The lone hit, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", was a so-so addition to his greatest hits pantheon, but there were several other notable songs as Elton John and his long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin strolled down memory lane for a look at the 10 year wild ride from studio musician anonymity to rock superstar.
"Bitter Fingers" is a tuneful rendition worthy of addition to the list of songs by recording artists about what a fucked-up industry they have to deal with. Put it alongside Billy Joel's "The Entertainer" and John's other paean to the mean little jerks who run the music industry, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." The hard-rocking "Meal Ticket" also contains echoes of music industry cannibalism and commodification.
"Writing" is a sweet little bit about the grind of working out the words, smithying the music, and coming up with a workable song. "Will we still be writing in approaching years, stifling yawns on Sunday as the weekend disappears" doesn't scan all that well, but fit into the masterful music John wrote, it comes out just fine.
For my money, the best song on the album is "Better Off Dead," in spite of (maybe because of?) the crush of lyrics crammed into the verses, giving way to the power chorus and the thumping percussion of Nigel Olsson and Ray Cooper. The album finishes off with "Curtains," a sort of farewell that many people thought foreshadowed a retirement announcement. Not that anyone would blame John for thinking it was a good time to wind down. As I said in the subject line, "Captain Fantastic" is the last Elton John album worth plunking down your money for. He has had some hits since 1976, but for the sustained effort of an album, the work it takes to make each song something worthwhile, "Captain Fantastic" is the end of a very good line.
= new reply since forum marked as read
