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Elton John’s fourth studio album release in little over two years, Madman Across The Water has been a long held dear favourite of artist and fans alike. Madman Across The Water was largely written after Elton had made his initial foray to America; offering the opportunity for lyricist Bernie Taupin to witness first-hand the landscapes and people he’d only seen on a screen or on the page. Recorded at Trident Studios in Central London in February and August 1971, it was the first album where all five players of Elton’s fabled band line up – Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper – were featured, albeit not on the same tracks.
While the UK were still deciding about Elton, these nine tracks struck a chord with Elton’s US audiences, reaching the Top 10 and its singles, ‘Levon’ and ‘Tiny Dancer’ both hit the US Top 50. After years as a ‘best kept secret’ to Elton’s fans, ‘Tiny Dancer’ has gone on to become one of his most loved songs, third only to Rocket Man and Your Song in global streaming lists. Capturing the headiness of California at the time of Elton’s first US concerts, the song was used to phenomenal effect in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film Almost Famous.
This celebration of the album to mark its 50th anniversary comes in four different formats. All formats contain Bob Ludwig’s definitive 2016 remaster of the main album.
The box set includes a 104-page hard-cover book with introductions by Elton and Bernie, photos and essay featuring interviews with many who helped make Madman Across The Water, plus a reproduction 1971-poster, as well as memorabilia and artwork taken from the Rocket Archive.
CD ONE: Madman Across The Water Remastered Album, plus five bonus tracks
CD TWO: Piano demo version of Madman Across The Water Album, plus previously
unheard full version of ‘Rock Me When He’s Gone’
CD THREE: BBC Sounds For Saturday concert, first broadcast in 1972
BLU-RAY: Audio of 5.1 mix of Madman Across The Water, visual of BBC Sounds For
Saturday & 1971 Old Grey Whistle Test performance