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Sir Elton John: Aida

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Mercury Records
Released: 1999
Time:
 65:25
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Phil Ramone, Peter Collins, Dru Hill
Rating: ***....... (3/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.eltonjohn.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2000.01.03
Price in €: 3,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Sting: Another pyramid (John/Rice) - 3:48
[2] Elton John & LeAnn Rimes: Written in the stars (John/Rice) - 4:17
[3] Tina Turner: Easy as life (John/Rice) - 5:12
[4] Spice Girls: My strongest suit (John/Rice) - 4:11
[5] Elton John & Janet Jackson: I know the truth (John/Rice) - 5:35
[6] Boyz II Men: Not me (John/Rice) - 4:52
[7] Shania Twain: Amneris' letter (John/Rice) - 4:14
[8] Elton John/Heather Headley/Sherie Scott: A step too far (John/Rice) - 4:18
[9] Lenny Kravitz: Like father like son (John/Rice) - 4:09
[10] Heather Headley: Elaborate lives (John/Rice) - 4:22
[11] James Taylor: How I know you (John/Rice) - 3:19
[12] Elton John & Lulu: The messenger (John/Rice) - 5:10
[13] Kelly Price: The Gods love Nubia (John/Rice) - 4:48
[14] Dru Hill: Enchantment passing through (John/Rice) - 5:44
[15] Orchestral finale (John/Rice) - 3:37

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Abe Appleman: Violin
Baby Dave: Keyboards
Guy Babylon: Keyboards
Toby Baker: Bass
Julien Barber: Viola
Diane Barere: Cello
Elena Barere: Violin
Dave Barry: Guitar
Mark Berrow: Violin
Virgil Blackwell: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Jeff Bova: Piano
John Bradbury: Violin
Avril Brown: Violin
Ed Calle: Flute, Saxophone
Bob Carlisle: Horn
Clifford Carter: Keyboards
Angela Clemmons-Patrick: Background Vocals
Clem Clemson: Guitar
Tony Concepcion: Trumpet
Luis Conte: Percussion
Dave Daniels: Cello
Mike Davis: Trombone
Jill Dell'Abate: Tambourine
Sly Dunbar: Drums
Larry Farrell: Trombone
David Finck: Bass
Barry Finclair: Violin
Helen Foli: Violin
Chevelle Franklyn: Background Vocals
Julian Gallagher: Guitar
Roger Garland: Violin
Wilfred Gibson: Violin
Diva Gray: Background Vocals
Juliet Haffner: Viola
Carl Herrgesell: Harmonium, Piano
Rebecca Hirsch: Violin
Christopher Hooker: Oboe
Jean Ingraham: Violin
Jimmy Jam: Multi Instruments
Elton John: Background Vocals
Tony Kadleck: Trumpet
Karen Kamon: Background Vocals
Doug Katsaros: Piano
Zev Katz: Bass, Bass (Electric)
Jeff Kievet: Trumpet
Lauren Kinhan: Vocals (Background)
Merilee Klemp: Oboe
Boguslaw Kostecki: Violin
Lenny Kravitz: Bass, Drums, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Tympani, Background Vocals, Wurlitzer
Russell Kunkel: Percussion
Peter Lale: Viola
Carol Landon: Viola
Ann Leathers: Violin
Jeanne LeBlanc: Cello
Diane Lesser: Horn, Oboe
Terry Lewis: Multi Instruments
Richard Locker: Cello
Mike Long
Martin Loveday: Cello
Robby Lynn: Keyboards
Charles Mangold: Background Vocals
Peter Mann: Background Vocals
Rob Mathes: Guitar, Keyboards
Scott Meeder: Percussion
Edgar Meyer: Acoustic Bass
Kenny Mims: Guitar
Perry Montague-Mason: Violin
Jan Mullen: Violin
Caryl Paisner: Cello
Paul Peabody: Violin
Shawn Pelton: Drums
Julia Persitz: Violin
Anthony Pleeth: Cello
Sue Pray: Viola
Jim Pugh: Trombone
Alexander Richbourg: Drum Programming
Matt Rowe: Keyboards
Philippe Saisse: Fender Rhodes
Frank Schaefer: Cello
Mary Scully: Bass
Laura Sewell: Cello
Robbie Shakespeare: Bass
Jackie Shave: Violin
Mark Orrin Shuman: Cello
Daryl Simmons: Drum Programming, Keyboards
Pamela Sklar: Flute
Bob Smissen: Viola
Andy Snitzer: Tenor Saxophone
Liz Sobieski: Violin
Byron Stripling: Trumpet
Marti Sweet: Violin
James Taylor: Guitar, Vocals
Dana Teboe: Trombone
Donna Tecco: Violin
Daria Tedeschi: Violin
Sabina Thatcher: Viola
David Tofani: Flute, Alto Flute
Darryl Tookes: Background Vocals
Carol Webb: Violin
Ellen Westerman: Cello
Kate Wilkinson: Viola
Lloyd "Gitsy" Willis: Guitar
Gavyn Wright: Violin
Craig Young: Bass

