221. Elton John | Madman Across the Water (1971)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Tiny Dancer
2. Levon
3. Razor Face
4. Madman Across the Water
5. Indian Sunset
6. Holiday Inn
7. Rotten Peaches
8. All the Nasties
9. Goodbye

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Madman Across the Water is a catchy album. The music is soft rock. This music focuses heavily on piano and organ. The melodies have an edge to them which makes this album quite dramatic. Many of the song lyrics tell stories. While nothing profound, they enhance the songs.

This is a brilliant album. Soft rock, pop rock, adult-oriented rock or whatever the hell it is can take some pointers from this album about how to do it right. This isn't cheap, superficial, narcissistic music. This is entertainment. It is saccharine, of course, but it's Beatles-quality at least. This is worth listening to and should be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are great. The stand outs are: Tiny Dance, Levon, Madman Across the Water, Rotten Peaches and All the Nasties.

★★★★★★★★★★