Post by athompsen on Dec 29, 2003 18:19:04 GMT -5
Happy New Year everyone!
I saw that there wasn't an album of the day today, so I thought I'd butt in and do one. Hope that's ok.
One of the fondest memories of my entire life took place in the early 70's. I was a young girl on a bus, traveling cross country with this great rock band that had yet to strike it big. We were all exhausted from touring and some of the band members were p*ssed off and not talking to each other. Then the driver turned up the radio and a song called "Tiny Dancer" came on. We all just loosened up instantly, started to sing along with the tune, and looked at each other with a fond appreciation and tons of gratitude. The love and respect between us was just too overwhelming, man. Wow, I'll never forget that day.
Oh, all right...by now you've figured out that I'm full of it. Obviously, none of the above actually occurred in my life. It was a scene from the movie Almost Famous. That was my favorite scene from the Cameron Crowe film. Today's album is Elton John's "Madman Across The Water" released in 1971.
"Tiny Dancer" is the album's opener, and what a way to start things off. I can confidently say that this is my all-time favorite Elton John tune. Everything about it is gorgeous and appealing...the piano-with-orchestra arrangement and Bernie Taupin's lyrics.
"Levon" is a wonderful ballad that always struck me as being obscure and excessively metaphoric. Rumor has it that the title was inspired by Levon Helm, drummer and founding member of The Band, but according to my rock history research, he didn't have a son named Jesus "'cause he likes the name."
After the adequate, "Razor Face", come the album's title, "Madman Across The Water". Another favorite of mine. A portrayal of insanity. Elton's vocals builds from a rather blasé croon to an angry shout that really shows off his abilities as a rock singer.
As the album progresses, so do the obscure references and sometimes pretentious production values. Just about every remaining track incorporates similar orchestral arrangements, which gets a bit tedious after awhile. Tomahawks and Geronimo are mentioned on "Indian Sunset", and has lyrics that read like a western movie. And "Holiday Inn" is a mandolin waltz with Irish folk overtones that goes absolutely nowhere. And you ain't seen nothing until you've been in a motel, baby...like the Holiday Inn. Well, there's no question as to where Elton and Bernie were staying at the time this song was written. Pointless subjects really do deserve pointless lyrics. Seriously, was the writer's block that overwhelming?
It isn't until the short closing cut "Goodbye", very short in length, some of the layers are stripped off and you see more honesty and expression from Elton and Bernie. The words are expressive. Yes, it's quite sad, but I would have been happier with more moments like this along with "Tiny Dancer" and "Madman" on the album as a whole. The remastered edition has excellent sound quality, and, considering the recording technology that existed in the early Seventies, sounds wonderful.
"Madman Across The Water" has its moments. But other albums like "Tumbleweed Connection", "Goodbye Yellowbrick Road" and "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" are more fulfilling testaments to Elton's talent. However, timeless classic songs like "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon" are ones that make this album worth listening to.
Track Listing:
Tiny Dancer
Levon
Razor Face
Madman Across the Water
Indian Sunset
Holiday Inn
Rotten Peaches
All the Nasties
Goodbye
I saw that there wasn't an album of the day today, so I thought I'd butt in and do one. Hope that's ok.
One of the fondest memories of my entire life took place in the early 70's. I was a young girl on a bus, traveling cross country with this great rock band that had yet to strike it big. We were all exhausted from touring and some of the band members were p*ssed off and not talking to each other. Then the driver turned up the radio and a song called "Tiny Dancer" came on. We all just loosened up instantly, started to sing along with the tune, and looked at each other with a fond appreciation and tons of gratitude. The love and respect between us was just too overwhelming, man. Wow, I'll never forget that day.
Oh, all right...by now you've figured out that I'm full of it. Obviously, none of the above actually occurred in my life. It was a scene from the movie Almost Famous. That was my favorite scene from the Cameron Crowe film. Today's album is Elton John's "Madman Across The Water" released in 1971.
"Tiny Dancer" is the album's opener, and what a way to start things off. I can confidently say that this is my all-time favorite Elton John tune. Everything about it is gorgeous and appealing...the piano-with-orchestra arrangement and Bernie Taupin's lyrics.
"Levon" is a wonderful ballad that always struck me as being obscure and excessively metaphoric. Rumor has it that the title was inspired by Levon Helm, drummer and founding member of The Band, but according to my rock history research, he didn't have a son named Jesus "'cause he likes the name."
After the adequate, "Razor Face", come the album's title, "Madman Across The Water". Another favorite of mine. A portrayal of insanity. Elton's vocals builds from a rather blasé croon to an angry shout that really shows off his abilities as a rock singer.
As the album progresses, so do the obscure references and sometimes pretentious production values. Just about every remaining track incorporates similar orchestral arrangements, which gets a bit tedious after awhile. Tomahawks and Geronimo are mentioned on "Indian Sunset", and has lyrics that read like a western movie. And "Holiday Inn" is a mandolin waltz with Irish folk overtones that goes absolutely nowhere. And you ain't seen nothing until you've been in a motel, baby...like the Holiday Inn. Well, there's no question as to where Elton and Bernie were staying at the time this song was written. Pointless subjects really do deserve pointless lyrics. Seriously, was the writer's block that overwhelming?
It isn't until the short closing cut "Goodbye", very short in length, some of the layers are stripped off and you see more honesty and expression from Elton and Bernie. The words are expressive. Yes, it's quite sad, but I would have been happier with more moments like this along with "Tiny Dancer" and "Madman" on the album as a whole. The remastered edition has excellent sound quality, and, considering the recording technology that existed in the early Seventies, sounds wonderful.
"Madman Across The Water" has its moments. But other albums like "Tumbleweed Connection", "Goodbye Yellowbrick Road" and "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" are more fulfilling testaments to Elton's talent. However, timeless classic songs like "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon" are ones that make this album worth listening to.
Track Listing:
Tiny Dancer
Levon
Razor Face
Madman Across the Water
Indian Sunset
Holiday Inn
Rotten Peaches
All the Nasties
Goodbye
