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21 at 33

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21 at 33
Studio album by
Elton John
Released23 May 1980 (1980-05-23)
RecordedSeptember 1979 – March 1980[1]
Studio
  • Super Bear, Nice, France
  • Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, California
  • Rumbo, Los Angeles, California
GenrePop rock[1]
Length43:07
LabelMCA (US)
Rocket (UK)
ProducerElton John, Clive Franks
Elton John chronology
Victim of Love
(1979) 		21 at 33
(1980) 		The Fox
(1981)
Singles from 21 at 33
  1. "Little Jeannie"
    Released: 1 May 1980
  2. "Sartorial Eloquence (Don't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More?)"
    Released: 5 August 1980
  3. "Dear God"
    Released: 14 November 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling StoneUnrated[2]
Smash Hits7/10[3]

21 at 33 is the fourteenth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released in May 1980, through MCA Records in the US and The Rocket Record Company in all other territories. The album was co-produced by John and Clive Franks, and was primarily recorded in August 1979 at Super Bear Studios in Nice, France. The record was the first since Blue Moves (1979) to feature lyrics written by Bernie Taupin (who contributed to three songs), while John also continued to experiment with other lyricists, including Gary Osborne and Tom Robinson. Contributors to the album include members of Toto and the Eagles, as well as Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson, marking their first appearance on an Elton John album since Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975).

The title 21 at 33 was chosen as it was John's 21st album release and released when he was 33 years old.[a][4] Upon release, the album was a moderate success, reaching the top 20 in both the US and UK and proving far more successful than his previous effort Victim of Love (1979). The record's lead single, "Little Jeannie", peaked at number three in the US, while it stalled at number 33 in the UK. The album sold over 900,000 copies in the United States, missing a Platinum certification.[5]

Background

After releasing Blue Moves in 1976, John and Taupin took a break from writing with each other which would last four years. In the meantime, John would release A Single Man (1978) with Gary Osborne contributing lyrics and a disco album, Victim of Love.[1] With 21 at 33, John and Taupin resumed their partnership, though they would not create a full album of material together until Too Low for Zero (1983).[6] John continued to work with other lyricists as well, with Osborne returning for three songs, in addition to new collaborators Tom Robinson and Judie Tzuke.

The two other founding members of the original Elton John Band (active 1969–1975), drummer Nigel Olsson and bass player Dee Murray, reunited with him for two songs. His keyboardist James Newton Howard returned and performed on almost every track, as was the case on Rock of the Westies and Blue Moves. Other musicians included members of the Eagles and Toto, as well as Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits and Bill Champlin and Toni Tennille of Captain & Tennille.

John has not played any of the material in concert since touring in 1980, with the exception of "Little Jeannie", which, despite having been a huge North American hit (#3 Pop and #1 Adult Contemporary in the United States, and #1 in Canada), was included only in the two concerts from 2000 titled One Night Only, and the warm up gig for the two Madison Square Garden concerts in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.[7]

Track listing

Side one

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chasing the Crown"Elton John, Bernie Taupin5:36
2."Little Jeannie"John, Gary Osborne5:14
3."Sartorial Eloquence"John, Tom Robinson4:45
4."Two Rooms at the End of the World"John, Taupin5:40

Side two

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."White Lady White Powder"John, Taupin4:34
2."Dear God"John, Osborne3:47
3."Never Gonna Fall in Love Again"John, Robinson4:09
4."Take Me Back"John, Osborne3:52
5."Give Me the Love"John, Judie Tzuke5:30

Notes

  • Eleven more songs, excluding the B-sides, were recorded during these sessions: five of which were "Heart in the Right Place", "Carla/Etude", "Fanfare", "Chloe" and "Elton's Song"; these would appear on John's next release, The Fox. Two other songs recorded were French-language duets with France Gall, entitled "Les Aveux" and "Donner Pour Donner", respectively released in France as the A-side and B-side of a 7" single. One song, "The Retreat," was the B-side of the single "Princess" in 1982 and was later included on the US edition of the To Be Continued box set and as a bonus track on the remastered version of the album Too Low for Zero. The other three songs were the B-sides for singles released from The Fox in 1981.
  • In 2003, Mercury/Universal and The Rocket Record Company reissued the album on CD, remastered by Gary Moore; the new line-up contained no bonus tracks.

Personnel

Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.

Production

  • Produced by Clive Franks and Elton John
  • Engineers – Clive Franks, Steve Desper (Track 6), Patrick Jaunead (Tracks 1–4, 6–9).
  • Second engineers – David Burgess (Tracks 1–4, 6–9), David Leonard, Peggy McCreary and Stephen McManus.
  • Recorded at Super Bear Studios (Berre-les-Alpes, France); Rumbo Recorders and Sunset Sound Recorders (Los Angeles, CA).
  • Mixed at Sunset Sound Recorders
  • Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Mastering Studio (Los Angeles, CA).
  • Studio coordinator – Adrian Collee
  • Art direction – George Osaki
  • Design and concept – Norman Moore
  • Photography – Jim Shea
  • Management – John Reid Management, LTD.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] Platinum 50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[23] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[24] Gold 100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] Gold 7,500^
United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ^ While Elton had only released fourteen studio albums at this time, this number also takes into account two live albums, three compilation albums, a soundtrack, and an EP.

References

  1. ^ a b c d 21 at 33 Elton John Allmusic.com Lindsay Planer
  2. ^ "21 at 33". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ^ Cranna, Ian. "Albums". Smash Hits (12–25 June 1980): 31.
  4. ^ Judy Parkinson (2003). Elton Made in England. Michael O'Mara Books. p. 117.
  5. ^ Liner notes to remastered 21 at 33 album
  6. ^ {{cite web |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/elton-john-too-low-for-zero/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |title=40 Years Ago: Elton John Comes Roaring Back with 'Too Low for Zero' |date=30 May 2023 |access-date=13 August 2024))
  7. ^ One Night Only: The Greatest Hits DVD, 2000.
  8. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 01212a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – 21 at 33" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Elton John – 21 at 33" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  12. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 25 March 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Elton John".
  13. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  14. ^ "Charts.nz – Elton John – 21 at 33". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – 21 at 33". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Elton John – 21 at 33". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  18. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0275". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1980. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1980 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Kent Music Report No 341 – 5 January 1981 > Platinum and Gold Albums 1980". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via Imgur.com.
  23. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33". Music Canada.
  24. ^ "French album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33" (in French). InfoDisc. Select ELTON JOHN and click OK. 
  25. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 June 2019.[dead link‍]
  26. ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – 21 at 33". Recording Industry Association of America.
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