This day in 1970, Elton John released his 3rd album Tumbleweed Connection.
Bernie Taupin said of the album, "Everybody thinks that I was influenced by Americana and by seeing America first hand, but we wrote and recorded the album before we'd even been to the States. It was totally influenced by The Band's album, Music From Big Pink, and Robbie Robertson's songs. I've always loved Americana, and I loved American Westerns.
I've always said that 'El Paso' was the song that made me want to write songs, it was the perfect meshing of melody and storyline, and I thought that here was something that married rhythms and the written word completely." John has remarked, "Lyrically and melodically, that's probably one of our most perfect albums. I don't think there's any song on there that doesn't melodically fit the lyric.”
Importantly, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson appeared for the first time together on this album as the rhythm section on "Amoreena". Olsson had played on one track on Empty Sky for John in 1969. It is Murray's first appearance on an Elton John album.
This album also features one of Woodsie’s favourite Elton John songs, which was covered beautifully by Sting (with Elton’s help) on the tribute album Two Rooms. Here are Sting and Elton, performing the song together.
