'Just One More Time For Old Time's Sake'

One chance...one listen...this is the one. Yet Again we have another live version of a new song...yet Again we come to the same conclusion. but we are Home with the band...the studio version is a dull, lifeless. anaemic, albino like in it's presentation. This on the other hand is the opposite, exciting, full of life, get's the blood flowing and evokes colour. Elton's vocal and piano, truly excellent. He's working on the nuances of the phrasing...always a good development of an Elton song. The band excel here...Nigel rolls back, as he does when the need arises in a song, and inserts ocassional fills, fleshy but not flashy. John Mahon is doing some tasty parts, cymbals coasting like the waves he creates. This is one for him. Daveys's guitar on the solo is lamenting, the same can be said of the backing vocals throughout. Angelic without being preachy...but the real menace, which always acts as a great device in an Elton ballad, a good menace mind, are the 2Cellos. They weave in and out like swallows, the hard heavy notes the perfect response to Elton's airy playing. Maybe not much going on, yet it sounds wide and all encompassing. But most certainly it's all relevant. And wonderfully executed. Speaking of executions, I must go get the guillotine oiled up...a certain producer may be heading that way...(see what I did there?!)

Oscar Wilde Gets Out slips into the same category with ease...Birdslike in it's structure, Honey Rollish in it's jumpy thumpy opening verses. The piano flows with a mesmeric lilt. The plucking strings licks give it a lovely pop, the addition of the banjo by Davey is no accident or coincidence. That's what'll be missing from the album...Davey obviously knows the song's characters background, Oscar Wilde being Irish of course, so the banjo is an obvious next step. The banjo an instrument that Davey excels at. The character of the song and the instrument share a common heritage...that's the sort of stuff the producer missed out on his narrow outlook. The bridge is typical Elton with the drop down change of chord. The band are excellent on this, all parts are complimentary and vital. Easily the best track off the album so far...along with the one above.

The irony of the lyric to Home Again is not lost on me. The use of the band for these live presentations is truly a Home Again moment. If you read the words, be mindful of what we are seeing, hearing, experiencing. The band with their combined talents and wealth of experience bringing it back Home Again as the Americans would say. Elton has come back Home for me...to me Again. He got the band to put their stamp...the Elton sound stamp on these two songs and we are now hearing the album we should have heard...and most likely won't hear unless we get a soundboard recording of the entire album done live. A tragedy...a waste...we all dream of it, spending all our time doing it, maybe we have wound up back home...I know I have when I hear these live versions...and I never tire of hearing them one more time...

Gosh how useless and blinded is the producer, these two versions prove that he was so far off the mark I'm surprised he didn't end up hitting himself. This piano 'up front' notion was the main argument for not using the EJ band. That canard, one which I knew would ultimately be exposed in front of it's peers, has now had a coach and horses ridden through it. A big horse and a very long coach...now unless you're of the Pinball Wizard persuasion, it's fairly obvious at this stage what way the land lies. The band have worked themselves around these songs like the pros they are, the doubters have now headed for the hills. How do I know? The same coach and horses picked them up on their desperate escape!! Some people will trot the old chestnut of 'haven't we got the studio versions too'. All they do is prove how inferior they are to the live versions and vice versa. I don't need another version thank you very much. Where does it end? A Hungarian gypsy folk band next, the only reason because it's different. Good can be many things to all people. The best is a unique animal, mould breaking and standard defining. That's what the EJ band brings to these songs...when I hear the best, the rest kind of don't make it...you see what I'm getting at...the studio versions are second in my view. And you know what they say about second...no prizes for first loser...

'An Enchanted Moment'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/10283553/Elton-John-interview-illness-was-a-wake-up-call.html

Sorry folks, don't want to be controversial here but I'll do my best.

