Blue Moves is up next on my play-ing. Curious as to why "Tonight" is introduced so early in the album. It could have been a beautiful closing track. What the hell do I know, though?
My theory is the bulk of the album is pretty down, life is sucking--and I (EJ) have pulled you down into the "Blue Moves" with me...but enough wallowing, it's time to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, bite your lip, and get up and dance!
Good point. I've thought that as well. Around 80 minutes of blue doom and gloom moves [not all the way through] and ending with 6 minutes of glee!?!?
afaik it was originally going to be called "Black Moves" and be more of an R&B/Soul/Disco album with the Westies band giving it a rocky edge.. Elton pushed for it to be a double which Gus didn't agree with at all feeling that there wasn't enough strong material.. Bernie was in a bad way drinking heavily in the aftermath of Maxine's affair with Kenny etc.. there were supposedly a number of lyrics Elton just couldn't write to at the time he thought they were too down ("I Cry At Night" among them)
no disrespect to John Tobler at all because his liner notes in the '96 remaster were solid as usual but there was so much more going on behind the scenes, i don't know whether he was aware of it all or perhaps it was just rawer than he felt it was right to convey in that setting.. even without the really 'down' songs Elton said he just couldn't write to, there's some fairly heavy stuff going on particularly re Bernie, the marriage breakdown, etc. "Solar Prestige A Gammon" it is not!! "..tangled lives, lonely wives, shoreline widows pray for the souls of missing whalers, endless on an endless sea where nothing lives between us..." "i'm blue tonight, i'm red when i'm mad, i'm green when i'm jealous, yellow when i'm sad, i guess i cannot have everything, so much has flown between the years when i was twenty and you were seventeen.." "you died when the house was empty, when the maid had gone, you put pen to paper for one final song, he wrote hey babe its the only way i know its wrong but i can't stand living life this way.." "do we have to fight again.. ..i just want to go to sleep.. ..you have to carry grudges.. ..does it have to be the old thing.. ..i'd like to find a compromise.." sad, so sad.. but so so gorgeous
Wouldn’t it be cool if there had been a good live recording of a show from the West of the Rockies tour in 1975? The set list was so eclectic, perhaps my favorite ever of his. All that’s out there, AFAIK, are some crappy recordings made by audience members sneaking in cassette machines (with “compact cassette” tapes, no doubt).
that would be absolutely wonderful! the couple of '75 boots i've heard were really poor sound quality.. San Diego must have been so bad i've wiped it from my memory i can't remember a thing about it! Portland Oregon had a cool setlist and with stuff like Dan Dare, Empty Sky, Dixie Lily, Harmony you could just about hear the Westies band renditions through the murk! on the next (Louder Than Concorde..) tour there are a couple of cool things, Earls Court sounds pretty good even if from a mono video source but the really good gig from MSG Aug 76 sounds so bad.. that Wembley gig popping up on the Captain Fantastic Deluxe gave me hope there might be more from that period in the vault and a glimmer some might be forthcoming but 14 years later, nothing!
I had the same hopes Fred. Make that have. Some wishes die hard. Btw, the cute girl across the street snuck her recorder into MSG in 1976. Came out terrible. Now she’s a cute musician. I should have run away with her when I had a chance.
Call me a pessimist but there is more chance of me seeing this cute girl than there is of seeing any kind of properly curated Sir Elt archive shows
The SHM CDs are very very good as a whole and in some cases the differences compared to my usual go-to CDs are minimal. Some of my very unscientific listening impressions so far on the albums I have: Tumbleweed Connection - It's close but I prefer my MFSL over the SHM. Madman Across The Water - Close again but I think I prefer my usual MCAD-31190 over the SHM which sounds slightly darker. I would imagine that this one would be very system dependent. Honky Chateau - I prefer the SHM, it sounds more balanced to me than the MFSL which starts to sound a little bass heavy in comparison. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - I prefer the SHM over the MFSL for most of the tracks. The fact that MoFi really screwed up the SQ on Danny Bailey & Social Disease seals the deal. Captain Fantastic - SHM over the DJM Blues Moves - SHM easily over the original.
Those were my opinions almost exactly! I don't have an MCA of Madman, so I compared it to the MFSL version. I preferred the SHM by a slight margin.
Thank you for your question. I'll update this list soon with inclusion of Mad Man - I'm working on it now. The Tumbleweed will be corrected according to posts #3128-30. About Honky Chateau: I analyzed all opinions, and I posted this: So, it's currently looks like this: Honky Chateau - Best (Second after Polydor/DJM and tie with MFSL) But there is only one opinion on SHM vs. Polydor, and I need more to put it on the list. Who can tell?
I have the DJM CD of Honky Chateau but I replaced the rip of it on my NAS years ago when I got the MFSL. That was also on a very different setup to the one I have now, so it will be interesting to re-rip it and compare it to the SHM.
Thanks for this! I totally agree with GYBR and Tumbleweed which are the two I have so far I am just still really happy to finally have "the" version of GYBR. I liked the MFSL however the older SHM had higher definition and so ideally I wanted a blend between the two which this new one seems to have accomplished: a great EQ and a great transfer
I've been comparing the WG DJM to the MFSL a lot over the last few days. I agree with you about the MFSL having a bit too much bass, but I still think I like it more than the WG DJM. I haven't heard the SHM.
This might be a dumb question, but how does the 2013 SHM Blue Moves compare with the 2019 one? I have inadvertently ended up with a 2013 version that is in a jewel case and not the replica mini Lp cover of the newer issues. Sound wise am I better hanging onto it and not buying the newer variation or should I sell it while it is still sealed and buy the 2019 version? Any help is appreciated!
OK I've done some initial comparisons on Honky Chateau between the DJM and the SHM. First of all the DJM is louder overall to my ears by 1-2 dB and this could also be an effect of the more pronounced high mids as I'll describe further. Overall the DJM sounds more open with the mids being a little more forward, giving an impression of a little more sparkle or presence than the SHM without being overly bright, the SHM in comparison gives a slightly smoother presentation without any loss of detail. On my setup I think the DJM could be impressive for a track or two, but if I'm listening to the whole album I prefer the SHM which has a more balanced presentation overall. I'd probably put the SHM between the DJM and the MFSL in terms of presentation, with the DJM having the more pronounced mids and the MFSL having the more pronounced bass. As always listening impressions are dependent on individual setups and tastes and there is no "bad" mastering here, but my preference goes to the SHM.
I don’t own the 2013 SHM, but would I be right in thinking it’s the 90s Gus remaster? That series was reissued in Japan for years. Sometimes in MLPS and sometimes not. Someone more knowledgeable than me will be able to tell you for sure.
Thanks. Yes it is the Gus 1996 remaster. I stupidly popped it in my basket, so to speak, when I actually wanted the latest reissue. I figure I can sell it easily if it is still sealed. My other 2019 SHM reissues arrived and I am floored by them. They are beautiful and everything down to the finest detail is exquisite. Now I will start buying the others to replace the 1995 issue CDs I already have.
