Elton John and Brandi Carlile visited SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show recently to chat about their new collaborative album, Who Believes in Angels?
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During the conversation, the topic turned to some of the other famous artists Elton has worked with in the studio, including The Rolling Stones.
As seen in a video clip posted on YouTube, host Howard Stern asked the pop-rock legend if he’d ever sat in with The Stones’ Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, and John reminded him that he played on two tracks on the band’s latest album, Hackney Diamonds.
Elton explained that he wound up on the album because Andrew Watt, who produced Who Believes in Angels? and several other recordings for John in recent years, also produced Hackney Diamonds.
“[I]t was a great thing for me,” Elton said of working with The Stones. “I was so thrilled.”
John played piano on the Hackney Diamonds tracks “Get Close” and “Live by the Sword.” The latter tune was one of the last tracks longtime Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts recorded with the group before his death in 2021 at age 80. Former Stones bassist Bill Wyman also played on “Live by the Sword.”
Elton then noted that playing with The Rolling Stones had been on his bucket list. He also named some of the other famous artists whose recordings he’s played piano on.
They included Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Leonard Cohen, Ray Charles, and The Beatles’ John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. He added that the one Beatles member he’s yet to collaborate with is Paul McCartney.
Does Elton Adjust His Piano Style for His Collaborators?
Stern then asked Elton if The Rolling Stones requested that he play his parts a certain way when he recorded with them.
“Of course,” John said, then revealed an issue he sometimes has when working on various artists’ tracks.
“[I]f I play on somebody’s session the problem with me … is I go in and I’m too Elton, and they don’t want Elton on their record,” he noted. “They want a piano player, but they don’t want it to sound like Elton John, ’cause they’re somebody else. So, they’ll come up to me and say, ‘No, can you just do it a little simpler?’ And that’s the whole point of doing a session.”
John continued, “The trouble with me is I’m bringing Elton into the studio, playing-wise, and they don’t want that. They want their own act. … They want my piano playing, but they don’t want the typical Elton. They want what fits on their track.”
As an example, John brought up a couple of collaborative tracks he’s done in recent years, the first being the 2021 cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” he recorded with Miley Cyrus, Watt, Yo-Yo Ma, Chad Smith, and Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo.
“[W]hen I did [‘Nothing Else Matters’] with Miley Cyrus … it was Andrew’s idea to start it with piano, and it kind of made it into a piano track,” he pointed out. “So you never know what you’re gonna to get [in the studio].”
He added, “And … when I did the [2020] Gorillaz track [‘The Pink Phantom’], it was the same thing as well. The whole point of it is listening to what they want.”
John Discussed His Early Work as a Session Musician
Before wrapping up that segment of the interview, Stern asked if John thought it would’ve been fun if he’d devoted part of his music career to being a session musician.
Elton quickly explained to the radio host that he’d done quite a bit of session work before he became famous.
“I did The Hollies, I did The Scaffold, I did The Barron Knights, [and] Tom Jones,” he pointed out. “I sang on records. I played on record. … I played and arranged [The Hollies’ 1969 hit] ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.’ … If you listen to that record, you can tell it’s me playing piano.”
Stern then quipped, “I am more convinced than ever I need to make an album with Elton John. … I mean, really, ’cause I wouldn’t have to do that much. What could we call it?”
John humorously suggested, “We’ll call it Stern Stuff.”
Elton and Brandi’s new collaborative album, Who Believes in Angels? is available now.
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