Classic Rock Album Olympics

Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, released October
1973, is widely considered the pinnacle of his early career and one of the
greatest albums in rock history. By this point, Elton John had already achieved significant fame with albums like Honky Château (1972) and Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player (1973).  He was establishing a signature sound: a blend of piano-driven rock with pop accessibility and theatrical flair.  With Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, John and lyricist Bernie Taupin reached a new level of ambition and artistry, delivering a sprawling, double album that combined rock, balladry, soul, and cabaret influences.

Medal Winners

Roy
Rogers

I’ve
Seen That Movie Too

The
Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34)

This
Song Has No Title

Funeral
For A Friend/Loves Lies Bleeding

All
The Girls Love Alice

The album was recorded at Château d’Hérouville in France (nicknamed “the Honky Château”), a converted 18th-century castle that provided
an intimate and creative environment. Elton’s band—including Davey Johnstone on guitars, Dee Murray on bass, Nigel Olsson on drums, and Ray Cooper on percussion—was fully locked in, producing tight, versatile performances. Producer Gus Dudgeon helped craft a lush, cinematic sound with rich orchestration, layered harmonies, and expansive arrangements, giving the album its timeless quality.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was a commercial juggernaut. It reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and lodged three top 10 hits on the U.S. Billboard charts. 

The album’s scope—double-length, stylistically varied, and
emotionally ambitious—cemented Elton John as not only a hitmaker but a serious artistic force. Critics praised its songwriting, production, and performances, and it has since been consistently ranked among the greatest albums of all time.

Bonus Tracks

Goodbye
Yellow Brick Road - Elton

Dr.
Robert – Beatles

A
Day In The Life – Beatles

Lovely
Rita – Beatles

Tiny
Dancer - Elton

Island
Girl - Elton

Grey
Seal - Elton

Jamaica
Jerkoff – Elton

Dirty
Little Girl – Elton

Candle
In The Wind – Elton (album version)

Candle
In The Wing – Elton (Goodbye England’s Rose version)

Your
Sister Can't Twist (but She Can Rock 'n Roll)

Side 1

Funeral For A Friend/Loves Lies Bleeding

Benny And The Jets

Candle In The Wind

Side2

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

This Song Has No Title

Grey Seal

Jamaica Jerkoff

I’ve Seen That Movie Too

Side 3

Sweet Painted Lady

The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34)

Dirty Little Girl

All The Girls Love Alice

Side 4

Your Sister Can't Twist (but She Can Rock 'n Roll)

Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting

Roy Rogers

Social Disease

Harmony

 

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#EltonJohn #GoodbyeYellowBrickRoad #ClassicRock #1973Music
#BennieAndTheJets #CandleInTheWind #SaturdayNightsAlright #PianoRock #BernieTaupin #VinylCollection #MusicPodcast #AlbumDeepDive

Contact Info

Website: ⁠Gary Wenstrup⁠

Podcast Website: ⁠Home - Classic Rock Album Olympics⁠

YouTube: ⁠(556) Classic Rock
Album Olympics - YouTube⁠

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In this episode of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez take a sip of Tea For The Tillerman by Cat Stevens and award their gold, silver and bronze medals accordingly.

Medal Winners

On The Road To Find Out

Father And Son

Tea For The Tillerman

Miles From Nowhere

Hard Headed Woman

Tea For The Tillerman is a warm, philosophical, beautifully crafted album that marked the creative peak of Cat coming fully into his voice. By the time Stevens made the album, he had already experienced the highs and lows of the music business: early pop success in the late 1960s, followed by a severe battle with tuberculosis that nearly ended his career. That period of illness became a turning point, pushing him inward and inspiring a more thoughtful, introspective songwriting style.

The album was released in November 1970 and it marked a turning point for Cat Stevens. With the understated production of Paul Samwell-Smith (formerly of The Yardbirds), Stevens offered an album that felt deeply personal—introspective, acoustic, and spiritually searching.

Despite its subdued approach, or perhaps because of it, the album was a commercial breakthrough. In the United States, it climbed to #8 on the Billboard 200.   

On the singles front, “Wild World” became Stevens’ first major U.S. hit. The song — a bittersweet farewell to a departing lover — peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Its success gave the album the momentum it needed and brought Stevens to a wider audience. 

Another single, “Father and Son,” was released and though it didn’t make a big a splash on the charts, it has since become one of Stevens’ most enduring songs — a touching dialogue between a father and his young son that resonates across generations. 

More than just a commercial hit, the album feels like a snapshot of a moment: a young man, grappling with the promises and perils of adulthood, walking the line between innocence and wisdom. In writing these songs, Stevens was mapping out a spiritual and emotional journey. Decades later, Tea for the Tillerman is still considered a masterpiece: it’s intimate, timeless, and deeply human.

