After a dozen albums with lyrical collaborator Bernie Taupin, A Single Man (1978) represents Elton John's first full-length release away from their decade-long partnership.
John's initial intent was to complete work on a Taupin-era remnant that had been on the back burner, titled Ego.
However, he found himself with some interesting melodies and eventually teamed up with former Vigrass & Osborne member Gary Osborne.
Also contributing to this album's different approach is producer Gus Dudgeon -- who had worked with John as far back as his debut long-player, Empty Sky (1969).
The infusion of new musical associates takes notable effect on songs such as the opener, "Shine on Through," which John had previously worked up during the Thom Bell Philly soul sessions that produced the hit "Mama Can't Buy You Love." (That version is available as one of three previously unissued sides on the Complete Thom Bell Sessions EP.) Among the other standouts are the gospel-tinged "Georgia," the lengthy blues-rocker "It Ain't Gonna Be Easy," and the ultra campy, if not lightweight, "Big Dipper." The single "Part-Time Love" only made a nominal chart impact despite its catchy and danceable melody.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shine on ThroughElton John, Gary Osborne | Elton John | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 2 | Return to ParadiseElton John, Gary Osborne | Elton John | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | I Don't CareElton John, Gary Osborne | Elton John | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 4 | Big DipperElton John, Gary Osborne | Elton John | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | It Ain't Gonna Be EasyElton John, Gary Osborne | Elton John | Play | 08:15 | 18 MB | 48 MB |
| 6 | GeorgiaElton John, Gary Osborne | Elton John | Play | 04:48 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 7 | Shooting StarElton John, Gary Osborne | Elton John | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 8 | MadnessElton John, Gary Osborne | Elton John | Play | 05:49 | 13 MB | 38 MB |
| 9 | Song for GuyElton John, Bernie Taupin | Elton John | Play | 06:37 | 15 MB | 36 MB |
| 10 | Part Time Love | Elton John | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 11 | Reverie (Original) | Elton John | Play | 00:52 | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| 48 mins | 111 MB | |||||
| 48 mins | 287 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vicki Brown | Vocals |
| 2 | Paul Buckmaster | Cello |
| 3 | B.J. Cole | Guest Artist, Guitar, Guitar (Steel) |
| 4 | Ian Cooper | Mastering |
| 5 | Ray Cooper | Congas, Guest Artist, Percussion, Rhythm Box, Shaker, Tambourine, Timpani, Vibraphone, Wind Chimes |
| 6 | David Costa | Sleeve Design |
| 7 | John Crocker | Clarinet, Fender Rhodes, Piano (Electric), Sax (Tenor), Wind |
| 8 | Gus Dudgeon | Digital Remastering |
| 9 | Phil Dunne | Engineer, Mixing |
| 10 | Stuart Epps | Engineer, Mixing |
| 11 | Herbie Flowers | Bass, Bass (Acoustic) |
| 12 | Alex Foster | Coordination |
| 13 | Clive Franks | Bass, Engineer, Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Vocals |
| 14 | Mike Gill | Supervising Producer |
| 15 | Patrick Halcox | Trumpet |
| 16 | Steve Holly | Drums, Horn |
| 17 | Elton John | Clavinet, Composer, Harmonium, Keyboards, Mellotron, Organ, Piano, Polymoog, Primary Artist, Producer, Synthesizer Strings, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 18 | Davey Johnstone | Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 19 | Stevie Lange | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 20 | Henry Lowther | Trumpet |
| 21 | Peter Mew | Engineer |
| 22 | Gary Osborne | Composer, Vocals |
| 23 | Tim Renwick | Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mandolin |
| 24 | Jim Shepherd | Trombone |
| 25 | Joanne Stone | Arranger, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 26 | Mike Storey | Graphic Design |
| 27 | Bernie Taupin | Composer |
| 28 | Chris Thompson | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 29 | John Tobler | Liner Editor |
| 30 | Chris White | Liner Notes |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |