Elton John, "Madman Across the Water"
Ken goes mad for Captain Fantastic
Ken’s Pitch:
Before he won multiple Oscars, before he won a Tony for scoring the musical Aida, and before he won any of his Grammys (if I do the math correctly, this guy is an Emmy away from becoming an EGOT), he was a hard-rocking British pianist who pioneered a new sound. Take away the bedazzled sport coats, the sunglasses that would make a supermodel blush, and the Carmen Miranda-esque headpieces, and you’re left with a guy who writes some incredible, piano-based rock!
Most rock music made in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s was largely guitar-driven. Elton asked the question, what would you get if the guitar became the accompaniment and the piano was the lead? He and Bernie Taupin answered that question with Madman Across the Water, and the answer was a straight-up rock album that kicks ass!
Before I get into the album, I think we should all admit that in the realm of first-ballot Hall of Fame (rock) songwriting duos, there’s Lennon & McCartney, Page & Plant, Jagger & Richards, Garcia & Hunter, and Elton John and Bernie Taupin! If you want to throw Leiber & Stoller or Ashford & Simpson in there too I won’t argue with you. But I think it’s important to note that the duo credited with writing every song on Madman are among the biggest hitters the 20th century gave us.
It’s a challenge listening to a 49-year old album, pretending that it’s all new to your critical ear. But try! Try to listen without knowing that “Levon” was an international megahit that you’ve heard 1,000 times, or that “Tiny Dancer” is burned into your brain because of the movie Almost Famous.
So you’ve got an amazing songwriting duo, flipping the script on traditional rock band norms by making the piano the lead instrument. Add in the production genius of Paul Buckmaster and Davey Johnstone, who threw in everything from backup singers to mandolin, to strings, to an all-male chorus in such a way that it all fits perfectly together.
I wish I could end my pitch there, but we have to address the tiny, little elephant in the room that is “Indian Sunset”. Back in 1971, in the age of the Washington Redskins, Chief Wahoo, and when we were still taught in school to use the word Indian when referring to Native Americans, a crazy English guy in a sequined blazer wrote a song in first-person format, from the perspective of an indigenous person. He was trying to be empathetic and kind...let’s just leave it at that. Skip that track if you must (I always do), but don’t blame Elton for the institutional racism and cultural appropriation that we were all very guilty of back then. And other than “Indian Sunset”, which is a beautiful song if you can get past the cringingly inappropriate societal tone-deafness, this is a near perfect album. Enjoy!
Mitch’s Response:
Amongst my biggest regrets in life was suggesting that we limit the pitch responses to 300 words, as I would happily write a Unabomber length manifesto about the absolute insanity of this album. Then again, perhaps I am the titular madman as I subjected myself to this aural nightmare 6 times. I was convinced that I was missing something, that there was beauty and magic that I couldn’t hear contained within. But as the great Principal Skinner once said, “Am I out of touch? No, it’s the children that are wrong.”
The album starts well with “Tiny Dancer,” the rare classic that is undimmed by being overplayed. Strong start. “Levon” is musically nice but the lyrics are stupid and what kind of balloon man can afford private school tuition? “Razor Face” is what happens when you want to write a Disney soundtrack but decide to smoke a lot of angel dust before the session. “Madman Across the Water” has a cool vibe but doesn’t go anywhere. “Indian Sunset” is awaiting trial at The Hague for crimes against humanity. On “Holiday Inn” Elton commits yet another sin by claiming the title of ‘rock and roll man’ while not rocking in the slightest bit. All the backing vocals in the world couldn’t sweeten up the whiny tale of life on the road that is “Rotten Peaches’”. Even Meatloaf would be embarrassed by the endless musical theater schlock of “All the Nasties”. Mercifully, Elton releases us from the asylum with the pleasant but anodyne “Goodbye”.
In the end, the real madman was revealed to be Ken, who somehow thought that he could overcome my well-known indifference to Reginald Dwight with this spectacularly awful, unlistenable, horrific entry. File this one under: “funeral for a friend”.
Pitch Failed (people with razor faces shouldn’t sell balloons)
CJ’s Response:
I don’t think I’ve ever listened to an Elton John album from beginning to end before today. Not because I don’t want to hear what Elton has to say. I just have my favorite songs and I don’t feel any pressing need to add to that list. Now it just so happens that two of my preferred cuts appear on Madman—the title track and “Tiny Dancer.” So, I went into this exercise with a fair amount of optimism.
Three of the first four songs were very familiar, the two I mentioned above and the cryptic “Levon.” In between is something called “Razor Face” which may be about cocaine or could just be Elton and Bernie angling to be the official jingle writers for Gillette. In any case, it’s a microcosm of what I think is wrong with the album as a whole.
It’s overproduced.
If that sounds like an obnoxious music critic’s review, I don’t mean it to. It’s just that there’s too much going on in just about every song. Too many strings. Too many backing vocals. Too much reverb. And, honestly, too much weight given to lyrics that amount to “Woe is me. I’m a rock star and have to travel around staying in cheap hotels.”
Truth is, there are some real clunkers on here. I’m not sure I need to hear “Rotten Peaches” or “All the Nasties” again. And I know Ken gave us fair warning on “Indian Sunset,” but as long as we’re tearing down statues of imperialist conquerors we should probably expunge this song from the history books as well.
My favorite song is actually the last one, “Goodbye.” It’s basically the opposite of everything else on this album. Just Elton and his piano, a subdued string section and some lovely lyric poetry. Simple and beautiful.
So, while I will be adding “Goodbye” to my favorites immediately I won’t be playing Madman Across The Water again anytime soon.
Pitch Failed (Not my cup of Earl Grey.)
Don’s Response:
It’s nearly 3 weeks since Halloween and our family has polished off almost all the treats. The only remaining evidence is the lingering bowl of candy corn which started strong but was never finished.
Elton John is the candy corn of rock/pop music. When one of his better tunes infiltrates your playlist, it’s tasty. It reminds you of his other good songs, and makes you think, “hey, I need more of that.” But after a few bites, the intrigue fades, and you realize it’s all empty calories.
Madman Across The Water gets off to a sweet start with “Tiny Dancer.” Delicious. Then “Levon,” which is fun and colorful until about half way through when it loses its appeal and you start to wonder whether this “classic” is even any good.
But hey, why not have a few more of these. “Razor Face” is terrible and good at the same time. Along the way you realize everything is the same. Elton starts crooning, accompanied only by his own piano, then a reluctant string instrument enters during the second verse before percussion finally kicks in, giving the song a temporary jolt, only to cease building.
By contrast, the title track actually begins mercifully with acoustic guitar, but suffers desperately from its redundant riff, droning but never taking off. Even Elton himself can’t hit the note when he belts, “water.”
At this point I blacked out. The rest is ersatz schmaltz. It’s proto yacht rock, only less filling. All guilt, little pleasure. Too many tricks, not enough treats.
Pitch Failed (All that’s left in the candy bowl are butterscotch Dum-Dums and vanilla Tootsie rolls.)
Ken’s pitch was unsuccessful and Elton John’s Madman Across the Water has been exiled.
Thanks for reading! Is Ken crazy for loving Elton John’s Madman Across the Water? Join the conversation and throw some rotten peaches our way: