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12. A Single Man (1978) Album Review
19 Plays1 month ago
Some would say that reviewing every Elton John studio album is madness; whilst it ain't gonna be easy, Dominic & Anthony would say "I don't care" and that searching for the best Elton album is a part-time love; can A Single Man shine on through and top the Elton v Elton charts, or will it be a big dipper?
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Welcome to Elton v Elton: The Album Battle! This is the podcast where two pals (Anthony & Dominic) & Elton fans rage over which of Elton's albums we think is the best. We'll be keeping score as we go, as we delve into each of Elton's solo studio albums, discussing the tracks individually, the musicians involved, the album art, random trivia, cover versions & anything else in between!
We'd love to hear from you with your ratings, opinions and any other insights into Elton's work you have. Drop us an email via eltonveltonpod@gmail.com
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Thanks go to everyone involved in bringing Elton's work to the bigger stage, James Cook (http://www.jamescookcomedian.com/) & Paul Savage (https://www.instagram.com/savagecomics_/) who inspired the format of this show and Zapsplat.com for the SFX. Research for the show was done using songfacts.com, , eltonchords.com, https://www.eltonography.com/ and Elton’s autobiography 'Me'.
You can find Dominic on https://www.facebook.com/dominicberry/ and on his poetry website https://dominicberry.net/
You can find Anthony on two other podcasts: Enough of the Falafel (featuring the Vegan Week & Vegan Talk shows) and The Brambling Along Podcast
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Until next time it’s goodbye from Captain Dom-tastic & the Brown Dirt Ant-boy!
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Transcript
Introduction to Hosts and Theme
00:00:00
Speaker
It is 27th of October 1978. It is one year before the birth of Dominic Berry.
00:00:10
Speaker
There have been three pumps this year already. Perhaps more staggeringly, after 11 previous studio albums, Elton John's got a new lyricist as he releases a Single Man. I am the aforementioned Dominic Berry.
00:00:28
Speaker
And I am the until now not mentioned Anthony, and you are listening to Elton versus Elton, the album battle.
Podcast Format and Listener Encouragement
00:00:53
Speaker
Welcome everyone. This is episode 12 of Elton versus Elton album battle where two pals, me and Dominic, who love the music of Elton John rage over which of his albums we love the best. And we don't know each other so well that that when Dominic changes the intro slightly, I don't have a little moment where I go, oh my goodness, I've said something about the Pope dying. Dominic really doesn't like that. I've really upset him. we get We get to learn lots about each other as well in the process. We're obviously indebted to everyone involved in bringing Elton's music to the masses.
00:01:31
Speaker
And we also like to say a thank you to James Cook and Paul Savage for the inspiration for this show's format. If you want to hear a bit more about me and Dominic, why we're doing this show, we do have a trailer and we've got 11 previous episodes you can go back and listen to if you haven't listened to them already.
00:01:49
Speaker
already They're all there. Yeah.
Trivia on 'Blue Moves' Album
00:01:52
Speaker
Before we go any further, let's give you the answer to the trivia teaser in our last episode. We asked when Blue Moves was released on a single CD for the first time in 1988, which track was omitted to fit the disc's time limit? So it was only released on CD in full in 1997 when it was a double cd set and i think there are four different songs that were removed on four various edited versions is that correct anthony yeah it is and i think um spoiler for the previous episode you know skip forward 30 seconds if you've not listened to our review of blue i think there's only one of these tracks that Dominic and I would both agree should have been cut, ah the way Wide-Eyed and Laughing, was cut in one version of the CD.
00:02:45
Speaker
But Where's the Shirah, I was a big fan of, and that was cut in one CD version. Shoulder Holster, I think, Dominic, you you thought that was... was a fair fan. If I was cutting one, it wouldn't be Shoulder Holster. It would be Wide-Eyed and Laughing. Cage the Songbird was cut on some versions, and I gave that a nine on ten. think that is...
00:03:06
Speaker
brilliant a crime of all the ones to cut of all the ones keep wide-eyed and laughing and cut that ridiculous get rid of out of the blue there would have been plenty of room on there um anyway as as we say that was the last episode where myself and dominic we didn't tear strips off blue moves we had plenty of positive things to say but yeah it wasn't our favorite either um it was released about a year before this one 22nd of october 1976 i noticed dominic a lot of elton albums are released in october in the 1970s i wonder
1978 Context and Elton John’s Career Hiatus
00:03:40
Speaker
why that is it reached number three in both the uk and the us s and sorry seems to be the hardest word definitely the most well known and celebrated
00:03:58
Speaker
What is happening in the world in 1978 then, Dominic? We have moved on two years since the last el album. What's going on? he's shocking when like he was doing at least an album a year up until this point. But yeah, goodness me. jullly Shocking as in a shock, not shocking as in how dare he take a break.
00:04:18
Speaker
Yeah, indeed. Oh, goodness me. Yeah, a shock, a shock. gay hair poor album Yeah, Elton, yeah. July 25th, Louise Brown, the world's first human born through IVF, was born in England. September 6th, the first successful production of synthetic human insulin was announced. ah Pope John fa Paul I died after only 34 days in office on September twenty eight ah This album was released when the UK number one was Summer Nights by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John and Hot Child in the City by by Nick Gilder was the US number one
00:05:03
Speaker
Couple of corkers there at number one at the same time. Fantastic, fantastic. So in Elton's life, obviously we we've said there's been two years in between albums. So what's he been doing in the last couple of years? Well, in November 1977, he announced his retirement from live performances.
00:05:26
Speaker
He'd been through quite a difficult couple of years. I mean, he'd he'd come out as bisexual a couple of years before, which, you know, at the time was a monumental thing. And unfortunately, and predictably received a lot of backlash for that. Elton is said to have retreated to his mansions during this time in his life, reducing his public appearances to mainly supporting Watford Football Club, where he was chairman and director at the time. As we hinted at in the last episode, he also put on pause
00:06:03
Speaker
his relationship with lyricist Bernie Taupin, I mean professional relationship. Their strains in their partnership were were cited, so they started working separately. You can still find copies of of Bernie's work that he did when he wasn't working with Elton. And indeed, this album, we have got a new lyricist on the scene of which we will
Transition to New Lyricist and 'A Single Man' Production
00:06:28
Speaker
speak more. How about now, Dominic? Let's speak about it now.
00:06:31
Speaker
Gary Osborne, new kid on the block. Yeah, wrote the lyrics for Amoreurs by Kiki D, Kiki's debut hit. a Forever Autumn, wonderful song from the War of the Worlds soundtrack. So, you know, really, really established ah person. Of course, ah Elton John produced the Kiki D Loving and Free album on which Amoreurs features. So, yeah, quite a bold thing to go to an entire album. with a new lyricist. And it's worth noting he does something that Bernie doesn't do in that he sings backing vocals on some other tracks.
00:07:11
Speaker
Yeah, that's true. That's true. There's loads of backing vocalists as there so often is. ah Chris Thompson, producer Chris Thompson is a a backing vocalist as our Watford Football Club. We hear them. Yeah. um Drumming is largely done by Steve Holly, who'd worked with Lennon and McCartney. But don't worry, Ray Cooper fans, we've got marimba, vibraphone, congas, wind chimes.
00:07:39
Speaker
The Ray Cooper sound is definitely here. Les Davy Johnson, he only appears on one single song, Tim Remwick. is the new guitarist who's on most of the tracks. We do have Paul Buckmaster doing orchestral malarkey, and we do have a little bit of saxophone, trombone, and trumpet here and there. I mean, delightfully as well.
00:08:05
Speaker
there's no harpsichord and there's no vibraphone or glockenspiel or xylophone so i mean it's it's a promising start for this i mentioned chris thompson on backing vocals of the producer not the producer of this album i should emphasize uh clive franks and elton produced together um uh they they were doing that. they They did go on to fall out after some time and Chris Thompson produces many later Elton records. We do have Gus Dudgeon doing the digital remastering. So previous producer is is still involved. It's like they put him on gardening leave. They've got a nominal job, but yeah, he's he's fading out. um This album was recorded at the Mill studio in Berkshire, not too far from where Elton was living at the time.
00:08:58
Speaker
A really interesting note for this album. Well, I think so anyway.
Release and Chart Performance of 'A Single Man'
00:09:02
Speaker
Unlike previous albums and previous work that Elton has put together, where the lyrics are supplied by Bernie, writing in one room and he passes them over to Elton, who then puts them to music.
