# Reg Strikes Back

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Chicago Tribune | (mixed) |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| The New York Times | (unfavourable) |
| Record Mirror | |
| Rolling Stone | |
Reg Strikes Back is the twenty-first studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1988. It was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press. The "Reg" in Reg Strikes Back refers to John's birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight.
In the US, the album was certified gold in August 1988 by the RIAA. It was also John's third studio album in the 1980s to be placed inside the top 20 of US Billboard 200 (number 16, 1988).

## Background

This was the last album that bassist Dee Murray (albeit without bass) appeared on prior to his death in 1992, providing backing vocals. Additionally, Nigel Olsson, the longtime drummer for the Elton John Band, appears (without drums) on backing vocals. Elton John brought back record producer Chris Thomas for the album. The track "Heavy Traffic" had been written during the sessions for John's previous album Leather Jackets. This was the first studio album to be recorded and released after John's throat surgery the previous year. The album cover featured costumes from John's collection that he decided to put up for auction.
The tracks "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" and "A Word in Spanish" peaked at No. 2 and No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.
On the UK singles chart, "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That" was the only song from the album to reach the Top 40 there, reaching #30 as the follow-up "Town of Plenty" and "A Word in Spanish" appears outside the Top 40 on the same chart, peaking at #74 and #91.
Cash Box said that "A Word in Spanish" is "brilliant," describing it as "a Spanish-guitar tinged ballad written with the kind of originality that John-Taupin haven't really touched since the seventies."

## Tour

After taking over a year off (to recover from throat surgery, address personal issues and record Reg Strikes Back in London), John returned to the stage with a new rhythm section. He wanted more of an R&B sound to his material, so drummer Jonathan Moffett and bassist Romeo Williams, along with backing singers Marlena Jeter, Natalie Jackson and Alex Brown, were added to the band. Guitarist Davey Johnstone, now also in the role of music director, had assembled the new band, a task that he continues to do.
The band's first show was at an AIDS benefit at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, where they played a 14-song set that featured the never-released John/Taupin composition, "Love Is Worth Waiting For". The US tour then began on 9 September at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida and concluded on 22 October at New York's Madison Square Garden.
After recording the follow-up album Sleeping with the Past in Denmark, the band (now with backing vocalist Mortonette Jenkins instead of Alex Brown) resumed their tour on 20 March 1989 at La Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon, France, and played across Eastern Europe and the UK, concluding on 10 June 1989 at the RDS Arena in Dublin.

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.
* Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–10 on CD reissues.

## Personnel
### Musicians

Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.
* Elton John – lead vocals, backing vocals, Roland RD-1000 digital piano (1, 3, 4, 10), synthesizers (2, 5, 6, 9), organ (2), acoustic piano (5, 7, 8)
* Fred Mandel – synthesizers
* Fred McFarlane – programming
* Davey Johnstone – electric guitar (1, 2, 3, 5–9), acoustic guitar (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10), backing vocals
* Pete Townshend – acoustic guitar (1)
* David Paton – bass
* Charlie Morgan – drums
* Ray Cooper – maracas (6–9), tambourine (6–9), timbales (6–9)
* Freddie Hubbard – trumpet (3), flugelhorn (3)
* Dee Murray – backing vocals
* Nigel Olsson – backing vocals
* Adrian Baker – additional backing vocals (10)
* Bruce Johnston – additional backing vocals (10)
* Carl Wilson – additional backing vocals (10)

### Production

* Producer – Chris Thomas
* Recorded and engineered by Bill Price, Michael Mason and Paul Wertheimer
* Assistant engineer – Karl Lever
* Recorded at AIR Studios (London, England), Westside Studios (London, England), Circle Seven Recording and The Record Plant (Los Angeles, California)
* Mixed at AIR Studios (London)
* Mastered by Tim Young at CBS, London
* All songs published by Happenstance Ltd.
* Art direction – David Costa
* Photography – Gered Mankowitz
* Wardrobe – Bob Stacey
1998 reissue
* Producer and remastering supervision – Mike Gill
* Remixing and additional production on tracks 12, 13 and 14 – Shep Pettibone
* Additional remixing on tracks 12 and 13 by Steve Peck
* Remixing on track 14 by Daniel Abraham
* Editing on tracks 12 and 13 – Junior Vasquez
* Remastered by Gus Dudgeon, Mike Gill and Peter Mew.

## Certifications and sales

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | Gold | 35,000$^^$ |
| Canada (Music Canada) | 2× Platinum | 200,000$^^$ |
| France (SNEP) | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| Italy sales 1988-1989 | — | 500,000 |
| Spain | — | 25,000 |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) | Gold | 25,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 60,000$^^$ |
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000$^^$ |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||