Blue Moves

Blue Moves
Studio album by Elton John
Released	22 October 1976
Recorded	Eastern Sound, Toronto, March 1976
Genre	Rock
Length	84:47
Label	MCA (US/Canada)/ The Rocket Record Company
Producer	Gus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
Here and There (1976) Blue Moves (1976) Greatest Hits Volume II (1977)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	(C)
Rolling Stone	(not rated)

Blue Moves is the eleventh studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1976. It was also his second double album (after Goodbye Yellow Brick Road), and his first album released by his own Rocket Records Ltd. While giving a concert at Wembley Arena to promote the album, he spontaneously announced "That's it, this is the last one."^{[citation needed]} He didn't say for how long, but he was serious and temporarily left the touring/live performing scene. Kenny Passerelli, Caleb Quaye, James Newton-Howard, and Roger Pope left the band after this. Only Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper remained for John's next album, A Single Man.

Despite the album's darker tone and experimental song lineup, it has held up well with critics and in its initial release made it to number three on the album charts, partly on the strength of the album's biggest hit single "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word." (A single version of "Bite Your Lip" also made it as a Top 40 hit.) John has played several songs from "Blue Moves" live. Versions of "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word," "Bite Your Lip (Get Up And Dance)," "One Horse Town," "Tonight" and "Idol" have surfaced in various concert appearances through the years.

John has stated that Blue Moves is one of his favourite albums he has ever recorded. It was Gus Dudgeon's last album produced for almost a decade. The cover art for the album is from a painting by British artist Patrick Procktor. In the U.S. it was certified Gold on 10/29/1976 and Platinum on 12/9/1976 by the R.I.A.A.

Interesting notes about some songs: "Cage the Songbird" was a tribute to legendary French songstress Edith Piaf, and a year or so later was covered by Kiki Dee on an unreleased Rocket album, which finally was issued in 2008. ("Songbird" originated as part of the Rock of the Westies sessions, but wasn't completed during them, probably since the song's more acoustic, delicate sound didn't fit with the more rock 'n roll approach to the rest of the songs that made the Rock of the Westies final lineup.) The Beach Boys turned down "Chameleon," but members of the group (including Bruce Johnston and Toni Tennille) turned out to sing backing vocals on Elton's version. And "Idol," which describes the bittersweet fall of an Elvis-like star who was popular in the 1950s, ended up being an almost eerie narrative for the sad state of "the King," Elvis Presley, who wasn't in good health mentally or physically in March 1976 when the song was written and recorded. (Elvis would have little more than a year to live, his untimely and mournful death coming in August 1977.) An excerpt from "Out of the Blue" was used for the closing titles on Top Gear up until the end of that Top Gear format (in 2001). This was one of two albums in which Davey Johnstone does not provide backing vocals; 1997's The Big Picture would be the other.

Track listing

All songs by John/Taupin, except where noted.

Side one

1. "Your Starter for..." (Caleb Quaye) – 1:23
2. "Tonight" – 7:52
3. "One Horse Town" (John, James Newton-Howard, Taupin) – 5:56
4. "Chameleon" – 5:27

Side two

1. "Boogie Pilgrim" (John, Davey Johnstone, Quaye, Taupin) – 6:05
2. "Cage the Songbird" (John, Johnstone, Taupin) – 3:25
3. "Crazy Water" – 5:42
4. "Shoulder Holster" – 5:10

Side three

1. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" – 3:48
2. "Out of the Blue" – 6:14
3. "Between Seventeen and Twenty" (John, Johnstone, Quaye, Taupin) – 5:17
4. "The Wide-Eyed and Laughing" (John, Johnstone, Newton-Howard, Quaye, Taupin) – 3:27
5. "Someone's Final Song" – 4:10

Side four

1. "Where's the Shoorah?" – 4:09
2. "If There's a God in Heaven (What's He Waiting For?)" (John, Johnstone, Taupin) – 4:25
3. "Idol" – 4:08
4. "Theme from a Non-Existent TV Series" – 1:19
5. "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" – 6:43

Initial CD versions of the album maintain the same running order, but omit the following tracks: "Cage The Songbird", "Shoulder Holster", "The Wide Eyed And Laughing", and "Where's The Shoorah?"

It has since been remastered and re-released as a 2-CD set retaining the original LP track listing.

When MCA Records re-issued this album on cassette tape in the 1980s, the album's running order was markedly different:

1. "Your Starter For..."
2. "Tonight"
3. "Crazy Water"
4. "Out Of The Blue"
5. "Bite Your Lip (Get Up And Dance)"
6. "Cage The Songbird"
7. "One Horse Town"
8. "Shoulder Holster"
9. "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"
10. "Chameleon"
11. "If There's A God In Heaven (What Is He Waiting For?)"
12. "Wide Eyed And Laughing"
13. "Someone's Final Song"
14. "Where's The Shoorah?"
15. "Between Seventeen And Twenty"
16. "Idol"
17. "Theme From A Non-Existent TV Series"
18. "Boogie Pilgrim"

B-sides

Song	Format
"Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance) (Remix by Tom Moulton)"	Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance) 7" (US), 12" (US/UK) (short version), 12" (US/UK) (full version)

Personnel

• Elton John – piano, harmonium, electric harpsichord, vocals
• Curt Becher – backing vocals
• Michael Brecker – horn
• Randy Brecker – horn
• Paul Buckmaster – conductor and
• Cindy Bullens – vocals, background vocals
• Clark Burroughs – vocals, background vocals
• Joe Chemay – vocals, background vocals
• Ray Cooper – percussion
• Cornerstone Choir
• David Crosby – vocals, background vocals
• Martyn Ford – strings, orchestra
• Carl Fortina – accordion
• Ron Hicklin – vocals, background vocals
• Michael Hurwitz – cello
• Bruce Johnston – background vocals
• Davey Johnstone – dulcimer, acoustic guitar, mandolin, electric guitar, sitar, slide guitar
• Jan Joyce – vocals
• Jon Joyce – background vocals
• The London Symphony Orchestra
• Gene Morford – vocals, background vocals
• Graham Nash – vocals, background vocals
• James Newton-Howard – organ, synthesizers, clavinet, conductor, electric piano, mellotron
• Gene Page – strings
• Kenny Passarelli – bass
• Roger Pope – drums
• Caleb Quaye – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12 string guitar
• Barry Rogers – horn
• David Sanborn – saxophone
• Toni Tennille – vocals, background vocals

Production

• Producer: Gus Dudgeon
• Engineers: Arun Chakraverty, Gus Dudgeon, Mark Howlett, John Kurlander, Earle Mankey, John Stewart
• Mixing: Phil Dunne
• Remixing: Gus Dudgeon, Phil Dunne
• Cutting engineer: Arun Chakraverty
• Director: Rev. James Cleveland
• Coordination: David Larkham
• Arrangers: Curt Becher, Paul Buckmaster, Daryl Dragon, Bruce Johnston, James Newton-Howard
• Art direction: David Costa
• Photography: David Nutter
• Liner notes: Gus Dudgeon

Charts

Album

Chart (1976)	Peak position
United States Pop Albums	3

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released

Title	Year	Peak chart positions
		US A.C.	US Pop
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"	1976	1	6
"Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)"	1977	—	28
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.