Elton John is yet another legendary artist to release an album in 1974. That release was Caribou, which went double platinum and reached #1 on the albums chart (a feat matched by only four other John records).
It’s also, by all accounts, not very good.
Recorded in just nine days to free John up for a world tour, Caribou is a redheaded stepchild among his run of classic albums in the early to mid 70s.
The album’s producer, frequent John collaborator Gus Dudgeon, didn’t mince words in his assessment of Caribou, calling it “a piece of crap” and saying “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.”
Other than that, it’s swell!
Caribou does feature two classic John tracks in ‘The Bitch is Back’ and ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me.’ The latter track, in particular, pretty much justifies the existence of this otherwise forgettable album.
I can’t light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I’m growin’ tired, and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
[Verse 2]
Too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meanin’ when I met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light
[Chorus]
Don’t let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see
I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losin’ everything is like the sun goin’ down on me
[Verse 3]
I can’t find, oh, the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way I feel
Don’t discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have, oh, they need love to help them heal
[Chorus]
Don’t let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see
I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losin’ everything is like the sun goin’ down on me
[Chorus]
Don’t let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see
I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free, yeah
But losin’ everything is like the sun goin’ down on me
Meet Me In Montauk 
Wow! I knew Caribou was not critically well received, but that is a sobering assessment by the producer. I doubt I have ever heard the whole album, and have candidly never been a big fan of “The Bitch is Back,” but “Don’t Let the Sun…” is special.