Glenn Barratt: Mixing
John Bates: Assistant Engineer
Lee Blaske: String Arrangements
Boyz II Men: Producer
Andy Bradfield: Mixing
Mark Browne: Assistant Engineer
Adrian Bushby: Engineer
Ralph Cacciurri: Assistant Engineer
Steve "Barney" Cahse: Engineer
Jake Davies: Programming
Sly Dunbar: Producer
Jan Fairchild: Engineer
Frank Filipetti: Engineer, Mixing
Dave Fisher: Assistant Engineer
Jan Folkson: Programming
Julian Gallagher: Programming
, Jon Gals: Mixing
Jason Groucott: Mixing Assistant
Michael Hanna: Arranger
Jean Hebrail: Arranger, Engineer, Producer
Steve Hodge: Engineer, Mixing
John Holbrook: Engineer, Mixing
Nick Ingman: String Arrangements
Jimmy Jam: Arranger, Producer
Elton John: Musical Director
Thom "TK" Kidd: Engineer
Angélique Kidjo: Arranger
Matt Knobel: Engineer
Lenny Kravitz: Arranger, Horn Arrangements, Producer
Nathaniel Kunkel: Engineer, Mixing, Producer
Russell Kunkel: Producer
Robert John "Mutt" Lange: Producer
Pete Lewis: Engineer
Terry Lewis: Arranger, Producer
Patrick Lindsay: Mixing
Kevin Lively: Assistant Engineer
Lord-Alge: Mixing
Bob Ludwig: Mastering
Mike Malak: Engineer
Terry Manning: Engineer
Rob Mathes: Arranger, Conductor, String Arrangements
Garfield McDonald: Engineer
Nathan Morris: Arranger
Wanya Morris: Arranger
Rob Mounsey: Arranger, Conductor
Rob Murphy: Assistant Engineer
Todd Parker: Assistant Engineer
Dave Pensado: Mixing
Greg Pinto: Assistant Engineer
Phil Ramone: Executive Producer, Producer
Tim Rice: Liner Notes
Olle Romo: Engineer
Matt Rowe: Producer, Programming
Robbie Shakespeare: Producer
Daryl Simmons: Producer
Sisqo: Arranger
Ivy Skoff: Producer
Xavier Smith: Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant
Richard Stannard: Producer
Shawn Stockman: Arranger
Pat Thrall: Digital Editing, Programming
Fred Vaughn: Choir Arrangement
Paul Waller: Programming
"Big Jim" Wright: Arranger

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


The Lion King proved to be one of Elton John's most successful projects -- which is quite an achievement for one of the most successful rockers in history. Given its level of popularity, it's only logical that John would reteam with his Lion collaborator Tim Rice. Perhaps to some it was surprising that they adapted Verdi's Aida as their next project, but it made sense -- Rice's background was in showtunes and John's songs tended to sound like showtunes. Hence, they were a perfect pair to modernize Aida for the Great White Way -- at least in theory. In practice, their collaborations sound like soft-rock and adult contemporary tunes, especially the way they're presented here. None of the songs on Aida are performed in the order they are in the show, nor are they performed in character. However, they are performed by a variety of different vocalists, including John, Sting, the Spice Girls, Lenny Kravitz, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, James Taylor, Janet Jackson and Tina Turner, plus Heather Headley, the only member of the cast to be featured on this record. As such, the album doesn't feel like a show -- it feels like an afternoon of adult contemporary radio. This isn't a bad thing, since John is a virtuoso of the form, and many of his contributions here are worthy (often better than his Lion King work) and all the featured players do them justice. Still, Aida feels incomplete, quite possibly because it is structured as a various artists album, not a cast record -- which is really what you want when you want to listen to cast record.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide



