After dismissing his recently re-formed backing band and breaking off professional ties with longtime lyricist
Bernie Taupin
,
Elton John
sought
Philly soul
maestro
Thom Bell
in search of a fresh direction. However,
John
's brief foray into
soul
isn't as surprising or unusual as it might initially sound. In fact, two of
's biggest hits --
"Bennie and the Jets"
as well the breezy four-on-the floor backbeat on
"Philadelphia Freedom"
-- also became crossover
R&B
smashes. Initially,
was not entirely pleased with the results and sat on the tapes for over a year before remixing the six completed songs in early 1979 for a summertime release. Ultimately,
chose half of the material that he and
Bell
had cut to be included on a three-song EP, which was led by the midtempo and ultimately danceable
"Mama Can't Buy You Love."
The two other sides --
"Are You Ready for Love"
and
"Three Way Love Affair"
(which were issued on that June 1979 extended-play single) -- were likewise
creations and were augmented significantly by some of Philly's finest. Among them were
Casey James
(guitar),
Leroy M. Bell
(guitar), and
Charles Collins
(drums), strings and horns courtesy of none other than
MFSB
, and backing vocals from the one and only
Spinners
. When the CD version of that EP was issued, the other three previously unissued tunes documented during those sessions were released. Notable among them are a
Taupin
/
leftover titled
"Nice and Slow"
-- which
also rearranged -- as well as a
ballad
co-written with
Gary Osborne
titled
"Shine On Through."
This track would resurface as the leadoff track on
's
A Single Man
in a much more stark and moody musical setting. ~ Lindsay Planer