Maybe some people aren't aware of this but Elton's in the process of winding down. Not winding up, but readjusting the old priorities in life. Family is now phrase nobody would have ever associated with Elton in the past. Yet that's the new current. The recent health scare has also rejigged his take on life. A minor repair, but major in repercussion if not sorted in time. The recent interview as detailed above gives more background, but this leads to what my point is.

There are going to be less shows from now on. Longer gaps between dates, less countries, towns, cities covered etc. Opportunity awaits with less frequency. For people at this time to be hollering for this, that and the other to be performed had better readjust their sets. Their aerials are pointing in the wrong direction. I would like Elton to do a whole myriad of songs...but I don't run the show. And I most certainly don't perform it. The great and the good do that...we are merely the lucky ones on the receiving end. His graciousness to do so and want to do so and our good fortune to be able to do so in 2013 and to still be having these chances in life are a godsend. But one day it'll stop. And there will be no comeback or restart or reboot. And then the wailing will start, if only etc. Blah, blah, boring boring...that's all well and good at the time, but it's the here and now that should be appreciated more.

To be more exact, the moment. The moment when Elton is onstage and you're watching and listening. What links you and Elton at that moment is that you're both guests. He's a guest in your town and you're a guest in his creation and hence the performance of it. So what do guests usually do in each others company? Act with the up most respect. Dinner is served and you nip out for a quick slug. Leaving the piping hot meal freezing quicker than a Titanic sinker. The after dinner speech starts and everyone head to the little boys or girls rooms. And all he has is cobwebs in the corner to bear down on. Or bore as the case maybe...Or from the side, if the dinner host nips put for a quickie...of whatever they want to be quickie about...then hungry people siting with open mouths isn't a good look. Or rumbling tums...or the speaker looking at empty chairs. And listening to the sound of water flowing.

In decades from now you won't get the chance to see Elton, so plenty of time then to hark back to days that will never return, moments lost etc. Enjoy the now, enjoy the sensation. Some people wait years, decades even to hear him sing those songs. The songs being the hits. Trying to find consensus among Elton fans is like trying to inflate a fishing net. It's Elton's gig and he'll do what he wants. For Elton to have the ability, the wherewithal and graciousness to pitch up in your town and perform those songs for you is an honour. Both for you and no doubt Elton. Since Elton's illness and his statement of cutting back on touring, I have, as he has with his outlook on life, changed my view 100% on the setlist argument etc. I think the moment now matters more than the content. If the best way to repay his offer to perform for you is by getting up and guzzling beer or spending a penny then maybe you should put yourself in Elton's shoes at that moment and see how that feels for him...

'I've Seen The Bridge And The Bridge Is Long'

'Nigel was born to play that kind of song, that’s just the way it is.'

Davey Johnstone, April 2012

Why Nigel? Descriptive, choosy, and knowing. Not a case of finding the right part, but creating it. In his style. The big numbers always rolled Nigel's way perfectly. DLTS, SSMLT truly standout pieces, influential and groundbreaking. The legacy and impact those songs had cannot be underestimated.

The second decade of the 21st Century still finds Elton on the road. And Nigel, after all the swivelling of the drum seat, is firmly entrenched again. And still delivering the pounds and beats with a fine balance of firmness and tenderness. Never one to overplay, the very opposite in fact. He just lets the lead have it's moment and fills the space accordingly and times his parts with the up most taste. None more so on this number, one of a number of songs on The Union that were stunted during their childhood but blossomed later when they went out into the world on tour. This one flourished in particular. Unfortunately the Mellotron flute part by Kim Bullard introducing the song is missing from this clip. A little touch, but vital and relevant. The Brian Wilson vocals of the album cut are enhanced by the singers, carefully building a back drop of a sound wall for Elton's passionate delivery. Leon was in far better form on this leg of the tour than his poor (due to illness) performance in New York the previous October. A stronger vocal in tandem with his piano playing, both distinctive and unique.

