WISE MEN SAY
LOOKS LIKE RAIN TODAY
IT CRACKLED ON THE SPEAKERS
AND TRICKLED DOWN
THE SLEEPY SUBWAY TRAINS
Elton John :
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
(50th Anniversary Edition)
Elton John
was in the midst of a
prolific run of
unimaginable success,
having broken into
the mainstream in 1970
to become the
biggest star on the planet.
His 9th album
in six years,
Captain Fantastic
and the
Brown Dirt Cowboy,
would break new ground
in a plethora of ways.
A concept album
devised with Elton’s
longtime collaborator
and lyricist
Bernie Taupin,
it told the chronological story
of the early years of Elton
(Captain Fantastic)
and Bernie’s
(the Brown Dirt Cowboy)
musical careers in London
as they struggled
to break through.
Featuring the single
“Someone Saved My Life Tonight,”
the album went on to become
the first in history to
debut at #1
on the
US Billboard 200
and the first to be
certified Gold
upon its release
due to the number of
pre-orders.
It sold 1.4 million copies
in its first four days
and remained at the
top of the chart
for 7 weeks.
Captain Fantastic
and the
Brown Dirt Cowboy
was written aboard
The SS France at the time,
the world’s longest passenger liner
as Elton was taking the
leisurely route back to the US
for a breather in a very hectic year.
With a sheaf of words already provided
by lyricist
Bernie Taupin,
Elton wrote the music
using downtime in the
liner’s music room,
the Salon Debussy,
committing everything
to memory as he didn’t have
a tape recorder,
before recording at
Caribou Ranch with
longtime producer
Gus Dudgeon.
Despite lacking the mega hits
of its predecessors,
Bernie’s wonderfully evocative lyrics
combined with Elton’s
achingly beautiful melodies
to create a discrete masterpiece
that sits alone amongst
Elton’s work of the 70s,
becoming one of the
biggest-selling
cult albums of all time.
At its heart,
it’s an album about the
unbreakable kinship
its writers shared,
Full of intense
platonic love songs
between the
best of friends.
Alan Aldridge’s
iconic album artwork
is one of the most
instantly recognisable
designs of the decade,
placing Elton in the
centre of a fanciful
imaginary landscape,
escaping from his
rainy suburban bubble
and riding his piano
through the many distractions
of pop stardom.
Speaking on the album,
Elton John says:
“Captain Fantastic
and the
Brown Dirt Cowboy
was the first album
I’d ever made that was
autobiographical,
and it was the first time
we’d gone into the studio
with all the songs already written.
We rehearsed it as a band,
then went in and cut it
more or less live.
The band were at their
absolute peak and
you can hear it
on the record.
I think it’s the best thing
we ever did.
The songs were strong,
Bernie’s lyrics were brilliant,
and the atmosphere at
Caribou was perfect.
Seeing it go to
Number One
faster than anything
I’d ever released
felt like vindication,
like the culmination of
everything Bernie
and I had fought for
back in those
bedsits in London.”
Speaking on the album,
Bernie Taupin says:
“Of all our recorded output
Captain Fantastic
has a very special place
in my heart.
Obviously it was
emotionally rewarding
as it chronicled
a very special time
in our lives.
I’m not by nature
one to wallow
in nostalgia
but hearing this album
once again
50 years on
reminds me of how
very deep our
bond of friendship
and creativity ran.”
This 50th anniversary edition
suite contains the
2016 remaster
of the original album,
previously unreleased
session demos,
plus Elton’s live performance
of tracks from the album,
recorded during
2005
for the album’s
30th anniversary
TRACKLIST
CD 1
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy
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