| Blue Moves | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 October 1976 | |||
| Recorded | March 23 to June 1976 | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 84:49 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Blue Moves | ||||
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Blue Moves is the eleventh studio album by British musicianElton John. It was released on 22 October 1976 through John's ownRocket Record Company (his first for the label), alongsideMCA Records in certain countries. John's second double album, it was recorded atEMI Studios,Brother Studios, Eastern Sound andSunset Sound Recorders, and was his last to be produced by longtime collaboratorGus Dudgeon untilIce on Fire (1985). Additionally, the album would be the last collaboration between John and lyricistBernie Taupin for the next few years[a] until a partial resumption of their working partnership with21 at 33 (1980).
The music onBlue Moves is considered some of John's most experimental, fusing genres such aspop,gospel,disco andjazz while also includingorchestral elements and extended song lengths. Guests on the album includeDavid Crosby,Graham Nash,Bruce Johnston andToni Tennille contributing backing vocals, alongside performances by both theMartyn Ford Orchestra andLondon Symphony Orchestra, the former of which performing string arrangements byPaul Buckmaster.
Upon its release,Blue Moves received mixed reviews. Some critics found the album to be excessive, while others felt it did not include enough strong material to warrant its length. However, some retrospective reviews have been more positive, highlighting it as one of John's most underrated releases and praising its experimental nature, and John himself has declared it one of his favorites.Blue Moves reached number 3 on the USBillboard 200, breaking his streak of number one albums there, while it matched that position on theUK Albums Chart. The album's first single, "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", reached the top 10 in the US and the top 20 in the UK, while further singles "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" and "Crazy Water" (only released in the UK) both reached the top 30. The album would go on to be certified bothPlatinum by theRIAA and Gold by theBPI.
John's previous albumRock of the Westies (1975) was his first since 1970'sElton John to not include any contributions from longtimeElton John Band membersDee Murray andNigel Olsson on bass and drums respectively, as they had been fired after the recording ofCaptain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975).[1] Both of these albums debuted at number one on theBillboard 200, the first two albums in history to do so,[2] with the latter containing the US number four hit "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" and the former spawning the number one single "Island Girl".[3] In June 1976, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", a duet withKiki Dee, was released as a standalone single and also topped the USBillboard Hot 100 chart.[3]
After embarking on theRock of the Westies Tour andLouder Than Concorde Tour in 1975 and 1976, respectively, John decided to take an indefinite break from touring.[4] In an October 1976 interview withRolling Stone, John expressed his desire to focus on other projects for the time being, saying he felt it would be "silly" to keep his band members under a contract for an additional year while not being sure what his plans for future performing would be.[4] WhileDavey Johnstone,Ray Cooper, andJames Newton Howard continued to collaborate with John following the release ofBlue Moves, the album marked the last time John worked withCaleb Quaye and drummer Roger Pope. In the same interview John came out publicly asbisexual, stating "There's nothing wrong with going to bed with somebody of your own sex. I think everybody's bisexual to a certain degree"; he would later come out asgay in 1992.[4][5]
"Cage the Songbird" was a tribute to legendary French singerEdith Piaf, and a year or so later was covered byKiki Dee on an unreleasedRocket albumCage the Songbird, which finally was issued in 2008. ("Songbird" originated as part of theRock of the Westies sessions, but was not completed during them, probably because the song's acoustic, delicate sound did not fit with the more rock 'n' roll approach of the rest of the songs that made theWesties final track list.)The Beach Boys turned down "Chameleon" (which was written two years prior to the album's release), butBruce Johnston, a former Beach Boy, performed backing vocals on John's version, along with former Beach Boys touring memberToni Tennille. John also performed the song atWembley Stadium in 1975, where he also performed theCaptain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album in its entirety. An excerpt from "Out of the Blue" was used for the closing titles onTop Gear until the end of thatTop Gear format (in 2001).[6] This is one of two John albums on which Davey Johnstone does not provide backing vocals; 1997'sThe Big Picture is the other.[citation needed]
The basic tracks forBlue Moves were recorded at Eastern Sound inToronto,Ontario. Additional overdubs were done atEMI Studios inAbbey Road,London;Brother Studios inSanta Monica, California; and Sunset Sound inLos Angeles, California. The album was mixed at Marquee Studios in London.
John has played several songs fromBlue Moves live: "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)", "One Horse Town", "Tonight", "Idol" and "Crazy Water" have been played during various concert appearances through the years.
In the summer of 2011,George Michael embarked on what would be his final tour, the orchestralSymphonica Tour of Europe, the UK, and Australia. From the 19 September concert atBudapest Sports Arena, Michael performed "Idol" in place of "It Doesn't Really Matter" on the setlist. At a special gig in theRoyal Albert Hall raising money for theElton John AIDS Foundation, Michael introduced the song, saying: "This next song was written by someone I hope has made it in here already – Elton. It's a song he wrote in the late 70s and it's about an ageing pop star. Funny that." As Michael cast his gaze around the audience, John waved from the stalls, where he sat beside his civil partnerDavid Furnish and broadcasterJanet Street-Porter. Having already recorded his own version of "Tonight" for theTwo Rooms album in 1991, Michael's vocals at that concert ended up on 2014'sSymphonica.[7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C[9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated)[11] |
Blue Moves has received mixed reviews since its release.[12] A contemporary review forRolling Stone said the album "contains nowhere near enough good songs to justify the extended length" and that the interludes and instrumentals were done "to the exclusion of sense".[11]Village Voice criticRobert Christgau described it as "impossibly weepy" and "excessive".[9] Lindsay Planer ofAllmusic later said the album showed the "inevitable fatigue" of John's "immense creativity" that had helped create the previous albums of his career.[8]
All tracks written byElton John andBernie Taupin, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Your Starter For..." | Caleb Quaye | 1:23 |
| 2. | "Tonight" | 7:52 | |
| 3. | "One Horse Town" |
| 5:56 |
| 4. | "Chameleon" | 5:27 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Boogie Pilgrim" |
| 6:05 |
| 2. | "Cage the Songbird" |
| 3:27 |
| 3. | "Crazy Water" | 5:42 | |
| 4. | "Shoulder Holster" | 5:10 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | 3:48 | |
| 2. | "Out of the Blue" | 6:14 | |
| 3. | "Between Seventeen and Twenty" |
| 5:17 |
| 4. | "The Wide-Eyed and Laughing" |
| 3:27 |
| 5. | "Someone's Final Song" | 4:10 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Where's the Shoorah?" | 4:09 | |
| 2. | "If There's a God in Heaven (What's He Waiting For?)" |
| 4:25 |
| 3. | "Idol" | 4:08 | |
| 4. | "Theme From a Non-Existent TV Series" | 1:19 | |
| 5. | "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" | 6:43 | |
| Total length: | 85:07 | ||
Note: Initial CD versions of the album maintain the same running order, but omit various combinations of the following tracks: "Cage the Songbird", "Shoulder Holster", "The Wide-Eyed and Laughing" and "Where's the Shoorah?".[13] It has since been remastered and re-released as a 2-CD set retaining the original LP track listing.
Track numbering refers to the 2-CD and digital releases of the album.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[32] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[33] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[34] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[35] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[36] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[37] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
