This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2017) |
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 23 May 1975 | |||
Recorded | August 1974 [1] | |||
Studio | Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 46:32 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
Elton John chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy | ||||
|
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is the ninth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 23 May 1975 [3] by DJM Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US. The album is an autobiographical account of the early musical careers of Elton John (Captain Fantastic) and his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin (the Brown Dirt Cowboy). An instant commercial success, the album was certified gold before its release, and reached No. 1 in its first week of release on the US Billboard 200, the first album to achieve both honours. It sold 1.4 million copies within four days of release, and stayed in the top position in the chart for seven weeks. [4] [5]
Though they would all appear on later albums, this was the last album of the 1970s with the original lineup of the Elton John Band (guitarist Davey Johnstone, bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson). Murray and Olsson, who had formed John's rhythm section since 1970, were fired prior to the recording of the follow-up album Rock of the Westies . Johnstone would remain in the band for that album and the subsequent Rock of the Westies Tour, and John's 1976 double-album Blue Moves , after which he appeared on only one track for A Single Man , for the most part playing with other artists until rejoining John for his 1982 Jump Up! Tour. Until 1983's Too Low for Zero , this was the last album on which Elton John and his classic band played together.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 158 on Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list. [6]
Written, according to lyricist Bernie Taupin, in chronological order, Captain Fantastic is a concept album that gives an autobiographical glimpse at the struggles John (Captain Fantastic) and Taupin (the Brown Dirt Cowboy) had in the early years of their musical careers in London (from 1967 to 1969), leading up to John's eventual breakthrough in 1970. The lyrics and accompanying photo booklet are infused with a specific sense of place and time that would otherwise be rare in John's music. John composed the music on a ship voyage from the UK to New York.
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight", the only single released from the album (and a number 4 hit on the US Pop Singles chart), is a semi-autobiographical story about John's disastrous engagement to Linda Woodrow, and his related 1968 suicide attempt. The "Someone" refers to Long John Baldry, who convinced him to break off the engagement rather than ruin his music career for an unhappy marriage. It was viewed by Rolling Stone writer Jon Landau as the best track on the album: "As long as Elton John can bring forth one performance per album on the order of 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight', the chance remains that he will become something more than the great entertainer he already is and go on to make a lasting contribution to rock." [7]
In a 2006 interview with Cameron Crowe, John said, "I've always thought that Captain Fantastic was probably my finest album because it wasn't commercial in any way. We did have songs such as 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight,' which is one of the best songs that Bernie and I have ever written together, but whether a song like that could be a single these days, since it's [more than] six minutes long, is questionable. Captain Fantastic was written from start to finish in running order, as a kind of story about coming to terms with failure—or trying desperately not to be one. We lived that story." [8] [9]
John, Taupin and the Elton John Band laboured harder and longer on the album than perhaps any previous record they'd ever done to that point. As opposed to the rather quick, almost factory-like process of writing and recording an album in a matter of a few days or at most a couple of weeks (as with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ), the team spent the better part of a month off the road at Caribou Ranch Studios working on the recordings.[ citation needed ] Producer Gus Dudgeon was apparently also very satisfied with the results. The album's producer was quoted in Elizabeth Rosenthal's His Song, an exhaustive detailed accounting of nearly all John's recorded work, as saying he thought Captain Fantastic was the best the band and John had ever played, lauded their vocal work, and soundly praised John and Taupin's songwriting. "There's not one song on it that's less than incredible," Dudgeon said.[ citation needed ]
The 2006 album The Captain & the Kid is the sequel, and continues the autobiography where Captain Fantastic leaves off.
The intricate cover art was designed by pop artist Alan Aldridge, drawing fantastic imagery from the Renaissance painting The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. [10] [11] The original LP package also included two booklets; a "Lyrics" booklet which contained an uncompleted lyric for "Dogs in the Kitchen" that did not appear on the album, and another booklet called "Scraps", which collected photos and snippets of reviews, personal diary entries and other memorabilia of John and Taupin during the years that are chronicled on the album. The original LP also contained a poster of the album's cover.
In 1976, Bally released a Capt. Fantastic pinball machine with artwork by Dave Christensen of Elton John in his "pinball wizard" character from the movie Tommy . In 1977, Bally released a "home model" version with artwork by Alan Aldridge.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [12] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
Rolling Stone | (favourable) [7] |
The Village Voice | B [14] |
The album reached number 1 in its first week of release on the US Billboard 200, the first ever album to do so, reportedly selling 1.4 million copies within 4 days of release, and it stayed in that position in the chart for seven weeks. [4] [5] It was certified gold based on pre-release orders in early May 1975, two weeks before it was even officially released, and was certified platinum and triple platinum in March 1993 by the RIAA.
