| The Diving Board | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 September 2013 | |||
| Recorded | January 2012-January 2013 | |||
| Studio | The Village,Los Angeles, California | |||
| Length | 57:45 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | T Bone Burnett | |||
| Elton John chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Diving Board | ||||
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The Diving Board is the twenty-ninth studio album by English musicianElton John.[2] It is the second of his studio releases since 1979'sVictim of Love without any of his regularElton John Band members.[3][4] The album was released in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2013 and debuted at No. 3 on theUK Albums Chart, his highest-charting studio album in his home country since 2001'sSongs from the West Coast, and at No. 4 on theBillboard 200. It is also his highest-charting solo album in the United States sinceBlue Moves in 1976.
The album's premiere single, "Home Again", was released on 24 June 2013, the same day the album became available for pre-order. On 28 August 2013, a video for "Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)" was released onYouTube.
The album was written by Elton John andBernie Taupin and produced inLos Angeles byThe Union producerT Bone Burnett. Burnett suggested that John return to the piano, bass, and drums format of his very early years and the result, John says, is "the most exciting solo record I've done in a long, long time."[5]The Diving Board was initially written in two days.[6]
The album's release date was pushed back; though the record was originally planned for release in the fall of 2012, it was revealed on Taupin's website that it would instead be released in February 2013 for promotional reasons.[7] Later, it was pushed back again.
It was revealed on 28 September 2012 inRolling Stone magazine that John was dissatisfied with the balance on the album and that he had started to write more new songs for the album. He believed that many of the songs had a theme and that he wanted to write more songs after sitting on the project for so long.[8]
During a concert at thePerth Arena inPerth, Australia on 10 November 2012 for his40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man tour, John revealed thatThe Diving Board's release would be pushed back further, to May 2013.[9] The delay in release was because John was to record more material for the album with Burnett in January 2013.[10]
On 8 January 2013 it was revealed by Taupin's website that the title of the album had been changed fromThe Diving Board toVoyeur.[11][12]
An article onBillboard published on 23 February 2013 revealed that the release date had once again been pushed back, this time until September 2013; the title of the album was back toThe Diving Board again. The article also revealed the revised track list, which includes four new songs mixed in with the original material. A song originally stated for release on the album, titled "5th Avenue", had been dropped. John called the revised album "The most piano-oriented album of my career" and said "It's my most adult album".[13] In total, the album's release had been pushed back four times.
The album's premiere single "Home Again" was released on 24 June 2013, the same day the album became available for pre-order.[14]
On 28 August 2013, a video for "Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)" was released onYouTube, being the album's second single.[1]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100[15] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| The Guardian | [17] |
| The Independent | [18] |
| Los Angeles Times | [19] |
| Rolling Stone | [20] |
The Diving Board received generally positive reviews from music critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 71, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 24 reviews.
Many critics praise the album as a "great return to form" and one of John's best albums of recent years and of his career.[18] Alan Light ofRolling Stone gave the album a four star review commending its spare instrumentation and focus, saying that John has "regained his sense of musical possibility and taken a brave, graceful jump".[20]Robert Hilburn, who famously reviewed John's American debut atthe Troubadour in Los Angeles, praisedThe Diving Board's "finely crafted and deeply moving" songs that celebrate the past in a "fresh and revealing" manner. Hilburn goes on to say that if these songs had been played at the Troubadour in 1970, John would still have been "showered with applause and acclaim".[21] Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic was less enthusiastic. In a mixed review, he stated that the album is an "exceptional idea in theory; in practice it is ever so slightly formless."[16]
In the United Kingdom,The Diving Board reached No. 3 on theUK Albums Chart on its first week of release behind indie rock bandArctic Monkeys'AM and Swedish dance music producerAvicii'sTrue,[22] selling 22,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified Silver by theBritish Phonographic Industry on 10 January 2014, signifying sales of 60,000 copies in the UK. In the United States, the album debuted at No. 4 on theBillboard 200 albums chart on its first week, with 47,000 copies sold. It is Elton John's 18th top 10 album on the chart.[23] As of December 2015, the album has sold 150,000 copies in the US.[24] It also debuted at No. 7 on theCanadian Albums Chart.[25]
The single "Can't Stay Alone Tonight" became Elton John's 70th song to appear on theAdult Contemporary chart in the US, further extending his record for the most appearances on that chart that first began with "Your Song" in 1970.[26]
Rolling Stone placed the album at No. 25 on its list of the 50 Best Albums of 2013.[27]
All lyrics are written byBernie Taupin; all music is composed byElton John..
