Maps of Music

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

Where the lyrics of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy take you, and where it was really made.

This album was certified gold two weeks before its official release and reached number 1 on the US Billboard 200 in its first week.

Key places

Recording at Caribou Ranch Studios (1975)

Recording site Caribou Ranch — In August 1974 the band spent most of a month off the road at Caribou Ranch Studios working on the recordings for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy: ninth studio album by British musician Elton John
• Released 23 May 1975 by DJM Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US
• Autobiographical account of the early careers of Elton John (Captain Fantastic) and lyricist Bernie Taupin (the Brown Dirt Cowboy)
• Concept album covering the two men's London years from 1967 to 1969

Background

• Story follows their struggles before John's breakthrough in 1970
• Lyrics and photo booklet carry a strong sense of specific place and time
• Written in chronological order, according to Taupin
• John composed the music on a ship voyage from the UK to New York
• Last album of the 1970s with the original Elton John Band: Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson
• Last album on which Elton John and his classic band played together until Too Low for Zero in 1983

Recording

• In August 1974 the team spent most of a month off the road at Caribou Ranch Studios
• Band worked longer and harder on this album than on any earlier record
• Usual method was fast, with albums recorded in a few days or at most a couple of weeks
• Producer Gus Dudgeon was apparently very satisfied with the results
• 8-track tape was the first to have the songs in the same order as the LP

Cover

• Cover art designed by pop artist Alan Aldridge with Harry Willock
• Imagery drawn from Hieronymus Bosch's painting The Garden of Earthly Delights
• Original LP package included a Lyrics booklet, a Scraps booklet and a poster of the cover

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, on 25 March 1947.
• Won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at age 11.
• Formed the blues band Bluesology in 1962; took the name Elton John in 1967.
• Joined DJM Records as a staff songwriter with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1968.

Members

• Partnered with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967; Taupin writes lyrics and John composes the music.
• Backing band over the years included Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray and Ray Cooper.

Career

• Debut album Empty Sky (1969); Honky Château (1972) became his first US number-one album.
• Seven consecutive US number-one albums between 1972 and 1975.
• Composed The Lion King and Aida with Tim Rice; won Academy Awards and a Tony Award.
• Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour (2018–2023) was the highest-grossing tour at the time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Album reached number 1 in its first week on the US Billboard 200, the first album to do so after gold certification
• Certified gold in early May 1975 on the basis of pre-release orders, two weeks before official release
• Single 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight' reached number 4 on the US Pop Singles chart
• Rolling Stone writer Jon Landau viewed 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight' as the best track on the album

Reappraisal

• In a 2006 interview with Cameron Crowe, John called it probably his finest album because it wasn't commercial in any way
• Rolling Stone ranked it number 158 on The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003, and kept that rating in the 2012 revised list

Records

• US Billboard 200: number 1 in the first week of release
• Sold 1.4 million copies within four days of release
• Stayed at number 1 on the US chart for seven weeks
• Certified gold before release, then platinum and triple platinum by the RIAA in March 1993
• Canada: debuted at number 1 on the RPM Top Albums chart, fell to number 2 in the ninth week
• UK Albums Chart: peaked at number 2

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The 8-track tape was the first to put the songs in the same order as the LP, which caused fade-outs and fade-ins in the middle of several songs
• A 1976 Bally pinball machine, Capt. Fantastic, used artwork of Elton John as The Champ character from the movie Tommy
• A 1977 home model of the pinball machine used artwork by Alan Aldridge
• 'Curtains' was sampled in Pnau's 2012 album Good Morning to the Night
• Coldplay covered 'We All Fall in Love Sometimes' for the 2018 tribute album Revamp
• 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight' is semi-autobiographical, based on John's disastrous engagement to Linda Woodrow and his 1968 suicide attempt

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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