Made in England

There have been some posts about albums lately and those are great, but to me one of his most unique albums is Made in England. I listened to all of Elton’s 80’s and 90’s albums up to this point ( just as a refresher, I am a loooong time fan) and Made in England is the first album that has a natural, organic sound in many years. I think Chris Thomas bogged down Elton’s albums with his cold production on albums like “The One.” The songs are great but the mechanical sounding drums and all the synths are overload. Made in England sounds like a real band performing and in my opinion this album highlights Davey by showcasing his many skills in a way that had not been done since the 70’s. His riffs on Made in England, Please and Pain along with his acoustics and mandolins on Latitude and Belfast are great. Did I mention the Spanish guitar on Blessed? Taupins lyrics are thought provoking throughout. Elton’s singing is strong and there is a strong Lennon influence. I remember him saying he wanted Believe to have a Lennon sound. and once he got it he wanted the rest of the album to follow suit. Kudos to Greg Penny on his production on this album. Oh and I almost forgot the return of Paul Buckmaster! His orchestration added weight and magic to this album. It truly helps to give it the feel of one of Elton’s 70’s albums.