View source for Empty Sky

{{other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Empty Sky
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Elton John]]
| cover        = Elton John - Empty Sky.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = 6 June 1969<ref>{{cite web |title=Discography |url=https://www.eltonjohn.com/discography |website=eltonjohn.com |access-date=September 15, 2024}}</ref>
| recorded     = November 1968 – April 1969
| studio       = [[Dick James]], London
| genre        = [[Soft rock]]<ref name="allmusic"/>
| length       = 41:11 (original release) <br> 54:53 (1995 reissue)
| label        = {{hlist|[[DJM Records|DJM]] (UK)|[[MCA Records|MCA]] (US)}}
| producer     = Steve Brown
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = [[Elton John (album)|Elton John]]
| next_year    = 1970
| misc         = {{Extra album cover
| header = U.S. release (1975)
  | type    = studio
  | cover   = Elton John - Empty Sky - U.S. cover.jpg
  | alt     = A blue drawing of the Great Sphinx of Giza with a person standing on its paw
  | caption = 
  }}
}}

'''''Empty Sky''''' is the debut [[studio album]] by British singer-songwriter [[Elton John]], released in the [[United Kingdom]] on 6 June 1969. Although imported UK copies of the album were available in the United States, ''Empty Sky'' was not issued in the US until January 1975 (on [[MCA Records]]), with different cover art, well after John's fame had been established internationally.

==Background==
Recorded during the winter of 1968 and spring of 1969 at [[DJM Records|DJM Records']] [[Multitrack recording|8-track studio]], ''Empty Sky'' is the only album from the early phase of Elton John's career not produced by [[Gus Dudgeon]]; instead, production was handled by DJM staff member and close associate Steve Brown. The album was released in the UK in both stereo and mono, the latter now being a rare collector's item.

John plays [[harpsichord]] on several tracks, including "[[Skyline Pigeon]]", which John has described as being "the first song [[Bernie Taupin|Bernie]] and I ever got excited about that we ever wrote."<ref>"Skyline Pigeon" track from "Here And There", Disc 1, Track 1. Released 30 April 1976, MCA Records.</ref>

John used musicians who were friends of either him or Brown or both. Guitarist [[Caleb Quaye]] and drummer Roger Pope, both at the time members of the band [[Hookfoot]], played on many of the tracks. (Quaye and Pope would rejoin John a few years later as part of his studio and touring band behind ''[[Rock of the Westies]]'' in 1975 and ''[[Blue Moves]]'' in 1976.) Tony Murray from [[The Troggs]] played bass. ''Empty Sky'' is the first appearance with John of then [[Plastic Penny]] and [[Spencer Davis Group]] member [[Nigel Olsson]], who played drums on "Lady What's Tomorrow?" (Olsson and fellow Spencer Davis bandmate, bassist [[Dee Murray]], would soon join John as his early 1970s touring band.) Also listed in the production credits is Clive Franks, who would later produce John's live sound in concert for much of his touring career, and would occasionally co-produce with John on albums such as ''[[A Single Man (album)|A Single Man]]'' and ''[[21 at 33]]''. The original sleeve design was done by David Larkham (billed as "Dave"), who would go on to create designs for John and other artists.

"[[Skyline Pigeon]]" is the most popular and best-known song on the album, which John, albeit infrequently, performed as part of his live shows. The more definitive version of "Skyline Pigeon" featuring an orchestra and piano backing in place of harpsichord was recorded for 1973's ''[[Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player]]'', and initially appeared as the B-side of "[[Daniel (Elton John song)|Daniel]]" in 1973. Another appearance of the song was in 1974, when a version recorded in [[London]] was featured as the opening track on the ''[[Here and There (Elton John album)|Here and There]]'' live LP and its 1995 CD reissue. The only other song from the album that was played live was the title track, "Empty Sky", was included at various stops on John's 1975 [[Rock of the Westies Tour]].

