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To Be Continued... (Elton John album)

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To Be Continued...
Box set by
Released8 November 1990 (US)
November 1991 (UK)
RecordedVarious locations, 1965–1991
GenreRock, pop rock
Length5:01:20
LabelMCA (US)
Rocket (UK)
ProducerGus Dudgeon (US)
Chris Thomas, Elton John, Clive Franks, Don Was, Steve Brown (UK)
Elton John chronology
The Very Best of Elton John
(1990)
To Be Continued...
(1990)
The One
(1992)
Alternate cover
1991 UK release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]

To Be Continued... is a four-disc box set by English musician Elton John, originally released in 1990. The box set was compiled by John and Bernie Taupin that same year. It details John's music from his days with Bluesology to the then-present day.[3]

Aside from hit singles, the box set features deep cuts, unreleased music, fan favorites and live performances in John's career. Four new songs ("Made for Me", "You Gotta Love Someone", "I Swear I Heard the Night Talkin'" and "Easier to Walk Away") were recorded for the box set.

Release

[edit]

Newly sober John was unhappy with the US cover art (it reminded him of his old excesses), so the 1991 UK release was issued with new cover art and also replaced "You Gotta Love Someone" (which had already been released on The Very Best of Elton John the previous year) and "I Swear I Heard the Night Talkin'" with then-unreleased "Suit of Wolves" and "Understanding Women". The former become one of the B-sides to "The One" and the latter was included as a track on the 1992 album The One.

MCA's rights to John's music lapsed in the 1990s, and the Elton John back catalogue was reverted to Polydor Records, which put it back out in upgraded editions on the Island Records label. This set was deleted by 1994, and was soon selling for serious amounts of money as a collector's item. However, in 1999, MCA's parent company, Universal Music, bought Polydor, and suddenly this box set reappeared.

In the US, it was certified gold in June 1992 and platinum in November 2006. In April 2016, it was certified 2 x platinum by the RIAA.

Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.

Disc one (1968–1972)
No.TitleLength
1."Come Back Baby" (Reg Dwight with Bluesology)2:45
2."Lady Samantha"3:04
3."It's Me That You Need"4:04
4."Your Song" (Demo)3:33
5."Rock and Roll Madonna"4:17
6."Bad Side of the Moon"3:15
7."Your Song"4:00
8."Take Me to the Pilot"3:46
9."Border Song"3:22
10."Sixty Years On" (Extended intro)4:57
11."Country Comfort"5:07
12."Grey Seal" (Original version)3:36
13."Friends"2:20
14."Levon"5:21
15."Tiny Dancer"6:15
16."Madman Across the Water"5:58
17."Honky Cat"5:13
18."Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters"4:59
Total length:75:45
Disc two (1972–1975)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rocket Man" 4:43
2."Daniel" 3:53
3."Crocodile Rock" 3:54
4."Bennie and the Jets" 5:21
5."Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" 3:14
6."All the Girls Love Alice" 5:10
7."Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" 11:07
8."Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" 2:53
9."Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" 4:54
10."Jack Rabbit" 1:51
11."Harmony" 2:46
12."Screw You (Young Man's Blues)" 4:43
13."Step into Christmas" 4:30
14."The Bitch Is Back" 3:44
15."Pinball Wizard"Pete Townshend5:15
16."Someone Saved My Life Tonight" 6:45
Total length:74:38
Disc three (1975–1982)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Philadelphia Freedom" 5:39
2."One Day (At a Time)"John Lennon3:48
3."Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"Lennon, Paul McCartney6:16
4."I Saw Her Standing There" (Live with John Lennon)Lennon, McCartney3:43
5."Island Girl" 3:44
6."Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" 3:47
7."Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (with Kiki Dee) 4:31
8."I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" (Live) 3:35
9."Ego" 3:59
10."Song for Guy"John6:40
11."Mama Can't Buy You Love"LeRoy Bell, Casey James4:03
12."Cartier"Dinah Card, Carte Blanche0:54
13."Little Jeannie"John, Gary Osborne5:12
14."Donner Pour Donner" (Duet with France Gall)Michel Berger, Taupin4:26
15."Fanfare/Chloe"John, Osborne, James Newton-Howard6:20
16."The Retreat" 4:45
17."Blue Eyes"John, Osborne3:26
Total length:74:41
Disc four (1982–1990) (US edition)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" 5:12
2."I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"John, Taupin, Davey Johnstone4:43
3."I'm Still Standing" 3:02
4."Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (Single version) 4:10
5."Act of War" (Single remix, duet with Millie Jackson) 4:44
6."Nikita" 5:44
7."Candle in the Wind" (Live at Australia 1986) 3:48
8."Carla/Etude" (Live)John4:46
9."Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Live at Australia 1986) 5:39
10."I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" (Shep Pettibone remix) 7:18
11."Give Peace a Chance"Lennon3:47
12."Sacrifice" 5:08
13."Made for Me" 4:22
14."You Gotta Love Someone" 4:59
15."I Swear I Heard the Night Talkin’" 4:30
16."Easier to Walk Away" 4:22
Total length:76:21
Disc four (1982–1991) (UK edition)
No.TitleLength
13."Made for Me"4:22
14."Easier to Walk Away"4:22
15."Suit of Wolves"5:46
16."Understanding Women"5:03
Total length:78:10