00:09:17
Speaker
This album, Elton is starting the composition of the album by writing melodies at a piano. That's the starting point. I'm not clear at what point Gary Osborne and the lyrics are coming in. Presumably Elton's giving him some demo tapes of, you know, how how the melodies are sounding and things like that. Which is probably how he worked previously, because Amoreuse, a bit like Dusty Springfield's You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, was originally a French song by a Veronique Sanson. with completely different words which aren't a literal translation they're about something in completely different veronique sanson is a french singer songwriter and as happened like with dusty springfields you don't have to say you love me they just took the tune and put completely brand new lyrics you don't have to say you love me was dusty springfield's manager just in the back of a taxi writing very quickly on the back of a napkin and uh so yeah to come in with a very successful tune and you know get your words in to fit around that is a completely opposite style to what Bernie and Elton had
00:10:28
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's interesting because when we started these episodes and we're talking about the the separate distanced way that that the songs were composed, it sort of felt a bit strange. But now now you're reading about this way of doing things, you kind of think, oh, goodness, that that original way of doing it was you know so much so much better, so much more potential to it.
00:10:52
Speaker
Perhaps, I don't know, perhaps some listeners would disagree. So the last album, Blue Moves, we noted the fact that it didn't reach number one in the US. Elton had had seven consecutive number one albums before Blue Moves and it came at number three in both the UK and the US.
00:11:09
Speaker
This album did even less well. It reached number eight in the UK, number 15 in the US. Obviously still great. I mean, goodness, what what would each of us do to have ah an album that reaches number 15 in the US album charts? But... um compared to Elton's previous work not doing so well. It did reach number four in Norway, number five in New Zealand and yeah in the teens in several other countries.
00:11:37
Speaker
We tend to before we get into the reviewing of the artwork and then the individual tracks and and other elements just talk about our personal sentiments for the album.
00:11:48
Speaker
Dominic you've known this album a while? Yeah, it was one of the ones on vinyl we had. So of course, Song for Guy and Part-Time Love were on the very best of Elton John's CD that I owned. But this was regularly played in the household. So I do know this very well indeed. How about you, Anthony?
00:12:11
Speaker
Yeah, I had this one on CD. I bought one of the, you know, 1995 remastered versions. So it had, is it four bonus tracks? No, five bonus tracks on it. With some Bernie Taupin, the final Bernie Taupin song, Ego, before their, I mean, not final one forever because they get back together. But yeah, Ego was a standalone single that predated this. And yeah, the music video is glorious. And it's a bonus track on here and a very different sound, isn't it? Very different. And I love Ego. I think it's storming.
00:12:48
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. but But no, I think I got this when I was 16 or 17 years old, I would say. And um yeah, that there's a lot lot of positive things to to be said about It's certainly not my least favourite Alton album. There's a few tracks that, well, you'll you'll hear. You'll hear what I have to say about it. Let's get straight into it, shall we, Dominic?
Review of 'Shine On Through'
00:13:13
Speaker
Artwork.
00:13:15
Speaker
Let's say what we see. We've got Elton stood at the end of a very long driveway looking like a, what would you say, a Victorian gentleman in his top hat and tails, not looking particularly happy. He's not. And I think that given the blue moves was so sombre, I think that...
00:13:36
Speaker
I mean, you can only do as an artist, you know, unless you're, you know, you're just a complete fake actor, just like, you know, going through the motions, just chucking out. If you're an authentic artist who is expressing genuine emotions, you can only do what you do. But, oh, after the earnestness of Blue Moves, I would have liked something that was a little bit more, well, a bit more ego, a bit more like the single, you know. so I'm not a fan of this photo myself. I think that... um Yeah, that that's not the kind of Elton that, you know, I like the Captain Fantastic Goodbye Yellow Brick Road image that is fantastical and leading you into a wonderland of characters and imagination. And this is like, you know, have you ever thought about children climbing chimneys to sweep them? That's what this says to me.
00:14:26
Speaker
ah Yeah. it's So I'm interested as to what would lead somebody to to have this as it as a piece of album art. Because at this point, Elton's known for his extravagant lifestyle.
00:14:41
Speaker
he you know He has retreated to his mansions in the last couple of years. So when we see this picture of him looking forlorn and you know a single man in front of his mansion being lonely and rich we're not going to feel sorry for him are we so i'm just wondering like is this actually how he's feeling at the time you know he he has he was in a relationship with john reed for for several years like we're talking five six years is this actually a reflection of how he's feeling I don't know. i don't know whether you would have something so close to the bone being how you portray yourself. But i I really don't know who this is appealing to, be honest. I mean, we're we're not, I might be getting my chronology wrong. I think it was very shortly after this that he started dressing as Donald Duck.
00:15:31
Speaker
Yeah, 1980, I think is is when he's dressing as Donald Duck, singing your song and doing things like that. Yes, indeed. Indeed. That might have been a practical... Somewhere in the middle is what I would like as an image. Donald Duck and the the the master of a ill-treated chimney sweep lads. Somewhere between those two.
00:15:55
Speaker
polar opposites is what i what i want in and out an outer image yeah yeah okay let's start reviewing the tracks then we've got 11 of them get through
00:16:21
Speaker
First one, Shine On Through, written by Elton and Gary. Goodness, there's a turn of phrase we're gonna have to get used to for this album. Three minutes 45 long. I'm gonna stick my neck out and say, this is my kind of Elton song. I like it it. starts off with just him, piano, vocal, and then it builds up. We've got some strings in the second verse. i I'm... Hmm. The chorus, I love the backing choir. I'm enjoying Elton's vocal range. I think that's grand. Something odd happens to the melody and the harmonies in the kind of... i I'm saying the chorus. It kind of... It only really happens once. There's... ah So shine, shine on through the days we have to feel...
00:17:06
Speaker
etc etc it's not really a chorus if it only happens once though is it dominic but it's it's a complete change to the music you get why i'm calling it a chorus something odd happens there vocally and melodically there's not quite right but it's um i i think it it does what it does and dominic is staying notably silent i feel like he has a different opinion come on like i think i'm not a fan of the words in general on this album and i'm really trying to think why because i am a fan of the words of amarez and i think part of that is actually how kiki d sings them a lot of people covered the kiki d version of the key the the Gary Osborne lyrics afterwards, and I don't think hit the same vulnerability as her. I'd like to hear Kiki Dee sing Shine On Through. I think that Elton's voice, I don't know, for me it's a bit, I do like it. I really like the strings a lot.
00:18:10
Speaker
um I like the fact that it's it's short. I mean, after Blue Moves, you know, I like the fact that it gets in and there, it does it. I think I do like a little bit more pomp and ceremony in that, which we do get a little bit of that later on in the album. There there is some, you know, differing instrumentation on there.
00:18:32
Speaker
I do like it. I do like it. It's not my all time favourite. And unlike you, I wouldn't say this is the Elton... I'm most like, I mean, if I compare this to something like Elton's song from the Fops, which is just him and the piano, it doesn't have that straight to the heart.
00:18:52
Speaker
Ooh, really. yes We could, because the words I think are a little bit generic. Oh, they they absolutely are. They absolutely are. It's it's secondary school poetry at at best. In fact, not even poetry. It's secondary school song composition in in in terms of the the melody. You know, it's... but hard as I try, still my love will not die. i mean, it's so basic in in that regard. But I said this about, sorry seems to be the hardest word in the previous episode, Elton sings it really earnestly. And there's ah there's a mechanism that happens in each verse.
00:19:31
Speaker
So in the first verse, it's, um but as hard as I try, still my love will not die. and the stars still shine on through. And then the second verse, I have been through the lies that I've seen in your eyes, but the truth still shines on through. And then the last verse, I've wasted my time, but it tasted oh so fine that my love still shines shines on through. I like that, that in each verse, there's a it's is well I mean they all rhyme with one another but they're all they're all different and he sings it so earnestly and there's a bit of melody variation each time with the final verse he's really like goes up the register and really belts it out I think it's a good exposition of Elton's voice and um basic lyrics sorry Gary but
00:20:16
Speaker
You're no Bernie. good No, but then I think some people... This album has its fans like reading various reviews. i Some people, they will... I mean, you and i we really, really praise Captain Fantastic. And I praise... I stand by every word of praise that I said. However...
00:20:36
Speaker
I can imagine some people being like, what you talking about? I mean, you know, we were analysing the words to Tower of Babel. And to this day, I mean, I grew up with that record. I've got no idea what he's on about. No idea. And I don don't mind that. I've got no idea what Leonard Cohen's going on about in a lot of the peak period Leonard Cohen.
