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Post by BiteUrLip on Nov 16, 2018 6:17:46 GMT
The final album topic & poll comes here, for Wonderful Crazy Night. Fans were generally satisfied with it, but some were not happy about The Elton John Band coming to the sessions, and especially the quality of lyrics by Bernie because Elton advised him to write "happy" lyrics. I was happy with The EJ Band being in the sessions, but somewhat agree that Bernie wasn't able to create the most inspired lyrics this time. Now going to track by track review: The album starter, the title track, sounded horrible at start - I just hated the intro, and it took some time to grow on me. I pretty much like the track today, and that it's something new from Elton, who wasn't that inspired to create new music - many songs sounded recycled from older tunes. "In The Name Of You", the 2nd track, was something I had big expectations because of the title. I guessed it could be a powerful love ballad. I was disappointed what it finally became to be - nothing like what I was expecting. The next track is a bit better, it has a great intro and great verses, but the chorus sounds a bit dated. "Blue Wonderful" sounds too much similar to "I Must Have Lost It On The Wind" from TC&TK, although it's a lovely tune. Then comes "I've Got 2 Wings", which was my favorite song after the first listen. The lyrics are interesting on that one, and I really love the music. After that comes "A Good Heart", which is now my favorite song from the album (and heard it's been Elton's favorite as well). It has a strong melody, nice lyrics and a cool horn arrangement. "Looking Up", the album's lead single, tried to achieve something what "I'm Still Standing" did, but it pales in comparison. The piano riff is just average - thankfully the song has nicely energy though. Next comes my least favorite song from the album, "Guilty Pleasure". It just doesn't work for me, rather it irritates. I like the piano outro, which is a nice breath of fresh air on the otherwise disappointing track. "Tambourine" was interestingly reviewed as something that could have been on GYBR. Well, I disagree with that, maybe music would fit but not lyrics. It was also selected as the weakest track from the album in Wonderful Crazy Year surveys. For me it's somewhere in the middle - not one of the worst, not one of the best. "The Open Chord", the closing track, is probably my 2nd favorite track from the album. It is a really sweet tune, and something that grabs attention. Then, the bonus tracks, two of them were from the deluxe edition, and other two from the super deluxe edition. "Free And Easy" is the worst of them, the music just doesn't impress. "England And America" is better, about the best rocker of the sessions. "Children's Song" is sweet, although there were rumors that it's a bad song. "No Monsters" sounds a bit like "Candlelit Bedroom", but it isn't as strong as that. 1. Wonderful Crazy Night ***** 2. In The Name Of You **** 3. Claw Hammer **** 4. Blue Wonderful ****½ 5. I've Got 2 Wings ***** 6. A Good Heart *****+ 7. Looking Up ****½ 8. Guilty Pleasure *** 9. Tambourine ****½ 10. The Open Chord *****+ Bonus tracks: 11. Free And Easy ***½ 12. England And America ***** 13. Children's Song ***** 14. No Monsters ****½ Further listens helped me to like this more, and therefore I can give this album full points!
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Post by dougs on Nov 16, 2018 7:34:12 GMT
WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT:
Elton's most recent (2016) studio album and first to feature the Elton John Band in the recording process since 2006's THE CAPTAIN AND THE KID. It is the first studio album to feature Kim Bullard (keyboards) and Matt Bissonette (bass) and sees the return of Ray Cooper on tambourine for a few songs - his first album appearance since 1995's MADE IN ENGLAND. T-Bone Burnett returns to co-produce the album as he has in recent years.
In terms of chart position, WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT saw first week peak charting in the UK at #6 and in the US at #8. Scotland saw the album get its highest charting at #5. Austria (#8) and Germany (#10) both saw decent charting positions as well. A mostly upbeat more pop oriented sound than his recent albums, WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT didn't stay long in the charts and slipped away without any album sales certifications. Still, good week one charting nonetheless. Critically, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at #39 on their 50 Best Albums of 2016. Returning back to using the Elton John Band on record, the sound was more pop than THE UNION (2011) or THE DIVING BOARD (2013) which were more organic and driven by solid collections of lyrics. Elton wanted WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT to be more upbeat, not just musically, but also lyrically and thematically - hence the joyous title and musical tone. Bernie tends to prefer writing about the dark underbelly of the world so these are probably not his favourite batch of lyrics.
WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT is a mostly solid collection of pop songs. "In The Name of You" has stood the short test of time. A strong band song that has a bit more edge than some of the other songs on the album. "Claw Hammer" changes mood and tempo and steps a bit outside the box musically for Elton; a very good and at times slightly trippy song featuring good keyboard work from Kim Bullard. The album released a number of singles (to radio) with only "Lookin' Up" and "A Good Heart" gaining any real airplay. "Lookin' Up" managed to reach #12 on the US AC chart. A decent upbeat piano driven single with the familiar guitar solo from Davey Johnstone made this a good live song. The title track followed in much the same vein. The third single "Blue Wonderful" is more of a sweet ballad that EJ played on tour for awhile. The last single was "A Good Heart" which is a typical and nice piano ballad that saw some airplay and concert play from Elton. The song reached #17 on the US AC chart. A nice change of pace was the fast paced "Guilty Pleasure." Unfortunately the guitars are mixed rather low and the edge is somewhat lost - still, a nice hand-clap assisted up-tempo song. One particularly good song was "England and America" but it was relegated to the bonus CD as an extra track. Elton said that he thought the song was too similar to "Made in England" so he chose to leave it off the album proper. The song features a strong guitar riff from Davey and rocks harder than anything else on WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT. "Free and Easy" is also a bonus CD only track which has some beautiful whimsy and feels good. "The Open Chord" ends the album and may be the best song on the album. Beautiful in every way. One of those later-career Elton songs that has simply slipped away and gotten lost. Shame, it is a good one.
WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT doesn't bring to the table much that is new but it does provide a mostly cohesive and accessible collection of mid-tempo and upbeat pop songs reflecting Elton's positive mood in life. He is clearly in a good place; spending more time at home with his two boys and winding down a long and wonderful career. The record does show some adventure in songs like "Claw Hammer" but it mostly offers quality tunes that are safe and friendly without any songs acting as filler. It is worth a listen.
Overall, I'd rate this around 7 or 7.5 out of 10 or 3.5 to 4 out of 5. It is not a classic but a good collection of songs performed well by Elton, Nigel, Davey, Ray, John, Kim, and Matt. I get the feeling that these are not the lyrics with which Bernie wants to ride out into the sunset one last time...
Doug
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Post by BiteUrLip on Nov 16, 2018 10:50:17 GMT
I never knew it became a single. Looks like one can learn something new every day.
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Post by dougs on Nov 16, 2018 16:25:26 GMT
BiteUrLip:
Yeah, "A Good Heart" from WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT was officially released to radio and TV with video as a non-physical single. The record company didn't release it as a separate download or CD single, however.
Doug
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Post by rocketman on Nov 19, 2018 15:01:13 GMT
1. Wonderful Crazy Night 4.25 2. In The Name Of You 4.5 3. Claw Hammer 4.25 4. Blue Wonderful 4 5. I've Got 2 Wings 4.25 6. A Good Heart 5 7. Looking Up 4.25 8. Guilty Pleasure 3.75 9. Tambourine 4 10. The Open Chord 4.5
Bonus tracks:
11. Free And Easy 4.5 12. England And America 4 13. Children's Song N/A 14. No Monsters N/A
Overall Rating 4.25 (I checked off 4.5 in the Poll)
Elton John's most recent release, which will be three years old in February 2019, is a competent group of mostly upbeat pop songs, perhaps most resembling Caribou or Reg Strikes Back in terms of overall feel and tone.
