Madman Across The Water

Irgendwas zwischen 3 und 4. Schon schöne Popmucke ala Bowie. Aber irgendwie auch eintönig irgendwann.

I'm not into Elton enough to do anything other than spin a greatest hits album once in a blue moon

Zelfs de hitjes van Elton zijn mij onbekend en had altijd 't idee dat er sowieso een hekel aan zou hebben, maar dat bleek niet helemaal waar.

Ik kan Elton wel waarderen. Niet alles is even sterk, maar die opener is echt classic!

Best prettig album en de beste man kan ook echt wel iets. Maar zo op 2/3e van de plaat begon het Disney-gehalte me wel een beetje tegen te staan. Alsof je naar een musical zit te luisteren waar maar geen einde aan komt. Iets teveel van het goede.

Helemaal niet zo pompeus als ik had verwacht. Mooi, maar het bleef niet hangen.

Szkoda, że country

One legendary tune, several less impressive but not terrible

3rd December 2021 Listened on my way from the work Christmas party to JWs for poker. Hazy. Not much to remember from this due to the circumstances I listened to it in, but I have fond memories.

Decent enough rock music, but nothing on here was so good to make me think "oh, that's why Elton John is a household name".

Meh

3.5

This was a very nice listen, but kind of boring

Klassiker så att säga

Samma sak om och om igen. Lät ändå helt bra

A mood is set early on and doesn't stray far. Good song writing and fine singing. It follows a popular path of the time but lacks the musical spark that would raise the score. That spark would turn out to be only a few months away.

Its very soft rock/easy listening, which isn't what I usually go for. But the songwriting is good enough to give it a light 3

Elton's got much better albums than this one.

I am not into Elton's music, but this was a pleasant hearing. Tiny dancer is a fucking classic

5.5

Ok album. Did not listen much to it.

Tiny Dancer remains infectious even if I don't particularly like it. Some dodgy stuff about Native Americans which shows its age. I hadn't heard this album before yesterday, but it contained virtually zero surprises. It sounds like I imagine Madman Across the Water by Elton John would sound. Not a huge fan of John's singing, which often sounds like he's trying to suppress a belch.

Good, but not yellow brick good

Lyssnade på 3 låtar, inte min stil

GREAT singles, the other songs didn't move me

weird but pretty great. Jamaican Jerk-off?

It's solid Elton John, it has Levon and Tiny Dancer right off the top. Those are A grade Elton John, the rest is kinda average? Makes me wonder if EJ is one of those artists where the hits are really all you need? Idk. I give it a like, but not like a great. Will figure out rating system tomorrow.

Ik vind het soms een beetje erg veel geluid

Really strong album with some great songs. I'll likely listen to again.

6/10

Loved every second of it.

Elton John, de piano man, vriend van LHTBI-er Boy Georg. Iemand die misschien vaak onderschat wordt omdat hij een beetje een karikatuur is. Dit album begint meteen goed en herkenbaar: "Tiny Dancer". De rest is heel goede achtergrondmuziek, maar het blijft een beetje achtergrondmuziek. Lekker vrolijke melodietjes met een serieuze zang. Goed album maar zeker NIET een van de 1000 die je moet horen als bucket-list dingetje. ***

Starts strong with a classic banger, but then sort of tappers into being very forgettable

A few standout tracks, but I feel like most of the rest sound the same. I normally listen to Elton John via a Best Of playlist and I think I'll stick to that.

No rocketman

Seis. Ouço enquanto corro numa praia do Pacífico. Tudo é real com o comando certo. MotA: Tiny Dancer "Blue-jean baby, LA Lady"

I liked this - I would certainly buy the LP at a decent price

It's alright

Heard a few of these songs before, but really good as an album together

Obviously tiny dancer is the biggest track on this album. However, the title track is fairly enjoyable too. Overall I’d give it a 3.5/5

Love tiny dancer, the rest are ok

I appreciate the song writing but it doesn't connect with me.

Some nice tracks but hurt by the fact that every song sounds the same

Tiny Dancer is obviously an amazing opener. The rest of the album sounds very same-y though, not a lot of variety. It's definitely not a bad album, but I wouldn't actively seek it out.

3, it's fine. Tiny Dancer sets a high bar that the rest doesn't really reach.

Didn’t listen

This album is clearly on here because of Tiny Dancer, which makes sense. The rest of the album is good, but it wouldn't be my "go to" album in general.

Tony Danza

"Elton John is a treasure." - Ashley Nicole Shega

Tiny dancer 😎

Interesting, obviously aware of Tiny Dancer track but a good album. Could be coming back for another listen some time soon.

OK.

I love the fabulousness of Elton John, the glitter and the fun and feeling, and this one had a bit of that but not all of them. Tiny dancer is a total banger though.

O homem compõe bem, as músicas são catitas, se algum dia for preciso um conjunto de baladas, não sei se são mas soam a tal, este álbum é bom para tal. Nota:5/10

Favourite Songs: Tiny Dancer & Indian Sunset

Adventurous lyrical themes and slick production. Will listen again.

Better than I was expecting, some nice surprises but the opener is the easy highlight. Best track: Tiny Dancer

Decent album. Elton is clearly a great songwriter, taking the firm of a Native American, a farmer and I think maybe Jesus at certain points in the album. The issue is, I don't really like his voice and feel in the hands of a different singer, the sings could fly higher. Best tracks: Levon & Indian Sunset.

Listened to the MFSL CD from Red. Never heard the full album before. Liked it!

Good pop Songs, Quite interesting Piano. Not my kind of vibe but I can't deny it is a good album. 3 stars though

It was fine, but but it didn't show how good Elton John is. A bit boring

Let the record state, I love Elton John but this album didn't entirely grab me. I think I need another listen but there were a few songs that were brilliant.

