Elton John
Made in England

After putting the turbulent '80s behind with two good albums like "Reg Strikes Back" (1988) and "Sleeping With The Past" (1989), in the following decade the persona of Elton John definitively overshadows the musician Elton John in the eyes of the media and consequently the public. Certainly, the inspiration is no longer that of the mythical seventies, but amid gossip, Disney soundtracks, self-celebrations, and other such chic endeavors, the good work done by the musician EJ in those years inevitably takes a backseat, and it is a shame because, albeit with great discontinuity, the old Elton has continued to make excellent music even in the past two decades.

Discontinuity, indeed: examining EJ's studio discography from 1992 to 2006, there is a continuous and systematic alternation between excellent albums and decidedly unwelcome and avoidable releases: for example, the refined and electronic "The One" from 1992, an album of undeniable and recognized substance, is quickly followed by "Duets," which, aside from 3/4 excellent episodes, proves to be a boring commercial operation of little interest. After "Duets," we find the subject of this review, "Made In England" from 1995, in my opinion, one of the most underrated albums of Our Man's career, bordering on masterpiece status with a decidedly high level of inspiration as well as a well-defined and recognizable personality.

"Made In England" sees the return of arranger Paul Buckmaster, who had already contributed in the '70s to the perfect creation of masterpieces like "Elton John," "Tumbleweed Connection," and "Madman Across The Water," and the consequent abandonment of the electronics on which "The One" was built in favor of more classic sounds: the premises are excellent, and the final result does not disappoint expectations. The opener "Believe" is one of those songs that are unforgettable, with Buckmaster's majestic orchestral arrangements, Charlie Morgan's rhythmic drumming, Davey Johnstone's biting guitar, and EJ's intense and heartfelt interpretation that create an epic performance that holds its own with the great classics of the golden years, but the rest of the album also manages to be positively appreciated, mainly thanks to the right balance between ballads, among which the sweet and orchestral "House" stands out, without forgetting "Cold", "Man", and the bossanova of "Blessed", all commendably crafted songs that never fall into repetitiveness and anonymity as in the subsequent album "The Big Picture" and the more rock and upbeat tracks, above all the catchy and ironic "Made In England", the dynamic "Lies", which revisits solutions already experimented with in 1978 with "Madness" without becoming a sterile copy and the good pop rock of "Please." A well-deserved honorable mention goes to "Latitude", a song with dreamy tones, with the banjo giving it a characteristic folk imprint, absolutely delightful, and especially to "Belfast", a true poem dedicated to the troubled Northern Irish capital, enriched by a masterful string section that, combined with Elton's simple and melancholic piano melody, creates a masterpiece that can be comfortably compared for refinement and intensity to milestones like "Indian Sunset", "Ticking", and "Tonight."

"Made In England" is a complete, refined album of significant artistic substance; in my opinion, the greatest discographic legacy of Elton John from the '90s, even more than "The One," thanks also to the presence of Paul Buckmaster who, as they say, really makes the difference, especially in songs like "Made In England", "House", "Cold", "Man", "Lies", and especially "Latitude", "Believe", and "Belfast", which deserve open applause. For the record, "Made In England" was awarded a platinum disc while the soundtrack "The Lion King," released a year earlier and anything but memorable, received ten.

The public is always right (but perhaps not always...)