Davey's guitar parts...what can one say. On this blog I keep referencing edge. The element that sets Elton apart from his contemporaries, his predecessor and those who came in his wake. The song is a weepy, the tissue brigade is on full alert for this one. But when you toughen it up, the delivery is stronger. And therefore you can get through the emotional journey with equal tenacity. His guitar flips from the background to the foreground, it hums and snarls. Nigel's drums vibrate with a deafening delay. His lines are clean and straight, he picks each moment with precision and backs off when the verses are being delivered, perfect balance always being attained.

So the moment of the song we've been waiting for has arrived. The bridge on this song is easily one of Elton's greatest triumphs. I mentioned SSMLT earlier, the bridge on it is a steady buildup to a triumphant final chorus. Helped in no small part to Nigel. A birthright you might say...the bridge here is a corker that you wait to pop. The tension is slowly stirred, Kim's steady build up is a majestically orchestral piece that creates the scene. Nigel's fills are like slaps from a compressor of steel. Tough, sweet and ear vibrating. Another contributory factor to the final payoff. Elton's vocal lifts off again and the harmonies are solidly behind him. The wall of sound envelopes the air, with flighty weightlessness. Nigel's drumming is steady and fierce to enhance the edginess foil, when he comes back in they are bombastic and beautiful in an instant. On top of which is the final layer from Davey when he throws in a stinging guitar line, the perfect topping on an already deliciously layered cake.

A song like this is already a perfect creation, I was lucky enough to hear the solo version in 2010. But in this form you can hear a fleshing out, not fattening mind, of an already well created moment. Born for this moment...listen to this version...listen to the album cut. One has life, power and determination. The other is on the album...

'The Less I Say The More My Work Gets Done...Or Not As The Case May Be'

It'll be alright on the night Denis Norden used to say. Maybe Tonight...last night however Elton got another award, I do feel the CDM award is just one wrapper away at this stage. Elton in the pics looks slimmed down, any recent illness will take that toll on you. Always best to carry a bit in reserve when those occasions arise...the BRITS as a brand is known worldwide. Whatever the merits of it in 2013, there is one aspect of this award that can't be denied. Elton is and always will be the first recipient.

Now onto the main course...according to all sources, not rumours, though they could have spread into panic, there was the sight of work in progress. The work being the melding together of Elton and the band and the new songs. Two of which are friends, the other one only meeting up with the other two just this last weekend. So very likely there was going to be that awkward moment, where hands and feet would be slightly out of step with the other half. Or two thirds as in this case, so more hands and feet. Ok, the band messed up on Mexican Vacation. Elton redone Home Again for quality purposes. Did anyone notice? The diehards would, analyse it, use it as a yardstick for later peformances. The great and the good at it probably were calculating when they would be eligible for the award...in the great scheme of things it's a minor thing. Unfortunately it happened on the debut performance of the songs, on a tv show where they will eventually, hopefully, be played to the viewing millions. 

Joe and Josephine Public are not aware of the goings on in the hallowed walls of Eltonia. And how this project has been a difficult journey of delays, extra sessions..and of course the divergence of the songs into two different life forms. One alien to me, the other of this world. So when you get the artist and his songs having to essentially try and connect with his band after recording them with another set of people after a long incubation period from recording them till now there's going to be bit of position adjusting. The feet and hands like I said earlier...the EJ band will play them differently...and better. From all accounts both songs done with the band were superior to the versions we've heard already. Am I surprised, no. What I am surprised though is that the penny may be finally dropping for those who were of the more unorthodox view, if it hasn't already bounced back up again. The crying shame is, and too many tears have flowed my eyes over this, the lasting legacy will be the studio album. The powerful live performances will not be lost on those lucky enough to attend those shows where Elton does the songs. The Union tour proved that.

Through the wonders on Facebook...it does have it's uses sometimes...I've had a very unique insight into the rehearsal aspect for these songs. The weren't cobbled together at the back of the stage minutes before they hopped on. Sessions in LA and in London with the additional musicians used for the performance. Homework done and corrected. Elton is still hearing the others in his head...and then bang, his own band kick in. Only time will kill the passing uncertainty...the brave thing to do by ITV would be to show the false starts, that the polished world of Elton does need a rag applied to it in order to get the glossy finish. 

