'Keep Right On'

Once upon a time when you reached 65, you were entitled to many social payments on reaching that venerable milestone. Not any more...

Nigel has reached that number today. But it's only a number. This blog is a Nigel zone, so heaping praise on him today is the same as it every day. Nigel is for life, not just for other days...so I'll post what is for me anyway the best EJ/BT song that Elton never released himself. According to a question I asked Davey on his blog a good while back Elton did record a version of it during the Made In England sessions but obviously it never appeared. However this gem was handed to another diamond and he did a terrific job on it.

If anyone hasn't got Move The Universe, then why not. It's essentially the EJ band of the day (2000/01) with Fred Mandel and Kiki Dee putting in appearances too. So it's high on quality, personnel wise. Even higher on performance. Recorded around the time he came to the band (a time as we all remember was a moment to rejoice). Nigel is a terrific singer, he's a got a laid back style that oozes ease and sophistication. Kinda like his drumming. 

The song is classic Taupin lyrics, descriptive imagery with plenty of rhyme that seem to have no reason to them. What's it about...answers on a postcard to the usual address. Needless to say Nigel's delivery makes even the most cryptic of Taupin's visualizations seem real and tangible. The bridge is classic Elton, the sudden tempo change in tandem with the change in Nigel's vocal delivery. Beautiful!!

I've always had a couple of dreams about Nigel...no, not those kind...but about something I'd love to see in concert one day. Firstly him singing this during an Elton show. It's been done before, Nigel doing his bit so to speak, so who would object. Nobody here I suspect. Secondly for him to jump down from the kit and stand at the mike and sing Too Low For Zero just like on the 1984 tour. If that happened, I suspect I may not want to see much more after that. Or Davey to sing Keep Right On which Nigel (and Elton) played on...or maybe...just for Nigel to keep the beat going on and on and on...