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16. Jump Up! (1982) Album Review
10 Plays11 days ago
Talking so much about Elton John's music might lead to a call from the legal boys, but it's not stopping Dominic & Anthony in their quest to find Elton's best studio album. As they examine his sixteenth effort, will Jump Up feel like a ball and chain or will it be cherished like a princess?
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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 & Podcast Format
00:00:00
Speaker
It's 9th of April 1982. Argentina and England are beginning conflicts over the Falkland Islands, but Elton John is singing All Quiet on the Western Front in his latest album, Jump Up.
00:00:14
Speaker
I am Dominic. And I am Anthony, and you are listening to Elton vs. Elton, the album Battle.
00:00:39
Speaker
Welcome everyone! Goodness me, this episode represents the halfway point, episode 16 of our chronological exploration of Elton John's solo studio albums. Elton vs. Elton, the album Battle, if you're new to the show, is a podcast where myself and Dominic, two pals who love the music of Elton John, we rage over which of his albums we love the best. We've got a big old ranking going on. Captain Fantastic's currently at the top. Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player is number two.
00:01:12
Speaker
The Fox, in our last episode, just came in at number four. Yay!
00:01:19
Speaker
The drama never stops. um And we won't tell you which one's bottom at the moment, but we might reference it later. Who knows? We're obviously indebted to everyone involved in bringing Elton's music to the masses and to James Cook and Paul Savage for the inspo for our show's format.
00:01:36
Speaker
All previous 15 episodes are available in your podcast feed and there's a trailer episode there. So you can hear a bit about me, Dominic, and why we are doing this. For sure, for sure, for sure. Before we go any further, let's give you the answer to the trivia teaser in our last episode.
Trivia & 'The Fox' Album
00:01:52
Speaker
We asked, Reverend James Cleveland provides the voiceover on Fascist Faces, which is one of the songs on The Fox. Which other Elton album does he have a credit on?
00:02:05
Speaker
Clue? He is directing a choir in three tracks. What's the answer, Anthony? Do you want to make a guess, Dominic? Oh, what i've got what what's got choirs? What's got choirs? Which of the Elton albums have got choirs? ah Is it? No, no idea. Go on.
00:02:22
Speaker
It is Blue Moves. He directs a choir on Boogie Pilgrim, Where's the Shirah?, and bite your lip and get up and dance. Goodness me.
00:02:34
Speaker
Well, anyway, that question came from The Fox because Reverend James Cleveland was doing a voiceover on fascist faces. The Fox was released in April, 1981. came number in the uk number in the US. Nobody Wins was released as a single, didn't really ah chart anywhere as a single. It's not really an album full of singles, but if you listen back to that episode, you will hear that Dominic and myself think very highly of it. And we suggest you go back in time and listen to that episode if you haven't already.
1982: Global Events & Music Scene
00:03:16
Speaker
But we are going back in time in a different sense, Dominic, to 1982. What's going on in the world in early 1982? January 17th, cold Sunday in the US sees a record low temperatures. ah The Soviets send their spacecraft up to land on Venus. Argentina and Britain begin their conflict over the Falkland Islands. And you're well after to Jump Up, but worth noting, Michael Jackson's Thriller album comes up, which, according to some sources, is the best-selling album of all time. I think it depends on on like the definition of the word album. But it certainly it certainly wasn't a small sound. It sold more copies than The Fox, didn't it, to be fair? yeah Just a few.
00:04:05
Speaker
When this album was released, the UK number one was Seven Tears by the Goombay Dance Band. And the US number one was I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett and The Blackheart. Indeed. Goodness me. Goodness me. We always sir do a little focus on on what's going on in Elton's life at the time of this
'Jump Up' Album Insights
00:04:27
Speaker
album. And to be honest, when researching this, I couldn't find a great deal that distinguished what was going on in his life
00:04:36
Speaker
around about the time of jump up versus the previous album the fox and the next album which i believe is too low for zero yeah i have anthony i've done my own research so ultimate classic rock is a magazine who've published online an article about jump up and it really is a you had to be there man you had to be there man article And they talk about Elton's autobiography, Me, and how shocked they are that it's just not really talked about. Jump Up. And they say, if you were there, you would know what a massive, big deal Jump Up was. It was his first
00:05:19
Speaker
It's a big tour in forever. And it really was seen as, OK, the Fox hasn't had commercial heights, but look at this. We are touring this. This is all systems go. Now, you know, Elton and Bernie have both been really critical of Jump Up. Bernie Taupin says that it's disposable. But Ultimate Classic Rock alike, at the time, that is not what Bernie and Elton were saying. You know, Elton was really praising of the album and the touring was massive. It was a commercial juggernaut to promote Jump Up. And the excitement was big and the reactions initially were strong. Yeah, I mean, in terms of how well it does, we'll get on to discuss that. But there is a country in which it topped the charts. But we'll get on to that. We normally focus before we look at chart performance on who actually is on the album. And I was very interested to see, Dominic, there's hardly anyone credited on the album sleeve for being involved with this one. Yeah, but we do have a return of harpsichord! Anthony's favourite instrument. When we were reviewing Empty Sky, Anthony had lots of bad things to say about the harpsichord. And it's a different kind of empty. It's the empty garden on which we've got harpsichord from Elton John himself, as well as acoustic piano and electric grand piano on other tracks. We've still got James Newton Howard also providing all kinds of instruments, synthesizers. There's quite a lot of synth on this record, brass and string arrangements. We've got Pete Townsend of The Who on Ball and Chain. You wouldn't know. No, I mean, you've got Gary Osborne on backing vocals. You've got Steve Holly playing tambourine on ball and chain and the synth drum on I am your robot. I think it's quite ironic that you've got a human being credited with doing the synth drum called I am your robot. Surely that should be AI. Yeah. We do have Dee Murray on here. We don't have many Elton John band regulars, but we do have Dee Murray on bass and backing vocals throughout.
00:07:50
Speaker
Indeed. And listeners of the previous episode will have noted... the ah producer wars between Clive Franks and Chris Thomas. And if you listen to that episode, you won't be surprised to hear that it is Chris Thomas who remains as the sole producer of this album, um being as he took over halfway through The Fox. So this album was recorded and mixed digitally at AIR Studios in Montserrat. very exotic as well as Pathé Marconi Studios in France and like I said it did reach number one in New Zealand number three in Australia and Norway woo often we talk about the UK and the US in terms of how well it did number 13 in the UK, number 17 in the US. s So not too awful. But yeah, lots of hype surrounding it. Dominic, this was not an album I think that I'd even seen until the last few years when I started you know delving through back catalogs and we've got the benefit of streaming nowadays. Was this an album that that you were sort of aware of growing up? Well, I think possibly in every single one of our episodes that we've done, I have ripped to bits the song Blue Eyes. I reckon every episode has got at least one sentence where I talk about how much I hate the song Blue Eyes because it was a track on the very best of Elton John, which was the first Elton John ah music I owned, the double CD. And I despise that song and the fact that so many songs are ah left off of it.
00:09:28
Speaker
of that compilation in favour of Blue Eyes. It is a crime. I mean, Blue Eyes was a big hit. It was. It was a top 10, first top 10 in absolutely ages. But I think it put me off this record. Like you, Anthony, I never actually saw it in shops, but I was expecting it to all sound like Blue Eyes. And yeah, Blue Eyes might have been a hit, but, you know, i said when we reviewed The Fox, I said that Nobody Wins is not really representative of the sound of that album i do think it fits in blue eyes is not representative of jump up so yeah
00:10:06
Speaker
it ah It really put me off even going to it. And I wasn't looking forward to to listening to this one at all. I wasn't looking forward. Those of you heard my review with Anthony of 21 at 33 will know that there is a song on there called Take Me Back.
00:10:24
Speaker
um That's a song near the end of 21 at 33. And I've never listened to all of Take Me Back. I hate Take Me Back. hate Take Me Back. I don't say that often. Oh, this is your first show. You listen to it. These guys hate Elton John. No, no, no, no. We love love, love, love, love Elton John. But I don't love the song Take Me Back. I've never made it to the end. And in my listening to jump up to prepare for this.
