From Reginald Dwight to Elton John, one of the greatest selling pop stars ever. In the 1960s by combining American blues with British folk and harmony, many artists created a new hybrid sound which was set to conquer the world. The cultural revolution was sparked when the children of the blitz grew up as young adults and wanted a new world. "No more death," they cried, and the psychedelic sixties were born. This excellent BBC documentary charts Elton's early days and development. His grounding in the blues and playing in London clubs led him to make important contacts in the publishing industry and his meeting with Bernie Taupin set the stage for his subsequent superstar status. It was an era hungry for experience and one in which it was possible to become highly recognized through your art and vision.
In the documentary, they say of Bernie Taupin, who turned Elton on to Dylan, that singer songwriters were expected to be moody young men. The late 60s and early 70s are a high water mark culturally because the visions, longings and inner experience of young poets was taken seriously by the culture at large. Being sensitive was a virtue and hundreds of thousands of people were listening to these amazing records. It was life changing and quickly harnessed by the money men and slick producers. I don't doubt that the same talent still exists today, but the corporate entertainment machine does not take risks, its not plugged in today in the same way culturally to the experience of transformation possible through the arts. Thus music has been pasteurized and strictly packaged, but the spark is not there. Elton John is one of the greats of his era, without a doubt. It was an age of radio, when songs would come unexpectedly into the air and you would hear then for the first time. Now, in our little media bubbles and youtube existences, we don't share the moment together in the same way.
Before the fame and the glamour, the coke and the crazy orgies, in those first eight records or so, Elton John was forging new ground. In retrospect, with all the crazy outfits, dressed up like Donald Duck, the whole outrageous drag show element of it is distracting, on the other hand he was, and remains a gay icon and champion. In the 1980s, his career began to flounder a bit, he became a bit lost in the scale of it all, but very few artists remain at the top of their form throughout their careers, and Elton John has been particularly active late into his life. Now at the age of nearly 71 he is on his last tour. His energy, his gift for song and talent are inspiring. Listen to those first records. I wish the joy in poetry and the celebration of the moody, sensitive singer-songwriters would return. For me as a child of the 1970s, this cultural current has left its mark on me. We need to recognize the poetry of our times.