Elton John Vinyl Reissues

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Sunsales, Feb 15, 2017.

  1. DeRosa

    DeRosa Vinyl Forever

    some of the reviews have been less than stellar.
     
    joelee likes this.
  2. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    Nice! I've seen them in great shape for $1.98. If one lives near a major city they're really easy to find. Doesn't make sense to spend more for the reissue, especially for this arguably lesser album.
     
    Jrr, J.K. Baxter and e.s. like this.
  3. JamesRR

    JamesRR Trashcan Dream

    Location:
    NYC
    Except for those who really like the album : )
     
  4. RichC

    RichC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    You overpaid.
     
    Jrr, e.s., jon9091 and 1 other person like this.
  5. richbdd01

    richbdd01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I like Blue Moves but can see how it divides opinion. It's quite a weird album and has a morose feel to it.

    How can you argue with songs like Chameleon, One Horse Town and Sorry seems....?

    Yes, there are some weaker tracks and I don't like Bite your lip really. But apart from that, I wouldn't want to start taking tracks out and messing around with it.
     
  6. But $1.98 is almost twice what he spent for one. That's getting expensive for this album
     
    e.s. and chacha like this.
  7. richbdd01

    richbdd01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Ive got a new Honky Chateau on hold to do a straight swap. Hopefully I'll be luckier with the replacement.

    I'm not asking for dead silent pressings but it was pretty bad!! Probably as noisy as a DJM copy.

    The mastering, however, has piqued my interest in some of these...especially the optimal pressings.

    I do quite want Honky Chateau and Tumbleweed so will have to gamble that the pressings will be adequate for these two.
     
  8. slop101

    slop101 Guitar Geek

    Location:
    So. Cal.
    I didn't want to go through the rigamarole of a return/exchange, especially since it was with an independent seller, and not something like amazon.
    I ended up coloring over the torn sleeve with a Sharpie, putting the booklet in that torn front sleeve and the vinyl in the back sleeve - colored over and with a plastic sleeve over the whole thing, it bothers me less.

    The vinyl sounds great though - Czech Republic or not, it's just as good a pressing as the German Madman.
     
  9. Well my Honky is pretty perfect so I know there are good ones.
     
    Christopher B, e.s. and richbdd01 like this.
  10. richbdd01

    richbdd01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I looked at mine under a strong light (it appears perfect under normal light) and you can see little pin prick raised bit that are possibly causing the clicks.

    They are just hit and miss. You can get a perfect copy from GZ. Consistency is their issue I think...
     
  11. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    Bought my Canadian original a few months ago for a buck as well. Quiet vinyl and sounds great! Worth every penny. :)
     
    chacha and Mazzy like this.
  12. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    My new Honky is as clean as a whistle - until it was mentioned in the famous GZ bashing thread I had no idea these were pressed by GZ!

    Compared to my original DJM copies - the new Honky has more compression (it's also cut hotter) but it actually doesn't harm the sound of the album - it sounds really rich to be honest you wouldn't think it was digital...
     
    e.s. likes this.
  13. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    I'm just spinning the new Tumbleweed....I actually have no compulsion to dig out my original DJM at this point as this new version is sounding fantastic!

    I'm sure my neighbours would agree... :laugh: (might need to turn it down a bit...)
     
    e.s., chacha, joelee and 1 other person like this.
  14. e.s.

    e.s. Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I still haven't had time to sit down and compare the new one with my original (or listen to any records this week, sadly), but I can say my copy was pretty near perfect. No problems with the pressing at all.
     
  15. richbdd01

    richbdd01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Got a replacement Honky Chateau today. Its quiet, but its got a big old ugly mark on it...looks like a piece of vinyl maybe did some superficial damage.

    I got Tumbleweed Connection, which looks perfect and is pretty much quiet. I don't think there's any issues with this one in terms of pressing quality. Did a cursory listen and I think this maybe might be even better than Honky Chateau. I think Sean Magee did a pretty great job on these.
     
    e.s. likes this.
  16. richbdd01

    richbdd01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Finally listening properly to Tumbleweed....sounds absolutely fantastic. I haven't heard a better version of this. I did have an original DJM of this...I think the original UK but I sold it as it was too noisy. I think this might just sound better!

    This pressing is whisper quiet...completely different from the first Honky Chateau I had...
     
    CBackley, JP Christian and e.s. like this.
  17. paolo

    paolo Senior Member

    I am really enjoying this EJ reissue series. I was never really a fan of "classic Elton" beyond GBYBR and Greatest Hits until quite recently. I had some others on CD but apart from The Very Best Of Elton John, I wasn't too familiar with the rest of the catalogue. Of all that I have bought so far, Don't Shoot Me and Madman are the two standout albums but there's really not a dud among them. GZ seems to have lifted its game for this series because I have no complaints about any of the ones coming from there. Listening to Caribou now and really liking it.

