Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1974) with Lyrics

The 1975 album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" was recorded in the summer of 1974 at Caribou Ranch in Colorado, USA. Gus Dudgeon, producer. It is an autobiographical album, the songs telling the story of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's struggling years as songwriters, leading to their success in 1970. This opening title song portrays the two of them in comic book format, describing their different backgrounds and telling how they teamed up to become the amazing songwriting team that they are.

The album debuted at #1 on the US Pop Albums chart, the first album ever to do so, and stayed there for seven weeks. Unlike Elton's previous albums, which were usually written and recorded rather quickly, "Captain Fantastic" was well-planned and labored over for several months. After receiving the lyrics from Taupin, Elton wrote the music alone on a cruise ship sailing from England to New York. Great attention and detail was given to the recording process over several weeks at Caribou Ranch. The cover art was designed by Alan Aldridge.

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Words & Music by Elton John & Bernie Taupin
©1975 Big Pig Music Limited

Elton John: Vocals & Pianos
Dee Murray: Bass Guitar
Nigel Olsson: Drums
Davey Johnstone: Guitars & Mandolin
Ray Cooper: Shaker, Congas, Gong, Jawbone & Tambourine