Elton John - Are You Ready For Love (Southern Fried)
UK release date: 25 August 2003
Originally recorded in 1977 with Philadelphia producer Thom Bell, Elton John is re-releasing Are You Ready For Love on Norman Cook's label Southern Fried.
It's an interesting choice, as this cult classic sells on Ebay for £100 a pop and certainly, it's been played in clubs for eons as the prerequisite final play and has always been punter pleaser. It's a disco classic, but that doesn't necessarily make it a beauty.
The string intro and sweet chorus hooks a hold but it's the chorus that irritates, its upbeat chirpyness too formulaic and the re-mix by X-Press 2 adds not a lot, unfortunately. The original has a certain stylistic charm that is mostly voided by this stamp of 2003 blandness. I'm sure it'll do very well indeed.