The vast majority of Elton’s tunes I’ve heard in the last decade + were songs I knew so it was unusual to listen to this album given I didn’t know most the songs. I understand session musicians were used extensively. This isn’t positive since the band seems to be missing the team like sound. It isn’t fatal since the piano man and the singer know each other well, lol , but there isn’t the natural ability to jam. Razor Face is a noticeable exception as there is a great jam in that one helped along by Rick Wakeman’s excellent organ playing. Wakeman also played keyboards for Bowie on Life on Mars around the same time. I guess he hoe’d himself out a far bit before his days with Yes. It sounds like Elton has his church choir singing back up on All the Nasties. Perhaps Wakeman introduced a few session singers from the warehouse where he stores his organ. It’s a fine album but Elton’s best was to come later so I will hold back the high ratings for later treats from Elton & Bernie.

First thought - if you had no knowledge of EJ, this album cover would be quite misleading when the first notes hit on the piano 🤣

Peaks at the first song, massively

Tiny dancer really stands out, the rest relatively bland, coke fueled ballads. Strings are good. The Indian song is hilarious

This is the first time I've listened to a full album by Elton John. The hits are great, especially Levon. Both Bernie & John had their A game for that one. As for the rest, I like the arrangements and the way that some songs do a long fadeout while the (talented) band jams but the songs didn't really catch my attention.

Good

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie Almost Famous was when the band and groupies were singing Tiny Dancer on the team bus. Just a brilliant song by Elton John. Levon also shows off his excellent vocal range and Bernie Taupin’s song writing skills. This album isn’t their best but it’s still a very strong effort

Not as great as the other album of his on this list but still ok to listen to. It has a few hits on it but Tiny Dancer takes too long to get to the good part. No wonder the radio edit shortens the beginning.

Tiny dancer is great! rest of the album is solid too.

I do love me some Elton, has some bangers, however not my favorite album

I watched the Elton John movie not too long ago and did not like it. But I liked this album. I get it. Great singles. Also liked Rotten Peaches and Holiday Inn (even though Chingy did it better). All the songs sound like Elton John. It's fun.

Pretty good but not his best

I like Elton John, especially his early work. Levon is one of my favorites. I would say this album has a few great songs (Levon, Tiny Dancer, Madman Across the Water) and the rest are sort of filler. 3 stars.

I have never been a big Elton John fan but it's impossible to deny the cultural force of songs like "Tiny Dancer," and I enjoyed hearing it in the album context. Some good oddballs here, like "Razor Face" - never heard it but it is a fun jam. "Rotten Peaches" sounds like a parody, like they took some words and put them in an "Elton John" style. I don't know... doesn't excite me but on par for Elton John.

With how much I admire the persona of Elton John, I really want to like his music more.

Meh.

I really only truly enjoyed Tiny Dancer from this one. Great pianist and singer, but not really my favorite songwriter.

Enjoyable album, love a bit of Elton John. I felt that every song on this sounded like each other, but with interchanging instruments taking the front of the melody. Only listened once though unfortunately.

Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza. This is a tough one since my first impression was "Oh, great. Elton John". But even listening to Tiny Dancer I was thinking "Y'know, this song is actually really good. It's just I've heard it so much it's lost any novelty. If I heard this the first time I would be blown away." So many details/harmonies/production things going on in this track. It's like Elton John's "Hey Jude" for me. I've actually heard more of these tracks than I thought. I can't deny that this album is very, very good. It doesn't necessarily match my tastes though.

The record has the sound I would expect from Elton John. These are not yet the songs that are high on my list of Elton John songs.

Liked this way more than I expected to - rich songwriting and lyrics that drew me in

Innolla odotinkin ensimmäistä Elton John -levyä listalla. Keväällä katsotun Rocketman-leffan jälkeen sain jonkinlaisen inspiraation herran musiikkiin, mutta tuolloin kuuntelu keskittyi lähinnä hitteihin. Tältä levyltä ainoa tuttu biisi oli avauskappale Tiny Dancer. Valitettavasti tuon jälkeen taso tuntuukin menevän alaspäin reippaasti. Hyvä levy, mutta kuitenkin jonkinlainen pettymys hittitykitykseen verrattuna. Ehkä Goodbye Yellow Brick Road on sitten se levy joka saa paremmat arvostelut.

Kanske inte Eltons bästa skiva. Tony Dancer är väl bästa låten.

tiny dancer e 2pac

The album starts with the hit song 'Tiny Dancer'. The rest follows in that vein. Great piano-heavy ballads.

Apart from Tiny Dancer, the title track was the standout. Think it would benefit from a second listen.

Sounds like Elton John. Boring.

Enjoyed more than I expected I might. Interesting to find 'Indian Sunset' was the sample in Tupac's Ghetto Gospel.

Did not expect to appreciate as much as i did but the emotional conveyance and musicality genuinely impressed me

3.5

Always had a conceptual affinity for Elton John, because he didn't give a shit about lyrics and was content to focus on the music and let someone else write them. "Tiny Dancer" was Bernie Taupin's (Elton John's regular lyricist) love letter to his wife and Elton John was like, "sure, whatever." Maybe Elton should have exercised a little editorial restraint because "Indian Sunset" is supposedly from the viewpoint of a Native American warrior and hoo boy. Wait, this is favorite among his fans? Really? And he loves singing it? Oh no. Anyway, my review for every Elton John album is probably going to be some variation on the following: The production and arrangements are polished, the singing is fine, the lyrics are occasionally poignant and occasionally embarrassing (sometimes within the same song), it all goes on too long, and it all feels overwrought and empty. I think part of the problem is the process, starting with lyrics first; Bernie was pretty wordy, and Elton John doesn't edit nearly enough. The first eight songs average out to over five minutes a piece, and John is trying to turn each of them into an epic, and the result is a bombastic mess. And for whatever reason, Elton John doesn't connect with me as an emotive singer, although thinking about it, it's probably because he surrounds himself with so much pomp musically, that it just makes it hard to connect, not that I expect him to connect with the viewpoint of a Sioux/Iroquois warrior.

