Elton John Celebrates 50 Years Of ‘Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy’

Elton John is set to celebrate 50 years of his ninth studio album, Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy, with a deluxe reissue, set to be released on October 24.

The new anniversary edition will be available on multiple formats, including 2LP, 2CD, and digitally. Additionally, Live at Midsummer Music, Wembley Stadium 1975, will be released on vinyl for the first time.

The 2LP and 2CD versions contain the original album, previously unreleased session demos, and Captain Fantastic Live 2005 performances. The booklets for these editions include a newly compiled scrapbook, sleeve notes, and Elton’s never-before-seen 1974 diary entries, the latter of which is exclusive to the 2LP set.

Originally released in May of 1975, Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy is the ninth studio album by Elton John, which includes the legendary single “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.”

The album tells the chronological story of the early years of Elton (Captain Fantastic) and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin’s (the Brown Dirt Cowboy) musical careers in London as they struggled to break through.

Regarding the album, Elton had this to say: “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was the first album I’d ever made that was autobiographical, and it was the first time we’d gone into the studio with all the songs already written. We rehearsed it as a band, then went in and cut it more or less live. The band were at their absolute peak and you can hear it on the record. I think it’s the best thing we ever did. The songs were strong, Bernie’s lyrics were brilliant, and the atmosphere at Caribou was perfect. Seeing it go to Number One faster than anything I’d ever released felt like vindication, like the culmination of everything Bernie and I had fought for back in those bedsits in London.”

Indeed, the album went on to become the first in history to debut at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 and the first to be certified Gold upon its release due to the number of pre-orders. It sold 1.4 million copies in its first four days and remained at the top of the chart for seven weeks.

Part of the album’s success is down to Alan Aldridge’s iconic album artwork, which is one of the most instantly recognizable designs of the decade. It placed Elton in the center of a fanciful imaginary landscape, escaping from his rainy suburban bubble and riding his piano through the many distractions of pop stardom. At its heart, it’s an album about the unbreakable kinship its writers shared, full of intense platonic love songs between the best of friends.

Shop for Elton John’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy on vinyl or CD now.