00:10:47
Speaker
I've never made it to the end of Blue Eyes. I've had to stop the song before the end because it's just, it's just, a is it, is it the worst song ever made by anyone ever?
00:11:01
Speaker
yeah it's like a no it It's a It's a contender. You know, we've got like, you know, Black Lace, Agadu, and we've got Blue Eyes by Elton John. I mean... ah No, yeah ah look, there's going to be a moment for me to give some defence to Blue Eyes and I've been looking forward to it for my next time. Yeah, i have I have no sentiments ah about this album. All I knew about it beforehand was, yeah, you can see the track listing and the album art, which we shall discuss now.
00:11:31
Speaker
who this you know what? I prefer Victim of Love to this. I think it's a really poor album cover. it's its I mean, there's, I guess in ah in a sense, there's,
00:11:42
Speaker
the The little bit on the top right where it says jump up and you've got this sort of green background with some funky different different shapes and colours. I could imagine those shapes and colours being turned into a nice sort of retro polyester jacket that um would be produced in the 1980s that I'd quite enjoy wearing, although you'd probably have to pay about £100 from a vintage shop. ah to get hold of it so i could imagine that so i suppose that's evocative of the era but elton's just looking he's he's posing he's got like a blue stepson on he's wearing a suit it's oh no it's not doing it for me at all well the first single i ever owned was a few years after this it was 1989
00:12:31
Speaker
Paula Abdul, Opposites Attract. That's the song where, you know, the American singer has a cartoon cat rapping and they're both talking about how different they are to each other. And I just brought up the ah cover of Opposites Attract because it's not dissimilar, you know, it's not dissimilar. to uh in in the fact that it's got um you know lots of sort of uh speckly messy nonsense in the
Track-by-Track Analysis
00:12:58
Speaker
background colors i mean in jump up it's like triangles and straight lines in in uh opposites attract it's just dots and splotches but again the font for paula abdul's name and the title opposite attract are a bit like you know just messy and random and like you know and i think the same for
00:13:19
Speaker
jump up. I think they're not a million miles apart and I did think that Opposite's Track was the coolest thing ever. I mean, I guess the cartoon cat is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that in that image, but the the reason I bring up is it's easy in 2026 to say that the cover for Jump Up is awful because it is awful. I mean, the photo looks really budget. Like, I mean, he's wearing like, you know, suit, but it's just, it looks cheap, doesn't it? It looks cheap. Well, you know, this the same Elton who on his ah tour for the one, he's boasting all of his like, you know, super designer clothes that each cost a gajillion pounds. So yeah, it's... um Well, the opposite end of the spectrum, I would have preferred to see a picture of his live concert in Central Park, the the free concert that he did two years previous, to 400 000 people with him dressed as donald duck i i think that would look far more for you know the albums jump up you know yeah let's let's be a bit silly let's get up and and dance and enjoy some music that would but that's not this record i think jump up is a poor title and indeed if we go all the way to the end of what we will be doing on this record we will at some point review the name of this album amongst every other aspect the the content and the cover art and all. And I think the jump up would be a, well, it's quite a generic name, but I don't know if it fits this album. think it fits the opening track. Yeah. Yeah. I was going to say that that that's, that's one thing I would say. It doesn't fit blue eyes. If you are the biggest apologist for blue eyes, not blue eyes doesn't make anyone want to jump up unless it's jump up to turn off the record. and Leave the room. Yeah.
00:15:04
Speaker
Yeah.
00:15:10
Speaker
So
00:15:21
Speaker
Well, you mentioned the first track, Dominic. It's called Dear John, which is an interesting one, isn't it? When you've got an artist called Elton John, but then it feels like in the lyric, John is the person's first name. Anyway, anyway, anyway. Do you know what? The first, like, second of the the song, or the first two seconds, have you ever played the game, Dominic, Hurdle?
00:15:41
Speaker
um So it's like Wordle, but for for songs. So you you hear one second of it and then you've got to try and guess it. Okay, no. If you can't guess it, then they give you two seconds, then they give you four seconds. Oh, right, yeah. The first one second of this sounds like it's going to be Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting. You've got that that did did did did do on on the drum and the and the and the piano. Really lively start. we've We've said it at the start of lots of albums, like really gets going. We can hear the piano. Really. really jaunty, isn't it? um Very short lyrics. ah Gary Osborne, we've discussed his lyrics at length. um
00:16:19
Speaker
Really straightforward. It's It's a cheesy pop song, isn't it, Dominic? We've said it before, right? and And seeing as this is our final Gary Osborne album, he's he's off the scene. He's not back again after this record. So it's worth saying one last time, how did he get this gig? How did he stick at this gig? Because I love some of these words that he's done for other artists. But if we're only looking at Elton John, and he's done a lot from single man 1978 up mean, that they are so...
00:16:51
Speaker
standard And I think that the words here are fine. They're okay. But they're not as good as he reached on the Fox with with stuff like Chloe. You know, it was... I mean, you say it's fine. Elton's doing all the heavy lifting here, isn't he, really? it would You could take these lyrics and and make some truly awful songs yeah without doing...
00:17:18
Speaker
much different to to just representing what is there. I was expecting something a lot more interesting with it being his own name, Dear John, because on the previous record, we got Elton's song.
00:17:30
Speaker
ah So I thought, oh, Dear John, you know, someone calling him by his last name. like This is a bit aggro, but it's just like generic sort of everyman name. It's quite and a generic everyman situation, which...
00:17:44
Speaker
I will say categorizes the lyrical content of a lot of Jump Up. A lot of Jump Up is, ah yeah, it's very love song heavy, this album. Not all of it, but it's very love song heavy. And, you know, Elton's fantastic at doing unique love songs. You know, High Flying Bird off of Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player is one of my favorites. Everyone adores your song and rightly so.
00:18:09
Speaker
But where I think Elton's at his peak is when it's character-driven narratives from Bernie about criminals or other outsider, unusual characters. Sometimes they fall flat, sometimes they don't hold up to you know contemporary political you know viewings when things are ah dated, but Yeah, I think that this is this anyone, you know, this doesn't strike me as a Elton John lyric. Like this could be ah a set of lyrics for anyone. It doesn't have that that unique flair that makes stuff like Rocket Man or Benny and the Jets so striking and unusual.
00:18:51
Speaker
Yeah, sure. And and and. You know, we have chosen to start talking about the lyrics first, and that is not the strong point of this song at all. However, musically, it's got a lot going for it. Like, there's some real driving guitar riffs. Like, it's it's got a high pace, which we've we've already said. And, you know, for for a pop song, musically, it's it's not really putting a foot wrong. i i wouldn't actually place this too far away from...
00:19:20
Speaker
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting or Crocodile Rock or something like that that, that is, you know, a pop song, a rock song. Like, musically, it's doing that. It's just the lyrics are so basic, it can only go so far, I think. But but in terms of the music, I think it's hard to fault it, actually.
00:19:38
Speaker
We'll always score the songs out of 10, and I will score this high. I don't disagree with you. As much as I don't love every song, there is variety on this record. I mean, Blue Eyes, how many times have I laid into it? But it is a step into a different direction. Elton's never really done a crooness style before. And, you know, the much-hated Am Your Robot, you know, again, something different. Legal Boy's really different.
00:20:05
Speaker
What I will say is that I think this is the classic Elton John sound, and that's both a blessing and a curse. You could argue, if you were being uncharitable, that this does sound like just another Elton song. If you were putting a compilation together, a mixtape, and you put Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting as track one...
00:20:26
Speaker
you wouldn't put this as track two. You wouldn't know because, you know, everyone would just be like, all right, so he's a one trick pony, is he? It's just another. but But yeah, that's uncharitable. It is. i mean, what I would do to be able to write a tune as good as this.
00:20:41
Speaker
I will also say, though, that I think track two is so much better in the melody department that I think that, again, makes me judge better.
