Elton John

The Captain and the Kid (2006)

1.Postcards from Richard Nixon
2.Just Like Noah's Ark
3.Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (NYC)
4.Tinderbox
5.And The House Fell Down
6.Blues Never Fade Away
7.The Bridge
8.I Must Have Lost it on the Wind
9.Old 67
10.The Captain and the Kid

When Elton John released Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy in 1975, he offered something few artists dare attempt at the height of their fame: an autobiographical concept album. Documenting the early, uncertain years of his partnership with Bernie Taupin—from their first meeting in 1967 to their modest breakthrough with Empty Sky—the record resonated as both personal statement and musical triumph. So, when Elton announced a proper sequel three decades later, fans naturally took notice. The idea had potential. The execution, as it turns out, is a bit more complicated.

The Captain & The Kid aims to pick up where Captain Fantastic left off, and in broad strokes, it succeeds. The problem is scale. The first album covered roughly two years. This one tries to cover thirty. To say the timeframe is ambitious would be an understatement. One could argue, fairly, that Elton’s post-1970 life contains enough twists, turns, and transformations to fill a box set—let alone a ten-track LP.

Still, it’s a noble attempt. And more importantly, it’s a great album.

The opener, Postcards from Richard Nixon, is a strong start. Framed around Elton and Bernie’s arrival in America, it offers a clever, piano-driven introduction that echoes the tone of its 1975 predecessor. There’s even a lovely prelude tucked in as a nod to the more theatrical intros of yesteryear. Just Like Noah’s Ark follows with a buoyant energy, reflecting the pair’s initial success and the whirlwind that followed. From there, however, the “narrative” begins to blur. I Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC), while a well-crafted love letter to the Big Apple, feels slightly misplaced. Haven’t Elton and Bernie already written enough about New York? Perhaps, but the song’s sincerity makes it easy to forgive. Tinderbox, about their professional split in the mid-’70s, brings us back to the timeline, albeit with a sense of emotional remove. Their separation, as they’ve long said, was never acrimonious—more a necessary breather than a breakup—and the song captures that coolness, for better or worse.

The album’s back half turns introspective, confronting loss, addiction, and the trials of aging with a mixture of resignation and grace. Blues Never Fade Away is particularly affecting—a quiet, heartfelt tribute to the friends Elton has lost along the way. Less successful is Old 67, which revisits a private vow between Elton and Bernie to avoid mediocrity. While the sentiment is admirable, the delivery feels oddly self-conscious—especially considering some of the spotty albums released post-1985.

The closing title track, The Captain and the Kid, is a return to form in every sense. It recalls the title song of the original album, both musically and emotionally, offering a sense of closure without overplaying the nostalgia card. It’s the right way to end the record, even if it leaves you wishing there were more to come.

Which brings us to the most glaring issue: length. At just ten tracks, The Captain & The Kid feels oddly slight given the scope of its mission. Two additional song lyrics are printed in the booklet, but the songs themselves are nowhere to be found—unless you happen to stumble across a stray track like Across the River Thames floating around online. Why leave such material off when the album is already crying out for more?

To its credit, this is Elton’s most cohesive and committed studio album in years. The production is clean, the arrangements unfussy, and the focus refreshingly sharp. But the project’s ambition—tying a bow around four decades of music, fame, struggle, and rebirth—can’t quite be contained in a single disc. It’s less a grand conclusion and more of a reflective chapter. And maybe that’s enough.