The Thom Bell Sessions

The project was a departure for Elton John, and his band was not used for these sessions. Until that time, he had worked almost exclusively with lyricist Bernie Taupin and record producer Gus Dudgeon. This project brought Elton John together with R&B songwriter and producer Thom Bell, who had previously worked with such artists as the Stylistics, the Delfonics and the Spinners. Apparently, relations between the producer and the artist became difficult rather quickly. Although John was eager to work with one of the creators of the Philadelphia soul sound, recording sessions did not go smoothly and ended before an entire album could be finished. During these sessions, Thom Bell also advised Elton John on vocal skills, including encouraging him to sing in a lower register. Bell had recently relocated from Philadelphia to Seattle, so the initial sessions were recorded at Kaye-Smith Studios, then the top Seattle studio. Additional overdubs were done back at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. Bell produced all the tracks and co-wrote one of the songs with his nephew, LeRoy Bell, and Casey James, who together comprised the popular singing duo Bell & James. Bell and James co-wrote the other songs in this set. The Spinners sang backing vocals on the project. Although at least six songs were recorded during the 1977 sessions only three completed tracks were made available on a 12-inch EP in 1979. The project ended up producing one top 10 single: "Mama Can't Buy You Love", which peaked at #9 (#1 Adult Contemporary) on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1979. == Track listing ==