Elton John - Empty Sky (1969) Album Score: 10

Listening to Elton John's 1969 debut album, it's abundantly clear that Elton John started his career sounding very much like Elton John. While he would certainly perfect his style and write better songs, there's a surprising amount of compositional maturity that's already evident at such an early stage. There are some weaker compositions, of course, but most of them are very strong piano rockers and ballads. The lyrics, of course, are by Bernie Taupin. So, if you're an Elton John fan who doesn't have this in your collection, you're missing out on some of his early gems. There's nothing on here that was a hit on the radio, but several of them could have been if it was released a little later. He was an unknown at this point, so he didn't really have any marketing power. But if you're an Elton John fan who doesn't have this album, then you're missing a minor gem. You'll probably even enjoy listening to it occasionally!

The major difference between this and his later stuff is the arrangements. Because he was an unknown, he didn't have much of a budget. His earthy piano is certainly here in strong form, but this was in the era before synthesizers were widely available, and he probably couldn't afford a string section. There's a much heavier reliance on electric guitars, electric organ, electric bass, and he even occasionally exchanges his piano for a harpsichord. Sure, the harpsichord is kind of fruity, but ... well, isn't it fun to hear Elton John playing a harpsichord? I hope I'm not the only person who finds that fun...

You might be a little surprised by the first track; it's eight minutes song and rocks out a lot more than you'd probably expect him to. It's been said it's a tribute to The Rolling Stones' “Sympathy for the Devil” although you can also hear him quoting “Midnight Rambler.” I know what you're thinking ... how could Elton John possibly try to channel the Rolling Stones? The answer is surprisingly well. He's not nearly as mean and driven as they are, but the song is nonetheless bold and rocking. What's more, the eight-minute running time doesn't bother me at all. Sometimes, I tend to get bored with them, especially in songs that don't shift through an incredible amount of ideas. It must be the pure staying power that keeps me glued to the tune. “Western Ford Gateway” is another incredibly convincing heavy rock... It begins with some electric guitar lines that could have been released by a band with more hard-rock credentials. But the melody is nothing but pure Elton. It's filled to the brim with his signature brand of endearing hooks.

“Hymn 2000” is an enjoyable folky number where he's doing a really good job channeling bob Dylan. He provides us with yet another lovely melody even though it grows a little bit flat at times. “Lady What's Tomorrow” is a well-written ballad with a very nice chorus, but it's lacking that certain spark that characterizes many of his classic ballads. As long as they realize it's not as good as his peak material, I think Elton John's fans would enjoy hearing it.

The album really begins to drag in the second half, unfortunately. A pair of short songs “Sails” and “The Scaffold” really lack that Elton John sparkle. We can excuse the relatively bland instrumentation on his budget, but the melodies are completely bland, which results in an unmemorable experience. But he was still learning, of course, and it's rare that things are perfect the first time through. The shortcomings of those tracks, however, are made-up for with with “Skyline Pigeon,” which is exactly the sort of power ballad that Elton John is best known for. I don't have much doubt that it would have been a hit. It's a soaring power ballad that only Elton John could pull off so well. The melody is phenomenally catchy, and there's something about that guy's soaring voice that is so endearing. Oh yes... that is vintage Elton John. Haven't you heard it?

The final song is a medley called “Gulliver / It's Hay Chewed / Reprise.” The first part is OK, and similar to the style and quality of “Hymn 2000.” Sure, it's a little dull, but it's nothing but unpleasant. The second part is a jazz jam, which is definitely uncharacteristic of Elton John... but I don't mind it. The song loses its most points with “Reprise,” which replays snippets of all the tracks in the album. I wonder if Elton John listens to that today and grits his teeth a bit... 99 percent of the time, doing that is a terrible idea. I'm really not sure what the motive of doing that is.

So, despite its shortcomings, Empty Sky has plenty of minor-to-major gems on it that are waiting for you to uncover. You'll probably understand that this album doesn't hold a candle to his peak albums, but the journey up to his peak was fun!

TRACKS

Empty Sky B+

The first Elton John song on the first Elton John album is an eight-minute rocker. It does manage to rock a lot more than you'd think Elton John ever would... I'd imagine we all assumed this forgotten debut album was full of some primordial, fruity ooze from which “Your Song” had sprung. But no... Apparently, it's full of remarkably convincing piano rock that lasts eight minutes! I also noticed that he even already had well-developed melodic talent since this song is pretty dang catchy. Perhaps the length is a bit too long, but I hardly notice the time going by, because I'm enjoying it!

Val-hala B

Wow... he's bringing out the harpsichord for a ballad. Obviously, this is a lot fruitier than the previous song, but John manages to keep the song from sounding too cheesy. The atmosphere he develops is surprisingly thick, and he delivers a likable melody with his trademark high-pitched vocal performance. This isn't the most incredibly engaging song (it gets a little flat halfway through), but I enjoy listening to it.

