Customer Reviews

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

5 star:		(229)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Since I purchased a Super Audio CD player (SACD) about six months ago, I've been disappointed by most of the surround sound mixes I've heard. It's true that remixing a recording that was originally prepared for two-channel stereo into 5.1 surround does create a different performance. So? The original stereo mix is still available (and with the two-layer "hybrid" format used here, it's readily accessible). As a result, most multi-channel mixes are fairly timid, placing the voice in the center speaker and perhaps daintily tossing a few stray ambient sounds into the rear speakers. When I buy a SACD, I want to hear something daring, something adventurous, in other words... something I haven't heard before.

On this new mix of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", the producer has pulled out all the stops and created a powerful, knock-your-socks-off reinterpretation that really deserves to be called "surround sound." Bold, vibrant music surges into all five speakers from the opening organ notes of "Funeral For A Friend", and the action never lets up until the last note of "Harmony."

This demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of surround sound re-mixes. On the plus side, you hear details that were buried before; backing vocals, guitar parts, and other dynamics leap out at you. This was always a lush recording, but you can now appreciate some of the ingredients more fully.

The downside, of course, is that some passages sound quite different from what you're used to. The opening of "I've Seen That Movie, Too," for example, is almost unrecognizable, as the guitars are much more prominent and even threaten to drown out Elton's piano. Perhaps the producer went a bit too far... but the original stereo mix is right there (and plays on SACD or ordinary audio CD players). "Yellow Brick Road" has been released several times on CD but it's never sounded this good. (We're back, however, to the two-disc format of the first CD issue.)

If you have a surround sound system, don't even think about it. Buy this disc. If you have a regular stereo CD and just need a copy of this record, this is the edition to get.

The DVD contains a 50 minute "making of" program that's fascinating and adds to the value of the package which is admittedly steep. Take note, however, that a more complete version of this video, running to 90 minutes, has been previously released separately on DVD, and the additional 40 minutes are well worth seeing. (I never realized that Nigel Olsson, Davy Johnstone, and Dee Murray did most of the backing vocals; their three-part harmonies rival anything by CSN.)

Note: This release is now available on DVD-Audio. This contains the same surround-sound mix as the SACD. DVD-Audio, with its greater storage capacity, is a single-disc release. The SACD, by contrast, is a two-disc set; however, unlike DVD-Audio, SACD can be copied onto ordinary CDs for car or portable stereo. Sound quality is virtually the same for both formats.

By 1973, Elton John & Bernie Taupin had already logged enough hits to become a part of rock history, but even as their fanbase continued to grow, they hadn't yet reached their peak. When HONKY CHATEAU became Elton's first #1 album in 1972, it proved that he was not just someone FM radio played all the time, even AM listeners (and the biggest single-buyers) had taken notice as well. Continuing with the breakneck pace of his early `70s days, Elton turned up DON'T SHOOT ME I'M ONLY THE PIANO PLAYER early in '73 & won his first #1 single with "Crocodile Rock". Whether or not, Elton & Bernie had a sudden burst of creativity or wanted to give their fans more bang for their buck, they decided to make the next LP a double, which as rock history has dictated many times before, is almost a no-win situation. Rarely has a double album been great with every single song & needless to say, Elton & Bernie's certainly wasn't. But even their lesser songs were still darn good, making GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD not only their crowning achievement, but a good example of how a double album should be made.

Right from the grandiose opener, Elton & Bernie certainly did their homework on the ways of a double album. "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" shows the influence of progressive rock on music of the time with its spacey synthesizer intro (not done by Elton) before leading into the piano-pounding rocker that details the end of a love affair in musical terms. Naturally, this had to have made one hell of an opener in Elton's concerts of this period & even when you just listen to it now, you can almost hear the possibilities for a stage performance of this song.

