Elton John - Your favorite CD Mastering of each of the First Eleven Albums

Thanks for this, Wayne.

Anyone else care to post their updated list? We've had a lot of Elton remasters since the start of this thread.

 

Elton John - DJM or SACD (although I can't remember the last time I listened to it)
Tumbleweed Connection - MFSL
Madman Across The Water - MCAD-31190
Honky Chateau - DJM
Don't Shoot Me - 2019 SHM
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 2019 SHM (I don't like the mastering of Danny Bailey & Social Disease on the MFSL)
Caribou - 2019 SHM
Captain Fantastic - 2019 SHM
Rock of the Westies - AF
Blues Moves - 2019 SHM

 

Thanks! I have a number of the SHMs on their way to me, including all of the ones you list above.

 

Update for my favorites:

Empty Sky + Lady Samantha - Japan DJM
Elton John - 2019 SHM
Tumbleweed Connection - MFSL
Madman Across The Water - 2019 SHM
Honky Chateau - MFSL
Don't Shoot Me - 2019 SHM
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - MFSL
Captain Fantastic - 2019 SHM
Rock of the Westies - AF
Blues Moves - 2019 SHM

 

Empty Sky - 2019 SHM if I want it racous or DJM smooth
Elton John - 2019 SHM or Polydor
Tumbleweed Connection - 2019 SHM or MFSL
Madman Across The Water - 2019 SHM
Honky Chateau - 2019 SHM or MCA
Don't Shoot Me - 2019 SHM
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 2019 SHM
Caribou - 2019 SHM
Captain Fantastic - 2019 SHM or DJM
Rock of the Westies - 2019 SHM or AF.
Blues Moves - 2019 SHM
Apart from ES, where there is a choice of pleasent listen for myself, where I have stated OR, I mean that either version is a winner in my book and too close to call. The result is that the SHMs are now on the 'day shelves'.

 

I originally owned all the SACDs and MoFi available titles.

I sold them all after getting the entire SHM set.

My only regret is the MoFi Tumbleweed...That one title will be circling-back. It just has a bit more “fullness” than the SHM from what I recall.

 

Yeah, the SHM Tumbleweed is good, but the MFSL is great.

 

I have sold my MOFIs, AF and SACDs (could only play the redbook layer anyway) and kept the 95s purely for nostalgic reasons (worthless anyway) and kept the DJMs / MCAs which the missus now has in her car.

 

My favorite listen for Elton is all of the 5.1 Greg Penny mixes (that are available). I’d love to know if any of you feel the same—I honestly think those sound the best of any of the options. Perhaps it’s just too much a case of apples vs. oranges to make a comparison with the various stereo versions, but for me, the surrounds are my go to.

 

To me, that fullness is what I like about the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Honky Chateau MFSLs too, and why I prefer them to the 2019 SHMs.

 

I still have my MoFi GYBR. Glad I held onto it.

 

Yes, I think its wise to not say goodbye to the MFSL GYBR.

 

Hi - the 2019 SHM's are they re-issues of earlier SHM's or fresh transfers+new masterings.

 

Fresh transfers and new masterings.

 

Finally got around to this thread after giving my reviews in the other thread for the new (2019) SHM CD's. I'll give a quick rundown of my 1st and 2nd choices for each. If there is a "/ "between versions they are (supposedly) the same mastering.....

Empty Sky 1) Polydor/DJM 2) 2019 SHM CD
Elton John 1) 2011 SACD 2) Polydor
Tumbleweed (This one is really close) 1) MFSL 2) Polydor or 2019SHM CD (Really, these all sound great)
Madman Across The Water 1) 2019 SHM CD 2) Polydor/DJM (I do not care for the MFSL on this one)
Honky Chateau 1) MFSL 2) 2019 SHM CD
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only..... 1) 2109 SHM CD 2) Polydor/DJM (W.German)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 1) MFSL 2) 2109 SHM CD (very close on this one)
Caribou 1) 2019 SHM CD 2) Polydor/DJM
Captain Fantastic 1) US MCA 2) 2109 SHM CD (very close again)
Rock of The Westies 1) 2019 SHM CD 2) AF Gold Disc (very close again and the MCA is actually darn good as well)
Blue Moves 1) 2019 SHM CD 2) 1995 Remaster (the original Rocket is short on songs and just too thin)

 

No, they are the same......and the Polydor is the same as the DJM’s. The Japan for US and US MCA’s are a different mastering.

