Man, I hope they do more of these. As of now, there are only two left that I'm interested in buying (Rock of the Westies and Empty Sky). I'd love versions of the first two Greatest Hits albums, Here and There, 21 at 33, The Fox, and Jump Up that sound as good as these reissues have sounded so far.
What a great Friday!! I get my Joe Jackson Live 2010 in Europe in the mail and not long after my local guy called to say my Elton John Caribou reissue was in. Of course I raced to get it. Another winner. This reissue actually reminds me of Captain Fantastic as Bob Ludwig retained it's "analogy" sound. A very dirty sound with more dynamics enhanced. You're So Static and Stinker to be more precise. Of course quiet quiet. Total contrast to my original sealed (and very noisy) MCA copy I bought 3 years ago. I thought the artwork would be a bit grainy but they did a very very good job on this one as opposed to a couple of other reissues. I just LOVE this album. Even though it was #1 everywhere in 1974 it seems this is one of Elton John's underrated albums of the 70's. I remember getting this for my 9th Birthday . The guy my Mom was seeing said he buy me any Elton John album I wanted. I sooo wanted Goodbye Yellow Brick Road but even at the tender age of 9 I knew it was a double album and more expensive so I opted for a cheaper album, hence I picked this being the nice little Candadian boy I (once) was. I also remember suffering from the flu and sore throat so although I was happy to get a new Elton John album I couldn't really enjoy it until days later. I have to be honest, I was NEVER a big fan of Don't Let (Your Son) The Sun Go Down On Me. In fact, I always thought it was the weakest song on the album but I have to say after listening to this reissue it has given me a bigger appreciation of the song. The brass and Dee Murray's bass truly stand out on this track. It's also surreal to hear a quiet version of Ticking. I can definitely hear nuances in the tape on Ticking which tells me they used the original tapes for transferring. One of Elton's best moments. Solar Prestige, Pinky, Saucers, Grimsby and Dixie Lily also sound amazing. I am truly happy. Bring on Rock Of The Westies, Empty Sky and Mazzy's and my fav Blue Moves.
I too didn't like Don't Let The Sun until...I heard it on the Nautilus vinyl pressing of Greatest Hits. Wow that one is killer. Steve's DCC cd is my digital go to. Looking forward to hearing it on the new Caribou. And I too remember events associated with records heard in my childhood. You let a little flu keep you from listening to a new record? For THREE DAYS? You're kidding, right?
Hey....I was 9...what do you want??..LOL. I do remember it 41 years ago. One of those Kennedy moments..LOL
I guess I identified with your experience so much that I couldn't help thinking you were like me. LOL. When I had pneumonia, I got Pink Floyd The Wall. Nothing, and I mean nothing (including a just passed away grandfather and a new puppy) could keep me from cracking that open and listening to on some very heavy, very good Radio Shack headphones. About your post: hearing a little tape hiss isn't necessarily a bad thing, (and often a good sign of little or no No Noise used in the mastering on cd), but it doesn't necessarily mean the original master tapes were used. The important thing is you said it's awesome. And I believe you.
I ran into some non-fill issues with Don't Shoot Me... there was the odd crunch in 'Elderberry Wine' but after a couple of rips in 'Blues For My Baby And Me' I turned it off. The vinyl looks flawless, but if you spin it under heavy light a non-concentric pattern appears right where the defects are heard. Caribou was a little noisy (Side 2), but I think it probably just needs a good cleaning due to the lack of a poly-lined sleeve. Chip Madinger www.lennonology.com
So...I am just listening to Don't Shoot me and though I am thrilled with the quality, mine also has about five instances mainly on side one with non-fill but they are very brief so I don't know if I want to burden my store with a return as I think I can enjoy it anyway. If it lasted a couple revolutions I wouldn't put up with it. I have returned a few new titles lately with real issues and I feel bad because they are putting them out as used and are taking a hit. And I'm reasonably sure they will be they will be returned again. But I have heard this album with many different pressings and this is by far the best imo. I do not have any DJM's to compare it to, only MCA which we all know is quite a low bar. But, I can't imagine this being better. Caribou is up next, and I love Captain as posted pages ago. Great job on all of these. We are very fortunate as we all know this could have gone the other way. They have earned my future purchases with no hesitation.