Tiny Dancer is a fine single and demonstrates what Elton can do. Then there are other songs.

Skilled composition and song writing but overall tone just feels soppy and a bit bland. Only so many ballards needed on the same record

I don't think I ever went out of my way to listen to an Elton John album and while I probably won't go back to it I really enjoyed my time with it.

I suppose it's not his fault. It's just not my bag. 'Tiny dancer' is a brilliant song. 'Levon' a good follow up. The rest for me is a largely a miss although some nice orchestral arrangements.

I didn't enjoy it too much, it just felt like generic music to me, there was nothing special about it.

Oh no! Piano ballads :( not the worst tho Not for me but great songwriters of course 5/10

I hadn't heard of this album. As I listen and read around, I'm wondering why this album is in the book: it wasn't popular, I can't see any growing love from critics. Given how popular John's records have been, I feel like I should find something to like in this music? But this album isn't/wasn't core to his popularity. I'm thrown by odd Wikipedia statement that this album was John's foray into progressive rock - it's a bit more prog than his other stuff, but to me this album is mainly commercial big budget arrangements, prominent strings drowning potential interest in piano parts. Refreshing to read Christgau's comments on this album (ie it's meandering and maundering), compared with his appreciation of some other John/Taupin work later in the 70s. I don't find much to like on this album: I'm not interested in Tiny Dancer (music ho hum, lyrics ho hum), I'm put off by Indian Sunset (superficial ragbag of incoherent inaccuracies). My respect for John as a long-popular recording artist and performer doesn't stop me saying this album is Pretty Poor, 3/10.

I think my biggest hot take of any album on this list so far is that I think that 'Tiny Dancer' is kind of overrated. Not that it's not very good, but I wouldn't put it amongst Elton John's best like so many others do. And sadly, that leaves me with a pretty mixed view on this album. I think that 'Levon' is pretty great - honestly I might like it more than 'Tiny Dancer' on some days, and 'Indian Sunset' is also a high point, but the rest of this album just doesn't do much for me. Not a bad album, but I don't see myself going back to it very much.

2 good songs (Tiny Dancer and Levon) and 1 decent song (title track) among a 9 track album. The rest is a mess of terrible lyrics, overwrought vocals, and excessive arrangements (strings everywhere). I think Holiday Inn could have been an ok song, but I don't want to hear the narrator talk about being in a rock and roll band when the song is mainly strings and mandolin. I suppose the excess of the 70s doesn't work me. It definitely doesn't on this album

Tiny danceeeeeeeer

Boring and mildly uncomfortable.

I dunno, I've never really been a fan of Elton John and this album isn't doing much to help. I do like Rick Wakeman however, but you could barely hear him on the songs he was on. Maybe the next Elton John album will be better...

EJ is great but I wasn't getting into this as much

I really enjoyed how grand everything was, but the songs felt very disconnected from each other and from me - didn't really vibe with the lyrics. No shade but all my favorite moments are the ones he stops singing. I found his voice a bit distracting since i really enjoy the instrumentals, especially when the strings hit. Found the later tracks a bit more my style, but Elton John's style in general isn't my thing. Favorites: "Tiny Dancer", "Rotten Peaches" 2.5/5

no me gustó, suena como música cristiana 5/10

Title track is the best on the album. I'm beyond tired of Tiny Dancer and never much cared for "Levon". They do make some sense in the context of the whole album. The Indian song is good but definitely dated. That said the musicianship, composition and arrangement are stellar. However, there isn't one song that has a tempo higher than a coma. I was really bored after a while.

It starts, there's some twinkly piano stuff, some earnest lyrics and then it ends. Nothing is remotely memorable. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆(4/10) Total reviewed : 367 Already owned : 79 Purchased : 16 To buy : 7 Nope : 265

There are so many of Elton John songs that sound like they're about something, but when you listen more closely, they turn out not to be.

Μιεχ. Είχε ορισμένα καλά. Αλλά γενικά είναι υπερεκτιμημένος ο Γιαννάκης. Το καλό που τους θέλω να έχει Νιναρα εδώ μέσα.

tipico elton john, piano, voz, canciones melancolicas, 2/5 aburrido

Elton John is not really my thing. The songs of his I do like are usually just cause they're entertainingly goofy. "Tiny Dancer" is on here and is fine. "Rotten Peaches" was the only other one I kinda dug, but the rest missed me.

Like, it's well performed, written, and recorded. But it's the aural equivalent of beige. It starts good with Tiny Dancer and the songs after are kind of just there. Indian Summer is a bit awkward now, and that's putting it lightly.

I was surprised by this album as I didn't recognise a single track, having never been particularly enamoured of Elton I went in worried. As piano-led pop goes it's perfectly fine but frankly a little underwhelming, I expected it would irritate me but it just passed by with the occasional nice melody and a twinkling of the ivories.

good pop songs that I don't care about too much

I’ve always struggled with Elton John and this album no exception. Started with the hit then ended for me. All filler

Supremely uninteresting. Just like not much to latch onto.

Muy genérico... No like. Dos estrellas porque tiene Tiny Dancer, pero hasta ahí.

Sincerely, after tiny dancer, no much more. It was kind of weird to hear Elton singing so americanized?? Am I not used to his diction?? Probably, first time listening to a complete album by him

Eh

Gonna upset some people here. Beyond tiny dancer the rest is a bit forgetable. Very much a greatest hits man for me

its just not my thing :/ It wasn't bad but I expected more variety, it felt balladery after balladery.

