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Reg Strikes Back

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Reg Strikes Back
Studio album by
Elton John
Released20 June 1988[1]
Recorded1987–88
StudioAIR, London
GenrePop, rock
Length42:04
LabelMCA (US)
Rocket (UK)
ProducerChris Thomas
Elton John chronology
Elton John's Greatest Hits Vol. 3
(1987) 		Reg Strikes Back
(1988) 		Sleeping with the Past
(1989)
Singles from Reg Strikes Back
  1. "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That"
    Released: May 1988
  2. "Town of Plenty"
    Released: August 1988[2]
  3. "A Word in Spanish"
    Released: November 1988 (UK)
  4. "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two) (remix)"
    Released: November 1988 (US)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Chicago Tribune(mixed)[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
The New York Times(unfavourable)[7]
Record Mirror[8]
Rolling Stone[9]

Reg Strikes Back is the twenty-first studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1988. It was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press.[3] The "Reg" in Reg Strikes Back refers to John's birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight.

In the US, the album was certified gold in August 1988 by the RIAA. It was also John's third studio album in the 1980s to be placed inside the top 20 of US Billboard 200 (number 16, 1988).[10]

Background

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This was the last album that bassist Dee Murray (albeit without bass) appeared on prior to his death in 1992. Additionally, Nigel Olsson, the longtime drummer for John's band, appears (without drums) on backing vocals. John brought back record producer Chris Thomas for the album. The track "Heavy Traffic" had been written during the sessions for John's previous album Leather Jackets. This was the first studio album to be recorded and released after John's throat surgery the previous year. The album cover featured costumes from John's collection that he decided to put up for auction.

The tracks "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" and "A Word in Spanish" peaked at No. 2 and No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.

In the UK, "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" was the only song from the album to reach the Top 40 there, reaching #30 as the follow-up "Town of Plenty" and "A Word in Spanish" appears outside the Top 40 on the same chart, peaking at #74 and #91.

Cash Box said that "A Word in Spanish" is "brilliant," describing it as "a Spanish-guitar tinged ballad written with the kind of originality that John-Taupin haven't really touched since the seventies."[11]

Tour

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After taking over a year off (to recover from throat surgery, address personal issues and record Reg Strikes Back in London), John returned to the stage with a new rhythm section. He wanted more of an R&B sound to his material, so drummer Jonathan Moffett and bassist Romeo Williams, along with backing singers Marlena Jeter, Natalie Jackson and Alex Brown, were added to the band. Guitarist Davey Johnstone, now also in the role of music director, had assembled the new band, a task that he continues to do.[12]

The band's first show was at an AIDS benefit at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, where they played a 14-song set that featured the never-released John/Taupin composition, "Love Is Worth Waiting For".[13] The US tour then began on 9 September at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida and concluded on 22 October at New York's Madison Square Garden.[12]

After recording the follow-up album Sleeping with the Past in Denmark, the band (now with backing vocalist Mortonette Jenkins instead of Alex Brown) resumed their tour on 20 March 1989 at La Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon, France, and played across Eastern Europe and the UK, concluding on 10 June 1989 at the RDS Arena in Dublin.[12]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Town of Plenty"3:40
2."A Word in Spanish"4:39
3."Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)"4:12
4."I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That"4:33
5."Japanese Hands"4:40
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Goodbye Marlon Brando"3:30
2."The Camera Never Lies"4:36
3."Heavy Traffic" (John, Taupin, Davey Johnstone)3:30
4."Poor Cow"3:50
5."Since God Invented Girls"4:54
Total length:42:06
  • Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–10 on CD reissues.
Bonus tracks (1998 PolyGram International reissue)
No.TitleLength
11."Rope Around a Fool"3:48
12."I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" (Shep Pettibone Mix)7:16
13."I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" (Just Elton and His Piano Mix)4:37
14."Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Part Two)" (The Renaissance Mix)6:19
Total length:64:06

Personnel

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Musicians

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Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.

Production

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  • Producer – Chris Thomas
  • Recorded and engineered by Bill Price, Michael Mason and Paul Wertheimer
  • Assistant engineer – Karl Lever
  • Recorded at AIR Studios (London, England), Westside Studios (London, England), Circle Seven Recording and The Record Plant (Los Angeles, California)
  • Mixed at AIR Studios (London)
  • Mastered by Tim Young at CBS, London
  • All songs published by Happenstance Ltd.
  • Art direction – David Costa
  • Photography – Gered Mankowitz
  • Wardrobe – Bob Stacey

1998 reissue

  • Producer and remastering supervision – Mike Gill
  • Remixing and additional production on tracks 12, 13 and 14 – Shep Pettibone
  • Additional remixing on tracks 12 and 13 by Steve Peck
  • Remixing on track 14 by Daniel Abraham
  • Editing on tracks 12 and 13 – Junior Vasquez
  • Remastered by Gus Dudgeon, Mike Gill and Peter Mew.

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[31] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[32] Gold 100,000*
Italy
sales 1988-1989 		— 500,000[33]
Spain — 25,000[34]
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[35] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[37] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. ^ "Elton John singles".
  3. ^ a b Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Reg Strikes Back". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  4. ^ Heim, Chris (12 August 1988). "Elton John Is Back With Fan-pleasing 'Reg Strikes Back'". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "John, Elton". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2,003. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  6. ^ Grein, Paul (3 July 1988). "Elton: Second Wind". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  7. ^ Holden, Stephen (17 July 1988). "RECORDINGS; Three Veteran Rock-and-Rollers Spin New Disks". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  8. ^ Smith, Robin (9 July 1988). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 32. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  9. ^ Harold Goldberg (6 October 1988). "Reg Strikes Back | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  10. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 17 September 1988. p. 12. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  12. ^ a b c "The Band". Elton John.
  13. ^ "Elton John: Live in Los Angeles – July 8, 1988 (2021 Remaster)". Retrieved 25 April 2022 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6482". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Danskehitlister.dk". danskehitlister.dk. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – J". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Elton John from the menu, then press OK.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 20 July 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Elton John".
  22. ^ "Charts.nz – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  26. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  28. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  29. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1989 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  30. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 147.
  31. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back". Music Canada.
  32. ^ "French album certifications – John E. – Reg Strikes Back" (in French). InfoDisc. Select JOHN E. and click OK. 
  33. ^ Caroli, Daniele (9 December 1989). "Italy > Talent Challenges" (PDF). Billboard. 101 (49): I-8. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 25 July 2020 – via World Radio History.
  34. ^ "Elton John – Spain" (PDF). Music & Media. 30 January 1988. p. 45. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  35. ^ "Polygram award to Elton John for sales of over 25,000 of the Reg Strikes Back album in Switzerland". 20 February 2023.
  36. ^ "British album certifications – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back". British Phonographic Industry.
  37. ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – Reg Strikes Back". Recording Industry Association of America.
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