Rock of the Westies

Rock of the Westies is the tenth studio album by British musician Elton John. It was released on 24 October 1975, through DJM Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US. Produced by Gus Dudgeon, the record was recorded in mid-1975 at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado, and contained a new lineup of the Elton John Band.

Released less than five months after Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Rock of the Westies repeated that album's then-unprecedented feat of entering the US Billboard 200 chart at number one. It was also successful in the UK, where it reached number 5. The album's lead single, "Island Girl", topped the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 20 in multiple other territories. However, sales of the album tapered quickly, and both contemporary and retrospective reviews have been mixed.

Background

For the recording of Rock of the Westies, John dismissed drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray from his band, reportedly desiring a change in sound from his previous album, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Guitarist Davey Johnstone and percussionist Ray Cooper remained from the previous lineup, with the addition of drummer Roger Pope (a session musician on Empty Sky) and bassist Kenny Passarelli. John also added his friend and extensive prior collaborator Caleb Quaye as a second guitarist and James Newton Howard on synthesizers. The album was produced by Gus Dudgeon.

The title is a play on the phrase "West of the Rockies", a nod to the Caribou Ranch studio in Nederland, Colorado. Upon its release, Rock of the Westies became the second consecutive Elton John album to debut at the top of the Billboard 200, following Captain Fantastic (the first ever album to debut at #1). It was the last in a string of six straight US #1 studio albums, starting in 1972 with Honky Chateau.

Amongst other guests, funk-rock group Labelle and pop singer Kiki Dee provide backing vocals.

Critical reception

In a review for Rolling Stone, Stephen Holden stated the songs "barely accomplish their objective of providing the latest in synthetic boogie", while opining that the new lineup resulted in only "superficial" changes to John's sound. Holden also criticized the lyrics of "Island Girl" as being both sexist and racist, while declaring "Feed Me" to be the album's only lyrics to be "more than a glib, slapdash effort".

Conversely, Robert Christgau praised the album, finding it to have Taupin's best lyrics, while stating that the arrangements of "Island Girl" and "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" "elaborate the songs' racial ironies" and praising the band's "fiery temper" on "Street Kids" and "Hard Luck Story".