Madman Across the Water

Madman Across the Water 9.8/10

Madman Across the Water is one of my favorite Elton John albums. The songs are usually light and mellow, with strong orchestra arrangements. There are a few rockers here and there, balanced out between haunting epics. Madman Across the Water is indeed a great album.

1. Tiny Dancer 10/10

The album starts off with the soaring love ballad called "Tiny Dancer." Although it is pretty mellow, it does have some heavier parts and a little country flavor brought by guitars. This good-spirited song is pretty good to begin with, but really got me was the chorus. It is catchy, and in a way, motivating. The orchestra really adds a smooth effect to the song, and so, Madman gets off with a great start.

2. Levon 10/10

Levon is a beautiful, moving song. Although it is usually mellow and bright, it does have some serious parts that bring a foggy mood into view. This mood will be brought into full effect a few songs later, but for now we'll concentrate on this song. The mood makes the song better instead of worse, and the song is brought to perfection by a powerful and bright orchestration after the chorus.

3. Razor Face 8/10

Even though the album depicts a serious mood, there are a few songs on here which are more fun and rock-inflicted. Razor Face is one of those. Razor Face isn't a bad song- it just pales in comparison to the two before it. The song has a tiny bit of country appeal with the guitar riffs (which add a strong hook), and a more serious feel does come into play at parts. The song is a bit messy at parts though.

4. Madman Across the Water 10/10

Madman Across the Water is a haunting epic. This song isn't really concentrated on the melody- more the mood and dramatic effects brought in. It is pretty serious, and has a great rock progression. The intro melody is great and adds a mysterious feel. The orchestration by Paul Buckmaster is great, and effects of illusion can be seen quite often. Madman Across the Water is a great song.

5. Indian Sunset 10/10

In my opinion, Indian Sunset is one of the biggest highlights on the album. It is a soaring epic, aggressive but emotional. It is quite touching at parts, quite vigorous at others. The progression is fantastic and the dramatic instrumentals give it a more vigorous feel than the mellow, sad parts do. Indian Sunset is fantastic.

6. Holiday Inn 10/10

In my opinion, Holiday Inn is another one of the highlights of the album. It is pretty upbeat, and contains one of the most unique instrument arrangements. It is about traveling and definitely has a travel feel. Its extensive string/ guitar/ mandolin selection and Celtic feel give it a memorable approach, and it has great piano choruses. Holliday Inn is one of those great songs that make the album what it is.

7. Rotten Peaches 9/10

Rotten Peaches can easily be compared to the previous "Tumbleweed Connection." It is a country/rock/gospel song. It is pretty upbeat, and catchy at many parts. It's not the most powerful song on the album, but its bluesy piano riffs, gospel organ, and choir make it very good. Let's not forget the catchy singing during the outro.

8. All the Nasties 9/10

All the Nasties is a typical Elton John piano song. It has a definite gospel influence, and it focused mainly on Elton's playing and vocals. It's not necessarily downbeat, more jazzy. It does get a little repetitive at times, but the progression keep it from that.  It is pretty soft for the most part, unlike Rotten Peaches or Razor Face. Elton's piano playing is great on this song.

9. Goodbye 9/10

Goodbye is the last song on the album. It is very melancholy with beautiful (but depressing) piano playing. A notable thing about this song is the lyrics. They are some of the most impressive on the album, and although the song is short, it ends the album on much more of an ending note than it would have regularly.