Madman Across The Water

This isn't my favorite album, in fact its pretty butt. I liked 2 songs in it.

I don't love Elton's music generally. Not horrible, but aside from a couple of songs, they're mostly meh to me. These are all folksy EJ.

Highlights: \"Levon,\" \"Madman Across the Water,\" \"Tiny Dancer\" The melodies are supposedly what carries Elton, but they're feeling samey for most songs here, even when the overall moods span far. Telling that it features a member of Yes, who suffers from the same problem in spite of all their skills. Maybe we could say he's pushing forward the blending of soul, rock, and showtunes, but it's hard to say how much of that was newer than The Beatles. Strong vocals, proficient sense of harmony, but baffling lyricism gets in the way more than it evokes something from the music, and his signature overwrites most of the distinct character between songs. It meanders and, as he says himself, wastes away.

Proof I am not an Elton man, I havent heard of the album. that is also how ignorant I am of the 70s. Does he rival the piano man for ballads, i hear you ask? its ok road music... is it telling a story I relate to like Billy Joel? its pleasant enough, and doesnt offend. I cant beleive there is a 3 disc 50th anniversary version to draw all this out though. Life must have been SO BORING and dry for this to ignite anything. Oh England in the 1970s was so awkward.

Elton John doesn't do it for me. I know a lot of his material from its incessant play on commercial radio, and I enjoyed the biopic, but I would never choose to put any of his records on the turntable. I would not buy one from a $1 bin. I don't change the radio station when one of his songs comes on (as compared to Billy Joel, whose music I actively despise), but neither do I respond with familiar enjoyment (as opposed to Fleetwood Mac, who I always enjoy when they come on the radio). I can no longer tell if his classic songs (and there is really only one on this album) are actually good songs, or just played so much that they are familiar. Like, just played so much that we confuse ubiquity for enjoyment. This is almost exactly the same review as I gave to Yellow Brick road. Except that this album doesn't have the same number of classic singles. Tiny Dancer is a pretty good song, although most of my fondness derives from its appearance in Almost Famous. I don't like Bernie Taupin's lyrics; I find them needlessly obtuse, and sometimes just downright silly. Elton can write and sing a good tune, but this album all seems pretty much the same (understandable, given that it was his third album of 1971). All the songs are a bit too long and over-orchestrated. I found this a real struggle to get through.

Thing is, there are some great songs on here, like Tiny Dancer. It's just that I would have to be in the right mood to put this on, and I'd rather listen to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Partly heard before Saved 3/9 Top track: Tiny Dancer

C+ Tiny Dancer - 5 Levon - 3 Razor Face - 2 Madman Across the Water - 4 Indian Sunset - 2 Holiday Inn - 2 Rotten Peaches - 2 All the Nasties - 2 Goodbye - 3 Obviously, Hold Me Closer Tony Danza is a hit. Madman Across the Water, the song, was a welcome surprise. I've never been a huge Elton John fan. His music doesn't quite tickle my fancy, or my pickle for that matter.

Tiny Dancer is a legit banger. And the orchestration on this record is really top notch. But I was bored by a lot of this. Where are the hooks? Was this record a victim of 1970s one hit, and a bunch of filler? It kind of felt that way.

I wasn't a fan before, I'm still not one.

non è il mio genere

Never really cared for Elton, still don’t but I gave it a valiant effort.

Strong two? First song: 600 million listens, the rest, sub ten. That's a good indicator of stinky album. Tapped out at song 6

On here Elton tries really really hard to make his accent sound American, with over the top theatrics and exaggerated attempts at evoking nostalgia and cinematic grandiosity. In the words of Lisa Simpson, the whole thing smacks of effort, man! If I were awarding this work for authenticity, it would get a 0, but for being an inoffensive though try-hard assortment of songs, some of which (Madman, Sunset) do shine, I award it 2 gleeful madmen. 🤪🤪

Not terrible, but every song sounded the same.

jesus, he wants to go to venus

Ik vond het heel leuk beginnen met Tiny Dancer, maar de rest heb ik niet eigenlijk totaal niet opgeslagen tijdens het studeren oeps

I appreciated listening to it but it’s pretty dated and samey. The Indian song is especially cringy.

