Elton John - Captain Fantastic (1975) Album Score: 14

When I first reviewed Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, it caught me off guard. I hadn’t actually listened to it prior to reviewing it, and I was utterly shocked by how quickly I fell head-over-heels in love with it. I liked it so much that it was immediately thrust right into my Top 10. I praised it endlessly as being a complete masterpiece from beginning to end as well as being one of the grandest pop statements ever recorded. Sometimes the danger of making such broad generalizations of an album I’m new to is overrating it. Sure, after cooling down a bit, I could learn I was just caught in the heat of the moment. But almost five years had gone by, and my high opinion of it hadn’t even once been called into question. This is still my favorite Elton John album!

Truth be told, my extremely high opinion of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is one that isn’t shared by any other reviewer that I know of. So, the chances that you, o unsuspecting reader, will think as highly of it as I do are pretty slim. And I’ll even go right out and say that I can understand why some critics don’t have such a high opinion of it. This is clearly part of the uber-polished era of his career, and it’s lacking that raw, earthy feel exhibited in his earlier works. And critics who judge music based on the radio hits were also let down by this album. The only well-known song on here is “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” a ballad that is still not as famous as plenty of his others. Most critics respect this album, but I still hold a bit of a deviant opinion here.

To answer the concerns of the first set of critics, since they raise the most valid points, I agree that Captain Fantastic is a heavily processed album ......... but, then again, so was Abbey Road. The production values are one of the reasons I like this album so much. It doesn’t get any better than those crunchy drums melding with bass guitar as clear as a bell along with nicely strummed acoustic guitar and Elton John’s classy piano chords. Oh man!!! This album is slick and perfectly refined. It’s like a very good table varnish, or something. (OK, that’s a terrible metaphor. I don’t feel like changing it.)

Since you already think I’m overrating this album, I’d might as well rant and rave about some of these excellent songs without restraint. (I don’t have much room left to talk about them individually in this review body, so I’ll have to direct you to my detailed track reviews.) Most of these songs squeezed A+’s out of me. The ones that didn’t probably could have, but I was trying my best to not go too “overboard.” The enormously endearing title track begins the album on a remarkably sweet note. It’s not a flashy song, but more of a subtle, gorgeous one that’s a bit like snuggling in a warm blanket. And even though it’s fairly reserved, it has those pangs of excitement interspersed throughout. Really, this is a splendid way to open the album!

And then there’s “Bitter Fingers,” which goes back-and-forth between a twinkly ballad and one of the most infectious dance pieces that Elton ever created. “(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket” is also an infectious dance-pop number, and when you get a load of that crunchy bass groove, you’ll really begin to appreciate the album’s ultra-sleek production standards. “Tell Me When the Whistle Blows” has such an excellent use of a string section that I’m sure Barry White had a hard time restraining his intense pangs of jealousy! “We All Fall in Love Sometime” is one of his sweetest ballads... It’s not anything like that showy “Candle in the Wind;” there’s a real subtle class to it, and it gets me every time. The bold “Curtains” ends the album with a bang. The ultra repetitive chorus at the end rings of “Hey Jude,” and it’s surprising how close that song is in terms of quality. This is quite a special album! Perhaps one of the best ever created. That’s just my opinion.

Should I talk about the bonus tracks? I guess I should! Elton seemed to be into a sort of Beatles craze. He covers “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and the solo-Lennon song “One Day At a Time.” Both of these renditions keep what was great about the originals, but he treats them as though they were his own babies. I’m not very familiar with “One Day,” but he does things with “Lucy,” like ending it with a joyous chorus, that I would never have thought possible after hearing the original. Geez, this guy knew what he wanted to do! As fantastic as those were, the biggest gem in the bonus tracks is undoubtedly “Philadelphia Freedom.” It’s a song with real spirit, an incredibly infectious melody, and that string section is heaven.

Oh man. This album is just too good. If you don’t think this is the greatest thing in the world, then you should rethink your position. If you thought about it, and you still don’t agree with me, then please just humor me and pretend that you do. I can’t believe I’m the only person in the world who likes Captain Fantastic this much.