The album, produced by T. Bone Burnett, features the Elton John Band and, to my ears, some of the best playing and production on any Elton John recording since the 1970's. Nigel plays like he's 25 again, his kit sounding crisp and clear, and Matt Bissonette's bass sounds reminiscent of Dee Murray's bass playing during those peak years of the 70's. Interestingly, Bissonette said in an interview that he studied the style of Bob Birch as Matt learned Elton's songs, but his playing sounds more like Dee's, with the bass lines noticeably popping out on several songs. Then again, I'm no musician, so my opinion isn't exactly expert. Overall, this is the best-sounding album since Blue Moves in terms of production, which surprised me given the deep, almost muddy sound of T. Bone's previous work with Elton, especially The Union.
Before tumbling off the charts as most of Elton's post-2000 albums have done, WCN did peak nicely at #8 US. The album starts off much like Ice On Fire does, with a similar-sounding title track which of course is much more ebullient than This Town. The upbeat nature continues with In The Name Of You, then the tone darkens slightly with Claw Hammer before becoming light again with everything up until Guilty Pleasure. But once again, the album resumes its lighter, breezier tone, right up until it concludes with England And America (on my disc, anyway, which is why I did't rate the other two bonus tracks).
Speaking of bonus material, Free And Easy is a sleeper on this album, a nicely engaging tune about a more settled and carefree life which Elton is at least somewhat trying to live these days.
The album also features Elton's best ballad since The One, namely, A Good Heart, with beautiful instrumentation added via French Horn and strings conducted by Gabe Witcher.
There are attempts to rock too, with more uptempo songs than on any Elton album since Made In England. The attempts are mostly successful, though none of them matches Elton's best rock songs from the 70's, which is of course a tall order. But songs like Looking Up and Wonderful Crazy Night are competent if not compelling.
Bernie once again writes about a historical figure too, with I've Got Two Wings having as its subject the late preacher Elder Utah Smith, who actually wore wings and called himself "the two-winged preacher". The song has less bite than The Ballad Of Blind Tom from The Diving Board, with, again, a lighter feel than Blind Tom, but Bernie is often at his best or nearly so when he writes about actual people or at least alludes to them strongly.
Overall, this is a pretty solid overall package of songs, and if Elton never issues another studio album, this would be a nice way to cap off a stellar career. I should add though that something tells me that Elton isn't quite finished in the studio yet...
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Post by dougs on Nov 19, 2018 19:50:52 GMT
rocketman:
Great review for WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT.
Additional thoughts on the album; Elton's vocals seemed to have a much greater clarity on WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT than on his previous two albums and were again enjoyable to listen to. Agreed, that the bonus tracks ("Free and Easy" plus "England and America") were every bit as good as anything on the album. Interesting how EJ has left very strong tracks off of albums in recent years. "Mandalay Again" was one of the better songs from THE UNION sessions but was also excluded except as a bonus track.
Additional observation; just noticed that WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT has received a wide range of ratings. It has everything from 1 star to 5 stars!
Doug
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Post by Commodore Orpington on Nov 22, 2018 1:25:38 GMT
I didn't comment on this? Besides just not liking the album, I'll mention that the last time I listened, I found myself imagining a Union/Diving Board sort of treatment of I've Got 2 Wings, and at least in my head, it made a world of difference. I don't know that it actually became good, but it became listenable, respectable, okay. As it is though, the playing and production is hopelessly wrong... in the way that, say, Donny and Marie would get Purple Haze all wrong, just grabbing for a possibly bad example. I mean, it's lame. Not earthly or real. Sort of pop and clueless.
I hope I can see what all of you see in the album someday. Now though, it's the one EJ album that seems... unimportant. Just a record.
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Post by rocketman on Nov 26, 2018 14:40:23 GMT
rocketman: Great review for WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT. Additional thoughts on the album; Elton's vocals seemed to have a much greater clarity on WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT than on his previous two albums and were again enjoyable to listen to. Agreed, that the bonus tracks ("Free and Easy" plus "England and America") were every bit as good as anything on the album. Interesting how EJ has left very strong tracks off of albums in recent years. "Mandalay Again" was one of the better songs from THE UNION sessions but was also excluded except as a bonus track. Additional observation; just noticed that WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT has received a wide range of ratings. It has everything from 1 star to 5 stars! Doug Thanks DougS, your review was very comprehensive and I always appreciate the details you add, including chart positions, etc. I do like Elton's vocals on this album, and I do hear more clarity. On The Diving Board, I've constantly had to consult the liner notes to learn the songs. On this album, I've seldom looked at them. As far as the wide disparity in ratings, I've noticed something similar elsewhere, namely, on Facebook, where several fans in a group I'm in don't seem to like the album much at all, while others do. I think the album is somewhat unique in that way, though nearly every album does have its supporters and detractors, of course. But for this album, I noticed, as you did, a pretty wide gap in that vein, and I'm not sure exactly why that's the case.
