tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621501513493185029.post6349099861218874580..comments2024-03-27T12:50:36.135-04:00Comments on Everybody's Dummy: Elton John 12: Captain Fantasticwardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825405583474881509noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621501513493185029.post-6958168035615429272023-09-03T22:16:51.796-04:002023-09-03T22:16:51.796-04:00You gave this the same rating as “Caribou”? Oh, no...You gave this the same rating as “Caribou”? Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Granted, it’s self-consciously arty and maybe a bit pretentious, but it would have been very easy for Elton and Bernie to have put out “Caribou 2”. Instead, they created their best album since “Madman..”, and their last great album, ever.<br /> <br />The melodies are all wonderful, the band is at their best, and Dudgeon’s attention to detail is perfect. As for the lyrics, they aren’t always clear. At the time, it made the story line difficult to figure out if you didn’t know anything about Elton and Bernie’s history. The title track is a GREAT song, about the wonder of their mutual self-discovery. “Tower of Babel” is less direct, but it seems to be about our naïve young lads discovering the sleazy backstage happenings in the music business. “Bitter Fingers” has Bernie not liking one bit being put in the role of a pop tunesmith instead of making “art”. (Cue eye roll). Again, a marvelous tune with the neat rolling piano intro.<br /><br />“Tell Me When the Whistle Blows”, I’m guessing, is Bernie feeling homesick and thinking about going back to Lincolnshire. This was recorded in the same session as “Philadelphia Freedom”. The strings really make the song. Elton, like The Beatles before him, was the only person at the time who could have gotten away with a seven-minute single like “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”. It’s got the most universal lyrics on the album, which is probably why it was the single. I get the feeling that the lyrics reflect Bernie’s vitriol toward Elton’s fiancée at least as much, if not more than, Elton’s. (By the way, John Tobler’s bad liner notes for the remastered albums are typified by his misidentification of Long John Baldry as “sugar bear”). <br /><br />“Meal Ticket” depicts the boys as starving artists. At the time, though, they were living with Elton’s family, so it is an odd one. “Better Off Dead” is the one I have the least clue about. I’m guessing the subjects are the people in the “skid row” of the previous track. The poppy music was the exact opposite of the way Bernie thought the song would sound! Oddly enough, this was another sleeper that would pop up again live, like on the 1986 tour. <br /><br />“Writing” is an utterly charming song that would have been a perfect single, if not for the very specific lyrics. “We All Fall in Love Sometimes” is one of the few songs that someone has dared to write about platonic, brotherly love. Unfortunately, it could be misinterpreted. “Curtains” is another one that left me clueless at the time. Now, realizing that the “scarecrow” refers to their very first demo and “dandelion” refers to the another very early song, makes the track even more touching. The “Hey, Jude” track of a lengthy, repetitive coda works, once again.<br /><br />The three singles added to the reissue don’t fit into the concept, of course, but they are a nice plus. I’ll say it again – this is Elton and Bernie’s final masterpiece, their last peak. Of course, they’d go on to write more good stuff. However, as a complete piece, especially, in retrospect, it was the end of the line. A combination of external events and bad choices (firing Dee and Nigel was the first mistake) would change things irrevocably.<br /><br />“House of Cards” was apparently written during the “Caribou” sessions. A rare instance of Bernie trying to be clever, just for the sake of it.<br /><br /><br />trfesokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12631886869696528704noreply@blogger.com