Customer Reviews

Breaking Hearts

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This Lp,released in 1984 as a follow-up to TOO LOW FOR ZERO ,consolidated Taupin's return to his songwriting alliance with Elton John.This was best illustrated in love songs such as IN NEON ,BURNING BUILDINGS and the title track.The main hit single,SAD SONGS(SAY SO MUCH) and the second one WHO WEARS THESE SHOES? proved Elton was still #1 in the pop music world.Some tracks such as RESTLESS and SLOW DOWN also made an appearance on rock charts whilst PASSENGERS made a dent on European territories.

Breaking Hearts is possibly my favorite Elton album from the 80s, at least it stands up well alongside Jump Up! and Too Low for Zero as far as quality of product. That said, it doesn't compete with his finest works of the 70s. We all got used to the fact that Elton wasn't coming up with his old magic on a consistent basis by this time. Rather, the tunes were solid and smooth, with catchy beats, nice choruses and sometimes interesting lyrics from Taupin. The songs that demonstrate these qualities best are Who Wears These Shoes?, the title track, In Neon (yes, it was released as a single, EMc, and reached #38 in the states) and Burning Buildings. The last one mentioned, happens to be my favorite ballad of his from the 80s, love that acoustic guitar solo by Johnstone at the mid-break! A thing of beauty for sure! Overall, a pleasant enough of an experience, but one gets the idea Elton could have tried a little harder. An accusation that he would admit to be true further down the road.

"Breaking Hearts" is a far cry from Elton John's best work in the 1970's, or his recent resurgence in the late 1980's into the 1990's. Yet there are some great tracks on this album, which was the last one featuring his original band (Bassist Dee Murray died in 1987.). Perhaps the finest song is "In Neon", but I also enjoyed "Slow Down Georgie", and of course, "Sad Songs (Say So Much)". Not to be missed either is the opening track, "Restless"- which could be a decent rock and roll tune if it was played at a faster tempo - nor the whimsical "Passengers".

This album has always had a bad rap but, as with most of Eltons work, it was very good. "In Neon" was not released as a single but is one of my favorite Elton songs. Why? I don't know. He just has a way with that type song. If you are an Elton fan, you'll like it. He is the best male pop artist.

It has In Neon on it ,but wait the rest is good and makes for a good album, so i'd consider buying this one.L'il Frigerator is the weakest track but rocks better than anything on Ice on fire , Leather Jackets or Reg strikes back. Passengers,Did He shoot her,Sad Songs,Breaking Hearts,Burning Buildings and Who Wears these shoes are all excellent.The rest i'd say is either Good or Very Good but not quite Excellent as the tracks i mentioned above,A keeper for sure.

This album has a few half decent tracks - "Who Wears These Shoes', 'Slow Down Georgie', "Breaking Hearts", "Passengers" but the overall feel is pretty plastic and detached. He's just not putting much emotion into this one. Not really any bad or annoying songs, but this was the first album where the music sounds like it was done on a machine (actually I think it was).

Update : the remastered version of this goes a long way towards making the music sound much better. The first CD issue of this really squeezed the life out of the recording.

"Breaking Hearts" is a great album.My favorite song is the classical"Sad Songs" a great rocker."Passengers"was another massive hit of this album."Restless" was a great rock and roll song.This album in my opinion was perfect, isf you are a Elton fan buy this album because this is great.The songs that demonstrate these qualities best are Who Wears These Shoes?Buy this album
THIS ALBUM IS ESSENTIAL-VERY RECOMMENDED

Alright, Breaking Hearts may sound great in comparison to Leather Jackets or Ice on Fire. But it's still a rather lifeless effort. Like Too Low For Zero, this one suffers from complacency; it's representative of industry product rather that pop/rock magic. Even Sad Songs (Say So Much), the obvious hit, is a bit too comfortable for me, lacking the glitz, warmth and buzz of Elton's crucial 70's work. I'll take Bennie and the Jets, Tiny Dancer, Pinky, Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters over any of the songs on this album.

Capitalizing on the momentum Elton regained with "Too Low for Zero" and the hit "I Guess That's Why The Call It The Blues," the reunited team Elton (Taupin, Davey Johnston, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson) quickly released "Breaking Hearts" a little more that a year later. While it is a good album and has three great singles on it, it falls short of "Too Low For Zero" and is also dated in its sound.

Blame for that falls to producer Chris Thomas, who burdened a lot of the album with 80's buzzy synthesizers and a reluctance to let the rockers really rock. "Restless" and "Slow Down Georgie" could have been knockouts like "I'm Still Standing," but they just come off as restrained. "Who Wears These Shoes" has a great soul bass-line and a good kick, and was deservedly a hit. (It also had a great video.) The big hit was "Sad Songs Say So Much," which not only was a top ten single and MTV hit, but was quickly mutated into a jeans commercial. Both of these songs are classic Elton, the hooky choruses and trademark vocal harmonies of his glory days are intact.

The other of Elton and Bernie's greatest strengths is also here: great ballads. Their second tribute to Edith Piaf, "In Neon," is a rare top forty record in waltz time. But better still is the title track. Mostly Elton and his solo piano, it is the kind of song that can give you chills. There is also the quirky experimental song in "Passengers." A major hit outside the US, a cryptic call for peace in a reggae mode. It is the most unusual song amongst a batch of rather atypical 80's Elton, on an album that could have used a bit more fire. For the most part, it is a consistent Elton John album with the usual prerequisite great hits (especially "Sad Songs'), but still just average overall.

This CD fails to make it into the four star category mainly because too many of the songs feel only partially "cooked". "Passengers" has a GREAT hook but the verses never really click. The title tune could have been a great tribute to an aging Don Juan but it's just too spare for the radio. It needs more "punch" in the chorus. "In Neon" is a pale "Candle in the Wind" rewrite.

Choosing "Who Wears These Shoes?" as the 2nd single probably killed the CD's momentum. Had "Did He Shoot Her?" (not a great song but "commercial" sounding) or "Slow Down Georgie" been chosen instead, followed with "Burning Buildings" and a re-tooled "Passengers", this could've been a 4 hit album.

THE GOOD: "Sad Songs (Say So Much)"[#5 U.S.], while not in the league of his best 70s material, is catchy and lodges its hooks deep in your cranium. It deserves the heavy airplay it continues to receive on adult contemporary radio. "Burning Buildings" paints the portrait of a love affair that's over although neither lover will admit it. "Slow Down Georgie (She's Poison)" is a friend's warning about a straying woman.

THE BAD: The only other hit tune on here, "Who Wears These Shoes?" [#16,1984] is pretty unremarkable and suffers from an uncomfortable transition from the 2nd verse into the hook. "L'il 'Frigerator" wastes a nice rocker on lyrical piffle comparing an emotionally distant woman to the kitchen appliance.

BOTTOM LINE:
This is one I'd borrow from your local library or a friend before making the decision to pay your hard-earned money. Definitely a comedown for someone who's written LPs like CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY,TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION and DON'T SHOOT ME, I'M ONLY THE PIANO PLAYER.