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Post by rocketman on Nov 26, 2018 15:08:40 GMT
I didn't comment on this? Besides just not liking the album, I'll mention that the last time I listened, I found myself imagining a Union/Diving Board sort of treatment of I've Got 2 Wings, and at least in my head, it made a world of difference. I don't know that it actually became good, but it became listenable, respectable, okay. As it is though, the playing and production is hopelessly wrong... in the way that, say, Donny and Marie would get Purple Haze all wrong, just grabbing for a possibly bad example. I mean, it's lame. Not earthly or real. Sort of pop and clueless. I hope I can see what all of you see in the album someday. Now though, it's the one EJ album that seems... unimportant. Just a record. Interesting take, as always, Commodore. I think it's fascinating how two or more people can listen to the exact same album and yet have a widely different opinion on it, even on the way it sounds. In any case, it took me three decades to finally figure out why so many people like Too Low For Zero. Up until recently, the album did little for me outside of 'Christmas', Crystal and Saint, and maybe One More Arrow. Even now, I still have some hesitation about the album as a whole. As far as your assessment that the album seems unimportant, I do tend to agree that it certainly establishes no real new ground nor breaks any. I look back on other albums and feel the same way - usually, the lighter the fare, the less important I feel that it is. My take is that, when seen and heard over the course of Elton's entire catalog, the albums seem to have a welcome place, somehow.
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Post by dougs on Nov 26, 2018 18:13:57 GMT
re: wide range of views on a particular Elton album:
It IS interesting to have such a wide range of varying views on the same album from Elton. We must remember that Elton has been around a long time and has had different "eras" associated with his music. Different albums attracted fans with different musical interests.
There was that early classic era (ELTON JOHN and TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION and MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER) where Elton and his music were considered cool and FM-oriented. Less pop and more serious. Strong album tracks.
Then came the major commercial popularity breakthrough from HONKY CHATEAU through to ROCK OF THE WESTIES including his classic and highest selling albums. Here Elton was able to grow an FM audience and grow a massive AM pop audience. In the 70s it was seen to "sell out" when serious FM oriented artists started releasing AM pop songs and Elton certainly did this. Songs like "Crocodile Rock" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" were Elton at his most pop and he did lose a lot of his early fans. I know plenty of them. This was more than outweighed by a vast new audience which preferred pop music. A fan who loved TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION would not necessarily likely love CARIBOU and vice versa. Some did but certainly not all came from the same place in terms of musical preference. "Teacher I Need You" and "Ballad of a Well Known Gun" were two totally different beasts. The fan of the latter might not be a fan of the former.
With 80s Elton albums a younger audience in places like Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and some European countries loved albums like TOO LOW FOR ZERO which had much bigger sales than did Elton's early classic era albums in those markets. TOO LOW FOR ZERO, for example, was the #7 selling album for the DECADE (!) in Australia but only went to #25 in the USA in 1983/84. Such a wide range of popularity amongst two English-speaking countries at the same time. Some countries adored the record while others were far less enthusiastic. Interesting, isn't it?
Elton's 21st Century albums such as THE UNION and THE DIVING BOARD have returned to a more organic approach resulting is songs generally far removed from Elton's pop era stylings. Some fans love this return while others don't.
A few select Elton albums have managed to sweep along fans from many countries and many musical interests at the same time. GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD is one of those albums. It's brilliance managed to attract serious FM fans and mass market AM pop fans at the same time.
