WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT Revisited

[dougs]

Revisiting WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT:

OK, we are about 2 1/2 years since Elton's last release - WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT.  As we all know, songs/albums over time can do one of at least three things:

* grow on us in a positive way
* become less interesting to us
* maintain the interest level

I remember voting (out of 10) for all the songs on a Hercules poll when WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT was released in 2016.  I believe that I gave almost all songs a 7.0 or 7.5 rating with maybe an 8.0 rating for one song.  I have played the album a bit more often in recent months and my feelings for songs have changed.  How has your impression of songs on WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT been affected by the last 2 1/2 years?

1. A couple of songs have grown on me in a big way:  "In the Name of You" and "Claw Hammer" and "The Open Chord" remains my favourite song.
2. A couple of songs I usually skip now: "Blue Wonderful" and "Wonderful Crazy Night"
3. One other song I am beginning to like more and more (still not quite a favourite, though): "Free and Easy" from the bonus edition.

The majority of songs I feel the same way about but 3 songs I like even more and 2 songs I really have lost interest in.  "In the Name of You" sounds amazing to me now.

PS I still hate the cover!

Doug

[BiteUrLip]

The first listen didn't amaze me, but after a few more I really started to appreciate it. After the first listen, "I've Got 2 Wings" was my favorite song, now it's "The Open Chord". Least favorite was "Guilty Pleasure", and it still is.

[rocketman]

I just listened to the album this week.

My feeling about it have remained essentially unchanged:

1. The production is excellent. To my ears, this is by far the best T-Bone production on an Elton John album.

2. The band plays with real passion. Nigel sounds reborn, much more vital than on Peachtree, where his kit seems to just trudge along, probably due to Elton's production. Matt Bisonette's bass lines are as sharp as any on an Elton album since Dee Murray.

3. The songs are good, with strong melodies for the most part.

4. Lyrically, it's somewhat weak, for the most part. Maybe 'lite' is the better way to say it - after The Diving Board, which had Bernie's best lyrics in years, this batch of songs seems too 'soft' and, with some exceptions, lacking substance.

5. My favorite songs are still the same. Slight growth for Tambourine. Free And Easy is a welcome bonus, with some of Bernie's better lyrics. A Good Heart approaches Elton's most heartwarming ballads in quality and lyrically.

[dougs]

rocketman:

I agree with your assessment of the quality of the production on WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT;  good job done by T-Bone.  Lyrically, I also feel that it wasn't Bernie's best (far from his worst) either but he was directed by Elton regarding the overall theme and mood of the album towards being upbeat and positive and Bernie has always said that he prefers writing about the underbelly of life.  On Elton's previous two albums (THE DIVING BOARD and THE UNION) it was frequently very challenging to interpret what Elton was singing;  whatever was done to improve on this on WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT was appreciated.  There was a day when listening to EJ's vocals was a treat and things improved on WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT.

Doug

[Commodore Orpington]

This remains his one bad album for me. I imagined 2 Wings with a Diving Board treatment, and realized just how wrong headed the whole project was. I could take two versions: One, perform/produce it like a real T Bone album, spare, understated, then it's sort of like an album of passable B sides. Alternative: Wipe the vocals and treat it as an instrumental album. The sound is interesting. The tunes aren't.

[newloneranger]

Jun 23, 2018 5:57:35 GMT Commodore Orpington said:

This remains his one bad album for me. I imagined 2 Wings with a Diving Board treatment, and realized just how wrong headed the whole project was. I could take two versions: One, perform/produce it like a real T Bone album, spare, understated, then it's sort of like an album of passable B sides. Alternative: Wipe the vocals and treat it as an instrumental album. The sound is interesting. The tunes aren't.

Have you heard the instrumental version of this album? Maybe you would like it better.

I still like this whole album. If there are any changes they are positive changes. I think I even like Guilty Pleasure better now.