ELTON JOHN in Brazil

Initially, Elton John was not an easy act to catch up in Brazil even though most of his early albums were released here a few months after the UK and USA. 'Elton John' (featuring 'Your song'), his 2nd album for British independent label DJM Records was released in 1970 by small label Som/Maior and as far as I know it didn't get much airplay.

Som/Maior dropped the DJM contract which was picked up by Fermata do Brasil that concocted Importa/Som, a brand-new label just to release the DJM's catalogue. After issuing 'Tumbleweed Connection' and 'Madam across the water' Fermata do Brasil decided to switch Elton John's records to Young Records, another small label under their management.

'Honky Château' was the 1st Elton John album released by Young. It contained 'Rocket man' which charted well in late 1972.

'Don't shoot me I'm only the piano player' was next and it spawned 2 singles: 'Daniel' and 'Crocodile rock' - both had fairly air-play.

In July 1973, Young put out an E.P. featuring 'Skyline pigeon', a song that had first appeared in Elton's debut album 'Empty sky' in 1969 (released only in the UK). During the sessions for 'Don't shoot me...' Elton decided to re-record it with piano instead of the original harpsichord plus a full orchestra. By October 'Skyline pigeon' was #1 at the E.P. charts and remained at the top for a staggering 20 weeks.

'Skyline pigeon' turned out to be Elton John's biggest hit in Brazil maybe due to a Sao Paulo radio DJ called Helio Ribeiro who translated its lyrics into Portuguese and recited them in his daily radio show. Elton John had written the song in the style of a hymn. The lyrics are metaphorical - describing a pigeon that is flying high and free having been released from human hands, with the line in the 2nd verse, "but most of all please free me from this aching metal ring", possibly revealing a human longing to be released from a broken marriage and set free to pursue new, truer dreams and ambitions - a theme that would pop up in 1975's 'Someone saved my life tonight', using a similar metaphor of a butterfly flying free. (text from Wikipedia).

Finally, came 'Goodbye yellow brick road' in late 1973 and Elton had his first #1 (single) in Brazil. The original double-album itself was released as a single disc which meant the artist was not taken seriously by his Brazilian label Young-RGE.

Elton John's ALBUMS released in Brazil 

1. Elton John (feat. 'Your song') - 1970 by Som/Maior  

2. Tumbleweed connection - 1971 by Importa/Som a Fermata do Brasil label.

3. Madam across the water - 1972 - by Importa/Som.

4. Honky château (304.1030) 1972 by Young / RGE Fermata do Brasil labels.

5. Don't shoot me I'm only the piano player (304.1035) - 1973 by Young / RGE.  

6. Goodbye yellow brick road (304.1037) 1973 by Young / RGE. 

7. Caribou (304.1041) feat. 'Don't let the sun go down on me' 1974 by Young/RGE.

8. Elton John Greatest Hits (304.1046) 1975 by Young/RGE

9. Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy (304.1050) 1975 by Young/RGE. 

10. Empty sky (304.1049) 1975 by Young/RGE.

11. Rock of the Westies (304.1053) 1975 by Young/RGE.

12. Blue moves (double album) 1976 by Rocket Records/Polygram 

13. One day at a time (304.1077) 1976 by Young/RGE. 

The very first Elton John album released in Brazil by small label Som/Maior had a major error in the song-list at the back-cover: 'I need you to turn to' became 'Y need you...' 

small label Som/Maior released Elton John in 1970.

'Tumbleweed connection' and 'Madam across the water' were released by Importa/Som a subsidiary of Fermata do Brasil. 

'Honky Château' was Elton John's 4th album released in Brazil and the 1st released by Young-Fermata records. Its back-cover was different from the original one. 

'Don't shoot me I'm only the piano player' was Elton's 5th album in Brazil. 

'Goodbye yellow brick road' (304.1037) was released by Young by late 1973 but as a single-record album instead of the gorgeous double-album which went to #1 in the USA. Young Records executive butchered Elton's 

1. Goodbye yellow brick road   3:13

2. This song has no title   2:23

3. Harmony   2:46

4. Funeral for a friend / Love lies bleeding   11:09

1. Roy Rogers   4:07 

2. Grey seal   4:00 

3. Candle in the wind   3:50 

4. Your sister can't twist (But she can rock'n'roll)   2:42

5. Saturday night's alright for fighting   4:57 

Songs left out of the Brazilian 'Goodbye yellow brick road' album

1. Bennie and the Jets 5:23

2. The ballad of Danny Bailey (1919-1934)  4:23

3. Sweet painted lady  3:54

4. Jamaica jerk-off  3:39 

5. I've seen that movie too   5:59 

6. Dirty little girl   5:00

7. All the girls love Alice  5:09 

8. Social disease  3:42

the original double-album... became a single disc in shabby Brazil... 

https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/interview-with-david-larkham-elton-johns-goodbye-yellow-brick-road-album-cover/

'Caribou' 1974.

