Chartbusters Go Pop

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Chartbusters Go Pop
Chartbusters Go Pop.jpg
Compilation album by
Released1994
Recorded1969–1970
Genre Pop
Length56:48
Label RPM
Purple Pyramid
Producer Various
Elton John chronology
The Lion King
(1994)
Chartbusters Go Pop
(1994)
Made in England
(1995)
Alternative cover
Legendary Covers Elton John.jpg
Reissue cover.
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Chartbusters Go Pop (subtitled 20 Legendary Covers from 1969/70 as sung by Elton John) is a compilation album of cover versions by Elton John.

These recordings are from the days prior to Elton John's success as a solo performer. They are taken from a variety of periodically issued budget-priced compilations of hit songs, under brand names including Top of the Pops , Chartbusters and Hot Hits. These were issued by budget labels including Music for Pleasure and featured current or recent hits re-recorded, with varying degrees of note-for-note accuracy, by nameless "soundalike" performers. Like many other jobbing session singers of the time, John worked as a vocalist on these albums.

These covers compilations were cheaply recorded, cheaply priced, and sold in large quantities until, in 1972, compilations featuring the original artists were introduced by such labels as K-Tel. The public preferred the original recordings and the market for cheap cover compilations rapidly declined. This album collects together John's contributions to a variety of covers albums issued during 1969 and 1970. This collection was released by minor labels in the UK and US in 1994 and was re-issued many times afterwards. [3]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."My Baby Loves Lovin'" White Plains 2:44
2."Cotton Fields"Lead Belly Lead Belly (based on the version by The Beach Boys)2:47
3."Lady D'Arbanville"Cat Stevens Cat Stevens 3:41
4."Natural Sinner" Andy Fairweather Low Fair Weather 2:50
5."United We Stand" Brotherhood of Man 2:48
6."Spirit in the Sky"Norman Greenbaum Norman Greenbaum 3:37
7."Travelin' Band" John Fogerty Creedence Clearwater Revival 2:16
8."I Can't Tell the Bottom from the Top"
The Hollies 3:42
9."Good Morning Freedom"
Blue Mink 3:07
10."To Be Young, Gifted and Black"
Nina Simone 3:04
11."In the Summertime" Ray Dorset Mungo Jerry 2:51
12."Up Around the Bend"FogertyCreedence Clearwater Revival2:38
13."Snake in the Grass" Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 3:02
14."Neanderthal Man" Hotlegs 3:35
15."She Sold Me Magic"
Lou Christie 1:56
16."Come and Get It" Paul McCartney Badfinger 2:14
17."Love of the Common People" John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins The Four Preps (based on the version by The Winstons)2:33
18."Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" Stevie Wonder 2:32
19."It's All in the Game" Carl Sigman, Charles G. Dawes Tommy Edwards (based on the version by the Four Tops)2:23
20."Yellow River"Jeff Christie Christie 2:35

References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Larkin, Colin (2011). "John, Elton". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2,003. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. Discogs – Various versions