Caribou (album)

Caribou is the eighth studio album by English singer Elton John, released in 1974. It was his fourth chart-topping album in the United States and his third in the United Kingdom. The album contains the singles, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart and number two in the US, and "The Bitch Is Back", which reached number 15 in the UK and number four in the US. Both singles reached number one in Canada on the RPM 100 national Top Singles Chart, as did the album itself.[2][3]

Caribou
Studio album by Elton John
Released	28 June 1974
Recorded	January 1974
Studio	Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado; Brother, Santa Monica, California; Trident, London[1]
Genre	Rock, pop
Length	45:15
Label	MCA (US) DJM (UK)
Producer	Gus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
Lady Samantha (1974) Caribou (1974) Greatest Hits (1974)
Singles from Caribou
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" Released: 24 May 1974 "The Bitch Is Back" Released: 30 August 1974

The album met with lukewarm reviews on its release and legacy reviews do not consider the record to be among John's best work from his early 1970s peak period. However, the album was a commercial success and has been certified double-platinum in the US as well as receiving a gold certification in the UK. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background

In the liner notes to the 1995 CD re-release, John described the album as being quickly recorded in January 1974, with only about nine days to get everything recorded, because he and the band "were under enormous pressure" to finish the album and immediately embark on a Japanese tour. Producer Gus Dudgeon added additional backing vocals, horns and other overdubs after John and the band had finished their work. Dudgeon later called the album "a piece of crap ... the sound is the worst, the songs are nowhere, the sleeve came out wrong, the lyrics weren't that good, the singing wasn't all there, the playing wasn't great and the production is just plain lousy".[4]

The album was named after the Caribou Ranch recording studio in Colorado, where part of the album was recorded.[5]

"Ticking" tells the story of a man suffering from a repressed childhood who kills 14 people in a mass shooting in a bar in New York City. Despite being described by Rolling Stone critic Tom Nolan as "the centrepiece fiasco" of the album in his 1974 review of Caribou,[6] in 2015 Rolling Stone readers voted the song their second-favourite "deep cut" of lesser-known Elton John songs.[7]

In addition to the singles, John has over the years played several other songs from this album in concert, including "Grimsby", "You're So Static", "Ticking" and "Dixie Lily". The 1995 CD reissue contains four songs from the general period in and around the release of Caribou, though only two of them, the B-sides "Sick City" and "Cold Highway", were recorded during the album sessions. "Step into Christmas" was recorded during a previous one-off single session, and "Pinball Wizard" was recorded at the Who's Ramport Studios in England, during the sessions for the movie score and soundtrack album of Tommy.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Christgau's Record Guide	B+[9]

Tom Nolan of Rolling Stone described the album as "dispiriting" and said, "Nearly every song on Caribou suffers from a blithe lack of focus, an almost arrogant disregard of the need to establish context or purpose ... Shifting from sentimental to heavy to mocking, [John and Taupin] not only fail to touch all bases but undercut what credence they might possibly have achieved." Criticising the album's production and the superficiality of the songs, he concluded that Caribou is "a startlingly empty experience".[6]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine's retrospective review for AllMusic called Caribou "a disappointment" and that aside from the two singles, "the album tracks tend to be ridiculous filler on the order of 'Solar Prestige a Gammon' or competent genre exercises like 'You're So Static'".[8]

Track listing

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

Side one

1. "The Bitch Is Back" – 3:44
2. "Pinky" – 3:54
3. "Grimsby" – 3:47
4. "Dixie Lily" – 2:54
5. "Solar Prestige a Gammon" – 2:52
6. "You're So Static" – 4:52

Side two

1. "I've Seen the Saucers" – 4:48
2. "Stinker" – 5:20
3. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" – 5:36
4. "Ticking" – 7:33

Bonus tracks

1995 Mercury and 1996 Rocket reissue

11. "Pinball Wizard" (Pete Townshend) (non-album single) – 5:09
12. "Sick City" (B-side of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me") – 5:23
13. "Cold Highway" (B-side of "The Bitch Is Back") – 3:25
14. "Step into Christmas" (non-album single) – 4:32

Note

• On the 1995 CD, "You're So Static" is spelled incorrectly as "Your're So Static".

