Elton John - Jump Up! (1982)
Jump Up! è sicuramente un album minore nella discografia di
Elton, nonostante il buon successo del singolo Blue Eyes.
Registrato nell'isola caraibica di Montserrat offre un'ottima band, con
Jeff Porcaro alla batteria, Dee Murray al basso, Richie Zito alle
chitarre e James Newton Howard alle tastiere, che fornisce un sound
fresco a pezzi non proprio memorabili. Dopo tutti questi anni
viene ricordato soprattutto per Empty Garden, dedicata allo scomparso
John Lennon.
1) Dear
John
2)
Spiteful
Child
3)
Ball
And Chain
4)
Legal
Boys
5)
I
Am Your Robot
6)
Blue
Eyes
7)
Empty
Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)
8)
Princess
9)
Where
Have All The Good Times Gone
10)
All
Quiet On The Western Front
classifiche:
Stati Uniti:
17° posto
Inghilterra:
13° posto
Italia:
--° posto
Once
again, fellow Rower's we meet around the 22nd Row campfire and exchange
stories! This edition, we'll examine (objectively, as always) a
fan-favorite:
"JUMP UP!" Elton John released much product during the 1980's
and
at least a few of his album releases from this period can be considered
classics. First off, there's the unqualified smash hit "Live in
Australia",
the masterful concept album "Sleeping With The Past", and of course the
evergreen pop perfection of "Reg Strikes Back". All of these have been
remastered and reissued. However, at least one more record Elton put
out
in the early part of the decade can easily be added to that list.
Released
in April 1982, "Jump Up!" was Elton's second album for Geffen, his new
label in the United States. It was also his first really focused record
of the new decade. Recorded almost entirely at Air Montserrat, it was
his
first produced entirely by Chris Thomas. Like Elton's most recent
records
around this time, several lyricists are represented on the album.
Bernie
Taupin and Gary Osborne both contributed lyrics, and a newcomer to the
fold made his first appearance in the form of Broadway veteran Tim
Rice,
whose collaboration with Elton on the intricate and interesting "Legal
Boys" would culminate (as John Tobler points out in his liner notes)
with
an Oscar for "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" some twelve or so years
later.
However, that's where the similarities end. Gone are the album sleeves
that find Elton in hiding or not to be seen at all, as well as the
sedate
designs. Elton is front and center on the cover and back cover and the
artwork is playful and gregarious to say the least! Gone too is the
wide
assortment of musicians. For "Jump Up!", Elton and Chris Thomas chose
to
use a studio band, but the same musicians appear on all the tracks.
Though
there are guest appearances, very few supporting players contributed to
the album. The core band, again minus Davey Johnstone who would be
absent
from an Elton album just one last time, was made up of very strong
players
who had all previously served as studio sidemen for Elton. Laying down
his very distintive bass was Dee Murray. On fire behind the drums was
Jeff
Porcaro who was on loan from Toto, one of Elton's favorite bands of the
day. Ritchie Zito again handled most of the guitars, turning in some of
his best work on this album, and keyboard ace James Newton Howard
supplied
a myriad of additional keyboard parts and leads as well as string
arrangements.
Guests included Steve Holly on tambourine, who had played on "A Single
Man" and was also a member of Wings, and making his SECOND appearance
with
Elton was Pete Townsend kicking in acoustic guitar on "Ball and Chain".
Pete had previously played additional guitars on "Pinball Wizard" in
1974,
though he would not claim credit for it on the "Tommy" soundtrack
album.
He and Elton had been and still remain very good friends. And The
Martyn
Ford Orchestra (credited humorously as "Mountain Fjord") make another
invaluable
contribution to an Elton John album. Backing vocals were all done
either
by Elton himself or along with Dee and Gary Osborne. As Rolling Stone
commented
in their original review, the album showed Elton as a "rare master of
pop
form" and noted that he was "feeling frisky". One listen will tell you
that this was exactly what Elton intended the album to convey. From the
rapid-fire open of "Dear John" to the majestic closing of "All Quiet On
The Western Front", Elton was indeed feeling frisky, as evidenced by a
strong lineup of songs executed with equally strong performances by
Elton
and the band, and captured in one of the richest and most exciting
mixes
ever to come out of a Chris Thomas album. All the numbers are well
crafted,
even "I Am Your Robot", which in my opinion is the weakest track on the
album and yet a driving danceable track slathered in guitars and
synthesizers
coupled with Elton's cheeky delivery of cheeky "space age" lyric
references,
it's so cheeky it's good! As with nearly all Elton albums, there are
some
excellent singles, one of which is the John/Taupin classic "Empty
Garden
(Hey, Hey Johnnie)", a beautifully written and played tribute to John
Lennon
that not only stands as the best of those written about him but to this
day still brings a tear to your eye, it's that good. (Rumor has it that
Elton himself was so moved upon hearing the playback that he cried.)