It's probably a little late in the day for Elton John to be getting electro-funky ... a little late, too, for Tim Rice to be remembering that musicals don't have to be all bombastic ballads and interminable emoting.
But from the moment the pair's Aida kicks off with the belting "Another Pyramid," and a surprisingly committed vocal from Sting, it's clear that they're not interested in simply revisiting past triumphs.
Not exclusively, anyway. "Written In The Stars," the first of four Elton duets on the soundtrack, pairs "Captain Fantastic" with LeAnn Rimes to predictably mawkish effect and has the ghost of "Up Where We Belong" drifting 'round its edges. "I Know the Truth," performed with Janet Jackson, is kind of Elton-by-numbers as well. But "The Messenger," with veteran songbird Lulu in dazzling form through the first verse, rises high above its symphonic pretensions and emerges as a triumphant power ballad -- with none of the ghastly associations that phrase normally conveys.
Other inclusions, too, see the John/Rice partnership conjure up some marvelous moments. The Spice Girls' "My Strongest Suit" is a fascinating hybrid of "You Can't Hurry Love" and Elton's own "I'm Still Standing," while Shania Twain does a remarkable job twisting "Amneris' Letter" away from a recycled "Your Song." She makes it hers instead, and that seems to be the rule throughout the best of the rest of this album, as Lenny Kravitz, Boyz II Men and Dru Hill all inject their own selves into the songs. And though the end result isn't exactly an unlikely triumph, it is an unexpected one.

Dave Thompson
 

 L y r i c s


STING: ANOTHER PYRAMID

Sad to say our mighty ruler
Is not really in the pink
Hopes could not be minuscular
That he'll come back from the brink
Not to beat around the bush
He looks like heading for his box
At the risk of seeming pushy
We must plan for future shocks

According to the Hawk God Horus
Our most regal invalid
Is not that much longer for us
Build another pyramid

Build it, build it
Another pyramid
build it, build it

Though all doctors and physicians
Have been summoned to his bed
It'll soon be top morticians
We'll be calling for instead
With each wheeze the nation's humming
Egypt shakes with every cough
No two ways about what's coming
No discussion, bets are off

Soon our monarch will have filled the tomb
Just like his fathers did
Summon Egypt's greatest builder
Re: another pyramid

Build it, build it
Another pyramid
Build it, build it

We hate to depress the nation
But our leader has been told
He should scrub his next vacation
Even put tonight on hold
This is where his loyal priesthood
Has the chance to do him proud
Holy leaders at the least should
See him happy to his shroud

He must have a vault that's grand by
Any standards floor to lid
Put five thousand slaves on standby
Build another pyramid


ELTON JOHN/LEANN RIMES: WRITTEN IN THE STARS

I am here to tell you we can never meet again
Simple really, isn't it, a word or two and then
A lifetime of not knowing where or how or why or when
You think of me or speak of me or wonder what befell
The someone you once loved so long ago so well

Never wonder what I'll feel as living shuffles by
You don't have to ask me and I need not reply
Every moment of my life from now until I die
I will think or dream of you and fail to understand
How a perfect love can be confounded out of hand

Is it written in the stars
Are we paying for some crime
Is that all that we are good for
Just a stretch of mortal time

Is this God's experiment
In which we have no say
In which we're given paradise
But only for a day

Nothing can be altered, there is nothing to decide
No escape, no change of heart, no anyplace to hide
You are all I'll ever want, but this I am denied
Sometimes in my darkest thoughts, I wish I'd never learned
What it is to be in love and have that love returned


TINA TURNER: EASY AS LIFE

This is the moment when the gods expect me
To beg for help but I won't even try
I want nothing in the world but myself to protect me
But I won't lie down, roll over and die

All I have to do is to forget how much I love him
All I have to do is put my longing to one side
Tell myself that love's an ever-changing situation
Passion would have cooled and all the magic would have died

It's easy, it's easy

Until I think about him as he was when I last saw him
And how he would have been were I to be with him today
Tender in his manner and my self-consolation
All I ever wanted and I'm throwing it away

It's easy, easy as life

All I have to do is to pretend I never knew him
On those very rare occasions when he steals into my heart
Better to have lost him when the ties were barely binding
Better the contempt of the familiar cannot start

It's easy, it's easy

Until I think about him as he was when I last touched him
And how he would have been were I to be with him today
Those very rare occasions don't let up, they keep on coming
All I ever wanted and I'm throwing it away

It's easy, it's easy as life

And then I see the faces of a worn defeated people
A father and a nation who won't let a coward run
Is this how the gods reward the faithful through the ages
Forcing us to prove that all the hardest things we've done

Are easy, so easy

And though I'll think about him until the earth draws in around me
And though I choose to leave him for another kind of love
This is no denial, no betrayal, but redemption
Redeemed in my own eyes and in the pantheon above

It's easy, it's easy, it's easy as life


SPICE GIRLS: MY STRONGEST SUIT

Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Tim Rice

In life one has to face a huge assortment
Of nauseating fads and good advice
There's health and fitness, diet and deportment
And other pointless forms of sacrifice

Conversation, wit, I am a doubter
Manners, charm, they're no way to impress
So forget the inner me, observe the outer
I am what I wear and how I dress

Overwear, underwear, anytime, anywhere
Overwear, underwear, anytime, anywhere
Overwear, underwear, anytime, anywhere, ooh
Overwear, underwear, anytime, anywhere
Overwear, underwear, anytime, anywhere
Overwear, underwear, anytime, anywhere, ooh

Now I believe in looking like my time on earth is cooking
Whether polka-dotted stripes or even checks
With some glamour guaranteeing every fiber of my being
Is displayed to quite remarkable effects
From your cradle via trousseau to your death bed you're on view so
Never compromise accept no substitute
I would rather wear a barrel than conservative apparel
A dress has always been my strongest suit

Staying in or hitting townwards, from the top and working downwards
I ensure that every stitch is stitched in time
Whether wig or hat or turban, whether clad boudoir or urban
Not to strut your stuff outrageously's a crime
And the few who are invited to my wardrobe are delighted
As they wander through my things to find en route
That in negligee or formal I am anything but normal
A dress has always been my strongest suit

Now you don't need a recital of the reasons why its vital
That tonight I simply have to look my best
That from coronet to sandal no one else is worth a candle
That I couldn't make more impact if I'm dressed
So bring me out my finest, most audacious, my divinest
Most revealing, most expensive and to boot
Most arresting, most heart-stopping, most free-flowing, most eye-popping
A dress has always been my strongest suit


ELTON JOHN/JANET JACKSON: I KNOW THE TRUTH

Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Produced By Jimmy Jamm and Terry Lewis

How have I come to this
How did I slip and fall
How did I throw half a lifetime away
Without any thought at all

This should've been my time
It's over, it never began
Facing a world, for once not on my side
I simply turned and ran

I try to blame it on fortune
Some kind of twist in my fate
But I know the truth and it haunts me
I learned it a little too late

I know the truth and it mocks me
I know the truth and it shocks me
I learned it a little too late

People have faith in me
I think I once did too
I promise whoever has a hold on our lives
I'll see the bad times through

This should have been my time
It's over, it never began
Facing a world, for once not on my side
I simply turned and ran

I try to blame it on fortune
Some kind of shift in the stars
But I know the truth and it haunts me
It's flown just a little too far

I know the truth and it mocks me
I know the truth and it shocks me
It's flown just a little too far

I try to blame it on fortune
Some kind of twist in my fate
But I know the truth and it haunts me
I learned it a little too late


BOYZ II MEN: NOT ME

I once knew all the answers, I stood on certain ground
A picture of true happiness, confidence so effortless
No brighter could be found

I never asked the questions that trouble me today
I knew all there was to know, love worn lightly, put on show
A conquest on display

And who would have thought his love could be so good
Not me, not me
My secrets and my passions understood
Not me, not me

Who would have guessed he'd throw his world away
To be with someone till his dying day
Not me, not me

I shall not envy lovers, but long for what they share
An empty room is merciless, don't be surprised if I confess
I need some comfort there

And who would have thought his love could be so good
Not me, not me
My secrets and my passions understood
Not me, not me

Who would have guessed he'd throw his world away
To be with someone till his dying day
Not me, not me

But not me, oh not me


SHANIA TWAIN: AMNERIS' LETTER

I'm sorry for everything I've said
And for anything I forgot to say too
When things get so complicated
I stumble, at best, muddle through
I wish that our lives could be simple
I don't want the world, only you
I wish I could tell you this face to face
But there's never the time, never the place
So this letter will have to do
I love you


ELTON JOHN/HEATHER HEADLEY/SHERIE SCOTT: A STEP TOO FAR

It's so strange he doesn't show me more affection than he needs
Almost formal, too respectful, never takes romantic leads
There are times when I imagine I'm not always on his mind
He's not thinking what I'm thinking, always half a beat behind
Always half a beat behind

I'm in every kind of trouble, can't you tell, just look at me
Half ecstatic, half dejected, all in all I'm all at sea
Easy turns I thought I wanted, fill me now with chilling dread
You can never know the chaos, of a life turned on it's head
Of a life turned on it's head

Take a little time to panic, shake off your complacent state
I know all I ever wished to, of a life destroyed by fate
It's so strange you never notice anything but where you are
Step outside your gleaming prison, or is that a step too far
Or is that a step too far


LENNY KRAVITZ: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

Like father, like son
Like father, like son
Like father, like son

Don't come on so cocksure boy, you can't escape your genes
No point in feeling purer boy, your background intervenes
Listen good and listen straight, you're not the master of your fate
To this you must be reconciled, you'll always be your father's child
At times acclaimed, at times reviled
You'll wind up doing just what I've done
Like father, like son
Like father, like son

Don't assume your vices get handed down the line
That a parent's blood suffices to condemn the child's design
I've done wrong, I can't deny, but at least I know that I
Shouldn't blame that on my stock, this may come as quite a shock
But I'm no chip off any block, I wouldn't wish those words on anyone
Like father, like son
Like father, like son

Son, you're nervous, take my hand
All is settled, all is planned
You've got the world at your command
I don't think you understand

Just have the slave if you must, and be done with her
Don't ever speak of her like that again

I appreciate too well, the squalor at which you excel
It isn't very hard to tell, evil's a distinctive smell

From this day on I choose my own way
If I choose to be with Aida, then I will be
And no one, not you, not even the gods can stop me

He's lost all sense of reason, and why? some foreign slut
Not only is that treason, some doors are slamming shut
Just like me, he's found that flesh can excite but will enmesh
Watch me rid him of this blight, once the harlot's out of sight
Then I think he will see the light
He won't walk back to daddy, he will run
Like father, like son
Like father, like son
Like father, like son
Like father, like son


HEATHER HEADLEY: ELABORATE LIVES

We all lead such elaborate lives
Wild ambitions in our sights
How an affair of the heart survives
Days apart and hurried nights

Seems quite unbelievable to me
I don't want to live like that
Seems quite unbelievable to me
I don't want to love like that
I just want our time to be slower and gentler, wiser, free

We all live in extravagant times
Playing games we can't all win
Unintended emotional crimes
Take some out, take others in

I'm so tired of all we're going through
I don't want to live like that
I'm so tired of all we're going through
I don't want to love like that
I just want to be with you now and forever, peaceful, true

I wish I had the courage
To tell you face to face
But I could wait forever
For the perfect time and place

We all live such elaborate lives
We don't know whose words are true
Strangers, lovers, husbands, wives
Hard to know whose loving who

Too many choices tear us apart
I don't want to live like that
Too many choices tear us apart
I don't want to love like that
I just want to touch your heart, may this confession be the start


JAMES TAYLOR: HOW I KNOW YOU

I grew up in your hometown, at least began to grow
I hadn't got to my first shave before the body blow
Egyptians in the courtyard, my family in chains
You witnessed our abduction which possibly explains

How I know you
How I know you

Before that fateful morning my family enjoyed
A privileged existence, for my father was employed
As advisor to the king, no less, which surely rings a bell
For as you are his daughter, you probably can tell

How I know you
How I know you

Enough of reminiscence, and such happy memories
The reason why I know you well is really none of these
It's just you reek of royalty, you ooze uncommon grace
I'd know you were a princess, in any time and place

Yes I know you
How I know you
Yes I know you
How I know you


ELTON JOHN/LULU: THE MESSENGER

Everything is settled, immovable and calm
Nothing that has plagued our lives can ever do us harm
Then the voices railed against us, then the path was steep
Now the sounds are softer, now the road is ended
In your arms, I'll sleep

Turn away from madness, burn the inner light
Pray for me as cheerfully as I slip into the night
Death is just a visitor watching for a while
Sullen and predictable, love is versatile

Everything is peaceful, and falling into place
I no longer feel the wounds suffered in the chase
Then we were at turns divided, then by turns oppressed
Now the pain is over, now we lie together
Gratefully at rest

Put aside the notion that the end is near
Stay with me eternally, the terrors disappear
Death is just a messenger in a poor disguise
Fooling no one, lost for words, love is in your eyes

Now we know as we are known, unimagined things
Death is just the messenger, love the truth it brings


KELLY PRICE: THE GODS LOVE NUBIA

Take me in my dreams recurring
Cheerful as a childhood dance
Into one more taste of freedom
One more longing backward glance

In the sway of somber music
I shall never, never understand
Let me slip into the sweeter
Chorus of that other land

The gods love Nubia, the beautiful, the golden
The radiant, the fertile, the gentle and the blessed
The pain of Nubia is only of the moment
The desolate, the suffering, the plundered, the oppressed

The gods love Nubia, the glorious creation
The songs roll sweetly across the harvest plain
The tears of Nubia, a passing aberration
They wash into the river and are never cried again

The gods love Nubia, we have to keep believing
The scattered and divided, we are still it's heart
The fall of Nubia, ephemeral and fleeting
The spirit always burning though the flesh is torn apart


DRU HILL: ENCHANTMENT PASSING THROUGH

Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Tim Rice

A few more days and we'll be home in glory
Already they'll be getting out the flags
With Memphis high _______ dormitory
For me, I only see a lot of snags

The prospect above all I find distressful
Is having to give up the soldier's life
If anything I'm rather too successful
They made me hand my sword in for a wife

For just because I've triumphed as a slaver
Brought booty back to Egypt by the ton
Of this and every month, I'm now the flavor
And scheduled to do things I've never done

And why should I tell you this, a stranger I just met
A woman who in hours from now I'll certainly forget
Anonymous and undemanding
Enchantment passing through
My secrets and my confidence are safe enough with you

My days out on the field are all but ended
They'll put me out to grass which means the throne
Bedecked and bejeweled alongside my intended
I feel as though my heart is set in stone

But maybe I am being far too gloomy
Yes, maybe I'll make waves in pastures new
Find goverment and politics come to me
As naturally as I now talk to you

For just because I've triumphed as a slaver
Brought booty back to Egypt by the ton
Of this and every month, I'm now the flavor
And scheduled to do things I've never done

And why should I tell you this, a stranger I just met
A woman who in hours from now I'll certainly forget
Anonymous and undemanding
Enchantment passing through
My secret lack of confidence is safe enough with you

Why should I tell you this, a stranger I just met
A woman who in hours from now I'll certainly forget
Anonymous and undemanding
Enchantment passing through
My secret lack of confidence is safe enough with you


ORCHESTRAL FINALE

Instrumental

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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