Still consider it one of Elton's best. This might amuse Tipsters.

I've known Reg Dwight for ages; he was the fat, gay piano player doing cover songs for Woolworths and their Embassy cheap vinyl label; he played with John Baldry; he was working for Dick James Music way back in the 60s, when I was a pop star (my first hit, written and recorded as a teenager, had been in 1965). His boyfriend was a mate of mine I called Pamela Motown as he was plugging the label at EMI.
By the 1990s he had hit a bad patch. No hits for some years. He was considered a has been. Huge in the 70s but fading in the late 80s. Career, basically, over.

I interviewed him for Entertainment USA and had dinner with him in America. "Your label is letting you down", I told him in 1989. "You have a fabulous track on your latest album - Healing Hands. It should have been a smash but didn't even crack the top 40. You should rerelease it". "Could you persuade PolyGram to do that JK?", he begged me. I was always up for helping hits become hits; even if they weren't my babies they were someone else's babies and I hate seeing hits flop. "Of course" I replied. "How about Sacrifice" he said. "Yeah, that's not bad but I prefer Healing Hands. Tell you what, do it as a double A side, rerelease it with all royalties going to your silly Aids charity and I'll make sure it's a hit" I said. "Only one thing. I've taken over The Brits as Producer this year. If it is a hit, will you do the show?". "Absolutely" he replied.

It wasn't easy breaking it. Phonogram didn't even have a Managing Director at the time. I persuaded my friend Obie - Chairman of Polygram then - to rerelease it. The plugger at the label, Martin Nelson, was brilliant, a real hard worker. So was Dwight's plugger, Gary Farrow, Virtually single handed they took over, worked the tracks and whoosh, it went to No1 and totally revived Reg's flagging career.

Did he appear on The Brits? Did he heck. I had to fly out to Los Angeles to get a piece of film from him, as he'd also been voted Male Singer of the Year.

To be honest he did apologise profusely. Sitting on his toilet chatting to him as he took a Hollywood shower I complained and he did thank me although, being Elton, he qualified it by saying "Sacrifice was the bigger hit of the two. I was right and you were wrong".

"No, you are Dwight and I am King" I retorted, sticking my tongue out at his naked, wet body.

Great story.

I remember Phonogram working their socks off at retail. His 1st solo No.1.

Yes the guy who worked retail was excellent too; I think his name was Nick; left the music industry to run Brighton Football Club.

JK2006 wrote:
To be honest he did apologise profusely. Sitting on his toilet chatting to him as he took a Hollywood shower I complained and he did thank me although, being Elton, he qualified it by saying "Sacrifice was the bigger hit of the two. I was right and you were wrong".

"No, you are Dwight and I am King" I retorted, sticking my tongue out at his naked, wet body.
That's the last time I read this forum while eating my lunch!

Healing Hands has that awkwardness changing to the chorus, however great that chorus is it ruins the song, Sacrifice is far better crafted IMO.

I see today's Daily Mail has picked up on the story which they tell me they found "very funny".

Piece from Daly Mail:
Describing Sir Elton John disrespectfully as Reg Dwight, the ‘fat, gay piano player doing cover songs for Woolworths and their Embassy cheap vinyl label,’ ex-convict Jonathan King, 70, boasts in a blog of masterminding the Rocket Man’s first UK No 1 hit in 14 years in 1990 with double A-side Healing Hands and Sacrifice.

But Sir Elton didn’t, as King claims they agreed, appear on The Brits awards show as thanks, which King was producing. ‘Sitting on his toilet chatting to him as he took a Hollywood shower I complained and he did thank me, although, being Elton, he qualified it by saying, “Sacrifice was the bigger hit of the two. I was right and you were wrong.” “No, you are Dwight and I am King,” I retorted.’

Is this revenge for Sir Elton failing to support King when he was jailed for seven years in 2001 for sex with underage boys?


Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-31529...e.html#ixzz3fIsyfJNz
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JK2006 wrote:
Yes the guy who worked retail was excellent too; I think his name was Nick; left the music industry to run Brighton Football Club.

I remember him well - but really annoyingly, can't remember his name. A great guy, and, as you say, went into Football Marketing. I've just put a call in to our mutual friend John to see if he remembers his name.

I think he actually managed Brighton and Hove Albion. Very nice guy and a good worker.

JK2006 wrote:
I think he actually managed Brighton and Hove Albion. Very nice guy and a good worker.

John came to the rescue. It was Greg Castell. Worked for Brighton FC, but now works with Emeli Sande.

Not Greg Castell I think Dixie and John; one before him, just ahead of Hein Van Der Reigh getting the MD gig.

Greg was definitely at Phonogram at the time, and went on to work with Brighton & Hove FC. Wasn't Howard Berman MD around that time?

Oh I wish the brain retained the interesting stuff, instead of loads of rubbish I don't want to retain!!

No Howard was way later. I might check with Gary - or even Martin who has left the business and is farming up north but e-mailed me several times a few years ago. I'll see if I can find his addie.

Though life won't stop if I never find out. I'm really intrigued to get to the answer.

Insha'Allah, as they say Dixie. God willing. When I say "see you tomorrow" to my many Arab friends they always reply Insha'Allah.

Nick Rowe! It just came to me.

www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/...ry/08/nickrowe.shtml

Spot on!

John has let me down. Actually both Nick and Greg were very similar characters. Both worked at Phonogram and both went on to jobs associated with football clubs, (perhaps Greg was a London club?). Not heard much about Nick for years.

I can relax in piece and enjoy absorbing the new Top 40 now!

Yes I'm not sure whether Alzheimers has a habit of mending or whether it's just the passage of time but suddenly, there Nick was and a quick Google threw up that ancient Jimmy Moir titbit.

And going back to the title of this thread; it was when I heard the track on the BBC that I remembered how much I loved it; for me one of the ten greatest Elton tracks.