Overrated. None of his good songs are here.

What is he going on about?

Pop, 1971 -> 2

2.5

How interesting. I mean some catchy tunes in there for sure but im not sure i fully understand the genre / audience of this album. I don’t really remember much between tiny dancer and all the nasties (although razor face did catch my attention) but TD will be stuck in my head for the next 7-10 business days so you gotta give him that.

Wasn’t very inspired by this and kinda felt like one long song. Begrudgingly and after many years I guess I like Tiny Dancer

Unfortunately for you Elton, you chose an idiot as your lyricist. Bernie Taupin you have a lot to answer for, making a great songwriter suck.

Tiny Dancer lifts this up from a 1 for me.

Little bit boring album, despite Tiny Dancer and Holiday inn.

Not one of Elton's Best. Some say it was his foray into Progressive Rock. It was not. I'd give it 2 1/5 starts if I could

The hits were okay. The rest were awful.

If country was still a little douchey, but not as overwhelmingly douchey as it is, it would sound kind of like this.

Eltton johni ei oo koskaan ollu mun juttu, eikä siitä tullut nytkään. Jotenkin vain tylsää.

2.5 Reading some of the reviews of the album and people are criticizing Indian summer due to whitesplaining or being cultural appropriation or whatever, to me seems erroneous to me. Dudes just telling a story, same as razor face and levon and probably the rest of it. I dont even like Elton John, although I did sing a few bars of tiny dancer before my 4 year old daughter yelled at me to stop...

The same four chords - relatively depressing. Extra star for Tiny Dancer

Such a versatile artist, he does so many different vibes of music so well. Fav song is ‘Tiny Dancer’.

Sounds really nice, not exactly my speed. The songs blend together a bit. There would often be 15 seconds I *loved* from a song that I will certainly forget in whole. Indian Summer has my favorite moments but it's not a song I'm rushing back to. Amazing moments in songs that aren't. Amazing songs on an album that isn't. This is album number 2 of 1001 lauded albums. Trying to rate with that in mind. Giving it a 2, but should be a 3.

Only has 1 good song the rest are very average and one definitely did not age well.

I just can't get on the Elton thing:(

Tony Danza doing some heavy lifting here.

rotten peaches goodbye - норм треки, но я ничего не добавил

Got to be near the top for number of key changes per song. But that’s not typically how I review these. Tiny dancer is great. The rest I’ve already forgotten.

too many songs sound the same. but i like the title track.

Not my thing

"Tiny Dancer" is a gem, "Levon" is pleasant enough, the rest is inconsequential.

Me

no me gusta elton john lo sinto

I’m sorry everyone but I like Tiny Dancer. The rest, not so much.

Didn't mind this - the heavy-handed social commentary hasn't aged well but it was pleasant enough to listen to..

I just don't care enough

Tiny Dancer is a brilliant song, but the rest of the album is quite dull

vhb

idk not my thing everything sounds the same and half assed even though maybe it's not

Man, I wish I'd liked this more. Alas

Classic

Unfortunately, this album further solidifies my view that Elton John is boring.

2.5. Tiny Dancer is great. Torn Peaches was pretty good. Otherwise meh.

Bon ben j'aime pas Elton John, j'aime pas Elton John...

never found elton that interesting or impressive, nothing on this album for me really

- Zionist and played Sun City during apartheid South Africa. Boycotting. - Tiny Dancer is obviously a great song, but the other songs didn't really do it for me - I like the piano, but the songs left no memory even though they went on way too long. - The lyrics feel insincere, as well.

Passionate album, all the songs are very charming and the piano demos are equally fantastic. My favorites were "Rock Me When He's Gone" and "Levon (mono single version)"

Ok

I am sorry Elton, I truly did try I want you to know that. Maybe I am just bad at listening to Elton, but I am beginning to classify my thoughts on Elton John as somewhat misplaced. This reviews are mix of my general feelings but also the quality and skill that went into the music. Elton and Bernie Taupin do know how to make some good music. Unfortunately I think the actual songs themselves are usually quite repetitive with much of the difference between the songs being the lyrics. But the way the songs build up tension and then release the tension feels almost the exact same in almost all his songs. This is technically bad, I think I could feel the same way about the structure of a Steely Dan song, but the problem is with Elton John is that once you recognize where the song is headed, there's not much really left to surprise you or make you pick your head up. Elton sounds amazing of course, but if that, his piano playing, and a samey orchestration isn't enough, then you will be like me wanting more. I will say I do like when Elton gets weird with his vocals, when he articulates or noticeably says something with his mouth very tight and rigid, it added some nice texture to the vocal arrangements at parts. I very much enjoyed the single Tiny Dancer, however I found the song MATW good and the most experimental out of any of the songs on the album. I feel like if he went more in that direction then I could really open myself up to music, but at that point I would just rather to Kate Bush.

While I enjoy some of Elton John's songs—these aren't them. ★★

Obviously an important artist. Plenty of ambition and inventiveness here, and a lot darker than I expected. The chorus of Tiny Dancer is worth waiting 15 minutes for. But I’ve never really liked his singing.

Didn't engage strongly with this. I don't need great lyrics to enjoy music, but these lyrics baffle me, especially Indian Sunset. Some cool musical moments, like the guitar riff and strings on the title track. 5.5

The hits are fun, of course, but I felt like he'd shown me what he could do after three or four tracks, and the balladeer thing didn't work as much for me as the album went on.

Tiny dancer is great but it lost my interest after that. I find his piano playing lacks nuance, which is a bit of a problem given it is the focus of all the songs.

