Elton John

Elton John's 1973 masterpiece has been called "a concept album without a concept." The eclectic mix of tunes proves he's a master of many styles: he bashes out prog-rock ("Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"), pop anthems ("Bennie and the Jets"), melancholy balladry ("Candle in the Wind") and more with equal aplomb.

These boys--singer/piano player Elton John, librettist Bernie Taupin and producer Gus
Dudgeon sure do relish their fantasy. One evening last summer I found myself in a screening
room in Los Angeles with all of the above, plus the guitarist, the bass player and the rest of
the white-suited English retinue that follows Elton around. The occasion was a command
performance of American Graffitt, George Lucas' dream-sequence film of a night... More >

Two LPs ago, Bernie Taupin passed on his way from obscure banality to clean, well-lighted banality to write a batch of imaginative lyrics, and set to those lyrics John's music sounded eclectic but not confused. Too often now it seems to chatter on anonymously. The title cut is good, "Bennie and the Jets" is great, side four is good-to-great, and a few other songs here would probably benefit from more exclusive company, but this is one more double album that would make a nifty single. (Grade - B)