In Canada, it also debuted at number 1 on the RPM national Top Albums chart and only broke a run of what would have been fifteen consecutive weeks at the top by falling one position to number 2 in the ninth week (31 May–6 September). [15] On the UK Albums Chart, it peaked at number 2.
In 2003, the album was ranked at number 158 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list. [6]
A deluxe 30th anniversary edition CD was released September 2005, containing the complete album and adding "House of Cards", the B-side to the 7" single of "Someone Saved My Life Tonight." Recorded during the sessions for Caribou , "House of Cards" previously only appeared on CD on the 1992 Rare Masters collection. [16] Also included is a second disc containing the complete album performed live at Wembley Stadium on 21 June 1975.
In September 2005, Elton John and his band again performed the entire album (minus "Tower of Babel" and "Writing") in a series of sold-out concerts in Boston, New York City and the tour's final stop, Atlanta, in October. These "Captain Fantastic Concerts" were a part of the Peachtree Road Tour and were the longest concerts in Elton's career, many lasting at least three-and-a-half hours. The songs from Captain Fantastic were aired by Capital Gold Radio in a broadcast taken from 16 September 2005 performance in Boston.
"Curtains", among other songs from the album, was sampled in Pnau's 2012 album Good Morning to the Night .
"We All Fall in Love Sometimes" was covered by Jeff Buckley. [17] It was also covered by Coldplay for the 2018 tribute album Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin .
All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" | 5:46 |
2. | "Tower of Babel " | 4:28 |
3. | "Bitter Fingers " | 4:35 |
4. | "Tell Me When the Whistle Blows " | 4:20 |
5. | "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" | 6:45 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket " | 4:01 |
7. | "Better Off Dead " | 2:37 |
8. | "Writing " | 3:40 |
9. | "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" | 4:15 |
10. | "Curtains " | 6:15 |
Total length: | 46:32 |
Note: On the original DJM Records CD version, "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" and "Curtains" are both combined into one track, making it a nine-track album. On all other CD versions (MCA Records, Polydor and French label Carrere Records), the two tracks are separated.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" | John Lennon/Paul McCartney | 6:18 |
12. | "One Day at a Time" | John Lennon | 3:49 |
13. | "Philadelphia Freedom" | 5:22 | |
Total length: | 62:01 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "House of Cards" | 3:12 |
Total length: | 65:13 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" | 7:02 | |
2. | "Tower of Babel " | 4:38 | |
3. | "Bitter Fingers " | 5:06 | |
4. | "Tell Me When the Whistle Blows " | 4:39 | |
5. | "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" | 7:17 | |
6. | "(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket " | 7:19 | |
7. | "Better Off Dead " | 3:01 | |
8. | "Writing " | 5:30 | |
9. | "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" | 3:57 | |
10. | "Curtains " | 8:48 | |
11. | "Pinball Wizard" | Pete Townshend | 6:31 |
12. | "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" | 7:40 | |
Total length: | 71:28 |
Track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album.
Wembley Stadium, 21 June 1975
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy | Album of the Year [18] | Nominated |
Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male [19] | Nominated |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [37] | 2× Platinum | 100,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [38] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [39] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [40] reissue | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [41] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Elton John is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John. It was released on 10 April 1970 through DJM Records. Including John's breakthrough single "Your Song", the album helped establish his career during the rise of the singer-songwriter era of popular music.
Tumbleweed Connection is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John. It was recorded at Trident Studios, London, in March 1970, and released in October 1970 in the UK and January 1971 in the US. It is a concept album based on country and western and Americana themes. All songs are written by John and Bernie Taupin, with the exception of "Love Song" by Lesley Duncan.
Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 5 November 1971 by DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a popular music artist. John's first progressive rock album, Madman Across the Water contains nine tracks, each composed and performed by John and with lyrics written by songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman plays Hammond organ on two songs.
Honky Château is the fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 19 May 1972, and was titled after the 18th century French chateau where it was recorded, Château d'Hérouville. The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200, the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums.
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player is the sixth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released on 26 January 1973 by DJM Records, it was the first of two studio albums he released in 1973, and was his second straight No. 1 album on the US Billboard 200 and first No. 1 album on the UK Albums Chart.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by English singer, pianist, and composer Elton John. A double album, it was released on 5 October 1973, by DJM Records. Recorded at the Château d'Hérouville in France, the album became a double LP once John and his band became inspired by the locale. Among the 17 tracks, the album contains the hits "Candle in the Wind", US number-one single "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", along with the live favourite "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding".
