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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Mca
Salesrank: 191841
Released: May 19, 1992 |
| Our Price: $34.94 |
| Used Price: $8.18 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Jump Up! Track Listing:
1. Dear John
2. Spiteful Child
3. Ball & Chain
4. Legal Boys
5. I Am Your Robot
6. Blue Eyes
7. Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)
8. Princess
9. Where Have All the Good Times Gone
10. All Quiet on the Western Front
Jump Up! Reviews:
Three key tracks for downloading 
2008-11-26 - Elton was poised for a brief artistic comeback with his next album, "Too Low For Zero". This one, "Jump Up", is the last album from that period of creative confusion and drift that affected Elton from 1976's "Blue Moves" up until this album. Elton would soon reinvent himself into an adult contemporary soft rocker, a purveyor of muted pleasantries.
Bernie Taupin is peeking in the door again as occasional lyricist but many of the songs have the functional but uninspired lyrics of Gary Osborne. The band has a generic 80s adult contemporary sound to it, more wallpaper than backing, so when Elton dishes up a rote number like "Princess" it's not like a fan can point to brilliant performances or musicianship to turn the song into a silk purse.
Two songs are on the "To Be Continued..." box set, "Blue Eyes" and the homage to John Lennon, "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)". If you have those two winners already, then it's albums like this that mp3 downloads were made for. Grab the jumpin' lead track, "Dear John" and leave the rest to the hardcore fan base. "Dear John" is a wonderful rocker that leaps out of your speakers, sounding like it could have come from "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player" and is a far cry better than anything on 1978's "A Single Man" or 1984's "Breaking Hearts".
Once you have "Dear John" and the two hits, step forward a year and check out "Too Low For Zero", Elton's best album and one keeper of the ten year period following his classic era.
One of my faves 
2003-12-27 - I wouldn't mind saying it could be one of his best. It prefectly mixes fun rockers with masterful ballads. Empty Garden is a moving tribute to John Lennon, Blue eyes is a fave of mine, a lovely ballad with strong vocals from Elton, he can croon. Then there's another fave in Princess, a romantic pop-ballad. All quiet on the western front is a good song, slow and pretty, a war tribute. Then there's sogns like I am your robot, Dear John and Spiteful Child that is just heaps of fun to listen to even if they aren't masterpieces. There's Ball and Chain, a cool C&W song and we still have a great disco number in "Where have all the good times gone?" Oh and there's also "Legal Boys", a masterpiece written with Tim Rice. Actually, 'Blue Eyes', 'Empty Garden' and 'Ball and Chain' were all hits, reaching the top 15. While his 80's albums didn't reach the top ten, this reached the top twenty.
A Comeback 
2003-09-26 - Elton found himself floundering by the end of the 70's--"Victim Of Love" and "The Thom Bell Sessions" were critical and commercial disasters. 1979's "Single Man" revealed Elton--now openly gay-- staring down the world. Gone were the glasses and the feather boas that were his trademark--replaced by contacts and songs like "Big Dipper," a tossed gauntlet to even the most open-minded of homophobes. Elton was not happy and the music reflected that.
Suddenly in 1980, "Jump Up" appears and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. The album opens with "Dear John," a rolicking ode to failed love where Elton sounds very much like his old ass-kicking self. "Empty Garden," a tribute to his friend John Lennon sets a sobering but beautiful mood which feels very Beatlesque. Other highlights on the record are "Legal Boys," a stark confessional both poingiant and lyrically powerful and "All Quite On The Western Front."
"Where Have All the Good Times Gone?" gets a solid C plus and "Princess" has an engaging chorus amid it's slight R&B feel. It's new territory for Elton but he makes it work.
What doesn't work are the silly and very forgettable tracks like "I Am Your Robot" and "Ball and Chain" which was a total rip-off of "Queen of Hearts." "Blue Eyes" is a pretty song but it sounds like Elton was a runner-up in the Elvis impersonation contest and the production is a bit too much Nelson Riddle.
Overall, without question, there are only two albums from Elton in the Eighties worth having, Jump Up and Too Low. Get em both.
EJ:Poplar Creek '82.
2003-02-14 - Always an EJER! We start with the car dancin'"Dear John". Then
we move to "Spiteful Child".My Husband & I were on the"Ball &
Chain"bowling league(LOL!)."Legal Boys"is neat(OH YEAH!)Then we
giggled w/"Robot".Mellowed with"Blue Eyes".Side 2 was a sad start
w/"Empty Garden"("it's funny how 1 insect/can damage so much grain")1 of Bernie's all time epic lines."Princess"is a
happy song.And we wrap with"Where have all the Good Times Gone?"
(I wish they were here!)& finally "All's quiet on the Western
Front" Hercules does it again!~~
knocking
2002-09-29 - Sometimes when i listen to this cd i don't like it and other times i love it.The song empty garden is very clever.If you listen to the song empty garden closely u can hear the drum imitating someone knocking on a door.Just before elton sings "and i've been knocking" the drum imitates someone knocking and this happens throughout this song at different stages of the song.
