To Be Continued... (Elton John album)

Last updated

To Be Continued...
To be continued us.JPG
Box set by
Released8 November 1990 (US)
November 1991 (UK)
RecordedVarious locations, 1965–1991
Genre Rock, pop rock
Length5:01:20
Label MCA (US)
Rocket (UK)
Producer Gus Dudgeon (US)
Chris Thomas, Elton John, Clive Franks, Don Was, Steve Brown (UK)
Elton John chronology
The Very Best of Elton John
(1990)
To Be Continued...
(1990)
The One
(1992)
Alternate cover
To Be Continued... (1990 album).jpg
1991 UK release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

To Be Continued... is a four-disc box set by English musician Elton John, originally released in 1990. The box set was compiled by John and Bernie Taupin that same year. It details John's music from his days with Bluesology to the then-present day. [3]

Contents

Aside from hit singles, the box set features deep cuts, unreleased music, fan favorites and live performances in John's career. Four new songs ("Made for Me", "You Gotta Love Someone", "I Swear I Heard the Night Talkin'" and "Easier to Walk Away") were recorded for the box set.

Release

Newly sober Elton John was unhappy with the US cover art (it reminded him of his old excesses), so the 1991 UK release was issued with new cover art and also replaced "You Gotta Love Someone" (which had already been released on The Very Best of Elton John the previous year) and "I Swear I Heard the Night Talkin'" with then-unreleased "Suit of Wolves" and "Understanding Women". The former become one of the B-sides to "The One" and the latter was included as a track on the 1992 album The One .

MCA's rights to John's music lapsed in the 1990s, and the Elton John back catalogue was reverted to Polydor Records, which put it back out in upgraded editions on the Island Records label. This set was deleted by 1994, and was soon selling for serious amounts of money as a collector's item. However, in 1999, MCA's parent company, Universal Music, bought Polydor, and suddenly this box set reappeared.

In the US, it was certified gold in June 1992 and platinum in November 2006. In April 2016, it was certified 2 x platinum by the RIAA.

Track listing

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.

Disc one (1968–1972)
No.TitleLength
1."Come Back Baby" (Reg Dwight with Bluesology)2:45
2."Lady Samantha"3:04
3."It's Me That You Need"4:04
4."Your Song" (Demo)3:33
5."Rock and Roll Madonna"4:17
6."Bad Side of the Moon"3:15
7."Your Song"4:00
8."Take Me to the Pilot"3:46
9."Border Song"3:22
10."Sixty Years On" (Extended intro)4:57
11."Country Comfort"5:07
12."Grey Seal" (Original version)3:36
13."Friends"2:20
14."Levon"5:21
15."Tiny Dancer"6:15
16."Madman Across the Water"5:58
17."Honky Cat"5:13
18."Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters"4:59
Total length:75:45
Disc two (1972–1975)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rocket Man" 4:43
2."Daniel" 3:53
3."Crocodile Rock" 3:54
4."Bennie and the Jets" 5:21
5."Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" 3:14
6."All the Girls Love Alice" 5:10
7."Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" 11:07
8."Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" 2:53
9."Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" 4:54
10."Jack Rabbit" 1:51
11."Harmony" 2:46
12."Screw You (Young Man's Blues)" 4:43
13."Step into Christmas" 4:30
14."The Bitch Is Back" 3:44
15."Pinball Wizard" Pete Townshend 5:15
16."Someone Saved My Life Tonight" 6:45
Total length:74:38
Disc three (1975–1982)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Philadelphia Freedom" 5:39
2."One Day (At a Time)" John Lennon 3:48
3."Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"Lennon, Paul McCartney 6:16
4."I Saw Her Standing There" (Live with John Lennon)Lennon, McCartney3:43
5."Island Girl" 3:44
6."Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" 3:47
7."Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee) 4:31
8."I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" (Live) 3:35
9."Ego" 3:59
10."Song for Guy"John6:40
11."Mama Can't Buy You Love" LeRoy Bell, Casey James 4:03
12."Cartier" Dinah Card, Carte Blanche 0:54
13."Little Jeannie"John, Gary Osborne 5:12
14."Donner Pour Donner" (Duet with France Gall) Michel Berger, Taupin4:26
15."Fanfare/Chloe"John, Osborne, James Newton Howard 6:20
16."The Retreat" 4:45
17."Blue Eyes"John, Osborne3:26
Total length:74:41
Disc four (1982–1990) (US edition)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" 5:12
2."I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"John, Taupin, Davey Johnstone 4:43
3."I'm Still Standing" 3:02
4."Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (Single version) 4:10
5."Act of War" (Single remix, duet with Millie Jackson) 4:44
6."Nikita" 5:44
7."Candle in the Wind" (Live at Australia 1986) 3:48
8."Carla/Etude" (Live)John4:46
9."Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Live at Australia 1986) 5:39
10."I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" (Shep Pettibone remix) 7:18
11."Give Peace a Chance"Lennon3:47
12."Sacrifice" 5:08
13."Made for Me" 4:22
14."You Gotta Love Someone" 4:59
15."I Swear I Heard the Night Talkin’" 4:30
16."Easier to Walk Away" 4:22
Total length:76:21
Disc four (1982–1991) (UK edition)
No.TitleLength
13."Made for Me"4:22
14."Easier to Walk Away"4:22
15."Suit of Wolves"5:46
16."Understanding Women"5:03
Total length:78:10

