'band On The Run' Is A Carefully

It Is By Now Beyond Question That Elton John Is A Competent And Classy Entertainer. Few People Who Have Achieved His Popularity Have Succeeded In Maintaining His Standards For Performance And Professionalism.

The Beatles Production Is Often So 'perfect' That It Sounds Computerized. 'sgt. Pepper' Really Does Sound Like It Took Four Months To Make.

The Modern Recording Studio, With Its Well-trained Engineers, 24-track Machines And Shiny New Recording Consoles, Encourages The Artist To Get Involved With Sound. And There Have Always Been Artists Who Could Make The Equipment Serve Their Needs In A Highly Personal Way - I Would Single Out The Beatles, Phil Spector, The Beach Boys And Thom Bell.

'dance To The Music' Was Just Sly Stone Being His Natural Crazy Self Right From The Beginning. The Man Was An Original And His First Am Hit Was Nothing If It Wasn't The Example Per Excellence Of The Sly Stone Music Machine.

Elton John Can Be A Master Of The Sleight Of Hand. The Arrangements Make It Seem Like There Are Substantial Melodies Underneath The Tracks - But Almost Nothing Demands Repeated Listenings. Similarly, He Always Sounds Like He's Singing Up A Storm, But His Voice Glosses Over The Material, Reducing Most Things To An Uninteresting Sameness.