00:20:52
Speaker
the tune, just the music of Dear John, a little bit harsher. I'll be giving Dear John a high score. I really will. I really will. He's great, isn't he? He's great. He's better than... than probably anything off of Victim of Love. Yeah. Oh, goodness me. Yeah. let's Let's not go there. Let's not go there. It's still quite fresh.
00:21:13
Speaker
Let's talk about track two then, Spiteful Child. The second track, but the first one that Bernie Taupin is providing the lyrics for, four minutes, 15 long. And like you say, Dominic, it's got a different musical feel to it. I would say, in a sense, this one is almost more piano driven. and just because the there's not the driving guitar that there is in Dear John. I'm i'm interested in in your opinion on the the the melody being stronger. I found it a bit whiny. ah Yeah, I like it musically as a track.
00:21:48
Speaker
um And there's some interesting musical... you know, changes of rhythm and and and things like that. But yeah, that that chorus where they go... It's catchy... I think that's really catchy. I think it's a real hook.
00:22:02
Speaker
um I also love the production of it. I think it sounds like a Motown song I think it, you know, preempts sleeping with the past and all that, you know, I mean, like there's been don't go breaking my heart. I think it's another, you there's sort of what sounds like hand claps. And yeah, the middle eight on the keyboard is is stunning. I don't think the words are the best on this one. And let me just check. I believe these are Bernie words. Yes, they are. They're Bernie Taupin. And I think they're not up there with Bernie's best when we've had great lyrics like The Fox and Heels of the Wind, you know, like really great
00:22:43
Speaker
odd lyrics on the previous album. I think, again, it feels like just another love song, really. You know, yeah, it is it is a slightly interesting take, but...
00:22:59
Speaker
It's not, I wouldn't, I don't think anybody would be like, oh, my top 10 Bernie Taupin lyrics, Spiteful Child's in there, you know. But it's stunning, it's stunning. I feel like I've been really hard on both Dear John and Spiteful Child. You know what, I think this album begins brilliantly, and I think Spiteful Child also suits the title, Jump Up. It is Motown, it is dancey, and it's got that kind of eyes, as ah Isley Brothers feel to it. You know, i can imagine bopping around, dancing. Yeah, it's it's brilliant. It's really good. I'm not really a fan of it, to be honest. I really like Dear John, and there's many tracks on this album that I like. I think just just for me that like the me The music's okay, but it's not exciting me as much as as Dear John. But like the... Maybe I'm just picking nits here, but it's is's called Spiteful Child.
00:23:53
Speaker
And the the speaker is addressing the object of the song as the spiteful child. They're not saying that they're spiteful themselves. However, the first verse ends with, "'Watching you tear out my heart only gave me the last laugh. "'Watching you tear out your hair is going to be the best part.'" That sounds pretty spiteful to me. And it's not it's not it's not clever enough that the whole song is an irony. it's it's Yeah, it's just a standard, bitter, love, breakup tune. and and Which is fine. I think album track on you know an album that might not win many awards, fine.
00:24:37
Speaker
But I think that's where it is. No, I'm going to reveal i'm going to be giving this a 9 out of 10. I think it's brilliant. I think that, yeah, I could i could imagine Diana Ross and the Supreme singing this. think it's really, really great. It's a big yes for me.
00:24:53
Speaker
i I won't be saying the same about track three, which, oh my word... Ball and chain.
00:25:03
Speaker
Ball and chain was a single, Anthony. It was a single. Well, I much prefer ball and chain. What are you talking about? It's nonsense. It is. Right, OK. The chorus is good. The do-do-do's. I like the do-do-do's. Yeah, well, it's it's ah it's a pop song.
00:25:19
Speaker
You know, if we if we take the first three songs just as straightforward pop song, don't don't expect anything too deep or what have you. It's going to appeal to some people. It's not going to appeal to others.
00:25:30
Speaker
You like Spiteful Child. I don't. Ball and Chain. Yeah, like that. You don't. Dear John. Yeah, we're both all right with it. Like... ah I don't think any of them are things that you're going to say, you know, there's this musician I love called Elton John. Let me play you one of his tracks. I don't think you'd choose any of these three tracks. to I might be in Spireful Child if someone really was into, you know, Martha and the Vandellas or something. Ball and Chain, I find the verse abrasive. I find the verse nearly... as abrasive as I find Take Me Back from 21 at 33. I that country music that is tender and authentic like Dolly Parton is amazing.
00:26:14
Speaker
amazing. I think country music that is pop and catchy, like when the carpenters sing, I'm at the top of the world, brilliant, up for that. But when country music gets really twangy and cheesy, and that is that is this, lot I think it really goes up a bit a gear in the chorus. I think the chorus, ah you know, singing do, do, do, The harmonies on the do-do-do's. Yeah, really good. Really good.
Final Impressions of 'Jump Up'
00:26:46
Speaker
But then it goes back to the verse. It goes back to, oh, like, really struggle.
00:26:53
Speaker
but to the to to To the degree, it's not just that I dislike it's like I want to turn it off. I think that it's that, yeah. It triggers something in me. I've got post-traumatic stress from ride just this country music that's really... ah you know It's um is Billy Ray Cyrus' a Achy Breaky Heart. It's that kind of level of cringe and it gets me twitching because it's just so... Yeah, I do get where you're coming from. I think for me, Take Me Back was just so slow and felt so contrived. Whereas...
00:27:29
Speaker
Even if this isn't my favourite style of music in in Ball and Chain, it is at least lively, it's positive, it's in a major key, and it's yeah it's just a little bit cheeky. you know I mean, that the the sentiment of it is nonsense. I've got a Ball and Chain hanging around my heart. You were the one to blame for tearing my world apart.
00:27:49
Speaker
I've got a heart so true. You've got a heart of ice. Again, sorry, Gary, but you did well to get this gig for so long. Yeah. Oh, my word. Oh, my word. And if I was thinking, oh, God, that last record, I mean, I really tried my best.
00:28:05
Speaker
i Like Bernie Taupin wrote the words to the title track, The Fox. I've got to up my game here. Well, I wouldn't be writing Ball and Chain. And how on earth did this get released as a single? how enough And I'm usually one to praise false ends. This has got a false end. I'm like, good, it's over. And then it comes back. No, No. ah ah I mean, we've we've mentioned the distinctive country music feel. It was covered by Earl Thomas Conley um on his third album, Don't Make It Easy For Me. And in 1985, Kathy Matea covered the song on her second album, From My Heart.
00:28:44
Speaker
So despite the fact that it didn't chart in the US when Elton released it as a single, it was covered. And yeah, we've got Pete Townsend of The Who on acoustic guitar, just ah chiming away in the background. I mean, it's decent acoustic guitar, but we could arguably say that it's slightly wasted on on Pete Townsend.
00:29:04
Speaker
So we've got a pivotal moment here, Dominic, for track four. First Elton collaboration with Tim Rice. I think before he was Sir Tim here. It's just a short track, three minutes and five long. Legal Boys. I'm going to give you my headline for the Legal Boys song. Well, not the Legal Boys, Legal Boys. It is what could have been, because I feel like this has got potential for But like, I mean, nope we've said Elton does a lot of the heavy lifting with that when played with some of Gary Osborne's lyrics.
00:29:43
Speaker
I've got to say in in this one, like he makes some weird choices of how to sing the lyrics and and get the rhythms in and a musically what to do. It's... oh it's almost discordant. it It's a little all over the place. It's a little all over the place. And I think it sounds a lot like musical theatre. I'm a huge fan of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's early stuff like Evita, which is also quite experimental. Jesus Christ, Superstar, you know, lots of ups and downs there.
00:30:15
Speaker
i Wish we were reviewing The Lion King, but we're only doing studio albums. I mean, you know, Elton John didn't represent the 90s at all when I saw him in concert. Not a single 90s song. And I would say Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight. I mean, I'm harsh on the love songs. I'm saying that, you know, this is full of...
00:30:41
Speaker
you know, middling lyrics. Can you feel the love tonight? The lyric, that is how you write a love song. The words by Tim Rice of Can You Feel the Love Tonight. I mean, oh, 10 on 10. Like, he's so...