Personnel

From the 1990 Happenstance, Ltd release MCAD4-10110 liner notes

CD 1

CD 2

CD 3

CD 4

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [4] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [5] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Madman Across the Water</i> 1971 album by Elton John

Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 5 November 1971 by DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a popular music artist. John's first progressive rock album, Madman Across the Water contains nine tracks, each composed and performed by John and with lyrics written by songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman plays Hammond organ on two songs.

<i>Honky Château</i> 1972 studio album by Elton John

Honky Château is the fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 19 May 1972, and was titled after the 18th century French chateau where it was recorded, Château d'Hérouville. The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200, the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums.

<i>Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy</i> 1975 studio album by Elton John

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is the ninth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 23 May 1975 by DJM Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US. The album is an autobiographical account of the early musical careers of Elton John and his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin. An instant commercial success, the album was certified gold before its release, and reached No. 1 in its first week of release on the US Billboard 200, the first album to achieve both honours. It sold 1.4 million copies within four days of release, and stayed in the top position in the chart for seven weeks.

<i>Rock of the Westies</i> 1975 studio album by Elton John

Rock of the Westies is the tenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 24 October 1975. The title is a pun on the phrase "West of the Rockies", the album having been recorded at Caribou Ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

<i>Blue Moves</i> 1976 studio album by Elton John

Blue Moves is the eleventh studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 22 October 1976 through John's own Rocket Record Company, alongside MCA Records in certain countries. John's second double album, it was recorded at EMI Studios, Brother Studios, Eastern Sound and Sunset Sound Recorders, and was his last to be produced by longtime collaborator Gus Dudgeon until Ice on Fire (1985). Additionally, the album would be the last collaboration between John and lyricist Bernie Taupin for the next few years until a partial resumption of their working partnership with 21 at 33 (1980).

<i>My Fathers Eyes</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Amy Grant

My Father's Eyes is the second studio album by then-teenage Christian singer-songwriter Amy Grant, released in 1979 on Myrrh Records. My Father's Eyes was a turning point in Grant's career. It gave her her first Christian number-one hit in the title track, as well as the Top Ten Christian hit "Faith Walkin' People." The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary. It was certified gold in 1987.

<i>Too Low for Zero</i> 1983 studio album by Elton John

Too Low for Zero is the seventeenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1983. The album marked a comeback for John, whose previous four albums had failed to yield many enduring international hit singles, and had disappointing sales compared to his string of hit records released during the first half of the 1970s.

