I left Elton John back in June, taking a break from his 80's era run for bit. So far I'd played through four of his nine entries, and while I'd like to say they where in chronological order, that's not the case. I've checked off 1980's 21 At 23, 1981's The Fox, 1983's Too Low For Zero, and 1989's Sleeping With The Past. Today, I'm diving in to 1982's Jump Up!
With the storied history of John, it would be difficult for someone like me to fill in a lot of the gaps that weren't already provided on his various Wiki pages. Truth be told, I don't think I even knew about the guy until the multi-artist duet for Dionne Warwick's That's What Friends Are For.
Digging through his Wiki for the album, I did learn a couple things, such as, this would be the first album where John would adopt a deeper tone to his vocal style. Personally, I don't hear it, but again, I'm no aficionado of his music. Jump Up! is also noteworthy for the John Lennon tribute track, Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny). The final footnote would be that it's the last studio album to feature James Newton Howard on keyboards. Howard left to pursue a career in film scoring, and while I recognize some of the titles, I wouldn't say he's done anything spectacular. Alas, this post isn't about Hoard though, so let's move on.
Things kick off with Dear John, which is followed by, Spiteful Child. Both hooked me immediately, and I was really digging things. Then came Ball & Chain, which kind of has a Queen Of Hearts (Juice Newton) vibe. A little more country than one would expect from Elton, but solid nonetheless.
Ironic to me is that in a 2010 Sirius radio special, John's lyricist, Bernie Taupin called it, "One of our worst albums." He added, "It's a terrible, awful, disposable album, but it had 'Empty Garden' on it, so it's worth it for that one song." Respectfully, I disagree. By track four, Legal Boys, I was wondering where this album had been all my life.
At this point, I could go track by track saying something positive about everything, but I think I can summarize it pretty well by saying I enjoyed my listening session, and frankly, this is the Elton John I need more of in my life. Solid songs, great vocals, and sure, even Billboard hits. Whereas his first two entries into the 80's left me struggling to press on through his remaining discography of the era, Jump Up! excites me for what's to come.
I'll be skipping over his next chronological release, 1983's Too Low For Zero, because again, I've already played through that one. So next up is 1984's Breaking Hearts. I'm hoping for the continued greatness.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 22, 1983 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 22, 1988 |
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