UMC and EMI today announces the 50th anniversary reissue of Elton John’s Madman Across The Water.

Spawning the hits ‘Tiny Dancer’ and ‘Levon’, Madman Across The Water was Elton’s fourth studio album, released only two years after his debut.

Recorded in 1971, it was a foundation stone of what was to become a dazzlingly prolific decade for the global-icon-in-waiting. Madman Across The Water was largely written after Elton had made his initial foray to America; offering the opportunity for lyricist Bernie Taupin to witness first-hand the landscapes and people he’d only seen on a screen or on the page.

Recorded at Trident Studios in Central London in February and August 1971, it was the first album where all five players of Elton’s fabled band line up (Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper) were featured. The album also featured Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who plays Hammond organ on three songs.

A newly unveiled Piano Demo of ‘Tiny Dancer’, taken from the archives and previously unheard, will be available to stream in full later today.

Recorded at Dick James Studios in central London in Spring 1971, it is an intimate performance of the song with Elton alone at the piano as a guide for the band later to follow.

While the UK’s love affair with Elton was still bubbling under upon Madman’s release at the start of the ‘70s, these nine tracks immediately struck a chord with US audiences, reaching the Top 10 of the Billboard album charts. It also spawned two hit singles, ‘Levon’ and ‘Tiny Dancer’ both reaching the US Top 50.

After years as a best kept secret to Elton’s fans, ‘Tiny Dancer’ has gone on to become one of his most loved songs with his worldwide fanbase, third only to ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Your Song’ in global streaming numbers. Capturing the headiness of California at the time of Elton’s first US concerts, the song was used to phenomenal effect in Cameron Crowe’s classic 2000 film Almost Famous. Both ‘Levon’ and ‘Tiny Dancer’ remain firm live favourites to this day, taking pride of place in the setlist for Elton’s record-breaking Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

The celebration of Madman Across The Water comes in four different formats. All formats contain Bob Ludwig’s 2016 remaster of the main album.

There are 18 previously unreleased tracks across the Super Deluxe 3-CD/1-Blu-ray box set, which also contains rare, restored material from the era, piano demos of the album, and the audio of the BBC Sounds For Saturday concert, broadcast in 1972.

The Blu Ray contains a 5.1 mix by Greg Penny, plus the Sounds For Saturday and his 1971 Old Grey Whistle Test performance. The audio of the Super Deluxe CD/Blu-ray set will also be available on a 4-LP set. The box set includes photos, an essay with interviews with those who helped make the album as well as memorabilia and artwork taken from the Rocket Archive. The album will also be available as a limited edition blue and white coloured 180g LP.

Available to pre-order now on stunning 3-CD and 1 Blu-ray Super Deluxe Box Set, 4-LP, 1-LP Limited Edition coloured vinyl and 2-CD formats, the album is released on 10th June, 2022.

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Archival label Light in the Attic is thrilled to announce the first official reissue of Nancy & Lee: the highly-influential 1968 duet album from Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood.

Set for release on May 20th and available for pre-order now, this definitive edition of Nancy & Lee features newly-remastered audio by the GRAMMY nominated engineer John Baldwin and includes an array of exclusive content, including a new interview with Nancy, never-before-seen photos, and two bonus tracks from the album sessions: an ethereal cover of The Kinks’ “Tired of Waiting for You” and an up-tempo version of “Love Is Strange” (first made famous by Mickey & Sylvia in 1956).

While the recordings – both captured in January 1968 – will make their official debut on vinyl in May 2022, “Love Is Strange” is currently available now to stream across all digital platforms. Click here to pre-order Nancy & Lee and stream/download first single “Love Is Strange.”

Nancy & Lee can be found in a variety of formats, including vinyl, cassette tape, CD, 8-track, and digital.

The vinyl LP, pressed at Record Technology, Inc. (RTI), is presented in an expanded gatefold jacket and features the iconic, original cover photo by Ron Joy. Inside, a 20-page booklet offers an array of photos from the legendary singer, actress, and activist’s personal collection, as well as an in-depth Q&A with Sinatra, conducted by the reissue’s GRAMMY nominated co-producer, Hunter Lea (also available in the CD package).

In addition to the classic black vinyl pressing, a selection of colorful variants can be found at independent record stores and select online retailers.

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