Not really an Elton John fan but as far as his stuff goes this one is decent. Not really my style at all but I wouldn't complain about it being on.

No sorry don't buy the whole he was credible in the early seventies. Yes there are songs here. But not songs I particularly like. Even Tiny Dancer.

Not that great.

Compositions bore me to tears

Pretty good album. Even though it's not exactly my cup of tea, I can understand what makes it great. I can appreciate the amount of work put into it and you can hear how much was poured into this album. Some of the highlights for me were: "Razor Face", "Holiday Inn" and the title track. My only criticism of it is that a lot of it feels the same. Kind of like one song that drags on and on. There wasn't much variation in beat and BPM, and the production was almost exactly similar on every song which made it somewhat boring for me. The good thing about listening to this album is that now I can totally hear the link between Elton John and the songs on The Lion King.

No fan

------1----

Not really my taste

Maudlin. Not horrible but never going to choose this.

Vähän väsynyttä Eltonia. Pakkohan tältä on olla useampi levy tällä listalla jos tääkin on täällä, koska aika outo valinta musta muuten. 2/5

A couple of standout tracks, but overall pretty uninteresting.

I prefer the greatest hits of Elton John

I like the chorus to Tiny Dancer and that's about it.

I’ve never been a fan of Elton John and this album didn’t change that. Every song sounded like a variation of Tiny Dancer. Thankful this was over in 45min.

It sounds pretty good, I dunno, ol' Elton just never struck a chord with me. My brain processes all the song as ballads which is a little unfair. But what can I say? I'm not excited by his work.

He is talented but its just not my jam.

Fine. Totally Fine. Will probably never listen again.

I dont get the inclusion of this album. It's not a great Elton John record. It has the classic Tiny Dancer but that's first and nothing that follows is anywhere near its level. Elton John is a talented man but swing and a miss here

Not one of his better ones.

This is one really good song and a load of nothingness. Elton John has a ridiculous back catalogue but not sure this belongs on here. 2/5, weaker than his best work by some way.

Definitely doesn't hit the heights as regularly as the previous Elton album we had, but is a lot more focused (and more like a normal album length at 45 minutes). On the flipside, each song is probably a bit longer than it needs to be; only the last track (which is more a vignette than a song) clocks in at under 4 minutes. Tiny Dancer is a wonderful song (although I need to keep listening to it more to cleanse the memory of that awful remix that was everywhere 11-12 years ago when I was at uni), but it's a bit weaker after that. Fun to discover Indian Sunset (that's the one 2pac used for Ghetto Gospel!), but there's not a huge amount of depth in quality. No songs other than Tiny Dancer that I'd go back to, so it's a 2/5 for me.

Прикольно, конечно. Но совсем не под настроение. Ничего не имею против Элтона, но сейчас не зашло.

i think elton john is moreso known for his hits rather than great all around albums and after listening to this i understand why. definitely not an awful album but also not great!

sorry but theres no reason for this to exist when david bowie is right there. tiny dancer is pretty good i guess though

piano pop

As ivory-tinklers go, Elton is of course up there with the very best. Just a shame this album is quite dreary, perfect for BBC Radio 2, which I don't consider a good thing

My rating will be based on how I felt while listening to the album. Did I like it?

According to legend, Elton John didn't originally need glasses. He took to wearing a pair to emulate Buddy Holly, but this caused his eyes to adjust, thus making them a necessity. Just thought I'd start with that. I haven't had an opinion on Elton John previously. I've never had any inclination to sit down and listen to any of his albums; my favourite music seemed to have little overlap with his music. Of course, Elton John has been bloody everywhere for all my life. I begrudge him that status only in that nobody should be bloody everywhere. So this album was oddly one I'd never heard which I'd assumed I already knew, clearly a mistake on my part. I tried to listen without preconception, and I think I did, and as an album it doesn't really work. The most obvious flaw is that Side B just meanders around, not really striking the listener. The songs, mostly 4+ minutes, can't really be called filler, so are they just a bit dull? So, we have a clearly toploaded album. How does the rest favour? I found the lyrics a touch overcooked, but curious enough to have some charm. Is the music emotional, mawkish, or insincere? I don't know. Maybe it's subjective. It may not be my bag, but I can understand other people going for it.

