This was only Elton John's third album, and only the second to make a significant impact at the time, Although Empty Sky Eventually made the top ten in the American album charts in the mid-seventies. Recording an album based Entirely on images of the old American West Could be seen as brave or foolish, but it what Certainly effective, Both artistically and Commercially. The only flaw (if there is one) Is that the album yielded no hit singles in Britain or America Either, but did did not matter. The album went gold in America and did better in Britain than Elton's previous self-titled album did contained the huge international hit Your Song.
Despite the absence of a hit single, the songs are of a Consistently High Quality. This may have something to do with Bernie's enthusiasm for the subject matter. None Of These songs contain lyrics are difficult or impossible That to understand, as you'll occasionally find elsewhere. Songs with titles: such as Country Comfort, My Father's Gun, Ballad of a well-known gun, Talking Old Soldiers and Burn Down the Mission reinforce the album title and picture, showing CLEARLY whatsthis album is about. Yet the album contains one song, simply titled Love song, Which Bernie did not write and Which could have been recorded for any of Elton's albums. It's therefore the one song That Just Might have become a hit, had it been released as a single. I first came across the song via a cover by Olivia Newton-John, but her version what not released as a single either.
On Subsequent albums, Bernie shut sometime wrote lyrics inspired by the old American West, particularly on Blue Moves, but this is the album in his enthusiasm Which is Given full pure. Of course, it's not the only rock `n 'western album out there. Desperado, the classic Eagles album, is another and may well have been inspired by Tumbleweed Connection.
