It was also the first studio album to feature John's road band of Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums, along with new member Davey Johnstone on electric and acoustic guitars and other fretted instruments, as the core group of musicians.

Previously, the record label insisted that John use them for only one track each on Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water; the rest of the songs on those two albums were performed by session players.

Also of note is the on-record debut of the backing vocal combination of Johnstone, Murray and Olsson, who first added what would soon become their "trademark" sound to "Rocket Man".

[4] The trio's unique approach to arranging their backing vocal tracks would be a fixture on John's singles and albums for the next several years.

Jon Landau of Rolling Stone approved the original LP as "a rich, warm, satisfying album that stands head and shoulders above the morass of current releases".

[12] In the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn hailed the music as innovative and Bernie Taupin's lyrics as humorous, ironic and satirical.

All tracks are written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.Track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album.