Personnel

[edit]

From the 1990 Happenstance, Ltd release MCAD4-10110 liner notes

Disk One

Disc Two

  • Davey Johnstone - guitar (1), backing vocals (1,5,7,15-16), acoustic guitar (2), electric guitar (3,14), guitars (4-13,15-16), mandolin (10)
  • ARP synthesizer - David Hentschel (1,6-7), Ken Scott (2)
  • Elton - "flute" mellotron (2), ARP string ensemble synthesizer (16)
  • Dee Murray - bass, backing vocals (1,5,7,15-16), phased pignose bass (14)
  • Nigel Olsson - drums, backing vocals (1,5,7,15-16), maracas (2), car effects (6)
  • Ray Cooper - tambourine (6,14-16), percussion (13), congas (15), shaker (16), cymbal (16)
  • Tower of Power Horn Section - brass (14)
  • Lenny Pickett - tenor sax solo (14)
  • backing vocals - Kiki Dee (6), Clydie King (14), Sherlie Adams (14), Jessie Mae Smith (14), Dusty Springfield (14)
  • Del Newman - orchestral arrangement (5)
  • Greg Adams - bass arrangement (14)

Disc Three

  • Davey Johnstone - guitar (1-4), sitar (3), backing vocals (3,5), Ovation guitar (5), slide guitar (5), banjo (5), electric guitar (7)
  • Caleb Quaye - acoustic guitar (5), backing vocals (5)
  • Reggae Guitars of Dr. Winston O'Boogie - guitars (3)
  • guitar - Tim Renwick (9), Bobby Eli (11), Tony Bell (11), Steve Lukather (17)
  • Richie Zito - acoustic guitars (13), guitar (14[probably],18)
  • guitar overdubs - Casey Jones (11), Leroy M. Bell (11)
  • Elton - Mellotron (3,10), Polymoog (10), Salena string synthesizer (10), backing vocals (13)
  • James Newton Howard - ARP synthesizer (5), Mellotron solo (5), electric piano (6-7,18), string arrangements (6), orchestral arrangements (7), Fender Rhodes (13,16), Yamaha cs80 (13), synthesizers (15,18)
  • Thom Bell - keyboards (11)
  • David Paich - organ (17)
  • Carl Fortina - accordion (6)
  • Muscle Shoals Horns (4)
  • MFSB - strings and horns (11)
  • Jim Horn - alto sax (13), piccolo (13), brass arrangement (13)
  • Chuck Findley - trumpet (13), trombone (13)
  • Jerry Hey - flugelhorn (13)
  • Dee Murray - bass (1-4,18), backing vocals (3,13-14,16)
  • Kenny Passarelli - bass (5-7), backing vocals (5)
  • bass - Clive Franks (9-10), Bob Babbitt (11), Reggie McBride (13,16-17)
  • Nigel Olsson - drums (1-4,13-14), backing vocals (3)
  • drums - Roger Pope (5,7), Steve Holley (9), Charles Collins (11), Alvin Taylor (16-17), Jeff Porcaro (18)
  • Rhythmbox - Rhythmbox (10)
  • Rhythm Ace - itself (13)
  • Ray Cooper - percussion (1-2,9), tambourine (3,5), gong (3), congas (5), marimba (5), vibes (6,8), wind chimes (10), shakers (10)
  • Lenny Castro - congas (14)
  • percussion - Larry Washington (11), Victor Feldman (14-16)
  • John Lennon - vocal harmonies (2), vocals (4)
  • Kiki Dee - backing vocals (5), vocals (7)
  • backing vocals - Ann Orson (5), The Spinners (11), Bill Champlin (13,16), Max Groenthal (13,16), Gary Osborne (16)
  • France Gall - vocals (14)
  • Gene Page - orchestral arrangement (1-2)
  • London Symphony Orchestra arranged and conducted by James Newton Howard (15)
  • Strings arranged by James Newton Howard and Marty Paich (16)
  • Strings conducted by James Newton Howard (16)
  • Strings and brass arranged by James Newton Howard (18)

Disc 4

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[4] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[5] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Elton John - To Be Continued... at AllMusic
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Elton John - To Be Continued". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Elton John – To Be Continued". Music Canada. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  5. ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – To Be Continued". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 1 January 2023.