Sean Callaghan
Bio
Neurodivergent, Writer, Drummer, Singer, Percussionist, Rock Music Star Wars and Disney Devotee.
Stories (113)
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Fly Away, Skyline Pigeon, Fly!
Elton John has become almost as famous with his work on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention as he has for his music. Elton frequently plays benefits for the cause of AIDS awareness. His AIDS Foundation has raised millions for AIDS research. While the AIDS crisis is today nowhere near the global emergency it was in the 1980s among the gay and blood transfusion communities, Elton has steadfastly remained active in advocacy for AIDS research.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
'Rock of the Westies'
Rock of the Westies, a play on words of West of the Rockies, was the third album recorded by Elton John at Caribou Ranch in Colorado, his second album of 1975 as well as his second of 1975 to debut at number 1 on the charts and the first album for the then "new" iteration of the Elton John Band. The "new" band consisted of Caleb Quaye on guitar and Roger Pope on drums, formerly of the band Hookfoot and veterans of Elton's earlier albums on which they appeared as session players before Elton started using his touring band full time for recording on Honky Chateau.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
When Politics Trumps Music
I have been a Pink Floyd fan since one snowy day when a neighbor introduced me to the "Dark Side of the Rainbow" effect. I was greatly amused by the effect of watching The Wizard of Oz with Dark Side of the Moon as the soundtrack; the more important thing, however, was that I instantly fell in love with the album and quickly became a major fan of Pink Floyd's music.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
'Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy'
In early 1975, an exhausted Elton John, Bernie Taupin and their entourage returned from an exhilarating world tour to Caribou Ranch in Colorado to put down their next album. The tour was highly successful; it featured the reemergence of one, John Lennon at Madison Square Garden and the Elton John Band at the top of its game and Elton at the top of his fame.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
'Caribou'
Coming off the career defining success of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, it is hard to imagine any follow up could live up to it's illustrious predecessor. That is not to say there is nothing good on Elton John's eighth studio album. On the contrary, it contains what is probably Elton's best song but overall it is a mixed bag. Gus Dudgeon who produced it later dismissed it as a "piece of crap.' The album is named after the studio in which it was recorded, namely Caribou Ranch in Colorado, owned by James William Guercio, manager and producer of the band Chicago.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'
Released in October of 1973, Elton John's first double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was a significant moment in Elton's career. Interestingly this great album was initially born out of not so great circumstances. Elton had wanted to record the album in a studio in Kingston Jamaica that had been used by the Rolling Stones for their album Goats Head Soup, but upon arriving discovered that the studio was ill-equipped and in a not-so friendly environment. Elton and his band only recorded one unusable take before abandoning the idea. They instead returned to the Chateau D'Hierouville in France where he had recorded his previous two albums.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
'Honky Chateau'
Honky Chateau was an album of many firsts for Elton John. Most notably it was the first of his albums not to be recorded in London. Inspired by the Rolling Stones, Elton opted to record in France at the Chateau D'Hierouville, which gives the album its title. An old chateau featuring lodging for the band, a swimming pool, and various recreations in addition to a fully-functional recording studio, which had been previously used by the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd for their soundtrack for the French Film "La Valle" (also known as "Obscured by Clouds"). It would also be the first Elton John album to primarily feature Elton's touring band of Davey Johnstone on guitar, banjo, mandolin, and vocals, Dee Murray on bass and vocals, and Nigel Olsson on drums and vocals performing on all the tracks. It was also his first album to top the US Charts.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
'Madman Across the Water'
After a highly successful first tour of the United States in the fall and winter of 1970-71, Elton John and producer Gus Dudgeon returned to Trident Studios in London to record Madman Across the Water. The tour was immensely successful, and if fans were anxious for the next LP to hit the shops they still had plenty of available product to ring the registers, not only with the previous two hit albums but also a songtrack for the movie Friends on which Elton worked with orchestrator Paul Buckmaster and a live album taken from a live radio concert in New York, titled 11-17-70 in the US (17-11-70 in the UK). UK fans could also still pick up Elton's actual debut, Empty Sky.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
'Tumbleweed Connection'
Elton John's third album was released later in 1970 after his career-making second album was released earlier in the year. The Tumbleweed Connection album immediately sets a western mood with the photograph of the old-time train station on the cover while the illustrations in the booklet depict various pieces of Americana such as trains, steamboats, farms and guns. The Americana themes of the album were heavily influenced by Robbie Robertson’s songwriting for The Band, the former backing band of Bob Dylan, which went on to record great albums such as Music From Big Pink and their self-titled second album known for such classic songs as "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," which have become classics of Americana. Taupin would not actually see America until later that year when Elton’s first tour of the States went underway.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
'Elton John'
For all intents and purposes, the eponymous Elton John album released in 1970 was an overnight smash debut that propelled the future "rocket man" to the top of the charts, and for the first half of the decade to the top of both the concert attendance and Top 40 lists.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
Our Empty Sky Was Filled With Laughter
In December 1968, Elton John and Producer Steve Brown went to Dick James Studios in London to record Elton’s first album Empty Sky. Sessions for the album lasted until April of 1969. The album was released in the United Kingdom in June 1969 where it performed modestly but was not a huge success. It was not released in the United States until 1975, thus explaining why many American record-buyers have no memory of it.
By Sean Callaghan7 years ago in Beat
