After years of session work
and songwriting for other people, Reginald
Dwight changed his name to Elton John
and formed a songwriting partnership with
a certain Bernie Taupin (Elton wrote the
music to Taupin’s lyrics). After the release
of two studio albums, they hit pay dirt
with the release of this, their third
album (1971), and their first hit single
‘Your Song’, taken from the previous self
titled album.
Surprisingly there were no singles taken
from this collection, taking Elton John
on a wonderous journey into superstardom
that was to spiral out of control. But
for now the next 4 studio albums ‘Madman
Across The Water’, ‘Honky Chateau’, ‘Don’t
shoot me I’m only the Piano Player’, and
the ‘Double Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’
were all landmark albums in the world
of rock. Unfortunately by the time of
Elton’s 9th Studio album ‘Captain Fantastic’,
and the ‘Dirt Brown Cowboys’, it had all
gone terribly wrong with massive egos
taking over, all band members being fired
and the partnership with Bernie Taupin
terminated. The live shows were still
great, but Elton’s album output throughout
the eighties and nineties was tedious
at best, consisting mainly of Sub-Chicago
plod-rock, before a welcome return to
form last year with ‘Songs from the West
Coast’, which, not surprisingly, co-incided
with him reuniting with Bernie Taupin
and his old band mates, Nigel Olsson and
Davy Johnstone.
But, back in 1970 with ‘Tumbleweed Connection’,
this was the first time a road band as
such had been used in the studio, making
it more the Elton John band rather than
just Elton on his own. Nigel Olson had
been offered the drum stool whilst in
Brit Heavy Rockers Uriah Heep but, seeing
the potential, made the job his own. He
was joined by the amazing Dee Murray on
bass, and the job that would soon be filled
by Davey Johnstone was done by Caleb Quaye
of label mates Hookfoot for these sessions.
It really was a case of everything was
in position for world domination.
The album opens up with the blues rock
of ‘Ballad of a well-known Gun’, the story
of a gunslinger reaching the end of the
road. From there on out you are taken
on a wonderful musical journey through
the album’s original ten songs, with a
recurring wild west of America theme.
At all times the musicianship and songwriting
is faultless, with Elton putting every
ounce of emotion into Bernie’s lyrics.
The production by Gus Dudgeon was to set
standards for years to come, and Paul
Buckmaster’s arrangements of the musical
scores, both with band and strings, is
nothing short of perfection, whether on
epics like ‘Burn Down The Mission’ (an
amazing live version, which was laid down
with just piano, bass, and drums on the
band’s live album 17.11.70, where you
can actually hear Elton kick his piano
stool away in the excitement), or on the
tender ‘Love Song’. This only song on
the album, not written by John/Taupin,
is a beautiful Lesley Duncan song, which
Lesley also sings on this version. But
it is when Elton sits at the piano alone
to regale us with ‘Talking Old Soldiers’
that his talent really stands out. This
story of an old warrior looking back on
his youth whilst addressing a group of
youngsters, is a shot straight at the
heart.
“I know what they are saying, son
There goes old mad Joe again
Well, I maybe mad at that, I’ve seem enough
To make a man go out his brains”
The remastered edition of Tumbleweed connection
for C.D has two bonus tracks ‘Old Man’s
Shoes’, the b-side to ‘Your Song’, which
fits in perfectly with the rest of these
songs. But the real treat is left till
last, the original recording of the next
albums title track ‘Mad Man Across The
Water’, featuring Mick Ronson on lead
guitar (Ronson was just about to hit the
big time himself as lead guitarist and
musical director for David Bowie’s Spiders
from Mars band). It is a completely guitar
based version clocking in at nearly nine
minutes with the piano-bass-drum format
used as a rhythm section, whilst Ronson
lays down some rip-roaring lead axe. He
dominates this song in the same way as
he did on David Bowie’s ‘Moonage Day Dream’,
which he made his own. The price of the
C.D is worth it for this song alone.
Add to this the artwork included in the
sixteen page booklet, ‘Tumbleweed Connection’
is a real gem.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
