Pagliacci of pop

Elton John: "The Big Picture" (Mercury) Poor Bernie Taupin. He writes most of the lyrics of Elton John hits - such as the hymn to Princess Diana, Candle In The Wind 1997 - and Elton soaks up all the glory.

This is not to say that Elton's musical settings for Taupin's lyrics are less than noteworthy but, really, isn't it the sentiment we most remember from compositions such as Your Song and Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word? The same is true of this album, which was scheduled for release long before Diana replaced Marilyn Monroe as the focus of attention in Candle In The Wind. So if the Princess hadn't died, would we pay as much attention to The Big Picture? Probably not. But if soul-soothing middleof-the-road pop is what you prefer, Taupin's lyrics are as poetically precise as ever, even if Elton's voice now more often leaps across barlines rather than flows legato-style. Then again, this ragged edge gives a suggestion of vulnerability in tracks like Love's Got A Lot To Answer For and Recover Your Soul. Songs such as Wicked Dreams are also the epitome of the romanticism that is the hallmark of compositions by Bernie Taupin and Elton John. Even so, one suspects that the songs would be even more truthful, dynamic and self-revelatory if the lyrics as well as the music came from the soul of Elton John. He definitely is the Pagliacci of pop, but that element of tragi-comedy rarely comes across in his work. Maybe next time. For Elton fans only. Or for those who believe that Elton is one of the last points of contact they have with Princess Diana.