Madman Across the Water [Remaster] - John, Elton (CD 1996)

For longer than most musicians have had careers, Elton John has been putting out some of the most deplorable, inadequate music the world has ever seen. After wading through his awful eighties and nineties stuff, you would be forgiven for thinking that the man is simply incapable of putting out an album of solid, likable music that can be enjoyed by people who are not diehard fans of sickening bubble gum pop. Nonetheless, if you go far back enough to the early 1970 s you may be surprised to find some honest-to-goodness quality music released by no other than Sir Elton John. I am not entirely sure just when it was that Elton went so far off the rails but from the evidence of his two albums that I own, he was in fact once one of the most talented, interesting and not-entirely-heartless purveyors of classic-rock/pop. He was one genuinely impressive songwriter (helped ably by lyricist Bernie Taupin) who, with his formidable piano-playing skills and soulful, expressive voice, was able to take these melodies and transform them into some of rock and roll s most memorable songs. His 1971 album Madman Across the Water is a perfect example of his once impressive talents.

One of the first things you may notice when listening to this album is that for a pop album, it does not adhere to the more typical conventions of most pop-music. Pop music is generally thought of as being short, snappy, insubstantial and happy . Here though, next-to-none of the songs clock in at less than four minutes and they are almost without exception slow, serious affairs that hardly live up to Elton s fruity persona. Still, like all good pop music the melodies here are both catchy and memorable and the lyrics, though often incomprehensible, complement the music perfectly. The album also has a very definite mood about it, something that s evident from the very first listen. Precisely what the mood is it s hard to tell but terms like mellow, melancholic and somber definitely come to mind. This all encompassing atmosphere does make the album slightly monotonous but this is one of the few cases where the monotony is ultimately beneficial. You really should listen to the album in one sitting to properly appreciate it because once the better songs (which are quite fittingly placed at the beginning) get you into the right frame of mind, even the worst song still sounds perfectly fine.

The album opens up with what is probably the most well known number here, Tiny Dancer, the very song that convinced me to give Elton John s classic period a chance. Like, I am sure, many people I first came across Tiny Dancer in that classic bus scene in Cameron Crowe s Almost Famous and I was hooked after just one listen. It s the sort of songs that Elton is most famous for, a rousing and utterly beautiful piano ballad that is noteworthy (that is, more noteworthy) for it s heartbreakingly sincere chorus and some wonderfully tasteful string arrangement, not to mention some typically great Elton John piano playing. Tiny Dancer was apparently released as a single but for some reason never sold all that well. The other single taken from the album, Levon, did little better but it might even be a better song than Tiny Dancer though then again, maybe not. Levon, with its fairly complex melody and indecipherable lyrics, is the first song on the album to show the fairly obvious influence that the at-the-time massively popular progressive-rock had on Elton John. Of course, maybe I am reading too much into it. Maybe it s just that Levon is simply constructed so perfectly and so immaculately that it can t help but be compared to the similarly precise prog-rock. Whatever, whichever genre the song falls under, Levon is Elton John at the top of his game epic, powerful and mercilessly entertaining and yet again backed by a magnificently professional backing band, with the strings in particular being (yet again) particularly striking.

After these two masterpieces most consider the next song, Razor Face, to be something of a let down. They re right of course, this playfully slight little number is hardly a match for the majestic splendor of the last two songs but then again, it isn t really trying to be. Razor Face is a thoroughly enjoyable throwaway that is brilliantly used as a breather between Tiny Dancer, Levon and the monstrous (but in a good way) title track. I say monstrous because even if Levon isn t a prog song Madman Across the Water surely is and much like many a prog-rock song, Madman Across the Water is BIG. This is not a song that could ever merely pass you by. No, Madman is the sort of rock song that grabs you by the scruff of your shirt, not letting you go until it has had its final say. The complex melody moves between the softer, plaintive sections and their harsh, angry, almost violent counterparts seamlessly, culminating in a song that is easily one of Elton John s darkest numbers ever (or at least it is from what I ve heard).

The second side of the album is a definite drop down from the first but it still manages to hold its own. The side begins with yet another epic number but in comparison with what came before it s fairly tame. Not that Indian Sunset is a complete disaster, mind you. It s made up of two melodies that though they aren t quite sufficiently different enough from one another to justify the six-minute length, they re both quite beautiful and the song would be a bona fide highlight if it were included on a later Elton John album. On here it s just good, which all things considered isn t bad (am I profound or what?). Anyway, as much as I enjoy Indian Sunset and despite my seeming lack of enthusiasm, I do like it the next two songs are far superior. The first of these, Holiday Inn, is a fairly straightforward road-type ballad that I can t help but utterly love, not only for yet another noteworthy anthemic chorus but also for the superb use of acoustic guitar and the very distinctive mandolin. Most people tend to ignore this song but as far as I m concerned it s one of my favourites here. Perhaps even better though, is the next song Rotten Peaches, which is yet another piano-pop song that would definitely feel at home on this album s immediate predecessor, Tumbleweed Connection. To avoid repetition I m just going to say this: everything you could ever want from pop song is on full display here and Elton s singing has never been better.

Closing off the album we have its two worst songs. The first, All the Nasties is an embarrassing attempt on Elton John s part to emulate the Beatles Hey Jude. Aside for being far too long and far too repetitive, it has some of the cheesiest, most annoying gospel backing vocals I ve heard in a good long while. Still, it s the only real gaff on the album so I won t penalize Elton too much here. The last song though is even more frustrating. Not because it s bad, it s really quite excellent really but because this exceptionally beautiful song lasts a grand total of a minute while a horrible mess like All the Nasties goes on for what seems like forever. On the other hand, if the intention was to make the listener finish the album wanting more, he certainly succeeded at that.

Ultimately, Madman Across the Water is a rock masterpiece that was perhaps overshadowed by all the other masterpieces released in the 1971. It may have its flaws but as an overall album it s near perfect. Besides, it only has three or four of the greatest songs ever released by anyone anywhere, so it can t really be all that bad now can it? This album has quite securely made me into a HUGE early Elton John fan, something that a but a few short months ago I would have thought possible and if you re not one already, it may well make you one too.