Customer Reviews

Elton John (Dlx) (Exp) (Dig)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First a couple of things up front--if you liked the previous remaster of this album you'll LOVE this one simply because it sounds very similar but with an extra disc of material. If you prefer the earliest edition on CD (The DJM or MCA editions), you'll probably want to keep those discs. It all comes down to preferences in sound.

Elton John's self titled second album is where the magic happened. Everything came together. That's not to slight "Empty Sky"--Elton needed a better producer and Steve Brown knew that so brought in the late Gus Dudgeon. The meat here is the original album which sounds extremely good in this remastered edition. It can't top the original DJM CD (or probably the vinyl for that matter)but the real reason you're probably buying this AGAIN is the second disc. Is it worth it? Yep.

We get Elton performing the entire album solo minus two songs ("First Episode at Hienton" and "Border Song" are missing. There are also two songs that have never been formally recorded or released in any form offically. Most of these performances have never been released and vary a bit in sound but on the whole sound extremely good given the age of the tapes, the recording environment and the fact that they were never meant to be released. . It's like sitting at a solo performance of Elton when this album was first released. We also get b-sides from the singles that were on the first remaster. Additionally, we get those piano demos as well.

One technical note to be aware of--during one song from the demo selections the original mastertape for the demos was damaged causing what sounds like a drop out and tape drag causing some distortion.

Elton does the melody for the strings vocally for the songs included on this including "The Greatest Discovery". This is essential for fans of Elton John. The BBC performances feature Elton backed by DJM labelmates Hookfoot (Caleb Quayle the guitarist in that band performed on the original album as well).

The packaging is in the digipak format used for all the Deluxe Edition CD releases. Highly recommended.

I purchased this LP on the same day I picked up: "Tumbleweed Connection", Elton's 3rd record. These two recordings by the exact same artist, are MILES apart from each other.

The Original Album:
I had heard 3 of these tracks already before I dropped this LP on the turntable. "Your Song" was a BIG Hit Single. FM Radio was playing "Take Me To The Pilot" & "Border Song", that said, I knew a little bit going in. Nobody could be prepared from this record, it was very different in 1971 from everything else from that time period, and today the gap is even bigger between this and the current Pop Music of 2008.

Like: "Pet Sounds" or Love's masterpiece: "Forever Changes", This Elton John record, stands alone on it's own merits. Go out there, and FIND a Record that sounds like this, of this production quality and/or these arrangements. If you do find another recording as unique and great as this, run don't walk and buy a lottery ticket, for your ship has indeed come in!

From the lilting harpsichord of: "I Need You To Turn To" in all it's baroque glory, to the Rock of: "Take Me To The Pilot" onto the country music of: "No Shoestrings On Louise" into the darkness of: "First Episode At Hienton". The arrangements and production are big and small as needed for each song. The lyrics? With the exception of: "Your Song" & "The Greatest Discovery", the two most straight forward things here, I have no idea what Bernie Taupin, is about, use your imagination and the journey becomes more enjoyable.

There are ten reasons to buy this CD, and those ten songs on: "Elton John" are the answers. Each of these songs are little mini-symphonies, and they are all unique in their form and shape. Many moods and colors are presented herein...This is a vast soundscape!

The Bonus Disc:
A lot has been said and written about the big arrangements and production used on this record. Now listen to these songs as just performed with Elton's voice and piano {14 Demos}. It's rough to take a song 38 years on and bring forth a totally new version {to us, Elton played these before the LP editions}. But for me to hear: "Sixty Years On" without the dark and gloomy strings is a bit of a relevation. Elton, knew what he was going to do from the start, he knew how special this material was and he knew where he was going with it.

"Grey Seal" has been issued before, but I never get tired of hearing this one, as a demo or finished up in the studio, it is one of Bernie and Eltons greatest compositions. "Bad Side Of The Moon" is fantastic as well, and this one was a showstopper when Elton played it live in 1970."Rock And Roll Madonna" is transformed from a piano demo into a full-out rocker in three versions heard here. The BBC sessions at the end of Disc Two confirm what Elton had in store for these songs as live pieces of music, big things were gonna happen.

It would take Elton a few years to become the biggest Rock Star of the 1970's. The albums: "Don't Shoot Me" & "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" would sell many times over what this record achieved in sales. Lot's of folks start their Elton John Collection in the 1973-1975 period, not here with this 1970 Record. There is no such thing as a: "Perfect Record". Opinions are as much opposed, as they are for ANY piece of art. But, if there was something that indeed flies close to the sun, this one would shine very bright!
FIVE STARS !!!

