Product Description

There is no denying the musicianship of this Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist. Elton John composes songs steeped in thecraft of old-time tunesmithing. His dreamily melodic, catchy-chorus, piano-based writing style has been gobbled up by the public for decades. But as strongly evidenced on this album, his 35th (including greatest-hits records and boxes), John and lyricist Bernie Taupin want to simplify their lives. The one-word titles on all except the title track are indicative of the unadorned sentiments expressed on this collection. MADE IN ENGLAND is John at his most mature--no fantastic Captains or manic Liberace-isms, just a songwriter trying toentertain his audience on that smooth sail without making too many waves.
Beatles producer George Martin adds his special touch on the lushly arranged folk/waltz "Latitude", a sensitive standout. The heavily orchestrated "Belfast" begins like a pretty soundtrack theme but soon turns lyrically sorrowful and dark. MADE IN ENGLAND moves with ease from the passionate ballad "Believe" to the plucky, Tennessee Williams-inspired "Lies", with its bravado ivory tinkling. Spirited pop tunes like the mid-tempo "Please" and pensive ballads like "Cold" are as irresistible as ever, but the singer's excesses are gone from his music just as they are from his life.What remains are proper and secure songs, a notch or two above those of most other pop tunesmiths.

Track Listing

1. Believe - Elton John, Paul Buckmaster
2. Made In England
3. House - Elton John, Paul Buckmaster
4. Cold - Elton John, Paul Buckmaster
5. Pain
6. Belfast
7. Latitude - Elton John, George Martin
8. Please
9. Man - Elton John, Gavin Christopher Wright
10. Lies
11. Blessed

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49710 in Music
• Released on: 1995-03-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 53 minutes

Customer Reviews

An average album, though it's Elton's best of the 1990s!
After the releases of the celeb-packed novelty "Duets" album and his move into Disney film scores, this was Elton and Bernie's apparent attempt to get back to basics and what they're essentially great at (Some of the promotional blurb for the release of this album had the slogan "Made in England...By true craftsmen"). Certainly, on a stylistic level this album is evocative of the "Elton John" album of 1970 (his first great album)...grand classical allusions, slight R'n'B, the odd rocker, and lush simple ballads. For the sweeping orchestral arrangements, Elton enlisted the help of the man who figures largely on his eponymous album and other notable songs of the period...Paul Buckmaster.
With producer Greg Penny at the helm (who's work, such as K D Lang's "Ingenue" album, Elton had admired) this album was a brave attempt to hark back to his very early years and, as such, the songs are deliberately littered with past references.
At the time of this album's release, Bernie Taupin had been vocal about his appreciation of John Lennon's songwriting style and the influence is all too apparent in the lyrics here....Taupin's sparse writing and construction is quite quite different from any other time of his songwriting career, and so makes an interesting pointer in his oeuvre. Apart from "Made In England", all the song are one-worded titles which is very Lennonesque. It would also seem that Bernie Taupin had been checking out the solo-Beatle's "Plastic Ono Band" album were the lyrics were at their most stark, simplistic yet direct. However, thats where the resemblence ends because Elton opts for the lush chamber-music ensemble, in the style with which the record-buying public have come to expect. It would take him another six years to break the mould and make a truly great album again.
To start the album off, and a song which was also the lead-off single is "Believe"...the most direct John Lennon lyrical influence...its a song of epic proportions and boosted by Buckmaster's grandiose arrangement. Its powerful but does chug along in a linear way with its predictable Minor chord progressions. It's interesting to speculate what this song would sound like had it been handed in during the alt.country style of the "Songs from the west coast" recording sessions six years later. As the song dissolves into descending violins, we hear industrial mechanics that precede "Made In England", a rocker which sounds like "Runaway Train", "I'm Still Standing" and "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" all rolled into one with the type of Taupin lyric which raises a smile (he tends to write them occasionally!).
After this, the songs just coast along..."House","Man" "Please" and "Pain" sound like Elton just rattled them off in ten minutes (he probably did!) and there isn't much interesting musicianship going on. "Belfast", whilst having good wordplay and evocative images is, to be quite frank, overblown to the point of nausea.
The album picks up at the end..."Lies" is a catchy pop song with multi-layered vocal harmonies in the chorus which is reminiscent of Abba. Despite hackneyed lyrics it wins through for its joie de vivre alone. "Blessed" is a fine end, a love song to a future offspring (Bernie's?) which includes a lyrical nod to "Your Song".
"Made In England" is perhaps the best Elton John album of the 1990s. Like all his post-"Blue Moves" work, its a patchy affair with some worthwhile moments, but nestled between "The One", "Duets", "The Big Picture" and all the Disney/Musicals hokum...it stands out pretty well.

elton believes
Made in England is just one of elton's great albums in his career which has lasted over 30 years. So made in England, well it's not one of his best albums but is still good. The albums starts will the powerful song believe (which is my fav song) Then the title track made in England whih is also great. Well most of the songs are great and I think my second fav song is (man) also a powerful ballad. but realy this album is full of great songs just one or two songs that are not great.
But a great buy and a must have for all elton john fans.

A classic EJ album.His best since 1976's"Blue moves"
Every song on "Made in England" has it's own breathe taking quality. From the title track with Bernie using a "blue cortina" to show how good England is.I agree the cortina was a great car.Shame they stopped building them. To "House" with it's magical waltz time quality. Eltons vocal - the best i've heard since "Madman.....".Bernie writes like painting. "Pain" a great drum and thumping bass classic. "Latitude." Here Bernie's lyric's paint a picture in your mind with such ease. You can imagine leaning out of the window feeling lonely.Such brilliance. All of the songs are a gathered together to give an eleven track start to finish master.With Elton singing like he's never before and playing the piano with new vigour and enthusiasm,to Bernie's always stunning lyrics- you'd be missing out on something special.The mans a genius.