It was just a nightmare.”ĭudgeon was in such a rush to get through the session, he accidentally forgot to record their part on the last chorus of “Medley.” Says Dudgeon, “I made myself an enormous joint, walked into the studio, and imitated LaBelle. “In the control room they were fine, you could teach them their harmonies, but as soon as they went into the studio they forgot their harmonies and blamed each other for singing the wrong parts. “I remember a dreadful session with LaBelle ,” says Dudgeon. As was the case with Caribou, there were problems in the studio during the Rock of the Westies sessions, but this time it wasn’t the equipment.
It’s not one of my favorite albums.”įor the third straight album, John and company opted to record at the Caribou Ranch. “It was a bit tricky,” he says, “because we were dealing with a different bunch of people. The new lineup, however, wasn’t necessarily a good thing, as Rock of the Westies, like Caribou before it, turned out to be another commercial triumph but a major artistic disappointment, at least in the eyes of producer Gus Dudgeon. Rounding out the new group was a second keyboardist, James Newton Howard, known for his work with Melissa Manchester. Davey Johnstone and percussionist Ray Cooper stayed on, but the rest of John’s band was comprised of new and old faces.ĭrummer Roger Pope and guitarist Caleb Quaye both had worked with John in the past - Pope played on Empty Sky, John’s first album, which was belatedly released in 1975 in America Quaye had played with John in Bluesology in 1966 and on John’s self-titled 1970 album - while the new bass player, Kenny Possarelli, was featured on Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way,” one of John’s favorite songs. On the eve of the release of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John made a surprise move, firing his longtime rhythm section of bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson. Track listing: Medley (Yell Help / Wednesday Night / Ugly) / Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future) / Island Girl / Grow Some Funk of Your Own / I Feel Like a Bullet (in the Gun of Robert Ford) / Street Kids / Hard Luck Story / Feed Me / Billy Bones and the White Bird