Sad to see how good music is so easily forgotten, "lost" ...

I know, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Honkey Chateau", "Don't Shoot Me ...", "Madman Across the Water" are among his well known albums from the 70's, and so are some of his releases from the 90's. I do like them very much. but I invite you to listen to "A Single Man", a slightly different Elton John: moody, atmospheric, melancholic at times. ... You will recognize Elton John's (occasionally syncopated) rhythm, the melody, the incantation, and, am sure, discover something new !

You will listen to "A Single Man' again and again and again !

I find it hard to accept some peoples reviews of 'Song for Guy'. A few people call it monotonous or boring, or say that they cringe when Elton John sings "Life isn't everything". I titled my review 'Perhaps I am biased' because Guy Burchett was my uncle. He was a motorcycle messenger who worked with Elton John, and at seventeen years old was killed in an accident while riding pillion on a motorcycle. Elton John's 'Song for Guy' is not only a very generous tribute to a young man who lost his life at a very young age, but also an emotional song that Elton John wrote from his heart.

"A Single Man" may not be Elton John's best album, but it ranks right up there with his classic albums from the early seventies. Here, EJ experiments with certain musical styles ranging from the jazz-laden "Big Dipper" to the 'countrified' "Georgia". There's also straight-ahead rock featured in "I Don't Care" and "Part-Time Love", an AM Top-40 radio staple in 1978. The pyrotechnical, yet powerful "Madness" breathes more life into "A Single Man", while "It Ain't Gonna Be Easy" tends to bring the album down just a melancholic tad. The lovely piano-encompassed instrumental "Song For Guy" provides both a sentimental and rousing finish to a stellar, finely crafted album. These are good reasons to add "A Single Man" to your CD library.

A Single Man is a wonderful piece of work that reminds me of Caribou some years earlier. Both were under-rated at the time of release. But, you know, sometimes greatness is savoured over time. Another listen to A Single Man will likely bring you to that realization.

I became an Elton John fan during the superstar's 1976-82 career lull, A SINGLE MAN (released in '78) among the first of his albums I obtained. The weak lyrics accompany routine music and only three songs stand out: "Big Dipper" and the minor hit singles, "Part-time Love" and "Song For Guy." Both those 45s had great flip-sides, "I Cry At Night" and "Lovesick," respectively, and it is too bad the CD release of A SINGLE MAN did not include them as bonus tracks. The rest of A SINGLE MAN has hints of what made Elton great. It was just a matter of time until he got back in top form with JUMP UP, TOO LOW FOR ZERO and BREAKING HEARTS, to name three of Elton John's worthwhile 1980s albums.