Elton John
Reg Strikes Back

After the almost total cosmic void of 1985-1986, the unpredictable and compelling artistic journey of Elton John reaches yet another turning point: first the marvelous "Live In Australia" and immediately after, in 1988, the right album to revive an already struggling career: "Reg Strikes Back," a statement of intent starting from the title: nothing transcendent; probably, to do better than "Leather Jackets," it would have sufficed not to collaborate with Gigi d'Alessio, but this album showcases a newfound compositional verve which generates an album perhaps a bit prematurely aged but definitely enjoyable and well-conceived, and considering the studio Elton John immediately preceding "Reg Strikes Back," this is already quite a bit of progress.

In "Reg Strikes Back," there is a very easy; sunny and carefree atmosphere, probably due to EJ's clear intention to distance himself from the unhappy period just passed; the '80s are not yet over, and electronics play the lion's share, inevitably stifling Elton John's pianistic essence, but in this case, the final result is convincing and can be appreciated right from the captivating opener "Town Of Plenty", a cheerful tune with an ironic aftertaste, complete with choirs and synthesizers, which broadly defines the coordinates on which "Reg Strikes Back" navigates, together with the brass of "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters Pt. 2", a perfect carefree alter ego to the 1972 dreamy ballad, and the intriguing "Poor Cow", by far the best synth-pop piece in Our Man's career, which stands out among other good songs like the single "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" and "The Camera Never Lies", somewhat too impersonal and tied to the trends of the moment, while the gritty and catchy pop rock of "Goodbye Marlon Brando" and the Caribbean rhythms of "Heavy Traffic" are two interesting variations on the theme that enhance the album both qualitatively and stylistically.

As for the ballads, the most well-known is certainly the languid "A Word In Spanish" with its acoustic guitar with Latin tones, sung by Our Man at San Remo in 1989 and consequently a decent hit in Italy, a good quality song that, however, loses the comparison with the cushioned and more original "Japanese Hands" and especially with the intense "Since God Invented Girls", one of the many underestimated gems of EJ's repertoire, certainly superior from a lyrical and emotional standpoint to the successful hit "Sacrifice" which would arrive shortly thereafter.

And so, just when many others would have definitively stalled, Elton John managed to climb back up: "Reg Strikes Back" will not be remembered as an innovative or memorable album, and after all, the circumstances required the creation of an album as simple and direct as possible, and Elton succeeded brilliantly, placing 3-4 top-level songs and demonstrating a renewed creative streak, which unfortunately would be managed in a somewhat questionable way in the following decade, especially in terms of image.