Customer Reviews

Blue Moves

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

When this album was released in 1976, EJ was the biggest entertainer in the world, but he was exhausted and frustrated with his celebrity. As a result, Blue Moves is easily his most introspective and sad album. Generally panned because it only included one "hit" (albeit one of the most beautiful songs he ever sang), "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," Blue Moves nonetheless is a hidden treasure that should not be overlooked by fans of Elton's 70s work. Among the highlights: gorgeous harmonies from Crosby & Nash on several tracks, an early session appearance from ace saxophonist David Sanborn, the lush orchestration of the London Symphony Orchestra, and some tasteful charts that stretch from introspective folk to gospel to R&B. Also, this is the best sounding EJ album, with a soft mix that accentuates everything from Elton's piano (of course) to Davey Johnstone's always beautiful guitar work to Ray Cooper's perfect percussion accents. This is a great rainy day album.

It's amazing how so many people don't consider this one as one of his classics. This is probably one of his least commercial and most melancholy album he's done, but doesn't at all make it unenjoyable. The only flaw that I can find is that a few of the songs go on for a little too long. The same line at the end will be sang over and over again. It's most noticable on Chameleon, Boogie Pilgrim, and Bite Your Lip.

There are many highlights on this album. Tonight, One Horse Town, Cage The Songbird, Crazy Water, Shoulder Holster, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, and Someone's Final Song are my favorites. The only 2 songs I didn't really care much for were The Wide Eyed and Laughing and Where's The Shoorah? That's 2 out of 18 songs, though.

It is a shame that this is out of print. I think that this one ranks right up there with the rest of his from the early-mid 70's. I recommend getting the original with the two discs. The one disc version leaves out 3 of the songs.

If your a true Elton John fan this album will be one of your favourites. This is certainly one of his best albums ever. The fact that it is not a 'commercial' styled album is its greatest strength. The album itself is 'blue' and reflects harder times in Elton John and Bernie Taupin's lives. But when any musician or poet is depressed, it is a known fact that they produce better work, more meaningful and emotional music. This is 'Blue Moves' all over, it is a masterpiece of artistically written songs, some of the best Elton songs, of all times- ('Tonight' is simply one of Elton's most moving songs). This album is a landmark in Elton John's career and any 'so called critizism' about the album being too long or depressing, is in my view not worth paying attention too. I was very excited when I learned it was a double album- that meant more wonderful music, and that's how a true Elton John fan will see it. Let's face it, were are talking about Music not a 'supermarket product'. This album just proves that Elton's priority is making wonderful music and not money instead.

Elton's 1976 release came off the heels of his huge summer tour of America and just before his now famous interview in Rolling Stone in October of the same year. Blue Moves has held up well over the years but when released, was a dramatic shift from The Captain (John) and Brown Dirt Cowboy's (Taupin) stunning pop chart run that started in 1970.

Starting with a simple instrumental, "Your Starter For.." and then following a heavy orchestral intro to "Tonight", Elton doesn't sing until about 10 minutes into album. "Tonight" is one of Elton and Bernie's best ballads but sets the tone for the rest of the album on a bleak note. "One Horse Town" tries really hard to bring things up with it's soaring strings and pumping bassline but it seems forced. Elton sings about the restlessness of living where there is "nothing to steal because there's nothing much around" and is one of his best rock songs he really should do more in concert. "Chameleon" is a pretty ballad that follows (with help from the Beach Boys - who subsequently turned it down when offered by Elton to record it on their own) and that rounds out the first quarter of the album.

At this point, it's important to understand and realize that Elton had brought in some new band members (gone were Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray) and this is significant because the lineup were heavier on percussion. This is the second album this band produced ('75's Rock of The Westies being the first).

The album continues to stride along from total wasted efforts like ("Boogie Pilgrim" - a Bee Gees meets Earth, Wind and Fire meets Elton John exercise and Where's The Shoorah? an over the top all out gospel song) to potential lost classics such as "Cage The Songbird", "Idol", and the fun rave up "Crazy Water". This inconsistency has always begged the question, are the parts better than the sum?

