In the interest of full disclosure, we never knowingly heard a note of this album before writing this review. We remember seeing it in stores, but it wasn’t all over the radio like everything else he did before or since, and which we heard in real time. In our defense, Elton himself doesn’t remember much about it either.Leather Jackets follows the template of his previous album, arriving almost exactly a year later. He and Bernie Taupin wrote most of the songs, Gus Dudgeon produced, and most of the two dozen musicians returned, with only Davey Johnston representing the classic Elton John Band. Yet that recipe created his most generic sounding album since Victim Of Love.
It’s a lot like Ice On Fire, which is good if you liked it, but there isn’t anything approaching something you’d want to hear again. The title track is dopey enough without the cringey back cover, which was probably an attempt to be funny. At least “Hoop Of Fire” changes the mood quickly, and could be a lot better with a more straight arrangement, but it still sounds like he’s singing about a “football fire”, whatever that is. “Don’t Trust That Woman” was written with Cher, of all people, and we’d love to know who decided the first line should be “she’s a real ballbuster”. As much as it sounds like a soundtrack refugee, “Go It Alone” is even more processed. Even though “Gypsy Heart” is slow and not slathered like everything else, it’s still something of a retread of the far superior “Blue Eyes”.
“Slow Rivers” is notable for being a duet with Cliff Richard, and not much else. “Heartache All Over The World” was the single—again, not that we recall hearing it anywhere, ever—and attempts to update the rhythm of “Philadelphia Freedom” with too many bad synthesizers. According to the credits, “Angeline” features John Deacon and Roger Taylor of Queen—not that you’d notice, given the “whoa-whoa” hook and car effects—suggesting it was left over from the last album. “Memory Of Love” tries to be a sensitive ballad, but for the fake harmonica all over the place. The acrobatic chord changes throughout “Paris” actually make the song interesting, but “I Fall Apart” sounds too much like it to stand out.
Throughout Leather Jackets he sounds like he’s trying to sound soulful and dramatic but coming off more hammy. The raspiness in his voice is more noticeable without his other mid-‘80s hits to provide context, and ultimately, it’s all a waste. Unlike most of his catalog, it has never been expanded.
Elton John Leather Jackets (1986)—2
i now know why it was never reissued, john hated the final product and it has something to do with: label pressure, tour burnout, excessive cocaine use, boozing,, lack of lyrics, running out of ideas and his voice giving out. it could be all that and some critics call it: synthesizer overkill, soft rock hell and also john tries to much to sound like erasure but the best synth pop comes from the most 80's of synth pop bands: OMD and pet shop boys, this production seemed banana cream glopped in your ears.
ReplyDeletei say, leave the technology to the young folks!1 leather jackets starts off as a bouncy jam and many of the songs are close to ice on fire, a lot of those are b sides, hoop of fire is more softer, don't trust that woman is hilarious, being that it was written by cher and lord choc ice, she is a real ball buster indeed. go it alone has a synth intro and speeds up the tempo, with a top gun style bass line and some guitar, this can be a great rocker. gypsy heart is sweet. slow rivers is a duet song with cliff richard, heartache all over the world is the single that john despises so much, memory of love is so boring and the fake harmonica is too much like said tina turner song that she was trying to get away from. i fall apart sounds like john mixes the reverb button too much.
for all of its faults and all, it's decent but you can tell john seems burnt vocally so it took a surgery to fix his vocal cords, we shall see if i get to do the live album with the orchestra. 2 and a half stars.