<i>Ice on Fire</i> 1985 studio album by Elton John

Ice on Fire is the nineteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1985. It was recorded at Sol Studios and his first album since Blue Moves produced by his original long-time producer, Gus Dudgeon. David Paton and Charlie Morgan appear for the first time on bass and drums respectively, replacing original Elton John Band members Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. Fred Mandel, who had played with John during the Breaking Hearts Tour, also contributed guitar and keyboards.

<i>The Fox</i> (Elton John album) 1981 studio album by Elton John

The Fox is the fifteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1981. The album was produced by John, Clive Franks, and, for the first time, Chris Thomas, who would produce many more albums with John through most of the 1980s and 1990s.

<i>Breaking Hearts</i> 1984 studio album by Elton John

Breaking Hearts is the eighteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1984. It features the quartet of John, Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. There were four top-40 singles from the album: "Sad Songs ", "Who Wears These Shoes", "In Neon", and the UK No. 5 hit "Passengers".

<i>Playing Possum</i> 1975 studio album by Carly Simon

Playing Possum is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on April 21, 1975.

<i>Duets</i> (Elton John album) 1993 studio album by Elton John and various artists

Duets is the first collaboration studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1993. The album debuted at No. 7 in the UK. In the US, it peaked at number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum in January 1994 by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elton John Band</span> Supporting band of the musician Elton John

The Elton John Band is the band that backs singer, composer and pianist Elton John on both studio and live recordings. The band has gone through several lineup changes, but Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone, and Ray Cooper have been members since 1970, 1971 and 1973, respectively. The various lineups of the band have consisted of both British, American, and European musicians. The band is often not recognised as a formal entity, and is instead referred to simply as the Elton John Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Girl</span> 1975 single by Elton John

"Island Girl" is a 1975 song by English musician Elton John. It was written by John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin and released as the first single from the album Rock of the Westies (1975). It reached number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., selling over one million copies. It also reached the top five in Canada and New Zealand, as well as the top twenty in Australia and the UK.

<i>The Rumour</i> (album)

The Rumour is the thirteenth studio album by Olivia Newton-John on 2 August 1988. The title track was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and features backing vocals and piano by John. The album featured the singles "The Rumour", "Can't We Talk It Over in Bed" and the Australian-only promo-single "It's Always Australia for Me", which was released for the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. This was also her first album not produced by long-time producer John Farrar.

<i>High Adventure</i> 1982 studio album by Kenny Loggins

High Adventure is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins, released in September 1982. It is best known for its top 40 pop singles "Heart to Heart", "Heartlight" and "Don't Fight It"; the latter was co-written by Journey frontman Steve Perry, who also performs on the track. Neil Giraldo, Pat Benatar's husband and guitarist is featured. "Don't Fight It" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

<i>Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems</i> 2007 box set by Emmylou Harris

Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems is a 2007 box set of songs personally selected by Emmylou Harris: "I've selected not greatest hits, but personal favorites: that, with a few exceptions-have never appeared on any other compilations, but were important gems in the string of pearls that each album strives to become. Also included are special collaborations, unreleased live and demo tracks, as well as contributions to tribute projects, which I may now gather into this fold.”

<i>Go</i> (Go album) 1976 studio album by Go

Go is the first album by the rock music supergroup Go. Recorded at Island Studios in London in February 1976, it was released on Island Records in April of the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Town of Plenty</span> 1988 single by Elton John

"Town of Plenty" is a song by English musician Elton John from the album Reg Strikes Back and was released in 1988. The song was the first album track to be heard after John's throat surgery. Pete Townshend of The Who plays acoustic guitar on the track, while Davey Johnstone plays electric. Among the backing vocalists contributing to the track are John's former bandmates Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray. This would be the final album of John's that Murray would contribute to, prior to his death from a stroke in 1992.

The 1980 World Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 14th studio album 21 at 33. the tour included two legs and a total of 63 shows.

References

  1. Elton John - To Be Continued... at AllMusic
  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. "Elton John - To Be Continued". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  4. "Canadian album certifications – Elton John – To Be Continued". Music Canada . Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  5. "American album certifications – Elton John – To Be Continued". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 1 January 2023.