Post by Phil Seaman on Jul 29, 2005 19:49:46 GMT
23 / Sleeping With The Past / 1989
Elton's drug addiction had started to affect his music around 1984, and he had become almost elderly in appearance by 1989. Therefore, the drug addicts latest album came as somewhat of a suprise. Durban Deep is a good Reggae style track, and Healing Hands is a pop-rocker in the same successful vain that he managed at the beginning of the decade. Club At The End Of The Street has a good sax break, the title track is a nice rocker, and Sacrifice is a nice 80's ballad. I Never Knew Her Name is a good uptempo number, in a new style for Elton. Amazes Me is his best gospel number for over a decade, and the closer Blue Avenue is his most traditional ballad since 'Breaking Hearts'. Only the weak 80's ballad Whispers fails to meet the grade. A suprising success, although the 80's production hasnt dated well, and there is a distinct lack of instrumentation and piano work, maybe because Elton was too physically weak to play properly.
Best Songs: Healing Hands, Sleeping With The Past, Sacrifice, Never Knew Her Name, Blue Avenue
Avoid: Whispers
8/10
24 / The One / 1992
Elton stopped his drug taking and released a coherent album soon after. The production again lets this one down, with an over polishing act ruining many of the songs. Simple Life, the title track, and The Last Song are touching ballads, and Whitewash Country is the only decent country song Elton had recorded up to this point, and features some top piano work, as does Sweat It Out, which almost makes up for the awful hip-hop style of the rest of the song. I believe Elton actually raps at this point. When A Woman Doesnt Want You, and The North are ok ballads, but there are probably a few too many on this one. Overall it is a suprisingly heartless album due to the production - if it was more raw it would be much, much better. And On Dark Street is cheesy as they get.
Best Songs: Whitewash County, The Last Song, The One
Avoid: On Dark Street
6/10
25 / Made In England / 1995
Elton released this album, which brought back memories of his early 70's past, after a 3 year hiatus. Believe is a really moody ballad that is top quality, Made In England is a nice rock-pop number, and Cold reflects some of his mid-70s ballads in a good way, although it drags on a tad. Belfast is a orchestrated epic which would fit in on the 'Elton John' album, and Latitude and Please offer a new pop-rock style for Elton, with original melody and nice instrumentation. Man is a new-age ballad that succeeds, unlike the dreary House, the most generic song Elton has ever written. Lies is his best uptempo song for a while, with a killer piano solo, and Blessed is nice. The production is superb for the first time in a long time, with a more natural feel to it. A top album.
Best Songs: Believe, Made In England, Belfast, Please, Man, Lies, The Last Song
Avoid: House
8.5/10
26 / The Big Picture / 1998
Elton decieded to release an Adult-Alternative album just after the death of Princess Diana, and the re-working of Candle Of The Wind. This caused many people to see him as a soft, soft pop artist, and it ruined his reputation. All the songs on here are overproduced pop ballads, with only the title track, January, I Can't Steer My Heart Away From You, and Wicked Dreams surfacing out of the dreary songwriting and production. Live Like Horses might have been a good song if it was properly produced. However the only song thats actually any good on the album is Something About The Way You Look Tonight, with its brass backing and decent melody. Awful.
Best Song: Something About The Way You Look Tonight
Avoid: Everything, except for Live Like Horses
1/10
27 / Songs From The West Coast / 2001
After four years, Elton decided to release an album that relived his past, and largely succeeded. Original Sin is a nice ballad, and Look Ma No Hands and Birds offer some reasonable up-tempo fare. The best songs on the album are all at the end, with The Wasteland a decent bluesy rocker, Love Her Like Me would fit easily on 'Made In England', and is a good uptempo number. Mansfield is the gem of the crop, with great orchestration and an interesting song structure and melody. This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore is the most traditional Elton-esque ballad he's released for 25 years. The bare-bones nature of the production means the songs are allowed to blossom through their own qualities, all but the dire Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes, which is the musical equivilent of watching paint dry. And I Want Love is the best single Elton had released since the early 80's, a trademark mid-tempo Elton number with nice guitar solo. A postitive success from Elton.
Best Songs: I Want Love, The Wasteland, Love Her Like Me, Mansfield, This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore
Avoid: The Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes
9/10
28 / Greatest Hits 1970-2002 / 2002
Elton's greatest single releases, which were often not the best songs on the album, particuarly in the early years. There is also too much overreliance on the 1980's period. A reasonable starting point, but pick up one of the early albums instead.
6/10
29 / Peachtree Road / 2005
Expectations were high after the previous release, so when this unoriginal and uninspired album was released, many were disappointed. The country twinge to the album fails to work in the same way as it did on 'Tumbleweed Connection', with the simplistic melody and chord progressions of almost every song failing to inspire positive comments. Weight Of The World, My Elusive Drug, They Call Her The Cat, Too Many Tears and It's Getting Dark In Here all struggle to create interesting choruses and are boring crap. Porch Swing In Tupelo has a reasonably catchy chorus, as does Freaks In Love. All That I'm Allowed is a bog-standard pop ballad. The only good songs on here are Answer In The Sky, which is reasonably catchy mid-tempo fare, Turn The Lights Out When You Leave is excellent countryfied pop, and I Can't Keep This From You would be brilliant if it wasnt for some generic lyrics and a slightly weak end to the chorus. The lyrics on the album are generally the worst Bernie Taupin has ever scribed. In fact, I Stop And I Breathe is one of the most generic songs I have ever heard. A poor album, it feels as if Elton is losing the will to write good songs.
Best Songs: Turn The Lights Out When You Leave, I Can't Keep This From You
Avoid: Weight Of The World, My Elusive Drug, They Call Her The Cat, Too Many Tears, It's Getting Dark In Here, I Stop And I Breathe.
