Funeral For a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding (Elton John) | Behind the Score Ep. 54
Added 2024-05-14 21:05:29 +0000 UTCNext up in our Behind the Score series are the first two songs from Elton John's classic double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. I love Elton's unique blend of classical and popular styles...and these tunes abound with harmonic twists and turns. I hope you enjoy!
Comments
With all respect for the transcriber, it seems to me that, even though most often the sections begin on a major chord, most of the rest of the chords in the sequence come from the parallel minor scale rather than the major. Seems to me it would make more sense to consider those sections in the minor key, with a major chord borrowed from the parallel major, than the way this person chose to notate it... Okay, the problem is...we never land on the actual I in that case! It's also true that I-bIII-bVI-bVII is a super-common rock sequence...
Jeff Norman
2024-05-22 04:02:39 +0000 UTCThis was the first "piece of black plastic" I ever bought, in 1974. Before that, I had Bowie and Elton and loads of radio tapes on cassette. It remains my favourite Elton album, by FAR. Side one is just wonderful. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, This Song Has No Title, Grey Seal (best song on the album IMO), all of Side 3, and Saturday Night are all just wonderful. I really enjoyed Doug's interpretation and explanation - again. I know little of music theory, but I am learning from Doug. And following the score was SO interesting for me, 50 years after I first heard this album. Proud to remain a patreon.
Adrian Goodrich
2024-05-20 22:07:47 +0000 UTCThe ARP 2500, used here, is a full modular system. Unlike the Moog modular, the 2500 boasted an SEM tech which enabled duophonic potential on each keyboard. Thus, 4 voice polyphony. (Many synthesizer enthusiast wrongly believe this synth only monophonic and massive overdubs were employed.) We can tell by the precision of each voice in the various chord changes.
Guitar Channel
2024-05-17 22:37:10 +0000 UTCIt's an ARP 2500.
Guitar Channel
2024-05-17 22:33:00 +0000 UTCExcellent chart, but it's unnecessary to include tablature staff of guitar or bass on a full score. Way too much clutter. (These should only be included on individual instrument charts, if at all.)
Guitar Channel
2024-05-17 22:24:57 +0000 UTCCoincidentally I've been listening to Yellow Brick Rd a lot recently. It's a really special album for me, possibly the second record I bought with my own money- aged 10. Right from the start FFAF gives the listener shivers...I found the sound of a synthesiser otherworldly at that age, and then of course made the connection about David Hentschel when his name appeared on the Genesis albums I was using in the late 70s, as he produced some of the best albums for that band.
Ralph Darvill
2024-05-15 18:21:25 +0000 UTCSome of EJ's best work, nicely examined. Thanks, Doug !
Peter Tutak
2024-05-15 17:01:38 +0000 UTCThe synthesizer being played is an ARP
John Miller
2024-05-15 12:25:22 +0000 UTCI've always loved this piece (just like everyone else, I feel these two are forever joined together). Now, I know why! Of course, I don't understand everything you're talking about in these Behind the Scores, but I do know a little, and context helps me fill in some of the gaps. I really love these, and I get excited whenever I see a new one. As always, thank you Doug. I had a wonderful time!
Bill Brinkmoeller
2024-05-15 06:41:48 +0000 UTCDavid Hentschel, who engineered this album, also played the ARP synthesizers on the FFAF intro. Had to be a painstaking task, as you couldn't play chords on those synths, so they were recorded monophonically. The result was an epic start to an epic album.
Bill Coonley
2024-05-15 00:25:40 +0000 UTCI've always loved this medley, particularly loving the Funeral for a Friend part. I think it's a great overture for the album as the harmonic moves made here appear again across the album in different contexts (think of Candle in the Wind). It's interesting to hear how the baroque beginning turns into bluesy rock. Totally agree that Goodbye Yellow Brick Road would be a great contender for EPL.
Adie
2024-05-14 23:31:52 +0000 UTCI saw him in St. Louis in 2013, and he started with these two songs. It was an overwhelming experience hearing them live after experiencing them fresh decades ago when I was in college. Such an epic entertainer.
Kathy Ratino
2024-05-14 23:11:35 +0000 UTCWhen I was a teenager, my friends and I spent a lot of time rolling around the basement floor with this and Captain Fantastic blasting out our eardrums. No analysis, just having fun ... thanks Doug!
Stop Propaganda
2024-05-14 22:42:05 +0000 UTCWhen one of my bands covered these tunes as part of a special Goodbye Yellow Brick Road set, we had three keyboards on stage in addition to drums, bass, 2 guitars, and percussion. The show promoter (hilariously now in another band of mine) asked "Do you really need all that?" to which we responded "YES!"
B.K. Pagels
2024-05-14 22:18:52 +0000 UTCAmazing. I teach a rock and roll performance class at a middle school and we just spent the semester learning to perform these two pieces. I wish I had had this analysis to draw on earlier, but I'm thankful for it now.
Greg Goddu
2024-05-14 22:16:56 +0000 UTCCool, I've always loved these 2 songs!
Shayne Mowery
2024-05-14 21:30:49 +0000 UTC
![VAM_Erup[VR]](https://samsuka.com/istorage/28584.jpg)