Though Elton John's eponymous album does not reach the creative heights achieved by the follow-up Tumbleweed Connection, it still makes the listener wonder how someone could achieve so much early on and survive shifting musical tastes to remain a superstar into his 60s. What brings this into five-star territory is the quality and value added by the inclusion of the bonus disc.
With this special edition, you get nearly two hours of music and an attractive, informative booklet containing pictures, album info, lyrics for the original ten songs, and commentary on the development of EJ's early career.
My favorite songs on the first disc are classics: Your Song, I Need You To Turn To, Sixty Years On, and The King Is Dead. I also like the idealistic Border Song and The Cage. On the bonus disc, my favorite rare cuts are both versions of Grey Seal. I also enjoyed demo versions of the same songs I most liked on the first disc. Like another reviewer, I noticed the tape wobble on The Greatest Discovery and wonder why it had not been noticed and fixed.
For some reason, I never bought this album in high school although I bought Empty Sky, Tumbleweed Connection, and Madman Across the Water. But as they say, better late than never. I am delighted to own this now and you will be too.

They missed a golden opportunity. There is so much EJ material from this era that has never been released, and they should have thrown in all the stuff that nobody's ever heard. At least we get 3 never-before-heard songs on this compilation, along with 10 alternate versions of the 10 songs on the album. So 13 tracks on the second CD, and the first CD is just the original 10. That leaves nearly half of the 2 CDs silent. Thanks for the 3 extra songs, but you've still got some work to do.

Another remaster,another addition to Universal's very successful "Deluxe Edition" series.Some of which have been excellent value.We have already seen "Captain Fantastic" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" given very lavish deluxe treatment.According to the extensive essay by John Tobler contained within the booklet of this double cd reissue of one of Sir Elton's career defining early 70's albums for DJM records,it has been released(along with "Tumbleweed Connection")to commemerate 40 years of recording.And what a wealth of material it contains.It's not so much how good the album sounds,it's all the extra material contained on the second disc,most of which is previously unreleased,that make these new deluxe editions a must have for any fan of Mr.John!
It's not the first remaster of course.Almost all his classic 70's back catalogue was first given a clean up in 1995 by the late Gus Dudgeon,Elton's longtime producer and collaborator.The remainder of the 70's albums and most of the 80's and 90's were finished by 2003.
And for those us who were quick enough to snap them up,six of his classic 70's albums were reissued in Hybrid SACD 5.1 by Universal America's excellent "Chronicles" series a few years back.If you have an SACD player,they are pretty nice sounding surround remixes though the Stereo layer,I believe,was the 1995 remaster(track down the deluxe edition of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and you'll understand what I'm talking about).Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (w/ Bonus DVD).
So onto the 2008 clean up.The albums themselves sound like they were recorded yesterday,very nice indeed.Universal,along with Sony use single bit technology(DSD or direct steam digital)that they created for archiving all their aging analogue back catalogue,so any remasters they have released since 2001 sound as close to the original master as possible.
The bonus tracks that were on the 1995 remasters are included on the second disc along with almost all of the album in demo form or alternate versions and some previously unreleased live radio performances.Worth the price of admission for the second disc alone.
I hope that all his classic albums get the same treatment as each one passes the big 40 anniversary.

Reginald Dwight's 2nd album proper was recorded in a week in January 1970 at Trident Studios in London and then released in the spring of 1970. It included the monster hit "Your Song" and after years of soul-destroying session work and an underachieving debut album "Empty Sky", both the single and album finally kick-started Elton John's extraordinary career - which is still strong nearly 40 years after the event. This 2 June 2008 DELUXE EDITION 2CD set is a fully upgraded version of that forgotten album and along with the 2CD DELUXE EDITION of the LP that followed it, "Tumbleweed Connection" (see my separate review) these two beauties are in my books already up there as REISSUES OF THE YEAR.

Here's the layout:
DISC 1 is the 10-track album originally released in the UK in April 1970 on DJM Records DJLPS 406 and in the USA on Uni Records 73090 (39:29 minutes)

DISC 2 is the BONUS DISC with a primo haul of 20 tracks, 17 of which are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED DEMO, PIANO and BBC VERSIONS. The other 3 tracks are NON-ALBUM SINGLES from the period (69:53 minutes)

PACKAGING:
The LP originally sported a matt gatefold sleeve, which has been faithfully reproduced in the upgraded 28-page booklet that accompanies this set. Along with period photos of Elton, there's a very informative new essay by noted writer JOHN TOBLER, session details on the bonus tracks, both CDs are picture discs and the booklet reflects both the rear sleeve ensemble photo and the lyrics on the inner spread in the same way they were on the gatefold of the original album - all very nice touches indeed. But the big news is the SOUND....

