It was called Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, an autobiographical effort named for the alter egos of John and his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin. The former part of the title refers to the flamboyant singer-pianist, while the latter is a reference to the lyricist, whose words often invoke tales of the old West. It came after the 1974 album, Caribou, which was a commercial success but was an artistic disappointment for John, during his imperial period when it seemed he could do no wrong.
“There’s no doubt about it,” producer Gus Dudgeon said in an interview for The Billboard Book of Number One Albums. “Captain Fantastic, technically, musically, and compositionally [is] the most cohesive Elton John album. It was very obviously going to be something special from the minute we first heard the songs.”
The album was recorded at the Caribou Ranch in Colorado, but this time John, his band and producer Dudgeon were able to overcome the problems that plagued the Caribou album sessions.
Captain Fantastic also captured the Elton John Band—bassist Dee Murray, guitarist Davey Johnstone, drummer Nigel Olsson, and percussionist Ray Cooper—in prime form. “The band was in its absolute peak,” Dudgeon said. “They played and sang the best they ever had done.” The material was also top-notch. “There’s hardly a song I don’t like,” the producer added.
One song in particular stood out. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” a heartfelt ballad about John’s failed suicide attempt and his near-marriage to his old girlfriend Linda Woodrow. “That’s an absolutely stunning song and I love the performance of it,” said Dudgeon. “It’s got a great atmosphere. The only thing I hate about it is the awful string synthesizer that comes in a quarter of the way through, but that’s the only thing that was available at the time.” The record-buying public and radio programmers, however, didn’t seem to mind, as the single eventually reached number four on the Hot 100.
Upon its release, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy had a shocking impact on the Top LPs & Tapes chart. It was not only John’s sixth Number One album, but it was also the first album ever to enter the chart at number one, and it racked up at total of seven nonconsecutive weeks at the top.
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