Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player (1973)
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player is a musical escapade that, once again, brilliantly showcases Elton’s signature blend of bluesy pop-rock and piano-driven melodies. From the moment the opening song starts you are swept into a soundscape that only Elton could create.
The album's opening track, Daniel, sets the tone with its iconic piano passages and heartfelt lyrics. I didn’t appreciate this song until I was much older and could enjoy a more adult contemporary style. It doesn’t get much better than Daniel.
Throughout Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, Elton's virtuoso piano skills take the spotlight, weaving intricate melodies that are both catchy and emotive. Tracks like Elderberry Wine and Teacher I Need You feature piano arrangements that playfully dance around the vocals. Teacher I Need You being a song I literally cannot get enough of. It is playfully bouncy, but it is also an outright pop rocker with backing harmonies that are second to none. Elderberry Wine is similar in many ways but with more gusto and more horn accompaniments, making it a little more bluesy, but just as infectious.
Blues For My Baby and Me is a sitar-infused bluesy mid-tempo number. Sounding truly unlike anything else on the record or even unlike anything you’ve probably heard before. With rich orchestration, flute and sitar accompaniment, and Elton’s trademark emotive vocals, this is a track worthy of many plays.
This record isn't just about the individual tracks, but rather the journey they collectively take the listener on. The album navigates through various musical styles, from the bluesy vibes of Midnight Creeper to the nostalgic feel of I'm Going To Be A Teenage Idol. Much like Elderberry Wine, Midnight Creeper takes notes and improves. Bluesy as hell, with horns that make you shout and stomp. As for I’m Going To Be A Teenage Idol, the blues does not falter. Verses littered with rock attitude and choruses filled with soft melodies.
Elton’s dynamic range and ability to convey emotion are showcased in tracks like Have Mercy on the Criminal, where his voice becomes an instrument in its own right. My favorite song from the album, Have Mercy On The Criminal is epic. It is unbelievably dynamic and climatic. I get chills thinking about seeing him play this live on his final tour in 2022. That performance forever solidified this song as one of my all time favorite Elton John songs.
Texan Love Song grows on me with every listen. The song features gorgeous American western instrumentation and great emotive lyrics. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking this is a low or weak point on the record. There is much to love on this song. It took me until after my initial listen to realize this.
Immediately following the mid-tempo Texan Love Song comes the universally iconic Crocodile Rock. Yes, it relies on the repetitiveness of its chorus and sing-along quality, but that is the point of it. It is supposed to be fun, get you up and dancing and get a stadium or festival of tens of thousands of people singing. If your feet aren’t tapping, if you are not playing the air piano, if you are not singing the chorus, you are boring. There honestly is no hope for you. Enjoy being boring.
The lyrical content of High Flying Bird may come across as a tad predictable, lacking the lyrical depth that characterizes other tracks on the record, but somehow the song still moves you. There are similar chord progressions from this song that can be found in Take A Look At Me Now by Phil Collins. Both songs give similar grandiose, soulfully soaring deliveries. Don’t sleep on the backing harmonies of this song. If they don’t move you ... guess what you are? Boring. But you knew that already.
Now the Bonus Tracks on this album are red hot scorchers. Starting off with Screw You (Young Man’s Blues), this record keeps its bluesy pop-rock theme charging on. Once again, another song that demands you to sing-along. Jack Rabbit is a slight oddball of a bonus track, but it still fits on the album. It has got some twang, some blues and it is short and sweet. It was also featured as the end credits song for Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Most Elton enthusiasts know Elton met Taron Egerton who’d go on to play Elton in the fantasy biopic Rocket Man.
Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again), directly follows and is arguably the best of the bonus tracks. One of the catchiest choruses on the record and one of the bluesiest numbers of Elton’s early career. It is hard to not sing-along to this one. But the final bonus track on this album is the most surprising to me. A newly recorded and rearranged version of Skyline Pigeon from Elton’s first album. On the debut, Skyline Pigeon is definitely a standout song, but mostly in the context of that record as a whole. The overuse of the harpsichord, the key the song was sung in, and the lack outside instrumentation I think hinder the original. That being said, the newer version of the song is almost beyond a five-star track. It was completely reinvented. The key was lowered, the harpsichord was removed, percussion and orchestration were added and one of the greatest uses of the oboe I have ever heard. What a comeback this song makes. One of Elton’s finest.
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player is a remarkable record that showcases Elton John's musical prowess and undeniable charm. The overall experience is a delightful fusion of piano-driven melodies, captivating vocals, and bluesy pop-rock. This album stands as one of the best of the early years for Elton and it is one that I replay quite a lot. From start to finish, the record genuinely has no skips making it a more than worthy entry to the highly coveted NSA list.
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Highlight Songs:
Have Mercy on the Criminal
Daniel
Teacher I Need You
Skyline Pigeon
Crocodile Rock
Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again)
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Own It, Stream it, Forget about it
You will not regret buying this record. Period. Either stream the hell out of it or go buy it and add it to your collection. Either way, you need it. You. Need. It.
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Overall Rating:
5 Stars