Side 1

Where Do The Children Play?

Hard Headed Woman

Wild World

Sad Lisa

Miles From Nowhere

Side 2

But I Might Die Tonight

Longer Boats

Into White

On The road To Find Out

Father And Son

Tea For The Tillerman

Bonus Tracks

Here Comes My Baby –
Tremelos

The First Cut Is The
Deepest – PP Arnold

Lady D’Arbanville

Morning Has Broken

Wild World

Longer Boats

Where Do The Children
Play

The Wind

The Hurt

I’m Gonna Get Me A Gun

How Many Friends – The
Who

She’s Leaving Home –
Beatles

Tar & Cement – Mel
Carter

Don’t It Make You Wanna
Go Home – Joe South
Hard
Headed Woman - Elvis

 

Hashtags

#TeaForTheTillerman  

#CatStevens  

#YusufIslam  

#WildWorld  

#FatherAndSon  

#70sFolk  

#SingerSongwriter  

#ClassicAlbum  

#SpiritualMusic  

#TimelessSongs  

Contact Info

Website: Gary Wenstrup

Podcast Website: Home - Classic Rock Album Olympics

YouTube: (556) Classic Rock
Album Olympics - YouTube

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Podcast Facebook: Facebook

LinkedIn: (17) Gary Wenstrup | LinkedIn

 

 

 

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In this episode of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez order up Supertramp’s Breakfast in America and select their gold, silver and bronze medal winners.  Released in March 1979, it’s the album that transformed the band from a respected British art-rock group into an international pop phenomenon.

Medal Winners

The
Logical Song

Child
Of Vision

Just
Another Nervous Wreck

Casual
Conversations

Goodbye
Stranger

Take
The Long Way Home

After years of crafting long, introspective, and sometimes progressive records, Supertramp entered the late 1970s looking to refine their sound into something more immediate, melodic, and accessible.  The result was Breakfast in America, a bright, hook-filled collection recorded with precision and ambition. 

By the time they began work on the album, Supertramp—Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson, John Helliwell, Dougie Thomson, and Bob Siebenberg—were operating at the height of their collective chemistry. The band had built a strong following through albums like Crime of the Century (1974) and Even in the Quietest Moments (1977), known for lush production, wry lyrics, and the attractive blend of Hodgson’s soaring voice and Davies’ grounded, blues-tinged delivery.  With this album, the band sharpened those strengths into a concise, pop-leaning direction, crafting songs that were both meticulously arranged and instantly memorable.

Four singles were released from Breakfast in America and three went Top 20 – The Logical Song #6, Take The Long Way Home #10 and Goodbye Stranger #15.

Breakfast in America became a commercial powerhouse, topping the U.S. Billboard 200 for six weeks and eventually selling more than 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the biggest-selling albums of 1979.  Critics praised its polish, craftsmanship, and sharp songwriting. The album earned two Grammy Awards, including Best Recording Package (what a cover!) and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical).

Today, Breakfast in America stands as Supertramp’s signature achievement: a quintessential late-’70s album that captures the tension between dreams and reality, success and disillusionment, wrapped in pop craftsmanship.

Bonus Tracks

Bloody
Well Right

Dreamer

School

Give
A Little Bit

Gone
Hollywood

Dangling
Conversation – Simon & Garfunkel

Time
Of The Season – Zombies

It’s Too Late – Carole
King

Even In The Quietest
Moments

Solsbury Hill – Peter
Gabriel 

Track Listing

Side One

Gone Hollywood

The Logical Song

Goodbye Stranger

Oh Darling

Side Two

Take The Long Way Home

Lord Is It Mine

Just Another Nervous Wreck

Casual Conversations

Child of Vision

 

Hashtags:

#Supertramp #BreakfastInAmerica #1979Music #TheLogicalSong
#GoodbyeStranger #RogerHodgson #RickDavies #ClassicRock #YachtRockEra
#VinylCollection #MusicPodcast #AlbumDeepDive

Contact Info:
Website: Gary Wenstrup

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Album Olympics - YouTube

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In this episode of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez enter The Byrds’ Fifth Dimension.  Released in July 1966 the album captures the moment when the band stepped into new territory and helped invent what would soon be called psychedelic rock.

Medal Winners

⁠John
Riley⁠

⁠5D
(Fifth Dimension)⁠

⁠Eight
Miles High⁠

⁠What’s
Happening?!?!

The Byrds were already riding high on the success of their folk-rock hits “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” But the departure of their musical anchor, Gene Clark, left the group at a crossroads. Instead of retreating, The Byrds—now centered around Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, and Chris Hillman. 

