ALBUM REVIEW: Elton John - Regimental Sgt. Zippo

    Before there was the Elton John we all know - the Rocket Man who dominated the 1970s with a still highly-impressive creative streak of albums and hit singles - there was Reginald Dwight. Far from the glamours and show-stopping entertainer that he would eventually be revered as, Dwight in the 1960s made ends meet by playing piano at a pub before eventually forming a blues group, fittingly named Bluesology - only a couple of recordings exist from this era, but from an age as young as 18, Reg Dwight was playing professionally with Bluesology as a backing group for the likes of The Isley Brothers and Major Lance. Not bad at all for a pub pianist. Fast forward a few years to Reggie answering an ad in the NME, an ad that was also answered by lyricist Bernie Taupin. Dwight put music to the lyrics, and thus began the long-lasting, highly successful partnership between John and Taupin; It was also around this time that Reg Dwight stopped being the name he went by, grabbing from two former members of Bluesology, (Elton Dean and John Baldry) to create his now iconic stage name. Elton and Bernie became staff writers for DJM not long after, and eventually Elton recorded his debut studio album, set to release in 1968 - that album, Regimental Sgt. Zippo, released on 21 June 2021, over fifty years later. DJM thought the album wasn't suited for John artistically, so it was put on the shelf and instead Empty Sky would release in 1969 to introduce the world proper to Elton John; So what do we have here, then? Well, Regimental Sgt. Zippo is very much a product of its time, coated in psychedelia and baroque influences not uncommon from artists like The Zombies, The Moody Blues, or (say it with me) The Beatles were doing around the same time, to the point where the use of "Sgt." in the title even seems like a deliberate nod. Still, John's unreleased first album is a fun time to be had, filled with colorful arrangements and bright imagery through and through.

    Straight from the get-go, the influence of the psychedelia era on this album is fairly apparent in John's performances and the style of the material - the album bleeds influence from The Beatles from start to finish in the hooks and production from Caleb Quayle (who also plays guitar on this album and would continue to work with Elton throughout the 70s), which is fairly clean through and through, and one indicative of the era with its swelling strings and occasional harpsichord dashes or guitar appearances. The best example of this may very well be the layered sound of "Turn to Me" with its McCartney-leaning knack for a strong hook and Taupin's lyricism, not to mention a trumpet solo in the middle that brings to mind the likes of "Penny Lane". Through and through, the album sounds like a great encapsulation of the psychedelic era, albeit with more of a piano focus than pretty much every other recording of the era, which helps distinguish it from the likes of the other records of the age like Odessey and Oracle. While the album does sound very much a product of its time, it's certainly not a standard production, and it does vary quite a bit - the more rocking title track or the building psyche pop of "Nina" are both a ways away from the more baroque-influenced "Tartan Coloured Lady" with its lush strings and harpsichord. It doesn't sound much like the work that would sling Elton into the stars in the 1970s, but it sounds like plenty of effort was put into this album, especially in something like the different musical textures of "The Clock Goes Round" with its bumping verses and distinctive percussion on the chorus. The performances are consistently great throughout; Elton has seemingly always been a solid singer and pianist, and his backing band is just as tight and versatile when need be, highly capable of being able to pop or to rock whenever Elton needs to, and they bring plenty of life to this already decently colorful release.

     It also helps that John and Taupin bring the goods throughout the album, proving the power of their collaboration early on. Now, two of the album's songs - "Sitting Doing Nothing" and "You'll Be Sorry to See Me Gone" are not written by Elton and Bernie, but rather by Elton John and Caleb Quayle. Luckily, you don't need to worry about that, because both of these songs are the worst on the album, with weak melodies and just generally less tight compared to the material that John and Taupin could churn out in one-and-a-half hours (yeah, they really worked that quickly). "When I Was Tealby Abbey" is a sweet dose of psych-pop that could make the likes of Paul McCartney or Emitt Rhodes a bit envious with its fantastic chorus and playful lyrics. The immediately following "The Clock Goes Round" has a remarkable structure with its distinct verse/chorus keys and textures, and stands as probably one of the album's most matured moments musically, even with its indebtedness to the ideas of the time. "Hourglass", the album's penultimate moment is cut from a similar fabric, featuring a similar lyrical motif about the passage of time, albeit its played more straight - perhaps the hook is a bit stronger, but really both are quite solid moments. "A Dandelion Dies in the Wind", the Side B opener, is simply solid psych-pop through and through with its prominent organ and colorful lyrics. "Nina" and "Regimental Sgt. Zippo" both probably feature the most guitar action on the album, and while both are high watermarks on the album, the title track has a distinctness between its parts that not only makes it more interesting, but also quite fittingly makes it the album's centerpiece with its rich vocals and rocking chorus section - Caleb Quayle's guitar playing gets the spotlight it warrants on this song, "Watching the Planes Go By", the album's finale, is a fittingly high production and grand way to end, even if it doesn't stand as the album's absolute pinnacle - it's every bit as grand as climactic as a finale needs to be, and serves as a great conclusion to the debut album that never was.

    The album may have been shelved in 1968, but that doesn't mean Elton John was shelved - he would press on, Empty Sky would be released the next year, and two years after the Sgt. had been discharged, Elton managed to have "Your Song" and the likes of Tumbleweed Connection under his belt. Things clearly have gone just fine for Elton John over the last 50 years, although one can't help but wonder how things may have been if this album initially released in 1968. It may blend in quite a bit with the surrounding psychedelic era, but that's not to say there isn't anything distinct about Elton's first recorded album - quite the opposite. It's piano focus helps distinguish it from the mostly guitar-led groups of the time, of course, but really it's John's performances and Taupin's accompanying lyrics that immediately showcase the craftsmanship of what Elton was capable of. Fifty years after the fact, Regimental Sgt. Zippo remains an interesting look at when Elton was very much an up-and-comer, still trying to find his voice. It may have been a few years before he really hit his sweet spot, but Regimental would certainly be a debut album to be proud of nonetheless.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Regimental Sgt. Zippo.