I really dislike Elton John. Something about his songwriting style and approach and what I always perceived to be a sense of self importance and self aggrandizement that puts me off. Beyond the obvious opener, this was entirely forgettable. Special mention to ‘Indian sunset’ for being a particular turd.

A couple hits (Tiny Dancer and the title track) but otherwise, just meh. 2.5 maybe?

TBH i think i would give the whole album 2.5/5! Not bad just not my thing that much haha.

tiny dancer es mas larga de lo que recordaba.. el resto de canciones no me conmovieron

Great songs, great songwriter... but it's not my style. It seems to be a great record.

Favorite track: Levon Very subpar 70s piano rock. It has nice string arrangements and the classic bombastic production that was the style of the time, but it's brought down by a handful of overly long songs, unceremonious endings (a cardinal sin in piano driven rock and pop music), and poor lyrics and storytelling.

I knew Tiny Dancer prior to listening to this album obviously and I do really like that song, but the rest of the album was kinda meh. Maybe it's just cause I don't really get the Elton John hype? I'm just not the biggest fan of his stuff. Razor face felt like a dumb song and the rhyming felt cheesy. I'm thinking that appeal that's in the appeal of him for people though, the songwriting? I dunno. I did like the end of the album kinda though. It was chill and nice sounding but nothing caught my attention as "Oh, I wanna listen to that later". Maybe I will return to this album in the future and relisten and will like it more? I hope so because I want to get the hype about Mr. Elton John

Boring

I enjoyed this more than I expected, without being surprised at all. Not exactly Little Richard, but pleasant.

There's an awful lot of waffle on this album. Indian Sunset in particular had me losing the plot. It's partially saved by the delights such as Tiny Dancer. This is why punk needed to happen.

He needed somebody to rein him in. Levon and Tiny Dancer are masterpieces, then he just goes for excess and misses the plot. Annoying singing (bad, similar runs) with weird orchestra and choirs

This was a perfectly pleasant album that I’d have on in the background, after getting exciting about hearing Tiny Dancer

First Impression before Listening: I haven’t heard much Elton John. I’ve never even heard a full album by him. I’m quite fond of the song, “ Don't let the Sun go Down on Me” especially the version with George Michael. I love Tiny Dancer but I haven’t heard another song off this album. Tiny Dancer: 10/10 Great Lyrics. Fantastic Piano. Great lap steel playing. Good guitar. Perfect song. Levon: 6.2/10 Not a bad song but not incredible. It doesn’t have the same quality as tiny dancer but the song carries on like it thinks it does… Razor Face: 6.5/10 Solid chorus. Original sounding. Madman Across the Water: 7/10 Great guitar intro. Probably should’ve focused on it more. But the electric outro and the middle 8 do it justice. Indian Sunset: 5.5/10 Pretty boring. Long. An entire album of ballads can be a bad idea. Because ballads should be performed in moderation. Holiday Inn: 6/10 Folky instrumentation and lyrics. At least it’s not a piano ballad. Rotten Peaches: 6/10 Pretty standard. All the Nasties: 4/10 Cheesy lyrics. The piano at the end of the chorus sounds exactly like tiny dancer. Goodbye: 4/10 Not too bad. Filler. All round not a bad album, just an underwhelming one. Tiny Dancer is a fantastic song and no other song is even worth mentioning on this album. Repetitive piano/ballad parts and boring lyrics mixed with long and experimental instrumentation make this album a chore.

Day 52/1089 I do not care for Elton John. He insists upon himself. Probably not fair to judge elton as "guy singing on a piano" versus the "guy singing on a piano" of yesterday (stevie wonder), but he just...isn't all that great except for Tiny Dancer. He lacks the oomph or much of anything. Also did he just look around and pick random objects to write songs about? oh yeah let's write a song about...holiday inn. yeah that sounds good. indian sunset seems to be just a bunch of native american stereotypes jammed into a song. razor face is...what?

I truly have no idea what Elton is singing about on half of these songs. 2.5 for a couple hits and some tough listens.

🙂‍↕️

Never could get too excited about Elton. He may be just too pop for me. I saw him live once and, although it was a high-powdered show, in the end, I still felt the songs and music to be fairly mundane. And, the whole glam thing was off-putting to me. Also, the Phil Spector-type Wall of Sound background strings and vocal choruses are unnecessary and distracting.

ну, для того времени неплохо, интересно, но не мое

Liked tiny dancer Didnt think much to the rest

Pompous pop music, lots of frills and orchestral flourishments. I find the songs quite boring however, the secret might be in the lyrics, of which I famously do not care at all. This type of music is not for me.

not for my age

Better than I expected. Wikipedia describes this album as progressive rock, which was not something I would connect with Elton John, but I can hear it, though admittedly it's not one of my preferred genres

not my favorite music from him, honestly most narratives were more story like and not relatable, weak lyrics and I probably won’t listen much more to it.

DNF. Every other song just had the same structure and it was boring me. Technically impressive I guess

It's all well played and written. It's just not my thing. I love a lot of Elton's singles and the world could do with more Elton Johns but I don't click with this. Maybe the songs are too dramatic and grand.

eh kinda all felt the same but thats me fav song: indian sunrise

Lame

It's fine, background music. Nothing to get excited by, but nothing to dislike either. Just...ok

Tiny Dancer and other stuff.

tiny dancer makes this album

Levon and, especially, Tiny Dancer, are classics, but I didn’t care much for the rest of the album. 2.5/5

2/5 - Tiny Dancer is as great as Indian Sunset is bad. The music itself is alright, but nothing new here to discover.

Singles doing the heavy lifting here.

Bit before my time in Elton John terms. Found it heavy going compared to his golden mid-70s period...

A bit musical theatre for my taste. Cultural misappropriation in the middle with the Iroquois was rather ironically good.

