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 This site uses cookies. For more information, follow this link. Here you can read more about which cookies we place, and why and which possible '3rd-party' cookies can be added. 5.0 out of 5 stars 11th & Most Beloved Birthday Present of My Life The best album of my lifetime. I got this on my 11th Birthday & after that, my love for Elton & Bernie never changed, never dissipated. I used to listen to this on my little kid record player & burned through 3 vinyl copies, until it came out on CD. It makes me run the gamut of emotion, as this is the best Elton/Bernie album, starting me with big smiles & by “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” brought heavy sobbing. It’s raw emotion from these two geniuses, the Captain & the Kid. Reviews with images
Top reviews from the United StatesThere was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2020 So many of the reviews here simply gush over this erratic album. I guess I can't help but try to post a somewhat dissenting view, if only for balance. To clarify where I'm coming from, I've enjoyed this album enormously since it came out. I've played and replayed it many times over the years, as I've done with all of Elton John's albums from "Empty Sky" to "Blue Moves." So yes, this is overall a fine piece of work on Elton's part, and particularly on Bernie Taupin's. I really don't get, however, why Elton and producer Gus Dudgeon both have gone on record as calling it the very best release from their collaborations during these "classic years." Yes, there are great songs here. But the great songs are the ones which are easy to follow in context of what's presented as the story of Elton and Bernie as fledgling songwriters and fast friends. But there are also compositions that go out of their way to be willfully obscure, like "Tower Of Babel," which stops the album dead at only the second track after the promising title cut. On one level, this seems to be metaphorical observation of the evils of the music business, as viewed through the callow eyes of the virgin songwriter and industry novice. Fair enough. But what, one wonders, is the listener to make of lyrics like "or was it just the scalpel blade that lied?," or "Junk. Angel. This closet's always stacked?" Just what in hell is Bernie going on about here, and how does it fit into the story we're supposedly being told about Captain Fantastic & sidekick? While we're at it, what does the Babel myth have to do with what's being described? This song isn't profoundly poetic, it's just maddeningly vague and poetically pretentious. Track #3, "Bitter Fingers," is another mediocre offering that stops the momentum dead again, particularly as it comes along so early in the track listing. On the surface, these lyrics are clearer as to how they pertain to a story about young songwriters, but why does the melody sound jarringly like Christmas music? And why don't the melodies for the verses and for the chorus feel like they belong in the same song, especially since the segue from one to the other is so abruptly forced? Three songs into this album now, and already two of them don't seem to belong. Hmm. This is not looking good. Happily, starting with the excellent "Tell Me When The Whistle Blows," the next three songs are all strong, clearly communicating their points about where they fit into the Elton & Bernie story. These make up in spades for the lost momentum and the vacuum left by the previous cuts. Then we get to "Better Off Dead," and again it's more obscurity. Why are our heroes "better off dead" as they observe a parade of whores and drifters filing past them in what's presumably a late-night coffee shop? "Writing" is sprightly and puts things back into focus again, setting us up nicely for the beauty of "We All Fall In Love Again" and the magnificent "Curtains." The former is a bit bothersome lyrically, though, because who is in love with whom in this song, and why? Is Elton in love with Bernie, albeit unrequited? Is this code, couched in ambiguity in this way because no one was supposed to know at this point that Elton was homosexual? The lyrics don't really give us enough rope to tell us anything. This was the last album in a long time to feature THE Elton John Band - Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray, and Nigel Olsson. All play superbly, per usual, and soon would be missed in spades by a lot of us fans. Production on this album is generally excellent - as indeed, all of Gus Dudgeon's production work on Elton's '70s releases is excellent - but Olsson's drums on a couple of the songs here are just painfully loud in the mix. So much so, unfortunately, that it's difficult to get a comfortable listening level all the way through on both "Curtains" and "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," killer tracks in every other respect. Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2022 You can pick your favorite or best song of Elton John is any album and, more or less I would agree with you on that particular song. But this album is the sum of Elton's musical mastery and distinction. Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2021 I have always loved this album...still have it on vinyl from a long time ago; IMO it is one of EJ's best. I wanted another copy on CD to play in areas where I don't have a turntable (and my turntable is currently in need of repair). I am always a little hesitant to purchase "remastered/reissued" CDs as it is a coin-flip whether they will be excellent or subpar (seems to be the 2 choices). A lot of remastered CDs seem to compress the music...this makes it play louder but drastically reduces the sound quality. Fortunately, the remaster of Captain Fantastic is excellent! The clarity is amazing and I am extremely pleased with the purchase. The very reasonable price here on Amazon was a bonus! Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2018 Two reasons why I had to have this album. First of all there is the song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" which is probably my favorite John/Taupin composition. Elton's voice and piano are both at their best here and knowing the story behind this song makes it even more emotional. We very nearly lost Elton John back in 1967 when he attempted suicide following a messy breakup with a woman he nearly married(apparently Elton was still heterosexual back then). Secondly, this was the second album (after Caribou) that Elton recorded at Caribou Ranch near the little mountain town of Nederland, Colorado. To think that something so great came not from a recording studio in a huge, sophisticated city like New York, London, or Los Angeles but from the wild and largely unspoiled mountains near my home in Denver makes me proud. After Captain Fantastic, Elton John lost many of the members of his original band (such as Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson) that he had since 1970. He would continue to put out hit singles and successful albums well into the 21st century but less frequently in than the first 6 or so years of his international career. Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2022 Great quality. CD and case excellent condition. Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2008 For me this is probably Elton's last great album. The rest of the 70's, 80's, 90's, and 00's would find him putting out rather inconsistent material that although having high points never was as cohesive as this, or his previous couple of albums. "Captain Fantastic" is a concept album that tells the story of Elton and Bernie's early years and their rise to fame and fortune. The album only contained one hit single, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" which to my ears ranks up with the very best songs the duo ever wrote together. It remains a great song and one that I never tire of. The rest of the album tells the story from the opening title track to the closer "Curtains" chronicling the duos highs and lows trying to make it in the music business of the late 60's and early 70's. The album has held up remarkable well, with only the disco-ish "Tell Me When The Whistle Blows" sounding overly dated. The period between 1970 and 1975 were the nadir of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's creative output and "Captain Fantastic" would prove to be the end of an era for the duo. Second only to "Yellow Brick Road" in the Elton John catalogue "Captain Fantastic" is an essential Elton album. Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2018 Firstly, Sir Elton's voice is free of any "grit" or analog overload on previous CD issues. The sound stage is more stable, more focused, more acoustic space surrounds the instruments, tonal accuracy is improved and the bass energy is not limited like original or previous versions. Or in other words the percussion and bass drums (and tom-tom's and drum kit etc) have energy and scope like a digital recording OR have the BEST qualities of analog sound capture. MIdrange detail is positively mind blowing. For fans of this album and EJohn in general this disc gets a positive, must-have recommendation. Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2021 Great overall. CD case was cracked, but disc was intact with no scratches. Top reviews from other countries5.0 out of 5 stars Did he get any better? I think not! Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2020 Elton John is a musician that I have always admired but never quite got into. I'm admittedly more of a rock guitar kind of guy, especially with more blues overtones etc. But I have always had respect for Elton, especially for albums like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. These two albums alone are (in my opinion) two of the finest '70s albums out there and this remaster hasn't convinced me otherwise. It seems that the ranking of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy depends whether or not you prefer the previously mentioned Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Both albums are suitably epic, have their fair share of classics and don't have a single dud track on it. For me personally, I would rate them both as Elton John's finest work but would easily consider Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy to be his best. Not because the songs are better (my favourites are on the other record) but because of the overall pacing. For me personally, I feel that this album is a lot easier to listen to. The songs are considerably more up beat for the most part with each one coming and going in a faster, more energetic fashion. It's one thing having the better songs but the way Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy sort of zooms on by makes for a better listening experience. There is also the fact that Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a staggering seventeen songs long, it's no wonder this one flows better. I was a bit hesitant to try this CD when I saw it was the 1995 remaster. So many of these re-releases sound absolutely awful after all (Genesis?). But after having a good go at it, I was pleasantly surprised. The sound is very clear and there's plenty of dynamics through out. I love hearing the way Elton's piano booms over Davey Johnstone's guitar and the bass from Dee Murray. It's a very well put together great sounding record, no doubt helped by the production from Gus Dudgeon. I'm not one for picking a favourite song from the album. I think Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is stronger as a whole than as separate pieces. There's no Candle in the Wind or Tiny Dancer to latch onto. It's just one good solid forty five minute rock n roll record. Folks looking for that hit single might be a bit put off by that but this is not a greatest hits package. It's a great album that deserves to be treated as such and I couldn't recommend it more. 5.0 out of 5 stars Captains, cowboys & sugar bears Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2016 Like many others here, I think this is one of Elton's best early albums, certainly one of his most cohesive. Apparently, the tracks were pretty much written in the order they appear, and the whole enterprise smacks of care and attention to detail. 5.0 out of 5 stars Great album!! Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2017 Decided this album was missing from my collection. Was a big Elton John fan during the 'classic years' and have most of the other classics, but needed to rectify this omission
from the collection 5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive EJ album Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2012 I just love this album - first released in 1975 it showcases Elton John and Bernie Taupins's mastery of lyrics brilliantly. It also demonstrates EJ's ability to inject real atmosphere and imagery into his singing. The most famous track from this album is probably the single "Someone Saved My life Tonight" - the "someone" is thought to be a reference to Long John Baldry who persuaded EJ against a potentially unhappy marriage that may have undermined his music career. Everything about this album is perfect, including the sleeve graphics, and, although, the tempos vary every track is solid gold. Buy it, transport yourself back in time to 1975 and bathe in the waters of nostalgia. In my humble opinion, probably one of the best albums ever made, and, in my view, certainly the best EJ album of all time. Recommended. 5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting concept album Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 25, 2014 After the somewhat patchy 'Caribou', our hero is back on fine form on this 1975 concept album which is, essentially, an autobiographical tale of the period from 1967 to 1969 when Elton John (Captain Fantastic) and Bernie Taupin (The Brown Dirt Cowboy) were struggling to establish their music careers as well as battle against their own insecurities in their personal lives. The first half of the album - which actually takes up around 30 minutes of the 46 minutes running time - is particularly strong, culminating in the classic 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight' which concerns a suicide attempt made in 1969 by Elton and is powerful both lyrically and musically. The second half has much to live up to, but, eventually delivers the goods on 'Curtains' ~ another superb 6 minute song which rounds off proceedings. With some great bonus tracks including the bouncy 'Philadelphia Freedom' (which didn't make the album simply because it didn't fit the storyline), the listener gets a highly satisfying 62.5 minutes of high quality music [1995 reissue]. Highly recommended. What year did Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy come out?1975Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy / Releasednull
How many Captain Fantastic pinball machines were made?The production run of this game was over 16,000 units, and these "orange version" playfields may have simply resulted from spot shortages during the production run of playfield parts having the correct colors.
Who produced Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy?It's a very well put together great sounding record, no doubt helped by the production from Gus Dudgeon. I'm not one for picking a favourite song from the album. I think Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is stronger as a whole than as separate pieces.
Who did the cover art for Captain Fantastic?Cover art. The intricate cover art was designed by pop artist Alan Aldridge, drawing fantastic imagery from the Renaissance painting The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch.
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Elton john captain fantastic and the brown dirt cowboy
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