00:20:57
Speaker
and subjectively i'm drawn to that some people that's going to be repelling and they would much prefer they'll be thank goodness thank goodness at last at last we know what he's banging on about yeah There's something to be said for that, isn't there? Because lot of the the biggest hits, like your song, and even Rocketman. Rocketman is imaginative, but you can follow it. You can follow it It's quite a clear narrative in Rocketman. And Candle in the Wind, again, really imaginative, but you can follow it. So I think that there is a fan base for this, and it's a personal opinion that I i struggle with the...
00:21:38
Speaker
directness. Yeah, well I think that's fair enough, especially considering your poetic profession. I will say if folk like this song or are at all intrigued by it, there is another version of this in the Tom Bell sessions. Tom spelt's T-H-O-M. The complete Tom Bell session. It wasn't on the original, was it? It was on the extended. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. Which is in many ways not too different, but in other ways very different in that there's a there's quite a non-standard time signature for the Tom Bell session version. I prefer this one. but it's I've not heard that. Maybe I'll go off on this one because I generally like, you know, we we were praising, oh, what one on Captain Fantastic has got the bonkers...
00:22:29
Speaker
time signature is it is it um is it better off dead if you haven't like like doda do do da du du yeah better off dead does flip between them and then there is another one that's got some non-standard stuff going on but yeah it's um it's interesting so dominic i've got a question for you do you remember when you were growing up and in your teens because you're a tiny bit older than me not not a huge amount I feel like the Caribbean was like held up as this incredible thing. And like, it was, it was almost like it was the only exotic, fantastic place in the world. Like that, that was the only, whereas like nowadays we're recording in 2026, you know, there's Thailand you could go to, or, or there's New Zealand or there's Latin America and things like that. I don't think the Caribbean is, is, quite so held up by itself as like the only exotic place you could ever go but elton like blummin' ecky doesn't arf like singing about the caribbean and return to paradise i mean does it specifically say we're singing about the caribbean i suppose it doesn't and it could that sound it's got that sound it's got that sound it's got that sound Yeah, it does. So it could be about going back to a geographical location or it could be a bit more spiritual. It could be death. It could be reincarnation. It could be heaven. I think that it's a better lyric.
00:24:00
Speaker
It's a better lyric. It's a lyric that I prefer anyway. I see where you're coming from. mean, for me, musically, it is so beige and... God. I mean, I kind of feel like that about the whole album. Do you what I mean? mean, I think I might be wrong because I've not scored it yet. I think I might score this above...
00:24:25
Speaker
caribou which I found very, you know, i mean, I've read one review of Caribou, which so many people love. And one review of Caribou said, it's like Elton and Bernie are trying to annoy you. Did that last song annoy you? Well, let's try a different tactic. Oh, did that not, did that not grind your gears enough? Listen to this. I dare you to like stinker. Come on, say you're like this. Whereas this is the opposite of that. This is so powerful.
00:24:50
Speaker
pleasant um I was a teenager. Okay, I'm going to quickly challenge you on that. Go on! And and and say that it's varied. I mean, could you could say maybe that the the rock songs on this album are beige rock and... and and and You know, I could accept that. But there's there's a lot of variety in different sounds here. So i I challenge that it's beige, maybe different shades of beige. Yeah, there's a few songs that he hasn't fully learned his lesson from Blue Moves. There's a few songs that are a little long for my liking. I mean, this isn't one of them. I think this is, you know, relatively, ah relatively concise. Yeah. Yeah. You were going to tell us about being a teenager and I can't can't not hear
Critique of 'Return to Paradise'
00:25:41
Speaker
that. I am a huge fan of the superhero Batman. Love Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. And then Batman Forever came out with, ah um you know,
00:25:53
Speaker
Jim Carrey as the wriggler and Jim Carrey is very comedic but then you've got Nicole Kidman as the love interest and I remember being so so wanting to like it and being so bored so bored and thinking I guess this is what adults like. I guess I'm just too young to, you know, I'll get it. I'll get it when I'm older. And that's kind of how I felt about a single man when my dad put it on. i was like, oh, okay, so this is a grown-up record. And as a grown-up, I watched Batman for forever. And I go, no, it's just boring.
00:26:31
Speaker
And I feel like I don't think single man is just boring. That's too harsh. I do think it's good as what it is, but none of it thrills me like Captain Fantastic thrills me.
00:26:44
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I, I, yeah, I will say Return to Paradise for me is there's nothing appealing about it at all. I said at the start, oh, there's no xylophones. There is xylophone in Return to Paradise. I was wrong. And again, more ill-advised trumpet. I mean, oh gosh, I i love the trumpet and i love Elton. I just think together it just, it doesn't work. Although, I don't know, don't shoot me. I'm only the piano player. That's got some interesting brass in there. But um yeah, I,
00:27:14
Speaker
let's Let's move on from Return to Paradise because i really like the next track.
Praise for 'I Don't Care' and its Motown Vibe
00:27:20
Speaker
I don't care. It's lively. it it reminds me of the song Amy that I gave 10 out of 10 in Honky Chateau. um I don't think it's quite as good as that. But it's for me, it's got like some adventurous sounds to it. There's some adventurous silences. Like in the end of a chorus, there'll just be silence or rather just echo from the... the sounds that have have just been sounding out in the chorus just for a second or two and then straight into the next into the next verse, which I think is great. And the, I mean, i mean the, you know, the the lyrics are ah are pretty, pretty,
00:27:59
Speaker
Pretty basic. Every line starts with I, apart from the start of verse two, where we've got clothes that are falling apart and then we go back to I. Yeah, it makes the basic lyrics of Shine On Through get even more basic for this one. but musically I think it's, it's fantastic. And I would encourage listeners to listen to the next episode where we talk about victim of love, because it's going be a real close thing between victim of love and, and leather jackets for, for my worst album. I've not heard either. I've not heard either. I'm aware that both have a, poor reputation. I really like I Don't Care of the three songs. You know what? do agree with you that it is, I mean, these are three varied songs start the album. I think they're consistent and I think that they sound like they belong on the same record and the record does have that
00:28:57
Speaker
Nicole Kidman, love interest, slightly adult, slightly boring feel. um I don't care. It kind of feels, and this is a compliment. It feels a bit like a Motown lyric to me. It's like, you've got that. Well, it's got that sound to it as well. I mean, the reason I brought up ah Victim of Love was that is being brought out to try and piggyback on the success of disco. And and Elton has said that himself, that that's it was a cynical move to release that.
00:29:26
Speaker
I Don't Care, with the strings and the upbeat tempo to it, I think does, like, the instrumental bit in I Don't Care does a far better job of getting you dancing around in a Motown-y, Motown-come-disco-y way than Victim of Love, which, I mean, Victim of Love, that's the only thing that album exists for is to try and make you dance around and i think i don't care does this 10 times 100 times better particularly because elton actually wrote it but anyway i'm talking too much about victim of love i think it's a real brilliant lively track and yeah the the lyrics enough but focus on the music and you'll enjoy it that's what i reckon no i like the lyrics i like the lyrics
00:30:08
Speaker
And I like the lyrics to Big Dipper as well. Yeah, Big Dipper. Come on then, Dominic. Tell us about Big Dipper. this is ah This is a different track. Yeah, but you know what? I'm saying, oh, the lyrics are so basic, aren't they? I don't really know what Big Dipper... I mean, I think it's about, you know,
00:30:26
Speaker
men's private parts i guess it feels it feels a bit gay you know says the gay poet here um and that's cool it also i think it's um probably the most musical theater song that elton had done to date i think that the guy who goes on to do billy elliott and the lion king i think that it's um well it's it sounds like cabaret doesn't it you've yeah you've got the trump i mean probably the best bit of trumpet in an elton song but you've got like the clarinet that's that's a big feature of of of cabaret, isn't it? You've got the the clarinet going...
00:31:01
Speaker
You know, these wild little melodic arcs. You have that in Big Dipper. And yet it doesn't excite me in the same way that the most exciting Elton John songs do.
00:31:13
Speaker
I admire it, but I don't know. I think that it's still a bit, I don't know. why Why do I think a song called Big Dipper just feels a bit, a bit groan-eyed? It's, it's ah you know, like in in um in ah America, they have AOR, don't they? Adult orientated rock that's all very, you know, like, oh, you know, this won't this won't rock the boat. And as quirky as Big Dipper is, it's quirky within the confines of not rocking the boat, I would say.