En muista vuorokautta myöhemmin biisin biisiä. Tais olla aika rankka paluu arkeen vai paska levy?

Onhan tää kaunista kamaa, mut toistaa aika paljon itseään. Ekan biisin perusteella 4, loppua kohden tippu

No conocía este disco ni ninguna de las canciones. Entretenido. Mucho piano (lógico) me ha recordado a Billy Joel. Me ha sorprendido que en 1971 ya consiguiera Elton John meter tanta gente y supongo que pasta en una grabación. El disco suena bien pero de ahí a ser imprescindible hay mucho. Lo mejor las 2 primeras canciones.

Nope

Tiny Dancer is the only good song

meh

Classic but not really my style.

Es una vieja cantando y tocando el piano

hold me closer tony danza this song actually drags on a bit, i know it's iconic but i'm not super into it lot of country and gospel influences i remember being into elton john for a while as a kid but i'm really not feeling this album yeah this is too country for me, idk

I don't think I am original when I say the best part of Madman Across The Water, is the opening track "Tiny Dancer", while "Levon" is decent. After listening to these, I find that this record adds nothing nearly as good in the remaining 7 tracks. Elton's vocals are sometimes annoyingly over the top, the effects can be laughably dramatic, and I have trouble remembering the differences between most songs. 2/5 is fair.

not a fan of elton john but i see why people enjoy his music

I like Eltons music and i didnt mind this album. But gave it a listens, would not chase it up again for another go though. 2 stars

It's alright, it's Elton John innit. Tiny Dancer tune. Also got the tune on here that he turned into the Ghetto Gospel Tupac tune. I respect the guys work but he ain't for me really. 2/5

One of the more mundane Elton albums. Pretty bland.

Tiny Dancer is 5* on its own. The rest is quite annoying.

It’s Elton John so you kinda know what to expect before listening. It’s what I call easy listening...exactly the same as my mother listens to. And that pretty much somes up Eltons audience. 2 Stars!

Tiny Dancer is obviously an incredible song, but it doesn't do quite enough to hold up the rest of the album, which pales after the first track. It's not quite a fair comparison, but this was underwhelming for me Saved: Madman Across The Water

Saved Prior: Tiny Dancer Off Rip: Madman Across The Water Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: All of Elton John's music that I've experienced so far has a certain theatricality to it that I don't know if i'm a particularly big fan of, but when it works it WORKS. Tiny Dancer is incredible, and I liked Madman Across The Water as well, but the others felt like knockoff versions of Tiny Dancer.

Second Elton John album we've had. Second Elton John album we've had that's not very good.

Goes downhill after the first song. Not his best

I really loved the classics on this album of course, but I did feel that the content about Indigenous peoples was really problematic.

Tiny Dancer only good song, new playlist from it.

I do not enjoy Elton John.

Yeah I guess if you like piano?

Not a big John Lennon fan

I can appreciate the story-telling in a lot of Elton's music, and "Tiny Dancer" is certainly a spectacle. It misses the mark for me in a lot of ways, but I like how each song felt more like a "mini-movie" as opposed to a simple song. But also yes, this album has "Indian Summer".

There’s a reason why I’ve only ever listened to the ‘best ofs.’ This is shite. And the ‘Indian’ song is particularly horrific.

Too long, too repetitive, too pondering, too boring

I hate Elton John so much. He’s so boring and so gay.

buns

1000 albums website gave me two elton johns in one week. neither was lion king. i was a teenager when almost famous came out, i never need to hear tiny dancer ever again

Smug, whiny

The angry guy who sang at Princess Di's Funeral made albums as well as singles it seems. He's in serious mood here, trying to be Randy Newman or Neil Diamond, he mumbles his way through boring charachter sketches of uninteresting people.

