I’ve been talking about the road this week. I chucked you a road story. I gave you a road trip playlist. So how about a classic road album?

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was the first record I bought with my own money and the third Why It Matters story I wrote. I’m not a huge Elton John fan, but man is this one special. We think of Reg as a hit machine, but this album is damned near prog rock. Check out album opener “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” and fair warning: If you aren’t rocking this on a turntable at maximum volume you aren’t really hearing it:

I was six years old when this bastard came out, and I wasn’t equipped for the boatload of awesome spinning at 33 and a third. The good news is that because it was so over my head Road aged along with me. I think I bought it on vinyl three times before CDs invaded.

If you want hits they’re here: “Bennie and the Jets,” “Candle in the Wind,” “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.” Looking for deep cuts? Check out “The Ballad of Danny Bailey:”

This was Reg’s seventh album, and to my ear it’s his masterpiece. If it’s not in your stacks, you need to get on that.

A super deluxe, six CD “Give Me Your Wallet” edition is available for 50 bucks, and for the obsessive fan (guilty) it’s a must have. For the rest? You can find used copies on vinyl or CD for 5-10 bucks. Happy hunting.