Elton John: Reg Strikes Back; Dee Murray's last record with Elton

At some point around 1987 or '88, record companies finally crossed over full into the age of the CD and no longer released albums on vinyl.  So - this may be Elton's last record originally released exclusively on the vinyl format.  Above is also a self-created (by me) stitched photo of the front and back covers of the record album cover.  On wiki, we can read "Reg Strikes Back is the 21st studio album by British singer-songwriter Elton John, released in 1988.  It was his self-proclaimed "comeback album," (did not know he ever needed one!) 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.  This was the last album that bassist Dee Murray appeared on prior to his death in 1992.   (this blogger is saddened to know that).  The tracks "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" and "A Word in Spanish" peaked at #2 and #19 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. John brought back record producer Chris Thomas for the album.  This is the first studio album to be recorded and released after John's throat surgery the previous year.  (As we can see), the album cover featured costumes and props from John's collection that he decided to put up for auction.  The album was certified Gold in the U.S. by the RIAA.

Here is some information on Chris Thomas that I looked up elsewhere:  "Chris Thomas (born 13 January 1947) is an English record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp, and The Pretenders.  He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.  Thomas is quoted as saying.  "I have been fortunate in that it's always been a case of the band contacting me rather than me being hired through a record company.  So it hasn't been a manufactured arrangement.  That's good because it shows they trust me, and if you haven't got the artist's trust, it doesn't matter what you do in the studio, you're not going to get anywhere."