The album cover for Madman Across the Water was embroidered over two weeks by Janis Larkham, wife of the album art director David Larkham. She used the back of an old Levi's jacket, and the original was gifted to Elton. There was no initial run of expensive album covers with similar embroidery, nor embossed versions; it was flat-printed - ie studio photographed - scanning was in its infancy, so everything was analogue, though it did include a lavish booklet. Janis chose to credit herself as "Yanis" for this artwork. (source-https://rachelandersontextiles.com/blogs/posts/seamstress-for-the-band) Normal whiny Elton John record inside some thoughtful packaging

Nothing special. At least for me.

Nice

I can't stand EJ and this album didn't help.

Aside from the hit, the rest of the album just felt like noise

this was actually painful by the end

Tiny Dancer is a bit of a guilty pleasure. As for the rest, I will at least say I preferred it to Billy Joel

Oh dear, obviously I’m conflicted given my feelings about WFC but do me a favour RGP this is absolutely dreadful…Tom.

not my thing

Awful. I was so disappointed when this popped up. I still gave it a chance but found myself shaking my head at how bad it is. The music is uninspired, the lyrics are either meaningless or offensive and the delivery, shrouded in this weird faux pathos is laughable. I hope I don't have to listen to Elton John ever again.

Tiny dancer stand out song so not great.

Лютый калл

Fucking awful

Pretty boring. Yet another artist whose only worthwhile albums are of the Greatest Hits variety. Elton's "deep cuts" are dreary as heck.

Did not grab me and maybe too slow for me. Not my cup of tea.

I did not appreciate the heavy production and unnecessary orchestra I was really just hoping the the man and the piano to be tugging at my heart-strings!

Ok so listen, I low-key hate elton john. This has not changed that, I could not even give you a good reason why I don't like him but I do not.

Pre-listening: Not thrilled here. Radio-friendly music without much to actually say. And no edge. But maybe I'll come around. Listening notes: -Tiny Dancer is at least Anthemic. Expansive in a Queen way, which isn't really a complement, but it doesn't overdo the drama like they do. -Madman across the water is a cool name for an anodyne song -All the Nasties sucks. So it goes. -Every song on this album seems to start calm, then rise to these exaggerated orchestral anthems. Does Levon really sound that different than Tiny Dancer? Tine Dancer was okay, but not really that special. And every other song on this album seems calibrated to copy its popularity. Snoozefest.

Rubbish!

Elton has much better albums

Bleh. Didn’t like Elton John before, nothing changed. To be fair, I didn’t even try to be open minded, but I really don’t care what I’m missing out on by not liking this album. Nothing very exciting anyway.

2/10 not good to me First song was okay-ish

Eh. Worst Song: Razor Face Best Song: Rotten Peaches Added to Liked Songs:

Noooooo. I loathe Elton John after he slatted the UK.

Just don’t get the appeal. Sorry

He's talented but this is not my thing.

21 maj 2025 Tiny Dancer - bra! tycker om Levon - nja inte riktigt min grej Razor Face - lite svängig igen favorit Madman Across The Water - börjar tro att elton john inte är nåt för mig Indian Sunset - okej den här var lite episk typ men inget jag hade lyssnat Holiday Inn - nej. Rotten Peaches - nej och börjar bli less. All The Nasties - nu är jag jätteless Goodbye - äntligen är det över jag var inget fan av det här albumet betyg: 1/5 favorit(er): tiny dancer

This shit sucks ass

I don't really get Elton John's thing, if I'm being honest. I don't know if I have ever really understood his thing. He's in a similar bucket to Billy Joel for me... I can tell he is beloved and people love his stuff but save for a few specific songs (CROCODILE ROCK!!!) I don't really hear what people are hearing. Sure, Tiny Dancer is catchy. The piano playing is very good. But... overall... the lyrics and music sound like the songs are intended for a mediocre musical in which I don't know the story. Maybe someday I will get it, but today was not that day and this album did nothing for me.

This album isss tttthheee zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzs...

Too long and it all sounds the same.