Part of the album’s magic comes from the band’s willingness to take risks. Without Clark’s songwriting contributions, McGuinn stepped up with ambitious compositions drawing from jazz, raga, and avant-garde ideas, while Crosby found his footing as both a writer and a conceptual thinker. Their trademark harmonies and McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker still captivate. 

Upon release, Fifth Dimension reached #24 on the U.S. Billboard 200.  The chart position was quite modest compared to their first two albums, but the album's long-term influence has been enormous.

Speaking of Fifth Dimensions, to answer a question that arose in the podcast…this Byrds’ album was released 6 months before the pop/soul vocal group the 5th Dimension achieved their first chat success with Go Where You Wanna Go.  So, The Byrds got there first.

More than anything, Fifth Dimension represents The Byrds learning to reinvent themselves: moving beyond the Dylan covers that first defined them and emerging as architects of psychedelic rock.

Bonus Tracks

Mr.
Spaceman

Hey
Joe (Where You Gonna Go) - Byrds

Hey
Joe – Jimi Hendrix

2-4-2
Fox Trot (The Lear Jet Song)

A
Million Miles Away - Plimsouls

Psychotic Reaction –
Count Five 

Still I’m Sad –
Yardbirds

Heat Wave – Martha
Reeves & The Vandellas

Why - Byrds

Side One

5D (Fifth Dimension)

Wild Mountain Thyme

Mr. Spaceman

I See You

What’s Happening?!?!

I Come And Stand At Every Door

Side Two

Eight Miles High

Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go) - Byrds

Captain Soul

John Riley

2-4-2 Fox Trot (The Lear Jet Song)

 

Hashtags:

#TheByrds #FifthDimension #1966Music #PsychedelicRock
#EightMilesHigh #RogerMcGuinn #DavidCrosby #FolkRock #ClassicRockHistory
#VinylCollection #MusicPodcast #AlbumDeepDive

Contact Us At:

Website: Gary Wenstrup

Podcast Website: Home - Classic Rock Album Olympics

YouTube: (556) Classic Rock
Album Olympics - YouTube

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LinkedIn: (17) Gary Wenstrup | LinkedIn

 

 

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Court and Spark by Joni Mitchell

In this episode of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez go to Joni Mitchell’s 1974 album Court
and Spark and determine which songs earn their gold, silver and bronze medals.

Medal Winners

⁠Raised
On Robbery⁠

⁠Just
Like This Train⁠

⁠Free
Man In Paris⁠

⁠Twisted⁠ 

By the release of Court and Spark, Joni was already widely regarded as one of the most important voices of her generation. As a solo artist, she had released a remarkable run of albums—Song to a Seagull (1968), Clouds (1969), Ladies of the Canyon (1970), and the groundbreaking Blue (1971)—that earned her both critical praise and a devoted audience. Songs like “Both Sides Now,” (which Judy Collins took to #8) “Chelsea Morning,” and “The Circle Game” had also become hits for other artists, establishing her not only as a powerful performer, but as one of the most influential songwriters of the era.   

After years of writing deeply personal, introspective acoustic songs, with Court and Spark Joni felt herself drawn toward richer arrangements, new textures, and a wider emotional palette. To realize that vision, she collaborated with members of the L.A. Express, a talented group of jazz and session musicians, giving the album a sophisticated, fluid sound that still carried her unmistakable lyrical voice.

Upon release, Court and Spark was both a critical and commercial triumph. It reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Three singles were released: “Help Me” got to #7 Joni’s only Top 10 hit, “Free Man In Paris” (#22) and Raised On Robbery (#65). Speaking of Free Man In Paris...as we discuss the song is about record executive David Geffen who later came out as gay, but was romantically involved with Cher 1973-1975.

Court and Spark marks a turning point in Joni Mitchell’s artistic journey—an album where she moves fully into the space between folk, pop, and jazz, creating music that is elegant, emotionally layered, and distinctly her own. It stands today not just as one of her most approachable albums, but also one of her most masterfully constructed, a work of insight, sonic beauty, and enduring influence.

 Bonus Tracks

Basketball
Jones

Twisted
by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross

Help
Me

Court
And Spar⁠k

Side One

Court And Spark

Help Me

Free Man In Paris

People's Parties

The Same Situation

Side Two

Car On A Hill

Down To You

Just Like This Train

Raised On Robbery

Trouble Child

Twisted

 

Hashtags:

#JoniMitchell #CourtAndSpark #1974Music #SingerSongwriter
#HelpMe #FreeManInParis #LAExpress #JazzInfluence #ClassicAlbums
#VinylCollection #MusicPodcast #AlbumDeepDive

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