Captain Fantastic

Captain Fantastic
OregonLive.com - Portland,OR,USA
Billy Joel says that one of the highlights of his career were the Face to Face tours he embarked on with Elton John in recent years. ...

 

Elton John returns with his superior songwriting and a sequel to one of his best recordings ever

Friday, September 22, 2006

ED CONDRAN

Billy Joel says that one of the highlights of his career were the Face to Face tours he embarked on with Elton John in recent years. "Elton is one of the greatest piano players/singer-songwriters ever," Joel said. "He's also just a great guy. I'm a huge fan. I can't say enough about him."

 

It's not surprising that Joel is enamored of John. Both are chubby, balding, middle-aged piano players who churn out classic pop-rock. "We have our similarities and our differences," Joel said. "We're not carbon copies."

 

John, 59, is a British legend who brings his unique songwriting skills and legendary showmanship to Portland's Rose Garden arena Sunday evening. It's in support of his newest CD, "The Captain & the Kid," a sequel of sorts to 1975's "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy," arguably the best album in John's long career. The new recording reteams John with master wordsmith Bernie Taupin. Together they co-wrote songs such as "Philadelphia Freedom" and "Someone Saved My Life Tonight."

John, the flamboyant son of a former Royal Air Force trumpeter, arguably was the most popular rocker of the early '70s. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was able to sustain success. He charted a Top 40 single every year from 1970 to 1996.

"That's one of the most amazing things about Elton," Joel said. "Anyone in this business knows how hard it is to be on top. It's hard to do for a few short years, let alone decades like he has been able to accomplish."

A number of John's songs -- "Your Song," "Rocket Man" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" -- are considered rock standards.

"There's no doubt that Elton John is very talented," E Street Band guitarist/actor/DJ Steve Van Zandt said. "The guy knows how to write a hit."

John continues to sell out airplane hangars.

"There still is an audience for guys like Elton and I," Joel said. "The baby boomers and younger fans like this style of music."

Hipsters, such as Mooney Suzuki frontman Sammy James Jr., also dig the charismatic legend.

"I would consider myself a fan even though I never bought his stuff," James said. "I did download some of his songs last week. I paid for them on iTunes. I remember how much I liked his hits during the '80s, when I was a kid. All of his songs are so ubiquitous. You don't have to buy them. You know his songs by osmosis. The thing that's great about Elton John is that if you hear a snippet of one of his songs on the piano and you can instantly identify it. It's obviously Elton John. He is amazing with melody."

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