'Captain Fantastic & the Dirt Brown Cowboy' failed to produce a hit for Elton in the Brazilian market even though 'We all fall in love sometimes' had a lot of airplay and was included in a compilation album later. 

The album 'One day at a time' is unique in its class! It's a Brazilian-concocted product. You see, Elton John had left DJM Records in mid 1976 and was signed by Rocket Record Company he himself had formed in 1973 along with song-writer Bernie Taupin, producer Gus Dudgeon and Steve Brown. Elton's new double-album 'Blue moves' was distributed in Brazil by Phonogram Records. Young-RGE thought they still had enough unreleased material to make up a last record.

'One day at a time' is made up from 3 discarded songs of the Brazilian 'Goodbye yellow brick road' plus 5 tracks taken from 'Lady Samantha', a UK exclusive DJM compilation-album of rarities and B-sides from the earliest days of Elton's career that was released only on cassette tape in 1974.  

1. One day at a time (John Lennon) B-side of 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds' #1 single

2. Step into Christmas (Xmas single released in November 1973 in UK) 

3. I've seen that movie too (from 'Goodbye yellow brick road') 

4. Jamaica jerk-off (from 'Goodbye yellow brick road') 

5. It's me that you need (printed wrongly as 'It's that you need' in the label) 1969 single.

1. All the girls love Alice (from 'Goodbye yellow brick road') 

2. Lady Samantha (single released on 17 January 1969 in the UK, 6 months before his 1st album)

3. Jack Rabbit (from 'Lady Samantha')

4. Into the old man's shoes (from 'Lady Samantha' 1974 cassette album) 

5. Sick City ('Caribou' left over) 

6. Sugar on the floor (Kiki Dee) ('Rock of the Westies' left over) 

Looking at Elton John's discography feels like I'm looking at my own life at different periods of time and places. You see, when I migrated to the USA in October 1971 I met Arthur, an American guy who was born of Portuguese parents who was an album collector. Arthur was the first person I met who pronounced the name Elton John. At first I thought he mentioned Tom Jones due to my ears not having been accostumed to the English language yet. After a while I realized Arthur was talking about someone completely different, not Tom Jones but ELTON JOHN. As I had a record player and used to played the few records I had already bought since I arrived in the States, Arthur, one night, brought a few albums of his own and I had the chance to see among them 'Tumbleweed connection', Elton John's 2nd release in the USA. 

Soon I would be listening to 'Tiny dancer' and 'Levon', tracks from 'Madam across the water', Elton's just released 5th studio album on New York's FM radio stations like WPLJ, WNEW or WPIX - the 3 FM stations that played album-tracks.

Elton John's singles in Brazil 

301.1029 - Rocket man (I think it's going to take a long long time) / Holiday Inn - 1972 

301.1042 - Crocodile rock / Elderberry wine - 1972 

301.1056 - Goodbye yellow brick road / Screw you - 1973 reached #1 in early 1974

301.1069 - Bennie and the Jets / Roy Rogers - 1974 - reached #1 in 1974

301.1076 - Lucy in the sky with diamonds / Cold highway - reached #1 in 1975

301.1081 - Philadelphia freedom / I saw her standing there  - reached #1 in 1975

301.1090 - Someone saved my life tonight / Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy - 1975

301.1099 - Island girl / House of cards - 1975

301.1147 - Candle in the wind / Jamaica jerk off - 1978

singles released by The Rocket Record Company-EMI-Odeon

RO-43.001 - Don't go breaking my heart / Snow queen - Elton John & Kiki Dee - 1976 

RO-43.002 - Sorry seems to be the hardest word / Shoulder holster - 1976

 picture-sleeve of 'Rocket man', Elton's 1st single released in Brazil.

'Crocodile rock' also had a picture-sleeve.

'Goodbye yellow brick road' issued on the Young label and later on the Fermata label. 

Elton & a very special friend.

'Philadelphia freedom' had a picture-sleeve too.

'Island girl' was Elton John's last big hit before he paused for a while and changed labels.

'Candle in the wind' released in 1978; 3 years after Elton had left DMJ-Young-RGE; 5 years after it had been released as part of album 'Goodbye yellow brick road'.

