So......................here we go again? Just got an email from CD Japan, and the SHM discs are back on the schedule for August 7th release: CDJapan : Complete Listings Is it for realz this time????
Who knows? Perhaps they were delayed to cash in on the buzz from the Rocketman movie? Still wish they were SACDs...
I can't afford them in August, but will get them later in the year, providing I hear good things about the mastering. Those original CDs I picked up earlier this year (DJM/MCA/Polydor) are so good they will keep me going until I know.
This is within the body of the description for Empty Sky : Cardboard sleeve reissue release from Elton John features SHM-CD format. The mini LP faithfully replicates the UK first pressing LP design (gatefold). An obi faithfully replicating the Japanese first pressing LP design. Uses the master made in 2018 based on the UK analog tapes. Comes with lyrics and a description. This series features the following titles: "Empty Sky," "Elton John," "Tumbleweed Connection," "Madman Across The Water," "Honky Chateau," "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Caribou," "Greatest Hits," "Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy," "Rock Of The Westies," "Blue Moves," and "Greatest Hits Volume 2."
Hmm...which 2018 mastering? Th albums were remastered for late 2016/2017 vinyl releases. Then there was the Diamonds remastering, but that was also 2017.
It's not all that unusual for the Japanese to do new/exclusive remasters for these types of releases. You can almost guarantee this will be a new DSD transfer of the UK Master downscaled to CD resolution.
I'm not sure order than they are highly regarded (the DJMs at least and some of the MCAs)? Others who are more knowledgeable here might be able to say. The only advantage of a new transfer from the master is that analog to digital conversion had gotten a lot better over the years. This, of course, won't guarantee that these new transfers will beat the original CDs. You may want to wait to read some reviews/comparisons if you're thinking about pulling the trigger on the new SHMs.
Would be nice if HDTracks would be able to offer up the raw DSD files for purchase in higher resolution.
That's what I intend to do as I can't get them straight away anyways. Must admit, hearing the DJMs/MCAs and Polydor original CDs after all these years has been a revelation.
In theory it should about today's converters, but I found no benefit from them on this. Of course the packaging is beautiful, but it sounds identical to my old US From last years 38 Special campaign
I'm honestly interested in how GHV1 and 2 will sound, as they weren't in any of the reissue campaigns recently.
Would be nice if these came in a collected box... I have been through so many different Elton CD's, and have not heard/owned the 1995 re-masters for a very long time. I do own the deluxe editions of the S/T album & Tumbleweed... Not as bad as I remembered. Hope they stick with it this time! I was pretty disappointed when the plug was pulled the last time. Still believe it's a grand shame there is no big box coming up with rarities, re-masters, a huge and expansive box set a la the Complete Album Series on Sony... Especially with Rocketman out and a lot of interest... Empty Sky just turned 50... Get on with it!
They sometimes just re-press existing masterings on SHM, or maybe it's just an original digital master... could that be it? (of course the material itself makes little difference)
And yet some of these SHMs have been "definitive" masterings to some. Every Picture Tells A Story, Zenyatta Mondatta, Layla (to my ears vs the MoFi), The Carpenters Singles '69-'73 and Sticky Fingers come to mind.
My guess is that they just made a 1:1 copy of the original digital master to CD, not knowing it had already been done for the old US CD. Nothing to do with today's converters in that case. Of course "remastered 2017" is a little disingenuous!