SOUND:
Sourcing the first generation original masters tapes from the Universal Archives, GIOVANNI SCATOLA and TONY COUSINS at Metropolis Mastering in London have carried out the remastering - and surely a GRAMMY awaits each of them! As the owner of way too many re-issue CDs, this (and Tumbleweed Connection) are simply the best remaster of old albums that I've ever heard! Twenty seconds into the overly familiar "Your Song", with its brand new piano and acoustic guitar clarity and its string-arranged beauty fully renewed, I was already writing a review and picking my jaw up off the table as I went!

So what's changed? When GUS DUDGEON replaced the useless 1980s CDs with the excellent 1995 remasters, he got the best sound out of the tapes that he could at the time (he sadly passed away a few years ago). But 13 years on to 2008 and that's a lifetime in remastering techniques. These 2008 versions BREATHE - you can hear everything - and clearly too. Songs like "First Episode At Hienton", "Sixty Years On" and "The King Must Die" heavily feature the fantastic string arrangements of PAUL BUCKMASTER (who did "Space Oddity" for Bowie) - well now you can hear how good they are! The sound is so clean, it makes you double take on almost every track - a TRULY BEAUTIFUL JOB DONE and easy to see why Elton would want these new versions out in the marketplace as soon as possible.

BAND/GUESTS:
FRANK CLARK and COLIN GREEN provide sweet guitar work on "Your Song" and "Sixty Years On", while guest vocalists MADELINE BELL, TONY HAZZARD, LESLIE DUNCAN and ROGER COOK feature especially well on the brilliant "No Strings For Louise" and "The Cage". DIANA LEWIS plays Moog on the sparse "First Episode At Hienton". CALEB QUAYE of HOOKFOOT provides Lead Guitar on "Take Me To The Pilot" while TONY COX of PENTANGLE drums on "The Greatest Discovery" and the epic album closer "The King Must Die".

DISC 2 gives us 12 excellent PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED Piano Demos in a row (1-12) along with two separate BBC sessions - the "Dave Lee Travis Show" from April 1970 and the "Sounds Of The Seventies Show" from July 1970 (tracks 18, 19 and 20). They vary in sound quality, but are more than pleasantly good. It should be noted that Track 1, the demo version of "Your Song" did turn up on the "To Be Continued" box set years back, but that was only briefly available. "Bad Side Of The Moon" is the non-album B-side of the 7" single "Border Song" issued March 1970 in the UK on DJM Records DJS 217, while "Rock & Roll Madonna" and "Grey Seal" are the A&B sides of the non-album 7" single DJS 222 issued in the UK in June 1970. "Grey Seal" was re-recorded and turned up on "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" - the version on this disc is often referred to as "Version 1970". These 3 were originally bonus tracks on the 1995 reissue CD of the album; here they've upgraded sound quality.

Then comes a genuine sensation; recorded for the Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis for his "Sound Of The Seventies" Sessions in July 1970 is an almost note-perfect rendition of "YOUR SONG" which frankly rivals the issued version. Luckily the sound is BEAUTIFUL, his performance heartfelt and not wearied by 38 years of playing the same song. It's FANTASTIC STUFF and a reminder of what initially drew so many music lovers to Elton in the first place - his great song-writing and vocal delivery. Whatever way you cut it, this version is an absolute gem and will thrill fans to the core!

To sum up: I've loved coming back to this album - the great sound quality - actual tunes with thought-provoking lyrics - the attention to detail in the well-thought out packaging - the bonuses you'll play more than once - all of it...

For fans of this unduly forgotten album, this is an absolute MUST BUY! For the casual buyer or just vaguely interesested, I urge you to try to get to hear just how good this re-issue really is. I know it's pricey, but it's worth it.

A job well done by all at Universal - and roll on the same deluxe treatment for "Madman Across The Water" and "Honky Chateau".

When Elton John burst onto the American music scene in 1970 with his self titled debut album, it was unlike anything on the scene, and it proved to be what was sorely needed after the breakup of The Beatles earlier in the year. Elton's album combined pure rock with folklore influenced lyrics, gospel stylings, and heavy orchestral arrangements to create an ambitious debut (at least for America - "Empty Sky" had been released in the U.K. the previous year) whose creativity still holds up today.

To commemorate this wonderful album, which surely ranks among the best Elton ever recorded, a wonderfully remastered and repackaged double disc cd has been issued, with an extra bonus disc of demos and rare cuts. The result is nothing short of excellent, as the album sounds better than ever, and the packaging is extremely attractive.

