By the autumn of 1976, Elton John’s astonishing productiveness was yielding his eleventh studio album in about seven years. That regime is all of the extra notable once you add within the countless touring undertaken by the singer-songwriter and his band on an more and more worldwide foundation. Now got here an album that many followers nonetheless revere as one thing of a hidden gem in his repertoire, and which stays one of many artist’s personal favorites.
The double LP Blue Strikes, produced as common by Gus Dudgeon, was new in shops on October 22, 1976 as Elton’s first launch on his personal Rocket label. In a punishing schedule by which he and lyricist Bernie Taupin accomplished one other 18 songs for the discharge, the band have been on the highway earlier than the album’s launch on the summer time tour known as Louder Than Concorde However Not Fairly As Fairly.
Then John made the announcement that, for now a minimum of, he felt there was extra to his profession, and to life, than such relentless touring. Thus started a interval that featured far much less highway work, a choice which maybe impacted on the success of Blue Strikes. To some, it’s remembered primarily for its enduring ballad and first single “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word,” however devotees realize it as a document completely stuffed with lesser-known John-Taupin gems.
Paul Buckmaster and James Newton Howard every oversaw some beautiful orchestrations, with the latter arranging the stirringly emotional, slow-building “Tonight.” Newton Howard additionally organized the accordion and strings on “Sorry Seems To Be…” and the Gene Web page Strings for an early tour onto the disco ground, on the near-seven-minute “Bite Your Lip (Get Up And Dance).” That grew to become a single, as did the luxurious “Crazy Water.”
Pay attention too for the admirably laid-back “Idol,” the fragile “Cage The Songbird,” and ”If There’s A God In Heaven (What’s He Ready For?).” The final two had co-writing credit (amongst a complete of 5) for guitarist Davey Johnstone. Different A-list musicians collaborating included the Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, and vocalists reminiscent of Graham Nash, Bruce Johnston, and Toni Tennille.
‘I’d moderately they merely hear’
Blue Strikes reached No.3 in each the U.Okay. and U.S., going gold within the first territory and platinum within the second, and was a High 10 document in lots of different international locations. Taupin agreed that the album had a extra downbeat temper than its 1975 predecessor Rock Of The Westies. He informed Circus journal: “People are going to read a lot into Blue Moves: ‘Who’s this about, what made Bernie write this, what put Elton into this frame of mind?’ I don’t mind people interpreting, but I’d rather that they simply listen and enjoy.”
The album’s completion additionally caused a short hiatus within the John-Taupin working relationship, as Elton eased off his touring commitments for a time and explored a collaboration with lyricist Gary Osborne on 1978’s A Single Man. As Taupin later informed Music Connection: “I think the Blue Moves album is really one of our most underrated records…because it was really an exercise in saying, ‘Here it is, this is us, and this could be it,’ and it could have been it. After the Blue Moves album, I had to get away because I think we were all killing ourselves.”
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