The same thing happens with many of The Beatles records. Many fans love the early pop album while others only like the later more experimental albums like THE WHITE ALBUM. Of course, a ton of people love it all.
WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT, being more pop oriented, might not sweep along fans who prefer the more serious albums such as THE DIVING BOARD and TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION and THE UNION but might interest Elton's 70s and 80s pop audience. There are always exceptions because albums can strike a note with people for all kinds of personal reasons.
Doug
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Post by Commodore Orpington on Nov 29, 2018 4:32:18 GMT
I find a lot of musical depth in a lot of Elton material that isn't supposed to be about anything deep. I have no particular bias for or against the pop stuff vs. the weightier stuff.
I just get nothing from WCN, and that's the only time that's ever happened with an Elton album, for me. It has nothing to do with its not being "serious". I just don't think it's any good.
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Post by rocketman on Dec 1, 2018 19:31:43 GMT
I find a lot of musical depth in a lot of Elton material that isn't supposed to be about anything deep. I have no particular bias for or against the pop stuff vs. the weightier stuff. I just get nothing from WCN, and that's the only time that's ever happened with an Elton album, for me. It has nothing to do with its not being "serious". I just don't think it's any good. Peering into the future: The Year is 2048 - 32 Years after its release, Wonderful Crazy Night finally clicks with a long time Elton John fan by the username Commodore Orpington, much the same way as the albums Too Low For Zero and Jump Up! finally clicked with a fan named rocketman three decades after their release. - Elton John, age 101, announces the Farewell Nursing Home Road Tour, claiming "I'm not Cher", in reference to his female counterpart's long-standing "Retirement Tour" of nursing home facilities.
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Post by dougs on Dec 2, 2018 1:57:13 GMT
rocketman:
I just knew that the world would get crazier and more unpredictable! Scary place, indeed!
Doug
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Post by rocketman on Dec 3, 2018 1:35:29 GMT
DougS, excellent summary of how the albums/eras are perceived differently over the course of different eras and various areas. Personally, the early period (Empty Sky to Madman) is still my favorite because of the quality of the story-telling, which I feel was more distinct as better word-pictures were drawn by Bernie and matched by Elton's strong sense of melody.
While the Honky Chateau to Westies period was prolific and more hit-laden, with of course his pinnacle achievement in Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, I feel that the story-telling, while still really good, didn't rise to the level of the earlier albums, replaced instead by a more hit-driven mentality, though I would not accuse Elton and Bernie of selling out, because I believe they had to change - I don't know if Elton would be much more than a historical footnote had it not been for his desire and ability to reach a wider audience.
Also, albums like Captain Fantastic and Blue Moves, the latter which seems to land outside the more pop and hit driven period but could be considered part of it nevertheless since Elton still employed a band and wrote with Bernie, are refreshingly non-commercial and almost align more with the earlier period in terms of overall feel. Captain Fantastic in particular weaved in a lot of word pictures in terms of location and events of Elton and Bernie's early days as struggling partners. Between the two albums, Captain Fantastic and Blue Moves, only 2 major singles were released in the US, and only 3 total, a very low total given Elton's hit-making status at the time.
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Post by dougs on Dec 3, 2018 3:01:39 GMT
rocketman:
Yeah, I, too, do not like that label of "selling out" which was often applied to artists who started writing more commercially accessible hit pop music. I like that fact that Elton's music changed from album to album and in the process he did write accessible pop music - some great pop music, in fact. He also wrote music covering countless styles - sometimes on one album. Look at GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD and BLUE MOVES; both brilliant for their wide range of musical styles. It was exciting anticipating a new Elton album in the 70s. Never knowing what was coming next. Who could imagine HONKY CHATEAU after MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER & TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION? Who could have imagined ROCK OF THE WESTIES after CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY or the maturity and diversity of BLUE MOVES after the raw & rocking ROCK OF THE WESTIES?
Interesting how you singled out CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY and BLUE MOVES. I would have to say that they are my all-time favourite Elton John albums. I think both have stood the test of time. In fact, BLUE MOVES seems to be more appreciated now than it was upon release.
Doug
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