Customer Reviews

Sleeping With the Past

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a terrific album...definately one of his best, 80's or otherwise. As is stated in the booklet, Bernie and Elton say that these songs were inspired by the Soul pioneers of the 60's and 70's, whose music meant so much to them. And the soul sound really shines. His vocals on "Stones throw from hurtin'" are nothing short of amazing. I'd never have known it was Elton if it wasn't on this album. Every song on here is a good song...really good. And of course it has the song "Sacrifice", one of his best ever. "Club at the end of the street" is also a great song, with a great sax solo. This album belongs in any Elton fans collection. 16 page booklet contains all lyrics and photos.

Of all of Elton John's albums, this is one of the few that I return to again and again, listening to it in its entirety. Without question, it is his best concept album since "Captain Fantastic" and his best 1980's album, though "Jump Up" finishes a close second. For this album Bernie Taupin wrote some of his finest lyrics. And Elton John never sounds better as a singer or as a pianist in every track from "Durban Deep" to "Blue Avenue". Both Bernie Taupin and Elton John have created a wonderful tribute to the Motown Sound. This is an essential Elton John CD with songs as memorable as those dating from the 1970's.

There was a lot of hope for Elton John fans with the release of "Reg Strikes Back" in 1986. Elton's singing was more energetic and his music was more creative than in his albums released in the years just before this one, particularly his musical low point, "Leather Jackets." The question was: would Elton's next release show even more improvement? The answer was an absolute yes. "Sleeping with the Past" had Elton and Bernie moving toward improved creativity and a renewal of their careers. Some of the songs on this CD are significantly more inspired than songs the duo had created in years and fans could rejoice that Elton really was striking back.

The album kicks off with "Durban Deep." Durban Deep is the name of a mine in South Africa. I believe the mine is actually a gold mine, though the lyrics talk about breathing coal dust. Regardless, this bouncy tune has some interesting musical effects to back it up.

The second song is upbeat. "Healing Hands" reflects the powerful pop style of Elton's 70s hits. This song sets the tone for this album, rather than the first song. This song reached #15 on U.S. charts, backed by "Dancing in the End Zone," which did not appear on this album in its original release, but which is included on the also available remastered version.

The third song is one of the best songs on this CD and surprises me in that the song was not released as a single by itself rather than being released backing "The Club at the End of the Street." "Whispers" is one of the most artistic songs on this CD and is a beautiful love ballad as well. Elton excellently matched his music to Bernie Taupin's lyrics to create one of those songs that could easily have been included on Elton's "Love Songs" CD. This song is an overlooked gem. Fortunately, it is one of the longest songs on this CD and I enjoy every second.

"The Club at the End of the Street" is a nice pop song that is bouncy and upbeat and fits all the requirements for commercial success. However, of the songs released from this CD, this one was the weakest, reaching only #25 in the U.S. This song was backed by "Whispers," which I think is the better song of the two.

The next song is the title track. Keeping with the tone of the album, this song is also peppy and upbeat with a very enthusiastic refrain. While this song has a commercial flavor similar to the previous song, somehow this song comes across as more creative and interesting. By the time you reach this song you realize that this CD is much more consistent and musically interesting than any Elton John CD in a number of years, and yet there are even more interesting songs to come on this CD.

I have little to say about "Stones Throw from Hurtin'." I know Elton was trying to affect a certain style, and perhaps he succeeds. I know I do not care for the style. The vocal sounds muddy and nearly monotone and the music is too repetitious. This song is stylistically very different from the other songs on this CD and I believe is the weakest on this CD.

"Sacrifice" makes up for the last song by being one of the best songs on this CD. This song reached #18 on the U.S. charts, backed by "Love Is a Cannibal," which is a song from "Ghostbusters II." This song was chosen for Elton's "Love Songs" collection and is one of Elton's greatest ballads. The music contains a lot of electronic effects, but they are so well done that they enhance the beautiful words and the excellence of Elton's vocals. This song strikes an emotional chord every time you hear it.

Breaking out of the mellow mood is "I Never Knew Her Name." This jazzy song is about an observer at a wedding seeing a beautiful woman that impresses him. This song is an above average song for this CD and contains a number of interesting musical moments, including an all too brief organ portion. Combined with Elton's powerful vocal performance, this song delivers.

