REVIEWS

Although it ranked at the time as one of Elton John’s least popular albums, both in terms of sales and critical kudos, Madman Across the Water still holds up remarkably well even now, some 50 years on. Although it’s not as revelatory as John’s debut, nor as fanciful as the Americana-inspired Tumbleweed Connection, it could still be considered one of the best, and in fact, most cohesive albums of his early period. That said, it had a curious inception — the title track was originally slated for inclusion on Tumbleweed Connection in an early incarnation featuring Bowie sideman Mick Ronson on lead guitar. So, too, John’s steady touring band — bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson — were mostly sidelined at the insistence of producer Gus Dudgeon, who opted for a shifting set of players instead. Nevertheless, it did herald the arrival of former Magna Carta guitarist Davey Johnstone and percussionist Ray Cooper, both of whom went on to play prominent roles in John’s musical arsenal from that point forward.

The fact that Madman was John’s third release of 1971 made it an auspicious entry to begin with, but skeptics might surmise that by that point, the John-Taupin partnership was running low on formidable material. In retrospect, that can hardly be considered the case, and given the inclusion of such outstanding entries as “Tiny Dancer, “Levon,” “Holiday Inn” and the title track itself, there’s little cause to believe the pair were running low on inspiration. Even the lesser songs — “Razor Face” (included in this box set via an extended version), “Indian Sunset (which would have found a fine thematic fit on Tumbleweed Connection had it not be included here), “Rotten Peaches” and “All the Nasties” — are all admirable efforts, even by Elton’s early standards. The fact that there were only nine tracks on the original album may have helped fuel the opinion that John and Taupin were running out of steam, but in truth, the album provides some of the most meticulous offerings of the pair’s early period.

Naturally, as is customary with comparative box sets of this kind, there are plenty of extras that add girth to the original offering and reason for reinvestment. In this case, that means a full disc of demos, including two versions of the title track and two early takes on “Rock Me When He’s Gone,”.