After that opening, ROAD takes the listener on many twists & turns through just about every conceivable genre of music that inspired Elton & Bernie throughout their careers up until that point. They namecheck reggae on "Jamaica Jerk-Off" (which sure is catchy, but not one you listen to a lot), R&B on the #1 hit "Bennie & The Jets" (it was also a hit on R&B stations, as well), Stones-based rock & misogyny on "Dirty Little Girl", more prog rock on the Yes-inspired "Grey Seal" & 1950s rock on "Your Sister Can't Twist [But She Can Rock & Roll]" (best when played as a segue to "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting"). Occasionally, some songs sound better musically than lyrically, but you'd be a fool not to enjoy yourself either way.

But through all the genre experiments, there are still the perfect melodies & intelligent lyrics that have always been Elton & Bernie's fortes & ROAD still has plenty of those to spare. These include the #2 hit title track, the Marilyn Monroe tribute "Candle In The Wind" (a song that sounds good in both versions, believe it or not!), the heartbreaking closer "Harmony" (which has just that, beautiful harmonies equal to the Beach Boys) & cinematic epics like "I've Seen That Movie Too", "Ballad Of Danny Bailey [1909-34]" & "Roy Rogers".

Even with the hectic schedule Elton & Bernie put themselves on back in the 1970s, maybe a panoramic statement like GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD didn't seem all that impossible. But the fact it was Elton's second album of the year made it all the more astounding. With 3 major hit singles (the title track, "Bennie & The Jets" & "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting") & considerable airplay for about all the other songs on here, ROAD's runaway success was more than justified. While the follow-up would indicate maybe the duo had written themselves out, GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD still showed Elton John & Bernie Taupin at the top of their respective games & even today, it's something they should still be enormously proud of.

This was the first album I bought when I was 8 years old, and started me on a 30 year journey of music exploration. Amazingly, this album has stayed with me all these years, through worn-out vinyl to target double-CD to remastered CD to MFSL Cd and now, finally, to hybrid SACD. I say finally, because without a doubt this is the definitive version of this classic. To my ears, this is a benchmark multichannel SACD to which all others should be compared.

I'll skip right over the CD and SACD stereo layers and move right to a review of the 5.1 mix. This is an extraordinary mix. EJ's vocal is anchored in the center channel, with some bleed into the FL and FR, and unlike a lot of the early 5.1 mixes I've heard, his voice isn't overwelmed by the other speakers, but instead stands at the front of the mix just as it should. Davey Johnstone's legendary guitar sound is given a lot of space through the fronts and surrounds, Nigel Olsson's drums are more distinct and real than previous releases and the late, great Dee Murray gives the LFE channel a work out with his fluid bass lines. Add to that the ambient crowd noise on Bennie & the Jets and the until now indecipherable Jamaican dialogue on Jamaican Jerk-Off, and all-in-all you have a magnificent example of what 5.1 SACD can bring to the table.

I use this disc to show off my 5.1 system, especially for folks who are familiar with the album, and I have yet to find anyone who isn't impressed with the sound of the SACD. Buy it!!!

p.s. I have the version with the bonus DVD. It's interesting, but not worth the extra [money]. Only for the real EJ freaks like me.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has to be the most quintessential Elton John album. It's the one mentioned and talked about the most. It should be. It is the best double album. Although, in today's world, this 17 song collection probably wouldn't be considered a double album. It starts off with one of the greatest album openers ever, "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding". A classic all the way. This album has a number of Elton's most recognized hits - "Bennie And The Jets", The great "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting", and the original, and still best, version of "Candle In The Wind". There are more great tracks here that are just as good. You get "Sweet Painted Lady", which is about prostitutes. Then you have the storysong "The Ballad Of Danny Bailey", which you wish Elton would play in concert. You get a number of great rockers like "Dirty Little Girl", "All The Young Girls Love Alice", and "Your Sister Can't Twist(But She Can Rock And Roll)", among others. But, the crowning jewel, is the highly underrated and horribly overlooked gem, "Harmony". It's the closing track and, without a doubt, the greatest Elton John song that was never a single. That's a crime if ever there was one. It's a great piece of music. The album also includes the rousing up tempo number "Grey Seal". The silliest track is a song called "Jamaica Jerk Off". It's fun and catchy, but silly. There you have it. The perfect Elton John album. The perfect rock album. This is Elton's Sgt. Pepper. A classic in every sense of the word.

