The Captain & the Kid

Infobox Album |
Name = The Captain & the Kid
Type = Album
Artist = Elton John


Released = September 18 2006
Recorded = 2006
Genre = Rock
Label = Interscope Records (US) Mercury Records
Producer = Elton John
Matt Still
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jd8gtq3zcu46 link]
* Being There Magazine Rating|2.5|5 [http://beingtheremag.com/reviewalbum.php?id=521&issue=21 link]
*"Entertainment Weekly" A- [http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/19/ew.mus.elton/ link]
*"The Independent" Rating|4|5 [http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/reviews/article1587824.ece link]
* Music Box Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.musicbox-online.com/reviews-2006/elton-john-captain-kid.html link]
*PopMatters (4/10) [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/6128/elton-john-the-captain-the-kid/ link]
*Rolling Stone Rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/11520022/review/11715868/the_captain_and_the_kid link]
*"This Is London" Rating|4|5 [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/review-23366153-details/CDs+of+the+week/review.do?reviewId=23366153 link]
*Twisted Ear Rating|2|5 [http://www.twistedear.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=370&Itemid=31 link]
Last album = "Peachtree Road"
(2004)
This album = "The Captain & the Kid"
(2006)
Next album = ""
(2007)

"The Captain & the Kid" is the twenty-ninth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 2006. It is his second autobiographical album with lyricist Bernie Taupin, picking up where 1975's "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" left off. "The Captain & The Kid" chronicles the events in their lives since they started working together nearly 40 years ago.

Interscope Records announced that there would be no physical single released from this album as the emphasis is on presenting the album as a body of work. However, a radio single would be found in "The Bridge." The album's booklet has photos of Elton John and Bernie Taupin all throughout their career, and on the lyrics section, two songs are included, "Across the River Thames" and "12," which do not appear on the music album. "Across the River Thames" was available as a free download to anyone inserting the CD into their computer. This is the first album created by Elton John and Bernie Taupin to have Taupin on the cover with John.

"The Captain & the Kid" reached UK #6, a considerable improvement over the performance of John's preceding "Peachtree Road" in 2004, which peaked at #21. It has already sold around 3.5 Million worldwide and reached #18 in the US, before quickly falling off the charts. John has made clear his dissatisfaction at Interscope's promotion for the album at concerts in early 2007, having threatened to nix his contract with the label.

Track listing

All songs by John/Taupin.
#"Postcards from Richard Nixon" – 5:15
#"Just Like Noah's Ark" – 5:33
#"Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (NYC)" – 4:38
#"Tinderbox" – 4:25
#"And the House Fell Down" – 4:48
#"Blues Never Fade Away" – 4:45
#"The Bridge" – 3:38
#"I Must Have Lost It On The Wind" – 3:53
#"Old '67" – 4:01
#"The Captain and the Kid" – 5:03
#"Across the River Thames" – 4:31 (UK Bonus track & download)

"And the House Fell Down" tells the story of John's drug addiction and alcoholism in the 1970's and 80's and how this caused his world to collapse on him.

Bonus Tracks

Personnel

* Elton John: vocals, piano
* Davey Johnstone: Guitars, banjos, mandolins, harmonica, background vocals
* Nigel Olsson: Drums, background vocals
* Guy Babylon: Arrangements and keyboards
* Bob Birch: Bass, background vocals
* John Mahon: Percussion, background vocals
* Arthur: Woof-bells

Producer Matt Still noted during an interview that in the second track, "Just Like Noah’s Ark", Elton's black and white spaniel dog, Arthur "barked in the middle of (the recording), because John Mahon was playing a cowbell, and the cowbell freaked him out. So he ran over to John and started barking at him right in the middle of a take. It’s funny, just randomly he happened to hit the beats and he barked in time. So I recorded it and we actually kept him in there."

The sampled "woof-bells" can be heard in place of the cow-bell on the track.

References