Ihan taitavaa pianon pimputtelua, mutta ei tällästä yksin kuuntelisi. Mageet lasit kuitenkin

Too much of the same thing. Don’t care for many of the songs. I just don’t think he’s my cup of tea. 4/10

2.2/5 Nothing stands out here. No particular track jumped out at me. I liked madman across the water, and its not like the others are bad but i think because of how much other good music i have been running into recently i just didnt think this was anything special. And i even gave it two listens. Recent Notable Music related events I listened to the greek song with lyrics last night while i was being emo about not getting enough attention. Other notable events of the day. Conversion at work about bitcoin made me want to figure out how it works better. There was also talk about the economy and things like that of which i am very much uninformed. Didn't contribute much to the conversation.

1.👍 2.👎 3.👎 4.👎 5.👎 6. 😑 7.😑 8.😑 9. 🥱 everything just kinda runs together and isn't as good as Tiny Dancer

Indian Sunset is gruesome and cringe worthy, even for the 70's. Holiday Inn was ok actually. I do like Homie Clothes So Tiny Damn, Son. All the songs are too fussy and some of the strings are oppressive. What is the deal with that chorus on Nasties? I didn't care for his piano playing. It sounds the same on every song.

Average Elton John album...the kind of music you will hear in your cousin's house during Christmas...not my favorite though...actually it's a bit boring.

Cool, Elton John. I'm only familiar with this guy because of his collaboration with Gorillaz on Song Machine. I don't remember much about the song he featured in, but it was a psychedelic, synthpoppy thing from what I recall. Two list albums is kind of crazy for a singer-songwriter as influential as this, though maybe he's always been a singles guy. Anyways, I'm pretty sure Elton John has always belonged to the pop rock genre, so I'm locking in that as my prediction. Not bad I suppose, but it's just the same thing over and over again. The pianos sound the same. The operatic vocals sound the same. The backing instruments shift around a little, but that's as much variety as I got outta this. Might as well stick to your strong suit if it delivers a thousandty-eighty-nine album nominee, but this music admittedly has a limited appeal to me, and it's lack of variety didn't do much to hook me. "Tiny Dancer" is a good opener. Nice piano number, and the vocals are pretty good, too. I like that the song becomes bigger and more irreverent as it goes on, too. "Goodbye" is an alright closer. I always love me some good strings, and a mournful tone is always a good pick to close an album on. Book time. Remained in the US charts for nearly a year, but was one of his worst-performing releases in the UK. Where Elton John found many of his long-time collaborators. Like I said earlier, two Elton John albums on the list seems too prudent given his legacy and I imagine this is among his best because of the relative scarcity, so I'm game. I cosign this inclusion.

Sok

*sigh*

Elton is a true talent, no doubt, but this album is really just the two to three songs, and not much else.

my favorite thing about elton john is that sometimes he's exaggerated syllables so hard that it seems like he's taking the piss out of bernie taupin. this feels like it's on the list because of tiny dancer and levon, the rest of it is pretty weak considering the portfolio

forgot to rate this one when i listened — eh. i thought i was an elton john fan but i am realizing through this project that i really just know and like the hits an am eh on everything else

I love Elton John, but there's a reason that the only song I've heard from this album is Tiny Dancer.

A few good tracks, didn't love it though. 2.5

Just sounds the same as everything else he's done

I need to ponder about this, but he is just not my guy

I get it it’s Elton John but this dude just talks over basic ass guitar for 7 minutes a song. Maybe my dopamine receptors are fried but I found this album truly boring.

Got to the third-to-last song and decided I had heard enough. Annoying ass theatrical music accompanied by heavy handed piano music. Don't give me an album like this again.

Elton John made some nice pop music. But I find I find the full albums a little bland and not pushing any needle whatsoever.

I like a lot of Elton John's music over the years however this album (tiny dancers aside) I just don't get it.

- Wordt er niet heel warm van - 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 1 nummer al toegevoegd aan MMMM

I’ve tried many times but I just can’t get into Elton John. Sorry.

Pretty much standard fare for Elton, but...where did Indian Sunset come from? I could understand if he'd written it as a protest song, but apparently not, so all you're left with is a bunch of Native American buzzwords and inaccuracies, which comes across as really cringe.

Love Levon, the rest not so much

Not the record I would have picked to represent Elton. I bought this when I was 14 - only a couple of years after it came out and about the same year as I started discovering Black Sabbath, T.Rex and things that were not on my mom’s radio station as she drove us to school. My mom loved a.m. radio in the 70’s. Tony Orlando and Dawn, ABBA, Captain and Tennille- my mom loved it all. I remember buying Crocodile Rock when it came out and then bought Don’t Shoot Me I’m only The Piano Player. Madman soon followed. Tiny Dancer is an undeniably great song and a great start to this record. As the third record released in 1971 (King Gizzard like work) this album I think suffers from a lack of focus. Tiny Dancer, Levon and Madman Across the Water are the most focused and best songs on this record. The prog rock touches are awful. What dooms this record are songs like Razor Face. It’s a song about a drunk drifter with a razor face who is back in town and meeting by a travel inn to get drinks. WTF was Elton thinking? And that’s the song stuck between Levon and Madman Across the Water. Madman Across the Water has a Stairway to Heaven vibe. At least it’s interesting. A little too prog inspired but at least Elton gives it a puncher’s chance with an inspired vocal. Indian Sunset is also a head scratcher. The guy is from England. Why is he spending 6:00 minutes singing about the Iroquois. Really, I’m starting to think the author who assembled this list of 1001 albums was doing it to fuck with people like me. Absolutely no self respecting critic is going to go wow- this is a stunning work unless they are absolutely fucking stunned that this record is a platinum selling record because it’s mostly shit. I remember seeing literally hundreds of copies of this record in the used bins right beside the Billy Hoel records. The rest of the record is merely a turd circling the drain. Even Elton fans are not going to be shouting out “play Holiday Inn!” I couldn’t wait until Goodbye finished. 3 songs and ditch the rest. It’s a rotten peach. See how I did that?

hab ich irgendwie nie gehört...

