Search - Elton John :: Reg Strikes Back

The real "strike back" was a few years off, but it's a start

29-year old wallflower | West Lafayette, IN | 07/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The 1980s are not known for being a stellar decade in Elton John's career. He was deep into substance abuse, and even while he was working with his top-notch lyricist Bernie Taupin, Bernie's own personal problems wreaked their own havoc on Elton's output, culminating in 1986's LEATHER JACKETS, widely acknowledged as Elton's absolute worst album. Apparently, the acclaimed LIVE IN AUSTRALIA album & tour awoke Elton to the gems of his earlier days, and that along with surgery done to remove throat sores was to help make 1988's REG STRIKES BACK his big splash back into the spotlight. However, these were just baby steps compared to the all-out triumphant return of 1992's THE ONE, Elton's first clean & sober album in ages. But he had to start somewhere, so this might as well be it.While I had long heard that REG STRIKES BACK was near the bottom of Elton's best, I was encouraged to buy it for "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That", which I consider to be one of his best works even from a fallow period in his career. Sure enough, Elton sounds vocally invigorated on this song, growing into the deeper-textured voice that either came as a result of the surgery or just the passing years. Also, while Elton may have been playing more keyboards than actual piano by this time, this song is enough to make one admit that the man could still play! The public seemed to agree for "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" peaked at an impressive #2, becoming his highest-charting hit in over a decade.Commercially, that was perhaps the extent of REG STRIKES BACK's success, although one more single did manage to chart somewhat high. "A Word In Spanish" is another song that Elton's fans don't quite rank high on their lists, and granted, it's not that stellar. But for a love song at a time when Elton & Bernie were starting to see that these guaranteed them hits more than the rockers of yore, "A Word In Spanish" still retains the intelligence of their older romantic songs. The airy exoticism of "Japanese Hands" & lush Beach Boys tribute of "Since God Invented Girls" do a much better job in the ballad department.All in all, REG STRIKES BACK is more scattered in terms of good, presentable songs, with the prevailing atmosphere one of jubilant celebration having come back from the brink (though Elton had just begun), explaining the emphasis on rhythm. "Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters [Part Two]" is a much more syncopated number than its prequel of 15 years before, but lyrically, it's a fine way of updating the tune from a man who had indeed grown a lot in the years since. "Goodbye Marlon Brando" (an all-too-apropos title recently) is a frenzied, funny way of bidding farewell to the excessive 1980s, which Elton is maybe the first to admit at being an active participant in (just look at the album cover). Although I'm not sure you could count off all the defining characteristics of the decade in just 3 1/2 minutes."The Camera Never Lies" is another uptempo "anti-love" song like "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That", but with a more unsettling subtext, one hinting at voyeurism with the whole camera motif. On the other hand, "Town Of Plenty", "Heavy Traffic" & "Poor Cow" sound like they're coming from the still substance-addled minds of Elton & Bernie, maybe showing their insistence on words that simply sound good together rather than mean something.The bonus tracks are rather nil on the reissue of REG STRIKES BACK, favoring alternate mixes than lost tracks. "Rope Around A Fool" is the real find with its bluesy atmosphere, and what sounds like a rare time in this period that Elton forsook his keyboards for a good old Steinway. On the other hand, the "piano-only" (but of the remix) version of "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" is another indication that no matter what kind of keyboard he plays, Elton is a wizard. Some people have claimed that the remix of "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" is an improvement over the original, which I think is a stretch. Rather, it's equally good & comparable, Shep Pettibone giving it a distinctly 1980s-kitsch flavor as a knowing wink to the anything-goes mood of the era. The same goes for the recasting of "Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters [Part Two]".Maybe the 1980s was not the best time to be an Elton John fan for while commercially, he was still moving full speed ahead, creatively, it seemed that train had left the station once Bernie Taupin departed for the first time. Nevertheless, it was admirable that Elton & Bernie realized it was time to get back to business & win back their old fans with the "renewal" of REG STRIKES BACK. Looking back, it was not the ultimate "strike back" that was expected, but it still had enough reminders of the old genius days to give fans hope that a full-scale return was in the works."

Reg's Road to Recovery

Lonnie E. Holder | Columbus, Indiana, United States | 06/23/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After having a number of lackluster and uninspired releases through the 1980s, with perhaps the lowest point being the 1986 release of "Leather Jackets," Elton John started a turnaround in quality and artistry that was evident on this album, and would achieve albums such as "The One" and "Made in England" in the 90s. While this album had much less quality and artistry than Elton's 70s albums, loyal fans were gratified to see that Elton could still write and sing good songs.