The
other single that is a more likely candidate for the Top 40 is "Blue
Eyes",
a simple, lovely Gary Osborne's lyric that features a breezy
arrangement
and a silky-smooth, lower-register delivery from Elton. (When I first
heard
it in 1982, it took me a few listens on radio to figure out that it was
him before I acquired the album!) Once again, there are no bonus
tracks,
but the original album lineup flat-out CRANKS! Remastering guru Gary
Moore
needed to make this mix really jump out of the speakers at you and boy
does it ever! The crack of Jeff Porcaro's snare will put bullet holes
in
your walls. Dee Murray's bass lines thunder off the disc, Elton's
flashy
piano is crisp and clear and go hand in hand with the guitars,
keyboards
and strings. The emphasis on enhancing the already big dynamic range
can
be heard across the board, even on "Blue Eyes", and are especially
prevalent
on "All Quiet On The Western Front", whose soft intro gives way to a
crescendo
at the end. "Jump Up!" finds Elton in GREAT form, covering a wide range
of the vocal spectrum between leads and backing vocals, and his piano
work
is razor sharp and prominently placed in the mix across the whole
album.
He also generates some great solos and all of this is accented by the
remastering.
Instruments and effects are afforded so much more clarity than the
original
versions and one can actually hear subtle things in the mixes that
previously
went unnoticed. Vocals, especially the backing tracks, come through
clean
and present and the mix interestingly enough sounds like it could have
been done only a few years ago instead of the twenty that have passed
since
the album came out. Audio highlights include "Where Have All The Good
Times
Gone?" with a pulsing soulful rhythm section and a Gene Page-esque
Philly-soul
style string arrangement that pays homage to the classic soul singers
and
groups. "Princess", the pretty pop tune with a beautiful electric piano
solo and Elton falsettos that have aged like fine wine. But to be fair,
all the songs on the record play well especially cleaned up so well.
Original
album art is pretty faithfully reproduced here, with the exception of
some
of the sleeve photographs that for some reason are missing and there
are
two odd photographs that have been included, one from the 1984
"Breaking
Hearts" tour programme and one from an early seventies TV or concert
appearance
that both are a little out of place since they are not from the
original
album artwork and are not from this period. No Elton signature this
time,
but back again are the single sleeves and a shot of the "Jump Up!" tour
poster, this one being the legs that included Geffen label-mates
Quarterflash
as special guests. The tour is another point of interest. Instead of
taking
his studio players with him on the road, Elton made a cunningly smart
move
and reformed the original Elton John Band, retaining only Dee Murray
from
the album sessions, bringing back Nigel Olsson and hooking up once
again
with Davey Johnstone, who with the exception of some solo piano tours,
has been on the road with Elton ever since. Audiences were stunned to
hear
that Elton's original bandmates were playing together again and flocked
to the shows in droves. The tour sold-out all over the world, setting
records
in many stops on the way. The shows themselves were nothing short of
spectacular,
with Elton wearing an all new assortment of costumes and playing with
energy
and enthusiasm not seen since the mid-seventies. Elton and the band
even
made an appearance on "Saturday Night Live" as the musical guest of a
show
hosted by no less than country music legend Johnny Cash! "Jump Up!" and
its singles ("Blue Eyes" and "Empty Garden") placed well in the charts
both in American and Europe, with US record buyers responding in
particular
to the album, which improved a great deal over "The Fox", finishing
just
outside the top 10. Only "All Quiet On The Western Front" didn't fare
so
well in Europe. Well-written and almost flawlessly executed, "Jump Up!"
was an important album and proved to be a great experience for both
Elton
and fans as well. While perhaps not at the fever pitch of his mid-70's
heyday, Elton mania was definitely returning and could be felt across
the
country and around the world for the first time since those days. The
collaborations
with Chris Thomas and Taupin were key in that these songs, the
resulting
performance of the album and the phenomenal success of the tour with
the
reunited band all helped set the stage for the full-scale reunion to
come
in 1983's "Too Low For Zero".
