If you really want to push yourself, a few years ago Elton did a ‘mash-up’ of Rocket Man and Mona Lisas with Glee star Matthew Morrison, no less. It’s on the latter’s debut album. Glad you’re coming to like Honky now. It’s a great album. And to thing you have all the 80s onwards albums to come yet. What fun you’ll have.
It’s their I Am The Walrus although Walrus makes fun of their interpretation by making seemingly profound lyrics.
Indeed and the sources all appear to be first rate and the wow and flutter that marred Ticking on the U.S. mastering Polydor is fixed (or doesn’t exist on the master and they used a different source for it)
The space/time including Tumbleweed and Madman and also the Friends soundtrack, Elton adopted a certain vocal style in where he often ended a lyric / phrase with a curly-Q type of vocal. An easy-to-recognize example would be the line in "Country Comfort" -- Soon the pines will be fallin' everywhere-er-er. -- It's only on those three albums. Weird. I love that style, but I'm glad he got out of it. 3 albums worth is enough.
It's all over "Tiny Dancer," for sure, and it works to great effect there. I'm unfamiliar with those other albums. "Balleri-na-a-aaa-AA"
There's no rush for you to listen to it ...it will always be there, but (for me) Tumbleweed Connection is a dark masterpiece.
Agree. Thinking about it (as the wife has asked me this afternoon which SHM I am playing first) to name a favourite album is impossible from S/T through to Captain Fantastic and then Blue Moves, they are so good. Empty Sky and ROTW are still classics in my book and if I perceive them as second tier to the others it's only because of the gold standard set by the others.
They are all good that s for sure. As I said before one of the greatest rund from any artist. It s unreal what he acoplished over six years.
I don't have a way of posting the actual screenshots, but JRiver analysis shows this for Empty Sky ..by tracks Polydor: 13,12,13,11,11,14,12,11,12 New SHM: 11,10,10, 9, 9,11,11, 9,10
Of course not knowing why this SHM version album would be such a out-lier (DR -wise) and as much as I like/love Empty Sky, maybe it needed to be goosed-up / compressed a bit, since it is among the earliest /most primitive of Elton's recordings.
Mona Lisas is one of their finest songs - and one of the greatest songs written inspired by NYC. It's also a personal favorite of Elton's.
This is the DJM, which is going to take some beating as far as my ears are concerned... Album details - Dynamic Range Database
I love that song but I also love part two from Redge Strikes Back, which was the first version I heard and led me to seek out the original.
Just finished comparing the last two that I currently have (still waiting on Blue Moves)........ Tumbleweed Connection – Unique digital versions compared with the new SHM : Polydor, MCA 37199 (US), 95 remaster, SACD stereo, & MFSL. If previous threads were correct, the Polydor and WG/JP DJM's are the same as well as the MCA & UK DJM. This one came down to two after close listens on several tracks. First, the non-contenders. As ususal the 95 remaster was the most compressed and suffered from a distracting mid-range boost. The MCA was thin sounding and had the least amount of bass of all these masterings. It was harsh on the high end and was fatiguing at higher volumes. The Polydor added some of that bass back and was a much nicer balance. However, it was still somewhat harsh at higher volumes and lacked the smoothness of the contenders. The SACD was, sadly, compressed and difficult for long listens. However, it had a nice depth and the best channel separation of all of them. My next favorite was the new SHM. Solid bass with definition and the high end was present without being biting or shrill. This is a nice mastering. However, the MFSL is king here IMO. This disc is just wonderful. It has great bass with punch and clarity and just enough top end to be clear without any harshness. The disc has depth and great separation of instruments. This may be the best mastering of any EJ album I've heard. I've disliked some MFSL's for their common "smiley face" EQ. I just dont hear it here...they got it right. The SHM is a solid second here and then the rest drop off pretty quickly. Rock Of The Westies – Unique digital versions compared to the new SHM: MCA(US), 95 Remaster &Audio Fidelity DCC. The MCA here is supposedly the same as UK DJM. The 95 Remaster is ok, but the bass becomes flabby on certain tracks and higher volumes are ultimately fatiguing. The MCA has nice dynamic range, but lacks clarity and punch. It just has an overall muffled presentation. This one came down to the new SHM and the AF Gold Disc. Both of these get the bass right (full with/some punch) and the AF has slightly more high end than the SHM. The SHM is a flatter response and, I feel, more accurate on the bottom end. The AF can get a little “boomy” on certain tracks at higher volumes. The AF may have a slight edge on vocal clarity. I have to rate this a toss-up. I will be listening to both of these depending on the system and the mood.
So runner up and toss up to what I (and others) regard as the best masterings of those two. They haven't done badly on the new ones then in reality. Things could've been a lot worse.... Plus as the MFSL and AF are out of print the SHMs are a good option for those wanting good sounding versions while they are around.
Life is complicated. A simple political question in the UK has caused the resignation of 2 prime ministers and an on going political and economic crisis. Why should trying to tabulate the sound qualities of a batch of CDs be any different?