The online illustrated Elton John Discography
by David Bodoh
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Ever since Elton John started on the road to superstardom, there have been authors writing books about his public and personal life. This page catalogs the various biographies and other related books written about Elton John. Some of the entries here are second printings or from different countries written in different languages, but all of them have unique cover designs. They are presented here in chronological order of year published. Some books still in print have links to purchase the book from Amazon.com.
Title: Five Years Of Fun
Author: Robert Hilburn
Year: 1975
publisher: Boutwell Enterprises, Inc.
Country: USA
pages: 48
binding: hardcover
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A fully-illustrated account of Elton's superstar status after only five years as a performer and recording artist. The book was issued as a souvenir edition at Doug Weston's Troubadour in Los Angeles, August 25-27, 1975. Several of the copies were personally autographed by Elton.
Title: The Mad And The Magnificent!
Year: 1975
publisher: 16 Magazine
Country: USA
pages: 30
binding: paperback
A pamphlet-sized booklet that could be ordered from a teen magazine. There is no publisher, author or year printed anywhere on the pages. The discography on the last page covers Elton's catalog through "Rock Of The Westies".
Title: Elton John
Author: Cathi Stein
Year: 1975
publisher: Futura Publications Limited
ISBN: 0-8600-72010
Country: USA
pages: 144
binding: paperback
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[description text from back cover:]
Whether he is regarded as a phenominal performer or a piano-playing clown; an audacious character or a major pop star, no one can deny the impact Elton John has made on the rock music of today. He has come a long, long way from being tubby, shy Reg Dwight of Pinner. This is the triumphant story of how Elton John soared to superstardom. Of how from cutting his first LP just six years ago he has moved into a world peopled by pop kings, littered with fabulous mansions and dominated by millions of worshipping fans.
Title: Elton John
Author: Cathi Stein
Year: 1975
publisher: Popular Library
ISBN: 445-03052-150
Country: USA
pages: 159
binding: paperback
[description text from back cover:]
"I don't want to be known as just a rock and roll gimmick act. With all the jumping around I do, one of these days I'm going to topple over and go straight through the piano," Elton told Circus Magazine.

Just a pudgy little lad from Middlesex, England, Elton soared to superstardom on a rocket powered piano. This is the touching inside story of his flight from obscurity to a world of mansions, madness and millions.

Title: Elton John A Biography
Author: unknown
Year: 1976
publisher: unknown
Country: UK
pages: 16
binding: paperback
A short biography pamphlet originally offered through a magazine mail order. Includes a UK discography through the Blue Moves album.
Title: Elton John
Author: Cathi Stein
Year: 1978
publisher: Niro Dečje Novine
Country: Yugoslavia
pages: 128
binding: softcover
The Cathi Stein biography was translated to Slovak in 1978.
Title: Elton John
Author: Paula Taylor
Year: 1975
publisher: Creative Educational Society
ISBN: 0-87191-457-3
pages: 31
binding: hardcover
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A juvenile literature story book covering the life and career of Elton John from early childhood, including his days with Bluesology, his partnership with Bernie Taupin, and on to his superstar fame of the 1970s. Illustrations by John Keely.
Title: A Conversation With Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Author: Paul Gambaccini
Year: 1975
publisher: Gage Publishing Limited
ISBN: 0-8256-3063-0
Country: USA
pages: 112
binding: softcover
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[description text from back cover:]
Elton John has never before spoken so frankly about himself. In this unusual and revealing book, he tells Paul Gambaccini of his not-so-easy rise to the top of the pop-music scene. He talks about his childhood, about studying at the Royal Academy, his first love, his work, and the famous personalities who inhabit his world. He tells, too, of his meeting with Bernard Taupin, who shares many inside anecdotes also about the music world and those who make it up.

Backing up the intriguing, full-length interviews are scores of exlusive photographs, many never before published. Also included is a discography of Elton John's albums.

Born in 1949, Paul Gambaccini attended Dartmouth College and Oxford University. He has managed a commercial radio station, edited for Rolling Stone, written for New Music Express, broadcast on UPI's Audio Network and interviewed such diverse personalities as Richard Nixon and Paul McCartney.

Title: Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Author: Paul Gambaccini
Year: 1975
publisher: Star Books
ISBN: 0-352-300582
Country: UK
pages: 117
binding: paperback
[description text from back cover:]
"I said if I'm going to be a singer, I can't be Reg Dwight. So I pinched Elton Dean's name nad John Baldry's and said, 'Oh... Elton John, there you go'!" That's how the name happened. Here in his own words is how this phenomenon exploded upon the world's music scena and continued to develop and increase his following over a huge cross-section of the record-buting public.

