversified.

Again, I feel he deserved more of an artist profile show rather than a countdown.

[bestmusicexpert]

Same as a Beatles countdown. Except there wasn't "solo" songs to add in.

I did album cuts like Casey did. However I only did 3 album cuts, one rarity and the rest were singles that didn't make the top 40 or songs that did that didn't make the top 50. I wouldn't say that 3 album cuts in 5 hours is ALOT!

I did that for an idea as to how he sounded outside the hits.

His style changed alot. Are you telling me that Your Song = Grow Some Funk Of Your Own = Don't Go Breaking My Heart = Little Jeannie = I'm Still Standing = Can You Feel The Love Tonight?

ALL different styles.

As for the length of the show, He had alot of long songs. 5 hours was given to me as a length so we didn't have to edit the heck out of his songs, though a few had minor edits to tuck things into the 20 minute segment limit.

The hits were quite important. In the last hour, the only non hit was the 2:15 From Denver To LA which was an early single that didn't chart. In the last 2 hours only one non hit was played. (Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters) The top 19 were played with only hits that missed the countdown and the rarity interrupting that.

[bestmusicexpert]

Last chance to download this show before the site deletes it. (After awhile it happens)