A$# 045 Elton John | The Captain And The Kid

Classic rock artists from long ago can have a difficult time having their new material heard by a large audience these days. Commercial radio stations are interested in the old hits; general fans attending concerts want to hear the old hits.

What’s an artist to do? Take Elton John, for example. He’s got a huge repertoire of mega-hits, and with his new album The Captain And The Kid, he has the third goal in a hat trick of albums with collaborator Bernie Taupin where they have revisited the song-writing style that first made them famous. Even more, TCATK is a sequel to their 1975 masterpiece Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy, with semi-autobiographical songs about the struggles of their lives.

I saw Elton in concert last night at Copps Coliseum in Hamitlon, Ontario. (We picked up nosebleed seats outside for a good price). It was a packed house, and a great show. He played many, many of his big hits. He also performed half of the songs from his new CD, and they fit in well, even if the audience didn’t recognize a lot of them.

With the way of the music industry and the market now, this album is unlikely to have the same chart success its predecessor had. But that’s ok as far as I’m concerned. That Elton and Bernie have really found their muse again in this decade is a wonderful development in their long-running careers.

According to the BBC’s music page:

In 1975, Elton Hercules John, riding high on a string of hit albums and singles, released his crowning glory: Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy. This song cycle told the tale of young Reg Dwight and Bernie Taupin’s struggles with the seedier side of the music industry in the sixties before the rocket man and his lyricist became rock royalty. It entered the US chart at #1 and has long remained a favourite amongst fans. The Captain And The Kid, Elton's 44th album release - also following a recent critical renaissance -attempts to bring the story up to date.

Comparisons being invariably odious, it's fruitless here to expect Elton to totally match his former glories, but that's not to say that The Captain...is without any charms. With that in mind, it was probably a mistake for the title track to reference the theme of the previous album's. Yet, while the voice may seem, at times, to have descended into the realms of self-parody, Taupin’s lyrics cleverly balance self-reference and metaphor to paint an admirably honest picture of the dubious rewards of fame. And the piano player also didn't forget to pack some equally memorable tunes.

This is a strong set of songs, like Tinderbox, which tells of the ups and downs of the two men’s friendship, and the title song, which directly references the title song of the earlier work. The really standout tracks for me are opener Postcards From Richard Nixon, which chronicles their first trip to America, and The Bridge, a moving statement about the universal struggles we all face:

I've seen the bridge and the bridge is long
And they built it high and they built it strong
Strong enough to hold the weight of time
Long enough to leave some of us behind

And every one of us has to face that day
Do you cross the bridge or do you fade away
And every one of us that ever came to play
Has to cross the bridge or fade away

Pick up The Captain And The Kid. Listen to it along with Captain Fantastic. You’ll hear a direct line between the two, and you’ll appreciate the longevity of the career of Elton John. And catch him on tour if you can. I hadn’t seen him in performance in 22 years. He’s still a vital performer at age 59.

Track listing:

1. Postcards From Richard Nixon
2. Just Like Noah's Ark
3. Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (NYC)
4. Tinderbox
5. And The House Fell Down
6. Blues Never Fade Away
7. The Bridge
8. I Must Have Lost It On The Wind
9. Old '67
10. The Captain And The Kid