Western Ford Gateway A-

The more I listen to this, the more I like it. That's a quality that embodies many of this man's work. This is really a convincing, incredibly bold rocker that seems like it ought to have been considered a hit ... or at least have a presence on one of his more detailed compilations. So, here's an uncovered gem that you can experience for the first time ... the Elton John you don't hear on the radio! (That's not to say this is that different from his standard stuff. His voice is there, and he's already writing deathly catchy melodies... there weren't synthesizers yet, though.)

Hymn 2000 B+

This seems like a Dylan impersonation... though I suppose anyone doing folk-rock in the late '60s would have come off as Dylan impersonators. While this isn't an especially memorable song, I find the whole thing very charming. The opening sequence is featuring a pounding piano and fluttering flutes comes across as a creative and dramatic way to open up what might have been an ordinary folk-rocker. But then there's something to that melody that keeps it floating above most other songs of its type...Yeah. Elton John just can't help being likable!

Lady What's Tomorrow B

This is a fruity song based on its melody and lyrics, though for some reason the accompanying instrumentation. It's surprisingly bare with just guitars, a piano that's a bit quiet, and a drum track. The chorus is really wonderful, but the verses are a little dull. Despite the negative connotation of the term, this probably could have used fruity instrumentation. (I mean, why not orchestrate it with something that matched?) Overall, it seems a little more like a Beatles demo or something, and a bit bare as a result. Though it's impossible denying that this is extremely pleasant as it stands.

Sails C+

This isn't a massively interesting song, but most of Elton John's classic albums had at least one of these in them. It's a fairly bland rocker without a melody that interests me too greatly. What we won't get on the classic Elton albums is that incredibly deep electric guitar playing riffs in the background!

The Scaffold C

OK... this is another song I'm having a difficult time getting into. It's not as immediately enjoyable as “Empty Sky” or even “Lady What's Tomorrow.” The melody is completely unmemorable and the harmonies are fairly bland. He was still working out some of the kinks in his songwriting, apparently!

Skyline Pigeon A

This is the other massive gem of the album, and it earns my vote for the album's best. It's also easily the song that most resembles Elton John's trademark 'power ballad.' If synthesizers were widely used at the time, it might have turned into such! As you probably know, Elton John had just the vocals to create these soaring sorts of songs that have the power to leave us dead in our tracks ........ even if we're sometimes not really in the mood for that. Just for the similarities, this song is sometimes included in compilations.

Gulliver / It's Hay Chewed / Reprise C

It's seven minutes long, but you probably already guessed that it's split into three sections. “Gulliver” is a pretty decent folk-rocker though somewhat on the dull side. Once again, we can comfortably tell ourselves that Elton was still learning the ropes, so to speak, and we can certainly find some subtle hooks in that one if we look close enough. It doesn't really start to get good, however, until the end of that section when it starts to rock out some more... And then the middle part starts up, which is nothing like it. It's a jazzy jam! ... The last thing you would expect in an Elton John album is a jazzy jam, but ... whatever. It's not like it's doing any harm. ...And the final part “Reprise” are brief snippets taken from all the previous tracks. I'll tell you that I hate it when artists decide to do this. They always have bad flow (by design) and it serves no purpose whatsoever. These songs needed time to build-up... if I want to hear these songs again, I'd just replay the whole track. It's easy since we already had it in the turntable.

BONUS TRACKS

Lady Samantha A

This was probably a rewrite of “Western Ford Gateway,” and it makes some substantial improvements. The most important improvement was the chorus, which works so well that you can't call it anything other than pure-Elton. The chorus is catchy as hell, and flows flawlessly off his tongue. Also, the song's instrumentation is a little more polished with more interesting textures. GREAT SONG!

All Across the Havens A-

That sort of ragtimey intro is reminiscent of the work he would later do in Tumbleweed Connection! The rest of the song is very even with the best that Empty Sky had to offer. It's rather similar to “Hymn 2000” except I find this to be a little more turneful ... and I really like those brief ragtime excursions. It's another early indicator of his pop creativity.

It's Me You Need B

This reminds me of those ultra-dramatic tracks that we might have expected to hear out of Scott Walker, or something, except the chorus is a little bit too flashy. Somehow, the verses are more cool and engaging than the chorus, which is odd because it's usually the other way around. The orchestration (featuring a genuine string track, among other orchestral additions) keeps the texture crisp with quite a build-up. But the chorus is a little disappointing and lacks enough hooks to keep it going.

Just Like Strange Rain B+

It's funny that the more I listened to this, the more I increased the rating. Well, I'm stopping the the third listen! I really don't like how it starts though ... Elton's vocals seem uncharacteristically weak. They are also mixed too quietly, but there is lack of power in his voice. It gets better as the song picks up its dynamics at the end... and the melody gets more engaging partly as the result of that. It's a fine song, though, and even better than a few of the real album tracks.