The record store I buy from, the manager, didn't know what it was either when I returned an album so don't feel bad asking...I've asked plenty of dumber questions around here and have learned much from patient people that are happy to explain. Non-fill is a sound that I would describe as what sandpaper would sound like if you ran a piece across your stylus. Doesn't that sound pleasent, especially coming from a brand new slab of vinyl? In my opinion it happens way to frequently. It's when a record that is pressed doesn't get pressed completely, as if you endorsed a check with a stamp but you didn't press evenly so you can see most of the endorsement but just a bit of it is missing. And then, you stamp the next check perfectly and so you can see the entire endorsement. So, some of the run is fine and others are not. Some pressing plants are clearly far more prone to this than others. This is the first I have heard of it from any of the EJ reissues, aside from a post above mine from the same album. It's very annoying and difficult to ignore. It went by so fast, and at very loud passages on my copy, that I may let it slide, but quite often it can last way too long, or during a quiet passage that you simply can't ignore. I just returned the recent Nilsson Schmilsson RSD yellow vinyl, two copies, that had it all over the place. The black one released after RSD is beautiful, though others report their yellow was fine. For me it seems it is much more prevelant on colored vinyl, though I don't think that has anything to do with it per se, I just seem to have far more issues with colored vinyl than black. You will know it when you hear it! If anyone has a better way of explaining, please do so! I know I wasn't exactly eloquent with the technical aspect!
Listened to the new Don't Shoot Me and did a comparison to the original US MCA. I don't have a UK original so can't comment on that. I always thought the original concentrated too much on the top end. Very tinny. Many others have made similar comments on that. I always thought this album could bring on listener fatigue on every system I ever owned. It's obvious that RL has toned that down a little and boosted the bass a bit - with nice results. I did an extensive A/B test on Daniel and the new one is much more listenable. The maracas on the original, as well as the cymbals, are way too prevalent. They are less noticeable on the remaster. This recording may never be perfect for whatever reason but if you like the music and want a clean copy this is recommended. Nice cover and original insert included also. On to Caribou....
My original UK vinyl copy is not concentrated too much on the top end. And if anything, Daniel is a bit dull compared to much of the rest of the LP.
My B&M exchanged my Don't Shoot Me..., even though they said they can't return it to their supplier, and the replacement is scary quiet, so the non-fill must have been an isolated incident. It appears that the Ludwig-mastered Goodbye Yellow Brick Road from 2014 will represent the LP for this reissue series. Now I have to decide whether or not to open the black one or the yellow one... Chip Madinger www.lennonology.com
Interesting - so the original UK is quite different from the Original MCA. Have you heard the new release?
You know, I always thought something funny was going on with that entire recording. It has an odd vibe to the overall mastering and I can't quite put my finger on it except to say Daniel, for instance, has this very slight smear sound to it. It isn't unpleasent to me, but as an ex studio owner I wouldn't have a clue how to get that on purpose. They did some kind of funky processing to it. Because I'm used to it, it's fine and I love the reissue.
I think @Steve Hoffman has commented on "Don't Shoot Me..." before. I've tried to find the post but can't lay my hands on it. It "may" be a Dolby A problem that need sorting. Can anyone remember?
I'll only go so far as to say my take on the UK LP is different than your take on the US LP. I don't have a US LP to compare. I have not heard the new release. The only new ones I have are Capt and 17-11-70+. I got those because Capt was cheap and 17-11-70+ was, well...+. I have most everything else I would want on DJM or DCC vinyl. I'd probably only buy others if they were really cheap. IMO, like most of the EJ vinyl DJM's, the vinyl is kinda crappy. To be honest, while most of the DJM sounds pretty good, Daniel in particular just doesn't sound that great. The DCC Greatest Hits mastering (original mix) sounds a little different, but neither sounds great to my ears. I think it's just a thuddy, mids sucked out mix. In some ways I like the re-mix better, the bass is a little tighter and the highs aren't quite as spitty. But it's a little too clinical sounding.
I have the Caribou DJM and thought it was very good, though a tad bright on my ears. The new one is more crankable so if you are a huge fan of the album and play it often, and since you have a couple of the other new one's, you might want to pick one up, though the DJM certainly isn't bad.
Well, Danielle doesn't sound great anyway, though I'm used to the odd sound and wouldn't want it changed. In fact, I don't like Steve's version on the DCC but the reason is a compliment to him. I'm assuming he mastered it correctly and I know there were some technical reasons why the album version didn't sound correct. However, the corrected version just sounds too different after being used to the other. Which isn't at all to say he shouldn't have corrected it. And you finally found the word I was looking for to describe those songs...spitty! Not horrible, just "off."
