In my opinion, "Madman Across the Water" is his best. Recorded in 1971, it contains some of the most soulful songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin ever created.

Yes, it contains the commercial hits "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon" but unlike some of Elton's late 70s albums, this one goes a bit deeper than that. The title track is a haunting epic that evokes frightening images while leaving a melody in your head that urges to sing along. "All the Nasties" and "Goodbye" also stand out as favorites, but as a whole this album works better than any other EJ recording.

One major reason is the overall sound. On many of the songs, orchestration is used to intensify the emotional anthems to higher levels than a piano will allow. Also, the album gives some room to breathe between the more serious songs like "Indian Sunset" with transitions to more fun songs like "Razorface" and "Rotten Peaches", which are all great tunes in their own right.

This was the album that really got me rolling on my Elton John collection. I would also highly reccommend "Tumbleweed Connection", "Honky Chateau", and "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy". But start here. You won't stop.


This is the kind of music that turned people from AM to FM   October 17, 2000
Thomas Lapins (Orlando, Florida USA)
27 out of 29 found this review helpful

Back in the early 70's there were a dozen or so LP's that were found in every serious collection, and "Madman" was one of them. The piano, the voice, the arrangements, the lyrics told us a new major talent was emerging from his chrysalis. The texture of the entire LP was serious and professional. All the FM stations were playing "Tiny Dancer" (you could find her in every town from the east coast to the west coast in the early 70's), "Levon" (one of Elton's most significant social statements), and "Madman Across The Water" (hauntingly and poignantly beautiful). I especially like "Razor Face" and "All The Nasties" (strange title for such a beautiful song). "Goodbye" is too short for such a lovely song. Like many of his early fans I too wish he had not turned into such a stageman. He had so much talent and so much to say with his music. "Bennie and the Jets" might be a fun concert song but I can't nor could I ever play this on my stereo. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" would have been his masterpiece had he held it to one LP with just the serious songs (which were plentiful at this point). With that said, very few come close to the talent, music and humanity of his thirty years in the public arena.


The Best of Elton's "Serious" Phase.   October 6, 2000
Gerald B. Johnson (Calgary, Alberta Canada)
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

If you read the reviews for this and other Elton John albums you will notice a definite split in reviewer's opinions. Many people seem to consider Yellow Brick Road his finest work, while others prefer his earlier albums. I place myself firmly in the latter camp. I was a huge fan of Elton John ever since his first major single, "Your Song". I can remember seeing him performing it live on the Andy Williams Show on TV. Originally his music was entirely serious, with none of the outrageous costumes and clowning that later became a trademark of his work.

It was only after being savaged by the critics that he eventually turned into a pop-star parody. His music suffered as a result. In my opinion his early albums, Elton John, Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water and Honky Chateau were the only 'serious' albums he ever made (with a few exceptions.. sprinkled in over the past 30 years, but they don't compare in quality to those early works.)

There isn't a single weak song on this album. Tiny Dancer, Levon and the Title track are classics. This album has perhaps the most beautiful string arrangements of any of his albums (something that the critics of the time took particular delight in attacking as "pretentious"). If you like beautiful melodies, haunting intelligent lyrics and superbly crafted songs, then give this one a try. His later 'pop-star' phase produced some wonderful music as well, but they lacked the artistic integrity and heartfelt passion of his early masterpieces.


On a 1 to 5 scale, this is a 10!   January 11, 2002
Aaron Blight (Westminster, Maryland United States)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful

In my opinion, Madman Across the Water stands nobly as one of the greatest albums ever recorded. This album, produced at the height of the Elton John/Bernie Taupin frenzy during the early 1970's, is nothing short of a masterpiece. Although this album went platinum, it has not received the same level of historical attention as other Elton John albums. The reason for that escapes me, but suffice it to say that those who own Madman Across the Water have discovered the secret treasures of this album.

This album includes two Elton John hits that you may still hear occasionally on adult radio stations: "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon". While these songs are excellent, they are only the beginning, the first two tracks, on this incredible CD. This album contains what could be my favorite song ever: "Indian Sunset" is an epic, soaring, affective song about the Native American Indian at the time of colonization, and it's unforgettable. The title track is a mesmerizing journey led masterfully by Elton's haunting, intense vocals. (I like this version of "Madman" better than the one on the remastered Tumbleweed Connection because of the embellished instrumentation.) "All The Nasties" and "Goodbye" are equally compelling and representative of how marvelously Elton presents brooding, melancholy, thoughtful melodies. "Holiday Inn", "Razor Face", and "Rotten Peaches" are more upbeat and up tempo, but they follow the pattern of interesting lyrics from Taupin and infectious music and vocals from Elton.

At their peak, Elton John and Bernie Taupin were an unstoppable combination in writing extraordinary music. Madman Across the Water contains some of the best contemporary songwriting ever, and Elton's vocal performance on this disc is superb. For me this album has truly stood the test of time; I like it just as much now as I did when I initially heard it so many years ago. Don't overlook Madman Across the Water; it undoubtedly deserves to be a part of your CD collection.


My clear choice as the best of the "early" Elton John albums   June 2, 2002
Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

I have been going through my 1000+ CDs for the Popular Culture class I teach and I have come to the conclusion that "Madman Across the Water" was a seminal album in my life. I seriously started listening to FM radio in the early Seventies because that was the only place to hear "Levon," which was my favorite song for about half a year (I believe it was replaced by "Knife's Edge" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer). Consequently, the shift in my musical appreciation from Top Forty to more sophisticated musical forms can be traced to this particular song and this special album.

Of course, once I had enough loose change I bought the album and promptly proceeded to play the first side about five times as often as I flipped it over and played side two; having the CD means I tend to listen to the whole thing all the way through. I would argue that "Tiny Dancer," "Levon," "Razor Face," and "Madman Across the Water" equals the best side of any Elton John record. I also used the title track as part of a poetry unit for English class (ah, those liberal days of yore). The movie "Almost Famous" has made "Tiny Dancer" popular again, but anybody who listens to this CD is going to find out there are some other great songs too.

Ironically, "Levon" made its way onto the third volume of Elton John's greatest hits collection. Just another example of the cherished memories of our youth exploited by the commercial interests of some soulless giant company.