The b**** is Back: When did Elton John's career jump the shark?

I'll put "The Tumbleweed Connection" up there with just about any album from the 1970s. To me, that masterpiece more than makes up for any of the tripe Elton put out from 1975 to 1995.

That said, I think "Songs From California" is also a great album, one of the best LPs from 2001.

 

When did Elton John's career jump the shark?
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Your musical value judgements are as bad as your political value judgements

He would best be compared with some of the Brill Building greats - Carole King, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, and Burt Bacharach who were prolific and wrote more hit music than the rest of the universe combined.

Nevertheless, Stevie Wonder's single album, Songs In the Key of Life by itself or pieces of the Beatles between Help and Abbey Road, or even Bob Dylan between the Newport Jazz Festival and the Blood on the Tracks album, which was often quite bad, were art compared to Elton John's craftwork, popular as it was. It's like comparing the guy who made the first velvet Elvis painting with Pablo Picasso. More people could probably identify a velvet Elvis than anything by Picasso, but it's comparing apples to oranges.

Still, here's the skinny according to allmusic.com:

That would put the shark jump @ Captain Fantastic. It's also worth noting that this was about the time that he became among the largest contributors to the GDP of Columbia, as this was when his cocaine problems began to give David Crosby, Stevie Nicks, and David Bowie/Iggy Pop a serious run for their money in the addiction category.

 

Never been an Elton John fan, and never will be. His very early stuff is listenable, but that's about it for me. Ditto for Billy Joel.

 

As has been noted here, Elton's career took a nosedive when he revealed the truth of his sexuality in a Rolling Stone interview.

Nonstop touring and recording until that moment took its toll, too; and maybe he needed something to put a brake on all that---hence, subconsciously, his reason for coming-out? Who knows.

As a kid, I bought many Elton John albums, until my three stepbrothers all jumped my s**t about the guy being gay. So, naturally, I stopped listening for awhile. That was the same time period that his career hit a wall.

But to say he's had no decent music since that period is incorrect. I don't pay much attention to these last several years, although from what I hear, music he's recorded in this time frame isn't bad.

 

The moment he jumped the shark:


"That's where we meet. At the club at the end of the street."

 

I have, and I'll pass. Billy Joel and Elton John just don't do a thing for me.

 

Say whaaaa?

 

I actually just did a sampling of Tumbleweed Connection, Funeral for a Friend & Tickling in order to try to be fair. First, I was probably too harsh with the velvet Elvis reference. Secondly, I need to mention that I think Carol King's Tapestry album which was released the same year as Tumbleweed Connection, essentially started the low-key singer/songwriter fad of the 70's. I absolutely love the Monkees, whose every good song was written by a Brill Building member, and ironically Billy Joel whom you speak fondly is considered a "post-Brill Building" guy, as were Paul Simon, Carley Simon, and James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and John Lennon's solo stuff. Here's the Brill Building entry at the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

When I said it, it came out as an insult. I don't think I intended it that way. The most flattering comparison to early Elton John I could come up with (which I'm sure you won't find flattering, but is a great compliment in my mind) is "Little Earthquakes" era Tori Amos. The Lyrics for Precious Things make Madman Across the Water seem tame, and she has the same sort of piano based tunesmithy.

 

I am officially jealous. I can listen to "The Piglet Suckling Album" (Boys for Pele) but it's a step down from previous stuff and can't stand anything after that. Guess she spent too much time with buddy Trent Reznor.

I'm still trying to figure out what I originaly wanted to say, but I think it was that in the instrumentation on Songs In The Key of Life or Pet Sounds, or in some of the lyrics&structures of Bob Dylan & The Beatles were little slices that made me jealous of the gift to create some specific synthesis, even if parts or bits seem unfinished or wrong or unappealing. An extreme example would be Herbie Hancock's Headhunters album. I think it is brillliant and unique, the best Jazz album of the 70's and the creation of of a new style "Jazz Fusion" but listening to it reminds me of eating brussel sprouts as a child.

Early Elton John, even though I'm not a fan anymore, is the type of music that you listen to and start singing along to and can consistently listen to over and over, and generally every song on the album is at least OK. Its good. It's damn fine. It gets in your head and doesn't leave.

I would never, however, contemplate buying the Elton John equivilent of The Beatles Bootleg It's not too bad which contains 25 different demos or studio takes of the same song, Strawbery Fields Forever, tracking its evolution from accoustic demo to the final product.

I don't really care to understand the process that created the "Elton John" class of catchy song, but often find the end product more enjoyable.

 

Jump the shark? I don't think Elton John's musical career HAS jumped a shark.

He's done nothing gimmicky - that absolutely bombed - in an attempt ressurect his career.

Sure I like some of his stuff more than others. And I'm definitely NOT his biggest fan. BUT - seems to me he's a professional entertainer and his approach doesn't have anything fake or gimmicky about it.

Yeah, he's aged and his music has gotten softer (appealing to a different type of a crowd). But regardless of whether it's in line with my tastes, I think both his live performances and his studio recordings are top notch.

 

Hey, Chicago 17 (Peter Cetera's last) could quite possibly go down as their greatest. Or at least most popular. You're the Inspiration. Hard Habit to Break. Stay the Night. I can't believe I remember those songs, crap!

Anyway, I wouldn't say changing lead singers is jumping the shark anyway. It's more like when Bewitched got a new Darren.

But anyway, I don't think Elton John's inspiration has changed TOO much. You could argue he sold out for Disney, but overall I think he's still inspired by a passion to create music people relate to. Sure the people he's relating to aren't the same as they once were. But that's what happens when you're around for 3+ decades.