More praise for Britt/John duet

This from Billboard;

CATHERINE BRITT & ELTON JOHN
Where We Both Say Goodbye
Producer(s): Keith Stegall
Writer(s): C. Britt, J. Salley
Publisher(s): EMI Australia, BMI; ForaySea Keeper, SESAC
Genre: COUNTRY
Label/Catalog Number: RCA (CD promo)
Source: Billboard Magazine
Originally Reviewed: August 13, 2005

You would not expect Elton John to turn up on a fiddle and steel guitar-drenched traditional country weeper, but hey, that is what friends are for. The veteran pop star lends his signature voice to this second single from Aussie newcomer Catherine Britt. John became a fan after buying the teen's album during a tour of Australia, and it is easy to see why he was so impressed. It is obvious Britt has been influenced by such legends as Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn, but she pays homage to the greats without imitating. She co-wrote this aching ballad with one of Music Row's greatest veteran tunesmiths, Jerry Salley. The two have crafted a heartbreaking ode to a relationship's demise. John lends it star treatment, but Britt is the most promising Aussie import since Keith Urban.—DEP

Official: Captain Fantastic Deluxe Edition due September 13, Anniversary Concerts NYC and Boston

As rumored and now official, EltonJohn.com reports that "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Deluxe Edition will be issued on September 13th in expanded form. The first disc of the 2CD expanded set will feature the original album plus 4 bonus tracks. It is what's on the second disc that has Elton fans celebrating. Disc 2 will feature the Wembley Stadium concert performance from June 21, 1975 where Elton and his new band (Dee and Nigel had been unceremoniously fired) performed Captain Fantastic from start-to-finish to a less than enthusiastic crowd. At that time, the album had only been out for three weeks and much of the material was not familiar to the sold-out audience. However that Captain Fantastic performance is now thought of as a bold move by Elton and only low quality boots of the concert have been available until now. Also included are two of the encore songs. The tracklisting for the set is below;

TRACK LISTING:
DISC ONE
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy
Tower Of Babel
Bitter Fingers
Tell Me When The Whistle Blows
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket
Better Off Dead
Writing
We All Fall In Love Sometimes
Curtains

BONUS TRACKS:
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (single)
One Day At A Time (b-side of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds)
Philadelphia Freedom (single)
House Of Cards (b-side of Someone Save My Life Tonight)

DISC TWO
LIVE AT WEMBLEY JUNE 21 1975 (all tracks previously unreleased)
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy (Live)
Tower Of Babel (Live)
Bitter Fingers (Live)
Tell Me When The Whistle Blows (Live)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (Live)
(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket (Live)
Better Off Dead (Live)
Writing (Live)
We All Fall In Love Sometimes (Live)
Curtains (Live)
Pinball Wizard (Live)
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (Live)

Also EltonJohn.com reports that to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Captain Fantastic during Elton's New York and Boston concerts in September Elton will perform the entire album live for the first time in 30 years.

Alan Aldridge, the man behind the cover art for Captain Fantastic.

Alan Aldridge is the artist who created the wonderful cover for Elton John's 1975 album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" and he has a website that features more of his work. Among that work is this piece that apparently was done for the Bally Captain Fantastic pinball machine. I don't think I have ever seen this.
UPDATE: Click here to see pictures of a 1977(?) Bally Captain Fantastic pinball machine with the above artwork.

Britt/John duet moves up to #43 on Billboard Country Chart

The Catherine Britt/Elton John duet "Where We Both Say Goodbye" moves up 6 notches to #43 on the Billboard Country Charts. A good article over at AngryCountry.com covers how the song came about.

Of the pairing, Catherine explains how the duet came about. “Ever since we met, Elton and I have stayed in touch and one night I just wrote an email and asked him if he would sing on my record. He wrote back and said he would love to. He called me one day to ask what kind of song I wanted to do together, and when I told him I thought it would be cool to do a real country duet, he said, ‘I was hoping you’d say that.’ Elton just loves country music.”

“So I sent him George and Tammy, Conway and Loretta, things like that, and he said, ‘Put some originals in there that could be duets.’ So I did, and he told me, ‘They’re all great but I love your song.’ This was, of course, a huge honor. We did the tracking, so all we had to do was get his vocal, and then we went in the studio and sang it live, to each other. I think that had a lot to do with the way he really got into my vibe and my style, because how often does Elton John do that? But he came into my world for a minute, and then you start to hear some of the phrasing and you think ah, there it is, there’s Elton John. It’s so different, I love it.”