This album has incredible staying power after 28 years. First off, most of the songs here are some of John/Taupin's best--not just the hits, but less known stuff like "I've Seen That Movie, Too," "Roy Rogers," "Harmony" and "Your Sister Can't Twist." Second, this is a great ALBUM---the sequencing works perfectly, particularly when the primo songs are placed in such a way as to buoy up some of the lesser material (EXAMPLE: The title track and "Grey Seal" bracket the mediocre "This Song Has No Title" and this helps give that song more bite than it probably would have in a different place in this collection). Finally, it serves to remind people what a great rock musician Elton John was. Hard to believe when you hear his current output, but this guy got down with the best of them, whether in rockers or on ballads (Elton's terrific band with Davey Johnstone on guitar, Nigel Olsson on drums and the late Dee Murray on bass sure helped him, too!). If you want to be reminded that the pre-punk Sevenites really did have their moments of pop music glory, this album will do it!

This is a celebration for music fans. The best CD by Elton John, even better. One of the best albums of all times and among my Top 20 favorite albums of all time. The album hit #1 in the Billboard Pop List in 1973. This is the Deluxe edition on SACD Surround Sound. The remaster of the audio is outstanding and will blow you away! This edition comes with a DVD (The Making of GYBR) that lasts about 50 minutes. This is the film that was previously published on DVD in the collection Classic Albums. If you already have this DVD, you can buy the CD SACD separately for $29,00. If you don't, I strongly recommend you to get the "whole package." The film tells the inside story of the making of this classic album with archive footage and interviews from Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Gus Dudgeon (producer of the original album), etc. The documentary has many terrific moments. To me, the best one is when Elton John is singing Candle in the Wind in honor of the Princess Diana. GYBR was released as a double album. CD1 contains the first 8 songs of LP1. CD2 contains the other 9, plus 4 bonus tracks, one of them Candle in the Wind acoustic, previously unreleased. The packaging is gorgeous with a booklet that contains a presentation by John Tobler, the original art work with lyrics, and some drafts of some lyrics. I had the original album on CD already, but went ahead and bought this edition and I am completely and absolutely satisfied. No regrets! The only problem is that this is expensive. But honestly, I am a collector and I appreciate the record company for releasing this so beautifully. If we don't buy this gems, record companies will stop doing this and then we'll go back to the complaints that the music industry sucks today. This is how CD's should be. Great music, great lyrics, great art work, packaging and sound! This is a MUST for any collector. 5 Stars, 10 over 10!
P.S. If you like my review vote YES. You can read all my other reviews if you wish to. I modestly write them to help people form an opinion about movies, music and books, but if nobody reads them (if you don't vote I do not know if you did) there is no point in writing them.

This is one of the greatest sounding cd's I have ever heard. It has been beautifully mixed into 5.1 surround sound, and is so clean it is like hearing a brand new recording. Usually the new SACD surround cd's sound good to excellent but this one is the best I have heard (so far). Songs like the title track, Benny And The Jets, Grey Seal, and Jamaica Jerk Off (which is so clear and defined that the Jamaican dialogue is finally heard and adds a freshness that never had been reached on the standard versions of the L.P.). I always loved this album, which by far is Elton's best, but now it is 100 times better. Only one drawback. In the bonus section of songs, you get another version of Candle In The Wind. Now, I have always loved this song, but this is an acoustic version. It has the exact same lead vocal by Elton, and the exact same backing vocals by his band. All of the instrumentation has been taken out and has been replaced by an acoustic guitar. The 1980's version was good, and even the mid 1990's rewritten version which he sang and recorded after Princess Diana's funeral was touching, but enough is enough. Let the original stand on it's own merits. Otherwise a perfect job, and a perfect excuse to get that new SACD player thats out there.