Andy
Geisel - 22nd Row 2003
|
da Rolling Stone del 27 maggio 1982
Jump Up is the album that redeems Elton
John from his famine years as a fallen superstar exiled to less verdant
pastures. Showing more spunk than anyone might have expected at this
late date, he's put himself back on top simply by making a tour de
force of a record that says he knows he's worth it. Even if he never
again comes close to inciting the mass hysteria of the mid-Seventies,
the sheer stylistic breadth of Jump Up should secure Elton John's reputation as a rare master of pop form.
From the muscular lurch of "Dear John" to the Philly-soul stylings
of "Princess," Elton is feeling frisky again. Those trademark piano
rolls and crisp cadences never sounded so good as on "Spiteful Child,"
and he's found a new expressiveness in his singing (witness the
dramatic, mock-Brechtian reading of "Legal Boys," which redresses the
paper chasers with eloquent vehemence). And, for a guest-celebrity
change of pace, there's "Ball and Chain," a catchy little tune that
rolls along to the inimitable percussive strum of Pete Townshend's
acoustic guitar.
Lyric-writing duties are divided between Gary Osborne and Bernie
Taupin. The former seems to coax a more effervescent melody from John,
while the latter plumbs for emotional intensity – be it vengeance
("Spiteful Child") or sentimentality ("Empty Garden," a heartfelt paean
to John Lennon).
Elton John just might be rock & roll's equivalent of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz.
His songs have a kind of mechanical vigor, he's a one-man pop-music
assembly line, but the guy's got a heart that won't quit. "I am your
robot/I am your robot man," he sings on Jump Up, in a way that suggests he's content with this self-assessment. Yeah, he may be a robot, but he's our robot, all right. God bless him.
4/5
PARKE PUTERBAUGH
|
da All Music Guide
Jump Up! (1982) was Elton John's
(piano/vocals) first full LP to have been recorded in the 1980s, and is
best remembered for including "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" -- John and lyricist Bernie Taupin's tribute to the their slain friend, John Lennon. While the pair had been writing together again, albeit infrequently, since the late '70s, John continued to include material written with his primary non-Taupin collaborator, Gary Osborne. The latter team had previously scored big with "Little Jeannie" on John's 21 at 33 (1980), and to a lesser degree with the noir ballad "Chloe" from The Fox
(1981). However, on Jump Up!, the quality of material dithers from the
absurd and inane "I Am Your Robot" -- featuring lead guitar work from Pete Townshend
-- or the insipid breakup opener "Dear John" to the sublime beauty of
"Blue Eyes" or the cathartic value of the aforementioned "Empty Garden
(Hey Hey Johnny)." The dramatic "Legal Boys" is an understated
masterpiece, marking the first public effort between John and Sir Tim Rice.
The pair would garner Tony and Grammy awards 12 years later for their
work on the original motion picture soundtrack to the animated feature
film The Lion King (1994). John's
backing band includes many of the same musicians who contributed to his
most recent recordings. Representing the "classic" personnel are Dee Murray (bass) and post-Captain Fantastic (1975) recruit James Newton-Howard (keyboards). Fleshing out the core combo are studio guitarist extraordinaire Richie Zito and Toto drummer (and another highly regarded session heavy) Jeff Porcaro. Steve Holly (drums), who worked with Wings as well as John circa A Single Man
(1978), guests on the tracks "Ball & Chain" and "I Am Your Robot."
While far from a total washout, Jump Up! would remain tethered in the
wake of the follow-up, Too Low for Zero (1983), marking a reunion between John and both his "classic" 1970s combo as well as Taupin.
Lindsay Planer
|
anno/label |
1982
Rocket (UK) - Geffen
(USA) |
produzione |
Chris
Thomas |
arrangiamenti
orchestrali |
James
Newton Howard |
studio |
Air
Studios, Montserrat
- Pathe Marconi Studios, Parigi |
musicisti |
Jeff
Porcaro: batteria;
Dee
Murray: basso, cori; Richie Zito: chitarre; Steve Holley:
percussioni,
syndrum;
James Newton Howard:
tastiere; Pete
Townshend: chitarra; Gary
Osborne: cori;
Mountain Fjord Orchestra diretta da Gavin Wright; Elton: piano, cori |
note |
discreta
produzione, senza
grosse pretese, ben prodotta e ben suonata; Chris Thomas ha una mano
più
leggera del solito e emerge la batteria del grande Porcaro e le
chitarre
di Zito. |
|
|