00:31:50
Speaker
I would say even with its homosexual undertones, I think it's like relatively... Undertones, Dominic? It's quite... it Surely it's quite... It's not explicit, but... People don't listen to the words. And when I first re-listened to this, I wasn't... Because I've listened to this a few times in preparation for the podcast. And my first listen, I was going about the flat, doing bits and bobs, and I listened to it quite intently, but not reading the lyric. I never picked up on it being gay as a kid. And oh, my word, I was looking for gay references. When the Elton in Made in England says, you can still say homo everybody laughs. Oh, my God.
00:32:32
Speaker
Oh, my God. He's referenced being gay. A crumb, a crumb of acknowledgement that gays exist. Oh, my word. Oh, my word. like the joke's on you you never read the song you think you know you all got it wrong oh I love that but yeah as a kid I didn't I didn't pick it up I don't i don't know what I thought it but I guess I thought it was about Big Dipper I don't know I'm really fascinated that you to to have that insight from you because for for me and you know I'm I'm viewing this through 2026 eyes and you know to me
00:33:06
Speaker
and and having read reviews and read lots of other people saying, oh yeah, you know, this is this is a lyric about being gay and like, isn't that a big thing that Elton's doing that? And I'm thinking to myself, oh, and he's got a he's got a football team singing the backing vocal. Well, it's not backing, is it? Like, it's just the chorus, they all join in. I thought like, oh, what a what a brilliant thing that is. But I i suppose... They're going to the fairground together. They literally say that. So I think that...
00:33:35
Speaker
I just, did he he honestly didn't make that connection when I was a kid listening to this. Whereas the one word in David Bowie's five years are queer and I like, oh my word, what? You know, honing in on anything that was slightly LGBTQ. So yeah yeah, I like the song. It will get a high score from me. I feel like I'm being really harsh on it. I do like it. and i think it's admirable that on this this you know what is it uh what what number album is this it's high isn't it 12 12 and we're doing something new musically how many people on their 12th album have got a new sound and unlike blue moves which i felt was all over the place this doesn't feel like it belongs on a different record to the caribbean
00:34:26
Speaker
ah styles of return to paradise they do feel like they belong together to me yeah and i think again that's i mean we said in blue moves like oh what would it be like if this was a 10 track album i think if if single man was an 18 track album and you had another couple of songs that sounded a bit like they were from cabaret but maybe a bit slightly different, then then you could be like, well, hang on, is this a new direction that you're going in? Is this a concept album? But there's not enough of it to be a concept album. So I think just having one little sample of this different sound is is quite nice. What is not quite nice, in my opinion, is the song...
00:35:05
Speaker
It ain't going to be easy. It ain't going to be easy listening to eight and a half minutes of this. oh I so nearly love this song. I so nearly... The guitar on it, that's a new sound for this record. The guitar is great. At the beginning, it's like... Oh, at the beginning...
00:35:25
Speaker
re-listening to it after all these i'm like oh this is going to be my favorite song because i hadn't yet seen for how long it lasts and yeah it really won me over and yeah isn't it funny like because i defended um what what's it called the great big long dance one on blue moves i defend out of the blue Yeah, Out the Blue felt like a kind of 90s dance track. I mean, you're speaking to a lad or go to a Fat Boy Slim or Chemical Brothers track and love all that. but this is slow, isn't it? This is long and slow ah and repetitive in a...
Discussion on Track Length and Repetitiveness
00:36:00
Speaker
in a Yeah, it starts off so great. It starts off so great. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I mean, I'm just looking at the lyrics now in isolation. I think to be really critical of Elton, I think there's a way that you could take this song because there's I mean, the sentiment is not an original one. It's, you know, oh my lover has done me wrong and that's going to make things tough in our relationship moving forward. That's that's basically the crux of it. But, you know, the lyrics aren't awful. that they're They're repetitive. and And we could say that, you know, some some of the...
00:36:38
Speaker
rhymes and what have you are ah quite basic, but then shine on through. I don't think that that got in the way. um In the previous episode, sorry seems to be the hardest word. like the The lyrics are really simple for that. So I i think this could have been turning something different. I mean, you've got like three or four minutes at the end of this track where Elton's just going, hard, hard,
00:37:02
Speaker
be um I don't know why i said there's no vibraphone and xylophone, because this is the second track where there's letting percussive keyboard instruments in there. I think it's great that musicians enjoy playing together and can improvise and blah, blah, blah. I think it's arrogant to think that we want to listen to four minutes of this just rambling music.
00:37:27
Speaker
it It doesn't go anywhere. It doesn't do anything exciting in those four minutes. Credit to them for trying it. But I think, you know, the producer just needs to go, nah we're going to cut all that out.
00:37:39
Speaker
And maybe maybe Gus Dudgeon would have done. you know, producer who's worked with them, 10, 11 albums has had number one, number one, number one, would maybe would have had the kahunas to say, yeah sorry, lads, that's that's not doing it. We're just going to keep this as a four minute long track.
00:37:57
Speaker
Maybe, i'm I'm just speculating there. I've got nothing to base that on other than the fact that I think it sounds rubbish. Part-time love. I know that Dominic is not a fan of this. Oh, I am. i am. oh you are okay know I'm going to reveal my score out of 10 for part-time love. I'm going to reveal my score.
00:38:17
Speaker
My score for this is going to be nine out of 10. I feel like an absolute hypocrite. Speaking as the man who's who's given some really questionable songs, 10 out of 10, I, I,
00:38:31
Speaker
i I'm giving it one mark less. And poor Gary Osborne, poor Gary Osborne, I slag him off for a direct lyric like Shine On Through. And then part-time love is doing something, maybe not poetically interesting, but narratively interesting.
00:38:52
Speaker
and just remember as so i'm a gay man and as a teenager i was told that all gay men are promiscuous all gay men are incapable of having anything long lasting and exclusivity monogamy is not on the cards now i happen to currently be in a monogamous relationship i really love the guy i'm with i have had my free and single days as as lots of folks have i guess i've led quite a varied life but at the time when i first heard this song and i was very aware of elton's homosexuality i just didn't enjoy hearing him say you me everybody as a part-time lover hold on mate hold on you're speaking on my behalf like i just thought
00:39:44
Speaker
He's so jolly. He's so upbeat when he sings it about something that is about duplicity and, you know, um just this kind of joyful acceptance that people lead these ah lives full of lies.
00:40:00
Speaker
And I didn't like being... included so i i i find it quite an unpleasant lyric but then oh you know maybe again it's the combination i think it's such a great tune such a great it is it's such a shame that the the content of the song i mean i i could get behind it if there was a sentiment of we are in an open relationship here and that's okay Or do you know the Pet Shop Boys song, So Hard, that is storming. So, So Hard by Pet Shop Boys is about a couple who are both fiercely jealous of each other, but they're both going out and cheating. You know, there's great poetic lines like, we have both given up smoking because it's fatal. So whose matches are those? You know, tell me why don't we try? to help ourselves not make it so hard for ourselves. It's so good. And, you know, there's an inner conflict there in the Pet Shop Boys song, which we don't get in part-time love, in my opinion. So, yeah, I've got someone at home, but she's got a love of her own. Oh, just really... mean, I'm saying there's no conflict. He's saying it's getting so frustrating. But love ain't no crime. Oh, I don't know. don't know.
00:41:26
Speaker
Good Good on. Gary Osborne for trying something new because Shine On Through, I don't want a whole album of Shine On Through. I really don't. And the the the record aisles of the mainstream supermarkets that sell CDs for five pounds each these days are full of like some actor from a soap opera singing bland love songs. And, you know, ah it's it's not that. it's it's It is aiming for something different
00:41:57
Speaker
and he's it's a nine out of ten it's an idea i've written the word lyrics and drawn a sad face Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it's, um and again, like that the the way that the lyrics work, if we ignore the theme, it's not a ballad, but that it's a conversation, isn't it, between, one side of a conversation between ah a couple. And it's it's quite interesting, but it's just the theme of it. it it it celebrates infidelity, basically, doesn't it? And and that's something that... And that is some folks' lives. and ah you know Oh, absolutely. Yeah, yeah i'm I'm certainly not wishing to shame. I mean, i would go as far as... you know I'm certainly not advocating it myself, but I think it is a...
