silent movies, talking pictures (10. 289)

With the above working-title released just over a month earlier, Elton John’s seventh studio album on this day in 1973 climbed to the top of US record charts, holding the number one spot for eight weeks. Widely considered to be the artist’s magnum opus, the seventeen tracks include the eponymous tune (below) as well as “Candle in the Wind,” “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” and “Benny and the Jets” and was recorded at the studios of Château d’Hérouville, the setting inspiring the band to add more songs and to release the work as a double album (LP).