Not his best

Not for me, not an EJ fan

Thanks to Almost Famous Tiny Dancer is my favourite Elton John track and i can only picture being sung by a coach full of people, so is a great start to the album. Unfortunately the rest of the album gets nowhere near this level and elements of most songs feel like they are comprised of offcuts from the same song. It’s just a bit too samey.

Not really my thing.

Not a very album, but Tiny Dancer is massive. It is definitely not his best album

Tiny Dancer is a lone standout for me. The rest didn't engage me. The music and his voice were high quality throughout, but the songs and lyrics did not do enough on a surface level for me to want to dive deeper.

There's a fair amount to love on this album... if you removed the words. Tiny Dancer is a great album start. There's a tiny harmonic on the guitar at the start of the title track that is just such a lovely little tone. The layers of guitar, piano, then band, then orchestra all build in the most part really nicely. The recording quality and musicality are really, really high, every instrument is lovely... and Elton's voice is great. But, most of the lyrics are absolute bobins, which wouldn't matter if they weren't quite long ballads, including a very questionable Native American epic, it just feels like a beautifully produced album about nothing much at all...

This is not his best album, Bernie Taupin in particular having a nap

Does very little for me, nice production though and some good melodies

Tiny Dancer is a banger. The rest of the album is meh. Sound like Bsides to better Elton John songs. Not on Rolling Stones 500 best album list 2/5

Tiny Dancer is good, the rest is pretty boring.

Great voice, amazing talent, just not something I choose to listen to. I'd never skip Elton's music if it was on the radio, but I just feel like a lot of his music blends together. For instance, surprisingly the stand-out track on this album for me was the first half of "Indian Sunset" because it felt different than the rest feeling like similar bright and shimmery piano ballads on a sunny day walking down the boulevard; instead it was a bit darker with a different mood and tone. The rest was just kind of fine - nothing to write home about, but I can see why people obsess over his music

What a great singer. Never cared for his music but Tiny Dancer is a good song. The rest of the album, not so much

I think this is not an album you should start with when listening to Elton John, as it is clear that it leans toward emotional, creative and artistic exploration. There are many aspects that, musically speaking, can be difficult to connect with. There is a lot to focus on in terms of the lyrics, which are often very long and dark, yet therefore open to deeper interpretation. Many songs seem to be built to be absorbed slowly, almost like small musical narratives. It is evident that this is an album that does not try to please, but to say something and for that reason its value is more introspective than immediate. I connected most with its longest song because of its profound lyrics and incredible harmonies: Indian Sunset.

Not my vibes.

Well written and crafted, but for some reason it just doesn’t move me.

Unfortunately did not do much for me, though it was obviously sonically high-quality and mixed/produced well (the sound was very deep/3-dimensional and didn't fall flat). Elton John, at least to me, despite being very talented, seems to have a curse of all songs sounding the same. Hoping other projects by him change my mind. My favorites were "Tiny Dancer" and "Rotten Peaches."

Tiny Dancer is a classic (thanks, Cameron Crowe, for bumping it in the popular psyche 29 years later), but I just can't do piano story songs. Elton John, Billy Joel, etc...instant snooze fest for me and oh so overly dramatic.

Chanson 5, je m'ennuie déjà et ai l'impression d'avoir écouté 5 fois la même chanson. Elton, toi et moi, ça ne va pas fonctionner.

Was excited to hear this because I always thought Tiny Dancer was really cool, but there’s really not much other high points like that one on this album for me.

Tiny Dancer is the most memorable song of this album where all the songs sound the same. 4/10

It’s fine but kind of sounded the same and lost my attention by about 2 mins into each song.

Honestly the only the second Elton John album I've ever listened to. I liked Yellow Brick Road a little better. This one is a bit more "piano bar in the corner of sad dive bar" of a vibe. I'd only heard Tiny Dancer before. It's not terrible. I'd put it as a high 2, but I really don't think there's any chance I'd listen to it again, so I'll keep it as a 2.

Sorry but I don’t think I like Elton john. The composition and arrangement of strings were my favorite parts

Tiny Dancer is a masterpiece. There’s something about Levon, but the rest didn’t stun me.

That's wor Elton alright. You can tell he's a good songwriter, tiny dancer is good, but it all felt a bit samey. It's all basically the same level of exciting, about a 5/10, never too loud and in your face or stripped back and quiet. That song about being an American Indian is a funny perspective for a British bloke to have a go at. Looking back Im not a huge Elton fan but I think he has songs that are better than these. 2.5.

Tiny dancer is a good track. I don't mind the odd Elton John song, but a whole album is too much. It's too showy and theatrical for me. I get why people like it though. 2.5 is probably harsh but it's not my thing really

Ben non, Elton John, c'est chiant. Au moins c'était moins long que l'autre double album, et Razor Face était pas pire.

A spirited man on a piano bellowing out tunes. I was cool with it for like 3 songs (helped by the famous opener “tiny dancer” - never realized that song was over 6 minutes, good lord!), but got old quick.

We get Tiny Dancer and Levon right out of the gate. After that, things get a little self-indulgent and extra. Long songs, overproduced; not his best. But those two songs are great. It's a 2.5 with a rounding error.