00:42:49
Speaker
a fact of you we're human animals and and sometimes those urges and things overspill in ways that that they shouldn't and they ought not. And there are societal pressures. I mean, it's a privilege, isn't it? People who, you know, a lot of gay men choose to be promiscuous because they've already had, I mean, i'm talking about men in their 40s, 50s age of me who grew up in a homophobic environment and so have had a lot of rejection from family members. So there isn't that expectation, behave in an orderly and proper way. So I think that sometimes gay couples have conversations about open relationships without any, oh, we've got to fit in in society because they already don't. So let's go for it. But I also think that just different people have different just different drives, different sort of ah genetic makeups. And for me, I'm not being on my pedestal being like, monogamous is the only way. It's just it's just like what i want. And I've always been very, very
00:43:52
Speaker
very certain of that. Yeah, the the the problem with this lyric is the fact that the couple have not agreed on this at the outset and one of them celebrating it and the other one saying no, no, no no but is also in denial about
Analysis of 'Part-time Love'
00:44:08
Speaker
it. but But hey, it's got us talking and what we're not disagreeing about is that musically it's spot. I mean, i I hold this up at the top of the tree musically for a pop song for elton i think it's fantastic there's a brilliant um video i shared with dominic in the week of elton just playing live solo on the piano about when this was coming out not wearing any glasses it's uh it's worth pointing out that's an interesting change it's fantastic the song structure like there's an alternative bridge section in there where the rhythm changes and the key changes temporarily before reverting back to D flat which I'm sure you all knew when you were listening to the audience and D flat it's it's fantastic to play on the piano as well I've been playing it all week it's yes the neighbours are now sick of it it did pretty well in the charts number 15 in the UK number 13 in the US the highest it did was in Canada what does that tell us about Canadians probably nothing but One more thing I'll say about it, right. So um there's a relatively recent Best of Elton John, which I think is a really interesting selection of Chawn's, the Diamonds Best of, which um has got a two CD and a three CD version. So the first two discs are fantastic.
00:45:35
Speaker
fairly chronological. They swap the order of a song here and there, a bit like the very best of Elton John. It's roughly chronological with a few few things just mixed up for sequencing. But then track three has got part-time love on it and track three is like really big hit singles on there. Stuff like True Love with Kiki Dee, Believe off Made in England, Disc three, yeah you mean, Dominic, yeah? What did I say?
00:46:02
Speaker
You said track three, which confused yeah, sorry, disc three, disc three. Like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Pinball, Wizards. But it's like, well, yeah, these were really big hits, but we don't consider them the best ones. You know, it's like really interesting that that even though...
00:46:17
Speaker
you know So I'm really interested what the makers of diamonds are like. Yeah, this was huge, but not huge enough for the double CD, which features things like Little Genie from 21 at 33. That's good enough to make the the double CD set. Something about the way you look tonight is good enough. But, um you know, Electricity from Billy Elliot is good enough. Home again from the diamond board, but not part-time love, not part-time love. We're going to move on to the seventh track in the album,
Review of 'Georgia'
00:46:50
Speaker
Georgia. I put it to you, Dominic, that Gary has thought to himself, Melanie's made a name for himself for writing about places in America very authentically.
00:47:05
Speaker
I'm gonna give this a bash. And so he has written the song, Georgia, featuring the chorus, Georgia, take me to your Southlands. I sometimes feel my life is rolling on. Georgia, lead me through your heartlands. I need to see them one more time before I'm gone. And other such sentiments.
00:47:26
Speaker
Am I being cynical there? is that gary It's not as good as Country Comfort from Tumbleweed Connection or indeed anything from Tumbleweed Connection, but it's great. I really like it. It's one of my favorites. I do think it's maybe a bit long, maybe a bit long. Yeah, the guitar solo drags a little bit, I think particularly because it's a slow tempo song. So when you've not got the the lyrics, lyrics can drive forward a slow song because your brain is thinking about what's just been said.
00:48:02
Speaker
Whereas it's got to be quite a ah ah complex or provocative melody in an instrumental bit. to fit for your brain to be kind of like, oh this is still going ah at quite a pace. And so I think it lacks that. But i love the sound of it. So the poetry workshop from Dominic Berry, poetry workshop time. It's springtime down in Georgia. It's wintertime up in Maine.
00:48:28
Speaker
You can go from snow to sunshine if you board a southbound train. You get used to taking orders, but it's sometimes kind of rough. I got everything that a man could need, but it still isn't quite enough.
00:48:42
Speaker
So I really like any lyric that's got detail, specifics, and using the specific names of Georgia and Maine is great. I really like the snow to sunshine bit, but Tumbleweed Connection talks about the jobs that individual locals have within the community, the clothes they are wearing, the relationships, you know, see that their age, you know, really...
00:49:13
Speaker
minute detail. Like, you know, if it was a film, the camera zooms in on like, you know, what they're holding in their hand. And, you know, I got everything that a man could need.
00:49:25
Speaker
It's relatively general. Once you move beyond the, the the name places i do like snow to sunshine that that's you know that's good detail and it's great to go to a sense that isn't just what we can see snow to sunshine that's more of a tactility thing like the temperature the you know that's that's ace but i would like this if there was more pinpoint detail yeah
00:49:58
Speaker
35 good acres. That's a good number. 35. It could have been 30 good acres. So 35 is a better number than 30 acres. So yeah. I'm going to tell you why Gary Osborne is not able to write specifics. is because he was born in London. He is not from Georgia. And like credit to Bernie for being able to write a song like Country Comfort that has had countless cover versions by country musicians in America. He wrote that about a country, a continent he'd never been to at the age of 17. What a talented man he is. don't think there's many people that could do that. And I'm going to put it to you that Gary Osborne isn't able to give these specifics because he's not from there. And I said this when we were talking about, when we were reviewing Caribou and I was praising the fact that there is a song about Grimsby and that we're championing our local town. It might not be fashionable, but there's bits about it we love. Gary, right about somewhere in England, a lot people
00:51:03
Speaker
where you can give specifics. You know what? I think you're 100% right that he's doing it because he's trying to you know ride on the coattails of, ah you know, maybe there might have even been record company pressure to do so, I don't know, or self-imposed pressure to do so. I don't know. And you know what? I feel like I'm being really hard on Gary Osborne, someone who wrote the words to Forever Autumn, which is a stunning set of lyrics.
00:51:30
Speaker
If someone said to me, Dominic Berry, write a set of words about you know Americana, I wouldn't do as good a job as Gary Oswald. Well, maybe you'd say, no, I'm not doing that.
00:51:46
Speaker
You know, we we can say no. i i think we are being fair with the material in front of us. We've been critical of Bernie where we felt he's punching down. needlessly at people or certain social classes or or women or or whatever. You know, I think we're being fair with the material in front of us. And I love this song. I think it's great. I love this song. you know what?
00:52:10
Speaker
I really like Watford Football Club. Their local rivals are Luton Town Football Club. If the Luton Town Football Club players and staff were singing the chorus to this, I would also like this. So it's not just a a partisan bias here, but I I do like the fact that Watford Football Club is singing the chorus. I really like that. So, yeah, it's so one of my favorites on the album. if not the favorite, which I cannot say, about Shooting Star.
00:52:39
Speaker
I think there's, do you know what? I wrote down, this is evocative, but not enjoyable to listen to. ah can i think I can see what it's trying to do. And I can imagine people maybe in a certain mood or certain time in life or whatever,
00:52:57
Speaker
enjoying it but I I can't enjoy listening to it what what's your feelings on shooting star it's quite dreamy is that the right phrase it's another Nicole Kidman so poor Nicole Kidman she's a stunningly amazing actress isn't she and I'm judging her on Batman Forever which no one goes oh you know my favorite Nicole Kidman movie Batman Forever No, no one says that. No one says that. um So, yeah, let's use the character's name. Chase Meridian is the the name. So this is a Chase Meridian song. Shooting Star could be about Chase Meridian from Batman Forever. I think that I i do really like the ah saxophone in it. I do, actually. I like the fact that it's quite short. Yeah, I like the way he sings it.
00:53:43
Speaker
You know, there are far worse songs in the album. catalog i think that yeah do you think if this was on blue moves we would be being more scathing about it because i think it's got a hint of the blue moves about it in that i i too can note that the sax is effective at doing what it's doing but but actually the sax and the guitar and Elton's vocals, they're quite dissonant. they They don't really match up. They're doing their own thing and it's a bit... ruboo but <unk>riter And Blue Moves, there's just so many tracks that are doing that, whereas here it's the only one.
Discussion on 'Shooting Star'
00:54:22
Speaker
I've never thought this thought in the time since I first listened to Blue Moves, which was only a couple of weeks ago. if Blue Moves hasn't been in my life for that long. But out of all the albums, when you think of the stark difference between Caribou and Captain Fantastic, Captain Fantastic and Rock of the West is Rock the West is some blue moves.
