Elton John’s classic denim album Madman Across The Water, which contains the hits “Tiny Dancer” and “Levon” will get a 50th anniversary reissue, it was announced.
Madman Across The Water was Elton’s fourth studio album, released two years after his debut. Recorded in 1971, Madman Across The Water was written after Elton had made his initial foray to America, offering the opportunity for lyricist Bernie Taupin to witness first-hand the landscapes and people he’d only seen on a screen or on the page.
Recorded at Trident Studios in Central London in February and August of 1971, it was the first album where all five players of Elton’s band lineup (Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone, and Ray Cooper) were featured. The album also featured Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who plays Hammond organ on three songs.
The reissue package is available to pre-order on 3-CD and 1 Blu-ray Super Deluxe Box Set, 4-LP, 1-LP Limited Edition colored vinyl, and 2-CD formats. The collection will be released on June 10.
Pre-order here.
A newly unveiled Piano Demo of “Tiny Dancer,” taken from the archives streams here:
Recorded at Dick James Studios in central London in Spring 1971, it is an intimate performance of the song with Elton alone at the piano as a guide for the band later to follow.
While the UK’s love affair with Elton was on the precipice of exploding upon Madman’s release at the start of the ‘70s, these nine tracks immediately struck a chord with US audiences, reaching the Top 10 of the Billboard album charts. It also spawned two hit singles, “Levon” and “Tiny Dancer,” both reaching the US Top 50.
After years as a best-kept secret except to Elton John fans, “Tiny Dancer” has gone on to become one of his most loved songs, and coming in third to “Rocket Man” and “Your Song” in global streaming numbers.
The celebration of Madman Across The Water comes in four different formats. All formats contain Bob Ludwig’s 2016 remaster of the main album. There are 18 previously unreleased tracks across the Super Deluxe 3-CD/1-Blu-ray box set, which also contains rare, restored material from the era, piano demos of the album, and the audio of the BBC Sounds For Saturday concert, broadcast in 1972.
The Blu-Ray contains a 5.1 mix by Greg Penny, plus the Sounds For Saturday and his 1971 Old Grey Whistle Test performance. The audio of the Super Deluxe CD/Blu-ray set will also be available on a 4-LP set. The box set includes photos, an essay with interviews with those who helped make the album, as well as memorabilia and artwork taken from the Rocket Archive.
The album will also be available as a limited edition blue and white-colored 180g LP.