My answer is unfortunately, yes. While you'll find some great songs here, it goes on too long and varies from jazz, gospel, rock, pop and even eastern India influences.

Blue Moves ends on a nearly 10 minute rock effort called "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance)" and if you can get through it, it pretty much summarizes everything about this album. At times fun, thoughtful and well crafted. Other times, Blue Moves is bloated, disposable and far reaching in it's attempt to win you over.

It's too bad this band didn't record another album with Elton because on the summer tour which preceeded it, they were a top notch band that took his songs to a new high energy level from the prior band (with no disrespect to the former band members!). After the rock-and-roll "Rock of The Westies" and then "Blue Moves", it would have been interesting to see where they could have gone.

Elton and Taupin were clearly starting to show signs of fatique by this point. Taupin's lyrics were bleak and depressing for most of what is offered here. Elton took a much deserved break after this release and while Blue Moves has some really good songs, trimming it down to 10 songs would have made a stronger and more unified release.

Best Tracks: Tonight, One Horse Town, Chameleon, Cage The Songbird, Idol, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.

Like Elton John's other 1970's double LP Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, his 1976 album Blue Moves was a diverse mixed bag of many different styles of song, but the focus and mood of the album is quite different. Here there are short instrumental snippets, minor-key laments, a couple of fast rockers that seem out of place on this set, and some moments of great inspiration (as on every Elton John album), but compared to the flamboyant optimism of the early part of the decade, we hear a rather downbeat tone creeping into many of the songs on this 18-track set.

The reason for this was that creatively the team of Elton and Bernie Taupin had almost run out of gas at this point after a fabulous splurge of records from 1968-1976 and the accompanying touring commitments and inevitable distractions (fame, money, drugs, relationships etc.) that had begun to dilute the optimism and fun of their earlier ascent. Blue Moves came out at a time when Bernie was writing "down" lyrics like Tonight (about a failing marriage), Someone's Final Song (about a suicide note) and If There's A God In Heaven (What's He Waiting For) (about blameshifting). Elton was singing better than ever, had mastered the high falsetto part of his vocal range , and was in huge demand as a concert attraction, but he too was evidently feeling the strain of trying to maintain his status amid the fickle entertainment world, and he was also about to encounter the critics' backlash that inevitably occurs when the music press starts to grow tired of the current "king of the scene". By now 29 and not exactly the textbook popstar appearance-wise, he was facing a career downturn. Elton responded with one of his finest songs : Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word - a wonderful lament with a Continental feel to it. This song epitomised the Blue Moves mood, and was the album's only sizeable hit. After 4 years of routinely topping the US and UK album charts, Elton missed the top spot with this set, and subsequently retired from view for almost all of 1977 to recharge his energies.

However, a lot of the songs are really good. I really like the tune Chameleon, which features great harmony vocals, as does the lovely Cage The Songbird (a tribute to French singer Edith Piaf) and Where's The Shoorah? These feature Elton's terrific singing, which he also displays on the mellow, jazzy ballad Idol. Tonight is very good, and has an extended instrumental intro with classic strings. One Horse Town is frenetic and quite exciting, while Crazy Water is a funked-up rocker which I feel is majorly underrated, and also very exciting. The interminable Bite Your Lip (Get Up And Dance) is a misfire; it's funky rock, almost dance but it doesn't match up to his other great 70's rockers. There's a meandering instrumental Out Of The Blue, which doesn't really add anything to the album, and the rather inconsequential, brief instrumentals Your Starter For and Theme From A Non-Existent TV Series, which likewise could have been left out. The Wide Eyed And Laughing is an unusual Elton song that I have never been able to get into, but which shows his more artistic, non-commercial side was still in a healthy state.

Mid-paced tracks include the Western story song Shoulder Holster, the impressive Between Seventeen And Twenty (which I believe to be an autobiographical Elton & Bernie song ? from the Captain fantastic era??) and the groovy Boogie Pilgrim.