Fairly strong start and some weaker songs towards the end. I'm not a huge on this pop-rock style of music. 5/10

Piano rock. It's a front loaded album for sure, I think Sir Elton had a solid enough batch of songs on here. The thing is, beyond the first couple, they all kinda meander and sound the same which is per the course for this era of piano rock balladry. I think Elton has a remarkable voice and character, it's just some of the songs.. Holiday Inn, Rotten Peaches.. even All The Nasties sound like cutting floor ideas and they don't really have the same kind of compelling chords and power of the first crop of tracks. Tiny Dancer is an IMMACULATE, grand track, andI honestly think this album would be a whole lot stronger if the placement of these songs made a bit more sense. Levon is killer too, standard powerful vocal flair affair for the Rocket Man. I know the album is in part about the relationship he had with addiction so the closure is par for that, but it's short runtime makes it kinda whack because it doesn't give enough time for any kind of dread to really set in. And being such a happy go lucky album, why end it in such a dreary way? It's got Tiny Dancer though and that counts for something.

fast wie Beatles, ein wenig besser, und daher einmal ganz gehört. highlight: Levon von Jon Bon Jovi .. ach nein, anderes album ;-)

Elton John: grossartiger Musiker aber hier ist es mir noch sehr 70er

Tycker egentligen att det bara är första låten som håller. Men det skulle ju bli bättre.

Run of the mill early rock album.

And a half I’m super disappointed that I didn’t like it but the songs are 2 to 3 minutes to long for me

There’s a reason there’s just one well-known single from this album

It's just not for me.

Overall a frustrating experience. Tiny Dancer is absolutely brilliant. I’ve listened to it for fifty years and it still gives me goosebumps. Levon and Razor Face have some interesting passages. But the rest of the album is, musically, utterly forgettable. I blame Bernie. When his lyrics are personal, they work and these seem to be the germs for Elton's great pop songs. There are tragically few of these here. Bernie’s narratives - which fill most of this album - are pretentious and overly sentimental and tend to motivate, in Elton, unfocused, forgettable tunes which leaves the listener nothing much to focus on except the schmaltzy lyrics, until he wonders, how did these guys create something as brilliant as Tiny Dancer?? And when Bernie goes political … Good Lord … it makes me wish the reels had fallen off of the Tascam.

Попсово. Вообще не моё. Но хотя бы не ужасно.

Not for me.

Tiny dancer, good as it is, is just so overplayed. The rest just wasn't my cup of tea. 2/5

Tiny Dancer is a masterpiece, but none of the other songs here comes close.

Das Album wurde größtenteils in den Trident Studios in London aufgenommen. Elton John ist ein britischer Sänger, Pianist und Komponist. Stilistisch bewegt sich das Werk im Bereich des Rock mit Einflüssen aus Folk und orchestralen Arrangements. Besonders bekannt sind die Titel „Tiny Dancer“ und „Levon“, die beide die Handschrift des Songwriter-Duos Elton John und Bernie Taupin tragen. Auch der Titelsong „Madman Across The Water“ spiegelt die eher melancholische und erzählerische Ausrichtung des Albums wider. Das Album gehört zu den frühen Veröffentlichungen Elton Johns und zeigt seine Entwicklung hin zu einem eigenständigen Klangbild mit stärkerem Fokus auf atmosphärische Arrangements. Es markiert einen Übergang von der intimen Songstruktur früherer Alben zu einem komplexeren Studioklang.

2 stars for Tiny Dancer. But the rest is just not my style.

I’ve heard this one before, and I still don’t like it. Tiny Dancer is great, but the rest just bleeds into one. It’s mercifully short however, which saves it from a one star score. Elton builds his style to vaguely glam and vaguely pop, but this album seems more vaguely prog, and doesn’t hold my interest being the first two or three tracks. Won’t listen again and I know there is at least one better album he has made.

Outside of the hits, I’m just not an Elton John guy.

This was pleasant but it didn't click with me. I'm missing whatever I need to not feel like I'm listening to an oldies station at work. I wish I could appreciate it for what it is because it was nice all the way through but I can't.

A real slog. Listened to one or two tracks at a time. I don't have anything to say apart from that this doesn't do it for me, and I don't feel particularly sad about that.

Though it pains me to admit… very boring album and really crap lyrics. Tiny Dancer, great. Holiday Inn pretty good. All the Nasties, ok - sounds like a 70s Elvis song. Everything else - crap. Sorry. Never need to hear this again.

The first four songs are perfect, I have listened to them a lot over the years. Razor Face probably my favourite of the album. Everything after Madman Across the Water pretty bad tbh

levon's great but the rest of this is pretty overblown and silly. indian sunset might be the worst thing ever written

One great song and then some shitters

would be disingenuous to rate this a 1 or 1.5. I never really like the like pop singer over a piano music. i cant stand that tiny dancer song but the others are alright. but the production is solid and its not as corny as some other Elton John

A couple of all time classics amidst some dreary clunkers.

I was introduced to this album through that scene in Almost Famous where everybody is mad at each other, but then they listen to "Tiny Dancer" and by the chorus they've made up. Lazy screenwriting, but a great song. The rest of the album wouldn't inspire such character development.

Thought I’d like this more but only Tiny Dancer floated by boat. All the rest was a little dull.

Tiny Dancer is fine, but really not a fan of this piano forward, kinda show-tunes vibe 70's rock. Indian Sunset makes me cringe enough to knock this album down to 2.

2.8

Tiny dancer is ok but working in retail has filled me with a great distaste for Elton John's music.

I agree with Stu - side one is great - side 2 I barely remember and it ran thru twice as I worked -

Not required listening in my opinion. Decent album but no one song really moves me.

A mix of great and just ok songs. It made me realize how much of his work I haven’t heard.

2.5

Alright, elton john doesn't do much for me though. I like his hits, so in this case tiny dancer and levon, but I just don't really care about the rest. Doesn't excite me

This is just kinda boring? Not my type. Tiny dancer is a masterpiece tho