Honky Château
Encyclopedia
Honky Château is the fifth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by British singer/songwriter Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

, released in 1972. In 2003, the album was ranked number 357 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was certified Gold on 7/24/1972 and Platinum on 10/11/1995 by the R.I.A.A. This was the final Elton John album on the Uni
Uni Records
Uni Records was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinct UNi logo, was established in 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen and developed by music industry veteran Russ Regan...

 label in the US and Canada before the Music Corporation of America
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...

 consolidated all of its various labels under the MCA
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...

 brand. This and Elton's earlier Uni albums were later reissued on MCA Records.

Music

This is the first album since John's debut (Empty Sky
Empty Sky
Empty Sky is the debut album of British singer/songwriter Elton John, released on June 3, 1969. It was finally released in the United States in January 1975, with a different cover photograph, well after John's fame had been established internationally...

) not to feature strings on any songs, except for violinist Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty is a French virtuoso violinist and jazz composer.- Early years:Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians on 29 September 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano...

 on "Mellow" and "Amy". It also marks the beginning of his transition from a singer/songwriter in the mould of James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....

, Leon Russell
Leon Russell
Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....

 or Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...

 to a more rock 'n roll style that would become more evident on such albums as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, released in 1973, is the seventh studio album by British singer-songwriter Elton John. It has come to be regarded as Elton John's best and most popular album, and is his best selling studio album with worldwide sales of at least 15 million copies.Recorded at the Château...

, Caribou
Caribou (album)
Caribou is the 8th studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1974 . It was John's 4th chart-topping album in the U.S. and his 3rd in the U.K. The album contains the singles, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", which reached # 16 in the UK Singles Chart and # 2 in the U.S.,...

and Rock of the Westies
Rock of the Westies
Rock of the Westies is the tenth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1975 .Like Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Rock of the Westies also debuted on the United States Billboard charts at # 1, the only two albums at that time to have done so...

.


It was also the first album to feature John's road band of Dee Murray
Dee Murray
Dee Murray was an English bassist, best known as a member of Elton John's original rock band.-Biography:Murray was born David Murray Oates in Southgate, London in 1946...

 on bass and Nigel Olsson
Nigel Olsson
Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer, who is best known for his work with Elton John. Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as one of the first members of John's band, on drums, percussion and backing vocals. When not working with Elton, Olsson has taken up the role of a session musician...

 on drums (along with new member Davey Johnstone
Davey Johnstone
Davey Johnstone , is a Scottish rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with Elton John.-Career:...

 on guitars and other fretted instruments) as the sole core group of musicians. Previously, due to his record label's insistence, John had been limited to using his road band for only one track each on Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water; the rest of the songs on those two albums were performed by various groupings of session players.

The opening track "Honky Cat
Honky Cat
"Honky Cat" is a song from the 1972 Elton John album Honky Château, the album's lead-off track.A fast, spirited number played without any guitar, with Davey Johnstone playing banjo instead, "Honky Cat" is essentially about the illusion created by city life...

" is a New Orleans funk track reminiscent of Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...

 and Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...

 and features a four-piece horn section arranged by producer Gus Dudgeon. Also of note is the debut on record of the backing vocal combination of Johnstone, Murray and Olsson, who first added what would soon become their "trademark" sound to "Rocket Man." The trio's unique approach to arranging their backing vocal tracks would be a fixture on John's singles and albums for the next several years.

In 1995, Dudgeon remastered the album, adding only an uptempo, rock and roll version of "Slave" that was sidelined in favor of the steamier, more laconic version that made the LP's original lineup.

Critical appraisal and chart action

Critically Honky Château is regarded as John's finest record. Jon Landau
Jon Landau
Jon Landau is an American music critic, manager and record producer, most known for his association in all three capacities with Bruce Springsteen.He is currently the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....

 of Rolling Stone approved the original LP as "a rich, warm, satisfying album that stands head and shoulders above the morass of current releases". Other reviews were likewise mostly positive. In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...

 of Allmusic has written that "it plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin ever wrote".

Honky Chateau became the first of a string of albums by Elton John to hit number 1 in the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Charts in the United States. In Canada, the album peaked at number 3 on the RPM 100
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...

Top Albums Chart, reaching this position on July 29, 1972, dropping two places to number 5, then returning to number 3 for a further twelve consecutive weeks before falling to number 9 on November 4 of the same year.

Side one

  1. "Honky Cat
    Honky Cat
    "Honky Cat" is a song from the 1972 Elton John album Honky Château, the album's lead-off track.A fast, spirited number played without any guitar, with Davey Johnstone playing banjo instead, "Honky Cat" is essentially about the illusion created by city life...

    " – 5:13
  2. "Mellow" – 5:32
  3. "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself
    I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself
    "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" is a song by Elton John, released on his 1972 album Honky Château. The song is a tongue-in-cheek parody of a moody teenager's thoughts about suicide.-Musical structure:...