Personnel

Track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album.

• Elton John – lead vocals, acoustic piano, Hammond organ (9)
• David Hentschel – ARP synthesizer (2, 5, 10), mellotron (9)
• Chester D. Thompson – Hammond organ (8)
• Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
• Dee Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
• Ray Cooper – tambourine, congas, whistle, vibraphone, snare, castanets, tubular bells, maracas
• Lenny Pickett – tenor saxophone solo (1), soprano saxophone solo (4, 5), clarinet (5)
• Tower of Power – horn section (1, 6, 8, 9)
  • Emilio Castillo – tenor saxophone
  • Steve Kupka – baritone saxophone
  • Lenny Pickett – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet
  • Mic Gillette – trombone, trumpet
  • Greg Adams – trumpet, horn arrangements (1, 6, 8)
• Del Newman – horn arrangements (9)
• Clydie King – backing vocals (1, 6)
• Sherlie Matthews – backing vocals (1)
• Jessie Mae Smith – backing vocals (1)
• Dusty Springfield – backing vocals (1)
• Billy Hinsche – backing vocals (9)
• Bruce Johnston – backing vocals (9)
• Toni Tennille – backing vocals (9)
• Carl Wilson – backing vocals (9), vocal arrangements (9)
• Daryl Dragon – vocal arrangements (9)

Production

• Producer – Gus Dudgeon
• Engineer – Clive Franks
• Remixing – David Hentschel
• Assistant Engineer – Peter Kelsey
• Album Coordinator – Steve Brown
• Liner Notes – John Tobler
• Art Direction and Sleeve Design – David Larkham and Michael Ross
• Photography – Ed Caraeff and Chris Denny
• Recorded at Caribou Ranch
• Remixed at Trident Studios (London, UK).

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1975	Caribou	Album of the Year[10]	Nominated

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1974) Peak position Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[11] 1 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[12] 1 Danish Albums Chart[13] 1 Finnish Albums Chart[14] 2 Italian Albums Chart[15] 8 Japanese Oricon LP Chart[16] 2 New Zealand Albums Chart[17] 2 Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[18] 6 Spanish Albums Chart[19] 4 Swedish Albums Chart[20] 3 UK Albums Chart[21] 1 US Billboard 200[22] 1 West German Media Control Albums Chart[23] 30 Yugoslav Albums Chart[24] 5

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Position Australian Albums Chart[11] 4 Canadian Albums Chart[25] 7 Italian Albums Chart[15] 45 UK Albums Chart[26] 15 US Billboard Year-End[27] 65 Chart (1975) Peak position US Billboard Year-End[28] 77

Certifications

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Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[29]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[30]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "We Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Elton's Album "Caribou"". eltonjohn.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
2. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
3. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
4. Rosenthal, Elizabeth J. (2001). His song : the musical journey of Elton John (1. publ. ed.). New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-8893-5.
5. Bernardin, Claude (1996). Rocket Man: Elton John from A-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 124. ISBN 978-0275956981. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
6. Nolan, Tom (15 August 1974). "Elton John – Caribou". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
7. Greene, Andy (2 September 2015). "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Elton John Deep Cuts". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
8. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Elton John – Caribou". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
9. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 27 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
10. "GRAMMYs' Best Albums 1970–1979". grammy.org. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
12. Library and Archives Canada. Archived 6 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 29 October 2011
13. Billboard – 3 August 1974. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
14. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
15. "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1974" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
16. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
17. "charts.nz Elton John – Caribou" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
18. "norwegiancharts.com Elton John – Caribou". Hung Medien. VG-lista. Archived from the original (ASP) on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
19. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
20. Billboard – 10 August 1974. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
21. "The Official Charts Company – Elton John – Caribou" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
22. "allmusic ((( Caribou > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
23. "Album Search: Elton John – Caribou" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
24. Billboard – 28 September 1974. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
25. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1974". RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
26. "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
27. "Top Pop Albums of 1974". billboard.biz. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
28. "Top Pop Albums of 1975". billboard.biz. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
29. "British album certifications – Elton John – Caribou". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Caribou in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
30. "American album certifications – Elton John – Caribou". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.