A Single Man
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A Single Man (album)
For the novel by Christopher Isherwood, see A Single Man (novel). For the 2009 film, see A Single Man (film).
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| A Single Man | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Elton John | ||||
| Released | 16 October 1978 | |||
| Recorded | Autumn 1977, January - September 1978, The Mill, Cookham, Berks | |||
| Genre | Rock, pop | |||
| Length | 48:46 | |||
| Label | MCA (US/Canada) Rocket |
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| Producer | Clive Franks, Elton John | |||
| Elton John chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (C) [2] |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated) [3] |
A Single Man is the twelfth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1978, two years after his intended last album Blue Moves, and one year after the release of Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume II. It is the first album he created without his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, or longtime producer Gus Dudgeon. As Gary Osborne was an unknown at the time, many people have misinterpreted the album's title to imply that John wrote the entire album himself. The only returning members of his band are percussionist Ray Cooper and guitarist Davey Johnstone; the latter only played on one song on the album.
The hit "Song for Guy" was a tribute to Guy Burchett, a young Rocket Records messenger who was killed in a motorcycle accident. The song was a near-global success, charting high everywhere except the US and Canada, where John's label, MCA Records, didn't feel that it had hit potential, due to the recent success of the instrumental "Music Box Dancer".
The 1998 reissue has five bonus tracks, the first two being the 1978 flop-single "Ego", and its B-side "Flinstone Boy". The next two tracks are the B-sides of "Part-Time Love" and "Song for Guy" ("I Cry at Night" and "Lovesick" respectively), and the last track, "Strangers", originally B-side of his 1979 disco-album title track, "Victim of Love". Some releases of his 1980 album, 21 at 33, also have "Strangers" as a bonus track. Paul Buckmaster would not appear on another Elton John album until Made in England.
The photo for the front cover was taken in the Long Walk, which is part of Windsor Great Park in Berkshire. The inside cover shows John in a Jaguar XK140 FHC.
A Single Man was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.
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Contents
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Soviet Release
A Single Man was John's first album ever to be officially released in the former USSR, though his previous releases had been smuggled into the country in various forms. It was released following the success of his A Single Man in Concert shows in Moscow and Leningrad, though it differed in two ways from its release elsewhere. First, the album was re-titled Poyot Elton John ["Elton John sings" in Russian]. Second, on some prints both "Big Dipper" and "Part-Time Love" were removed, due to the subject matter of the songs. Curiously, John had performed "Part-Time Love" at the USSR shows without objection from Soviet officials.
Track listing
All songs by Elton John and Gary Osborne, except where noted.
Side one
- "Shine on Through" - 3:45
- "Return to Paradise" - 4:15
- "I Don't Care" - 4:23
- "Big Dipper" - 4:04
- "It Ain't Gonna Be Easy" - 8:27
Side two
- "Part-Time Love" - 3:16
- "Georgia" - 4:50
- "Shooting Star" - 2:44
- "Madness" - 5:53
- "Reverie" (John) - 0:53
- "Song for Guy" (John) - 6:35
Bonus tracks (1998 Polydor reissue)
- "Ego" (John, Bernie Taupin) - 4:00
- "Flinstone Boy" (John) - 4:13
- "I Cry at Night" (John, Taupin) - 3:16
- "Lovesick" (John, Taupin) - 3:59
- "Strangers" - 4:46
B-sides
| Song | Format |
|---|---|
| "I Cry at Night" | Part Time Love 7" (US/UK) |
| "Lovesick" | Song for Guy 7" (US/UK) |
Personnel
- Elton John - piano, harmonium, church organ, vocals, backing vocals, clavinet, mellotron, Polymoog, Solina String Synthesizer
- Ray Cooper - congas, tambourine, tympani, vibraphone, shakers, wind chimes
- Vicki Brown - backing vocals
- Paul Buckmaster - orchestra arrangement, ARP
- B.J. Cole - steel guitar
- John Crocker - clarinet, electric piano, tenor saxophone, Fender Rhodes
- Herbie Flowers - acoustic bass
- Clive Franks - bass guitar
- Rhythm Box - rhythm box
- Patrick Halcox - trumpet
- Steve Holly - drums, horn
- Davey Johnstone - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Stevie Lange - backing vocals
- Henry Lowther - trumpet
- Gary Osborne - backing vocals
- Tim Renwick - acoustic guitar, mandolin, electric guitar, Leslie guitar
- Jim Shepherd - trombone
- Joanne Stone - backing vocals
- Chris Thompson - backing vocals
- Watford Football Club - backing vocals
Production
- Producers: Clive Franks, Elton John
- Supervising producer: Mike Gill
- Engineers: Phil Dunne, Stuart Epps, Clive Franks, Peter Mew
- Mixing: Phil Dunne, Stuart Epps, Clive Franks
- Mastering: Ian Cooper
- Digital remastering: Gus Dudgeon
- Coordination: Alex Foster
- Arranger: Joanne Stone
- Orchestral arrangements: Paul Buckmaster
- Sleeve design: David Costa
- Graphic design: Mike Storey
- Liner editor: John Tobler
- Liner notes: Chris White
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[4] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[5] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[6] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[7] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
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*sales figures based on certification alone |
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Charts
Chart positions
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Year-end charts
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References
- ^ A Single Man (album) at Allmusic
- ^ "CG: elton john". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=elton+john. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ "A Single Man - Album Review". Rolling Stone. 25 January 1979. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/a-single-man-19790125. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Elton John – Single Man". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=Single+Man&sa=Elton+John&smt=0.
- ^ "French album certifications – Elton John – A Single Man" (in French). InfoDisc. http://www.infodisc.fr/Certif_Album.php. Select ELTON JOHN and click OK
- ^ "Dutch album certifications – Elton John – Single Man" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. http://www.ifpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=60463.
- ^ "British album certifications – Elton John – Single Man". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Enter Single Man in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
- ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – Single Man". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Single+Man%22. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2012-02-29
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl Elton John - A Single Man" (in Dutch) (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Elton+John&titel=A+Single+Man&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste : Elton John" (in French) (PHP). infodisc.fr. http://infodisc.fr/Album_J.php. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- ^ a b "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1979" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yenda/lpe1979.htm. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "charts.org.nz Elton John – A Single Man" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Elton+John&titel=A+Single+Man&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com Elton John – A Single Man" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Elton+John&titel=A+Single+Man&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com Elton John – A Single Man" (ASP). Sverigetopplistan. http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Elton+John&titel=A+Single+Man&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- ^ "Chart Stats - Elton John – A Single Man" (PHP). UK Albums Chart. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=38773. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
- ^ "allmusic ((( A Single Man > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r10470/charts-awards. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
- ^ "Album Search: Elton John – A Single Man" (in German) (ASP). Media Control. http://www.charts.de/album.asp?artist=Elton+John&title=A+Single+Man&cat=a&country=de. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1978". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0069&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=c6btf3r8hs459qqt5ln3o3dcv5. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1978 par InfoDisc" (in French) (PHP). infodisc.fr. http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1978.php. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". http://chartheaven.9.forumer.com/a/complete-uk-yearend-album-charts_post21.html. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
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