00:30:54
Speaker
passionate and poetic and imaginative and different wonderful i really like the words to legal boys i think there's great turns of phrase in there um walking around the lonely rooms i see everything the same but suddenly it matters what was purchased in my name ah Yeah, like really specific like and sounds like something from a musical, which I don't know if Elton had done something quite so musical theatre before this. like I'm going to say it's it's actually almost a step beyond musical theatre and becomes like quite operatic in that. Like the first verse...
00:31:44
Speaker
is is completely like it's in three four it's like a waltz and then it completely changes it's it's like the whole thing but that's quite common in evita evita is a bonkers show and i wonder how influenced by the massive success of evita and don't cry for me argentina that that you know i wonder if I wonder if Elton John hadn't known that these were Tim Rice lyrics. I wonder if he might have written different music. Well, I think it's worth noting as well that Bernie and Elton, Bernie Taupin and Elton came up with their productions together by Bernie writing the lyrics, then giving them to Elton and Bernie, you know, hot foots it out the door and it is nowhere to be seen. Whereas Gary Osborne generally preferred Elton to write some of the music before Elton
00:32:39
Speaker
Gary wrote the lyrics and I don't know in what order Tim Rice liked to do things, but it's it's not unimaginable to think that they might have been doing this together or or you know so So those influences might have been there in terms of... said that I hated the title 21 at 33 because it meant nothing. I would rather just album called 33 or 30s or middle age or something like conceptually. And this could go on, that album, in the same way that nobody wins. is really a song, I mean, although it's arguably from from a child's perspective, like it's it's a song about middle age and this is a song about middle age. This this could be on an album called, i mean, 33 isn't middle age, it's quite young, isn't it? but You know what I'm saying? Like, it's not a teenage song, this. It's not a first love. This is people who are bitter and scarred by love breaking down. That's what this is about. And it's a really interesting set of words for a man of Elton's then age to be singing.
00:33:45
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think this song could be so much better white in a quite straightforward way in that, for me, the the strange rhythms and scansion of the lyrics doesn't quite work. And I think if it was done in a more standardised way, then I think the message could come across a lot better. And there's just a few of the references that Tim Rice puts in that make it sound like a very high profile or wealthy.
00:34:16
Speaker
couple that are separating, which I think makes it less relatable. and You know, the opening line, your accountant called this morning and and letters from lawyers lying unopened on the tray. I mean, I suppose anybody going through a divorce might reasonably... No, but I got that. i mean, it's the high opera thing. I mean, again, Chess, the the the lyrics by Tim Rice with the folks from ABBA, but it does not sound like Mamma Mia.
00:34:43
Speaker
Chess is a mad mix of styles and tempos and productions. And I adored it as a kid. As a guy in my four is I've got my own playlists I've put together of some songs from Chess and Evita.
00:35:02
Speaker
Dominic in his teens would have scored Legal Boys 10 out of 10. I would have loved this style. Similar to you, Anthony, I don't really listen to this. because When I go back to Chess or I go back to Evita, I find how...
00:35:21
Speaker
constantly jarring with itself, it is, is a bit a bit much for me now. But I think this is a successful...
00:35:33
Speaker
attempt at what it is. i think this is a successful attempt. Not a good idea of where this is. This is successful at being what it is. But yeah, like the slightly higher class implications, again, makes it sound like it's from a musical. that It's from a show. There's more context that we don't get from just this one song. And I would love to know. Maybe Tim Rice did plan it for a musical. Maybe, maybe.
00:35:58
Speaker
i mean, this wouldn't be out of place in chess, which again is quite a about kind of quite high-powered women in 1980s shoulder pads and big permed hairdos, you know, being very powerful. And, you know, yeah, it could be, could be.
00:36:13
Speaker
Indeed, indeed. but Yeah, it's not going to be for everyone. And, um yeah, for me, I would... I would class it in the same way that I'd class much of Empty Sky in that, you know, there's there's something there.
00:36:27
Speaker
And for me, it doesn't quite do it, but i can I can see how some people would enjoy it and you wouldn't have to change much for it to be very, very different. Track five. Ooh, this is a contentious one. Four minutes, 43, Bernie Taupin's second lyric of their album.
00:36:45
Speaker
And goodness me, it starts in a strange way. I am your robot. I'm going to have the stereotypical opinions here. i think this is rubbish. that the The opening I find really cringey. It's all these attempted robotic noises. um At its best, it's cheesy pop. I don't think it does anything original that works. I think there's a few attempts at doing something original that just sound really naff. However...
00:37:14
Speaker
I'm led to believe that Dominic has a different opinion. on, Dominic. Yeah, I do not hate this. I think that it's to Jump Up's credit that we've gone from country and western that I didn't like to operatic musical to something that, you know, is a little bit...
00:37:32
Speaker
later Gary Newman. I mean, we were talking about Thriller coming out. I mean, that guitar is almost beat it by Michael Jackson. yeah It's ah really interestingly different. I mean, i think I think the words could have been good. Like there there's there's an embryo, an embryo of an idea, an embryo. It's like, you know, did did Bernie Taupin, you know, have a train to catch that day and just sort of like, you know...
00:38:02
Speaker
There's a, the song's way too long. I do like the middle eight. I do, I do like, I do like the voice at the end. I do like the beginning. I know, but I mean, it's called I Am Your Robot. So what do you expect? And it's an eighties record. Again, I think we've got to see it through the eyes of someone at the time and robot meant something different then.
00:38:22
Speaker
I'm not going to be giving it a massively high score, but I know that this song is hated and I don't hate it. I think it's too long. I think it's like, What you just said about Legal Boys, well, apply that tenfold here that I think i really think it's got something interesting to it. But even like the first chorus goes on too long, even i the whole song. job But the first chorus is just too repetitive.
00:38:50
Speaker
ah So yeah, there there's something there. um And I'm glad he's done it. I'm glad he's done it. Do I prefer i Am Your Robot to Blue Eyes?
00:39:01
Speaker
Oh my goodness. No contest. No contest, Anthony. I just want to say one positive thing about I Am Your Robot. I do agree with the guitar. like The guitar is is good. Different subject matter musically. It's not awful. once it gets going. um I really love the last line that Bernie's thrown in there, which is my serial number 44357. I think that's great. Yeah, yeah it's great. Yeah. why It could have been a lot better. It really, really could have been. Yeah. But then it also could have been a lot, lot worse. It could have been nonstop, like, you know, it could have been that it could have just been R2D2 samples, couldn't it? Yeah, absolutely.
00:39:42
Speaker
Well, the next song, Dominic has given lots of opinion. What is What is the next song? What is Blue Eyes? It's only 25 seconds Three hours and 25. It feels like three 25. There's no there. There's no...
00:40:02
Speaker
The number of times you've given that as the praise to something. when There's no racism, Dominic. Good. I'm pleased for its non-racist successes. yeah Yeah. I would say there's not misogyny there. though There's a couple of points where we're... the speaker's relationship to the the person, Baby, who has got the blue eyes. So I'm just going to get the positives out of the way. I enjoy playing it on the piano. It's a nice song to play on the piano. And, well, it would be a good primary school lesson in ah what a simile is and what a simile is not.
00:40:38
Speaker
Because, really, if your stanza starts with blue eyes, Baby's Got Blue Eyes, like a deep blue sea on a blue, blue day. I'm not sure at what level of pride. I would not. i so Yeah. you You would be saying, no yeah. Okay. I think, i think, I mean, someone who's maybe five, six, years old no no no no no and i go in i go in and i i'm a poet this is my job i do go in i would not let five-year-old i wouldn't i mean i've got my own particular wouldn't i wouldn't allow that from a five-year-old i would allow it as a first go and i would sit with that five-year-old i'll be like oh great what other things are blue How about we don't repeat the word blue? I would say to that five-year-old, go, well done. You've written so many great words. How about we get rid of some of them just so we've got the very best ones, the very best. Do we need to use the word blue a hundred times? What about we just use it one time?
