The Captain & the Kid | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 18 September 2006 | |||
Recorded | Spring 2006 | |||
Studio | Center Staging, Atlanta | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 45:59 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Elton John chronology | ||||
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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.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 69/100 [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [4] |
The Independent | [5] |
Los Angeles Times | [6] |
PopMatters | 4/10 [7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
This Is London | [9] |
The Captain & the Kid reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart, a considerable improvement over the performance of John's preceding Peachtree Road in 2004, which peaked at No. 21. Captain reached No. 18 on the US Billboard 200, before quickly falling off the charts. At concerts in early 2007, John made clear his dissatisfaction with Interscope Records' promotion of the album, having threatened to terminate his contract with the label and because of that, John did not release a solo album until 2013's The Diving Board .
According to Bernie Taupin, Elton John's manager at the time, Merck Mercuriadis, suggested in 2005 that John and Taupin write a follow-up to Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy. [10]
Interscope Records announced that there would be no physical single released from this album as the emphasis was on presenting the album as a body of work, making the album his third after Tumbleweed Connection and Leather Jackets to lack any Top 40 singles on the UK singles chart (as John, during that time, still hit the Top 40 in the US Adult Contemporary chart). [11] [12]
However, a radio single would be released in "The Bridge". The album's booklet has photos of John and Taupin all throughout their career, and in the lyrics section, two songs are included, "Across the River Thames" and "12", which do not appear on the album. "Across the River Thames" was available as a free download to anyone who played the CD on a computer. The song "And the House Fell Down" is based (metaphorically) on the story The Three Little Pigs . [13] This is the first album recorded by John and Taupin to show them together on the front cover.
It was also the last studio album to feature Guy Babylon on keyboards; he died in 2009. This was also Bob Birch's last appearance on any of John's solo studio albums before his own death in August 2012 (Birch last appeared on the Gnomeo and Juliet soundtrack).
All tracks are written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Postcards from Richard Nixon" | 5:15 |
2. | "Just Like Noah's Ark" | 5:33 |
3. | "Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (NYC)" | 4:38 |
4. | "Tinderbox" | 4:25 |
5. | "And the House Fell Down" | 4:48 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "Blues Never Fade Away" | 4:45 |
7. | "The Bridge" | 3:38 |
8. | "I Must Have Lost It on the Wind" | 3:53 |
9. | "Old '67" | 4:01 |
10. | "The Captain and the Kid" | 5:03 |
Total length: | 45:59 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Across the River Thames" | 4:31 |
Total length: | 50:30 |
Song | Availability |
---|---|
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight" (live) | Best Buy (CD included download link)/iTunes |
"We All Fall in Love Sometimes/Curtains" (live) | Best Buy (CD included download link) |
"Tell Me When the Whistle Blows" (live) | iTunes |
"(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket" (live) | iTunes |
"Better Off Dead" (live) | iTunes |
Producer Matt Still noted during an interview that in "Just Like Noah's Ark", John's black and white spaniel dog Arthur "barked in the middle of [the recording], because John Mahon was playing a cowbell, and the cowbell freaked him out. So he ran over to John and started barking at him right in the middle of a take. It's funny, just randomly he happened to hit the beats and he barked in time. So I recorded it and we actually kept him in there."
The sampled "woof-bells" can be heard in place of the cowbell on the track.
Chart (2006) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [16] | 37 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [17] | 37 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18] | 99 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [19] | 26 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [20] | 43 |
French Albums (SNEP) [21] | 56 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [22] | 25 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [23] | 21 |
Japanese Albums Chart [24] | 100 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [25] | 10 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [26] | 8 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [27] | 52 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [28] | 27 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [29] | 10 |
UK Albums (OCC) [30] | 6 |
US Billboard 200 [31] | 18 |
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [32] | 14 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [33] | 7 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Peachtree Road is the twenty-seventh studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 9 November 2004. The album was named after Peachtree Road, the northern part of Peachtree Street in Atlanta, where one of John's four homes is located. This is the only album during his long career on which John has sole credit as producer, although on some previous projects he was listed as a co-producer, with Clive Franks, or Greg Penny. It was recorded in January 2004.