    " – 3:35
  4. "Susie (Dramas)" – 3:25
  5. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" – 4:45

Side two

  1. "Salvation" – 3:58
  2. "Slave" – 4:22
  3. "Amy" – 4:03
  4. "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
    Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
    "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" is a song from the Elton John album Honky Château. It reflects Bernie Taupin's take on New York City after hearing a gun go off near his hotel window during his first visit to the city. The song's lyrics were partly inspired by Ben E...

    " – 5:00
  5. "Hercules" – 5:20

Bonus track (1995 Mercury and 1996 Rocket reissue)

  1. "Slave" (Alternate take) – 2:53

Personnel

  • Elton John - acoustic and electric pianos, organ
  • Davey Johnstone
    Davey Johnstone
    Davey Johnstone , is a Scottish rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with Elton John.-Career:...

     - guitars, banjo, mandolin
  • Dee Murray
    Dee Murray
    Dee Murray was an English bassist, best known as a member of Elton John's original rock band.-Biography:Murray was born David Murray Oates in Southgate, London in 1946...

     - bass
  • Nigel Olsson
    Nigel Olsson
    Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer, who is best known for his work with Elton John. Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as one of the first members of John's band, on drums, percussion and backing vocals. When not working with Elton, Olsson has taken up the role of a session musician...

     - drums, congas, tambourine

Additional musicians

  • Davey, Dee, and Nigel - backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
  • Ivan Jullien (fr.) - trumpet (track 1)
  • Jacques Bolognesi (fr.) - trombone (track 1)
  • Jean-Louis Chautemps & Alain Hatot - saxophones (track 1)
  • Jean-Luc Ponty
    Jean-Luc Ponty
    Jean-Luc Ponty is a French virtuoso violinist and jazz composer.- Early years:Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians on 29 September 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano...

     - electric violin (tracks 2 and 8)
  • "Legs" Larry Smith - tap dance (track 3)
  • David Hentschel
    David Hentschel
    David Hentschel is an English recording engineer, writer and music producer who engineered on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, as well as with artists including Genesis, Elton John, Ringo Starr, Queen, Marti Webb, Andy Summers, Mike Oldfield, Peter...

     - A.R.P. synthesizer (tracks 5 and 10) (credited as "David Henschel" on sleeve)
  • Ray Cooper
    Ray Cooper
    Ray Cooper is an English musician. He is a session and road-tour percussionist, and occasional actor, who has worked with several musically diverse bands and artists including George Harrison, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. Cooper is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow...

     - congas (track 8)
  • Gus Dudgeon
    Gus Dudgeon
    Angus Boyd Dudgeon , most commonly known as Gus Dudgeon was an English record producer, most notable for production of many of Elton John's recordings.-Early career:...

     - rhino whistle & backing vocals (track 10)
  • Madeline Bell
    Madeline Bell
    Madeline Bell is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the United Kingdom during the 1960s, having arrived from the US in the gospel show Black Nativity in 1962, with vocal group The Bradford Singers.-Career:She worked as a session singer, most notably backing for Dusty...

    , Liza Strike, Larry Steel, Tony Hazzard
    Tony Hazzard
    Tony Hazzard is an English singer and songwriter. He has written songs for The Hollies , Manfred Mann , "Me, The Peaceful Heart" for Lulu, The Yardbirds , Herman's Hermits , Peter Noone Tony Hazzard (born Anthony Hazzard, 31 October 1943, Liverpool) is an English singer and songwriter. He has...

     - additional backing vocals

Production

  • Producer: Gus Dudgeon
    Gus Dudgeon
    Angus Boyd Dudgeon , most commonly known as Gus Dudgeon was an English record producer, most notable for production of many of Elton John's recordings.-Early career:...

  • Engineer: Ken Scott
    Ken Scott
    Ken Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...

  • Mastering engineer: "Legs" Larry Smith
  • Remastering: Tony Cousins
  • Editing: Gus Skinas
  • Digital transfers: Ricky Graham
  • Surround mix: Greg Penny
  • Brass arrangement: Gus Dudgeon
    Gus Dudgeon
    Angus Boyd Dudgeon , most commonly known as Gus Dudgeon was an English record producer, most notable for production of many of Elton John's recordings.-Early career:...

  • Cover photo: Ed Caraeff
  • Liner notes: John Tobler

Chart positions

Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...

4
Canadian RPM Albums Chart
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...

3
Dutch Mega Albums Chart
MegaCharts
MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...

9
Italian Albums Chart 5
Japanese Oricon LP Chart
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

21
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...

8
UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

2
U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 
1
West German Media Control Albums Chart 43


Year-end charts

Chart (1972) Position
Italian Albums Chart 18
Australian Albums Chart 15
U.S. Billboard Year-End
Billboard Year-End
Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November...

24

Certifications

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