TRACKS

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy A+

This song starts out with a catchy acoustic guitar riff playing amidst an electric piano. Elton John comes in with his excellent voice singing a rather sweet melody. And not too soon, a drumbeat pops in thus letting the song pick up pace... and then in the chorus there’s a dramatic array of cool electric guitar riffs, increased drumming and Elton completely singing his heart out. This melody is one that I love listening to. The song production is perfect... it’s immaculate without sounding overproduced or cheesy at all. For the umpteenth time, he proves that he was one of the great songwriters of the 1970s. This isn’t a terribly flashy song, and it wasn’t even a hit, but I’ll be damned if this deserves anything less than an A+. I love it waaaaaaay too much!

Tower of Babel A

This is a more mid-tempo song with a nice, pounding drum beat and some incredibly well-mixed-in guitars and pianos. There are no synthesizers at all, which I would have assumed he would have adopted fully after the last few albums. Ah, it was back to basics, eh? He made songwriting seem so effortless. This doesn’t seem like it was fashioned as a hit at all and yet the melody is another one of his utterly fantastic ones. Just splendid.

Bitter Fingers A+

Some twinkly piano starts this track, and it’s not before long Elton delivers a likable, sort of casual vocals. And then seemingly out of nowhere, some heavy pop guitars play a riff, and a cool dance groove pipes up. It’s such an infectious one that I’m sure you’ll have a difficult time restraining your bottom from wiggling profusely! The bad thing about these sorts of internally contrasting songs sometimes is that one section is much stronger than the other, and you end up wishing that they would have just stuck with one of them. But I can’t say one part is better than the other. The ballad section is sweet, and the dance section is fun. Both are equally as catchy! That’s probably what matters. He lets the dance part fade the song out, and those really low-key guitars are especially endearing.

Tell Me When the Whistle Blows A+

I know I probably shouldn’t give this an A+, too, and it’s probably just evidence that I have this CD on regular rotation in my car. (I didn’t give it a perfect rating in my original review, so... take that for what you want.) But I can’t help it. It starts out sounding uncannily like a Barry White song. It has a groovy beat and towering string section that plays a catchy melody independently of the already catchy vocal melody. Though, to stop myself right there, this doesn’t sound much like a funk tune... indeed, those gorgeous slide guitars throughout makes this resemble country-rock more. Anyway, this is another great song here, and it achieves it by being rather reserved. I like that sort of music the best, you know.

Someone Saved My Life Tonight A+

This is the sort of song that you can really easy take to heart. It’s one of his utterly soul-enriching ballads! It’s rather a lot like “Don’t Let the Sun Shine Down On Me” except it doesn’t take forever to get to the chorus. (Although, I suppose that other tune had a more uplifting chorus .., but that’s rather hard to beat, you know.) Elton sings his heart out, again, and the melody is enchanting from beginning to end. The song production is amazing, too. The synthesizers, that graceful piano, the crispy drum beat and the bouncy rhythm guitar are all in perfect balance. It’s also the only one here that casual Elton John fans seem to know. (Hey? Are you a casual Elton John fan who doesn’t know these other songs??? Dude.)

(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket A

This feels like an A+, too, but I’ve got to restrain myself! This is one of his more upbeat pop-rockers. Not only does it have a merry beat (with an extremely cool bass guitar), but it has one incredibly infectious melody. How was he able to give equal melodic treatment to both the verses and the chorus is the stuff of legend! Oh god, and the mix is just perfect. I already talked about the bass guitar, but there’s also that crispy clear drumbeat, those rapidly strummed guitars, some refined buzz guitars and synthesizers. An extremely cool electric guitar solo appears in the middle. ....Yeah, this is a great song. It should get an A+.

Better Off Dead A-

I have always considered this the worst song from Captain Fantastic, but it’s really still quite good. The song doesn’t really catch fire as well as the others. But the one nice thing about it is that it’s a tad different than these other songs. Well, it’s not that different. (It’s Elton John singing with his piano... how different could it be?) But the chord progression seems a little stiffer than he normally would do, including some sections that seem more geared toward classical music than pop rock. And those ultra-loud drum thwaps are quite strange.

