Tumbleweed Connection [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Elton John | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 9, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B00064X3EA
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,362 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #97 in Music > Pop > Vocal Pop > Contemporary

Track Listings

1. Ballad of a Well-Known Gun

2. Come Down in Time

3. Country Comfort

4. Son of Your Father

5. My Father's Gun

6. Where to Now St. Peter?

7. Love Song

8. Amoreena

9. Talking Old Soldiers

10. Burn Down the Mission

11. Into the Old Man's Shoes

12. Madman Across the Water [Original Version]

Editorial Reviews

Scuffs on jewel box, Minor marks on disc not affecting play. Insert in excellent condition. Close to perfection.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SACD 5.1, December 19, 2004

By 

Illinois Music Fan "sofiacachets" (Illim=nois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tumbleweed Connection (Audio CD)

Always a fan of Tumbleweed Connection, I really don't see the need to discuss the songs on this album in detail, those who have heard this album know it's one of John's most creditable works.

As for the 5.1 remastering on this album, John has set the blueprint for what a 5.1 SACD should be. It is simply amazing. Perfect separation without being gimmicky. While other 5.1 mixes may simply use the rear channels for echo or effect, John perfectly places instruments in each giving a true surround sound effect. Never one of my favorite songs, Love Song takes on new clarity, with Duncan's vocals soaring. The only time the 5.1 mix seems a bit gimmicky is Ronson's guitar work on Madman. But that said, it does truly show what can be done with 5.1and to those not familiar with John's early work, recalls a time when John could truly rock. As my wife said after hearing Madman, I have new respect for Elton. This CD truly shows the potential for SACD 5.1 when in the right hands.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellant 5.1 Mix and Engineering, September 6, 2006

By 

Soundman (Vancouver B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tumbleweed Connection (Audio CD)

This SACD in 5.1 multichannel is very well mixed and mastered.
I use to own the LP and played the heck out of it but with the
multichannel SACD it sounds like you are there in the studio!
The sounds that were faint in the background come right out and
Elton`s voice punches through the center speaker as if he is
right there at the microphone. This SACD in multichannel not only has excellant sound but it has feeling and it is an experience which is not usually associated with cd`s.
If you like Elton John and want one of the best sounding SACD`s in multichannel then this should be in your SACD player.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A solid early Elton John album with nary a hit on it, May 18, 2005

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tumbleweed Connection (Audio CD)

"Tumbleweed Connection" has the dubious distinction of being the only Elton John album from the Seventies that did not offer up a certified "hit" (neither did "Madman Across the Water" if you want to get picky, but "Levon" was always a highly requested song on FM radio). However, the lack of acknowledge hits just speaks in favor of this album, because anybody who listens to Elton John's albums knows full well that his best songs are rarely (if ever) the Top 40 hits. Even without the benefit of a hit single, this 1971 album still made it to #5 on the Billboard charts.

Half the songs on "Tumbleweed Connection" are 4:59 or longer in life, which means the odds were long that they would ever be played on the radio. Yet theses songs, such as "Country Comfort" and "Burn Down the Mission," stand out as some of the best work by John and lyricist Bernie Taupin during this period. The latter track remains a prime choice for the big finish at an Elton John concert to this day. There is something of a "country/western" flair to the album, at least as interpreted by two Englishmen, represented by not only those two songs but "Ballad of a Well Known Gun," "My Father's Gun," and "Talking Old Soldiers." I think those who were listening to Elton John before he became a star (operationally defined as anything before "Honkey Chateau," always had a preference for these early albums, especially those where Paul Buckmaster was doing the arranging and conducting. Ironically, on many of these songs, such as "Come Down in Time," it is John's voice and not his piano playing that stands out (note: Dusty Springfield is one of the backing vocalists on the album). There is also "Love Song," which was written not by John & Taupin but Lesley Duncan, who plays acoustic guitar and sings the duet.

Elton John was certainly prolific during this early period and had the great advantage of those Buckmaster string arrangements. The self-titled "Elton John" album was released in the summer of 1970, with "Tumbleweed Conection" following in February 1971. That same year saw the live "11-17-70" and the "Friends" soundtrack released as well, with "Madman Across the Water" coming out at the end of the year. In 1972 with "Honkey Chateau," Elton John would become a star. But all of this is before the dazzling costumes and bizarre collection of eyeglasses, which made Elton John the Liberace of pop rock. This is way back almost to the beginning, when it was all about the music. By the time "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" came out, those days were clearly over. This CD version of the album offers up a couple of bonus tracks from John and Taupin, with "Into the Old Man's Shoes" and the original version of "Madman Across the Water," which clocks in at 8:52.