21 at 33
| 21 at 33 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 May 1980 | |||
| Recorded | September 1979 – March 1980[1] | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 43:07 | |||
| Label | MCA, Rocket | |||
| Producer | Elton John, Clive Franks | |||
| Elton John chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 21 at 33 | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | Unrated[2] |
| Smash Hits | 7/10[3] |
21 at 33 is the fourteenth studio album by English musician Elton John and his 21st album in total, made when John was 33 years old, hence the title.[4][5]
21 at 33 was recorded at Super Bear Studios, Nice, France, in September 1979 and at Rumbo Recorders and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California, from January to March 1980. Three singles were released from the album, including "Little Jeannie", his highest-charting U.S. single in 5 years.
The album sold over 900,000 copies in the United States, missing a Platinum certification.[6]
Background[edit]
The two other founding members of the original Elton John Band (active 1969–1975), drummer Nigel Olsson and bass player Dee Murray, reunited with him for two songs. His keyboardist James Newton Howard returned and performed on almost every track, as was the case on Rock of the Westies and Blue Moves. Other musicians included members of the Eagles and Toto, as well as Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits and Bill Champlin and Toni Tennille of Captain & Tennille fame.
The title comes from the fact that this was John's 21st album in total at the age of 33. According to the liner notes in the remastered edition of the album, the count includes all standard albums, two greatest hits compilations, two live albums, as well as the soundtrack release Friends, the three -song 12-inch EP The Thom Bell Sessions and the UK-only rarities collection Lady Samantha.
John has not played any of the material in concert since touring in 1980, with the exception of "Little Jeannie", which, despite having been a huge North American hit (#3 Pop and #1 Adult Contemporary in the United States, and #1 in Canada), was included only in the two concerts from 2000 entitled One Night Only, and the warm up gig for the two Madison Square Garden concerts in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.[7]
Track listing[edit]
Side one[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chasing the Crown" | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Little Jeannie" | John, Gary Osborne | 5:14 |
| 3. | "Sartorial Eloquence" | John, Tom Robinson | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Two Rooms at the End of the World" | John, Taupin | 5:40 |
Side two[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "White Lady White Powder" | John, Taupin | 4:34 |
| 2. | "Dear God" | John, Osborne | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" | John, Robinson | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Take Me Back" | John, Osborne | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Give Me the Love" | John, Judie Tzuke | 5:30 |
- Eleven more songs, excluding the B-sides, were recorded during these sessions: five of which were "Heart in the Right Place", "Carla/Etude", "Fanfare", "Chloe" and "Elton's Song"; these would appear on John's next release, The Fox. Two other songs recorded were French-language duets with France Gall, entitled "Les Aveux" and "Donner Pour Donner", which were respectively released in France as the A-side and B-side of a 7" single. One song was "The Retreat" which was the B-side of the single "Princess" in 1982 and was later included as a bonus track on remastered version of the album Too Low for Zero. The other three songs were the B-sides for singles released from The Fox in 1981.
- In 2003, Mercury/Universal and The Rocket Record Company reissued the album on CD, remastered by Gary Moore; the new line-up contained no bonus tracks.
Personnel[edit]
Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.
- Elton John – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic piano (1, 3, 5, 6), overdubbed piano (1, 3, 5, 6, 8), Yamaha electric piano (4), Wurlitzer electric piano (8)
- James Newton Howard – Fender Rhodes (2, 6, 7), Yamaha CS-80 (2), electronic keyboards (3, 7), acoustic piano (9)
- David Paich – organ (6)
- Steve Lukather – electric guitar (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9)
- Richie Zito – acoustic guitar (2, 7), electric guitar (5, 8)
- Steve Wrather – electric guitar (7)
- Reggie McBride – bass (1–4, 6–9)
- Dee Murray – backing vocals (2), bass (5)
- Alvin Taylor – drums (1, 3, 4, 6–9)
- Nigel Olsson – drums (2, 5)
- Victor Feldman – tambourine (1, 3, 5, 9)
- Clive Franks – tambourine (4, 6), cowbell (4)
- Lenny Castro – congas (5, 9)
- Jim Horn – brass arrangements (2, 4), piccolo flute (2), alto saxophone (2), tenor saxophone (4)
- Richie Cannata – alto saxophone (7)
- Larry Williams – tenor saxophone (9)
- Chuck Findley – trombone (2, 4), trumpet (2, 4)
- Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (9)
- Jerry Hey – flugelhorn (2, 9), trumpet (4, 9), brass arrangements (9)
- Larry Hall – trumpet (9), flugelhorn (9)
- Byron Berline – fiddle (8)
- David Foster – string arrangements (9)
- Venette Gloud – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)
- Stephanie Spruill – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)
- Carmen Twillie – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)
- Bill Champlin – backing vocals (2, 9)
- Max Gronenthal – backing vocals (2)
- Glenn Frey – backing vocals (5)
- Don Henley – backing vocals (5)
- Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals (5)
- Curt Becher – choir vocals (6)
- Joe Chemay – choir vocals (6)
- Bruce Johnston – choir arrangements (6), choir vocals (6)
- Jon Joyce – choir vocals (6)
- Peter Noone – choir vocals (6)
- Toni Tennille – choir vocals (6)
Production[edit]
- Produced by Clive Franks and Elton John
- Engineers – Clive Franks, Steve Desper (Track 6), Patrick Jaunead (Tracks 1–4, 6–9).
- Second engineers – David Burgess (Tracks 1–4, 6–9), David Leonard, Peggy McCreary and Stephen McManus.
- Recorded at Super Bear Studios (Berre-les-Alpes, France); Rumbo Recorders and Sunset Sound Recorders (Los Angeles, CA).
- Mixed at Sunset Sound Recorders
- Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Mastering Studio (Los Angeles, CA).
- Studio coordinator – Adrian Collee
- Art direction – George Osaki
- Design and concept – Norman Moore
- Photography – Jim Shea
- Management – John Reid Management, LTD.
Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit] |
|
Year-end charts[edit]
| Chart (1980) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart[8] | 25 |
| Canadian Albums Chart[19] | 42 |
| French Albums Chart[20] | 58 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] | 65 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] | 23 |
Certifications[edit]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[23] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[24] | Gold | 100,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References[edit]
- ^ a b c 21 at 33 Elton John Allmusic.com Lindsay Planer
- ^ "21 at 33". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ Cranna, Ian. "Albums". Smash Hits (12–25 June 1980): 31.
- ^ Judy Parkinson (2003). Elton Made in England. Michael O'Mara Books. p. 117.
- ^ Lindsay Planer. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic.
- ^ Liner notes to remastered 21 at 33 album
- ^ One Night Only: The Greatest Hits DVD, 2000.
- ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Library and Archives Canada. Archived 15 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2012-02-29
- ^ "Elton John – 21 at 33". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste : Elton John" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 29 February 2012. Note: user must select 'Elton JOHN' from drop-down
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "charts.nz Elton John – 21 at 33" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com Elton John – 21 at 33" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com Elton John – 21 at 33" (ASP). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company – Elton John – 21 at 33" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "allmusic ((( 21 at 33 > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "Album Search: Elton John – 21 at 33" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 28 February 2012.[dead link]
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1980". RPM. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1980 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1980. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1980 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33". Music Canada.
- ^ "French album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33" (in French). InfoDisc. Select ELTON JOHN and click OK.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33". Recording Industry Association of America.