Although John has since called the album naïve, he does have fond memories of making the record. These include walking home from recording at 4 a.m. and lodging at [[The Salvation Army]] [[Regent Hall]] on [[Oxford Street]], which was run by Steve Brown's father. "I remember when we finished work on the title track – it just floored me. I thought it was the best thing I'd ever heard in my life," John recalled.<ref>Liner notes from "Empty Sky". 1995 Rocket/Island CD Reissue.</ref> He later recalled that he was "unsure what style I was going to be ... [maybe what] [[Leonard Cohen]] sounds like."<ref>{{cite episode |title=Elton John |series=Spectacle |series-link=Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... |airdate=2008 |season=1 |number=1}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r10468}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[Disc (magazine)|Disc & Music Echo]]''
|rev2score = {{Rating|3|4}}
|rev3 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
|rev3score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|chapter=John, Elton|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=Omnibus Press|location=London|edition=5th concise|year=2011|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8|page=2,003}}</ref>
}}

A contemporary review from ''[[Disc (magazine)|Disc & Music Echo]]'' said, "Can't help feeling that the lyrics could still do with a little more intensity, a little less youthful pretension. But that's just carping because the music is so nice and pretty that you can't really put it down. Well worth a good, deep listen."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=July Disc LP Guide |magazine=[[Disc (magazine)|Disc & Music Echo]] |page=13 |date=12 July 1969}}</ref> [[AllMusic]]'s retrospective review showed a subdued reaction to the material, concluding "There aren't any forgotten gems on ''Empty Sky'', but it does suggest John's potential."<ref name="allmusic"/>

==Track listing==
{{track listing
| all_writing = [[Elton John]] and [[Bernie Taupin]]
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Empty Sky
| length1 = 8:29
| title2 = Val-Hala
| length2 = 4:11
| title3 = Western Ford Gateway
| length3 = 3:15
| title4 = Hymn 2000
| length4 = 4:29
}} 
{{track listing
| headline = Side two
| title1 = Lady What's Tomorrow
| length1 = 3:09
| title2 = Sails
| length2 = 3:45
| title3 = The Scaffold
| length3 = 3:18
| title4 = [[Skyline Pigeon]]
| length4 = 3:37
| title5 = Gulliver / Hay Chewed / Reprise
| length5 = 6:58
| total_length = 41:11
}}

{{track listing 
| headline = Bonus tracks (1995 Mercury and 1996 Rocket reissue)
| title10 = [[Lady Samantha]]
| length10 = 3:02
| title11 = All Across the Havens
| length11 = 2:52
| title12 = [[It's Me That You Need]]
| length12 = 4:04
| title13 = Just Like Strange Rain
| length13 = 3:44
| total_length = 54:53
}}

;Notes
*"Val-Hala" was titled "Valhalla" on the 1975 US reissue.
*"Hay Chewed" was titled "It's Hay-Chewed" on the 1995 CD reissue.

==Personnel==
* [[Elton John]] – vocals, piano, organ, [[Hohner Pianet]], [[harpsichord]]
* [[Caleb Quaye]] – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, [[conga]]s
* Tony Murray – bass guitar
* Roger Pope – drums, percussion
* [[Nigel Olsson]] – drums on "Lady What's Tomorrow"
* Don Fay – saxophone, flute
* Graham Vickery – harmonica

'''Production'''
* Steve Brown – producer
* Frank Owen – [[recording engineer|engineer]]
* Clive Franks – tape operator, whistling
* Dave Larkham – sleeve design, illustration
* Jim Goff – sleeve production
* Tony Brandon – original sleeve notes 
* David Symonds – original sleeve notes 
* [[Gus Dudgeon]] – liner notes
* John Tobler – liner notes

== Charts ==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Weekly chart performance for ''Empty Sky''
! scope="col"| Chart (1975)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{Album chart|Canada|30|chartid=3934a|artist=Elton John|album=Empty Sky|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 February 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|6|artist=Elton John|rowheader=true|access-date=14 September 2022}}
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Year-end chart performance for ''Empty Sky''
! scope="col"| Chart (1975)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200
| 178
|}
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Discogs master|type=album|84198|name=Empty Sky}}

{{Elton John}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1969 debut albums]]
[[Category:Elton John albums]]
[[Category:MCA Records albums]]
[[Category:DJM Records albums]]
[[Category:Progressive pop albums]]
[[Category:Folk rock albums by English artists]]
[[Category:Psychedelic rock albums by English artists]]