Set includes demos and live tracks

UMe has announcesd the 50th anniversary reissue of Elton John’s Honky Château. The set will be available on 2 CD, 2 LP and limited edition gold vinyl LP on March 24th. “Rocket Man (Live at The Festival Hall, London 1972)” and “Mellow” (Session Demo) are also unveiled as the first instant grats available from Honky Château 50th Anniversary Edition.

This live debut of “Rocket Man at the Royal Festival Hall” – recorded two months before its release as the album’s first single – is striking in its freshness and its ability to nearly replicate the studio arrangement on stage. The line-up of Davey Johnstone on guitar, Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums immediately established itself as the core of the “classic” Elton band, solidifying John’s studio and stage presence through his most prolific period.

The 2 CD set contains the original album and a newly created selection of outtakes from the original session tapes. The format additionally contains eight live recordings from the Royal Festival Hall show in 1972, where the tracks received their live debut, just a few days after being recorded at the Château. Includes a 40-page booklet containing rare photos, memorabilia and an essay featuring interviews from those who were there at the time.

The 2 LP contains the original album and a newly created selection of outtakes from the original session tapes. Includes an eight-page booklet containing rare photos, memorabilia and an essay featuring interviews from those who were there at the time.

The limited edition gold vinyl LP contains the original album pressed for the first time on limited edition gold vinyl.

Honky Château was John’s step into global superstardom, spawning classics such as the aforementioned “Rocket Man,” “Honky Cat” and “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters.” Originally released in May 1972, his fifth studio album ushered in a to-this-day unparalleled hot streak of classic albums and was the first time he recorded at the now legendary Château d’Hérouville, a residential recording studio situated 25 miles northwest of Paris. It was here where he and Bernie Taupin were to write – and the band subsequently record – some of the biggest global hits of his career. Elton, Bernie and the band – performing together on record for the first time – decamped to the Château for week’s pre-production on Honky Château in January 1972. Bernie brought his typewriter; the band set up in the dining room. Bernie would write lyrics at night and leave them on Elton’s piano for him to work on in the morning.

A pivotal album in John’s ascent to superstardom, the album’s sepia-tinged cover belies the effortless grooves within of a band who had truly found their feet as a unit. By mid-1972 their live recordings now matched their hallowed live shows, and they effortlessly channelled a soulful sound that effortlessly drew together the deep south of America via Pinner and the Parisian suburbs.

Following the release of Honky Château, by June 1972 “Rocket Man” was in the UK pop charts at No 2. In the US, the single reached No 6. Honky Château became the first of six consecutive Billboard Hot 100 No 1 albums. It remains a firm fixture in the setlist of this record-breaking Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. “Honky Cat” showcased the extraordinary swagger that was to define all of John’s work for the following half-decade. His first up-tempo number to make the US Top 10, the track helped cement John’s reputation in America.

CD 1:

  1. Honky Cat
  2. Mellow
  3. I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself
  4. Susie (Dramas)
  5. Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time)
  6. Salvation
  7. Slave
  8. Amy
  9. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
  10. Hercules
  11. Salvation (Session Demo)
  12. Susie (Dramas) (Session Demo)
  13. Rocket Man (It’s Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time) (Session Demo)
  14. Mellow (Session Demo)
  15. Slave – Alternate “Fast” Version (Session Demo)

CD 2:

  1. Honky Cat (Session Demo)
  2. I Think I’m Going To Kill Myself (Session Demo)
  3. Hercules (Session Demo)
  4. Slave (Session Demo)
  5. Susie (Dramas)
  6. Salvation [Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, February 5, 1972]
  7. Mellow [Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, February 5, 1972]
  8. Amy [Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, February 5, 1972]
  9. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters [Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, February 5, 1972]
  10. Honky Cat [Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, February 5, 1972]
  11. Rocket Man (It’s Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time [Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, February 5, 1972]
  12. Hercules [Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, February 5, 1972]