Elton's tip sheet

INGRID SISCHY: So, Elton, the expectations for music this past summer were huge, with a lot of established artists who have done great work in the past releasing their second or third albums. But ultimately, nothing that was a surprise really rose to the top. Is this a case of people resting on their laurels, or is there something else going on that's making it difficult for artists to sustain their authenticity?

ELTON JOHN: Well, the record industry has really changed in some unfortunate ways. These days, most major artists do not have the rapport with their record companies that they should have. It's much more of a business where everyone is thinking about the short term rather than the long term and about putting out a product that will appeal to a certain demographic. That's why musicians need people around them to help them build a career, and right now there aren't many people on the industry side of the record business who are doing that.

IS: Is that why so many of these second and third albums have been so disappointing--because there aren't people at the record companies to nurture these artists along?

EJ: That's a big part of it. When I was starting out, Russ Regan at Universal Records did that for me. He just cared about my music. I could ring him up every day. We'd talk. We'd go out to lunch together. It was a pleasure. Ahmet Ertegun, who started Atlantic Records, was also a great nurturer--when you look at the work he did with Ray Charles when he was just 24 or 25 years old, it's astounding. Mo Ostin, who was the head of Warner Bros. for a long time, was another one. As was Lenny Waronker, who worked with him. Clive Davis has been a nurturer of sorts for years. All of these guys were more interested in music than in business but also had the capability of melding the two together, which is essential.

IS: How important is it to have a nurturer?

EJ: Artists need someone to bounce their ideas off. They need editors. It's very important to have someone whom you trust who can bring in another perspective. When Bernie Taupin and I started out we were trying to write songs for other people. Then a guy called Steve Brown came along and said, "You've got to go on the road. You've got to get a band. You've got to start doing this yourself." I had no aspirations at that point to be an artist. But Steve saw it in me, and he nurtured me. He was my right-hand man. Muff Winwood, Steve Winwood's brother, is someone else who was a really big help to me in the beginning. I had nothing to do with him contractually, but Bernie and I used to go down to his house every night and play table football and talk music. Muff would tell me the truth, and that was very important. It's crucial for an artist to have an ear like that. You have to have someone who a) believes in you, b) will tell you the truth, and c) will be there for you when you phone at 2 A.M. in the midst of a crisis. Just try to ring any of these heads of record companies now--they just don't want to hear it.

IS: What do you think the source of that is?

EJ: A lot of the corporations that own record labels today are public companies. They have to meet certain standards for their shareholders, so it's all about, "Well, we're waiting for the new U2 album, or the new Coldplay album, or the new Radiohead album." They're anxiously waiting for those kinds of records because they need them for their third- or fourth-quarter financial statements. Then, when somebody does manage to have a successful record, the labels handle it so badly. They take single after single after single off an album, which the radio programmers play over and over and over again. Then there are the videos, which, as far as I'm concerned, are the purveyors of mediocrity. Get rid of videos, and the radio will get better, the music will get better, and you'll get rid of 99 percent of the crap that we have to listen to.

IS: All right, Elton, look into your crystal ball: What do you think people are yearning for now? Remember, this issue is called "The Incredibles," so tell us what the best of the best is.

EJ: Right now, I think that simplicity is the key. The world has become a very complicated place, so people seem to be yearning for things that touch them in more direct ways. One record that's been on my turntable a lot lately is Look [Compass] by Beth Nielsen Chapman. She's a singer who has been around for a while, writing songs for a lot of country musicians, and she's also released albums of her own. I actually used to perform one of her songs, "Sand and Water," which is about her husband, who died of cancer. But Look, her latest album, is really mellow and elegantly crafted. Royksopp's new record, The Understanding [Astralwerks], is another one I've been playing a lot. They're a Norwegian duo who make downbeat electronic music. There are also a couple of soul singers who have caught my attention. The first one is Leela James, whose record A Change is Gonna Come [Warner Bros.] recently came out. When she gets good material, she's phenomenal. She is, without question, one to watch for the future. Then there's Raul Mid6n. He's a blind singer from America whose debut, State of Mind [Manhattan], is old-school soul music at its best. On the rock 'n' roll side of things, there is an Irish group called Hal. They sound like the Beach Boys, and their debut album Hal [Rough Trade] is just really bright and invigorating. And then, of course, there is Sufjan Stevens's Illinois [Asthmatic Kitty]. It's a beautiful little album that you have to sit down and listen to. It's like going into an art gallery and discovering someone really vibrant and different, and someone you'd want to collect.