Elton John 17: A Single Man

Two things are apparent from the cover of A Single Man: Elton John is not wearing glasses of any kind, and Gus Dudgeon is not listed as producer. The gatefold shows the lord of the manor at the wheel of a classic Jaguar, and Bernie Taupin is nowhere to be found on the labels or inner sleeve. Clearly, this album was a considered departure.

The lyricist is one Gary Osborne, who Elton probably met through Kiki Dee, but was best known to the public at large for his contributions to Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds, which managed to combine the talents of Justin Heyward of the Moody Blues, Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, and Richard Burton. He doesn’t have Bernie’s unique approach, his prosaic style, nor his pretension; the accent here is on rhymes that create ear candy. (The band is different too, with future Wings drummer Steve Holley behind the kit and future Pink Floyd sideman Tim Renwick on the guitars.)

We know we’re in for a different album with the stately elegance of “Shine On Through”, and quite lovely indeed. But “Return To Paradise” can’t decide if it wants to be in the islands or Mexico, with the marimba and mariachi horns competing for space. The uptempo “I Don’t Care” finally brings in the rock, somewhat, though the strings and phased guitar are definitely Philly soul. Possibly the least subtle metaphor by anyone’s standards, “Big Dipper” lopes around New Orleans, and it was wise of him to cop to lifting from “Makin’ Whoopee” at the end. “It Ain’t Gonna Be Easy” is sneaky, straddling the line between bluesy and ballad. Ray Cooper’s vibraphone is more welcome here than it was on Blue Moves, but the song truly didn’t need to last eight minutes. If anything in his catalog screams for a “radio edit”, this is it. (According to one report, the original take ran twelve minutes, so maybe we should be thankful.

“Part-Time Love” is from the same discofied cloth as “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, and a smart choice for a single while “Georgia” tries to evoke Tumbleweed Connection. He breaks out of his lower register for “Shooting Star”, something of a counterpoint to the groupie ballad “Superstar”, and should have been a smash hit for any female singer who wanted to cover it. “Madness” is a rare attempt to be political, but the sentiments are tempered by an undeniably catchy arrangement. After a brief “Reverie” comes one of the most elegant pieces he’d written since “Funeral For A Friend”. If his story is to be believed, “Song For Guy” was composed on a lonely afternoon, only he found out a day later that one of his assistants had been killed in an accident while he was writing. It’s a heartbreakingly gorgeous melody, played on piano with synthesized strings and a simple drum machine. The only words are “Life isn’t everything.”

A Single Man was not well-received upon release, but time has shown it to be far from awful. His “lower” voice sounds fine, and the work throughout is inventive and strong; Elton was just more concerned with having hits than making art. One such flop of the era was the over-ambitious single “Ego”, written with Bernie. This leads off the current CD’s bonus material, along with its flipside “Flinstone Boy” (which doesn’t do much beyond paraphrase a line from the show) and three other B-sides of the time, no better or worse than the album they were supporting.

Elton John A Single Man (1978)—3
1998 CD reissue: same as 1978, plus 5 extra tracks