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Tumble back to the main Elton John page, and bring your weed! The Tumbleweed Made a Connection, and I Feel Very Uncomfortable
Overall Album Score: 8.6 out of 10 I just can't get into Elton John. Sure ... I can listen to his albums. I can enjoy his albums, even. But, they never seem to go anywhere beyond that. Oh well. I suppose I'll never be a fan. This album marks considerable improvement over Smelton's previous effort, the eponymous Elton John. For one, the melodies have improved. For two, the songs are MUCH more memorable. But, unfortunately, much like the previous Elton John album, reviewing this album sometimes seems to me like I'm trudging through a lot of muck. Sorry! Unwittingly, my beef with Elton John is probably the fact that he is too immaculate (an odd thing to have a beef with somebody over) and he doesn't seem to come up with too many great pieces of melody. (I mean, he is a fine songsmith, but there are relatively few songs that REALLY manage to leap out at me with heavenly hooks or anything.) I'm also, apparently, not a huge fan of Elton's towering, soulful choruses (there are a few of these songs on this album). They seem like they're supposed to be uplifting my spirits or moving me, but they really don't! Although, none of these songs are cheap. They were worked on and polished so hard until they shone. I would even venture to say that the songs were passionately worked on. But, I don't, in turn, feel very passionate about the album. I guess none of these songs are intensely interesting for me. And I get bored. I mean, I don't get bored enough to call it 'tedium' ... it's just that the album is a little bit dull. I'm also not much of a country/blues fan, which might explain something. (But I do like *some* albums in this particular style. Neil Young for instance.) Nevertheless, Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin should be commended for making something that is, at least, artistically challenging. Elton's melodies ... while few of them are particularly memorable ... every song in here has at least SOMETHING good to offer melodically. The songs aren't all easily accessible, but there is nothing here at all that was in bad taste (...something I wish I could have said with Elton's previous two efforts...) And, clearly, Bernie's lyrics have greatly improved, albiet I had to force myself to pay attention to them! But, there are some particular moments in here when you suddenly realize that you're listening to something great! I just wish that I could get into it all easier! Overall Album Score: 8.6 out of 10 (Okay ... this isn't so bad of a score. Though, I do feel a little bit guilty for not liking it more.) Average Song Score: 8.9 (The songs were very well performed. There's nothing bad here at all.) Album Tilt: 7.5 (It's not like I listened to this album only once, either. I probably listened to it 10 or 12 times in my lifetime. I simply cannot help feeling bored through it. Sorry.) Artist Tilt: 9.5 (However, I have nothing but high respect for the man, artistically. This concept album was highly ambitious, and there haven't been too many other successful attempts at such an album (that I'm aware of). And, as you will see though the track reviews, I give these songs and Elton John ... and lyricist Bernie Taupin ... nothing but the highest respect. Kudos!) Track Reviews Ballad of a Well-Known Gun 9.5/10 Ptptptptptptptptptpptptptptptptptptptptptptptptptpthththththhtthththhhhhhhh! That was the heavy-duty machine gun that killed America's most beloved president Zachary Taylor! Random Person: [screaming] He wasn't shot! He died of food poisoning, or something. Me: [smartly] Yes. That's what they want you to think! Okay. The second-most well-known gun is that piece of weaponry our favorite Knight of the British Empire doth sings about. Random Person: I do believe that Elton John is singing about a PERSON. As in a well-known gunfighter. Me: Oh! Well that changes everything! ........... NOT! Well... this is a fine, well-to-do track. It's probably one of the album's highlights, but that's only because it is FIRST. Oh ... yes ... I do like this song. Quite nice. Yep. It's loud and fast. Kind of country-like. Classic Elton. Okay. Come Down in Time 9.5/10 This is a slower song. Perhaps it's more cinematic in quality than the previous track. I like this track because it is so dynamic and was definitely done with a lot of passion. Not like these reviews. Country Comfort 8.5/10 Okay. This track is way to comfortable in country-music territory for me. This is unmistakably a country song ... but it is a pretty good song. I just hate country music and crapped-butt sliding guitar things. BLELELELELELELEL! The only good country-music song ever written is "Stand By Your Man" IF AND ONLY IF it is being performed by the Blues