ELTON JOHN Regimental Zippo SEALED limited edition MONO LP RSD

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ELTON JOHN Regimental Zippo hails from 2021 and is a SEALED Mono LP issued for Record Store Day.  Amongst all of the many Record Store Day announcements, one of the most exciting has to be Island/Mercury’s announcement of an unreleased Elton John album finally seeing the light of day: 1968’s Regimental Sgt.  Zippo.

One of the best box sets of last year was Elton John’s Jewel Box.  Among its 8 CDs were three discs of rarities spanning 1965-1971.  Perhaps the most intriguing tracks included were those intended for an unreleased album entitled Regimental Sgt. Zippo.  Recorded at Dick James Studios in London in late 1967 and early 1968, the new partnership of composer John and lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote this group of songs under the influence of The Beatles but in their own unique and developing style.  A total of twelve psych-pop songs were intended for the album and it was given its title with a nod to Elton’s real name of Reginald, his father’s military service, and once again, The Beatles.  But for reasons lost to time, the album was shelved and the world would have to wait until 1969 to hear a full album of John and Taupin songs with Empty Sky.  Regimental Sgt. Zippo was largely forgotten about as the duo’s careers hit the stratosphere, other than some of the songs leaking out on bootlegs.  Cut to last year with the Jewel Box which published a track listing for the final LP and presented versions of most of its songs.

The songs from Regimental Sgt. Zippo were spread out among the CDs on Jewel Box and some of them were in demo form, not in the versions that would have been heard on the final album.  Now, the entire LP will be released as originally intended.  This means that several of the songs will be heard in their completed versions for the first time.  (The press release indicates that five are in their finished versions for the first time, but there were only four songs labeled as demos in the Jewel Box: “When I Was Tealby Abbey,” “And the Clock Goes Round,” “Angel Tree” and “A Dandelion Dies in the Wind,” so it is unclear which other song will have a new version.  It could be the song “Nina,” which has a different title on the album’s tracklisting, but that is just conjecture.)  Also, “You’ll Be Sorry to See Me Go,” the lone RSZ track not included in any form on Jewel Box, is making its debut here. 

Side A

When I Was Tealby Abbey

And the Clock Goes Round

Sitting Doing Nothing

Turn to Me

Angel Tree

Regimental Sgt. Zippo

Side B

A Dandelion Dies in the Wind

You’ll Be Sorry to See Me Go

You’re My Woman (a.k.a. Nina)

Tartan Coloured Lady

Hourglass

Watching the Planes Go By