Elton John has never spoken so frankly about himself. He tells of the hard road from tea-boy at a music publishers to the summit of his chosen profession. He reveals that he studied music at the Royal Academy... talks about his first love... and the way it ended. He tells, too, of his meeting with lyricist Bernie Taupin (the other half of the team who also has some no-punches-pulled things to say about the pop world).

The text, which includes a discography of Elton's singles and albums, is backed up by 16 pages of exclusive photographs.

Title: Elton John Showman
Author: Alan Radnor
Year: 1976
publisher: Quill Books
Country: UK
pages: 64
binding: embossed softcover
[description text from foreword:]
He is the biggest music artist in the world at the moment - perhaps the biggest te world has ever seen. Fans will queue for hours in the chance of getting a seat for one of his concerts. Admirers call him the greatest influence on music since the Beatles. Other rate him higher - I know one fan who claims that not since Mozart started composing at the age of four, has the world seem such genius as that of Elton John.

He is also one of the most talked-about and written-about artist in the world. A book of press-cuttings would fill thousands of pages. Radio dee-jays praise him, damn him, try to interpret him.

One music writer said to me: "You can't classify Elton John. He's a freak. Something that happens in the music business once every so often.

It is his unpredictability that makes many call him an enigma, a puzzle, but the simple truth is that his inspiration comes of the moment. Also, as a showman, he enjoys himself enormously. He doesn't take himself too seriously, but he does create his music seriously. The showmanship, the clothes, the fooling about are all part of the frills - the cream on the cake of success.

Elton John is a freak, a phenomenon who cannot be slotted into any particular category. He is a phenomenon in the same way as Elvis Presley and the Beatles were phenomena. Their appeal was not to any easily identifiable audience, and their influence will remain long after they have stopped recording.

It is because of Elton John's wide range of music, his amazing diversity, that he has become an enigma, and erratic genius, producing albums which are always different, usually astounding.

He is a phenomenon of our time, who reflects and captures the whole spectrum of pop music over the past twenty years.

But even phenomena have roots and beginnings.

Title: The One Who Writes the Words for Elton John
Author: Bernie Taupin
Year: 1976
publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
ISBN: 394-40506-4
Country: USA
pages: 144
binding: hardcover
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A complete collection of lyrics that Bernie had written as a partner with Elton John, during the period from 1968 to the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. Fully illustrated including a cover design by Alan Aldridge.
Title: Reginald Dwight And Company
Author: Linda Jacobs
Year: 1976
publisher: EMC Corporation
ISBN: 0-88436-213-2
Country: USA
pages: 38
binding: hardcover
A junior high school scholastic book that covers Elton's life and musicianship during the early years of his career. Includes a brief foreword by Elton John. Issued in both hardback and softcover.
Title: Elton John
Author: Dick Tatham and Tony Jasper
Year: 1976
publisher: Octobus Books Limited
ISBN: 0-7064-0548-X
Country: USA
pages: 92
binding: hardcover
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[description text from overleaf:]
Elton John is one of the greatest superstars of all time, one of the most amazing live performers and a world-stature recording artist with sensational sales. Why? This book tells you the real story of how Elton Hercules John, the boy from an ordinary London suburb, became an ouststanding name in music not just in England, not just in the States but throughout the world. The multi-million record sales and frenzied receptions at concerts everywhere don't just happen. The story behind this unique and extraordinary genius and those who are associated with his fabulous success, like oustanding lyric-writer, Bernie Taupin, is amazing.
Title: Elton John
Author: Dick Tatham and Tony Jasper
Year: 1976
publisher: Phoebus Publishing Co
Country: USA
pages: 65
binding: magazine softcover
[description text from foreword:]
Elton John is a superstar. There can be no dispute about the fact. He is one of those rare performers who transcends mere stardom and soar into another stratum. The proof of his achievements are easily seen - the vast sales for each disc that hits the market, the queues for evert personal appearance, the scenes of hysteria that greet him and the attention he commands in the media. This book is about Elton Hercules John; it cronicles his extraordinary career from obscurity to global acclaim, it analyzes his potent charisma, it discusses his enormous musical talents. And it goes further, revealing in detail the men behind Elton. In these pages there are biographical portraits of his closest colleagues - Bernie Taupin, the perfect lyrical file to Elton's Music, Dee, Nigel, Davey and Ray, the men who bring his work so vividly to life.

This lavishly illustrated book shows you Elton John in all his moods, shows you the man and the superstar in every phase if his life and career, providing a unique insight to a rare and exceptional talent.

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