Number 531 - Elton John

Number 531

Elton John

"Blue Eyes"

(1982)

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Genre:Pop

print available @ marousha

Imagine, if you can, what it is like for us people celebrating (bloody) Xmas in the middle of summer? Yet, down under we have to tolerate Christmas advertising with a "White Out" theme. Snow, snowflakes, snowmen, snow-angels and yet its 25 degrees (77 Fahrenheit for our non metric friends) yet the media insist on a white Xmas, its crazy i tell you. Imagine Americans & Europeans standing around a BBQ in beach shorts on Christmas day! (Oh look ... emails from people who live in Florida) naff naff.
art by blackfauve

Speaking of people who wear bizarre outfits such as Santa 'the anagram'ing Satan' he is, leads me to another entertainer, Elton John, who also loves the flair of outrageous clothing too. I have been to two concerts of Elton's now and i can say he has to be one of the best. I have never seen so many people who had enjoyed themselves so much. If you havent been to one of his concerts yet .... then go! He's getting on now (60) so you better hurry before he throws the towel in and if your worried about his personal life, which i dont agree with either, just turn the other cheek. (Oh wait .... thats what Elton does)

art by pikyoo

Jump Up! (1982) was Elton John's (piano/vocals) first full LP to have been recorded in the 1980s, and is best remembered for including "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" -- John and lyricist Bernie Taupin's tribute to the their slain friend, John Lennon. While the pair had been writing together again, albeit infrequently, since the late '70s, John continued to include material written with his primary non-Taupin collaborator, Gary Osborne. The latter team had previously scored big with "Little Jeannie" on John's 21 at 33 (1980), and to a lesser degree with the noir ballad "Chloe" from The Fox (1981). However, on Jump Up!, the quality of material dithers from the absurd and inane "I Am Your Robot" -- featuring lead guitar work from Pete Townshend -- or the insipid breakup opener "Dear John" to the sublime beauty of "Blue Eyes" or the cathartic value of the aforementioned "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)."
Um, wheres Daisy?

The dramatic "Legal Boys" is an understated masterpiece, marking the first public effort between John and Sir Tim Rice. The pair would garner Tony and Grammy awards 12 years later for their work on the original motion picture soundtrack to the animated feature film The Lion King (1994). John's backing band includes many of the same musicians who contributed to his most recent recordings. Representing the "classic" personnel are Dee Murray (bass) and post-Captain Fantastic (1975) recruit James Newton-Howard (keyboards). Fleshing out the core combo are studio guitarist extraordinaire Richie Zito and Toto drummer (and another highly regarded session heavy) Jeff Porcaro. Steve Holly (drums), who worked with Wings as well as John circa A Single Man (1978), guests on the tracks "Ball & Chain" and "I Am Your Robot." While far from a total washout, Jump Up! would remain tethered in the wake of the follow-up, Too Low for Zero (1983), marking a reunion between John and both his "classic" 1970s combo as well as Taupin. ~ [Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide]

Elton Trivia

Elton John decided with his fleet manager John Newman to sell 20 of his collection of 28 cars at Christie's — including several Ferraris, Aston Martins, and six post-war Bentleys. His reason for selling them was stated as: I do not find enough time to drive them. The sale raised £2 million The cars sold included: 1993 Jaguar XJ220 — the most expensive car in the collection, with a 213mph top speed and only 852 miles on the clock — sold for £234,750. The auction room was told how Sir Elton's chauffeur refused to drive the car after he "twitched it" on a flyover and was scared by its power.
1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Coupe — known as "The Beast", because of its roar, went for £80,750. The car was painted in black, red and yellow; the colours of Sir Elton's favourite Watford Football Club.
Two Ferraris — a 1992 512 Testarossa and a 1987 Testarossa given to John by MCA Records on the occasion of his 40th birthday. Rod Stewart had been among a group of friends who had ridden in the car.
1973 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI — Lawrence Cohen from Hertfordshire spent over twice as much on a car valued at £110,000. It was fitted with a 36-speaker stereo system which cost £28,000. It was so powerful that it once blew out the rear window, after which the glass in the car had to be reinforced.
1985 Bentley Continental Convertible — in Tudor Red, the car used in the video for Nikita. The car's body was specially crafted by coachbuilder Mulliner Park Ward of Harlesden, and a long list of special fitments include colour-coded radiator veins and parchment trim piped in red.
1969 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Mk3 — supplied new in Arizona, it was a purchase by John in Atlanta and named Daisy after the film Driving Miss Daisy which was filmed close to his Atlanta home. Flown to the UK in 1994 by KLM, it spent two years being restored at the cost of £100,000. It sold for £90,000.
In 2003, Elton John sold the contents of his Holland Park home in a bid to create more room for his collection of contemporary art. The auctioneer Sotheby's catalogue had a list of more than 400 items, expected to fetch £800,000, including: Biedermeier furniture; early 16th- and 17th-century items, including an Edward Bower estimated at £20,000–£30,000 and a portrait of Elizabeth Honeywood from the circle of William Larkin, which was estimated at £30,000–£40,000. John's bedroom featured a painting by 19th-century French artist Jacques-Noël-Marie Frémy, which was exhibited at the 1814 Paris Salon, and is estimated at £12,000–£18,000.
Despite his extravagant lifestyle and excessive spending, John's fortune is estimated at £250 million, making him one of the wealthiest people in the music and entertainment industry. ~ [Source:Wikipedia]

Roll Call .....

For John Lennon see Number 639

For Pete Townshend see Number 556

For Toto see Number 956

What does Rolling Stone think about Sir Elton?

Jump Up is the album that redeems Elton John from his famine years as a fallen superstar exiled to less verdant pastures. Showing more spunk than anyone might have expected at this late date, he's put himself back on top simply by making a tour de force of a record that says he knows he's worth it. Even if he never again comes close to inciting the mass hysteria of the mid-Seventies, the sheer stylistic breadth of Jump Up should secure Elton John's reputation as a rare master of pop form.

From the muscular lurch of "Dear John" to the Philly-soul stylings of "Princess," Elton is feeling frisky again. Those trademark piano rolls and crisp cadences never sounded so good as on "Spiteful Child," and he's found a new expressiveness in his singing (witness the dramatic, mock-Brechtian reading of "Legal Boys," which redresses the paper chasers with eloquent vehemence). And, for a guest-celebrity change of pace, there's "Ball and Chain," a catchy little tune that rolls along to the inimitable percussive strum of Pete Townshend's acoustic guitar.

Lyric-writing duties are divided between Gary Osborne and Bernie Taupin. The former seems to coax a more effervescent melody from John, while the latter plumbs for emotional intensity – be it vengeance ("Spiteful Child") or sentimentality ("Empty Garden," a heartfelt paean to John Lennon). Elton John just might be rock & roll's equivalent of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. His songs have a kind of mechanical vigor, he's a one-man pop-music assembly line, but the guy's got a heart that won't quit. "I am your robot/I am your robot man," he sings on Jump Up, in a way that suggests he's content with this self-assessment. Yeah, he may be a robot, but he's our robot, all right. God bless him. (RS 370)

Artist Fact File

Name:Elton John...................Related to³:No-one

Yrs Active:1964 to now............Site:www.eltonjohn.com

Best Song¹:Candle in the Wind.....#1fan:www.eltonfan.com

Best Album²:Captain Fantastic.....Grammy Awards:5

Albums Sold:250 Million +.........Next best thing:Billy Joel

¹Number of downloads WINMX ²Artistdirect choice ³Associated acts or collaborations

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Blue Eyes?) and the Album ranked at Number (No way)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 74.3 out of 108 pts

Lyrics to the song

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