Poker Of Expertises!!!!Hi Eltonites, this is a very special weekend for me. Yes, I know, I don’t use to tell about myself because here what’s really important is Elton (obviously!!!). But this time let me explain something about me, but, please, don’t go away, it will be short. ;-)
Everybody knows this is the week of the release of “The Union” in America, and the pre-release week in Europe and other parts of the world. I know there’s a lot of reviews out there:
“Rolling Stone” regarded the album from a mystical point of view, “John and Russell share the resurrection. Each goes back to what he first did best. Then they do it together”. Rated with 5*
“The Mirror” remarked that “The chemistry between the two piano-playing titans is energising. Also, the album's 'bringing it all back home' feel reflects the old America explored both in Russell's work and the early Elt/Taupin classics such as Tumbleweed Connection and Honky Chateau”. Rated with 4*
And more and more reviews. You may know that my comitee of experts are preparing a session analyzing the album, that will take place as soon as the europeans have the album.
So, here’s my story. I remember the pre-internet era, when finding news related to Elton was so difficult, specially in my country. I remember being on a fansites meeting in Barcelona, I was maybe 21 years old, more or less. When finally I thought I couldn’t find nothing about Elton, an “Hercules” issue came to my hands. Everything about Elton. God, could it be possible?
Another story, and the last one, I promise: I remember being on a cue in one concert, waiting my turn for buying the Tour Book of “The Big Picture Tour”. Oh, in one page it was info about “East End Lights”, a fansite related to Elton. God, “I have to be a member” I thought.
Since I became an Hercules and EEL member, Elton released “Aida”, “El Dorado”, “Songs From West Coast”, “Peachtree Road” and “Captain And The Kid”. I enjoyed every issue of both fanzines, every article, everyone of concerts’ reviews, but one thing, more than others, I absolutely adore, and I could read it time after time: the reviews of new albums. Fantastic!!! I couldn’t explain how plenty I was with that. Both fansites had good writers, most of them are continuing writting, and some made that a profession.
Five people, five reviewers, excelled from the rest, in my honestly opinion, for sure. And I remember how great Liz Rosenthal explains the meaning of every song; I remember how Jim Turano analyzed every album, every song (his “tete-by-tete” with Tom Stanton first, and then Mark Norris, discussing the new album to come, is the best I’ve ever read); I remember how George Matlock interviewed the artists and how easily he explained his feelings on the albums to come; and I remember how Claude Bernardin with his good sense of humour reviewed everyhting on Elton.
Now I have a confession to make: I absolutely adore those people. They are kind of idols for me. I read everything I could by them, always spending good time, and thinking: “How they could do it this way?”. God, I don’t know where I am, but these people are on a high level, impossible to reach (poor me!!!).
When “The Union” project came out, I thought inmediatily in doing a comitee of experts. As I told before, we will have the experts all together discussing the album. But this time, as a prelude, I thought about the possibility to reunite those idols, my reviewers idols, on my side, an objective quite difficult to reach, I supposed. So I mailed Claude, Jim, George, and Liz. Oh, I mailed another person but unfortunetely he couldn’t collaborate this time, but vey kindness agreed to do it other time.
And all four said yes. YES! Anyone could imagine what does it meant to me? Those one who I’ve always searched when I need some info or review about Elton, this time together with me. A dream come true. They kindly approached “The Union” to us.
So, I bring you this time their reviews of the album, their thoughts, in alphabetical order. But don’t think that’s another review on the way most of them are posted somewhere else. This four people are true eltonites, they are ones of us. So left on a side the typical magazine/newspaper review, let me suggest you, and take their reviews. Exquisité!!!!
I would like to thank publicly to Claude Bernardin, to George Matlock, to Jim Turano, to Liz Rosenthal for doing extra work (forgive me for that, please), for collaborating and for doing such useful and incredible articles.
Eltonites, hope you enjoy it as much as I am doing. Thanks for let me explain all of this. The “Week Of The Gov’nor and The Master” will continue a week on with other surprises. Thanks for being there!!!
Jack Rabbit
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