    However, one thing kind of bugs me on Don't Shoot Me and that is Elderberry Wine. I have the CD of Don't Shoot Me and now the vinyl but I am almost certain that Elderberry Wine is slower on album than as the B side to the UK single of Crocodile Rock. I played both sides almost to death as a kid and am convinced that the B side was sped up on the single but not the album. Anyone else of the same view or still have the single and can confirm??

    The only other thing is that on Don't Shoot Me, Have Mercy On The Criminal goes "into the red" in quite a big way on the vinyl issue at about 4,50. It is really noticeable on headphones but it doesn't really spoil things for me.
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2017
  18. Darrin Crawford

    Darrin Crawford Forum Resident

    How Rock Of The Westies ends up endlessly in the used bins is truly beyond me.
    I found a sealed Canadian MCA copy two years ago and although it was a very "grainy" pressing, I learned to just accept it.
    I just picked up this 2017 reissue today and I have to tell you Kids? It's absolutely spectacular. It's a very loud album to begin with but just the mere fact that I can hear Dan Dare, Wednesday Night, Feel Like A Bullet, Feed Me and the intro to Hard Luck Story without any surface noise is to absolutely die for.
    Billy Bones, Street Kids and Island Girl have never sounded more alive than this pressing. The congas from Ray Cooper and the Bass from Kenny are definitely more upfront.
    Also, during Dare Dare, one thing that struck me was how they kept that "noisy" middle section and didn't clean it up. That to me is a true reflection and debunks the theory on how a reissues loses their "analogue sound". I also noticed from an audiophile's (like I qualify as one...LOL) perspective is that on this reissue the low end is much more prominent. Especially, James Newton Howard's clavinet intro to Ugly. Also you can hear his synth fade out "clear as a bell" on Robert Ford
    As far as the artwork goes, they kept everything in tact and it's a tad "grainy" here and there (no pun). The inserts are more glossy and less cardboard type than the original.
    One last thing?? Grow Some Funk Of Your Own's end section with Ray Cooper's marimba question/answer with Davey Johnstone's guitar riff has truly never ever sounded better.
    Bob Ludwig is truly KING and I feel like I am 8 years old all over again.
    Truly truly happy and to all you Elton freaks?? You will NOT regret this upgrade.
     
    pdenny, HenryH, shadowlord and 5 others like this.
  19. JamesRR

    JamesRR Trashcan Dream

    Location:
    NYC
    Gret to hear about Westies - still waiting for mine. Though I agree about it turning up - about 5 years ago, an entire stash of New Old Stock (MCA Pressings) turned up at J&R Music in NYC. They were all notched, but still shrink wrapped. I guess they were pressing so many that old stock still exists!

    This is an important album in the discography because it shows an edgier side of Elton - one far too overlooked. A more rock oriented band, more guitar, funkier music - it's a great listen. And as always with EJ, a ballad or two that breaks it up. The demos from these sessions are also really interesting - as Elton wrote all the parts that ended up becoming the signature guitar licks on the songs.
     
    Darrin Crawford likes this.
  20. pghmusiclover

    pghmusiclover Senior Member

    Strange that "The Big Picture" seems to be out in the UK, but not here in the US for 3 more weeks... what is up with that?
     
  21. JamesRR

    JamesRR Trashcan Dream

    Location:
    NYC
    I noticed that too - must be different sources of distribution for the releases (it says download card included in the UK, but we don't get any download cards in the US). It's also 30 pounds, which is significantly more than what it's listed at on Amazon here (about $23 now).
     
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  22. Darrin Crawford

    Darrin Crawford Forum Resident

    All downloads are accompanied with my versions here in Canada so it must be solely something with you guys in the U.S.
     
  23. richbdd01

    richbdd01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    How does Rock of the Westies stack up against the red translucent issue?
     
  24. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Thanks Nobby. You know, Im just not sure what people are hearing that say these new reissues are great. Compared to the first sample the second sample is absolutely without a doubt bloated up, everything leveled out sounding, the soundstage is smeared across with less detail. The first sample has 3 D quality to it that is just bloated out on the second sample. The detail is much better on the DJM. You can identify the characteristics of the instruments in a much more defined way.

    Disappointing to me. My DJMs are not bad condition wise but somewhat crackly in places. So I would have loved to have had an improvement in sound quality. Or at least on equal with the DJMs.
     
    jon9091 likes this.
  25. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    I have DJM originals and generally they are excellent and crackle free - I've been guilty of late of buying re-issues for the sake of buying re-issues but I did pick up the new Tumbleweed and Honky as they were only £15 each and free delivery. I would say a clean original will always sound a little more lively or dynamic but he new Tumbleweed to me sounds as good as an original and Honky has a little more compression compared to an original, but is still no slouch by any means.
     

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