Elton did powerful blues songs early in his career, but did so less frequently as his career progressed. "It Amazes Me" has a lot of soul and power, with even the words throwing in an element of blues and soul, making a number of obvious references. This song is poetically and musically interesting, and is yet another of the strong performances on this CD. The guitar on this song is very well done and takes a rare lead on the bridge of this song.

The last song on this CD is very mellow. I could easily see Dan Fogelberg singing "Blue Avenue." The music is very well done and matches Taupin's lyrics very nicely. There is a touch of jazz on this song, in keeping with some of the earlier songs. This song is yet another of the standout songs on this CD.

There is a re-mastered version of this album available, and possibly other versions. You may wish to survey the available versions to choose that which best meets your needs.

If Elton had yet to really strike back with his previous album, he certainly did with this album. Following Elton John and Bernie Taupin's induction into the National Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1988, this album generated Elton's first ever #1 single in the United Kingdom, "Sacrifice," and proved that Elton John was still an incredible singer and song writer. Elton and Bernie were poised to go into the 1990s refreshed, ready to climb back into the charts anew, and ready to break into territory that was new to both of them.

Enjoy!

Matter of fact, I do sing along. Often. The title track is great, with a catchy tune and lyrics that all too many of us can relate to: "Don't go sleeping with the past, don't go praying he'll come back, Take a deep breath and deny you could love a man like that."

This ranks up there among The Elton's best albums. I'd give it four-and-a-half stars, but they don't offer that option; and I saved five stars for Captain Fantastic and Big Picture :-D

This is the only Elton John CD I own that isn't a Greatest Hits. I bought it because I wanted the song "Club at the End of the Street". I've never been disappointed in this CD. I agree with some of the other reviewers that I miss the standard Elton John piano sound here but come on, this is Elton John we're talking about. He could be playing the bazooka and it would still sound good. However, I am also one of those rare people who actually likes the music from the 80's, especially the 'synth sound. I wouldn't say this is his best, but it's pretty good.

This is a very exquisite album. You can hear the maturity of Elton's voice as compared to his earlier works. This album helps to develop what we see from him in his future albums. He is a world class artist, and this album displays his fantastic singing voice. The song Healing Hands is the voice we all know, but in Stones throw from Hurtin, he displays his ability to change. This is truly an album for those who can respaect what Elton has done to change the music industry.

This is a great Elton John album with some very catchy tunes that ARE fun to sing along to. This is a pure Elton John album complete with stirring ballads and piano driven uptempo numbers. "Healing Hands, "Club At the End Of the Street" and "Sleeping With the Past" are my favorites. You won't be disappointed with this album.

This is one of Elton's finest albums. I recommend this album to anyone in the mood for some nice ballads and some up-beat dance songs. "Club At The End of the Street" is a great dance song and I love it. If you want a slow ballad I suggest "Sacrifice" or "Blue Avenue". Don't let a chance to buy this album pass you by because it truly is excellent.

Elton John shows us again that he can continue to keep writing good music (with Bernie Taupin). It seems like whatever this duo writes becomes a hit, or gets lots of airplay, and the ten cuts on "Sleeping With the Past" are no different. The songs are composed of good lyrics and musicianship, and should be listened to often.

All of the songs on this album are great, from the opening "Durban Deep" to the title track. "Club At the End of the Street" is the only one that I find any problems with, and that is do to the cartoon video from many years ago, (it's kind of like that Genesis video with the Muppets, hard to hear the song the same way again afterwards). The best songs come at the end of the album. The run begins with the hit "Sacrifice" before moving into the falling in love with a "bride of a handsome man" while watching the ceremony unfold in "I Never Knew Her Name", which is my favorite of the album. "Amazes Me" and "Blue Avenue" finish out the strong second half of the album. Simply, this is a great album.

Elton John's photo for his SLEEPING WITH THE PAST cover photo depicts hims asleep while wearing eyeglasses.

Fortunately, more thought went into the music. SLEEPING WITH THE PAST makes my short list of "recommended" Elton music, which also includes: TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION, TWO LOW FOR ZERO, THE FOX, VICTIM OF LOVE, BREAKING HEARTS and his three hits collections.