I knew this was coming, Elton said (on one of the late night shows) he's "back into vinyl again" and that he sold all his collection in 1991 after he got sober. Elton had a HUUUUGE vinyl collection back in the day.
Yes, Elton has stated he has wanted to reissue his catalog. I assume that this Burberry set was his start - pick the most significant albums of his career to get the treatment. Of course, they'll be single releases to go beyond the premium nature of the box set. I guess if the response is good, we'll get more. I actually like this approach, because it got us SFTWC on vinyl - which I can't imagine would have been put on vinyl under any other circumstances.
I'd be in for a nice reissue of Madman as finding a minty copy here in the UK is getting difficult. And it's his best album. No arguments..!
Just an unfortunate marketing ploy. Still you have those 6 now and anything that comes after it is icing on the cake. So want Tumbleweed and Blue Moves reissued.
There's a mint, UK pressing of Blue Moves on Discogs right now for $15. (I'm not affiliated with the seller.) Elton John - Blue Moves: buy 2xLP, Album, Gat at Discogs
I don't have these issues, but I have many other LPs that were recently cut at Abbey Road. They are NOT Bernie Grundman cuts even though the deadwax starts with BG. This is simply the catalog number that is assigned either by the company or the matrix code style for Abbey Road.
That seller also has 19 negative feedbacks, and 38 neutrals....so his idea of "mint" might be pretty far away from an actual mint copy.
Madman says April 28 release for what's it's worth. Wonder if these are all analog? Has it been stated who did the remastering?
Good point. Of course there are still plenty of US pressings available that are sealed, but I'm not sure how they compare to UK pressings.
I appreciate the effort. I have gone through 3...count 'em 3 sealed copies of Blue Moves and I still can't get a clean copy. Very frustrating. The sound is great but the vinyl quality is just God awful and you need quiet with an album like this. Was considering a Japanese or German copy .
Wow!! I have the DCC of Madman but for $25 I will get the RL also. I wonder if these are pressed in Germany? Or at least RTI? A fantastic album.
Yes, I agree. I paid a bit over $100 on ebay for a sealed DCC of Madman. It is #104, which I realize probably means nothing, but makes it more fun. No regrets for one of my top LPs of all time. Any idea where these new ones are being pressed?
Not too sure. These individual releases have only just come to light on this forum. I would suspect the same as the box set but I don't even think there is word on where they were pressed. I am sure they will be top notch though. Awesome price for your DCC by the way.
I just picked up a excellent looking UK issue of Madman yesterday, complete with the book still attached. Hope to play it this week. Would be interested in the reissues if they sound great. Pat
What's your source? I've heard for many years that RL no longer cuts vinyl... He still does mastering, but only for digital files. Believe me, I'd love to get a Madman reissue that's AAA, but if RL is truly attached, I suspect there's a digital process involved. If it was CB or KG.... Then we might be back in all-analog. So I truly don't know... Any source would be appreciated! And I just lost an eBay auction for a mint UK the other day. Thought I was getting it for a steal... Until the price jumped $25 in the last second. :/
Hey Rich, to be honest I was just referring to the box set that came out before fall and all I heard then it was cut from the original tapes by Ludwig. I know there are many purists out there who want it total AAA but in my opinion thats moot point these days. Cutting directly from the original tape vs a digital file (cut from the same tape) is not going to enhance nor degrade the sound. It's all about the EQing and mastering. I have the Elton John s/t on the Classic Reissues label cut from a 24/96 file and ohhh myyy God the sound is just unbelievable. Much better than my original. Again, those are just my ears. I think sometimes people get more bent out of shape with the words analog/digital vs what they're actually "hearing". I understand what you mean though. After hearing these Floyd reissues my personal taste would be to have Grundman at the controls but I guess I can't have everything. I just got a Speakers Corner and Jap version of Yellow Brick Road and they are to die for. Then again I sold my 40th anniversary as I just wasn't overly satisfied. It all depends I suppose. Bottom line is Elton's catalog needs a facelift. I have tried many MCA sealed copies of certain albums and they are just God awful...sound and especially vinyl quality. Hopefully these 6 and hopefully more titles will fix it all once and for all. Here's to hoping.