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.
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is the ninth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 23 May 1975 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 and his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin. 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.
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.
The One is the twenty-third studio album by British recording artist Elton John, released on 22 June 1992. It was recorded at Studio Guillaume Tell in Paris, produced by Chris Thomas and managed by John Reid. The album was dedicated to Vance Buck, and its cover artwork was designed by Gianni Versace.
Too Low for Zero is the seventeenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1983. The album marked a comeback for John, whose previous four albums had failed to yield many enduring international hit singles, and had disappointing sales compared to his string of hit records released during the first half of the 1970s.
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.
Reg Strikes Back is the twenty-first studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1988. It was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press. The "Reg" in Reg Strikes Back refers to John's birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight.
Made in England is the twenty-fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1995. It was produced by John and Greg Penny, his first album since Leather Jackets without producer Chris Thomas. The album was dedicated to John's boyfriend and future husband David Furnish. It was also dedicated to the memory of Denis Gauthier and Peter Williams. It was the last album to feature regular Elton John Band percussionist Ray Cooper until 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night. Bob Birch became John's full-time recording and touring bass player until his death in 2012.
Breaking Hearts is the eighteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1984. It features the quartet of John, Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. There were four top-40 singles from the album: "Sad Songs ", "Who Wears These Shoes", "In Neon", and the UK No. 5 hit "Passengers".
The Big Picture is the twenty-fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on September 22, 1997 through The Rocket Record Company and Mercury Records. The album was recorded at Townhouse Studios in London and is John's last release to date to be produced by Chris Thomas.
Songs from the West Coast is the twenty-sixth studio album by English musician Elton John, released worldwide on 1 October 2001.
Jump Up! is the sixteenth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released in 1982 by The Rocket Record Company except in the US and Canada, where it was released by Geffen Records. In the United States, the album was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1982.
Duets is the first collaboration studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1993. The album debuted at No. 7 in the UK. In the US, it peaked at number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum in January 1994 by the 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.
Sleeping with the Past is the twenty-second studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 4 September 1989. It is his best-selling album in Denmark and is dedicated to his longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin. The album features "Sacrifice" and "Healing Hands", which were issued as a double A-side and became John's first solo number-one single in his home country on the UK singles chart. The single's success helped the album also hit number one on the UK Albums Chart, his first since 1974's Elton John's Greatest Hits. It also became his first platinum album in the UK since 1985's Ice on Fire. In the US it was certified gold in October 1989 and platinum in April 1990 by the RIAA. Sleeping with the Past became John's best selling album of the 1980s.
The Diving Board is the twenty-ninth studio album by English musician Elton John. It is the second of his studio releases since 1979's Victim of Love without any of his regular Elton John Band members. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2013 and debuted at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart, his highest-charting studio album in his home country since 2001's Songs from the West Coast, and at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. It is also his highest-charting solo album in the United States since Blue Moves in 1976.
Wonderful Crazy Night is the thirtieth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 5 February 2016. It is John's first album since 2006's The Captain & the Kid to feature the Elton John Band and was written and recorded in 17 days. John's long-standing percussionist, Ray Cooper, makes his first appearance on any of John's albums since Made in England in 1995. This is Kim Bullard's first appearance on keyboards, replacing Guy Babylon, and Matt Bissonette replaced Bob Birch on bass. The album debuted at number eight on the U.S Billboard 200 with sales of 58,000 album-equivalent units sold.
Regimental Sgt. Zippo is the thirty-first studio album by English musician Elton John. Recorded during late 1967 and early 1968, it was originally intended to be John's debut album, but his publisher Dick James did not approve of the record's musical style, and the album was scrapped. John then recorded and released Empty Sky (1969) as his debut album instead. Regimental Sgt. Zippo remained unreleased until Record Store Day of June 2021, when it was issued in mono on vinyl. It was followed by a wider release of the album in July 2022 in stereo vinyl and stereo/mono CD.