I bought this album when I was 10 years old, the day it was released. I have listened to it thousands of times since then and never get sick of it. This is Elton at his creative apex, and Bernie's lyrics are magical. There are many underrated gems on this album: "All the Young Girls Love Alice" (this rocks!), "Danny Bailey" (great piano work here) and "Your Sister Can't Rock but she can Rock and Roll."

For everyone born between 1960-1965, this was *the* album of our generation and it's held up beautifully. Elton never was as good as this again and this was his shining, brilliant moment.

Elton John and his fantastic piano playing were already legend when he came out with the double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

You can tell right from the beginning that this is not your typical rock album. The music is more symphonic than rock, and is great to play on a high quality stereo, the sound filling the nooks and crannies of the room. It moves smoothly into "Love Lies Bleeding" to get you on your feet dancing, ready for the rest of the music.

Amazingly, the ride keeps going. "Candle in the Wind" is a song the entire world knows now - first as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, then redone as a tribute to Princess Diana. In both cases it is quite fitting and poignant.

I've always loved Bennie and the Jets, with its jazzy rhythm and rainstorm-like applause in the background. It's a great song for sitting on the back porch, sipping some wine.

And then, the ultimate. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" was a theme song of mine for a while - anybody stuck in a bad relationship can instantly relate to this song. You just want to get out, back to your own place. Elton hasn't created cookie cutter songs here - each one strikes its own chord.

The list goes on and on, with songs that are both well known and more obscure. Each one has the potential to hit that chord in you, if you take the time to listen. Highly recommended, and one of my treasured albums from this era.

1973-bell bottoms are still all the rage but, hey, if you want to really dress up you can wear your jeans suit. Ziggy make have captured more critical attention and, sadly, The Beatles are dead. The Rolling Stones have ended a string of classic albums and now are producing a stream of vapid junk filled records.

Elton John ruled the airwaves in 1973 and although this wasn't my first EJ purchase (Honky Chateau), it came to be one of my favorite albums. Like most 2 record (or CD sets), there is some filler but even the filler is better than 3/4s of the stuff other artists were releasing at the time. Within a couple of years, Elton will also reach a low in his recording career (Part Time Love or A Single Man anyone?).

From the stunning opener Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding to the last original album track Harmony (supplemented by 3 b-sides recorded/written for the album but rejected plus a stripped down version of Candle in the Wind with just Elton and acoustic guitar), this SACD literally reinvented a great album for me. The only draw back is that the 5.1 mix sounds quite a bit different in some cases than the original stereo mix in terms of dominant instruments, etc. Luckily, the SACD is backwards compatible and can be played on most CD players.

Even the stereo version of the album sounds sharper, with greater clarity and better definition. It replaced my Mobile Sound Fidelity version in the CD player. This latest edition restores the single B-Sides released with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting to their rightful place. Screw You is also where it rightfully belongs although it doesn't quite fit the rest of the album. I've read some complaints about the stripped down version of Candle in the Wind. I actually like it. I wasn't a big fan of the rewrite John and Taupon did for Princess Di nor did I like the live version released as a single about a decade ago. This, though, is like listening to an early run through of the song. Everything is stripped from the original master multitracks except acoustic guitar and Elton's voice. Which makes me wonder; what happened to all those demos made for the album all those years ago? I'd love to hear an early demo of Saturday, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. That would have truly made this an absolutely essential reissue. Still, it's hard to argue with the sound quality.

On a few CD players if you try to fast forward through tracks or during start up you might get an error message. You'll either have to restart the SACD or turn the power off and on again. It's not a problem with all players but I noticed it was a particular issue with my car CD player.

Haven't purchased any of the other hybrid discs yet (aside from DVD-Audio which does have the disadvantage of not being able to play it in simple stereo if you've got a 5.1 DVD player)but did get a sampler with Rolling Stone in December. Almost everything on it sounds great, too although I have heard that the SACD of Tommy is murkier and not a huge improvement over the 1996 CD.