Sold Date: December 5, 2015
Start Date: December 4, 2015
Final Price: £10.95 (GBP)
Seller Feedback: 112
Buyer Feedback: 2

Elton John’s classic 1971 album Madman Across The Water, with its lavish blue-tinted sleeve including attached 11-page booklet with all lyrics, credits, photos and illustrations. Catalogue no. is DJM 22089.

This is the last in the trilogy of albums made by Elton John with orchestral arranger Paul Buckmaster before his breakthrough to widespread commercial success, and is very much an essential companion to the preceding albums Elton John and Tumbleweed Connection. Although it includes no hit singles, it contains several classic songs which remained firm fan favourites for years, and the standard songwriting and performance throughout is very high. In short, it is an essential album for any fan of early Elton’s early work.

I have owned this album from new and it has been played only a few times, and has been stored carefully and unplayed for over 30 years. Although the record is in good overall condition, there are a few minor surface marks on the playing surface of the disc, the majority of them within the track Razor Face and audible as clicks. Throughout the rest of the disc there is a normal low level of background surface noise, typical of a record of this age. 

The sleeve is generally in very good condition, with only a couple of minor creases at the spine of the sleeve and a small thumb crease on the back, which are largely hidden by the ‘denim’ cover design. Otherwise there are minimal signs of wear on the sleeve. The inner booklet is in immaculate condition, apart from some very small stains which over time have appeared on the first 2 pages of text. In addition to all the information in the inner booklet, the paper sleeve containing the disc also repeats all the lyrics and credits. This sleeve also has some small slight stains in places (see photo).

Track listing as follows:

Tiny dancer / Levon / Razor face / Madman across the water / Indian sunset / Holiday inn / Rotten peaches / All the nasties / Goodbye

Also included is a free copy of Elton’s 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, which is in reasonable though not excellent condition and has some clicks and surface noise.

If sent through the post, the albums will be very carefully packaged, but to minimise any risk collection would also be welcome (near Church Stretton, south Shropshire).