'Sorry seems to be the hardest word' was recorded for The Rocket Record Company and released in Brazil in 1976 by EMI-Odeon. That's another phase in Elton John's phonographic career... so we stop here.

some of Elton John's extended-plays in Brazil 

Elton John's album discography

1. Empty sky - released in the UK 6 June 1969 (only released in the US on 13 January 1975)
2. Elton John (featuring 'Your song') - 10 April 1970 (UK)
3. Tumbleweed connection  30 October 1970 (UK)
4. Friends (sound-track)  5 March 1971 (UK)
5. 17-11-70 (live-album) 9 April 1971 (recordeds at A&R Recording Studios in N.Y.C. on 17 November 1970 for a live radio broadcast on WABC-FM later WPLJ)

6. Madam across the water (featuring 'Tiny dancer' & 'Levon') 5 November 1971
7. Honky château (feat. 'Rocket man' and 'Honky cat') 19 May 1972
8. Don't shoot me I'm only the piano player (feat. 'Daniel' & 'Crocodile rock') 26 January 1973
9. Goodbye yellow brick road (double-album) 5 October 1973
10. Caribou (feat. 'The bitch is back' & 'Don't let the sun go down on me') 28 June 1974

11. Elton John Greatest Hits - 8 November 1974
12. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy ('Someone saved my life tonight') 19 May 1975
13. Rock of the Westies ('Island girl') 24 October 1975
14. Here and there (live-album) 30 April 1976
15. Blue moves (double-album feat. 'Sorry seems to be the hardest word')  22 October 1976
16. Single man (feat. 'Song for Guy' & 'Part-time love') 16 October 1976

I would stop Elton John's discography at 1976's 'Blue moves'. Actually I should have stopped at 1975's 'Rock of the Westies' which was Elton's last album to reach #1 at the Billboard's Album Charts. Elton had a string of 7 albums - 'Honky château', 'Don't shoot me...', 'Goodbye yellow brick road', 'Caribou', 'Greatest Hits', 'Captain Fantastic' and 'Rock of the Westies'.

The aim of this page has been to follow Elton John's recording career in Brazil from 1970 through to 1976 which could be considered Elton's most influential phase. He had many other hits after 1976 but we'll leave that to other historians and pop music buffs. 

Elton's actual first physical trip to Brazil didn't take place until 1978 (two years past our period of interest) when he came for Carnaval with Rod Stewart and Peter Framptom. Elton only returned here 17 years later in 1995, when he performed for Brazilian audiences in Sao Paulo's Ibirapuera Arena and Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo's Arena. 

Elton John at Caribou Ranch, Colorado for the recording of his 10th album 'Rock of the Westies', 1975. A frugal breakfast for the star - and a feline friend. Photo by Terry O'Neill. text by Campbell Stevenson for The Observer, Sunday 17 July 2016.

At his 1970s peak with seven US no.1 albums in 4 years, Elton John was a regular at Colorado's Caribou Ranch studios. In 1974, he recorded 'Caribou' in the winter snows, returning in August to make 'Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy'. John had begun work on the music in July on a voyage to New York on the SS France - after which he popped down to Philadelphia to play tennins with Billie Jean King. 

In a cable to his PR at Rocket Records, Caroline Boucher, he told how he was summoned to see the captain after throwing a tantrum when his Yves Saint Laurent bow-tie fell apart: 'Looking quite the perfect English gentleman (except for my green hair) I swish up to the Riviera Bar for drinks. I decide to break my no-alcohol rule and have a glass o Mumms - excellent. Someone says in a rather grand voice: 'That man over there is Elton John - he is famous but I have never heard of him.'

When told on a ship-to-shore call that 'Caribou' had gone platinum, another dietary restriction went overboard: 'I break my no-carbohydrate rule and I have one pretzel.' 

Ten months later he returned to Caribou to record 'Rock of the Westies'. He had ditched almost his entire band, and the carbs also seem to be back on the table here, with John looking rather uneasy in his hat - a recent addition to cover his hair loss. 'He hated being photographed,' Terry O'Neill later said. 'The costumes were what he hid behind.' 

The frugal breakfast wasn't entirely in keeping with the diet at the studios. John's lyricist Bernie Taupin once said it was 'all Jack Daniel's and lines on the console' during the recording. Jim Guercio, Caribou's owner, later recalled John taking a trip in a limo to a burger joint in Boulder - in pink glasses and a pink fur coat. 'I said, 'Elton, if you want to be discreet, this is not the right wardrobe.' 

This was one of the most downbeat shots of the many of Elton that O'Neill took in the 70s. The two shared a love of football and a similar sense of humour. But, as Boucher recalls, he nearly didn't get the gig. 'I'd originally wanted Patrick Lichfield but he never rang back. So I got hold of Terry and he worked solidly for us during Elton's big hit period.' 

The shot's co-star is Frank, the studio cat. 'I don't know what he's doing there.' says Boucher. 'Elton always preferred dogs.'