Pinner,England-born Reginald Kenneth Dwight,known to the public as Elton John,has recorded a multitude of albums on the Uni and MCA labels between 1969 and '80. In '80,he left MCA to sign with the newly christened Geffen,which distributed six(one album per year)albums between 1981 and '86. This album is the second of the six. Top 20 hits include BLUE EYES and EMPTY GARDEN(Hey,Johnny). BE is a beautiful easy listening piece that was later recycled for 1996's LOVE SONGS(a compilation with two original songs). EG is Elton's tribute to his longtime friend,ex-Beatle John Lennon who was murdered in December 1980 in New York City,where he last lived. Elton is godfather to Lennon's now-32-year-old son Sean Taro Ono Lennon. A year ago,when Elton gave his 60th concert on his 60th birthday at NYC's Madison Square Garden,he told the audience that MSG was the only venue where he would painlessly perform EG live. He told about his November 28,1974 memory of performing Lennon's WHATEVER GETS YOU THRU THE NIGHT with him on the MSG stage when the song topped the pop/rock charts. In the studio recording,Elton sang unison background,and it appears on Lennon's WALLS AND BRIDGES album. I even dedicate EG to the memory of Liverpool,England-born Lennon and I'm sure many others do. Interestingly,the rhythm of EG was exactly the same as the GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD track CANDLE IN THE WIND,which paid homage to Hollywood great Marilyn Monroe. The other songs from this album are cool. This album followed THE FOX and preceded the megahit TOO LOW FOR ZERO,BREAKING HEARTS.ICE ON FIRE and LEATHER JACKETS. This album was re-released on MCA because Elton returned to MCA after the release of LJ.

Elton John had already peaked as an artist and his collaborations with his best lyricist Bernie Taupin had dissolved when he came to record "A Single Man". With "21 at 33", "The Fox" and "Jump Up" he tentatively reunited with Taupin on a small amount of songs for each album still working with lyrcist Gary Osborne and adding new collaborators including Tom Robinson ("Glad to be Gay")and his future "The Lion King" collaborator Tim Rice ("Jesus Christ Superstar")on this album. Although "Jump Up" doesn't scale the heights of, say, "Honkey Chateau", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" or even "Madman Across the Water", it does compare favorably to "Caribou" and is often better than "Rock of the Westies" recorded at the tail end of his most creative period as an artist.

As far as sound goes those who don't like No Noise will be unhappy as it clearly was used here to eliminate tape hiss and, as a result, sucks some of the life out of the original recording. While this isn't as loud or compressed as most reissues that came out in 2003, it does sound a bit more compressed than the original disc. For those folks, I'd strongly recommend the original CD issue on Geffen/Universal from 1992. The only difference aside from that is a very good booklet with lyrics and John Tobler's liner notes discussing the making of the album.

The big hit was "Blue Eyes" (John wrote it with Gary Osborne) but there's other strong material here as well. "Dear John" is a solid rocker written with Gary Osborne that could hold its own musically with Elton's earlier rockers. The tracks that John writes with Osborne here are better than the work they did on "A Single Man". The other highlights include "Legal Boys" a clever ballad about a divorce written with Rice. The stand out track, though, is the moving "Empty Garden" written with Bernie Taupin about their idol (and friend) John Lennon and his murder in 1980. It's probably the most moving of any of the songs written about Lennon (certainly better than most of the songs written by Lennon's former bandmates Paul McCartney and George Harrison).

Although the album and some of the production touches (particularly on the weaker tracks such as "I Am Your Robot")put the album firmly in the 80's, that's not a bad thing--it's an album of its time that manages at its best to transcend its time. The most appealing songs are still exceptionally good. Although it doesn't quite measure up to "Too Low for Zero", it's a nice return to form and certainly better than John's career low the horrible disco album "Victim of Love" (a complete miscalculation).

It's a pity we don't get any bonus tracks as with the other albums from John's earlier discography but what we do get here is very good at its best. Curiously, "The Retreat" the one b-side that would have fit on this album and was released as a b-side for "Blue Eyes" was carried over to "2Lowfor0" (or Too Low For Zero) and isn't here. Elton hadn't lost his touch just got a little lost in the maze of drugs and good living that took over much of his life during the late 70's/early 80's.

This album is great. Songs like "Dear John", "I am Your Robot", "Ball and Chain", "Spiteful Child", and "Where Have All The Good Times Gone" are just great songs. I like it because of the great melodies and hooks. It doesn't have any fluff, or slow crap that plagued Elton in his later years. This is 90% Rock, 10% Nice Slow Songs, and 100% great material. "Jump Up!" is a must for any Rock 'n Roll Fan's Musical Collection. I have all of Elton's music, and when ever I am in the mood for Elton John, I frequently find myself turning "Jump Up!" on. Buy this Album, you'll be glad you did.

"Jump Up!" was one of Elton John's best albums from the 1980s, and I think it still holds up quite well today. It was Elton's first album with producer Chris Thomas, who would produce most of Elton's 1980s and 1990s albums, and the last album featuring songs co-written with lyricist Gary Osborne. Recorded on the West Indian island of Montserrat, "Jump Up!" truly captures Elton at one of his happiest moments in the 1980s, backed ably by a fine studio band which included long-time associate, bassist Dee Murray, and legendary studio session drummer Jeff Porcaro, best known for his work with his band Toto and of course, with Michael Jackson too. The album harkens back to Elton's early to mid 1970s sound, with an eclectic range of pop ballads and uptempo rockers. The two songs which most listeners will recognize are the Elton John/Gary Osborne ballad "Blue Eyes", which was recorded later by none other than Frank Sinatra, and the Elton John/Bernie Taupin ballad "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)", which is Elton's bittersweet homage to the late John Lennon; both songs still rank as among the finest ballads ever composed by Elton in his nearly forty-year long career. And yet these aren't the only fine songs on "Jump Up!"; even the song which I regard as the weakest on the album, the Elton John/Bernie Taupin ballad "All Quiet On The Western Front" - the songwriting team's musical tribute to World War One's Western Front - I'd regard as one of their most memorable compositions. In other words, "Jump Up!" is that rarity among Elton John albums, one which truly doesn't have a lackluster song on it (My other favorites include the Elton John/Gary Osborne ballad "Princess", the Elton John/Bernie Taupin Philly Soul tribute rocker "Where Have All the Good Times Gone", the Elton John/Gary Osborne rocker "Dear John" (It features a fine guitar solo from none other than Pete Townshend of The Who!), the Elton John/Tim Rice ballad "Legal Boys" (their very first collaboration, long before Disney's "The Lion King"), and last, but not least, the Elton John/Bernie Taupin cyberpunkish rocker "I Am Your Robot".). Without question, I would regard "Jump Up!" as an essential Elton John album that should be acquired by both diehard fans and others interested in his music.

Jump Up was recorded and released during Elton's relationship with Geffen Records. While the albums that came during that period were not the monster hits of his 70s work (Captain Fantastic, Rock of the Westies), there is still some strong performances included.
The opening cut, Dear John, features guitar work from none other than Pete Townshend. Legal Boys has words from Tim Rice, who Elton later collaborated with on the Lion King Soundtrack.
A misnomer from this period is that there was some type of seperation between John and longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin. Not true -- in fact, one of the duos most meaningful works appears on Jump Up -- Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny), a tribute to John Lennon at the time of his murder.
Gary Osborne is the other writer on the disc and teams with John for the hit Blue Eyes, a ballad that still stands strong.
For Elton enthusiasts, the album is a must for a complete collection. For others, it's still a worthy listen.