Caribou is the eighth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 24 June 1974 by MCA Records in the US and on 28 June by DJM Records in the UK. It was his fourth chart-topping album in the United States and his third in the United Kingdom. The album contains the singles "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart and number two in the US, and "The Bitch Is Back", which reached number 15 in the UK and number four in the US. Both singles reached number one in Canada on the RPM 100 national Top Singles Chart, as did the album itself.
Rock of the Westies is the tenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 24 October 1975. The title is a pun on the phrase "West of the Rockies", the album having been recorded at Caribou Ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Blue Moves is the eleventh studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 22 October 1976 through John's own Rocket Record Company, alongside MCA Records in certain countries. John's second double album, it was recorded at EMI Studios, Brother Studios, Eastern Sound and Sunset Sound Recorders, and was his last to be produced by longtime collaborator Gus Dudgeon until Ice on Fire (1985). Additionally, the album would be the last collaboration between John and lyricist Bernie Taupin for the next few years until a partial resumption of their working partnership with 21 at 33 (1980).
A Single Man is the twelfth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in 1978, it is the first album for which Gary Osborne replaced Bernie Taupin as lyricist. It is also the first of two John albums that, on the original cut, have no tracks co-written by Taupin.
21 at 33 is the fourteenth studio album by British musician Elton John. It was released on 23 May 1980, through MCA Records in the US and The Rocket Record Company in all other territories. The album was co-produced by John and Clive Franks, and was primarily recorded in August 1979 at Super Bear Studios in Nice, France. The record was the first since Blue Moves (1976) to feature lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, while John also continued to experiment with other lyricists, including Gary Osborne and Tom Robinson. Contributors to the album include members of Toto and the Eagles, as well as Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson, marking their first appearance on an Elton John album since Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975).
Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton John Band alongside bassist Dee Murray.
Ice on Fire is the nineteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1985. It was recorded at Sol Studios and his first album since Blue Moves produced by his original long-time producer, Gus Dudgeon. David Paton and Charlie Morgan appear for the first time on bass and drums respectively, replacing original Elton John Band members Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. Fred Mandel, who had played with John during the Breaking Hearts Tour, also contributed guitar and keyboards.
"Crocodile Rock" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in summer 1972 at the Château d'Hérouville studio in France, where John and his team had previously recorded the Honky Château album. It was released on 27 October 1972 in the UK and 20 November 1972 in the U.S., as a pre-release single from his forthcoming 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, and became his first U.S. number-one single, reaching the top spot on 3 February 1973, and staying there for three consecutive weeks. In the U.S., it was certified Gold on 5 February 1973 and Platinum on 13 September 1995 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Leather Jackets is the twentieth studio album by English musician Elton John. Recorded at Sol Studios in England and Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands, it was released in 1986 and was his first album not to have any top 40 singles on either the US Billboard Hot 100 or the UK singles chart since 1970's Tumbleweed Connection, which had no singles released from it. It is also one of his lowest charting studio albums in the United States, peaking at number 91 on the Billboard 200 chart.
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is a song with music by British musician Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin, from John's 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. It was released as a single on 20 June 1975, the only single released from the album. Like the rest of the album, the song is autobiographical, and addresses an attempted suicide by John.
The Elton John Band is the band that backs singer, composer and pianist Elton John on both studio and live recordings. The band has gone through several lineup changes, but Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone, and Ray Cooper have been members since 1970, 1971 and 1973, respectively. The various lineups of the band have consisted of both British, American, and European musicians. The band is often not recognised as a formal entity, and is instead referred to simply as the Elton John Band.
"Border Song" is a song by Elton John with music by John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. The song initially appeared on the 1970 album Elton John, and was released in the spring of 1970 as the LP's first single. After failing to chart in the UK, it was released in North America a few months later. It met with more success there, especially in Canada, where it peaked at No. 34. The appearance of "Border Song" on the Canadian charts was John's first chart appearance in any country.
The Captain & the Kid is the twenty-eighth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 2006. It is his second autobiographical album with lyricist Bernie Taupin, picking up where Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) left off. The Captain & the Kid chronicles the events in their lives over the intervening three decades.
"We All Fall in Love Sometimes" is the ninth track on Elton John's album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, written by John (music) and Bernie Taupin (lyrics), and released in 1975.
Elton John's forthcoming album 'Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy' due for release on May 23