As
Elton John
's first album for
MCA Records
,
Reg Strikes Back
received a considerable amount of hype upon its release, but the results were considerably less inspired than his early-'80s records for
Geffen
. It's always a bad sign when an artist re-records or reinterprets one of his classics, as
John
does here with
"Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Pt. 2,"
but what really sinks
are the colorless tunes. Apart from the clenched
dance-pop
of
"I Don't Wanna Go on With You Like That"
and the simpy
"A Word in Spanish,"
none of the melodies on the record are memorable, and even those aren't particularly strong. Instead of recharging his career,
began a dry spell that ran for nearly five years. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine