Jump Up! (Elton John album)


Jump Up! is the sixteenth studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John. It was released in 1982 by The Rocket Record Company except in the US and Canada, where it was released by Geffen Records.

Background

The album includes "Empty Garden ", a tribute to John Lennon. This is one of the first few LPs that showcases John singing in a deeper voice, as can be heard in songs such as "Blue Eyes", "Princess", "Ball and Chain" and "Spiteful Child". "Legal Boys" was written by John and Tim Rice, who later wrote lyrics for The Lion King and The Road to El Dorado. This is the last studio album in which James Newton-Howard played keyboards.
In a 2010 Sirius radio special, John's lyricist, Bernie Taupin, talking about Jump Up!, said it was "one of our worst albums". He added, "It's a terrible, awful, disposable album, but it had 'Empty Garden' on it, so it's worth it for that one song." In the United States, it was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1982. The album's gatefold artwork shows John's lifelong friend Vance Buck and Gary Osborne's then 5-year-old son Luke.
Since 1982, only "Empty Garden" and "Blue Eyes" have been performed live in concert.

Recording

It was recorded and mixed digitally at AIR Studios in Montserrat, and Pathe Marconi Studios in France.

Track listing

Previously available since 1983 on CD in Europe on the Rocket/Phonogram label, in 2003, John's company, Rocket, in association with Mercury/Universal Records, reissued the album on CD, remastered by Gary Moore. It had no bonus tracks but did include many new and previously released photographs of John during the early 1980s, full lyrics and snapshots of the cover art for the album's singles, along with liner notes by John Tobler.
Two slightly different artworks exist.

Outtakes

Outtakes from Jump Up! include "At This Time in My Life", "Desperation Train", "I'm Not Very Well", "Jerry's Law", "Moral Majority", "Waking Up in Europe" and "The Ace of Hearts and the Jack of Spades". They all have yet to see circulation, either on bootlegs or officially.
However, "Desperation Train" was later recorded and released by John's lyricist Bernie Taupin on his 1987 album, Tribe.

B-sides

"Hey Papa Legba" and "The Retreat" were recorded during the sessions for 21 at 33 in August 1979.

Personnel

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Charting Singles

Certifications

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