00:54:43
Speaker
think this is the least dynamic shift between styles, despite the new lyricist and despite an entire year passing. Two years.
00:54:56
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I think this is Blue Moves, the less experimental, pretentious version. I think this is the poppier version of Blue Moves in a lot of way. And I do think that Shooting Star could be on Blue Moves.
00:55:13
Speaker
And yeah, I think that the words are one of the things that really make it stand out as different. But um I prefer this to Blue Moves. This album will be getting a higher score from me than Blue Moves. And like i say, I think that if you're someone shooting star, it's a great love song. If you're a person who loves direct love songs and you're in love and you know you're like, part time love was a bit cynical.
00:55:39
Speaker
Wasn't it? Well, you know, this is this is joyful. I can imagine. I'm not going to give Shooting Star a 10 on 10, but I can imagine someone who would just being like, yeah, this song makes me feel joyful and alive and all the different elements of it, ah just different celebratory aspects of my feelings. Yeah, it's it's it's not a direct love song though, is it? it's We did not. Well, well it's I'd say it's quite thoughtful. You know, it's not a, don't think I'm contradicting you here, but it's it's not a, like your song, for example, is very clear. It's a love song.
00:56:17
Speaker
Whereas this is, yeah, it's quite thoughtful. It's all, Is it almost a stream of consciousness? i'm I'm not saying it's it's not a love song, because it it it is. Yeah, it's not necessarily a criticism. I think it's it's interesting in its non-standardness. And I think I'll disagree with you in terms of this being Blue Moves, but the less experimental bit. I think you can see echoes of Blue Moves in this album, but I think more of it...
00:56:46
Speaker
is separate from Blue Moves. I think there's the majority of tracks wouldn't fit on Blue Moves, thankfully, but but some of them do. And I think this is one that would.
Review of 'Madness'
00:56:58
Speaker
Madness, the next track, I don't think that would fit on Blue Moves at all. I really like Madness. you i really like Madness. Ego, Dominic, is one of the bonus tracks. To me, that this is a very similar sound to yeah Ego, like to the point of like the the opening...
00:57:16
Speaker
bit on the piano it's it's he's playing slightly different notes in in terms of like the the rhythm and the the relationship between the notes but it's again like dramatic start on the piano and then we've got guitar and drums coming in and high tempo as well at the beginning and i saw three two one and uh yeah there's a bit of a funny production value on the vocals isn't there that that you know they sound a bit uh but i love that i really really Yeah, I love the the the strings. It's um it's great. um A very, very different song. Very different. the the The Queen song, I'm Going Slightly Mad. As a teenager, I just loved it. It was one of my favourites. And then when I became an adult and I became more like lefty and sensible but sensible, I was like, oh, is this a problematic song? Is this offensive? And I... am
00:58:11
Speaker
i ah became friends with a poet whose mum had been sectioned. And ah this poet was like, yeah, my mum's favourite song is I'm Going Slightly Mad. She's like, oh, that's about me, that is, isn't it? And, you know, the mum came out and met the mum. And, you know, like, ah it's it's funny, isn't it, what people,
00:58:33
Speaker
find, you know, unacceptable. think often people who, thought oh, that's offensive, that is that they're kind of being offended on behalf of someone else, which is valid. That's allowed. You know, i'm not saying that, you know, that only gay people can be offended by homophobia. Of course, anybody can be. And there is a huge problem with, like, making fun of madness, ah making fun of mental health conditions.
00:58:58
Speaker
And this isn't that. it's um No, I mean, it's it's would you say this is, like referring to say the troubles in Ireland or just war in general. Goodness me. i I definitely see it as like, is protest song necessarily right? Because it's it's maybe not direct enough to be a protest song, but it's it's talking about, oh, it's it's madness that people are ah being violent to one another and and there's collateral damage and things like that. I mean, I think it's a really commendable lyric. I've pulled up the words now and and yeah, there's more similarities with the um the the God song on Blue Moves than I thought. I kind of thought it was like about a more general kind of thing, like, oh, people have really like, there's a lot of mental illness. But yeah, there is actually a a sort of wartime
00:59:51
Speaker
Yeah, I hadn't picked up on that. yeah I think think, considering how I studied the words of Captain Fantastic as a kid, like, yeah, I would have got out the the vinyl, you know, sheet of of lyrics, and they just didn't stick, like, Big Dipper honestly just didn't stick with me, and, like, Madness just just didn't in the same way that, like... working out what Grey Seal was about on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and reading it over and over.
01:00:24
Speaker
It's interesting that the more direct words just didn't didn't didn't didn't make me analyse them. Because you're right, you're right, he is about that. And i even re-listening to I hadn't really got that from it I would say, just just for the sake of you know going there while while we're on the subject,
01:00:41
Speaker
my interpretation is that this is more about, say, like the troubles in Ireland that were you know raging at the time than war in general, because I mean, it's talking about someone setting a fuse, there being a countdown exploding, a building falling down, whereas I don't know, up a war, even in in the 70s, you'd think it'd be more missiles and tanks and things like that. um But i I really like the sound of this track.
01:01:10
Speaker
and I really like the lyric, I wonder whether the fact that the music is so aggressive almost loses something in terms of the sentiment of the lyric in that it's almost taking over, that that the sound is so aggressive and is so... deliberate Whereas if it was, i don't know, slower or a thinner sound, then maybe we would be able to focus on the words more and f indeed it is a protest song then we'd hear that a bit more but i i really like it as a track the sounds great the lyrics great i i think it's it's maybe quite telling that actually you know you're a great student of of the the lyrics of things and stuff like that dominic and it you know it didn't it didn't hit home that that's
01:01:58
Speaker
what it was about. And I- It's quite late on the album, but then on the other hand, it is also the final set of words because the next two songs are instrumental. And yeah, yeah, it didn't really, yeah didn't really ignite my mind that way. I love it though. It's going to get a really high score from me. I do. I mean, i don't think I'm going to be giving a single 10 out of 10. This might be the first one ever Not even song for Guy, not even song, but we'll get to that. We've got a whole instrument, well i say a whole instrument, off frag a snippet of an instrument. Yeah, I i don't know off you know off the top of my head whether this will be the shortest track, track 10, Reverie. 53 seconds though, we've definitely not had a track less than a minute long.
01:02:48
Speaker
it's some It's an interesting title. I'm thinking Reverie, that's that's when you wake up, isn't it? Or is it a dream? What's a Reverie? I'm looking it now.
01:02:59
Speaker
I dislike Reverie. It's my least favourite one on the record. I'm not going to give Song for Guy 10 out of 10, but it'll be close. Song for Guy is brilliant. And I just think that Reverie doesn't, in my opinion, set up song for Guy in the way like your sister can't twist but she can rock and roll kind of segues into Saturday Night or like fighting that la that's brilliant that's really ace I just feel it it feels a bit of a a left turn
01:03:33
Speaker
for me. I think that I'd probably prefer Reverie a little bit more if it was a different place in the album. But yeah, no, it it doesn't interest me, Reverie. I am not musical expert, you know, studying musicality is far more Anthony's bag tricks. But...
01:03:58
Speaker
It doesn't seem to go anywhere for me. it No, it doesn't. and And actually, if we just spend a moment looking at the musicality of it, it it's really jumpy. So when Elton writes a great ballad or ah a great sort of piano based composition, but like Shynon Through, I think, does that really well, like the chords will progress. There will be a logic as to why he goes from one chord to another.
01:04:25
Speaker
Whereas is Reverie, it sounds like, ah this may or may not resonate with folk, but um I talk a lot about Yamaha keyboards. A lot of electric pianos will have a function where in the bass, in the left hand,
01:04:40
Speaker
if you set the instrument up in a certain way, if you press a note, it will then play the whole chord and make it sound a lot more impressive, even though you've just pressed one note. And it sounds like someone has just gone,
01:04:54
Speaker
oh
01:04:57
Speaker
just Just playing completely random things. And I mean, you know, the the tone of it and the texture is is is nice. I think that's done well. But in terms of how it flows, it's it's really out of nowhere. I mean, i looked it up. Reverie means sort of being lost in a daydream.
01:05:14
Speaker
so I think it evokes that, but to have it as the... You've lost in a daydream for 59 seconds. Yeah, that's it. can't believe playing an Elton John song. It's too short after after we've just had Bite Your Lip, Get Up and Dance. But yeah, I just think that...
01:05:31
Speaker
there's There's not enough of it. I don't hate it, but I don't find anything to to like about it either. No, it doesn't do much, does it? It needs to be midway through or something. weakens the guy. It weakens it. It's like, you know...