Sorry forgot to tell you. This is weird. I bought an original Madman MCA sealed for a crazy price. Spun it and it was absolute garbage. Complete waste. Then maybe a week later someone local to me was selling a UNI original virtually in MINT (I kid you not) condition. I only paid $18. The only thing that was wrong was there was a teeny tiny dent in the cover which you almost have to look for. Otherwise the vinyl and the whole thing looked literally like it was just unwrapped from 1971. I couldn't believe it. A couple of minor "ticks" during Tiny Dancer but the rest totally quiet. Incredible luck. I just want clean copies of Tumbleweed, Don't Shoot Me, Here and There and Blue Moves then my collection is done.
Oh I'm not opposed to hi-res digital, mastered by someone who knows what they're doing. The recent reissues from Rush and Pink Floyd confirm as much. BUT.... There's just a much higher chance of something going wrong. (Apparently the Queen reissues, among others.) By comparison, if it's AAA cut by a known entity, the results are usually unimpeachable. (See: Beatles mono box, Beach Boys AP titles, Tom Petty boxes, Kinks box...) I have the SC of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Sounds fantastic. I even compared it to an original UK DJM and thought it was better. But (and I could be wrong)... Pretty sure the SC was an AAA reissue? The 40th anniversary was a digital transfer.... and it got "good not great" marks. While the SC was full-analog, and got raves. I didn't know the Elton John S/T came out through Classic Records? I thought they only did analog, and went out of business years ago? Was it a different Classic? Years ago someone tipped me off that the UK DJMs were the way to go for all early Elton John. The MCAs were made from copies and poorly mastered to boot. The difference is pretty obvious when you compare any MCA to an original DJM. (The American UNI records are better, but still not in the same league as DJM.) So I always tried to pick up some vintage EJ whenever I placed a Discogs order with a UK seller. Which basically means I'm set for his catalog... except for Madman, which seems to be especially scarce. For whatever reason a good UK copy has eluded me. (And I've given up on finding the DCC for a reasonable price.) Bottom line: I really want this reissue to be done well, because I'm a guaranteed sale if it is.
I hear ya!! If Elton gets a campaign done like the Rush, Gabriel and Floyd then we're in for sure fire winners. I have all the Queen reissues. Curious at your opinion?? Yes I heard that all of Speakers Corners are AAA. Now see?? They could have told me it was from Lord knows where and I still would have been happy. Again, I dont hone in on the cut from tape or the file because to me it's the exact same. Again just me. I would add the Joe Jackson titles at Intervention by Kevin Gray are insane as well. Even this George Harrison All Things Must Pass reissue I hear was cut from a file and Oh MYYYYY it sounds ten times better than my 2000 coloured remaster copy. All depends. That Elton s/t I am talking about is Classic Reissues (Not Records) ...he did a bunch of Hawkwind albums and I think the first Max Webster album. Just incredible...I truly couldnt get over the sound...again far superior than the original which just goes to show it is possible to achieve that warm sound a digital file. I sold my 40th Yellow Brick Road and got the Speakers Corner and as you said the raves were correct cuz it's incredible. I bought an original Japanese because I wanted to hear what all the fuss was with DJM titles and I know Jap pressings are really quiet and that one is insanely impressive. Plus, the SC didn't come with any artwork so the Jap version was just for the trifold/artwork nostalgia point...hahah!! I heard the same thing about the DJM vs MCA....howwever I have to say...my original UNI Honky Chateau is to absolutely die for. Even if they reissued that I would never upgrade (or downgrade) because mine is just so soooo good. Super quiet as the guy I got it from took great care in preserving it.
