Regimental Sgt. Zippo

Did You Know?

• The album was released on compact disc on 8 July 2022, featuring both mono and stereo mixes.
• The mono vinyl release for Record Store Day was limited to 7,000 copies.

Background

Between November 1967 and May 1968, Elton John cut a batch of songs with musicians connected to him or his manager Steve Brown. Guitarist Caleb Quaye and drummer Roger Pope, both then in the band Hookfoot, played on the sessions, along with Troggs bassist Tony Murray. The recording took place on a four-track machine at the Dick James Music office. The project was set aside in favor of what would become John’s first album, Empty Sky, released in 1969. Lyricist Bernie Taupin later said that he and John were big fans of the Beatles and the Moody Blues, but publisher Dick James felt that sound wasn’t the right direction for them. Taupin described the album’s psychedelic feel as “a tip of the hat to Sgt. Pepper” and admitted it showed they were “hanging on the coattails of things that were currently popular,” like “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” He added, “I think, in a way, I was literally trying to be part of a gang.” In 1969, the band Plastic Penny—whose drummer Nigel Olsson later played on Empty Sky and joined the Elton John Band in 1970—recorded a cover of “Turn to Me” for their album Currency.