01:05:47
Speaker
Let's talk about Song for Guy.
Impressions of 'Song for Guy'
01:05:49
Speaker
So when when I listened to Elton's autobiography, he spoke about somebody coming up to him, somebody very well known. I think maybe it was a radio DJ or someone like that saying, goodness, that's so brave of you. That's so brave of you doing that. I really commend you doing that. And Elton thought he was saying like, oh,
01:06:08
Speaker
releasing a single with basically no words. But he he found out that actually this person thought the song was called Song for Gay. and And that's what he was saying. That's so brave of you. Like, fantastic. But yeah, so Song for Guy it he He wrote the song, um imagining himself floating into space, looking down at his own body, imagining himself dying, morbidly ah obsessed with these thoughts. I wrote this song about death. The next day, I was told that Guy Burchett, our 17-year-old messenger boy, had been tragically killed on his motorcycle the day before.
01:06:48
Speaker
Guy died on the day I wrote this song, and that's where the title comes from. I remember this song so vividly from the very best of Elton John.
01:07:00
Speaker
It's such a distinctive sound, isn't it? Effectively piano with frills, you know, a bit of um bit of production value really, isn't it? Yeah, it's wonderful. It's really, really good. Are you aware...
01:07:15
Speaker
of any cover versions because I am. Oh, go on then, Dominic. Elton John. is Do we count this as a cover if Elton John features on it? Elton John... Does he do it on the harpsichord? Um...
01:07:30
Speaker
um In the promotion of Made in England, Elton John performed the wonderful song Believe, which, as previously mentioned, only makes disc three of Diamonds. Not good enough in Elton's eyes to make the the top two. ah Pet Shop Boys collaborate and they do a ah ah medley of Believe and Song For Guy with... um Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys playing it and Neil Tennant singing the life is a temporary thing. And it's great. It's unexpected because you don't, you know, they're they're doing Believe, which is quite a ah joyful
01:08:15
Speaker
song in many ways. so so I'd almost say Believe is ah like a power ballad. Yeah. isn't it Yeah. So it works really well. and It was lovely hearing Pet Shop Boys do that. I think it really fitted their style. So that's only a partial cover. It's No, that's interesting. I shall check that out. i I love this song. I mentioned in our trailer episode that um not only was this on the first Elton album in a house I lived in that my dad would play on repeat when doing the washing up. and I remember this chiming out, but it was in the big book of piano songs that I learned the piano from. This was towards the back because it was ah not one you can learn when you're starting the piano. But yeah, it's it's a joy to play. on the piano and yeah, I think it's fab. It's, it does a really good job, I think, of having ah a poppy feel to it, despite the fact that it's, it's very basic in its makeup that, you know, there's the only lyric is sang, sung right at the end and it's just one word, one sentence. And there's not a guitar solo or, you know, strings or anything like that. It's um really simple. And I, yeah, for me, it's it's perfection. I love it. I was really interested to read Dominic. The number of different places this song has been used. So used extensively throughout all six episodes of the 1985 BBC comedy series, Happy Families.
01:09:45
Speaker
The lead male character is named Guy. Also used in the seventh episodes of Diamonds in the Sky, a BBC Channel 9 Perth co-production about the history of commercial aviation.
01:09:58
Speaker
It's played frequently in the 1980 movie Oh Heavenly Dog, starring Chevy Chase and Jane Seymour. and Directed by Rod Browning, features prominently in the 2017 film Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. In November 2020, the track was featured in The Crown during a scene in which Lady Diana Spencer dances alone in Buckingham Palace Ballroom.
01:10:24
Speaker
also used for the German weekly show Sport Under de lupa sport under the Microscope, sorry for the german accent a show about the regional sport in the southwest of Germany in shows love this song. ah ah And peaked at number four in the UK charts. Well, his first top ten since ah the Kiki Dee duet, Don't Go Breaking My Heart, which was, you know, some time before. So, yeah, it is. It's really great. And, you know, hats off for something that's ah a bit of a different sound. He won't have another top ten hit to the awful, awful, awful...
01:11:10
Speaker
blue eyes yeah and are we allowed to give a zero out ten are we allowed i not give this it think we can i think we can i can't go negative numbers that would uh i think i i think i'll give blue eyes as i've not listened to blue eyes for years and i'm not going to subject myself to it until we get to said album but at the moment blue eyes gets a zero out ten The only way is up. Dominic, those are the tracks that we are going to rate because we never rate bonus tracks. However, the 1998 re-release of A Single Man, I said it was 1995, 1998, has got five tracks. And I think some of them are very worth lingering on. You've already mentioned ego
01:11:58
Speaker
yeah i only know that i i'm aware that flintstone boy the b-side of the the amazing amazing is rubbish oh is it that's a shame i i wonder what elton thought when he was singing ego because on surface value you could just mark it as a character song in the same way that don't shoot me i'm only the piano player is uh and you know elton in the music video seems like he's in full thespian thrust like really acting it And it's hard to not think it's just Bernie Taupin being like, oh, I'm well sick of you.
01:12:32
Speaker
Well, he, in his autobiography, Elton talks about how over the top the video was. And at the time he thought it was a great idea. And now he's quite embarrassed by it. But yeah, it's it's a great track. And um yeah, it feels quite autobiographical, admittedly written by by somebody else who knew him very well. Yeah, Flintstone Boy, as I say, i ah don't see the point of it. ah Maybe I'm a simple person who doesn't understand it, but it's is not worthy of of listening to particularly, I wouldn't say. i Cry At Night, I think, is an incredible track. Oh, really?
01:13:13
Speaker
I thoroughly recommend listening to it. It's got an interesting sound to it. I think it's a beautiful song. And and do you know what? The cover of this album matches perfectly the sentiment of I Cry At Night. It's it's about somebody who's who's got their fame from rock and roll and they sleep alone in an empty house and cry themselves to sleep. It's really poignant. I i think it's fabulous. Lovesick, yeah, it's okay. And Strangers, yeah, it's decent. But I Cry At Night and Ego, goodness, two really strong tracks.
01:13:52
Speaker
Oh, fab. You know, I feel like there's such a wealth of Elton John. There's still some really early stuff. Only only this week I listened to his first ever single because I mentioned that I bought the special edition of Empty Sky and for the first time heard his second and third singles, ah Lady Samantha and I can't remember the name of the song, but I like it. Rock and Roll Madonna? he said No, no, that's on that's on another album. um it's me that you need yes great song great song uh loving you too long is first ever single i i don't think it shows um the promise of what's to come i think that i can see why it wasn't included as a bonus track on empty sky i think that it's um you know very direct and kind of quite generic
01:14:44
Speaker
But, yeah, I feel guilty that we're going through all of this. And every now and again, it's like, I've not even heard that, not even heard that, not even heard that. So you've given high praise for I Cry At Night, which I'll be honest, I saw the title and thought, oh, no, that sounds a bit, no, no, a bit on the nose, a bit on the nose. So I, um but no, you've sold it. The time to listen to it is when you're feeling like you Really love Elton. And, you know, you um embrace his personality warts and all. And, you you know, you empathize with the struggles that his extrovert personality has has brought him, I would say. Yeah, I think it's a good track. I can't remember if I've told our listeners this, but um Single Man is the last album chronologically that we owned as a family up until Sleeping With The Past, which I adore, um know that back to front. And there's a whole decade worth of 80s work. So because I don't want to just be coming to everyone being like, I ah don't know this, I don't know this. I have bought this week. I bought The Fox because Anthony's mentioned on our previous shows that e he likes Oh, it's good. It's good. I'm looking forward to reviewing that one.
01:16:04
Speaker
Well, we need to give some scores to a single man. Starting with Shine On 3. What are you going give that one, Dominic? Yeah, I really like it. I feel like my my comments have been more subdued than my enthusiasm. Yeah, ah yeah I'm going to give this an 8 out of 10.
01:16:22
Speaker
Nice. I'm giving it a seven, which I think, relatively speaking, that's me giving it a higher score than you. If you've listened to our previous shows, you'll know in general my scores are higher than Anthony. So a seven from Anthony is ah is good going.
01:16:38
Speaker
Indeed. And a four. which is what i've given for return to paradise is harsh oh it's harsh i don't like it as much shine on through but yeah it's i'm giving it a seven i think it's a it's a good song okay well i'm up to an eight out of ten for i don't care i think it's i think it's cracking great little song that one what are you giving it yeah eight from me as well yeah okay we're pretty in sync so far big dipper i'm giving seven i like it it's a different sound it's not one that i would listen to more than once a day however you see i i grew up on musical theater eliza mannelli cabaret um i'm giving this an eight i i really like big dip
01:17:23
Speaker
We're really close in it the first four tracks, Dominic. I don't think we've ever been so close, apart from at the start of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road when we were giving everything ten. Ten, yeah.
