Elton (1978) Part Time Love - LOST70sGEMS

A Single Man (1978) was Elton's first without lyricist Bernie Taupin and first with Osbourne of duo Vigrass and Osbourne who was a flavour of the month poised for his own success at the time, sadly never eventuated.

Shine on Through is another sparkling Elton piano song with some of his tender moments, while the Carribean steel drum meets Zapata horns meets flamenco guitar melange that is Return to Paradise is daring and expertly stitched together performance. While I Don't Care proves Elton can elevate cheap disco music with a exuberant melody, while the heavy downbeat It Ain't Gonna Be easy mixes Elton's towering vocals with keyboards and a sweeping string section,
Part Time Love is the 80s sounding, cheap synth sweeping pop hit with some cheesy backing vocals backed by cheesier keyboards but a spirited melody but is far from his best, easily forgettable when placed alongside his bets 70s work or even other tracks on this very album. Georgia is another circular piano melody with a church organ sounding synth and a big belts and braces chorus, Elton likes his saloon ballads and gospel edge crooning about characters in fluid vocal melody that always seems to veer from a softened country rasp and then a terse but heavenly cats meow falsetto; its a winning formula in the era of country rock and Soft Rock and Disco. Shooting Star is a forerunner to all the 'nighttime in the city' songs of the 80s with a Sax wailing away in the background to mellow piano/keyboard textures. Madness is a striking synth pop hit with a Glam styled theatrical vocal and Moroder-esque programmed keyboard lines crisscrossing in the background like a pie crust. Reverie is exactly the opposite as it puts you to sleep in a good way with it's spectral display of a sweet ARP synthesizer playing a note as it spirals and twirls like a lead instrument over some piano chords like a twilight ballet painting a magnificent landscape when its done. It continues into the equally transcendent glassy keyboard and pianos of Song for a Guy to end on the type of ELO/Yes/Renaissance styel of prog rock beyond the realms if a little out of place on this disco and RnB album.

Elton John (1979) Warm Love in a Cold World - LOST70sGEMS

 Victim of Love (1979) is Elton's disco abomination but what an abomination proving his musicianship singing arranging skills are top notch consistent through out the 70s with this his last entry in the decade that help make him. After the sterling Mama Can't Buy You Love which ended being more a towering hallmark of  Producer Thom Bell, John rarely is outshone, but the production is so superb it makes Bell the star and Elton simply the voice. So his retort was a cheap disco production, from the cover photo you see what you're in for unless you're wearing the same rose tinted shades Elton sports in the photo. 

 The silly digital synth licks of Warm Love in a Cold World to the dull, soul destroying sheen of Born Bad's abrupt bop to Thunder in the Night's overly squelchy boogie, Spotlight's thin and overly phased New Wave pop, to Street Boogie's whirring collage of fretless bass and two dimensional keyboards to the final coup de grace of the title tracks' screaming Italo synth part; and no need to talk about the opening cover of Johnny B Goode is the whole album summed up. Bouncy bops made up of compressed James Brown chicken scratch strums, terrible refrains, none of Elton's trademark diversity and countrified soft rock balladry and an orgy of faux organ, cheesy 80s digital keyboard sounds that sound like they came form a childrens' toy set.

Gene Clark (1973) Here Tonight - LOST70sGEMS

Here Tonight is one of the late great Gene Clark's great hits, from his exquisite solo album Roadmaster it contains some of his 60s baroque style of  bittersweet songwriting. Starting with some aches of lap steel and some incongruous doowop vocals before Gene and his backing singers sing a lilting lovely melody that floats over the locked in acoustic rhythms; the sashaying beat similar to many a Byrds tune reminds us that a lot of Gene's material was dance-able and far more accessible than his country and folk peers. The bright harmonies are so damn catchy and the beautiful pedal steel work keep this short tune ticking over while Clark's use of multiple singers to convey his defeated lyricism is wise as it captures his melancholic delivery without bringing you too far down. If only he produced more upbeat arrangements later on in the 70s he could have staged more of a comeback; though having said that he did write a gospel song on his next album called Life's Greatest Fool :P 

Elton John (1974) Pinky - LOST70sGEMS

Elton John's Caribou album is one of his forgotten works form his 70s run, looking past the giant hits of the Bitch is Back and Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, we have an album of diverse material ranging from heavy guitars, acoustic textures, odd synth parts and more of Elton's melodic countrified vocals.

 Pinky is one of his most understated ballad with it's sunny flamenco flavour, gospel harmonies and surging analog synthesizer, all dancing to his effortless pop rock grooves and high tenor melodies flowing with a country rock exuberance. Its almost a shame it's followed up by Grimsby, a
heavy ode to the fishing port of Grimsby with the oddest sounding mix of twin guitars playing overdriven parts and reverse echoed hi-hats and crashing cacophonous power chords; but once again the vocal melody is king and the slow parts where the guitars are really strangled for maximum vibrato and Elton's voice takes on an extra earthy sheen is still memorable. Dixie Lilly is another superb fusion of Elton's natural country rock vocal and honky tonk style with more 70s touches throughout proving he was the decade's definitive artist in his combo of sentimental balladry, strutting rhythms, country vocals and yacht rock arrangement. Even the flamenco come honky tonk number Solar Prestige a Gammon with it's cheerful Nillsson melody and European languages and fine acoustic work is an example of his playful if overindulgent self though the track with it's dancehall beat and louche delivery never feels in danger of being too cringecamp and the accordion sound is approximated by use of multi-tracked Moog lines is creative.

 I've Seen the Saucers is a brilliant song with tablas and piano chords ringing out to a tender Elton vocal, while Stinker is anything but with the incredible tension created by a sturdy drum beat before a zapping guitar lasers away into a big traditional rhythm and blues song full of horn players screeching in ways you've never heard a overdriven rock solo.

Poco (1977) Downfall - LOST70sGEMS

 The 1977 Indian Summer LP was heavily influenced by the dominance of RnB particularly on funky disco cuts Win and Lose and Living in the Band, but it totally did not work with the band's Country and Western vibes, instead they would finally hit commercial paydirt with the a more soft rock sound on their next album; 1978's Legend. Downfall is a bouncy rock n roller but with a very soft rock sensibility and a vivacious guitar solo section. Its Timothy Schmidt's faux Southern via California tone that carries a yodelling wail and delivers the heartfelt melody well but the real star are the trade-off guitar solo; I'm not a guitar solo kind of guy but these two guitars call and responding is simply exciting.