So I am going to play every 45 in my collection.......(Part 3!!)

As I mentioned earlier, he would turn things around in the early 90s with a string of enjoyable songs.

 

I don't like the Too Low For Zero album very much, but I love the song I'm Still Standing.
Conversely, I really like the Breaking Hearts album (it was one of the first CDs I ever bought, and it's a "target" CD) but I don't care for Sad Songs Say So Much. Wasn't there a Sasson Jeans commercial that went "Sassons say so much"?

Oh internet, you are a marvel.

 

I actually like Breaking Hearts. It’s one of the better 80s albums.

 

That's like my old college buddy, Brett. We agree on so much except for the works of Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch. They're two of my favorite directors, but he can't stand them. So...we agree to disagree. Now, it's become a running joke between us -- "Don't bring up Kubrick or Lynch when we talk!" (LOL!)

 

I agree, it's really varied, with lots of great material on it.

 

I always liked the video for "Sad Songs" the way they kept Elton in color while the rest of the clip was B&W.

I actually heard this one a lot at the time, but it soon disappeared once its chart run was over. As a result, it sounds fresher to me years later since I've heard it less. It's a great lost hit from that time.

 

Wow, I totally remember this!

 

I just got the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of Blue Velvet the other day!

 

Elton John- In Neon/Tactics
This track reached #38 in the USA in 1984. This mostly forgotten single is a fairly effective ballad which isn't weighed down in dated 80's flourishes.

 

Elton John- Breaking Hearts/In Neon
UK ISSUE
This single reached #59 UK in 1985 and had In Neon relegated to the B-Side. Another fine ballad....it is nice to hear Elton going back to basics a bit on this track and the Breaking Hearts album as a whole. He does these piano driven torch songs as good as anybody so why not keep doing them? This tale of an older yet not completely wiser lover sounds like it could have been pulled from a musical.

 

Elton John/Millie Jackson- Act of War Pt. 1/Pt. 2
Unique bonus with the 45...still shots from the video shoot...a nice touch!

This stand alone release stalled at #32 UK in 1985. I was excited about this track because my Dad (and now me) was a huge Millie Jackson fan. Nik Kershaw and Deon Estus are on hand too and Gus Dudgeon produced the track. I wasn't expecting an uptempo rocker! Millie is a vocal powerhouse and Elton does a fine job keeping up. No surprise that this duet sees a couple at odds with each other. It's a fun track and I bet they had fun recording it. The mix is a bit busy and cluttered...Gus needn't have tried so hard! There is a fine song buried under the various instruments. I do dig Deon's bass playing....his work is often a standout feature of his work with George Michael. Bottom line: Well written and sung with gusto but a cleaner mix would have been a big help.

 

Another highlight from Breaking Hearts, and a nice follow-up to "Sad Songs" and "Who Wears These Shoes."

 

I totally forgot about this song until I had a chance to hear it recently. But, I would have sworn it came out in like 1981 or 1982, not 1984!

 

Up next, my favorite Elton tune! I am probably the only person that feels this way!
Elton John- Nikita/The Man Who Never Died (Non-LP)
UK ISSUE
My UK copy came in a double pack single along with Wrap Her Up. This track got to #7 USA and #3 UK in 1985/86. An all star affair, it features David Paton, Dave Mattacks, Nik Kershaw and George Michael. Not too shabby! Paton's bass playing steals the show and leads the way. George Michael's background vocals towards the end of the song are great too. There's not much here I don't love. Even the synth-guitars work in keeping the rhythm down. For many years I heard the line "A human heart a captive in the snow" as "A human heart that can't defend the snow". I still sing my version.

 

Elton John- Wrap Her Up/
Here are both the UK and USA sleeves.
This single got to #20 USA and #12 UK in 1985. George Michael is featured prominently once again and his falsetto is Gibb-esque. Kiki Dee not only gets name-checked in the lyric but she sings on this as well! This is a funky little number and it has a sense of fun but it falls a bit short for an Elton single. Paul Westwood puts in a killer bass part but the rest is a bit cheesy and dated.

 

I like this song, too.

 

Nikita is one of EJs' better efforts in the 80s. I know I didn't care for Wrap Her Up back then but hearing it now makes me not want to hit delete though that's probably more to do with George Michael than anything Elton's doing and that's a situation we rarely encountered on an Elton record.

 

Agreed on all counts. I went into Wrap Her Up dreading it but came away with ambivalance more than disgust.....I,guess you could say it's a grower!

 

Elton John- Heartache All Over the World/Highlander
This track from 1986 peaked at #55 USA and #45 UK. I always found this pop tune very catchy and I was a bit surprised it fizzled so fast. It's lightweight for sure but nothing wrong with that. I still enjoy it today. The artwork is based on the cover art for the Leather Jackets LP this comes from. Interestingly enough, Elton features on a duet that will be coming up shortly where the sleeve also used this same artwork scheme...even though the track is not on Leather Jackets or any Elton Album!

 

Elton John- Candle in the Wind/Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
These were both taken from the Live in Australia album. I don't know how many sleeve variations there were, but here are the two colors I have. This single reached #6 USA and #5 UK in 1987. I heard this A LOT! Elton sings it very well and this version is nice and simple. I do miss the background vocal parts here though.

 

Elton John w/Jennifer Rush- Flames of Paradise
This track peaked at #37 USA in 1987. Why does the single artwork use the art from Elton's Leather Jackets LP when this song is not on there?? Bizarre! Jennifer has a powerhouse voice...see Power of Love as proof of that. Jennifer's album is full of catchy songs such as this one and contains some big name talent. I like it all The way through but it certainly is a product of the times. If you haven't heard this one in awhile, cue it up!

 

I was always bewildered as to why this wasn't a bigger hit. It's a perfect EJ single. It's easily one of my favorite EJ songs.

 

Both Heartaches and Flames are unmistakeably 80s creations but the latter comes off better IMO. Candle actually has an effective performance by Elton and though I agree about the missing background vocals, it's still a nice effort. See? I'm trying to find the positive in this erratic part of his career.

 

I'm a little late replying to this because I'm behind on the thread. I've always felt A Single Man was a little uneven as an album, but I thought that "Part Time Love" was an obvious choice for a single. But I never knew it ever WAS a single. I just found out here! Odd that it even made the charts; I never even once heard it on the radio. The other obvious (to me) choice for a single was "I Don't Care".