01:17:36
Speaker
Let's see what's going to happen now. It ain't going to be easy. I've given it a four, and I think it's lucky to get four. Oh, that is... you You are harsh. You are harsh. I mean... Half the track. Half the track is just him going, ah-ah.
01:17:55
Speaker
Nah, I really like the beginning. I'm giving it a six. Oh, I like the beginning, but half the track is absolute toilet. yeah Part-time Love, I have knocked off two marks for the sentiment. I've given it eight. For me, if if it's a nine or a 10, it's gotta be almost flawless. And i the sentiment I can't get behind, but everything else is stellar. Eight out of 10. Nine.
01:18:20
Speaker
That is what I have given Georgia. It is, yeah, I really like this song. Really like it. It's bit long for me, but I do adore it. eight from me.
01:18:32
Speaker
We're really close together here, apart from a couple. ah Shooting Star, you're definitely going outscore me on this one. I didn't dig it. I've given it a five. Do you know what? I'm going up my score by one. eye I was going to give it a six, but I'm going to count a balance. I'm giving it a seven. Giving it seven. You're adjusting your scores to make loss. relation to yours. Yeah. Yeah. think that's unfair. Yeah.
01:18:59
Speaker
Madness. I've given it an eight. I started off giving it a seven. And then the the more i focus on it, I i just, maybe it's with recording in 2026 where it feels like there's a,
01:19:10
Speaker
major war on each continent. But I think putting out a public message against violence and and and war and destruction, I think, is can't be downplayed. So I'm giving it 8 out of 10.
01:19:24
Speaker
Yeah, it's an 8 from me. Reverie? Hmm. So I criticised it. and I'm giving it four. I'm giving it a four. I almost gave it a five thinking, well, it's like halfway, you know, it's not terrible. But yeah, um it loses a further mark in its placement in the album.
01:19:47
Speaker
I agree with all those things. I would give it a four in Blue Moves. In a single man, I'm giving it a six because I think it's a bit different. It's short and I don't think it's bad.
01:20:00
Speaker
It just doesn't add much. a Song for Guy, however, I'm finishing with the high score. Ten out of ten. Do you know what? I think this might perhaps be the first Elton album where I'm not giving anything 10 on 10. I love Song for Guy, but, you know, I don't love it more than part-time love.
01:20:24
Speaker
I do love it. I'm giving it a 9. I really love it, but it's not 10. You are correct, Dominic. This is the first album where you've not given any 10s. You've nonetheless given it an average of 7.45, which is more than Blue Moves, more than Caribou, more than Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. So it's... really yeah yeah well you know as we've said before there's dirty little girl and social disease that drag goodbye down yeah so many so many people put that number one and i think that you know really really if you were reviewing it like anthony going song by song and not just oh the beginning storming you know is it really the best is it yeah
01:21:07
Speaker
I've given it 6.91, which actually is my third lowest score out of all of them. And I look at this album and and think to myself, I quite like that album, but there's just a couple of tracks that that let it down for me, and maybe three, arguably. So yeah, I think that's possibly why it's got that. But we review more than just the tracks. We've got other things to discuss.
01:21:34
Speaker
The album name. I think it's quite fitting, but it's not particularly inspiring. I'll give it a 6 out of 10. What about you, Dominic? Yes, 6. The artwork we've already discussed, I will also give that 6.
01:21:50
Speaker
i'm not that keen it's better than blue moves it's definitely better than caribou it's better than a honky chateau do i like it as much i was quite critical of the uh eponymous record i'll give it a five ah do you know what i i'm being a bit naughty there because i think when i bought this album i had um i cry at night on there because it had the bonus tracks and i think that is perfectly captured by the album art but that's that wasn't on the original album so that's taking a bit license cover versions we've only really spoke about song for guy i don't think there's any others And that's only a partial one, isn't it? So I guess that's a one, I guess. Yeah, it's a one, as we have done for the last two albums. Goodness me, I mean, the cover versions have really dropped off, haven't they? and they're not going to pick up for Victim of Love either. What about the lyrics? See, I've given like some really low scores for lyrics, haven't I? I've been really, really harsh. What are you giving?
01:22:56
Speaker
I'm going to give it a seven. um which is what I gave Blue Moves and slightly higher than Caribou and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. But i think that was brought down by some problematic lyrics. So I i think a seven is fair.
01:23:10
Speaker
Five. What about the music? I think think I'll also go for a seven, which is relatively low for for a music score for me.
01:23:22
Speaker
Six. Six. Okay. The last two categories. Flop Dodge. I think it does better than Blue Moves, but there are yeah there are a few tracks I'm not a big fan of.
01:23:35
Speaker
I'm going to give it the same as I gave Rock of the Westies, which is a five out of 10 for dodging flops. What about you, Dominic? Five. And the final one, Hits. For me, Song for Guy.
01:23:48
Speaker
Georgia. And you know what? Part-time love and madness aren't far off. So I'm going to give that one above Rock of the Westies Blue Moves. I'm going to give it six out of ten.
01:24:00
Speaker
Eight.
01:24:03
Speaker
Quite a few Dominic hits then, it would seem. Okay. That gives us the final scores. And I can reveal that this is currently...
01:24:15
Speaker
In our top 10, it is edged out Caribou 1.6%. That but percent that total score is
Final Score for 'A Single Man' vs. 'Caribou'
01:24:25
Speaker
60.66%. Just edges out Caribou. I i think that's fair.
01:24:29
Speaker
I stand by that. So many people put Caribou in their top 10 or even top five Elton's. And I just don't see it. I think the, I've said before, that the stark...
Discussion on 'Empty Sky' Album Scoring
01:24:41
Speaker
tonal shifts are shocking like this is a uh a more consistent record um i'm glad that we've got empty sky above this yeah yeah yeah indeed indeed empty sky is still in that top 10 and i think you know what for a little while If we did this again, if we did this again, I've really tried to be consistent throughout, but i would give Empty Sky even higher scores. be giving some 11s out of 10, for sure. I did give some 10s. I lament that I only gave the title track a mere 9 out of 10 because I bowed to you saying it was too long and it isn't. You're wrong. Ha ha!
01:25:27
Speaker
Ha ha!
Plans to Review 'Victim of Love' Independently
01:25:29
Speaker
episode then, Dominic. Victim of Love. Yeah, I've never listened to a Victim of Love. So I've asked for Anthony for a little bit more time because I don't just want to go down the easy route and go, oh, everybody else says it's awful. So at this time of recording, I've not heard a single track off of it. I know it was released a mere couple of months before I was born. 1979, 12th of October is when it first came out. m Indeed.
Trivia about Clive Franks
01:26:01
Speaker
Well, at the start of that episode, we're going to give you the answer to the following question, but we're going to leave you without the answer. for now it is our teaser trivia. So for pretty much every track of A Single Man, the bassist was Clive Franks.
01:26:20
Speaker
However, playing bass wasn't his primary job for the band.
Listener Engagement and Hosts’ Farewell
01:26:24
Speaker
We've given you, Dominic has mentioned something that Clive Franks did for this track, but actually his sort of primary role is something we've not mentioned yet what was his primary job for the band no idea no idea all right um what a good old thing recording this thank you everyone so much for listening to us we are just two friends saying our opinions and it's great to get some people
01:26:54
Speaker
Tune in. Big, big, big tar from us. If you want to share your views, we love hearing them. so you can drop us an email at eltonveltonpod at gmail.com. You can find me on my own website, dominicberry.net. And Anthony does two other podcasts, the Brambling Along podcast and Enough for the Falafel, a vegan podcast. There's Vegan Week and Vegan Talk on which I sometimes feature.
01:27:24
Speaker
Until next time, is goodbye from me Captain Domtastic, and in the grounder and poi. Goodbye. Check it out.
Credits and Recommendations
01:27:41
Speaker
This podcast is hosted by Zencaster. We've used some sound effects from zapsplat.com. We've taken information from songfacts.com as well as eltonjohn.fandom.com, the wiki. And I'd also really personally recommend you read Elton's autobiography, which is called Me.
01:28:00
Speaker
I listened to the audio version. It's narrated by Taron Egerton, which is excellent. We're indebted to all those who've helped create and share Elton's music and thanks again to James Cook and Paul Savage who inspired the format of this show.