Ten Songs Featuring Elton John Sidemen

This post is about Elton John’s backing band who are known as the Elton John Band. I decided to select ten songs I like which feature at least one Elton John band member. One Elton song is of course included. I previously featured the Bob Seger song in my article on Bob Seger piano songs. To maintain a connection with Elton’s music all these songs feature piano.

Magic by Pilot - David Paton (1974)

This is by the Scottish rock band Pilot. David Paton had been a bassist for Elton in the 1980s. He plays bass and sings this song. It opens with intense guitars. Piano then appears which has a supporting role in this song. There is an orchestra and the guitars are understated in sections and are stronger in other parts of the song. There is an intense guitar solo about the three-quarter mark. David sings cheerfully in this fun pop rocker. This song reminds me of Elton’s “Rock Of The Westies” album with it sounding like “Dan Dare (Pilot Of The Future)”.

Bad Blood by Neil Sedaka - Nigel Olsson (1975)

This is a fun pop song. Elton provides prominent backing vocals echoing Neil in the words “bad” and “blood”. Elton and Neil also sing sections together which sounds good. Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson plays the drums, who provides a good beat. Neil plays piano and this song sounds like an Elton song. David Foster plays clavinet which has a good presence. An Elton song this brings to mind is “Dark Diamond” featuring clavinet played by Stevie Wonder.

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John & Kiki Dee - Elton John Band (1976)

This is one of Elton’s most popular songs, a duet with Kiki Dee. The Elton John Band at the time (Caleb Quaye, Davey Johnstone, James Newton Howard, Ray Cooper, Kenny Passarelli & Roger Pope) played on the song, though my understanding is that Davey does not appear on it. This is a catchy pop song with elements of soul. There is an orchestra in the song. The guitars make a more prominent presence in parts of the song. Elton and Kiki sing well together and it’s even more impressive as they recorded their parts separately. The Elton John Band plays in a gentle, relaxing way.

Year of the Cat by Al Stewart - Tim Renwick (1976)

This soft rock song opens with piano. Alan Parsons who produced this also produced “Magic” by Pilot making him the only producer to produce two songs on this list. Tim Renwick who plays guitars on it would be the main guitarist on Elton’s “A Single Man” album a few years later and briefly be in Elton’s band in the early 80s. Tim plays both acoustic and electric guitars, playing a unique acoustic guitar solo followed by an electric guitar solo. Following this, there is a saxophone solo which comes back later at the end of the song. This is similar to the Elton songs “Burn Down The Mission” and “Blues For Baby And Me” that also feature an orchestra.

It’s A Laugh by Daryl Hall & John Oates - Caleb Quaye, Kenny Passarelli & Roger Pope (1978)

Guitarist Caleb Quaye, bassist Kenny Passarelli & drummer Roger Pope joined Daryl Hall & John Oates after Elton John. The album featured guest guitarists, so it’s possible that the lead guitar part isn’t played by Caleb, but I’m writing assuming it’s him. This fun rock song opens with Roger’s drums which goes into a saxophone intro. Caleb plays light rocking electric guitar parts which add power to the song. The piano sounds like the piano in an Elton song. I wonder if Daryl is playing it as he often plays piano. An Elton song I’m reminded of is “Elderberry Wine”.

Hey Deanie by Eric Carmen - Nigel Olsson & Richie Zito (1978)

The song opens with Eric singing the chorus with backing vocals and claps. Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson and future guitarist Richie Zito play on this song. Nigel and Richie would play together with Elton in the early 80s when they would both be in the Elton John Band. This could be an Elton John rock & roll song with its brilliant rock & roll piano. There are some glissandos. Horns are featured in parts of the song. Nigel gives rock drumming similar to what he’s played for Elton before.

Do You Still Dream? by Chris Rea - David Paton (1981)

The dark rock song opens with piano. There are light electric piano parts that come in and out of the song. The acoustic and electric pianos sound well together. The guitar gives a good presence with there being a guitar solo at the end of the song. A little after a minute when it becomes a full band song, David Paton’s bass gives deep bass notes which are tied with the drums. The guitar solo at the end of the song adds a good contrast to what we heard before. This is a bit like the Elton song “Cry To Heaven”. Both of them are 80s rock songs made in England.

Love’s The Last To Know by Bob Seger - Davey Johnstone (1982)

Bill Payne’s piano starts off the song. Bill is the keyboardist of southern rock band Little Feat. Little Feat is one of Elton’s influences. Elton’s guitarist Davey Johnstone plays an acoustic guitar. He comes about a third into the song with the drums and plays a good supporting role. Bob sings gently, changes to intensely once the strong drumming comes and transitions back to gentle singing in the last section. This song is a bit like an Elton ballad with it reminding me of his 2006 rock ballad “Blues Never Fade Away” (also featuring Davey) that is mostly piano in the first half with intense drumming in the second half.

The Language of Love by Dan Fogelberg - Kenny Passarelli (1984)

I get heartland rock vibes from this track. It features a good mix of guitars and keyboards (piano & organ). Dan Fogelberg sings with a rock voice and also plays lead guitar. His guitar solo is aggressive. Kenny Passarelli who was mentioned previously plays bass. Kenny’s playing is subtle and suits the rock style of this song. Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles sings harmony vocals. This song’s lyrics remind me of Bernie Taupin’s lyrics for Elton’s 1995 “Made In England” album such as its hit single “Believe”.

Been There, Done That by Christopher Cross - Matt Bissonette (1995)

The song opens with an electric piano. After a while an acoustic piano soon comes in. There are rocking guitars. The bass is played by Elton’s bassist Matt Bissonette. Matt’s bass notes are really deep. There is a strong guitar solo at around the two and a half minute mark. It has the signature Christopher Cross soft rock sound. An Elton song this is a bit like is “Spiteful Child”. Both of them have acoustic piano, electric piano, electric guitars and similar synths.

Hope you enjoyed these songs. I was celebrating classic rock music through the lens of my Elton John fandom. Elton has featured talented musicians in his band who made great contributions to popular music. Thanks to all Elton John band members including the ones not featured in this article for their work as sidemen.