Rare Masters
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2019) |
| Rare Masters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | October 20, 1992 (US) December 31, 1993 (UK) | |||
| Recorded | December 1967–July 1975 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 105:04 | |||
| Label | Polydor (US/Canada), DJM | |||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon, Caleb Quaye, Steve Brown | |||
| Elton John chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
Rare Masters is a compilation album by Elton John that was released in 1992.[3] It includes all A-side and B-sides released by John between 1968 and 1975 that were not included on original studio albums or on Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume II. However, some of the tracks here previously appeared on the To Be Continued... box set released in 1990.
The album also includes five outtakes, recorded in the same time period, that had previously been unreleased. It is also the only place where the soundtrack to the 1971 movie Friends has been made available on CD.
When the Elton John back catalog from 1969 to 1975 was remastered and released in 1995, many of these songs were released on those albums as well, also in remastered form.
Track listing
[edit]All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I've Been Loving You" | John | Recorded December 1967, released March 1968 | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Here's to the Next Time" | John | Recorded December 1967, released March 1968 | 2:58 |
| 3. | "Lady Samantha" | Recorded December 1968, released January 1969 | 3:02 | |
| 4. | "All Across the Havens" | B-side of "Lady Samantha", recorded December 1968, released January 1969 | 2:51 | |
| 5. | "It's Me That You Need" | Recorded April 1969, released May 1969 | 4:00 | |
| 6. | "Just Like Strange Rain" | B-side of "It's Me That You Need", recorded April 1969, released May 1969 | 3:44 | |
| 7. | "Bad Side of the Moon" | Recorded January 1970, released March 1970 | 3:12 | |
| 8. | "Rock and Roll Madonna" | Recorded September 1969, released June 1970 | 4:16 | |
| 9. | "Grey Seal" | Recorded January 1970, released June 1970 | 3:35 | |
| 10. | "Friends" | 2:33 | ||
| 11. | "Michelle's Song" | 4:20 | ||
| 12. | "Seasons" | Instrumental | 3:56 | |
| 13. | "Variation on Michelle's Song (A Day in the Country)" | John, Taupin, Paul Buckmaster | Instrumental | 2:47 |
| 14. | "Can I Put You On" | 5:57 | ||
| 15. | "Honey Roll" | B-side of "Friends" | 3:07 | |
| 16. | "Variations on 'Friends'" | John, Taupin, Buckmaster | Instrumental | 1:43 |
| 17. | "I Meant to Do My Work Today (A Day in the Country)" | John, Taupin, Buckmaster | Recitation with accompaniment | 1:36 |
| 18. | "Four Moods" | Buckmaster | Instrumental | 11:01 |
| 19. | "Seasons Reprise" | Instrumental | 1:39 | |
| Total length: | 69:33 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Madman Across the Water" | Tumbleweed Connection outtake with Mick Ronson on guitar | 8:50 | |
| 2. | "Into the Old Man's Shoes" | Tumbleweed Connection outtake released as the B-side of "Your Song" in the UK | 4:01 | |
| 3. | "Rock Me When He's Gone" | Madman Across the Water outtake, written for Long John Baldry | 5:01 | |
| 4. | "Slave" | Honky Château outtake, recorded January 1972 | 2:48 | |
| 5. | "Skyline Pigeon" | Re-recording of Empty Sky song, recorded June 1972, released January 1973 as the B-side of "Daniel" | 3:51 | |
| 6. | "Jack Rabbit" | Recorded May 1973, released June 1973 | 1:51 | |
| 7. | "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" | Recorded May 1973, released June 1973 | 2:51 | |
| 8. | "Let Me Be Your Car" | Previously unreleased demo, written for Rod Stewart, recorded early 1973 | 4:52 | |
| 9. | "Screw You" | Title changed to "Young Man's Blues" for US release, recorded May 1973, released September 1973 | 4:41 | |
| 10. | "Step into Christmas" | Recorded and released November 1973 | 4:30 | |
| 11. | "Ho! Ho! Ho! (Who'd Be a Turkey at Christmas)" | B-side of "Step Into Christmas", recorded and released November 1973 | 4:03 | |
| 12. | "Sick City" | Recorded January 1974, released May 1974 | 5:23 | |
| 13. | "Cold Highway" | Recorded January 1974, released August 1974 | 3:26 | |
| 14. | "One Day (At a Time)" | John Lennon | Recorded July 1974, released November 1974 | 3:47 |
| 15. | "I Saw Her Standing There" | Lennon–McCartney | Recorded live with Lennon at Madison Square Garden, Lennon's last concert appearance | 3:51 |
| 16. | "House of Cards" | Recorded July 1974, released May 1975 | 3:09 | |
| 17. | "Planes" | Previously unreleased, recorded July 1975 | 4:14 | |
| 18. | "Sugar on the Floor" | Kiki Dee | Recorded July 1975, released September 1975 | 4:33 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Elton John - Rare Masters". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Bernardin, Claude; Stanton, Tom (1996). Rocket Man: Elton John From A - Z (Paperback ed.). Praeger. pp. 145. ISBN 978-0-275-95698-1.
rocket man: elton john from a-z for collectors of obscure Elton John recordings,.
