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The Diving Board (2013)

Where the lyrics of The Diving Board take you, and where it was really made.

This album's release date was pushed back four times before it came out, and its title was changed to Voyeur for a few weeks along the way.

Key places

Los Angeles recording at The Village (2013)

Recording site Village Recorders — The album was produced in Los Angeles by T Bone Burnett. The Village in Los Angeles is listed as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Diving Board: 29th studio album by British musician Elton John
• Second studio release since 1979's Victim of Love without any regular Elton John Band members
• Released in the UK in September 2013
• Premiere single "Home Again" came out on 24 June 2013, the same day pre-orders opened
• Video for "Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)" posted on YouTube on 28 August 2013 as the second single
• Debuted at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 4 on the Billboard 200

Background

• Originally planned for fall 2012, then moved to February 2013 for promotional reasons, then pushed back again
• Rolling Stone reported in September 2012 that John was dissatisfied with the album's balance and had started writing more new songs
• At the Perth Arena concert on 10 November 2012, held for the 40th anniversary of the Rocket Man tour, John said the release would move to May 2013
• The delay came because John was to record more material with Burnett in January 2013
• On 8 January 2013 Taupin's website revealed the title had changed to Voyeur
• A Billboard article on 23 February 2013 revealed the release had moved to September 2013 and the title was The Diving Board again
• The revised track list added four new songs; "5th Avenue" was dropped

Recording

• Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
• Produced in Los Angeles by The Union producer T Bone Burnett
• Burnett suggested John return to the piano, bass and drums format of his very early years
• John said the result is "the most exciting solo record I've done in a long, long time"
• The album was initially written in two days
• Listed recording location: The Village in Los Angeles

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, on 25 March 1947.
• Won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at age 11.
• Formed the blues band Bluesology in 1962; took the name Elton John in 1967.
• Joined DJM Records as a staff songwriter with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1968.

Members

• Partnered with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967; Taupin writes lyrics and John composes the music.
• Backing band over the years included Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray and Ray Cooper.

Career

• Debut album Empty Sky (1969); Honky Château (1972) became his first US number-one album.
• Seven consecutive US number-one albums between 1972 and 1975.
• Composed The Lion King and Aida with Tim Rice; won Academy Awards and a Tony Award.
• Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour (2018–2023) was the highest-grossing tour at the time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The Diving Board received generally positive reviews from music critics
• Metacritic average 71 from 24 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews"
• Many critics called it a "great return to form" and one of John's best albums in recent years and in his career
• Rolling Stone (Alan Light) gave four stars, praising its spare instrumentation and focus
• Light said John had regained his sense of musical possibility
• Robert Hilburn praised the songs as "finely crafted and deeply moving" and as celebrating the past in a "fresh and revealing" manner
• Hilburn said these songs played at the Troubadour in 1970 would still have earned John acclaim
• AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine) was less enthusiastic and gave a mixed review
• Erlewine called the album an "exceptional idea in theory" but said it is slightly formless in practice

Records

• UK Albums Chart debut at No. 3, behind Arctic Monkeys' AM and Avicii's True
• 22,000 copies sold in the first week in the UK
• Highest-charting studio album by John in the UK since 2001's Songs from the West Coast
• Billboard 200 debut at No. 4 with 47,000 copies sold in the first week
• Highest-charting solo album by John in the US since Blue Moves in 1976
• 18th top 10 album by John on the Billboard 200
• As of December 2015, 150,000 copies sold in the US
• Canadian Albums Chart debut at No. 7
• British Phonographic Industry certified it Silver on 10 January 2014, for 60,000 UK sales
• Rolling Stone placed it at No. 25 on its list of the 50 Best Albums of 2013
• "Can't Stay Alone Tonight" became John's 70th song to appear on the US Adult Contemporary chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was first planned for fall 2012, and its release date was moved several times.
• Its title was changed to Voyeur in January 2013 and went back to The Diving Board in February 2013.
• "5th Avenue" was dropped from the revised track list, and four new songs were added.
• The album was initially written in two days.
• "Can't Stay Alone Tonight" extended John's record for the most appearances on the US Adult Contemporary chart, which began with "Your Song" in 1970.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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