Brothers. Though, trying my best to put my personal prejudices behind me, the song has it's hooks and was very well done (I even like the melody), so I'm quite comfortable giving it an 8.5. Son of Your Father 9/10 Oh no. Not another one of these things. I remember in the sixth grade Spanish class, we got this worksheet that asked us silly things like "Your aunt's husband's brother, who is married to your grandmother's daughter" (except it would be asked in Spanish), and we were supposed to decide who this person is in respect to me. Well ... I'm from Kansas ... where some people can claim to be their own grandparents ... so, such distinctions are difficult to make. Take "Son of Your Father." We're probably talking about your brother. But, in Kansas, he could also be your uncle. In San Francisco, he could be your sister. (...time to shut up before I get tons of hate mail...) Oh yeah... about the song ... it's a quicker and a bit more bouncier. It also has those towering choruses (with back-up singers). I like it. Among the album's finest. My Father's Gun 8.5/10 Wait. Didn't I just listen to this? ................... Oh wait! This is "My Father's Gun," not "My Father's Son." Okay. Right. So, some dude mounts his trusty steed and goes somewhere, and he will always wear his father's gun. It's smoother and far more dramatic than the last track, but it's lengthy and the chorus repeats itself way too much. It is a good track, though. It gets even more dramatic as it moves along. Where to Now, St. Peter? 9/10 This is a bit of a more regular rock song. It's not fast nor slow ... it moves on at a very comfortable pace. The arrangements here are a little bit more simplistic. I like bits of the melody of this song, particularly. Love Song 7.5/10 I've not been particularly impressed with ANYTHING in this album so far, but this slow song is particularly unimpressive. Though it is still professionally done ... the melody is fine ......... nothing happens, though. Oh ... and ... and where is the piano? There's just a bit of acoustic guitar here. Not that only utilizing an acoustic guitar is BAD or anything. It's just borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring. But tasteful! Anybody else would have made it suck. Amoreena 9/10 The album picks up CONSIDERABLY at this point with this louder song. There are a few very good hooks here ... nothing I'm going to write home about, though. We're back to good ole piano pop, tank guudness. I think some of this instrumentation here, in particular, came a little bit off the mark, though. Talking Old Soldiers 9.5/10 On second thought ... Elton John really can be moving! This is just another one of those examples. It's dark, depressing ... boring if you're listening to it only in the background ... but it's really quite moving. I mean ... I don't feel much like listening to it twice, but it really is quite luverly. By and large, it seems to be a reserved song, but the subject matter (about somebody nearing death) but at the times when they pick up the pace, it really pierces the soul. Oooo... (Aura of respect to Elton John). Great vocal performance. Burn Down the Mission 10/10 This is probably the best song of the album. It's an epic 6-minute sprawler, and not once does it even appear to get boring. It's also quite cinematic, and it's dramatic as well. l don't find it tremendously interesting, but it does manage to hold my attention, and I like it quite a lot. The song has several different parts to it. The general part has a rather memorable melody. At the end, it turns more into a towering, noisy thing that sounds like a heavenly rock jam. It's really quite nice. Into the Old Man's Shoes 8/10 It's not all that wonderful, but it does make for a nice album closer. It's a fairly loud song, and it was very well-orchestrated and performed, but I find it a tad bit boring. Bonus Track: Madman Across the Water This is an early version of "Madman Across the Water," which is to appear on Elton's following studio album! It actually fits in rather well to the style of this album. I'd give it an 8.5 out of 10. (I like the other version of it better.) I think I like that other album better altogether! Is this about how you would put it, monsoup, or would you put it some other way? Would you put it in my pants? Leave your comments here. slb23@shaw.ca (Simon B.) received August 2, 2004 TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION is IMO one of Elton's best pre-GOODBYE
YELLOW BRICK ROAD albums. There is a loose concept of the old American
West running through the album, and it makes it have a more cohesive
feel. The lyrics were Bernie's best yet. I think of the album as kind of
a lost treasure among his other early 70's albums.
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All reviews are copyrighted by Michael Lawrence. He's the best. He likes to read Shakespeare, too.
