Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
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| Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | |||||
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| Studio album by Elton John | |||||
| Released | January 22, 1973 (U.S.) January 26, 1973 (UK) |
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| Recorded | Château d'Hérouville, Pontoise, France, June 1972 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 42:45 | ||||
| Label | MCA Records (US/Canada) DJM Records |
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| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | ||||
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| Elton John chronology | |||||
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Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player is the sixth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John.
This was Elton's second straight #1 album in America and yielded his first #1 single there - "Crocodile Rock." Along with "Crocodile Rock" Don't Shoot Me... contained more songs with a pop flavour, including "Elderberry Wine" (the b-side of "Crocodile Rock"), "I'm Gonna Be a Teenage Idol", and "Teacher, I Need You." Many long-time fans however, lamented this change, wishing he had stayed true to his original roots of simple piano ballads which were the staple on most of his earlier albums.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by John/Taupin.
[edit] Side one
- "Daniel" – 3:54
- "Teacher I Need You" – 4:10
- "Elderberry Wine" – 3:33
- "Blues for My Baby and Me" – 5:42
- "Midnight Creeper" – 3:55
[edit] Side two
- "Have Mercy on the Criminal" – 5:57
- "I'm Gonna Be a Teenage Idol" – 3:55
- "Texan Love Song" – 3:33
- "Crocodile Rock" – 3:58
- "High Flying Bird" – 4:12
[edit] Bonus tracks (1995 CD reissue)
- "Screw You (Young Man's Blues)" – 4:43
- "Jack Rabbit" – 1:49
- "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" – 2:51
- "Skyline Pigeon" [Piano version] – 3:56
[edit] B-sides
| Song | Format |
|---|---|
| "Skyline Pigeon (Piano Version)" | Daniel 7" (US/UK) |
[edit] Personnel
- Elton John – flute, piano, harmonium, keyboard, electric piano, vocals, mellotron, farfisa organ
- Davey Johnstone – synthesizer, acoustic guitar, banjo, guitar, electric guitar, sitar, vocals, background vocals, Leslie speaker
- Dee Murray – bass, background vocals
- Nigel Olsson – drums, maracas, background vocals
[edit] Additional personnel
- Gus Dudgeon – brass arrangements on 3 4 7
- Jacques Bolognesi – trombone on 3 4 7
- Ivan Jullien – trumpet on 3 4 7
- Jean-Louis Chautemps – saxophone on 3 4 7
- Alain Hatot – saxophone on 3 4 7
- Paul Buckmaster – orchestra on 4 6
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | UK Album Chart | 1 |
| 1973 | Billboard Pop Albums | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Crocodile Rock | UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| 1973 | Crocodile Rock | Billboard Pop Singles | 1 |
| 1973 | Daniel | UK Singles Chart | 4 |
| 1973 | Daniel | Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| 1973 | Daniel | Billboard Pop Singles | 2 |
[edit] Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – United States | Gold | February 12, 1973 |
| RIAA – United States | Platinum | March 23, 1993 |
| RIAA – United States | Double Platinum | March 23, 1993 |
| RIAA – United States | Triple Platinum | October 11, 1995 |
| Preceded by The World Is a Ghetto by War |
Billboard 200 number-one album March 3 - March 16, 1973 |
Succeeded by Dueling Banjos by Eric Weissberg |