3/10
Elton's drug addiction had started to affect his music around 1984, and he had become almost elderly in appearance by 1989. Therefore, the drug addicts latest album came as somewhat of a suprise. Durban Deep is a good Reggae style track, and Healing Hands is a pop-rocker in the same successful vain that he managed at the beginning of the decade. Club At The End Of The Street has a good sax break, the title track is a nice rocker, and Sacrifice is a nice 80's ballad. I Never Knew Her Name is a good uptempo number, in a new style for Elton. Amazes Me is his best gospel number for over a decade, and the closer Blue Avenue is his most traditional ballad since 'Breaking Hearts'. Only the weak 80's ballad Whispers fails to meet the grade. A suprising success, although the 80's production hasnt dated well, and there is a distinct lack of instrumentation and piano work, maybe because Elton was too physically weak to play properly.
Best Songs: Healing Hands, Sleeping With The Past, Sacrifice, Never Knew Her Name, Blue Avenue
Avoid: Whispers
8/10
24 / The One / 1992
Elton stopped his drug taking and released a coherent album soon after. The production again lets this one down, with an over polishing act ruining many of the songs. Simple Life, the title track, and The Last Song are touching ballads, and Whitewash Country is the only decent country song Elton had recorded up to this point, and features some top piano work, as does Sweat It Out, which almost makes up for the awful hip-hop style of the rest of the song. I believe Elton actually raps at this point. When A Woman Doesnt Want You, and The North are ok ballads, but there are probably a few too many on this one. Overall it is a suprisingly heartless album due to the production - if it was more raw it would be much, much better. And On Dark Street is cheesy as they get.
Best Songs: Whitewash County, The Last Song, The One
Avoid: On Dark Street
6/10
25 / Made In England / 1995
Elton released this album, which brought back memories of his early 70's past, after a 3 year hiatus. Believe is a really moody ballad that is top quality, Made In England is a nice rock-pop number, and Cold reflects some of his mid-70s ballads in a good way, although it drags on a tad. Belfast is a orchestrated epic which would fit in on the 'Elton John' album, and Latitude and Please offer a new pop-rock style for Elton, with original melody and nice instrumentation. Man is a new-age ballad that succeeds, unlike the dreary House, the most generic song Elton has ever written. Lies is his best uptempo song for a while, with a killer piano solo, and Blessed is nice. The production is superb for the first time in a long time, with a more natural feel to it. A top album.
Best Songs: Believe, Made In England, Belfast, Please, Man, Lies, The Last Song
Avoid: House
8.5/10
26 / The Big Picture / 1998
Elton decieded to release an Adult-Alternative album just after the death of Princess Diana, and the re-working of Candle Of The Wind. This caused many people to see him as a soft, soft pop artist, and it ruined his reputation. All the songs on here are overproduced pop ballads, with only the title track, January, I Can't Steer My Heart Away From You, and Wicked Dreams surfacing out of the dreary songwriting and production. Live Like Horses might have been a good song if it was properly produced. However the only song thats actually any good on the album is Something About The Way You Look Tonight, with its brass backing and decent melody. Awful.
Best Song: Something About The Way You Look Tonight
Avoid: Everything, except for Live Like Horses
1/10
27 / Songs From The West Coast / 2001
After four years, Elton decided to release an album that relived his past, and largely succeeded. Original Sin is a nice ballad, and Look Ma No Hands and Birds offer some reasonable up-tempo fare. The best songs on the album are all at the end, with The Wasteland a decent bluesy rocker, Love Her Like Me would fit easily on 'Made In England', and is a good uptempo number. Mansfield is the gem of the crop, with great orchestration and an interesting song structure and melody. This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore is the most traditional Elton-esque ballad he's released for 25 years. The bare-bones nature of the production means the songs are allowed to blossom through their own qualities, all but the dire Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes, which is the musical equivilent of watching paint dry. And I Want Love is the best single Elton had released since the early 80's, a trademark mid-tempo Elton number with nice guitar solo. A postitive success from Elton.
Best Songs: I Want Love, The Wasteland, Love Her Like Me, Mansfield, This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore
Avoid: The Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes
9/10
28 / Greatest Hits 1970-2002 / 2002
Elton's greatest single releases, which were often not the best songs on the album, particuarly in the early years. There is also too much overreliance on the 1980's period. A reasonable starting point, but pick up one of the early albums instead.
6/10
29 / Peachtree Road / 2005
Expectations were high after the previous release, so when this unoriginal and uninspired album was released, many were disappointed. The country twinge to the album fails to work in the same way as it did on 'Tumbleweed Connection', with the simplistic melody and chord progressions of almost every song failing to inspire positive comments. Weight Of The World, My Elusive Drug, They Call Her The Cat, Too Many Tears and It's Getting Dark In Here all struggle to create interesting choruses and are boring crap. Porch Swing In Tupelo has a reasonably catchy chorus, as does Freaks In Love. All That I'm Allowed is a bog-standard pop ballad. The only good songs on here are Answer In The Sky, which is reasonably catchy mid-tempo fare, Turn The Lights Out When You Leave is excellent countryfied pop, and I Can't Keep This From You would be brilliant if it wasnt for some generic lyrics and a slightly weak end to the chorus. The lyrics on the album are generally the worst Bernie Taupin has ever scribed. In fact, I Stop And I Breathe is one of the most generic songs I have ever heard. A poor album, it feels as if Elton is losing the will to write good songs.
Best Songs: Turn The Lights Out When You Leave, I Can't Keep This From You
Avoid: Weight Of The World, My Elusive Drug, They Call Her The Cat, Too Many Tears, It's Getting Dark In Here, I Stop And I Breathe.
3/10
