STUCK IN THE VINYL AGAIN - ELTON JOHN - CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY

[maggot]

Good morning Wednesday warriors and welcome back to Stuck In The Vinyl Again. Today we joyfully celebrate the 73rd Birthday of English singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer, Sir Elton John. Happy Birthday Elton ! To commemorate the date, we spotlight his  ninth studio album, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. The LP was released May 19, 1975 on the MCA label and produced by Gus Dudgeon. It sot to #31 in Australia, Canada, France, Denmark, New Zealand, and America and has been certified 3X Platinum, in the US. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was released as a single (#36 Adult Contemporary, #4 Hot 100, #1 Cash Box). The cover was designed by Alan Aldridge, who drew on the imagery of the Renaissance painting The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. We have two copies of this record, but only one still has the nice Lyrics and Scraps booklets.

1. "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" 5:46
2. "Tower of Babel" 4:28
3. "Bitter Fingers" 4:35
4. "Tell Me When the Whistle Blows" 4:20
5. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" 6:45

Side two

1. "(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket" 4:01
2. "Better Off Dead" 2:37
3. "Writing" 3:40
4. "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" 4:15
5. "Curtains" 6:15

Elton John – lead vocals, acoustic piano , Fender Rhodes , clavinet  ARP String Ensemble, harmony vocals , harpsichord, mellotron 
David Hentschel – ARP synthesizer 
Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, electric guitar , mandolin , backing vocals , Leslie guitar , acoustic piano 
Dee Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals 
Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals 
Ray Cooper – shaker  congas , gong , jawbone , tambourine , bells , cymbals , triangle  bongos 
Gene Page – orchestral arrangements 

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin

Producer – Gus Dudgeon
Engineer – Jeff Guercio
Assistant Engineer – Mark Guercio
Art Direction and Graphic Conception – David Larkham and Bernie Taupin
Cover Design and Illustrations – Alan Aldridge and Harry Willock
Booklet Illustrations – Alan Aldridge and John Hair
Package Design – David Larkham
Inner Sleeve Photography – Terry O'Neill
Booklet Photos – Sam Emerson, David Larkham, Anthony Lowe, Michael Ross and Ian Vaughan.
Liner Notes – John Tobler