A Single Man
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| A Single Man | |||||
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| Studio album by Elton John | |||||
| Released | October 16, 1978 (UK) October 1978 (U.S.) |
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| Recorded | January-September 1978 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 48:46 | ||||
| Label | MCA (US/Canada) Rocket Records |
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| Producer | Clive Franks, Elton John |
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| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Elton John chronology | |||||
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A Single Man is the twelfth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1978, 2 years after his intended last album Blue Moves, and 1 year after the release of Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume II. It is the first album John created without his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. As Gary Osborne was an unknown at the time, many people have misinterpreted the album's title to imply that Elton wrote the entire album himself.
The hit "Song for Guy" was a tribute to Guy Burchett, a young Rocket Records messenger who was killed in a motorcycle accident. The song was a near-global success, charting high everywhere except the United States and Canada, where Elton's label, MCA Records, didn't feel that it had hit potential, due to the recent success of "The Music Box Dancer".
The 1998 reissue has five bonus tracks, the first two being the 1978 flop-single "Ego", and its b-side "Flinstone Boy". The next two tracks are the b-sides of "Part-Time Love" and "Song for Guy" ("I Cry at Night" and "Lovesick" respectively), and the last track, "Strangers", originally b-side of his 1979 disco-album title track, "Victim of Love". Some releases of his 1980 album, 21 at 33, also have "Strangers" as a bonus track.
The photo for the front cover was taken in the Long Walk, which is part of Windsor Great Park in Berkshire. It was also the first album without his glasses.
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[edit] Soviet Release
A Single Man was Elton's first album ever to be officially released in the former USSR, though his previous releases had been smuggled into the country in various forms. It was released following the success of his A Single Man in Concert shows in Moscow and Leningrad, though it differed in two ways from its release elsewhere. First, the album was re-titled Poyot Elton John ["Elton John sings" in Russian]. Second, both "Big Dipper" and "Part-Time Love" were removed, due to the subject matter of the songs. Curiously, Elton had performed "Part-Time Love" at the USSR shows without objection from Soviet officials.
[edit] Track listing
All songs by Elton John and Gary Osborne, except where noted.
[edit] Side one
- "Shine on Through" – 3:45
- "Return to Paradise" – 4:15
- "I Don't Care" – 4:23
- "Big Dipper" – 4:04
- "It Ain't Gonna Be Easy" – 8:27
[edit] Side two
- "Part-Time Love" – 3:16
- "Georgia" – 4:50
- "Shooting Star" – 2:44
- "Madness" – 5:53
- "Reverie" (John) – 0:53
- "Song for Guy" (John) – 6:53
[edit] Bonus tracks (1998 CD reissue)
- "Ego" (John, Taupin) – 4:00
- "Flinstone Boy" (John) – 4:13
- "I Cry at Night" (John, Taupin) – 3:16
- "Lovesick" (John, Taupin) – 3:59
- "Strangers" – 4:46
[edit] B-sides
| Song | Format |
|---|---|
| "I Cry at Night" | Part Time Love 7" (US/UK) |
| "Lovesick" | Song for Guy 7" (US/UK) |
[edit] Personnel
- Elton John - piano, harmonium, organ, vocals, background vocals, clavinet, mellotron, polymoog, synthesizer strings
- Vicki Brown - vocals
- Paul Buckmaster - cello
- B.J. Cole - guitar, steel guitar
- Ray Cooper - conga, tambourine, tympani, vibraphone, shaker, rhythm box, wind chimes
- John Crocker - clarinet, electric piano, tenor saxophone, Fender Rhodes
- Herbie Flowers - bass, acoustic bass
- Clive Franks - bass, vocals
- Patrick Halcox - trumpet
- Steve Holly - drums, horn
- Davey Johnstone - guitar, vocals, background vocals
- Stevie Lange - vocals, background vocals
- Henry Lowther - trumpet
- Gary Osborne - vocals
- Tim Renwick - acoustic guitar, guitar, mandolin, electric guitar
- Jim Shepherd - trombone
- Joanne Stone - vocals, background vocals
- Chris Thompson - vocals, background vocals
[edit] Production
- Producers: Clive Franks, Elton John
- Supervising producer: Mike Gill
- Engineers: Phil Dunne, Stuart Epps, Clive Franks, Peter Mew
- Mixing: Phil Dunne, Stuart Epps, Clive Franks
- Mastering: Ian Cooper
- Digital remastering: Gus Dudgeon
- Coordination: Alex Foster
- Arranger: Joanne Stone
- Orchestral arrangements: Paul Buckmaster
- Sleeve design: David Costa
- Graphic design: Mike Storey
- Liner editor: John Tobler
- Liner notes: Chris White
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Pop Albums | 15 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Ego" | Pop Singles | 34 |
| 1978 | "Part-Time Love" | Pop Singles | 22 |