Elton's rediscovered enthusiasm shows in "Town of Plenty." Admittedly this song is one of the lesser songs on this CD; the words are corny and simple, and the music is relatively simple. However, Elton's voice sounds refreshed and clear, and the production is much improved over "Leather Jackets." This simple song is little indication of the music that comes later on this CD.



The second song also has relatively simple words, though more complex and inspired than the words of the first song. However, Elton's music in "A Word in Spanish" contains a flavor of that sound that made Elton John great in years gone by. This song was also the longest song on the original CD at 4:39 long. This mellow love song peaked at #19 on the charts in 1988. With the improvement over the first song, this song promised that this CD held even better songs.



Elton and his band get bombastic on "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)." The original song was a mellow and harmonious creation on "Honky Chateau." This version is funky and bouncy, and far from being mellow. While I am tempted to compare this song with some of the worst from "Leather Jackets," the comparison would be wrong. This song has fun with the overblown style, and keeps the enthusiasm evinced from the first song. This song also makes an excellent stylistic introduction to the next song.



The next song is the best indication that Elton had created a very listenable album. "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" had a sharp musical production with a snappy beat that maintained the pace and power of the three previous songs. This #2 charting song had good lyrics and even better music to make this song one of the best created by the Elton John-Bernie Taupin team in a long time, and gave fans the opportunity to rejoice that the duo still had this kind of music to give the world.



Then comes a song that I think belongs in the portfolio of some of the best Elton John ballads. In "Japanese Hands" Bernie Taupin finally created lyrics to match some of his best from the era that yielded "Madman Across the Water" and "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player." Elton matched those words with lovely music and a singing style that was heard on Elton's "Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra" and would be later heard on "Songs from the West Coast." This beautiful ballad is one of my personal favorites on this CD.



The next song is a change of pace. "Goodbye Marlon Brando" has a beat that is even faster than the first songs on the CD. This song reminds me of Billy Joel, especially "We Didn't Start the Fire." The song is less ambitious than the Billy Joel song, confining itself to summarizing the 80s, and perhaps the 70s to a certain degree. The song does say goodbye to a lot of things I remember from the 1980s. This song is interesting and fast, and perhaps slightly better than the average song on this CD.



The next three songs combined form a weak spot in this CD. "The Camera Never Lies" is the rock version of those country songs that deal with the bad things that happen in life. In this case the subject is infidelity. While the music and the words are less than inspired, the song is okay and is an average song for this CD. This CD goes from an average song to a less than average song. "Heavy Traffic" contains a few moments of interest, but otherwise the song is one of the weaker songs on this CD and sounds more like Elton on cruise control. The following song lyrically seems intended to be sympathetic to women who get stuck with too many children and a loser husband, but "Poor Cow" never fulfills the promise of the lyrics, and is another that is much less than average.



This CD originally finished with another lovely ballad, "Since God Invented Girls." This song contains a tribute to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. The backing vocals enhance the feeling of the tribute by adopting the harmonious style of the Beach Boys. This song joins "Japanese Hands" as being another of my favorite songs on this CD.



In addition to the original ten songs, this version contains four bonus tracks that add little to the original production, but do give a listener a bit more bang for the musical buck.



This album starts with a promising title. This CD was not quite the "strike back" that the title promised. However, there are enough good songs on this CD to make this CD a good improvement over the previous original album, and fans a few years later would recognize that this album marked a turn for the better for Elton John and Bernie Taupin, now going by the single name Taupin. In a few short years Elton John would receive more awards and nominations than he had received in his career to this point, and while the future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member may have fallen short in striking back with this CD, perhaps this CD was just the beginning of a strike that is pushing its way into two decades.

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This CD has been short changed!

Patty MacDuffie | Portland, OR USA | 09/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this CD for "A Word in Spanish," which I really like. I listened to the CD in the car while driving and heard about half of it and thought it was average with a couple of good songs. Then I listened again on my computer with my Klipsch 4.1's. Wow, some of this stuff is pretty good! So I put it on the big system with the Klipsch towers and cranked up the bass and the volume. Incredible! The Shep Pettibone remix of "I don't wanna go on with you like that," is worth the price of the album and more. Everything else is "added value." "Heavy Traffic" is a great rock tune. Freddie Hubbard's flugelhorn in "Mad Hatters" is a thrill and a half! And then there's Carl Wilson singing background on "Since God Created Girls." Outstanding! If you only listened once, listen again! And more closely. This is rapidly becoming my favorite Elton John album. And yes, there are a few songs on it I don't care for, but that's true of most albums. Oh, and lest I forget, Elton John is pretty good too. (Just kidding, he is awesome as usual!)"