Writing A-

I actually never complain much about this track whenever I put on the album. But other reviews have pointed out that it’s relatively more pedestrian than the other tracks. The melody isn’t incredibly inspired, this time, and it doesn’t project the same level of pureness and grace as some of these other songs. The instrumentation comes off as a little corny with that electric piano and lite-rock style bongo drums. (Corniness is something that has been present in Elton John albums ever since Don’t Shoot Me, but this album had somehow avoided that for the most part up until now). Anyway, it’s an incredibly pleasant track to sit back and soak up. It might be a tad weaker than some of the other songs, but that just means it’s excellent!

We All Fall in Love Sometimes A+

This is yet another one of his superb ballads. It might actually take a few dozen or so listens to fully get caught up into it... It’s rather low-key, so it’s not instantly lovable. But I can’t say that Elton John ever produced anything this gorgeous before. Oh god, how can I describe this beauty? It’s like a terribly old room in a mansion with dark, oaky furniture, old dusty books from the 19th century on the shelves, classy polished statues on the tables and shelves, beautiful Romantic paintings on the wall, leafy green houseplants in select areas. ......I’m not making sense, am I? Something like this would have sounded great on a Beatles album, by the way. George Martin himself couldn’t have done a better job with the production. The melody is just classy Elton John... The subtle beauty of it is more like Tumbleweed Connection rather than Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and I endorse that to the fullest!

Curtains A

Something I got completely wrong in my original review, I said the song wasn’t “rousing.” But it is rousing! Very much so!! It just takes awhile for it to get started. But as the old proverb says, good things come to those who ... uh ... hold on a bit. This track actually begins as the last one left off, with a quiet, single note of a piano pounding. Elton John comes in with another very sweet and reserved melody. A hit of a dulcimer comes in every few measures to provide a nice texture. ... But very slowly, the instrumentals pick up dynamics. His piano is a little louder, the dulcimer plays more, and there are some neat, dramatic drum hits. And then the full band comes in with electric guitar, full drums and everything! And it ends with a sort of “Hey Jude” style chorus that seems to go on forever. Considering that I want it to go on forever, I’m not bothered one iota about its repetitiveness. It’s pretty rare for a song like this to actually be successful (repetitive songs tend to bug me), but Elton should be congratulated for making this work so well! This is also a very good concluding track!

BONUS TRACKS

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds A

Hey! This is a cover! ... Have you ever heard the original, because I have no idea where it’s from ....... oh wait. It’s that’s either about taking drugs or some picture a snotty little kid drew with crayons. And HEY, Elton John does a really great job with this! Elton managed to take this classic old psychedelic song, and still make it sound like the sort of song that he would sing. It’s a lot more joyous than the original and yet it remains true to the psychedelic nature of the original. This is a clear cut example of an artist treating a cover song as if it was one of his own... that rousing chorus at the end is something I never would have thought possible after hearing the original. The only part where Elton loses me here is that really weird reggae bit tacked on in the middle.

One Day At a Time A

This is another Beatle-related cover, this one taken off of John Lennon’s solo album Mind Games. You know, I listened to that album maybe once a number of years ago, and I have no idea how it sounded on there. (.......yeah, I’ve practically ignore his solo career, which is odd because I listen to Paul McCartney stuff all the time ... even when I’m not reviewing them.) But anyway, this is a gorgeous song. The harmonies are more of that vintage-Lennon stuff; his solo career stuff is almost always good for that. Elton delivers a remarkable and soaring vocal performance... This makes me really regret that I never listen to Lennon’s solo stuff.

Philadelphia Freedom A+

Even if the stuff on the album wasn’t any good, I would still recommend purchasing it just for the inclusion of this utterly priceless bonus track. The funny thing about this is that it has some very clear 1970s intonations throughout. The intro has me thinking this is about to turn into a disco dance song or something. But it doesn’t. It just turns into one terribly groovy, mid-tempo Elton John rocker. Whoever plays that bass guitar deserves a massive handshake! Just like “Tell Me When the Whistle Blows,” this has a string section that reminds me of some Barry White song, and they’re heaven...... String sections aren’t supposed to sound this good in pop songs. Seriously. I can’t imagine how Elton John was able to come up with this immediately infectious melody ... and that chorus is just magic. Can’t you see how wonderful this is?????????????