Tiny Dancer Levon Madman Across the Water

Good on

This is the forty ninth album I’m rating. The only Elton John knowledge I have is that movie and that he caused AIDS. Adding to my Playlist - Levon, Razor Face, Madman Across the Water Not Adding to my Playlist - Tiny Dancer, Indian Sunset, Holiday Inn, Rotten Peaches, All the Nasties, and Goodbye. Tiny Dancer - I’m sorry but this is just too boring. The chorus is cool but I feel absolutely nothing. All in all I liked 3/9 songs. I thought Elton John was good but this was just really boring.

Not the biggest fan, especially of the later slower songs.

Tiny Dancer - I just watched a doc that talked about the story of the song. Outside of that it really didn't have an affect on me musically or lyrically. Mad Man Across The Water - The music is what stood out for me. Final Review - Not an album I'll add to my collection.

no real notes. elton just aint my style

horrible

Seichter progressive Rock.

Overblown nonsense, it's just so boring. .Next......

I was so excited for Elton but I hateddddd this.

tiny dancer!

This rating is a double edged sword, with both edges pointing at Elton John. I am not a huge fan of his, and this album is just one song in nine different fashions.

Never been a fan.

meh, not interesting

Songs are moaning on

Found it to be boring as hell. Not cohesive, although some songs sounded the same, so I'm not sure how one manages to pull that off. "Indian Sunset" was probably my favorite, but I can't say I truly liked it. 1/5

Meh.

1. tiny dancer - 2 2. levon - 1 3. razor face - 0 4. madman - 0 5. indian zunzet - 0 6. holiday inn - 0 7. rotten peachez - 0 8. all the naztiez - 0 9. goodbye - 1.5

Elton John and Bernie Taupin write some great songs but this album contains none of them. Their romantic fascination with the Old American West is on full show, with John’s faux American singing accent dominating every song, like a crooner at an English working men’s club on a boozy singalong night, while Taupin tries to ape the Great American Songbook’s storytelling-in-song but never quite gets there. Too many themes and too little story. “Tiny Dancer”, for example, occasionally delights but is smothered in its wrapper of New Orleans piano pastiche. I can see why this was not popular in the UK and sold like hotcakes in the US.

I really like the first song - Tiny Dancer. The rest is meh

Great songwriting, great musicianship, great everything. Just not for me, anyone with a career that long at the top deserves a bit of grudging praise. I knew the first track, the rest? Nope. It was harmless and not very inspiring, so I do wonder why this album was chosen over some more famous ones. Unfortunately I now have a fucked up earworm which goes 'Im a tiny dancer, I dance all for money...' it's beginning to weird me out, so someone please put me down. Gets a middle of the road 1 because I expected a bit more than what I got in the way of his big songs.

Elton John, im sure hes a nice guy but his music sucks!

Pants

Tiny Dancer is great, so lovely; the rest are, well, shit.

I just don't get it. It's background music, yet people pay money to go and see it. Baffling.

literally what the fuck is this album about. outright bewildering. i have not a clue what this man is trying to tell me now i get why him and lana are friends. and honestly can anyone actually tolerate more than like ten minutes of elton john music at a time?

Tony Danza is an OK song, but I’m not too sure why this bland EJ offer is on the list.

God-damnit, I specifically checked the box, so I will not be recommended this type of music. I don't know, this must be more of a Pop, then a classic rock, and especially blues. Fix the recommendations, please. I am not saying Elton John's music is bad, this sort of music is just not for me. Way to relaxed and out of me.

I love lots of Elton John but I don't love this at all. Only one stand out song - Tiny Dancer - the rest a real struggle.

Cba

Either refined to the point of dullness or dulled to the point of refinement, this is a sluggish show of songwriting pomposity.

What’s on earth is this album about. I have no idea what are you thinking about any one of those songs and even if I got I did I couldn’t empathise with any of us totally boring

Really not enjoyable.

Nice songs, great singer but overall not really my cup of tea

Tiny dancer was the only song I liked. The rest of the album put me to sleep.

Tiny Dancer. Solo eso.

Ugh horrible saccharine garbage

o