00:41:39
Speaker
That's, what I mean, I'm being facetious in my tone there. I wouldn't word it that harshly, but i would, I would edit it. If a five-year-old wrote it, would sit with them and I'd go, oh, this is the best bit. Let's just have the very best bit. Of the first 18 words, the word blue is used six times. Yeah, yeah yeah I think, um yeah, this isn't Elton's best pitch of singing.
00:42:07
Speaker
i The more you listen to it, if if you're listening out for it really not being his optimal pitch, I think the more you notice that it's not quite working. I think on first listening, I don't think it stands out as as awful, just in terms of the pitch that he's singing at. But he I mean, this is the person who's sang Benny and the Jets and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
00:42:31
Speaker
You know, him him singing like three or four octaves lower than that doesn't doesn't work. ah as ah As a narrative of of, you know, two lovers and You know, they like being together, but they're far away and they're thinking about one another and sometimes they cry.
00:42:49
Speaker
It's fine. You know, it's it's just doing what it it does. I think musically it's it's okay. I mean, it's deathly slow. It's really slow, isn't it? i i think I think there's way worse songs that Elton has done. And I appreciate Dominic from someone who, you know, is a self-employed poet you know you have to really strive to get things and then gary gary osborne possibly because he you know he looked after elton one christmas day he gets this gig and no i'm being really unkind like gary osborne clearly has lots of talent but yeah this is this is how is this lead single though i mean right so well i'll give some praise though like you i didn't hate it on first listen i've gone on about my dislike so often And when I first got the very best of Elton John, actually, I was interested that it was a lower voice. Because I was looking at the run order and I was looking forward to I'm Still Standing. And I guess that's why they call it the blues, which are the next tracks off of the next album. I knew them, but I was... and And he kind of stood out on my first listen as being like, oh, yeah, you know... Why isn't that a day Elton has celebrated as early? Because look, he's doing really different stuff. And I didn't hate it on a first listen. But even as a kid on repeated listen, just like you say, I was like, oh, is this the best way of him? Yeah, it's an experiment. But is it an an experiment worth putting on a pedestal for it to be on on them rather than tiny dancer?
00:44:30
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, we don't know who put together that that album. I would say for somebody who has hit the heights that Elton did in the 70s, you know, he's cynically put out Victim of Love, his own words there. 21 at 33 is not done particularly well the fox despite the fact that we love it and you know hopefully they loved it too it's not doing particularly well i can understand why you would be in a position to say like ah screw it let's just put something out that we think would do well and it did well yeah number four in australia um number five in canada number 12 in the us number eight in the uk number four in luxembourg we um so yeah it it did well apparently the song and video were in dedication to elizabeth taylor which um okay interesting fair enough i think i think probably there's better things that you could say about elizabeth taylor um it's got quite a iconic music video to it elton's playing on a white grand piano in basically in the middle of a ah ah cliff um in the middle of the sea, it it seems. it's it's
00:45:45
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's quite iconic. ah Musically as well, there's there's just some interesting things that come at the end of each chorus. The time signature completely changes. He goes through about three or four different key signatures before sort of resolving it. It's it's is's quite interesting musically. but Yeah, it's it's it's nothing profound. It's nothing deep. At best, it's ah it's a low effort, slow pop song that, with all due respect to Elton's singing, which is far better than mine, would have been better sung by somebody else, you know, if you're if you're going to produce a song like that. It was nominated for a Grammy in 1983. Best Pop Vocal Performance. Goodness me, there can't have been much going on. and i mean...
00:46:30
Speaker
There are so many better vocal performances from from Elton. But there we are. That is the end of the first side of this album. And then we flip over. They've done well to fit six tracks on the first side, haven't they? That's interesting. Track seven, Empty Garden, or Hey Hey Johnny, as it says in brackets. Five minutes and nine. It's a Bernie lyric.
00:46:55
Speaker
And this is a tribute to John Lennon. Lots of people have got lots to say about this one, Dominic. What's your feeling about it? Oh, my word. Well, I mean, all of it is our personal tastes. um I always I'm not going to immediately answer that question. I'm going to say that there are so many different reviews out there of people who really defend this album or The Fox or 21 at 33. There's a great ah ah website, ah Werewolf Reviews, and i'm I'm going to read what um the the person who writes Werewolf Reviews says. ah A poignant tribute, fantastic piece, lyrically and musically. Stylistically, song absolutely could fit on. Captain Fantastic. It is strong and emotive on all ends of the spectrum.
00:47:45
Speaker
I believe it goes down as one of Elton's most essential tracks of the 80s, if not his career. And I read that and I can see why someone would say that. I know it's a really...
00:47:59
Speaker
really popular song and I was trying to figure why it doesn't really do it for me I don't I don't like really dislike it I I really appreciate I mean ah like Sacrilege like i I wasn't so on board with like John Lennon I mean you know tragic death of course you know he's not the artist who most inspires me i I don't have a a personal connection. I find it hard to put into words why. i think it's a bit saccharine. I don't think anything on Captain Fantastic is saccharine. I really disagree with the review I just read. I mean, I disagree with with that element of the review in that, I mean, Captain Fantastic's autobiographical. like it' Why would it fit on that one? Well, I guess you could argue that, you know, the Beatles are so influential on everybody that the death of someone does have, you know, more than ripples. It has shockwaves on the music industry. um um The word play, the word play...
00:49:04
Speaker
I think is a little saccharine in the chorus. Hey, hey, Johnny, can't you come out to play? For some people, they'll be like, oh, you know, that's really moving because, of course, he can't because he's no longer with us. I just maybe maybe I'm poisoned by it following blue eyes, but whereas the ah emotions on Tumbleweed Connection, even Love Song, ah you know, the title made me think that was going to be cheesy, and it's brilliant, and it's...
00:49:36
Speaker
heartfelt. i I just find this a little bit... I find this a bit showbiz. I find this a bit showbiz. I don't know if I do really believe it. And if you're listening to this podcast and you think, oh my God, no, it's the most...
00:49:52
Speaker
heartfelt tribute i don't think this is a million miles away from the diana version of candle in the wind which also i just find a bit a bit showbiz i think the diana version and the marilyn monroe versions of candle in the winds are like polar opposites because i just i just don't really that the english rose thing it just didn't really land with me. I just didn't really, and he knew, he knew Diana really well. it it was heartfelt. I'm not, but I'm not saying, I'm not questioning Elton's authenticity. I'm questioning whether the song sounds authentic, which are two very, very different things. And it just, to me, this, this sounds like, it sounds like a pop song. It doesn't, it doesn't sound like Elton's song. It's a different league to how raw and real Elton's song off of the Foxes.
00:50:44
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's interesting in that Elton said he really wanted to release a tribute to to John Lennon and was, I think, worried of the things that you've just spoken about, Dominic, and any he sort of delayed doing so, well, to an extent. I mean, this is still pretty fresh from from John Lennon's untimely death when this was released. I think, I mean, it it does sound poppy, and in terms of like the chord progressions, it's very basic, which normally we wouldn't say about an Elton song, particularly...
00:51:19
Speaker
one where it's a I don't know, a piano ballad or or something like that. If you think of Mona Lisa's and Mad Hatter's or Harmony or Skyline Pigeon, that's, it it feels like this is in a similar ballpark in terms like the tempo of it and the feel. Nowhere near as good, yeah.
00:51:37
Speaker
Well, it's... it's just musically in terms of the chord progression, it takes a simpler line. For me, the the sentiment of of knowing the context and and you know reading in Elton's autobiography, you know his strength of feeling towards John Lennon and and the friendship they had,
00:51:58
Speaker
I, you know, it does move me listening to this and, and I don't think it's perfect. I think there's slight mixed metaphors going on in here in in places. I think generally it's consistent, but yeah, just, just hearing somebody singing about their friend that's just suddenly died. mean, you know, it's, it's an emotional thing. And we, we put,
00:52:21
Speaker
celebrities on pedestals and turn them into people that aren't human. And they are, of course. and And so for me, I am moved listening to it. And whilst it is relatively basic musically, like, I don't know, I think it still strikes enough chords and um not literally. and and And the harmonies there, like they they do work. i I do like the gardener analogy and a metaphor that's that's going on.
