Honky Château

Honky Château takes its name from the 18th century château in France where it was recorded. It was the first studio album to use Dee Murray on bass, Nigel Olsson on drums and Davey Johnstone on guitar as the core group, and the first record to carry the three-part backing vocal sound they added to "Rocket Man". The opening "Honky Cat" is a New Orleans funk track with a four-piece horn section arranged by Dudgeon. Jean-Luc Ponty plays electric violin on two tracks, and the dancer "Legs" Larry Smith taps on another.

It was the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums. The singles were "Rocket Man" and "Honky Cat", and a third, "Hercules", was prepared but never issued. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone approved of the original LP, calling it "a rich, warm, satisfying album". The RIAA certified it gold in July 1972 and platinum in October 1995. A 50th anniversary edition was released on 24 March 2023.