Very few things are certain in life. One is prices going up, And it will rain. And the live versions of these songs will improve vastly. I'm a great believer in perspective, when this show is viewed in the future it will be an example of why the band should have been on the album. From day one. Because if they had moulded themselves into the songs...as they have done on one or two or a score and ten, then this blog post would not be happening. Look back on all the debut shows of the 00's albums, no such happenings as is reported from last night. SFTWC at the BBC Radio Theater in London. Tremendous show, a whole raft of songs down from that album with no hitches. Ditto Peachtree Road. But here's the clincher. The Hollywood Palladium show in 2010, often cited on this blog as the 'lost' Union promo show, featured Elton's band, Leon's band and musicians from the album sessions. A myriad of characters with special guest Booker T. And every single song performed impeccably superior. This sort of stop start happenings on new material are as rare as hen's teeth dentists...

To use last night's performance as some statement by band members to emote their feelings about the project is a questioning of their professionalism and integrity. These guys are pros. They own the block...all around. Whatever onstage discussion took place is merely a backstage moment. For the world to see. Work in progress. The learning curve is steep, but taller hills have been climbed and summits sat on. Unless there's communication in the ranks, whether it be in the simulator or in combat, accidents will occur. It happened, it's sorted and the work got done. And the music will progress...with work.

'I Should Watch...These To Hear'

It's no exaggeration to say that Indian Sunset is a monument to Elton and Bernie's abilities. All boxes ticked. The live version with Ray Cooper is one of those must see. must hear occasions. Never dull, never a chore and always a pleasure. It's separate movements when it switches from anger to melancholy to ultimately death is a triumph. Taupin is akin to Shakespeare in his creation of characters. Whether they be real, based on real or just plain unreal. But the common thread is they always sound believable. And the young warrior here is very genuine...

Around the time of the songs writing, 1970, the whole movement of civil rights in the US had been in full swing for a while. Minorities were speaking, as they had been for centuries, but were now being heard. The Native American was no exception, his and her's tale had been told by Hollywood since the first roll of film rolled. But it was not the true story, the voice we heard was not of an oppressed people, a people driven to almost extinction. And those who survived destined to lead of apartheid. But one of where they were portrayed as the bad guys time after time. But by the sixties the image was being to change. Cheyenne Autumn (1964), was one of the first to address the anomaly of the incorrect telling of their plight. It being one of the legendary Irish American director John Ford's final films. A man who had essentially made his name portraying the baddie as being men with no shirts and feathers on their heads. But in this film he set out to right some of the wrongs he (and his colleagues in the industry) had propagated for decades. By showing Indian tribes and the suffering, injustice and hardships they suffered. Too little too late maybe in some people's eyes, but nonetheless a statement. So it's even chance that Bernie with his love of western etc would have seen that film among others at the time and when he was finally on his way in the promised land in the Autumn of 1970 he quickly set about visiting the locations of these historical moments. Hence Indian Sunset was born, being debuted live in the US on the second visit in late 1970. It combined cinematic qualities of backdrop with proper character development to the forefront. All in the space of less than 7 minutes no less.

