MCA 2163
Producer: Gus Dudgeon
Track listing: Medley (Yell Help / Wednesday Night / Ugly) / Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future) / Island Girl / Grow Some Funk of Your Own / I Feel Like a Bullet (in the Gun of Robert Ford) / Street Kids / Hard Luck Story / Feed Me / Billy Bones and the White Bird
November 8, 1975
3 weeks
On the eve of the release of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John made a surprise move, firing his longtime rhythm section of bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson. Lead guitarist. Davey Johnstone and percussionist Ray Cooper stayed on, but the rest of John’s band was comprised of new and old faces.
Drummer Roger Pope and guitarist Caleb Quaye both had worked with John in the past — Pope played on Empty Sky, John’s first album, which was belatedly released in 1975 in America; Quaye had played with John in Bluesology in 1966 and on John’s self-titled 1970 album — while the new bass player, Kenny Possarelli, was featured on Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way,” one of John’s favorite songs. Rounding out the new group was a second keyboardist, James Newton Howard, known for his work with Melissa Manchester.
The new lineup, however, wasn’t necessarily a good thing, as Rock of the Westies, like Caribou before it, turned out to be another commercial triumph but a major artistic disappointment, at least in the eyes of producer Gus Dudgeon. “It was a bit tricky,” he says, “because we were dealing with a different bunch of people. It’s not one of my favorite albums.”
For the third straight album, John and company opted to record at the Caribou Ranch. As was the case with Caribou, there were problems in the studio during the Rock of the Westies sessions, but this time it wasn’t the equipment. “I remember a dreadful session with LaBelle [who were singing backing vocals],” says Dudgeon. “In the control room they were fine, you could teach them their harmonies, but as soon as they went into the studio they forgot their harmonies and blamed each other for singing the wrong parts. It was just a nightmare.”
Dudgeon was in such a rush to get through the session, he accidentally forgot to record their part on the last chorus of “Medley.” Says Dudgeon, “I made myself an enormous joint, walked into the studio, and imitated LaBelle. If you hear the multi-tracks, it sounds like some Duchess singing, but nobody’s ever spotted it. Not even Elton.”
The Caribbean-flavored “Island Girl” went on to become John’s third Number One single of 1975 and the fifth of his career, but Dudgeon says it is his least favorite of John’s chart-toppers. “Street Kids” has “a good vibe,” says Dudgeon. “It’s kind of smelly, like it should be.” But there were problems — guitarist Davey Johnstone’s role was minimized due to a personality conflict with some of the new band members. “There was some weirdness going on,” Dudgeon says. “And it’s reflected on the album.”
Turmoil or no, Rock of the Westies had the same commercial clout as its predecessors. Like Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy had done six months earlier, it entered at Number One, making John the first artist to score two Number One debuts in one calendar year.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of November 8. 1975
1 . Rock of the Westies, Elton John
2. Red Octopus, Jefferson Starship
3. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
4. Prisoner in Disguise, Linda Ronstadt
5. Windsong, John Denver