00:52:46
Speaker
But then the whole thing about asking people Johnny to come out to play like surely John Lennon is the gardener ah isn't he in in in the in the lyric surely it's talking about but but then we're knocking on the door asking for him to play so why I'm picturing a gardener who's got a certain age so why are we knocking on the door asking for them to Play feels juvenile. it's It's clearly done. It feels manipulative. That's what I mean when it says showbiz. It is not earned. It's not earned, the word play. It just feels like, you know, and Bernie Taupin rates this lyric, but I think it's i see it's not it's not resonating with me whilst I know it does for so many.
00:53:30
Speaker
Yeah, and and and it's... I mean, it's just one line, but it is repeated quite a lot, particularly because the song has this sort of cyclical nature of at the end where we've we've got this sort of euphoric buildup where that where that line is is repeated and that that chord sequence goes on and on. Johnny, can't you come out to play in your empty garden? Johnny, can't you come out to play in your empty garden? That that goes on for quite a bit. And if you're feeling it, you're feeling it, which I i would say I do. But yeah, if if you're not...
00:54:02
Speaker
quite feeling those lyrics then then it's is compounding the problems i suppose but yeah for me just the pure human emotion of um you know somebody expressing their their sadness their really deep sadness and grief at at losing a friend so suddenly gets gets through to me so it it it ticks those boxes that's that's a very clinical way of of framing it but yeah but i i do understand what you're saying as well dominic the next track princess Hmm.
00:54:32
Speaker
Hmm. Musically, I think this is a really good track. I think it's a really good track. I've got a lot to say about Princess. In what way is it a good track musically, Anthony?
00:54:44
Speaker
Well, again, we've got... It keeps you guessing in terms of, like, the time signatures and things like that that constantly change and the... Different phases of the song have got very different feelings to them, I would say. And it's a different sound. I mean, you know, we we we have electronic keyboards and and organs and things in a lot of Elton's music, right back to Empty Sky's first album.
00:55:09
Speaker
but the way that they used here, I would say is new. Not a massive fan of the keyboard solo that there is. Oh, I am the middle eight. I really like that. Again, it's a certain sound and, you know, hats off to doing different things. For me, it lands well, that thing. And I really agree with you about the variety. I think this song really goes the extra mile. like the verse begins, do you think, oh, so here we go. Blue Eyes part two, is it? And I think this is like so much better than Blue Eyes. and And That's not everyone's opinion. This is a song that does divide other reviewers. Some people like tear it to bits and other people adore it. But yeah, I really agree with what you're saying about how you kind of think the chorus is done and then it adds a little bit and it's, you know, yeah. Yeah.
00:55:57
Speaker
and and And you've got like guitar in there as well that's that's doing its own thing. I'd say it's balanced really well. I mean, realise I said I'm not a massive fan in a way that often British people will say I'm not a massive fan, which which means I really don't like it. And I literally just meant I'm not a massive fan and I do think it's all right, that particular solo. But yeah, musically, I think it's great. uh sorry gary the lyrics oh it's horrible isn't it oh dear oh dear like you know like he stepped up on the fox and it's like no surprise that he loses the gig after this like come on man you cannot afford to coast along when bernie's back on the scene yeah i know he wrote the robot one but don't think that gives you a free pass It's like a reality TV series, isn't it? yeah yeah We know that going into the showstopper, he's got to pull out the big guns and and then, oh, Prince. Oh, no, he's getting voted out this week. It's Bernie versus Gary, the lyric battle. is It's a steamroller and there's no battle involved, really. It's it. it's a not word us However, far to go back to um ah Werewolf Reviews, the same person who gave all that praise for Empty Garden, this this this person writes, Princess captures beautiful chord progressions, a stellar vocal performance. Well, I agree with that. mean, the faucet was amazing. ah the The review goes on to say it creates a hopeful, romantic atmosphere.
00:57:33
Speaker
A potential wedding must have for myself. If my future wife is reading this, get ready to hear this at our reception.
00:57:44
Speaker
I love that. I love that. What a great thing that this song has touched that person so much that he has written that. And I love that. And if you find the person that is going to be the person you publicly declare and legally, you know, join yourself to, then then they're going to agree with you. and And there'll be a few people that disagree too. And they won't be the people that want to marry you. So it's fine. It all sorts itself out in the end, doesn't it? But yeah, dreadful. I mean, particularly the chorus. Gary, come on. Like, was he on a title?
00:58:18
Speaker
Did he have another job? And like, he's just fitting these in like last minute. Yeah. so such a shame. but Yeah. Musically, fantastic track. Well done, Elton and the band. And chronologically, Gary's final lyrics. So goodbye, Gary. We won't be hearing words from again. No, indeed. Not Princess. So really, the ne the title of the next track is quite apt.
00:58:42
Speaker
Where have all the good times gone? um brit Lyrics written by Bernie. Yeah, wow. This is a this is a different sound again, isn't it? It is different. It is different. I think, you know, you weren't as big a fan of Spiteful Child. I prefer this to Spiteful Child, but I do think, yeah, it's different, but it's got that kind of Motown-y feel. I love it. And I love the fact that it's...
00:59:08
Speaker
I mean, yeah, you could argue that it's about romance ending, but it's about wider things. I think that lyrically, I'm really glad. so Yeah, we've had like John Lennon dying and robots, but mostly the words have been about romances, mostly breaking down, actually, the the joy of um romance in Blue Eyes. But yeah, where have all the good times been?
00:59:32
Speaker
on Great words, great words. And amazing tune, like really, really fantastic. I love the Four Tops reference. um And um when I scored it, I scored it a certain score. When the outro comes in, where you know, the the repeated, won't you please tell me where of all the good times. Again, that's an extra mile thing. I bumped it up a point because of the outro. was like, oh, yeah, this is, it doesn't have to work this hard. Yeah, the song's done and you've added in something that's so good. This could be this could be a chorus. This is yeah ah fabulous. Fabulous.
01:00:09
Speaker
this song and Philadelphia Freedom and probably a few others, they could make the album that Victim of Love was trying to be. Elton was trying to produce, well, no, he wasn't trying to produce anything. He was just hopping on. But like he he speaks really passionately in his autobiography about, oh, what's it called? Area 54, I think is the name of the club's Studio, Studio 54. Thank you, Studio 54. He speaks about that and and the sounds that came out of there. And, you know, you could get anyone up and dancing if you if you took them there. And that's what he wanted to produce. And and he can do it.
01:00:47
Speaker
He can do it. And Victim of Love was just not him trying to do that. Yeah, it's... I really like the... I criticised it with Blue Eyes, like him singing in a lower register. Like...
01:00:59
Speaker
in In the verses here, he is singing quite a low register, but he's not trying to be Frank Sinatra. Like it's, it works just right, I think. And and it's quite a a catchy, ooh, what's going to happen rhythm that he's that he's putting it in. It he keeps you in suspense. It's it's a great song. And that this is a, I mean, lots of people won't have heard of this track, but this, I mean, does it feature on the Jewel Box? Where have all the good times gone? I don't think it does. Oh, my word. I've just read that Princess was a single.
01:01:34
Speaker
Do you know what? All the worst songs were released of this as a single. I can't believe that... Oh, Where All The Good Times Gone was the B-side of the final track of this album.
01:01:46
Speaker
But I think this is... This is a contender for like one of the best hidden gems, I would say, of Adam's work. Because I mean, I've not even heard it referred to as a hidden gem. So it's a hidden gem of a hidden gem. Anyway, we're getting far too meta.
01:02:03
Speaker
Let's move on because we have got the final track. of the album here, All Quiet on the Western Front. Now I listened to this several times in preparation for for our episode.
01:02:16
Speaker
i say 10 times I've listened to it. And a few times in, i had an idea in my head and it's it's not left since. And I don't know whether this is really obvious or whether I'm i'm talking rubbish. So I'll test this idea out on Dominic and and you listeners.
