12-01-2017, 06:44
Elton John - The Diving Board
His most recent but one album.
After being an obsessed Elton fan up to about 1975, like many others I got off the bus after Blue Moves and, except for The One, never bothered with any later studio albums. This one however got good reviews, and I must admit the cover gave me a good impression, suggesting that perhaps a little more thought and effort had gone into this one.
It's a decent album - not a great album in the way Elton John (the self-titled one), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road or Caribou are great, but there is quality here, and he is as good as ever on the piano; moreover the production gives the album a very full but clear sound, making the most of that piano.
He is sounding a little more experimental again, evoking memories of Blue Moves, with songs like My Quicksand, The New Fever Waltz, and the title track. There is maybe a bit too much stylistic similarity between some of the songs, making it hard to mentally separate them after listening; a couple of fast rockers would not have gone astray.
Worst tracks: Take This Dirty Water, Kids In the Candlelight
Best tracks: Oscar Wilde Gets Out, The New Fever Waltz
Overall rating: 7/10, maybe 8/10
[video=youtube;4gEnjSAbbWI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gEnjSAbbWI[/video]
His most recent but one album.
After being an obsessed Elton fan up to about 1975, like many others I got off the bus after Blue Moves and, except for The One, never bothered with any later studio albums. This one however got good reviews, and I must admit the cover gave me a good impression, suggesting that perhaps a little more thought and effort had gone into this one.
It's a decent album - not a great album in the way Elton John (the self-titled one), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road or Caribou are great, but there is quality here, and he is as good as ever on the piano; moreover the production gives the album a very full but clear sound, making the most of that piano.
He is sounding a little more experimental again, evoking memories of Blue Moves, with songs like My Quicksand, The New Fever Waltz, and the title track. There is maybe a bit too much stylistic similarity between some of the songs, making it hard to mentally separate them after listening; a couple of fast rockers would not have gone astray.
Worst tracks: Take This Dirty Water, Kids In the Candlelight
Best tracks: Oscar Wilde Gets Out, The New Fever Waltz
Overall rating: 7/10, maybe 8/10
[video=youtube;4gEnjSAbbWI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gEnjSAbbWI[/video]