5 Responses to “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player”

• By Fredric A. Cooper on Jun 14, 2010

  “Crocodile Rock” is surely one of the most annoying tunes ever to hit the radio, and it is the main hit on this album. OK, “Daniel” was also a hit, and is tolerable, but the rest of this album reeks. Elton John is vastly overrated.
  Rating: 1 / 5
• By wordnat on Jun 15, 2010

  I’m sorry, but this album is horrible. The drastic drop in quality from the brilliant, affecting “Honky Chateau” LP makes it clear, in retrospect, that this is where Elton made the tacky transition from “Artist” to “Entertainer”. Sure, “Daniel” still sounds great; but “Have Mercy on the Criminal” is just horrid, and “Midnight Creeper” is quite possibly the most embarrassing Rolling Stones imitation of all-time. And the rest just reeks of early-70s tackiness — all dressed up in baby blue polyester suits with nowhere to go….
  Rating: 2 / 5
• By N. Chandran on Jun 15, 2010

  yes inspite of the rave reviews by fans i dont think this album is in the class of goodbye yellow brick road or captain fantastic.

  i’m a seasoned classic rock listener but my exposure to elton john is only 5 years old. i first started with goodbye yellow …, followed by captain fantastic. both are musically fantastic albumns. having revelled in the pleasure of both these, honky chateau was the next album i bought. disappointed! then likewise with madman across … and dont shoot me …

  daniel, elderberry wine and crocodile rock are the stand out tracks here. teacher, midnight creeper, have mercy are quite interesting. but beyond that …

  dont get me wrong. i’m not saying the album is bad. just that it is not elton’s best. the album seems to lack the cohesiveness and mood and magic of the aforementioned albums.
  
  imo you could get goodbye yellow brick road, capt fantastic and grab the two greatest hits cds (vol1 and vol2). that should give you a great representation of elton john’s music.
  Rating: 3 / 5
• By Stewart on Jun 15, 2010

  Elton apparently got the name for this album after being subjected to a night of ribbing by famed jokesmith and Vaudevillian Groucho Marx. At his breaking point, Elton is supposed to have remarked, “Don’t shoot me…” etc. etc.

  If the album’s title has comic roots, the nature of the songs preserve that comic, tongue-in-cheek feeling. Songs like “Texan Love Song” about some rednecks looking to kick some hippies out of town, or “Teacher I Need You” about a boy’s crush on his teacher, smack of flippancy and comedy. Certainly Taupin’s lyrics are a far cry from the more serious, self-involved lyrics on previous efforts, like “Madman” or “Tumbleweed”.

  Elton’s songs here are purely pop-oriented. Thus, while this translated into massive sales back in the day (1972), the album is invested with a dated feel that does not stand up well with the passage of time. To his credit, the piano work on “Teacher” and the horns on “Elderberry Wine” make the songs catchy and infectuous. But one can tire of them easily. “High Flying Bird” is a bit too sappy, and “I Wanna Be Your Teenage Idol” is far too silly, despite Elton’s impressive piano jamming.

  Altogether “Daniel” and “Blues For Baby and Me” are two sentimental songs which hold up well. Buckmaster’s orchestral arrangements on “Have Mercy on the Criminal” are equally compelling (perhaps the only truly serious lyrics on the album). The well-known “Crocodile Rock” suffers in that it is both campy and over-played, but as much as I hate to admit, many fans love it and continue to request it. To date, Elton has played it at every concert I’ve been to, but on a lighter note, this has always made for a short beer line at the concession stands.

  The remastered version has some forgettable B-Sides like the country twang of “Jack Rabbit” and the rather pointless “Screw You”.

  This is Elton at his most poppish. Because this album was the result of Elton following a recipe or formula for commercial success, it lacks creativity and cannot be considered one of his essential recordings.
  Rating: 3 / 5
• By H. Fife on Jun 15, 2010

  this song has several excellent songs of the older Elton John style. Stuff thats still rock and roll before he was known as a diva.
  Rating: 4 / 5

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