Madman Across The Water (Deluxe Edition)

Elton John

Released on 05-11-1971 by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)
Main artists: Elton John
Genre: Rock

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Language available : english

Elton John before his mid-'70s cloudburst of success is a fascinating aural adventure. After the tentative first step of Empty Sky, the muscular songwriting strength of Elton John, the countrified experimentalism of Tumbleweed Connection and the live energy bursting through 17-11-70, Madman Across The Water, now reissued with demos and live tracks for its 50th anniversary, is the first album in what would become an amazing four-year run of varied, resourceful, and artfully brilliant collaborations between John and Bernie Taupin. The pair's trajectory from this point shot skyward into considerable wealth and ever-expanding notoriety. But as John/Taupin efforts go, the highly produced and manicured Madman is also a tale of two records. On the surface there are the obvious, irrepressible hits "Levon" and "Tiny Dancer" that are polished to a high gloss, and like the rest of the album, feature Paul Buckmaster's string arrangements (sometimes to a detriment). But beyond those two tracks, this may be John's moodiest album thanks to darker songs like the title cut with its complex and masterful arrangement, ARP synthesizer, and some of Taupin's most obscure phrases, and the gloomy lament "Goodbye," which closes the album. And in most other hands, a song like "Indian Sunset," with its overserious and occasionally embarrassing lyrics, could come off as a hackneyed and naively racist tribute to Native Americans, but is partially rescued by John's impassioned singing. Madman is less essential than Honky Château or Goodbye Yellow Brick Road because of low points like the lesser melody of "Holiday Inn," the overproduced massed voices of "All The Nasties," or the impenetrable lyrics of "Rotten Peaches," which seem to tell the story of picking "devil fruit" in a "U.S. State Prison." Using the highly detailed yet full-bodied Bob Ludwig-produced remasters from the 2016 reissue (which did not contain any bonus material), this new edition includes demos of each of the original album's tracks and an eight-song BBC Sounds for Saturday live recording from April 1972, most of which sound close to fully formed or not significantly different from the studio versions. It's interesting, however, to hear the gusto that his road band brings to this material. Producer Gus Dudgeon preferred to work with studio musicians and this is the last John record not to feature band members Nigel Olsen (drums) and Dee Murray (bass), though guitarist Davey Johnstone (who still plays with John today) appears on several tracks including playing mandolin and sitar on "Holiday Inn." As a final treat, there is also the original version of the title track recorded with Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson that was set to appear on Tumbleweed Connection. Ambitious and oddly dark, Madman is the preface for all the glorious pop music to come. © Robert Baird/Qobuz

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Madman Across The Water (Deluxe Edition)

Elton John

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Tiny Dancer (Remastered 2016)