Elton John's fourth studio album was Madman Across the Water (1971), from which this song hails. It's hard to choose a favorite Elton John album, at least for me. The album following Madman, was Honky Chateau (1972), and that is perennially ranked as one of the top albums of John. With tracks like "Honky Cat," "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters," and "Rocket Man," providing hits around which to build, it's a solid cover to cover album. So is Tumbleweed Connection (1970), which if pressed, is usually my top choice (or the live album 11-17-71). But I think Madman can get overlooked. When it came out, it was John's lowest charting album in the UK, though it did reach #8 on the Billboard 200. As time passed though, it's become more popular and has since gone 2x platinum.
In my musical circles, I don't hear a lot of people talking about the album as a whole. I aim to rectify that. Maybe it's because Elton John has so many hits and popular songs, albums can get overlooked by those who are not of the die-hard fan contingent. I know Johnny V never overlooks an Elton album, and in that vein I was going through my collection today when I realized I had in fact neglected this piece of work for quite sometime. Once I played it through today, I made the conscientious decision never to do that again.
Sure, this album opens with quite arguably the most famous (i.e. Almost Famous) Elton John song (if there can even be only one) , but it never loses traction after that. Just look at this track list (click songs for Youtube links):
1. Tiny Dancer (6:15)
2. Levon (5:22)
3. Razor Face (4:44)
4. Madman Across the Water (5:56)
5. Indian Sunset (6:45)
6. Holiday Inn (4:17)
7. Rotten Peaches (4:56)
8. All the Nasties (5:08)
9. Goodbye (1:48)
Now I have to assume not everyone knows all these songs, but take it from me, there isn't a "rotten peach" in the batch. In fact "Rotten Peaches" is one hell of an ass kicking track itself. "Levon" is unquestionably one of the all time greats (Johnny Vla does a mean one-man cover), and it's title character gets his name from the people's hero and American in The Band, Levon Helm. If this song doesn't somehow make you nostalgic about Levon, or emotional in general, than you're on your way to becoming a full-fledged Vulcan. The piano and string arrangement are as powerful as it gets for Elton John. "Indian Summer," another epic John tune dealing with an American Indian warriors defeat at the hands of the white man, evokes similar feelings to "Sixty Years On" in me. The title track is a mean piece of rock n' roll, and if you've never heard it before, don't sell yourself short any longer. It's got a heavy grit under the high wails of Elton, that at times create a beautifully menacing sound. And the song wouldn't be half as good without the marvelous string arrangement provided by Paul Buckmaster (who did all the arranging on this album including the incredible "Tiny Dancer").
Though I almost chose "Holiday Inn" for it's incredible lyrics and all around uplifting feeling, the reason I chose Razor Face is simply because it's just a great everyday, anytime, upbeat song that I've loved for a long time. Truth be told though, I hadn't heard in quite some time before today. I used to play "Razor Face," and "Amoreena" back to back all the time. For some reason, I liked making them a package deal when I had to get a dose of Elton on a public playlist or mix. So when I heard them both this morning on the subway and walk to work, I instantly knew it would be an Elton John fueled day. Let me tell you, it's been working out so far. You oughta try it yourselves.
The personnel and production on this album is extensive. Every song has a different combination of musicians, and almost every track has a Paul Buckmaster arrangement. In short, it's a big album, with a big sound. Hope you enjoy it half as much as I am right now.
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