Set for release on June 10th is the 50th anniversary edition of Elton John's fourth studio album, 1971's Madman Across The Water. The Super Deluxe box set features three-CD's and one-Blu-ray disc, along with a 1971 reproduction poster and 104-page book including photos and an essay with interviews with those who helped make the album — as well as memorabilia and artwork taken from the Rocket Archive.
There are 18 previously unreleased tracks across the Super Deluxe triple-CD/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 The Old Grey Whistle Test performance. The set is available as a four-LP set double-CD collection, and a single-LP limited edition remaster in blue and white-colored 180g vinyl.
Madman Across The Water was originally released on November 5th, 1971 and was the first to feature all three members of the classic, original Elton John Band — bassist Dee Murray, drummer Nigel Olsson, and for the first time, guitarist Davey Johnstone.
Highlights on the Madman Across The Water album include the iconic title track, “Tiny Dancer,” “Levon,” “Indian Sunset,” and “Holiday Inn.”
The album peaked at Number Eight and spent a solid month in the Billboard Top 10.
Elton John spoke about how the big screen provided a second life for “Tiny Dancer”: “'Tiny Dancer' is one of my favorite Elton John / Bernie Taupin songs — and from one of my favorite albums, Madman Across The Water. And it was written about Bernie's first wife, Maxine. I've always played it on and off, y'know, throughout my career, and obviously with the film, Almost Famous, which Cameron Crowe made. I mean, there was this great sequence and 'Tiny Dancer' featured very heavily in it. It came as a renaissance for the song and for my music to people who hadn't really heard. . . young kids who hadn't really Elton John before.”
Elton John performs on Saturday night (April 23rd) at Jacksonville, Florida's Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena.