Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin

Overview

Two Rooms is a wildly uneven star-studded tribute to a wildly uneven superstar songwriting team. Though Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote many of the best pop songs of the '70s and '80s, they have written more than their fair share of clunkers as well. Some of them were chosen for this collection. Tina Turner, for example, tackles the ludicrously juvenile "The Bitch Is Back" and somehow manages to make it even worse. Daryl Hall and John Oates don't fare any better with the embarrassingly outdated disco anthem "Philadelphia Freedom." But most of the songs on Two Rooms are drawn from Elton and Bernie's A-list and some of them really illustrate the depth of their songwriting abilities. Sinead O'Connor finds the tortured soul of the 1989 divorce song "Sacrifice" in a way that the original recording never did. George Michael's radiant tenor lights a fire under "Tonight," another song about a disintegrating relationship. Sting gives the album's most memorable performance, bringing haunted melancholy to the seldom heard "Come Down in Time." Unfortunately, many of the artists are not that sensitive to their chosen songs. Wilson Phillips makes a chipper dentist's office ballad out of the heart-rending elegy "Daniel," while Jon Bon Jovi brings unwanted screech rock bluster to "Levon" and Rod Stewart turns the gentle, charming sap of "Your Song" into noxious, gooey sap. The record succeeds in conveying the enormous influence and productivity of the collaboration between John and Taupin. But it sometimes makes you think they've been just a bit too prolific and that their influence might not always be a good one. ~ Evan Cater

Product Details

Release Date:	12/15/2000
Label:	Vertigo
UPC:	0042284574921
Rank:	140881

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Oates   Primary Artist,Guitar (Electric),Vocals
Eric Clapton   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Wilson Phillips   Primary Artist
Daryl Hall   Primary Artist,Vocals,Keyboards
Joe Cocker   Primary Artist
Sinead O'Connor   Primary Artist,Vocals
Jon Bon Jovi   Primary Artist,Vocals
Kate Bush   Primary Artist,Vocals,Keyboards
Oleta Adams   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals
Rod Stewart   Primary Artist
Phil Collins   Primary Artist,Drums,Piano,Vocals
Sting   Primary Artist
Bruce Hornsby & the Range   Primary Artist
George Michael   Primary Artist
The Who   Primary Artist
Tina Turner   Primary Artist,Vocals
The Beach Boys   Primary Artist
Bruce Hornsby   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals
Daryl Hall & John Oates   Primary Artist
Phil Grande   Guitar
David Clayton   Strings
Adrian Baker   Vocals
Ian Lynne   Keyboards
Pheonix Horns   Brass
Robbie Konor   Synthesizer
Bob Feit   Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Danny Jacobs   Oboe
Nancy Treadlight   Bass,Vocals,Strings
Bruce Johnson   Vocals
Deric Dyer   Saxophone
Jerry Stevenson   Guitar
Michael Braun   Drums
Howie Bertolo   Keyboards
Kenny Moore   Piano,Vocals
Simon Clark   Organ (Hammond)
Chrissy Shefts   Guitar
Ollie Marland   Vocals,Keyboards
Lyndon Connah   Keyboards
John "J.R." Robinson   Cymbals
John Robinson   Cymbals
Alan Clark   Synthesizer
David Bryan   Keyboards
George Young   Sax (Alto)
Glen Ballard   Synthesizer,Piano (Electric)
Darryl Jones   Bass
Daryl Stuermer   Guitar
Dave Bargeron   Trombone
T-Bone Wolk   Keyboards
Davy Spillane   Uillean Pipes
Jeff Bova   Horn Synthesizer
Sammy Figueroa   Percussion
Billy Nicholls   Vocals
Alan Rubin   Trumpet
Jack Bruno   Drums
Del Palmer   Bass
Leland Sklar   Bass
Roland Orzabal   Guitar,Vocals
Pino Palladino   Bass
Ronnie Cuber   Sax (Baritone)
Richard Greene   Violin
Kasim Sulton   Guitar (Bass)
Neil Stubenhaus   Bass
Michael Brecker   Sax (Tenor)
Carol Steele   Tambourine
Andy Hamilton   Woodwind,French Horn
Don Teschner   Mandolin
Tim Harrington   Bass
Alan Murphy   Guitar
Joe Puerta   Bass
Tim Cappello   Horn,Organ,Vocals,Saxophone,Tambourine
Dan Higgins   Saxophone
John Cushon   Drums
Al Jardine   Vocals
Aldo Nova   Guitar
Carl Wilson   Vocals
Chris Stainton   Keyboards
Michael Boddicker   Synthesizer
Michael Landau   Guitar
Mike Love   Vocals
T.M. Stevens   Bass
Alistair Anderson   Concertina
Charlie Morgan   Drums
Tessa Niles   Vocals
Randy Kerber   Piano
Steve Holley   Drums
Steve Winwood   Organ
Steve Ferrone   Drums
Bob Mayo   Keyboards
Ian Wilson   Vocals
Kevin Savigar   Keyboards
Chris Cameron   Piano,Strings
John Thomas   Keyboards
Tico Torres   Drums
Phil X   Guitar
Elliot Easton   Guitar (Electric)
John "Rabbit" Bundrick   Piano
Greg Phillinganes   Piano
Gene Black   Guitar,Vocals
George Marinelli Jr.   Guitar
Carmine Rojas   Bass
Carol Kenyon   Vocals
Dee Palmer   Drums
John Miles   Synthesizer
Jeff Golub   Guitar
John Molo   Drums
Jeff Peters   Vocals

