Madman Across the Water

by

Elton John

Edit

Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1971. The title song, "Madman Across the Water", was set to be released on Elton John's previous album Tumbleweed Connection. However, it was set aside and would eventually be re-recorded and serve as the title track of this album. Previous versions of the song (from the Tumbleweed sessions with Mick Ronson on guitar) can still be found, specifically on the remastered Tumbleweed Connection CD. When it was released in 'The Classic Years' collection, it was the first album not to feature any bonus tracks. One known track recorded at the time, "Rock Me When He's Gone", was released on "Rare Masters" a few years before. The song was written for and recorded by one of John's long-time friends, Long John Baldry. This was the first album in which Davey Johnstone played guitar for Elton, a role that would continue for many years and decades to come. John, Johnstone, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson, who would be the main musicians on Elton's next album ("Honky Chateau"), would soon join with percussionist Ray Cooper and form the best-known lineup of Elton's well known mid-'70s band.

The album cover for Madman Across the Water was embroidered over a weekend by Helen Walters, then the DJM Records publicist, using an old pair of Levis (the artwork for the album cover is now a major collector's item). There was an initial run of very expensive album covers with similar embroidery, used for promotional purposes (also collectors' items), but as demand quickly exceeded supply, the embroidery was replaced, first by embossing (a minor collector's item), and eventually just flat printed. This is the only Elton John album cover to achieve collectible status, as all others were either mat or flat printed.

This was John's lowest charting album in the UK, only reaching #41. In the U.S., Madman Across the Water managed to reach #8 in early 1972 on the Billboard 200.