All songs are written by John and Bernie Taupin, with the exception of "Love Song" by Lesley Duncan. The album was recorded at Trident Studios, London, England in March 1970 and released in October of the same year. Basic tracks for three of the album's titles, "Come Down in Time", "Country Comfort" and "Burn Down the Mission", were recorded at Trident during the sessions for the previous LP, Elton John, with overdubs completed for Tumbleweed Connection. An early version of "Madman Across the Water", featuring Mick Ronson on electric guitar, was also recorded during the sessions for the album. It was released on several albums and reissues of Tumbleweed Connection, though the track was ultimately re-recorded for the Madman Across the Water album.
Artwork
The wraparound cover photo for the album was taken at Sheffield Park railway station, approximately 30 miles south of London on the Bluebell Railway in the county of Sussex. Photographer Ian Digby Ovens captured John and Taupin in front of the late-nineteenth-century station to represent the album's rural Americana concept, despite the English location. Additional photos were made from the interior of a train on the rail line for the album liner notes and libretto.
Reception
The album peaked at #2 on the UK Albums Chart and #5 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In the US, it was certified gold in March 1971 and platinum in August 1998 by the RIAA. In 2012, Tumbleweed Connection was ranked #458 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson appear for the first time together on this album as the rhythm section on "Amoreena". Olsson had played on one track on Empty Sky for John in 1969. It is Murray's first appearance on an Elton John album. In addition to several studio players who also performed on John's previous self-titled second album, several tracks feature backing musicians from the band Hookfoot, who were also his DJM Records label mates. Hookfoot guitarist Caleb Quaye and drummer Roger Pope had also appeared on John's "Empty Sky" album. No singles were released from the album in the US by either DJM or John's US distributor, Universal Records, but "Country Comfort" was released as a single in New Zealand. "Country Comfort" was recorded in 1970 for Gasoline Alley, the second album by Rod Stewart. Stewart also performed the song live with Elton John dressed as a hornet, live at a fund-raising gig at the Vicarage Road Stadium of the Watford Football Club on 5 May 1974, the same month that Elton John's eighth album, Caribou was released for the price of 1 pound. Australian country singer Keith Urban recorded a cover of "Country Comfort" on his 2004 album Be Here. In 1998, a bootleg CD was released called Tumbleweed Collection. This was a collection of piano demos and live tracks.
Track listing
All tracks written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted. ;Side one
"Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" – 4:59
"Come Down in Time" – 3:25
"Country Comfort" – 5:06
"Son of Your Father" – 3:48
"My Father's Gun" – 6:20
;Side two
"Where to Now St. Peter?" – 4:11
"Love Song" – 3:41
"Amoreena" – 5:00
"Talking Old Soldiers" – 4:06
"Burn Down the Mission" – 6:22
Bonus tracks (1995 Rocket and 2001 Mercury reissue)
