Elton John Album: “Single Man”

Sad to see how good music is so easily forgotten, "lost" ...

I know, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Honkey Chateau", "Don't Shoot Me ...", "Madman Across the Water" are among his well known albums from the 70's, and so are some of his releases from the 90's. I do like them very much. but I invite you to listen to "A Single Man", a slightly different Elton John: moody, atmospheric, melancholic at times. ... You will recognize Elton John's (occasionally syncopated) rhythm, the melody, the incantation, and, am sure, discover something new !

You will listen to "A Single Man' again and again and again !

After the crazy output of 1970-75, and the subsequent burnout, Elton was probably trying to get back to earth with this album. The emphasis is on the songs not inventive playing, and while it lacks the drive of his previous albums, it can be a good occasional listen. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. 'I Don't Care' and 'It Ain't Gonna Be Easy' come off as a bit forced, the former being a retread of some of his (more rocking) earlier songs, and the latter being an interminable slow tempo song with kind of silly vocals near the end. 'Part Time Love' sounds a bit more like he's hitting his stride with a moderately catchy keyboard and guitar hook (surprise surprise Davey Johnstone appears on that track). 'Big Dipper' probably has the most style of any song on this album, it achieves more by striving for less, with EJ's mocking vocal delivery and and arrangement that reminds me of 'Patricia the Stripper' by Chris DeBurgh. 'Shooting Star' is somewhat new jazzy territory for EJ, and of course 'Reverie' is simply a little intro to the track that follows,'Song For Guy', which starts out as a somewhat stiffly played piano riff and builds into a predictable late 70s instrumental with an admittedly haunting atmosphere (don't expect it to be rock and roll). 'Shine On Through' and 'Georgia' are simple ballads with nice melodies. 'Return To Paradise' is a nice Latin influenced ballad somewhat marred by a cheezy sounding Caribbean orchestra. No real standouts on this album. Should really get 2 3/4 stars.

A Single Man is a wonderful piece of work that reminds me of Caribou some years earlier. Both were under-rated at the time of release. But, you know, sometimes greatness is savoured over time. Another listen to A Single Man will likely bring you to that realization.

Even though "A Single Man" doesn't quite equal the musical and creative output which Elton John displayed on previous albums, particularly with longtime lyrical partner Bernie Taupin, who's abscence isn't missed all that much here. Even a number of die-hard Elton fans would be inclined to agree with me after listening to this marvelous array of compositions. "Shine On Through" kicks off the album in fine fashion and continues smoothly into "Return To Paradise". Some good disco vibes are well represented with the tracks "I Don't Care", "Part-Time Love" (a minor AM radio hit in 1978) and the pyrotechnically-sound "Madness". "Big Dipper" has sort of a jazzy-swing feel to it, while the rather lengthy "It Ain't Gonna Be Easy" is a reverse-tempo, heart-breaky love song. EJ must have an undying love-affair with "The Peachtree State" when he croons, as well as nimblifies his countrified piano stylings in the gospel-like "Georgia". "Shooting Star" somewhat deadens the tone of the CD with its slow, quiet pace, while the final two musical pieces "Reverie" and "Song For Guy" close out "A Single Man" on a strong and positive note. Even though this version is somewhat outdated, the sound quality is very good, even if this disc is played on a smaller stereo CD system. For the Elton John fan who craves for a little more music, there's a recently remastered edition of "A Single Man", complete with bonus tracks, which is definitely worth spending more money for. But, if you'd rather not spend a lot of money, this original CD version of "ASM" will do at half the price. The remastered version has made this version obsolete, though. So, you better buy the original version today, before it's gone in a heartbeat!

As I wearily traveled the mountain passes between Montana and Oregon, back in my college days, Elton's beautiful Single Man cassette kept me calm, peaceful and connected to a soulful plane as I went from happy and alert to tense and jittery, the caffeine, "etc." pourng into my exhausted body as the miles ticked by. Just thinking of this album makes me feel calm and reminds me that Elton never let me down on those long lonely road trips. I highly reccommend this album to anyone who has to drive alone through the night and needs some great music to ride shotgun.