Elton John - The Captain and the Kid
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Elton JohnEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2006-09-19
Music Label: Interscope Records
Soundtracks:
- Postcards From Richard Nixon
- Just Like Noah's Ark
- Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (NYC)
- Tinderbox
- And The House Fell Down
- Blues Never Fade Away
- The Bridge
- I Must Have Lost It On The Wind
- Old '67
- The Captain And The Kid
Free Music Notes for The Captain and the Kid
Free Music Review: A Musicians review of the album
Hit: 3 Stars
**This review is based on the music, lyrics, and production value of the album**
"The Captain and The Kid" is an album with very well written and inspired tracks that lacks from an overall 'production' point-of-view. The songs themselves are very good and could stand up to quite well to a lot of his artistic output over the years... But this albums achillies heal is the overall 'sound' that it produced.. Here's a quick rundown of the overall 'idea and sound' of this album:
Lyrically, Bernie's still on fire.. Since 2001's 'Songs from the west coast', Bernie Taupin has been displaying a newly invigorated and inspired sense to his lyrics that were sorely missing for the better of almost 2 decades.. NOT saying that his lyrics were bad in that time, I'm simply saying that his recent lyrics are showing signs of that character-based, metaphoricle paintings in peoples minds that he was so quickly churning out in the early 70's. I believe this has always been the key to whether or not Elton's albums/songs have been successful...
Musically, here Elton is writing very simple yet diverse styles of music and melodies to accompany the lyrics.. Centered mostly around slow tempoed pop arrangements, each of the tracks have enough catchy melody and hooks to keep each one of the tracks interesting. One might say that the slower tempos of the songs could get a bit much and the listener wants the album to pick up a bit, but what I like is how the dirtiness or 'energy' of the songs themselves compensate for the lack of upbeat tempos. A lot of the melodies are standouts and Elton's piano playing and voice is definitely in the forefront of each track, which is how it should be.. :o)
Now my only gripe about the album is completely from the production standpoint. The tracks are well written, Obviously they are well performed.. I just really do not like the mixing and production value this album ended up with. Personally to me the album sounds like an unfinished demo.. Elton really should have had some help in having a professional mixer and masterer put their hands on it and give the album a bit more sparkle and shine to make the songs more 'accessible'. Mastering gives the album more intensity and energy.. Though I completely respect that he was probably going for that 'in the room as we recorded it' feel, the final product ended up sounding uneventful and middle of the road. A good production can be a huge key to whether or not someone without much musical knowledge will like an 'album' or not.. This to me is the difference between "Songs from the west coast" and "The captain".. Songs was produced to a fine 'T', and this album's feel suffers because of that.
Again, I'm not saying this album is bad.. The songs themselves are great, the performances are great.. Just as an average listener when you purchase this important piece of the Elton John Puzzle, please look past the 'demo' sound and really listen to those brilliant lyrics and exceptional melodies..
All The Best,
-Andy Anderson-
The Captain and the Kid Poster
The degree to which you'll like The Captain & the Kid is going to depend on your personal history with Sir Elton John. If you're a resolute follower who was once reduced to a quivering mass of humility by "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" and then revived by the blast of pop liberation that was "Philadelphia Freedom" (a single that later appeared on the CD version of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, the album to which this disc is a sequel) you'll have enough invested to appreciate the concept. If, on the other hand, you're a late arrival to the Rocket Man's repertoire, you'll have to adjust your expectations. Kid, unlike more recent efforts, isn't aiming itself at the lite-FM listening masses. What it's asking instead is that you return yourself to your 1970s-era childhood bedroom, flop on the bed, and lock the door, or at least fasten an elastic band around your MTV-addled attention span. This is total-immersion music, and it's got 30 years worth of stories to tell.The Captain and the Kid are John and Bernie Taupin, his longtime songwriting partner. The music, a choir-enhanced swerve through genres including pop, rock, blues, folk, and country with signature piano riffs thrown in nearly everywhere, chronicles their splintery relationship. Innocence and hope ("Postcards from Richard Nixon") give way to success and joy ("Just Like Noah's Ark"), which eventually leads to discontent ("Tinderbox") and disaster ("And the House Fell Down"). A shot at redemption ("The Bridge") later finds the Captain; reflection ("Old 67") and a joyous reunion (the title track) follow.
Theirs is ultimately a simple story, but John and Taupin suffuse it with hypnotic sentimentality--along with the narrative, echoes of past hits wander into several classic-sounding tracks. "Tiny Dancer" darts through the cracked-voice beauty of "Blues Never Fade Away" and "The Bridge," for example, while "Wouldn't HaveYou Any Other Way (NYC)" works in hints at both "Candle in the Wind" and "Where to Now St. Peter." Other songs shake loose less likely influences ("I Must Have Lost it on the Wind" sounds like something off a vintage Linda Ronstadt album), but all are compellingly steeped in context; if you don't get the late-disc reference to fine silk suits and six-inch heels, you'll wish you did. --Tammy La Gorce
Selected Favorites from Elton John
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The Captain & The Kid, written with his long-time writing partner, Bernie Taupin. More than 30 years after the release of their landmark #1 multi-platinum album, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, the duo returns with this sequel. The new album features 10 new songs reflecting the intimate lives and public times spanning the long-standing songwriting partnership of Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin. In fact, for the first time, both John and Taupin are featured on an Elton John album cover.
"The album is a celebration of our lives and our lifetimes, of our music and of the music we love. The Captain & The Kid continues our story. You can't look back, we're looking ahead," says John.
Created in the tradition of those fantastic records of the 60's and 70's, The Captain & The Kid is a celebration of when music was the most important voice of our culture and the album was its prime vehicle. Much like Elton's previous records Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across The Water, and Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy, The Captain & The Kid is an album meant to transport you back to that place in time when music mattered most. 35 plus years-later, Elton really has become Captain Fantastic and Bernie is most definitely The Brown Dirt Cowboy and they are as passionate about their music as they have ever been.
"I find the whole album to be so touching and beautiful for me because I've lived it," Elton added. "I lived it with Bernie and we've come through it. We've gone over the bridge and here we are at the other side."
The first single from the album, 'The Bridge" is one of 10 tracks which picks up where Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy left off. The album tells the story of Elton and Bernie from when they arrived in Los Angeles 30 years ago, through the ups and downs of their lives, to present day.
Vinyl LP pressing of this 2006 album from Elton and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, an autobiographical sequel to their 1975 album Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy. 10 tracks. Mercury.
The Original 'captain Fantastic' was the First Album Ever to Debut on the Billboard Chart at No.1, During the Staggering Creative Hot Streak that Represented Elton John's First Wave of Global Success, and Incorporated at Least One Top 40 Entry on the Hot 100 Every Year from 1970 to 1995 Inclusive. This Album Will Seize the Momentum of John's Acclaimed Albums of the New Century, 2004's 'peachtree Road' and 2001's Multi-platinum Selling 'songs from the West Coast, Records that Saw his Creative Spirit and Span Reaching New Levels.
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