Technical Credits

Wilson Phillips   Performer,Vocal Arrangement
Daryl Hall   Producer,Performer
Lynn Goldsmith   Photography
Tom Perme   Guitar Technician
Ken Wishner   Assistant Engineer
Jolie Jones Levine   Production Coordination
Dave Morgan   Photography
Ian Lynne   Engineer,Programming
Randee Saint Nicholas   Photography
Candace Strickland   Coordination
Kevin Westenberg   Photography
Tim White   Photography
Tuffy   Engineer
Stephen Chase   Engineer
Scott Ahaus   Assistant Engineer
Neal Preston   Photography
Jill Dell'Abate   Production Coordination
Orion Crawford   Chart Preparation
Greg Gorman   Photography
Diego Uchitel   Photography
Chalkie Davies   Photography
Truman Stiles   Producer
Richard Arnold   Engineer
Charlie Paakkari   Assistant Engineer
Chris Porter   Engineer
Aldo Nova   Producer
Alan Bergman   Photography
Bruce Hornsby   Producer,Performer
Gary Langan   Assistant Engineer
Glen Ballard   Producer,Vocal Arrangement,Rhythm Arrangements
Daryl Hall & John Oates   Performer
T-Bone Wolk   Producer
Paul Golding   Assistant Engineer
Sinead O'Connor   Producer,Performer
Chris Lord-Alge   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
John Oates   Producer,Performer
Jon Astley   Producer,Programming
Jon Bon Jovi   Producer,Performer
Mark Hagen   Assistant Engineer
Kate Bush   Producer,Performer
Michael Douglass   Assistant Engineer
Oleta Adams   Performer
Billy Nicholls   Producer
Brian Scheuble   Assistant Engineer
Gus Dudgeon   Mixing,Producer,Remixing
Del Palmer   Engineer
Roland Orzabal   Producer
Jerry Hey   String Arrangements
Rob Mounsey   Horn Arrangements
Phil Nicolo   Assistant Engineer
Hugh Padgham   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Rod Stewart   Performer
Roger Davies   Producer
Peter Moshay   Engineer
Phil Collins   Producer,Performer
Bernie Taupin   Composer
Phil Dent   Photography
Paul Cox   Photography
Brian Malouf   Mixing
Sting   Performer
George Michael   Producer,Performer
Tim Cappello   Horn Arrangements
The Who   Performer
Tina Turner   Producer,Performer
Chris Fogel   Assistant Engineer
Larry Millas   Engineer
Curt Frasca   Engineer
Joe Cocker   Performer
Randy Long   Assistant Engineer
Obie O'Brien   Engineer,Producer
Trevor Horn   Producer
Andy MacPherson   Engineer
The Beach Boys   Performer
Talley Sherwood   Assistant Engineer
Elton John   Composer
Ben Fowler   Mixing Assistant
David Tickle   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Eric Clapton   Producer,Performer
Francis Buckley   Mixing,Engineer
Dave O'Donnell   Engineer
Jeff Peters   Engineer
Rob Eaton   Mixing
John Reynolds   Engineer