Revamp & Restoration

Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin and Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin are two tribute albums to English performer Elton John and his frequent songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Both released on 6 April 2018, Revamp was described as John's project and features covers of the duo's back catalogue by pop, rock and R&B artists, whereas Restoration was seen as Taupin's project and features covers by country music artists.^[1][2] Revamp was released via Island Records and Restoration by Universal Music Group Nashville. The release of the albums coincide with John's 2018–2021 Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.^[3]

Background

On the decision to release two separate albums encompassing different genres, Taupin told Rolling Stone: "From day one we borrowed from everything that's good about American music – whether it's blues, country, gospel, pop, pure rock – everything got thrown in the mix. It would be tiring if you just got stuck in one niche your entire career, especially when it's one as long as ours"^[4] John added, "We have two completely different albums; Revamp being the pop one and Restoration being the country one and God we have so many great artists doing our songs, it's quite incredible."^[1]

Of his Revamp record, John said, "It's always a huge compliment when an artist loves your song enough to take the time and effort to rework it. As songwriters, Bernie [Taupin] and myself are thrilled when singers we admire and respect as much as those on Revamp and Restoration choose to add their own unique twist in the process. It means that our music is still relevant and ultimately that our songs continue to reach new audiences. We're humbled and thank them all for their generosity." He added, "On Revamp, I wrote out a wish list of people that I would love and asked them and to my surprise most of them said yes and we have quite an astonishing eclectic crew."^[1]

Of Taupin's Restoration record, John said, "Restoration was Bernie's project and he's a huge country fan. He came up with an astonishing list of country performers both new and legendary".^[5]

Cover art

The Revamp album features a pop art style cover based on the Terry O'Neill photograph of John that was recreated in neon. The Restoration artwork was created by Taupin who wanted to emphasise the role that US culture played in his and John's careers, stating, "For me, there's an irony about the American flag. It's been battered and beaten and burned, but it's resilient. It's always come back. I incorporate it with other things, and lately I've done a lot of pieces with deconstructed guitars and other found materials: barbed wire, broken bottles, things that people identify with on an everyday level. If it's on the floor and it works, I'll put it into the artwork. But it all goes hand in hand with my belief in America and my interest, I would say obsession, with Americana."^[5]

Revamp

Revamp
Compilation album by various artists
Released	6 April 2018 (2018-04-06)
Label	Island
Producer	Daniel Crean Justin Tranter Wes Period Bill Rahko Peter Asher Oak Felder "Downtown" Trevor Brown Zaire Koalo Emile Haynie Charlie Hugall Blake Mills Bizness Boi TH3ory Darhyl "DJ" Camper Jr. Q-Tip Jacknife Lee Brendan Grieve Steve Fitzmaurice Andrew Wyatt Greg Kurstin Mark Ronson Josh Homme

Restoration

Restoration
Compilation album by various artists
Released	6 April 2018 (2018-04-06)
Label	Universal Nashville
Producer	Frank Liddell[12] Mike McCarthy busbee Don Henley Vince Gill Jay Joyce Glenn Worf Eric Masse Dave Cobb Chris Stapleton Kyle Ryan Andrew Wyatt Jon Randall Stewart John Leventhal

Grammy salute

On 10 April 2018, CBS aired I'm Still Standing: A Grammy Salute to Sir Elton John which featured artists performing songs from the John/Taupin songbook, including many of the artists who recorded songs for Revamp and Restoration. At the end of the broadcast, John and Taupin were given Grammy Awards: the President's Award.^[16][17]

References