Elton John Plans to Stop Releasing New Albums
Elton John's incredible discography may have seen its last addition of new material.
John, whose Wonderful Crazy Night marked his 32nd studio release earlier this year, admitted during a recent appearance on Good Morning Britain (via Vintage Vinyl News) that he's toying with the idea of retirement from recording. "I love playing," he told the audience. "My records don't sell anymore because people have enough Elton John records in their collection. I love making them, but it's someone else's turn now."
Even though John's albums don't sell the way they once did, that has as much to with the record industry's across-the-board sales slump as it does with anything relating to his own career. His last album to peak outside the Top 20 in the U.S. was 1989's Sleeping With the Past, and while his most recent platinum release in the States was 1997's The Big Picture, his records routinely go gold and silver in the U.K. — so his self-effacing attitude, while still admirable, isn't entirely objective.
John announced his complete retirement just a couple of years ago before claiming he'd been joking, so there's every chance he could change his mind about walking away from new music. As he admitted earlier this year, he has little patience for the hits-focused approach many of his peers feel duty-bound to take while touring.
"People like Billy Joel, who is a great songwriter and one of America’s finest, say there is no point because people don’t want to hear them. And I kind of get that as well, but it is very frustrating that you play new songs that people don’t want to hear, but I can’t not try and have a go," said John. "Usually when you play a new song people hurtle towards to the toilets quickly, but you have to play new songs."
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