Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
1991 compilation album by various artists
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Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin is a tribute album consisting of interpretations of sixteen songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, released on 14 October 1991[4] by Mercury Records in the UK and on 22 October by Polydor Records in the US.[5] The title refers to a song on John's album 21 at 33, "Two Rooms at the End of the World", and to the duo's unusual collaborative style; it is also the title of a 1991 film of the same title documenting their collaboration.
| Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin | |
|---|---|
| |
| Compilation album by various artists | |
| Released | 14 October 1991 |
| Recorded | Various |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 78:54 |
| Label | |
| Producer | Various |
| Singles from Two Rooms | |
| |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune | [2] |
| Philadelphia Inquirer | [3] |
Critical reception
The album gained an uneven reception,[6] though some performances were singled out for praise, including Sinéad O'Connor's interpretation of "Sacrifice",[7] Kate Bush's reggae-inflected version of "Rocket Man" (which won The Observer readers' award for greatest cover of all time in 2007),[8][9] and Tina Turner's version of "The Bitch Is Back", which was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards.[10]
Singles
Two singles were released from the album: Oleta Adams' version of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" peaked at number 33 on the UK singles chart and Kate Bush's "Rocket Man" peaked at number 12 in the UK and number two in Australia (where it beat the original version's chart position by several places). The B-side of Bush's single was her version of "Candle in the Wind". The CD single added an instrumental version of the same song. Wilson Phillips' cover of "Daniel", while not released as a single, peaked at number seven in the US Adult Contemporary chart due to strong radio airplay.[11]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Elton John & Bernie Taupin.
| No. | Title | Performing artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Border Song" | Eric Clapton | 4:21 |
| 2. | "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" | Kate Bush | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Come Down in Time" | Sting | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" ([a]) | The Who | 4:32 |
| 5. | "Crocodile Rock" | The Beach Boys | 4:21 |
| 6. | "Daniel" | Wilson Phillips | 4:03 |
| 7. | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Joe Cocker | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Levon" | Jon Bon Jovi | 5:27 |
| 9. | "The Bitch Is Back" | Tina Turner | 3:38 |
| 10. | "Philadelphia Freedom" | Hall & Oates | 5:12 |
| 11. | "Your Song" | Rod Stewart | 4:49 |
| 12. | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Oleta Adams | 6:02 |
| 13. | "Madman Across the Water" | Bruce Hornsby | 6:10 |
| 14. | "Sacrifice" | Sinéad O'Connor | 5:12 |
| 15. | "Burn Down the Mission" | Phil Collins | 6:11 |
| 16. | "Tonight" | George Michael | 7:23 |
| Total length: | 79:53 | ||
Companion film
Two versions of a documentary, also titled Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin, exist. The first was released internationally on VHS video with a running time of ninety minutes. The other aired on ABC television in 1992 as a one-hour special and featured a slightly different edit and contents. The television version was hosted by Sylvester Stallone. Stallone does not appear on the VHS version. Bruce Hornsby, George Michael, Hall & Oates and Oleta Adams appear in the television version but not the VHS version.
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[20] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[22] | Gold | 100,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[23] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Spain (Promusicae)[24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[25] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
Notes
- The Who include a passage of "Take Me to the Pilot" in their cover of the song.