01:02:31
Speaker
Has this been produced in a way to make it sound like a Christmas single, Christmas number one effort? Oh, I think so. And I think I read somewhere that that was the case because I've read so many reviews. So I believe so. I've also read that Elton at a concert joked about how this was like the worst selling single on label. Um,
01:02:55
Speaker
But yeah, I think that it does have those sorts of, in the same way that East 17's Stay Another Day bangs a few Christmas bells on, but isn't necessarily about Christmas. So yeah, I think there is a little bit of cynical. Well, there's, there's associations of, you know, in World War One of the, the famous, did it happen? Did it not happen? A football match between the the two. Yeah, but the words aren't about that, you know, No, but it's referring to... that There's associations there, aren't there, with you know the Western Front and in in the trenches. um It was released in November 1982 as a single, so so possibly. But, I mean, for me, that takes away from the song because it it just feels like, oh, you're just cynically trying to...
01:03:43
Speaker
get a Christmas number one because that's, you know, that's recurring income every year when radios want to play a a Christmas song. So that aside, I i quite like this song. i mean, it's too long. i quite like it.
01:03:58
Speaker
I feel like, I mean, I do quite like it and I know some people adore it. It kind of sits in the empty sky category for me and that it's just not got, you know, when I'm talking about Madman Across the Water or Tumbleweed Connection, I'm comparing Elton John to artists like Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen and, you know, the ah Lou Reed, you know, those names come up. Whereas this, i mean, I know Elton John is a far, far, far more commercially successful artist and he's desperately trying to recapture those commercial peaks, you know. um But...
01:04:36
Speaker
Yeah, it just doesn't have the grit. It doesn't have the grit, even though it's about war. It just, it feels, it feels like a showbiz artist singing about war. It doesn't have the same level of, oh my word, as like my father's gun from Tumbleweed Connection. No, I i would agree. And I am a sucker for a slow song where there's interesting chord progressions and, you know, there's a sentiment I can get behind. So it's it's ticking all those boxes. But yeah, it it does sound like it's got commercial intent. And um again, can you blame him with with how the previous few years have gone?
01:05:19
Speaker
Not really, no. I think um it was a bit of a hospital pass for Bernie Taupin to, at the end of the first verse, hand out and feel the pulse of human blood pouring forth. I mean, to have pouring forth at the end of a line and to try and make that work musically, it it it kind of jars when you hear it. that that There's a few bits in here where you you're kind of thinking, hmm, this might work better as a...
01:05:47
Speaker
piece of poetry than something that you're trying to put to music. It's it's a bit try-hard, but not in a kind of poetic way. It feels like there's there's key historical facts or what have you that he's trying to crowbar into the words. But yeah, it's it's it's decent. And, um you know, it's not pro-war, is it? So I can't hear that. All this faint praise you keep giving, yeah. i i just I just think like in a, you know, human civilisation has never been far away from war. If we've not been in a war, then we've been not far from one. And i I think, you know, putting six minutes of an album with ah a song that is clearly saying... Yeah, war's a bit rubbish, isn't it? Well, here's something else, I think. And I absolutely invite listeners to, you know, email us, contact us and say, Dominic, you are talking a load of nonsense, what you're saying. But in my head canon, I can make the fox all make sense. For me, it is conceptually strong.
01:06:51
Speaker
I love having the image of the fox. For me, it's like one body of work. I just don't think we've earned a war song here. Like I can kind of get away with a robot song on an 80s album in the middle of it. But like putting a big grand war song, I don't think it's a terrible song. I won't give it a terrible score. Not at all. You know, i think it's an all right song, but it just feels like the whole of Jump Up feels a step back from the cohesion of the Fox. And good on them. And understandable because the Fox was a flop and they're really trying to
01:07:28
Speaker
throw new stuff out there. And I guess with the Christmassy production, yeah, yet again, this is yet another thing that is a bit different. I criticise Dear John for sounding like classic Elton John, but once that gets you on board, this album does go to a lot of different places, and this is one them. But feels too big a stretch. I don't think we've earned a war song when nearly all the rest is about broken hearts. Yeah, no, I think you're right. And... um it
01:07:59
Speaker
It's interesting. I was thinking, what if you if you could pair it with other songs in the album, what would you do? And there's there's almost something to be said for a sort of a mini side that is blue eyes, empty garden, and all quiet on the Western front. And they're they all kind of have little hints or reek of cynicism and in in terms of like, well, you know let's let's look for a certain outcome rather than let's create a ah piece of art. I think that's possibly a harsh take on on empty i think it's harsh i i'm on board with that but for other people disagree yeah yeah yeah for for empty garden i do take it as red and i can i can see how you you would not think so but there we are that brings us to the end of jump up goodness me what an up and down we we i mean we have been jumping up our scores have ranged from zero to 10 and more or less everything in between. Yeah. No re-releases, Dominic. It hasn't been, but I'm going to ask you, on if this had been re-released, there's a single. Does Anthony know, here's my trivia teaser for Anthony, what was the Elton John single that came before Blue Eyes? It's a track that does not appear on any Elton John album. I don't believe it's been on any Best of Elton John album. and it is absolute garbage it is absolutely horrendously bad no idea um this is a brief time in history where i believe that kiki d was possibly more popular than elton john she was on a major label she'd left rocket she'd had a so big hit with Star, that's what they call you, which I love. Again, some people think it's naff, but the follow-up single was a duet with Elton that has been erased from memory, that has been, like, retconned. People always always talk about true love in the 90s as being the follow-up duet. No, no, no, no, no. In 1981, they did a saccharine Motown cover of... of Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, which I think was a four-top song originally.
01:10:06
Speaker
Outrageously, Kiki herself had sung a solo version in the 70s of that the identical song, more comparable to the Motown original, and Kiki's got a belting voice. Brilliant. But the um Elton and Kiki duet, Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, is Blue Eyes' to the max i think i think i might hate it more than i hate blue eyes it really is like the the the low lights of elton's career well it's a good job that it's it's irretrievable and we can't find it on an album because our score system is on a kiki album it's on a kiki album shockingly shockingly it's on a perfect timing album the song perfect timing is very good but um Yeah, yeah. Brief time when Kiki was more commercial than Elton.
01:10:56
Speaker
Goodness me, airing the dirty laundry, Dominic. Well, we need to go start giving some scores to these tracks. We've got 10 of them.
01:11:06
Speaker
And like I say, i think I think we're ranging from zeros to tens here. Correct. There is a song for which I will score 10 on 10. There is. And there is definitely a song I'll score zero.
01:11:17
Speaker
Yeah, and I'm going from five to nine. Goodness, look at us giving spoilers. Right, Dear John, starting off the album, I'm giving it a solid seven. Good solid start. Yeah, I'm giving it a solid eight. Nice one. Okay, we're going to diverge now, Dominic. I can feel it. I'm going down to a five for Spiteful Child. Not my favourite.
01:11:36
Speaker
wonderful i was so close to giving it a 10. not i'm giving it a nine dude dude dude yeah it's got an earworm it's got an earworm hasn't it for sure nine we're gonna swap over for ball and chain i feel um what are you giving it five yeah see i'm going up to a seven i i i think It does what it does. It's the same score I've given Big Dipper, for example, or Grimsby from Caribou. Yeah. Legal Boys. Oh, it could have been so much better. I'm giving it a five, I'm afraid. Nice. Really good. I'm going to give it the same score as Dear John. I'm scoring it eight. Wowza. Wowza. Okay. I Am Your Robot. You can't give that an eight, surely.
01:12:18
Speaker
I'm not giving it an eight. I think it's a really strong start with good ideas. I'm scoring it a six. I'm i'm going for a four. If it weren't for the intro... ah You said your scores were between five and nine. You've knocked a point off. Yeah, right. No, I overlooked that. I missed that one.
01:12:40
Speaker
Yeah, that like... Some folks would argue four is is is too high. Some folks say four is generous. I think that that the main core of the song is not horrendous, but it it's also not good, in my opinion. We know what Dominic's giving blue eyes. What on earth are you scoring blue eyes, Anthony? I'm giving it a six, Dominic. I think... It's got many problems and musically it's fine.
01:13:11
Speaker
You know, it's fine. It's a bit of Gary and it's got some good Elton music and he needed to get someone else to sing it. That's fine. What about Empty Garden? My equal highest score, nine.