 

Do the Japan for US and the Made in US MCA cd's of CF share the same mastering? I checked the old EJ Polydor cd thread and it only has the peak levels for the DJM, Polydor, and MCA Japan for US cd.

Thanks!

 

I don't have anyway to post it, but JRiver shows my USA Made MCA of CF (MCAD-31078, The "Compact Price" series) to have identical DR/Peak values as "Japan for MCA" (MCAD-1613, JVC-483) as per the DR database. From what I gather, the "unique" digital versions that exist for Captain Fantastic are:

MCA CD (Japan or US manufacture)
DJM/Polydor (All DJM's)
1995 Remaster
2003 SACD (stereo layer is simply 1995 Remaster)
2019 SHM CD

I believe the various SHM CD's prior to 2019 all used the 1995 Remaster (2008/2013?). The HD 24/96 tracks are also from the 2003 SACD stereo layer.....

 

Japan For US JVC-Captain
US has a good track record of using Japan's mastering's for US manufacture's it seems for some EJ titles.
It'd be nice if someone had one to compare.
DR15 -2.03 dB -21.01 dB 5:46 01-Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy
DR14 -1.56 dB -19.51 dB 4:29 02-Tower Of Babel
DR15 -2.19 dB -20.64 dB 4:34 03-Bitter Fingers
DR15 -1.88 dB -18.93 dB 4:22 04-Tell Me When The Whistle Blows
DR14 -0.81 dB -20.01 dB 6:48 05-Someone Saved My Life Tonight
DR13 -2.41 dB -18.43 dB 4:03 06-(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket
DR14 -1.51 dB -20.34 dB 2:38 07-Better Off Dead
DR15 -3.20 dB -20.85 dB 3:41 08-Writing
DR15 -2.62 dB -22.73 dB 4:18 09-We All Fall In Love Sometimes
DR14 -4.12 dB -21.94 dB 6:16 10-Curtains

 

Thank you!

 

Elton John – 1) 2019 SHM, 2) Polydor
Tumbleweed Connection – 1) 2019 SHM, 2) Polydor
Madman Across The Water – 1) Japan for US MCA
Honky Chateau – 1) WG DJM, 2) 2019 SHM, 3) MFSL, 4) Japan for US MCA
Don't Shoot Me – 1) WG DJM, 2) 2019 SHM, 3) Japan for US MCA
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – 1) WG DJM/2019 SHM (still can’t decide which I like better), 2) MFSL
Captain Fantastic – 1) Japan for US MCA/WG DJM (still can’t decide which I like better), 2) 2019 SHM
Blue Moves - 2019 SHM

 

Just picked up the Tumbleweed MFSL cd off Amazon today for $24 (VG condition).

I figure it’s worth a shot at that price since some people still like it more than the 2019 SHM and I have never heard it.

That should complete my hunting for Elton CDs for now I hope...

 

Update:

Empty Sky + Lady Samantha - Japan DJM
Elton John - 2011 SHM SACD
Tumbleweed Connection - MFSL
Madman Across The Water - 2019 SHM
Honky Chateau - MFSL
Don't Shoot Me - 2019 SHM
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - MFSL
Captain Fantastic - 2019 SHM
Rock of the Westies - AF
Blues Moves - 2019 SHM

 

I recently added Used NM Copies of the West Germany DJM for 'Empty Sky' and 'Greatest Hits-Vol 2' to my EJ Collection to go along with other Titles I had earlier bought the West Germany DJM(in the past few years prior to the 2019 SHM CD Releases).

 

I have found the plain old US MCA CD of Captain Fantastic to be amazing easily besting the 2019, SACD, DJM.