The eventual studio version ended up on Madman Across The Water. An album in my top 10. Gus Dudgeon produced a magnus opus for this one, it had to be. Paul Buckmaster waved his wand like the magician he is and built from Elton's piano outwards an arrangement worthy of an overture. The melody reflected the lyric and the shift in moods. Changing as and when. The opening hazy, swirling, dreamlike experience is like a fog clearing to reveal a cappella Elton. Menacing brass forbodes in the background, Elton's piano chimes in and the lyric 'sound of drums' indeeds heralds the thunderous thud of the toms as they flash around, Elton's voice becoming angrier just as the strings sweep in. Cutting to a quieter mood again, vocal and piano gently speak in unison. Discreet electric bass by that master of the instrument Herbie Flowers is then mirrored by acoustic bass higher up in the mix that impacts harder. The strings are reintroduced and as Elton's vocals die away slowly. The battle between piano and the orchestra intensifies, reflecting the character's outward and inner battles and turmoils. But solitude and calm returns, but only briefly. But not finally both in song and in life for the character. There is one fianl battle to be fought and won. The brass is the main background this time, though unlike the opening of the song it adds a serene feel. Which helps build up to the climax...in both life and song. The final play out of piano, orchestra and rhythm section all battle for supremacy. The sudden stop and silence means the end. Of life and song...a metaphor and device for the characters fate.

Elton only performed the orchestral version once at the disastrous 1972 show with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London. It was a shame he didn't do this version during the orchestra shows in 2004, it would have been some sound to be fed...

'Fortunately Contrasted'

1970...year 0, or year -43 as it is at the time of writing. As we contemplate the forthcoming release of the new album...a return to the rollicking days of that year so we are told, lets look at two contrasting performances from that year. Think of the contrast between the Elton John album cover and the stage persona. Both almost similar sets performed by Elton. But that's where the similarity stops. And familiarity begins, both in the studio and live recreations that the two examples are representing so finely of that year.

The first in the BBC TV broadcast, recorded in May 1970. At this point, three albums recorded and two out in the UK. None as yet in the US. Primarily a showcase for the Elton John album, with as ever a new song thrown in. A showcase that ultimately ended up in the folk category in the BBC archives, which may explain why it was never wiped if you anything about the BBC's 'wiping policy' at that time. The music and lyrics are to the forefront here, it's not about Elton the owner of the stage, but merely a stage to present his and Bernie's embryonic material. Featuring many of the musicians that played on the EJ album, Barry Morgan, Madeline Bell, Leslie Duncan, Skaila Kanga and in particular Paul Buckmaster. In fact, his hands are all over this one. Not only does he bring his arrangements with him and a small orchestra, but his solo cello playing is name checked by Elton and beautifully recreated. 60 Years On is bang on the studio version. Lamenting acoustic guitar over the strings and the whispy organ. Beautiful! No flubbed lines or under rehearsal on this one, it's knitting together of Elton's piano, voice and a superb backing.The strings are delightful with a tenacity in their delivery. Elton's voice is like plate glass, fragile but strong when upright. Attitude appears too, Take Me To The Pilot ensures we see the other side too. In the next show, it's abundant the whole way through. The ending has the 'new band', Nigel and Dee raw, yet tight as if they'd been doing it all their lives. Burn Down The Mission is truncated, but still the piano riffs are in full focus, heralding the excitement of the stage Elton. Which is where we go next...

November 1970. In off the Streets Of San Francisco, Elton, Nigel and Dee are in the small yet cavernous sounding Fillmore West. This second US visit of the original, best, groundbreaking 3 piece in rock was wave crest riding on the biggest breakers they could muster, the earlier frenzy was still in full flow by this time. Word was out. The word was Elton and now the words of Bernie were becoming part of every day speak. This is Your Song indeed...the show starts with the gripping harmonies of the threesome on Honky Tonk Woman. Then thunderous drum intro from Nigel starts the song proper with Elton's piano honkying away. 60 Years On is the embodiment of the contrasts I referred to earlier, same song with altered DNA. Some altering it, the long piano intro with Dee's bass just hanging in the air, only dying off slowly. Niglel's drum work, damn could he pick the moments. Light work on the toms and cymbals to literally knocking them off their stands. Knocking the crowd over more like. Dee's bass being the perfect bassline and leader. Elton switching from the manic parts to the quieter parts is a sweet move. Can I Put You On, another new song as ever, belied the fact that Caleb Quaye's guitar is not missed. The hard rocking out has Elton is full keyboard standing pounding and punching. His vocals beyond high, beyond falsetto, beyond the stratosphere. The contrast fully accentuated. Burn Down The Mission was the punctuating moment, all points from soulful vocal in the verses to crazy twists and turns. The transition to My Baby Left Me, to do that from a song you've written yourself to someone else's is some doing. Dee's bass dances on the solo parts, it bump, bump bumps it way through the melody. Elton's vocal is plaintive on the vocal after the first solo, then the attitude kicks in again. All in the space of a few lines, but that was Elton in 1970. Contrasts. The outro showcases the stage persona. We can see it, we weren't there, but we can feel it. Elton asks us if we are, so we are feeling it. And we are there. If Elton tells us to come, we've come. Every piano style that Elton interprets in present and correct. With his own take. Nigel's high hat shuffles and sudden switch into manic backbeats. Broken rhythms in abundance, Dee's string bending standout solo truly a majestic moment. Alright Elton sings, more than alright if you ask me! A frenetic ending, frantic in extreme. But after the hostess has handed out the hot towels, an encore of Country Comfort contrasts with the preceding epic. The song contrasts the old with the new appearing, in 1970 the new appeared. And never stayed old...

