Ten Fantastic Facts About Elton John's 'Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboys'

Next month, Elton John's Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy will be released in a 50th anniversary deluxe edition. To celebrate the golden anniversary of one of rock's greatest LPs, here are 10 fantastic facts about the album.

1. For Elton's 9th studio album, he sought to tell the story of his long-time collaboration with lyricist Bernie Taupin, with John as Captain Fantastic and Taupin as the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Written in chronological order, the songs give an autobiographical glimpse at the struggles John (Captain Fantastic) and Taupin (the Brown Dirt Cowboy) had in the early years of their musical careers in London (from 1967 to 1969), leading up to John's eventual breakthrough in 1970.

2. Elton composed the music on board a ship during a voyage from the UK to New York, according to percussionist Ray Cooper: "Elton decided to take everybody on the boat to New York, and then we would go to Caribou Ranch out in Colorado to record," Cooper told Uncut magazine. "His idea, which worked perfectly, was that he would write the material on the boat. We went on the SS France, and it turned out to be the last voyage of that ship. He had a suite with a grand piano, and he wrote all the material for Captain Fantastic on that boat trip, which was six days. Go figure that one!"

3. Though they would all appear on later albums, this was the last album of the 1970s with the original lineup of the Elton John Band (guitarist Davey Johnstone, bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson). Until 1983's Too Low for Zero, this was the last album on which Elton John and his classic band played together. "We rehearsed it as a band, then went in and cut it more or less live," John said in an official statement for the upcoming 50th anniversary release. "The band were at their absolute peak and you can hear it on the record. I think it's the best thing we ever did."

4. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", the only single released from the album (and a number 4 hit on the US Pop Singles chart), is a semi-autobiographical story about John's disastrous engagement to Linda Woodrow, and his related 1968 suicide attempt. The "Someone" refers to Long John Baldry, who convinced him to break off the engagement rather than ruin his music career for an unhappy marriage.

5. The album contains an "Easter egg" in the form of lyrics to an unperformed song, "Dogs In The Kitchen." Though included in the lyrics booklet accompanying the album, it does not appear on the record, and to date, it is not known whether the words were set to music and recorded.

6. The intricate cover art was designed by pop artist Alan Aldridge, drawing fantastic imagery from the Renaissance painting The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch.

7. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy became the first album in Billboard history to debut at No. 1, and the first to be certified gold upon release through pre-orders. The LP remained atop the charts for seven weeks.

8. The album sold 1.4 million copies within four days of release, and stayed in the top position on the chart for seven weeks.

9. The 8 track version of the album was the first to have the songs in the same order as the LP. This resulted in a fade-out/fade-in in the middle of several songs.

10. In 2003, the album was ranked number 158 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list.

    
    

DELUXE EDITION DETAILS

Due October 24 in 2LP, 2CD, and digital formats, the 50th anniversary deluxe edition of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy includes rare sessions, demos, and live material. The set also features contemporary stand-alone singles, including "Philadelphia Freedom" and his cover of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds."An accompanying 28-page booklet features never-before-seen entries from John's personal diary.

Live at Midsummer Music, Wembley Stadium 1975, where John debuted the autobiographical concept LP, is also being released separately for the first time on vinyl. Pre-order at the official Elton John store.