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oceans Away" | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Oscar Wilde Gets Out" | 4:35 |
| 3. | "A Town Called Jubilee" | 4:30 |
| 4. | "The Ballad of Blind Tom" | 4:12 |
| 5. | "Dream #1" (instrumental interlude) | 0:40 |
| 6. | "My Quicksand" | 4:47 |
| 7. | "Can't Stay Alone Tonight" | 4:48 |
| 8. | "Voyeur" | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Home Again" | 5:01 |
| 10. | "Take This Dirty Water" | 4:25 |
| 11. | "Dream #2" (instrumental interlude) | 0:43 |
| 12. | "The New Fever Waltz" | 4:38 |
| 13. | "Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)" | 3:34 |
| 14. | "Dream #3" (instrumental interlude) | 1:37 |
| 15. | "The Diving Board" | 5:59 |
| Total length: | 57:45 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Candlelit Bedroom" | 4:14 |
| 17. | "Home Again" (live fromCapitol Studios) | 5:19 |
| 18. | "Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)" (live from Capitol Studios) | 4:28 |
| 19. | "The New Fever Waltz" (live from Capitol Studios) | 4:42 |
| Total length: | 76:28 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "T Bone Burnett Introduction" | |
| 2. | "The New Fever Waltz" | |
| 3. | "Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)" | |
| 4. | "Home Again" | |
| 5. | "BehindThe Diving Board with Elton John" | |
| 6. | "Closing Credits" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oceans Away" | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Oscar Wilde Gets Out" | 4:35 |
| 3. | "A Town Called Jubilee" | 4:29 |
| 4. | "The Ballad of Blind Tom" | 4:12 |
| 5. | "Dream #1" (instrumental interlude) | 0:39 |
| 6. | "My Quicksand" | 4:46 |
| 7. | "Can't Stay Alone Tonight" | 4:48 |
| 8. | "Voyeur" | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Home Again" | 5:01 |
| 10. | "Take This Dirty Water" | 4:24 |
| 11. | "Dream #2" (instrumental interlude) | 0:43 |
| 12. | "The New Fever Waltz" | 4:38 |
| 13. | "Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)" | 3:33 |
| 14. | "Dream #3" (instrumental interlude) | 1:36 |
| 15. | "The Diving Board" | 5:55 |
| 16. | "Candlelit Bedroom" | 4:13 |
| 17. | "Gauguin Gone Hollywood" | 4:18 |
| 18. | "5th Avenue" | 4:22 |
| 19. | "Home Again" (live from Capitol Studios) | 5:19 |
| 20. | "Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)" (live from Capitol Studios) | 4:27 |
| 21. | "The New Fever Waltz" (live from Capitol Studios) | 4:42 |
| Total length: | 84:54 | |
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[33] | 26 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34] | 13 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] | 33 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] | 20 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[37] | 7 |
| Croatian Western Albums[38] | 9 |
| Czech Albums Chart[39] | 11 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[40] | 6 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[41] | 22 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[42] | 29 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[43] | 11 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[44] | 14 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[45] | 12 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[46] | 100 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[47] | 20 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[48] | 10 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[49] | 3 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[50] | 36 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[51] | 42 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[52] | 7 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[53] | 3 |
| USBillboard 200[54] | 4 |
| USTop Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[55] | 6 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[56] | Silver | 60,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia[57] | 13 September 2013 | CD,LP,digital download | Mercury Records | 3744867 |
| United Kingdom[58] | 16 September 2013 | 3744867 | ||
| United States/Canada[58] | 24 September 2013 | Capitol Records | B0018688-02 |