Nowadays, I don't imagine there is a huge demand for this album, but for those who enjoy quality tunecraft from the master Elton John, I would suggest you include this among your selection of his best 5 or 6 70's albums.

Flashback: sitting in my older brothers room, listening to a mixed 8 Track, and hearing "Between Seventeen and Twenty". This album seems to be brushed off by many listeners (including my brother!) but I feel this is the most disturbing? Elton John album in the catalog. Every emotion is pure, especially the sense of loss. The only drawback is a couple songs that tend to distract the listener from the overall feel of the album (Bite your lip). A hard album to describe but I have been in love with it since I was about 7 and still am!
Best Songs: Tonight, Cage the songbird, Sorry Seems..., Between 17..., The Wide Eyed... Chameleon, Someone's Final Song, Idol, and the cover art is worth the price of admission alone!

I guess everbody has their own reasons for enjoying elton'smusic. As a teenager growing up in the 70s i liked what was popular,songs like bennie and the jets. Now i can't stand some of that stuff. It seems that in the 1970s elton's music continued to get more canned, commercial and unauthentic. Many of the songs had that same lack of quality. They would start out with promise only to break into the typical chorus. Little 3 minute songs for the radio that are so common in the don't shoot me to caribu period. Another problem with the music is the way songs were written. With one guy doing all the lyrics and another the music it is expected that something might be lost in the translation. This album is an exception. In blue moves the songs are longer, deeper with more feeling. The lyrics are more profound. Compare the words to "someones final song" with the older stuff. Both elton and bernie were experiencing difficult times and the writings mesh. Then there is the more adventurous music. The orchestrated "tonight" and nice purely instrumental bits like "your starter for" and "out of the blue". The entire album has that smokey jazz and blues feel to it. Some reviewers suggested that this album was the end for elton. I say it means he had grown up some. What's he supposed to do crocadile rock and saturday night forever?

This could be the best Elton John album. Although it's 25 years old, it's instrumentation is some of the best EJ. I've been enjoying this double CD ever since Jay Johnson introduced me to it when I was a junior at Ripon College. "Tonight" is the most incredible song!! :)

Bernie Taupin was experiencing marital difficulties while writing the lyrics for this album. In the circumstances it is no surprise that this album is dominated by moody gloomy ballads. When first released on CD, three tracks (Out of the blue, Shoulder holster, Wide-eyed and laughing) were removed to fit the album on a single CD. This re-mastered version is a double-CD with all the original tracks, exactly as it should be. From reading other reviews, I see that some people feel that certain tracks deserve to be omitted but I like the album in its entirety. It would have been even better if Don't go breaking my heart (never released on album, it was released as a single a few months before this album) had been added as a bonus track.

As it was, the big hit from the album was Sorry seems to be the hardest word, which made the British and American top tens in 1976. The song eventually topped the British charts when a cover by Blue featuring Elton John was released in 2002.

Two other singles (Crazy water, Bite your lip) were released in the UK, but they only just made the top thirty in 1977. Crazy water was not released in a single in America, but Bite your lip (the only upbeat track here) made the American top thirty.

Cage the songbird (later covered by Crystal Gayle) is dedicated to Edith Piaf, who is sometimes known as the sparrow - however, the only birds mentioned in the song are hawks and eagles. Still, it's a great song.

Shoulder holster is a strange story about a woman seeking revenge on a man who left her - as the lyrics begin by saying, it's a latter-day Frankie and Johnny tale. One horse town is about being stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do.

There are many other interesting songs here as well as three instrumentals, but such a melancholy album will not appeal to everybody. There are other Elton John albums that are easier too appreciate - more upbeat, more danceable - yet this one has an appeal all its own. This may not be the best place to start a collection of Elton's original albums (Goodbye yellow brick road and Too low for zero are better starting points) but if you want to hear something a little different from Elton, give this album a listen.

Too many songs and too much filler. Still, if you'd have pulled the best songs together and made a single record, it would have been a classic.

"Tonight" is beautiful. "One Horse Town" is a classic. "Cage The Songbird" is lush and wonderful. Many great tunes. Some duds. Tell me how many double LP's are better?