Customer Reviews

Single Man

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I find it hard to accept some peoples reviews of 'Song for Guy'. A few people call it monotonous or boring, or say that they cringe when Elton John sings "Life isn't everything". I titled my review 'Perhaps I am biased' because Guy Burchett was my uncle. He was a motorcycle messenger who worked with Elton John, and at seventeen years old was killed in an accident while riding pillion on a motorcycle. Elton John's 'Song for Guy' is not only a very generous tribute to a young man who lost his life at a very young age, but also an emotional song that Elton John wrote from his heart.

Sad to see how good music is so easily forgotten, "lost" ...

I know, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Honkey Chateau", "Don't Shoot Me ...", "Madman Across the Water" are among his well known albums from the 70's, and so are some of his releases from the 90's. I do like them very much. but I invite you to listen to "A Single Man", a slightly different Elton John: moody, atmospheric, melancholic at times. ... You will recognize Elton John's (occasionally syncopated) rhythm, the melody, the incantation, and, am sure, discover something new !

You will listen to "A Single Man' again and again and again !

"A Single Man" may not be Elton John's best album, but it ranks right up there with his classic albums from the early seventies. Here, EJ experiments with certain musical styles ranging from the jazz-laden "Big Dipper" to the 'countrified' "Georgia". There's also straight-ahead rock featured in "I Don't Care" and "Part-Time Love", an AM Top-40 radio staple in 1978. The pyrotechnical, yet powerful "Madness" breathes more life into "A Single Man", while "It Ain't Gonna Be Easy" tends to bring the album down just a melancholic tad. The lovely piano-encompassed instrumental "Song For Guy" provides both a sentimental and rousing finish to a stellar, finely crafted album. These are good reasons to add "A Single Man" to your CD library.

After the crazy output of 1970-75, and the subsequent burnout, Elton was probably trying to get back to earth with this album. The emphasis is on the songs not inventive playing, and while it lacks the drive of his previous albums, it can be a good occasional listen. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. 'I Don't Care' and 'It Ain't Gonna Be Easy' come off as a bit forced, the former being a retread of some of his (more rocking) earlier songs, and the latter being an interminable slow tempo song with kind of silly vocals near the end. 'Part Time Love' sounds a bit more like he's hitting his stride with a moderately catchy keyboard and guitar hook (surprise surprise Davey Johnstone appears on that track). 'Big Dipper' probably has the most style of any song on this album, it achieves more by striving for less, with EJ's mocking vocal delivery and and arrangement that reminds me of 'Patricia the Stripper' by Chris DeBurgh. 'Shooting Star' is somewhat new jazzy territory for EJ, and of course 'Reverie' is simply a little intro to the track that follows,'Song For Guy', which starts out as a somewhat stiffly played piano riff and builds into a predictable late 70s instrumental with an admittedly haunting atmosphere (don't expect it to be rock and roll). 'Shine On Through' and 'Georgia' are simple ballads with nice melodies. 'Return To Paradise' is a nice Latin influenced ballad somewhat marred by a cheezy sounding Caribbean orchestra. No real standouts on this album. Should really get 2 3/4 stars.

I became an Elton John fan during the superstar's 1976-82 career lull, A SINGLE MAN (released in '78) among the first of his albums I obtained. The weak lyrics accompany routine music and only three songs stand out: "Big Dipper" and the minor hit singles, "Part-time Love" and "Song For Guy." Both those 45s had great flip-sides, "I Cry At Night" and "Lovesick," respectively, and it is too bad the CD release of A SINGLE MAN did not include them as bonus tracks. The rest of A SINGLE MAN has hints of what made Elton great. It was just a matter of time until he got back in top form with JUMP UP, TOO LOW FOR ZERO and BREAKING HEARTS, to name three of Elton John's worthwhile 1980s albums.

A Single Man is a wonderful piece of work that reminds me of Caribou some years earlier. Both were under-rated at the time of release. But, you know, sometimes greatness is savoured over time. Another listen to A Single Man will likely bring you to that realization.

It's true- Elton John has such a long and legendary career, that it's hard to keep up with everything he did. He did a little underrated album in the late 70's called A Single Man.

The first thing that strikes me about this album is that the distinct rock sound he had in the early 70's on albums such as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is all but gone, and instead a more trendy album was released. However, the one thing that remains is Elton's songwriting. Every song is filled with a lot of range, and this hasn't changed at all through the years. He's still very good at knowing how to write memorable hooks with lots of range and emotion. That's what you will find here. Emotions were running high when this album was made, and Elton expresses his honest feelings in every song.

"Return to Paradise" has to be the highlight for me. It's a really tropical-sounding song, with a distinct and instantly memorable chorus. It will take you to an island. "when WE re TURN to paradiiiiiise" See? It's memorable! "Madness" is another major highlight. An angry song where Elton is basically screaming/crying his feelings at an unbelievably personal level. You have to hear it to believe it- it sounds really angry.

"Georgia" is beautiful, "Song for Guy" is emotionally distinct, and "I Don't Care" might remind you of something from the Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player album.

Most people will ignore this album because they're convinced Elton John was going through such a terrible time when this album was made that it's not even worth a listen. That's not true at all. Every song's a winner, though it might take a few listens before you're won over with the different sound. Give it a chance.

Even though "A Single Man" doesn't quite equal the musical and creative output which Elton John displayed on previous albums, particularly with longtime lyrical partner Bernie Taupin, who's abscence isn't missed all that much here. Even a number of die-hard Elton fans would be inclined to agree with me after listening to this marvelous array of compositions. "Shine On Through" kicks off the album in fine fashion and continues smoothly into "Return To Paradise". Some good disco vibes are well represented with the tracks "I Don't Care", "Part-Time Love" (a minor AM radio hit in 1978) and the pyrotechnically-sound "Madness". "Big Dipper" has sort of a jazzy-swing feel to it, while the rather lengthy "It Ain't Gonna Be Easy" is a reverse-tempo, heart-breaky love song. EJ must have an undying love-affair with "The Peachtree State" when he croons, as well as nimblifies his countrified piano stylings in the gospel-like "Georgia". "Shooting Star" somewhat deadens the tone of the CD with its slow, quiet pace, while the final two musical pieces "Reverie" and "Song For Guy" close out "A Single Man" on a strong and positive note. Even though this version is somewhat outdated, the sound quality is very good, even if this disc is played on a smaller stereo CD system. For the Elton John fan who craves for a little more music, there's a recently remastered edition of "A Single Man", complete with bonus tracks, which is definitely worth spending more money for. But, if you'd rather not spend a lot of money, this original CD version of "ASM" will do at half the price. The remastered version has made this version obsolete, though. So, you better buy the original version today, before it's gone in a heartbeat!

A half dozen great songs here, at least. My favorites, Georgia, Song For Guy, Return To Paradise, Part Time Love, Madness, It Aint Gonna Be Easy... MORE! I guarantee you that this is still in Captain Fantastic's most prolific and productive era. And It Shows! Definitely one of his best albums.

As I wearily traveled the mountain passes between Montana and Oregon, back in my college days, Elton's beautiful Single Man cassette kept me calm, peaceful and connected to a soulful plane as I went from happy and alert to tense and jittery, the caffeine, "etc." pourng into my exhausted body as the miles ticked by. Just thinking of this album makes me feel calm and reminds me that Elton never let me down on those long lonely road trips. I highly reccommend this album to anyone who has to drive alone through the night and needs some great music to ride shotgun.