'Are The Kids Alright?'

  

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/elton-john-takes-mexican-vacation-in-l-a-studio-20130828

The reviewer makes the breathtaking assumption that Gus Dudgeon would approve of the current producers methods. Typical of the teenage scribblers and telly dollies (both genders) that seem to be running HQ in the media world now...somebody I bet wouldn't have a scooby doo how he approached an Elton album in the early days. Which had its different phases, the Trident albums done in a different way to the Chateau and Caribou ranch albums. In turn showing how he could adapt to various style changes. Style changes that Elton conjured up at alarming regularity. Madman and Honky Chateau, while sharing similar DNA, are both different species. Even though they had less of a 6 month recording gap between them.

What this reviewer may not know, in fact I'd be surprised if he did, is that Gus would not have approved of this recording method. Shortly after SFTWC was released he was asked about the production style of the album. He said he would have recorded Elton's vocal in digital and put the overdubs on in analogue, to get the best possible sound quality and the benefits of analogue. So a mixture, but not fully buying into this whole rustic method. Tape hiss...who needs that!!

Now onto the new song, Mexican Vacation. Again it's another inoffensive presentation, mid tempo with a breezy solo in the middle. Great piano work that means the song will work great solo. But for goodness sakes, the production. Or lack of...what is this guy getting paid to do?! Elton, a basic rhythm section and the odd backing vocal contribution and some faint organ. It's so 'not there' you wonder why they bothered. They just don’t bring or add anything to the mix. Read one of my earlier items and you'll know what I mean. Either leave Elton on his own or put something on it that the song requires. Not leave it hanging, unfinished. Whether it was a brass part or some sort of electric guitar part. Because those elements put the layers on the song and make more of a communication to the listener if the melody isn’t punch resistant strong. Which I just don’t think either of the tracks are. They’re pretty enough, but very lightweight in terms of all the buildup we’ve been promised. Mexican Vacation has been mentioned as somewhere between I Never Knew Her Name and The Wasteland. Which are far better songs, developed to a much better degree. The Wasteland is edgy, mean and bad. So best not restart the old comparison test again or it’ll come unstuck. Leave it as it is and let the song have it's own life. It just sounds unfinished...listen to Madman (album) for reference and you'll hear too much space on this one. Space is vast, they say...

I’m still waiting for the ‘big one’ to appear, as bad as The Union turned put to be at least a month or so before it came out we got Gone To Shiloh live Ray Cooper. Now that was sit up and take notice track. An instant standard that worked excellently in the Ray Cooper mode and in the band mode. Nothing lightweight in it. Which brings me around to the live clip I posted above, Elton’s vocals for some reason are indistinct at times. I‘ll put it down to first performance nuances…or just plain poorly recorded. No wonder they dropped the price of the super de-luxe...