Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin | |
---|---|
Compilation album by various artists | |
Released | 22 October 1991 |
Recorded | Various |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 78:54 |
Label | Polydor |
Producer | many |
Singles from Two Rooms | |
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin is a 1991 tribute album consisting of interpretations of sixteen songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The title refers to a song on John's album 21 at 33 , "Two Rooms at the End of the World", and to the duo's unusual collaborative style; it is also the title of a 1991 film documenting their collaboration.
The album gained an uneven reception, [2] though some performances were singled out for praise, including Sinéad O'Connor's interpretation of "Sacrifice", [3] Kate Bush's reggae-inflected version of "Rocket Man", which in 2007 won The Observer readers' award for Greatest Cover of all time, [4] [5] and Tina Turner's Grammy-nominated version of "The Bitch Is Back". [6]
Two singles were released from the album: Oleta Adams' version of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" peaked at number 33 in the UK Singles Chart and Kate Bush's "Rocket Man" peaked at number 12 in the UK and number two in Australia. Wilson Phillips' cover of "Daniel", while not released as a single, peaked at number seven in the US Adult Contemporary chart due to strong radio airplay. [7]
Kate Bush's reggae-inflected version of "Rocket Man" was released as a single and peaked at number 12 in the UK and number two in Australia (where it beat the original version's chart position by several places). In 2007, the track won The Observer readers' award for Greatest Cover of all time. [4] [5]
"I was really knocked out to be asked to be involved with this project," Bush said, "because I was such a big fan of Elton's when I was little. I really loved his stuff. It's like he's my biggest hero, really. And when I was just starting to write songs, he was the only songwriter I knew of that played the piano and sang and wrote songs. So he was very much my idol, and one of my favourite songs of his was 'Rocket Man'. Now, if I had known then that I would have been asked to be involved in this project, I would have just died… They basically said, 'Would we like to be involved?' I could choose which track I wanted… 'Rocket Man' was my favourite. And I hoped it hadn't gone, actually – I hoped no one else was going to do it… I actually haven't heard the original for a very long time. 'A long, long time' (laughs). It was just that I wanted to do it differently. I do think that if you cover records, you should try and make them different. It's like remaking movies: you've got to try and give it something that makes it worth re-releasing. And the reggae treatment just seemed to happen, really. I just tried to put the chords together on the piano, and it just seemed to want to take off in the choruses. So we gave it the reggae treatment. It's even more extraordinary (that the song was a hit) because we actually recorded the track over two years ago. Probably just after my last telly appearance. We were quite astounded when they wanted to release it as a single just recently." [8]
The B-side of Bush's single was her version of "Candle in the Wind". The CD single added an instrumental version of the same song.
All tracks are written by Elton John & Bernie Taupin
No. | Title | Performing artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Border Song" | Eric Clapton | 4:21 |
2. | "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" | Kate Bush | 4:57 |
3. | "Come Down in Time" | Sting | 3:38 |
4. | "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting [9] " | The Who | 4:32 |
5. | "Crocodile Rock" | The Beach Boys | 4:21 |
6. | "Daniel" | Wilson Phillips | 4:03 |
7. | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Joe Cocker | 3:57 |
8. | "Levon" | Jon Bon Jovi | 5:27 |
9. | "The Bitch is Back" | Tina Turner | 3:38 |
10. | "Philadelphia Freedom" | Hall & Oates | 5:12 |
11. | "Your Song" | Rod Stewart | 4:49 |
12. | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Oleta Adams | 6:02 |
13. | "Madman Across the Water" | Bruce Hornsby | 6:10 |
14. | "Sacrifice" | Sinéad O'Connor | 5:12 |
15. | "Burn Down the Mission" | Phil Collins | 6:11 |
16. | "Tonight" | George Michael | 7:23 |
Total length: | 79:53 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [18] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [19] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
France (SNEP) [20] | Gold | 100,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [21] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [22] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [23] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [24] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Tumbleweed Connection is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John. It was recorded at Trident Studios, London, England, in March 1970, and released in October 1970 in the United Kingdom and January 1971 in the United States. It is a concept album based on country and western/Americana themes. All songs are written by John and Bernie Taupin, with the exception of "Love Song" by Lesley Duncan.
Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1971 through 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.
Honky Château is the fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released in 1972, and was titled after the 18th century French chateau where it was recorded, Château d'Hérouville. The album reached number one in the US, the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by English singer, pianist, and composer Elton John, first released on 5 October 1973 as a double LP. The album has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and is widely regarded as John's magnum opus. Among the 17 tracks, the album contains the hits "Candle in the Wind", US number-one single "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" plus live favourite "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding".
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A Single Man is the twelfth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in 1978, it is the first album for which Gary Osborne replaced Bernie Taupin as lyricist. It is also the first of two John albums that, on the original cut, have no tracks co-written by Taupin.
"Daniel" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was first released on John's 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player.
Love Songs is a compilation album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 6 November 1995 by John's own label The Rocket Record Company, in conjunction with Mercury Records, and in North America by MCA Records on 24 September 1996. In the US, it was certified gold in December 1996, platinum in March 1997, double platinum in December 1998 and triple platinum in August 2000 by the RIAA.
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.
Made in England is the twenty-fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1995. It was produced by John and Greg Penny, his first album since Leather Jackets without producer Chris Thomas. The album was dedicated to John's boyfriend and future husband David Furnish. It was also dedicated to the memory of Denis Gauthier and Peter Williams. It was the last album to feature regular percussionist Ray Cooper until 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night. Bob Birch became John's full-time recording and touring bass player until his death in 2012.
The Big Picture is the twenty-fifth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in September 1997. It includes four worldwide singles: "Live Like Horses", "Something About the Way You Look Tonight", "Recover Your Soul" and "If the River Can Bend".
Leather Jackets is the twentieth studio album by English musician Elton John. Recorded at Sol Studios in England and Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands, it was released in 1986 and was his first album not to have any top 40 singles in either the US or the UK since 1970's Tumbleweed Connection, which had no singles released from it.
Sleeping with the Past is the 22nd studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 29 August 1989. It is his best-selling album in Denmark and is dedicated to his longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin. The album features "Sacrifice" and "Healing Hands", which were issued as a double A-side and became John's first solo number-one single in his home country of the UK. The single's success helped the album also hit number one there, his first since 1974's Elton John's Greatest Hits. It also became his first platinum album in the UK since 1985's Ice on Fire. In the US it was certified gold in October 1989 and platinum in April 1990 by the RIAA. Sleeping with the Past became John's best selling album of the 1980s.
Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits is a live album released by English musician Elton John in 2000. The album was recorded on 20 and 21 October 2000 at Madison Square Garden. An extended version was also released as a DVD, entitled One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden. While the album is called "One Night Only," it was in fact recorded over two nights. Due to technical issues on the first night, most of the recordings were drawn from the second show. In the US, it was certified gold in July 2001 by the RIAA.
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin. It was recorded by Elton John and released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the Blue Moves album. It was John's second single released by The Rocket Record Company. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship which is falling apart.
The Very Best of Elton John is a greatest hits compilation album by English musician Elton John, released in October 1990. His first career-retrospective compilation album, and fourth official greatest-hits album overall, it was released in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe, and in other countries such as Japan and Australia, but not in the United States, where the box set To Be Continued... was released the following month instead.
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"Bennie and the Jets" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973. "Bennie and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs and was performed during his appearance at Live Aid.
"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" is a song by English musician Elton John, with music by John and Davey Johnstone and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It is the first single from John's 17th studio album Too Low for Zero. In the United States, it became one of John's biggest hits of the 1980s, holding at No. 2 for four weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart, and reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top ten in five countries, including the UK, peaking at number five. It was the first single since 1975 to feature the classic lineup of the Elton John Band.
"Rocket Man" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin and performed by John. It was originally released on 17 April 1972 in the US, as the lead single to John's album Honky Château. The song first charted in the UK on 22 April, rising to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a major hit single for John.
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