Beginning with the timeless opening chords of "Your Song," a song that has been with Elton every step of his career, it's clear that the sound on this album is lightyears ahead of the 1995 remaster. Each song bursts out of the speakers with a depth of range and volume lacking on previous issues. Paul Buckmaster's lush, haunting string arrangements on songs like "Sixty Years On," "The Greatest Discovery," and "The King Must Die" have never sounded more powerful or enveloping, while Elton's voice and piano resonate so profoundly in the mix it's like he's singing right there with you.

The bonus disc, a collection of demos and outtakes from 1969-1970, give amazing insight into Elton's already blossoming prowess as an artist. These piano / voice demos aren't mere demos. Elton sounds assured, confident and aware of his talents. He even sings the string arrangements, stressing his already vast musical experience. There are three songs - "Thank You, Mama," "All The Way Down To El Paso," and "I'm Going Home" - that are welcome additions. We also get alternate tracks from BBC sessions.

This is an excellent rerelease of a classic album.

Simply an amazing CD with so many extraordinary and beautiful songs. A must have for your ears and your soul.

Disc 1 -

The album itself is one of his finest. I always enjoyed it more than the more popular Tumbleweed Connection and Captain Fantastic. I feel the melodies are among his strongest and the production with the orchestra was awesome. It's too bad "First Episode at Hienton" never got proper attention. It's really a gorgeous ballad and the lyrics are powerful. I don't even think EJ ever played it live. I think it's one of the gems of the album. Obviously "Sixty Years On", "The Greatest Discovery" and "The King Must Die" are standouts. As played out as "Your Song" is it's still great especially within the context of this album. A few lackluster tracks like "The Cage" and "No Shoestrings on Louise" don't take away from the 8 excellent ones. His voice is very pure here....EJ was still developing as a singer. This remaster is only slightly better than the '95 remaster. But as others have noted, this deluxe release is memorable for disc 2.

Disc 2 -
This is the draw. If you buy this edition, chances are you have the '95 remaster. But for 20 demos and unreleased tracks it's absolutely worth it. It's so cool to hear these tracks in a solo format. Just Elton and the piano...it doesn't get much better. What makes it even more interesting is that the phrasing and delivery of the vocals are quite different from the performances on the album. So the demos are overall excellent. Some of the unreleased material doesn't measure up, but they are as a whole, enjoyable. The few live tracks are very good. So to sum up, it is all very, very interesting. For the huge Elton fans I would certainly recommend it wholeheartedly. For casual fans, the '95 remaster is all you need, and at a very fair price.

First the good news.... the quantity and relative (sound) quality of the bonus tracks, especially since they include three never-before-heard titles, one of which I could imagine being finished off and fitting in on the original LP ("I'm Going Home"). It's great how Elton vocalizes the orchestral parts on the demo for "The Greatest Discovery"... (but with all the computer technology available today, couldn't they have done something about the tape glitch that shows up at 3:04?) And I love the laugh-fit that breaks out at the end of the "band demo" of "Rock and Roll Madonna".

Not-so-good-news.... there's no detailed info at all about the demo's, etc. (dates, locations... anything), with the exception of the three "BBC Sessions" tracks. Speaking of which (this is where the "glaring error" mentioned above comes in).... the supposed "BBC Session" of "Your Song" is actually the original hit version, just with the orchestra removed (unless you listen real close in spots). Which is fine by me.... I like hearing a stripped-down "band only" version of the same vocal recording I've heard hundreds of times over the years with all the strings, etc. If it had been a BBC version it would probably be the same performance that was shown on VH1 Classic awhile back. My question is, how many people listened to these tracks when this was being put together, and how could none of them have picked up on the mix-up? (I guess the same way none of the previous reviewers here seemed to notice?) Has to make you wonder about the accuracy of the liner notes as well, which has at least one problem confusing "Bad Side of the Moon" with "Rock and Roll Madonna" in the second paragraph.

Then there's the price.... definately too much for a re-release which has absolutely zero production costs to recoup, as far as the actual content (other than the mastering of the bonus disc). And the price is an especially thorny issue when you consider that many of those people purchasing this will be picking up every other release in the Elton "Classic Years - Deluxe" series. I was planning on getting the "Tumbleweed Connection" set along with this one, but I'll be holding off until I see it in the $15-$20 range somewhere. As far as the sound quality of the original album, I can't say I've noticed any improvement over the previous reissue. It's basically all about the bonus disc here.