Well, for 12 year old me, “Funeral For a Friend” was almost an intro to art-rock. Oh, Elton himself wasn’t part of the art-rock scene, but for a kid who liked that song, Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson were a logical next step.
(In an odd way, Billy Preston was ALSO an intro to art-rock. After all, he was the guy who put Moog synthesizers in the Top 40 with “Outta Space” and “Space Race.”)
Other Elton songs I like that don’t get much radio airplay any more:
“Ticking”
“Country Comfort” (though I like Rod Stewart’s version a lot better)
“Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”
“Elderberry Wine”
“Harmony”
“Grow Some Funk of Your Own”
“Love Song” is gorgeous, and it’s also interesting because it’s one of the few songs Elton has done that he did not co-write (it was written by Lesley Duncan).
Anyone ever heard “Sick City”? I used to love that. It was B side only in the day. I guess it’s more known now by being a bonus track. Anyway that’s my fave.
Sixty Years On. Love the guitar.
I don’t know if The Border Song qualifies as a deep cut. It was all over the radio in the early 70s, but you hardly ever hear it now.
“Hercules” is my favorite Elton deep cut. If I ever get a cat, I’m going to name him Hercules.
Back in college in the seventies, we always included two “Elton John Doubles” on all our Party Tapes to get the crowd dancing. One was “Your Sister Can’t Twist But She Can Rock And Roll” followed immediately by “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” (just like they are on the album) and later in the night we’d include “Teacher I Need You” followed immediately by “Elderberry Wine” (just like they are on the album). Both pairs always got the crowd going crazy, as they are perfectly timed to amp up the funk.
How would you classify Friends from 1971? it was the title track to the movie but I haven’t heard it on a classic rock station in 30 years or more. It’s the song where I first fell in love with EJ’s music. I’m also fond of Take Me to the Pilot and Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.