Once
again, fellow Rower's we meet around the 22nd Row campfire and exchange
stories! This edition, we'll examine (objectively, as always) a fan-favorite:
"JUMP UP!" Elton John released much product during the 1980's and
at least a few of his album releases from this period can be considered
classics. First off, there's the unqualified smash hit "Live in Australia",
the masterful concept album "Sleeping With The Past", and of course the
evergreen pop perfection of "Reg Strikes Back". All of these have been
remastered and reissued. However, at least one more record Elton put out
in the early part of the decade can easily be added to that list. Released
in April 1982, "Jump Up!" was Elton's second album for Geffen, his new
label in the United States. It was also his first really focused record
of the new decade. Recorded almost entirely at Air Montserrat, it was his
first produced entirely by Chris Thomas. Like Elton's most recent records
around this time, several lyricists are represented on the album. Bernie
Taupin and Gary Osborne both contributed lyrics, and a newcomer to the
fold made his first appearance in the form of Broadway veteran Tim Rice,
whose collaboration with Elton on the intricate and interesting "Legal
Boys" would culminate (as John Tobler points out in his liner notes) with
an Oscar for "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" some twelve or so years later.
However, that's where the similarities end. Gone are the album sleeves
that find Elton in hiding or not to be seen at all, as well as the sedate
designs. Elton is front and center on the cover and back cover and the
artwork is playful and gregarious to say the least! Gone too is the wide
assortment of musicians. For "Jump Up!", Elton and Chris Thomas chose to
use a studio band, but the same musicians appear on all the tracks. Though
there are guest appearances, very few supporting players contributed to
the album. The core band, again minus Davey Johnstone who would be absent
from an Elton album just one last time, was made up of very strong players
who had all previously served as studio sidemen for Elton. Laying down
his very distintive bass was Dee Murray. On fire behind the drums was Jeff
Porcaro who was on loan from Toto, one of Elton's favorite bands of the
day. Ritchie Zito again handled most of the guitars, turning in some of
his best work on this album, and keyboard ace James Newton Howard supplied
a myriad of additional keyboard parts and leads as well as string arrangements.
Guests included Steve Holly on tambourine, who had played on "A Single
Man" and was also a member of Wings, and making his SECOND appearance with
Elton was Pete Townsend kicking in acoustic guitar on "Ball and Chain".
Pete had previously played additional guitars on "Pinball Wizard" in 1974,
though he would not claim credit for it on the "Tommy" soundtrack album.
He and Elton had been and still remain very good friends. And The Martyn
Ford Orchestra (credited humorously as "Mountain Fjord") make another invaluable
contribution to an Elton John album. Backing vocals were all done either
by Elton himself or along with Dee and Gary Osborne. As Rolling Stone commented
in their original review, the album showed Elton as a "rare master of pop
form" and noted that he was "feeling frisky". One listen will tell you
that this was exactly what Elton intended the album to convey. From the
rapid-fire open of "Dear John" to the majestic closing of "All Quiet On
The Western Front", Elton was indeed feeling frisky, as evidenced by a
strong lineup of songs executed with equally strong performances by Elton
and the band, and captured in one of the richest and most exciting mixes
ever to come out of a Chris Thomas album. All the numbers are well crafted,
even "I Am Your Robot", which in my opinion is the weakest track on the
album and yet a driving danceable track slathered in guitars and synthesizers
coupled with Elton's cheeky delivery of cheeky "space age" lyric references,
it's so cheeky it's good! As with nearly all Elton albums, there are some
excellent singles, one of which is the John/Taupin classic "Empty Garden
(Hey, Hey Johnnie)", a beautifully written and played tribute to John Lennon
that not only stands as the best of those written about him but to this
day still brings a tear to your eye, it's that good. (Rumor has it that
Elton himself was so moved upon hearing the playback that he cried.) The
other single that is a more likely candidate for the Top 40 is "Blue Eyes",
a simple, lovely Gary Osborne's lyric that features a breezy arrangement
and a silky-smooth, lower-register delivery from Elton. (When I first heard
it in 1982, it took me a few listens on radio to figure out that it was
him before I acquired the album!) Once again, there are no bonus tracks,
but the original album lineup flat-out CRANKS! Remastering guru Gary Moore
needed to make this mix really jump out of the speakers at you and boy
does it ever! The crack of Jeff Porcaro's snare will put bullet holes in
your walls. Dee Murray's bass lines thunder off the disc, Elton's flashy
piano is crisp and clear and go hand in hand with the guitars, keyboards
and strings. The emphasis on enhancing the already big dynamic range can
be heard across the board, even on "Blue Eyes", and are especially prevalent
on "All Quiet On The Western Front", whose soft intro gives way to a crescendo
at the end. "Jump Up!" finds Elton in GREAT form, covering a wide range
of the vocal spectrum between leads and backing vocals, and his piano work
is razor sharp and prominently placed in the mix across the whole album.
He also generates some great solos and all of this is accented by the remastering.
Instruments and effects are afforded so much more clarity than the original
versions and one can actually hear subtle things in the mixes that previously
went unnoticed. Vocals, especially the backing tracks, come through clean
and present and the mix interestingly enough sounds like it could have
been done only a few years ago instead of the twenty that have passed since
the album came out. Audio highlights include "Where Have All The Good Times
Gone?" with a pulsing soulful rhythm section and a Gene Page-esque Philly-soul
style string arrangement that pays homage to the classic soul singers and
groups. "Princess", the pretty pop tune with a beautiful electric piano
solo and Elton falsettos that have aged like fine wine. But to be fair,
all the songs on the record play well especially cleaned up so well. Original
album art is pretty faithfully reproduced here, with the exception of some
of the sleeve photographs that for some reason are missing and there are
two odd photographs that have been included, one from the 1984 "Breaking
Hearts" tour programme and one from an early seventies TV or concert appearance
that both are a little out of place since they are not from the original
album artwork and are not from this period. No Elton signature this time,
but back again are the single sleeves and a shot of the "Jump Up!" tour
poster, this one being the legs that included Geffen label-mates Quarterflash
as special guests. The tour is another point of interest. Instead of taking
his studio players with him on the road, Elton made a cunningly smart move
and reformed the original Elton John Band, retaining only Dee Murray from
the album sessions, bringing back Nigel Olsson and hooking up once again
with Davey Johnstone, who with the exception of some solo piano tours,
has been on the road with Elton ever since. Audiences were stunned to hear
that Elton's original bandmates were playing together again and flocked
to the shows in droves. The tour sold-out all over the world, setting records
in many stops on the way. The shows themselves were nothing short of spectacular,
with Elton wearing an all new assortment of costumes and playing with energy
and enthusiasm not seen since the mid-seventies. Elton and the band even
made an appearance on "Saturday Night Live" as the musical guest of a show
hosted by no less than country music legend Johnny Cash! "Jump Up!" and
its singles ("Blue Eyes" and "Empty Garden") placed well in the charts
both in American and Europe, with US record buyers responding in particular
to the album, which improved a great deal over "The Fox", finishing just
outside the top 10. Only "All Quiet On The Western Front" didn't fare so
well in Europe. Well-written and almost flawlessly executed, "Jump Up!"
was an important album and proved to be a great experience for both Elton
and fans as well. While perhaps not at the fever pitch of his mid-70's
heyday, Elton mania was definitely returning and could be felt across the
country and around the world for the first time since those days. The collaborations
with Chris Thomas and Taupin were key in that these songs, the resulting
performance of the album and the phenomenal success of the tour with the
reunited band all helped set the stage for the full-scale reunion to come
in 1983's "Too Low For Zero".
Andy
Geisel - 22nd Row 2003
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