I’ve never been a big fan of Elton John. Admittedly, he’s an extremely talented songwriter, an outstanding pianist, a good singer and a veritable hit machine who churned out catchy tunes one after the other. He’s the Mozart of pop music. But here’s the problem: I love Beethoven. I only like Mozart in small doses and without any extra frills, no extra icing please. In classical music, I can choose which interpretation I prefer; in pop music, I can’t. To cut a long story short: most of Elton John’s work gets on my nerves. Too happy, too melodic, too Hollywood. There’s hardly an album of his that I enjoy listening to. There’s only one I think is brilliant. Ironically, it’s this, the lavish "Madman Across the Water", of all things. It features rich orchestral arrangements and opulent compositions. Elton John was never more ‘prog’ than on this album. And here, the extra icing on the cake fits perfectly. A wonderful album from start to finish. And with "Tiny Dancer", it also features John’s best song. Absolutely brilliant.