01:13:24
Speaker
It's okay. It moves me. i've I've listened. So I've listened to the whole album probably, seven or eight times this week and the week before in in preparation i've listened to empty garden probably twice that i that's been the track i've gone to just out which is a popular opinion it's not for me but i do recognize i'm giving it seven princess without the lyrics we'd be eight knocking on the door and nine i think but i'm going for six Do you know what? I have put six, but I'm bumping it up to seven because, yeah, I ah love it. I really love it. But, yeah, lyrics knock it down.
01:14:02
Speaker
You just like that blogger who's... um Oh, I do. yeah That's beautiful. That's fine.
01:14:10
Speaker
That's good. Maybe they'll tune in. Hello, if you're listening. Where have all the good times gone? ten on ten. Beautiful. Beautiful. kaboom yeah it's my equal highest two i'm giving that a nine nice one and to finish all quiet on the western front i'll give it the same score as empty garden i'm gonna score it seven i do think it's it's it's good i i i think it would be uh unfair of me to really rip into it uh but yeah it's certainly not a 10 on 10 it's a seven for me
01:14:42
Speaker
Yeah, I think if it was half the length and didn't have the needless Christmas sound effects, then we'd be looking at at an eight or a nine. But as it is, seven out of ten for me as well, which means my average score is six and a half. That is definitely in the lower echelons, not quite as high as a single man for me, but. you know it's uh it's doing okay i suppose dominic 6.7 was your average score so not quite as high as blue moves okay it needed a few more zany instrumental and it tracks to to bring it up but that is not our final score because we review other things on this show starting off with the album name we've already discussed it what you going to give it dominic
01:15:31
Speaker
Oh, right. So I scored Honky Chateau and Caribou a five out of ten. i' I'm going to give this a five out of ten, too. I think it exists and it's not awful, but, you know, it's not it's not representative of everything on it or even most of what's on it.
01:15:51
Speaker
I can't work out which is worse, faint praise. There's no racism on it or it exists. um I've gone for a five as well, because I think it's marginally better than Victim of Love, but not as good as Single Man. it's Because the album is not Jump Up, like you say.
01:16:11
Speaker
All Quiet on the Western Front, Empty Garden, Blue Eyes, that they're not Jump Up. what What's going on? Anyway, artwork, we've already we've already said we're not fans. I was really harsh on the single man artwork. I only gave that five. I'm giving this a five too. Dominic, I'm giving me it a one. I can't think of anything redeeming on it. And I gave Caribou two, and i I prefer Caribou.
01:16:36
Speaker
o Shall I knock it down? Let's have a scroll through my other things. I gave Honky Shadow three. I'm saying this is two points higher. Elton's looking rugged on Honky Shadow. And they're not trying. You know it's very throw away. it's like oh I'm going to give it three. I'm knocking two off. Three. Not five. It's three. Cover versions.
01:16:59
Speaker
I don't think we've got any, have we? I don't know, you're in charge of that. be This all-important bit, the further we go on, the more the more livid I am. Mind you, the Fox didn't suffer for not having any cover versions. No, i don't I don't think there are, but I looked them up. Even blue eyes, Dominic, no one's done a cover version. Shock horror.
01:17:22
Speaker
Yeah. Okay, lyrics. we've we've um We've divided a few of them fairly, but there are some we're a fan of. What are you thinking? I gave 21 at 33 5 of 10 because I thought half of them were good. I'm still deciding. What are you scoring it for lyrics?
01:17:40
Speaker
I think a six would be fair. I think a six would be fair, which interestingly is what I gave Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Caribou, but I think that was let down by some horrendous ones. yeah yeah Which, which this one is, hmm. No, I'm going to for a five. I can't score it the same as those two albums. Yeah, five. Music.
01:18:03
Speaker
Oh, it's really good. It's really good. I don't know, nine maybe? Yeah, I think I'm going for an eight. The music is definitely better, isn't it? Flop Dodge. Wow.
01:18:14
Speaker
wow all right so there's 10 songs so i'm going to count them up all right uh so i'm going to give the same score for flop dog jan hits so uh one for dear john two for spiteful child three for legal boys i'm going to come back to robot i'm not sure um four foot where have all good times gone and half a point for everything else yeah five five for flop dogs and five for hits from me Okay, I'm going for a three for flop dodge because i just think that the ones that are rubbish really are rubbish. Hits, hmm, yeah I'd say there's a couple of Anthony hits in there. So I'll give it i'll give it the same as I gave Blue Moves and Rock of the Westies. I'll give it a five. so
01:19:01
Speaker
Overall score, we know we're not getting near the top. Really, we're competing with what's at the bottom here, okay? Our lowest one is Victim of Love, 37%. Then we have got 21 at 33, 45%. We've got Blue Moves at 48%. Jump Up comes in 51.25%. So it's above all of those, but it not as high.
Comparing Elton's Albums
01:19:19
Speaker
it jump up comes in fifty one point two five percent so it's above all of those but it is not as high as Caribou on 59.
01:19:32
Speaker
fifty nine I really stand by that. I mean, I know Caribou is in some people's top three, top four. I weren't keen on Caribou, but yeah, like it more than jump up. And I like jump up more than blue moves. I know that's some people's favourites, but um yeah, I think that's that's fair. Definitely glad that this has scored higher than 21 at 33. Yeah, even with blue eyes on it, I think, yeah.
Preview of 'Too Low for Zero'
01:20:19
Speaker
o Well, I mentioned on a previous show that because I didn't own any of the 80s albums as a kid, I bought our next album, Too Low for Zero, which was released May 1983. And I've listened to it a lot. And I really do not know how I'm going to score it.
01:20:39
Speaker
I will save opinions till next time. It's an album that was massive. It's got massive singles. Elton performs those massive massive singles when he's performing live. Everybody knows.
01:20:52
Speaker
Guess that's why they call it blues and I'm still standing. It'll be an interesting show. I do not know what my scores will be. i do not know. Yeah. Yeah. There's some, there's some heavy hitters in that album. i I would say, and I think on the face of it, you'd look at an album like the Fox and you'd look at too low for zero and you'd think, well,
01:21:15
Speaker
There's some heavier hitters in in Too Low for Zero. Surely it will do better. I don't know. I don't know if Too Low for Zero will end up as high as The Fox. I think that, yeah, I don't know. i don't think there's any bad songs on Too Low for Zero. I'm going to have to go away and listen to it again.
Listener Interaction & Closing
01:21:32
Speaker
What's our teaser trivia, Antley?
01:21:34
Speaker
Oh, you know me. I love a tease. We've had some quite tricky teaser trivia questions. And this next one is either really easy... or it's a trick question and there's oh there's something niche. Tim Rice wrote the lyrics for Legal Boys, which we've reviewed in this episode.
01:21:53
Speaker
When was the next time he would collaborate with Elton? Is it the obvious answer? Or is there something that happened in between Obvious Answer and 1982? You'll find out at the top of the show next time.
01:22:11
Speaker
Wow, wow, wow. Well, everyone, thank you so much for listening. Anthony and I really adore ah recording these shows. So... please do give us a shout out if you know any other elton fans you reckon would enjoy listening to our meandering thoughts if you want to get in touch and let us know something that you think about any part of what we're nattering about give us an email at elton v elton pod at gmail.com I've got my website with my poetry and what I'm up to. It is www.dominicberry.net. And you can find Anthony on two other podcasts. There is the Brambling Along podcast and also...
01:22:55
Speaker
There are Vegan Week and Vegan Talk episodes, often from the Enough of the Falafel collective. Have listen to Enough of the Falafel. I am often featuring on that alongside Anthony.
01:23:09
Speaker
So until next time, it's goodbye from Captain Domtastic and the brown dirt ant boy. Goodbye. Goodbye.
01:23:24
Speaker
This podcast is hosted by Zencaster. We've used some sound effects from zapslap.com. We've taken information from songfacts.com as well as sireltonjohn.fandom.com, the wiki. And I'd also really personally recommend you read Elton's autobiography, which is called Me. 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.