Thank you for the tactile review. I have all 4 but simply haven't had a moment to listen to them. I also want to do some A/B comparisons with Captain and the Kid - the OP and this one. But I'm glad to hear the art and packaging are up to the usual quality of these reissues. I still am curious about the "Remastered" note on each hype sticker, particularly with Captain. Is this a completely new master from the original vinyl pressing? I presume all the others would be.
Going to Elton on Sept 18 in Charlotte NC. My last Elton show was 1998 so it's been way too long. Really enjoying the new Captain And The Kid vinyl reissue.
3 of my favourite albums right there, not Love Songs obviously. although after our recent conversation I'm not going to get these unless I get a lottery win.
I just scored the Audio Fidelity version of Rock Of The Westies! Later this week I'll listen to it and compare it to my 95 remaster, at least the songs I like.
Unless they kept the stampers from 2006, they'd have to cut new lacquers and make new stampers. That's how I interpret "remaster" in this specific case.
Yeah, and even then, they could use the same 'master' from 2006 just make new stampers. I'll have to dig into the sleeve to see if this is newly mastered. It seems that's how this series has been going, all the albums have been remastered regardless if they were on vinyl before.
Had to post this b/c it's bizarre, but I was in a convenience store this morning and heard On Dark Street from The One. Now, often one hears non-singles on Muzak but this was such a surprise. I immediately recognized it and was like, "what's this doing on the radio here?"
I've added the little info available from A Single Man on the relevant discogs entry: Matrix / Runout (Etched, followed by A1 and B1 for side one and two respectively): BM71776-01 I hope it helps, although I doubt it.
I'm listening to A Single Man now. The vinyl is quiet and flat. The inner sleeve had it crackling with static but a wet clean took care of that. Part-time Love is just beautiful. Those guitar lines (Tim Renwick?) around the verses... Were they always there? It's been too long since I listened to this album on vinyl (and I wasn't overly impressed with the remastered CD from a few years ago). Georgia has always been a favourite, and to hear the choir almost materialise in the room adds dimension and pathos. But again, although I used to listen to this album a lot, it was 30 years ago, so don't take my word for it and please add your own review. Lord, the acoustic bass in Shooting Star! So warm and natural!
I'm on the fence with A Single Man. Have never really cared for it but a nice sounding vinyl could maybe change my mind.
I don't play this album a lot, but I also feel it's a bit overlooked and I'm glad there's a newly mastered vinyl copy out there now. I grew to dislike all the 1998 remasters so I'm anxious to hear how this one sounds.
Someone else, here or on discogs, is bound to have picked this up and will add to my impressions. I had lazily been on the lookout for an original copy but this will definitely serve purpose - unlike Too Low for Zero, for example, which I don't particularly like in this remastered version - I find the mix a bit too congested/muddy, frankly speaking.
The sound of the album has a kind of brash/harsh edge on the top end of some tracks and it did on my original vinyl in 78. Didn’t stop me playing it though, both then and subsequently on CD as I love it so much.
Yeah A Single Man certainly lacks the warm tight sound found on the Dudgeon albums. Probably due to the fact that Clive Franks and Elton played producer on it - it sounds like it was a demos+ type of session. There's a hollowness to some of the material. That's why I'm really interested in this new mastering.
I'll be interested to hear this new cut, one day when I get my TT up and running again. I like the original UK Rocket vinyl; I also like the Japanese Rocket vinyl, although normally I don't like Japanese vinyl pressings much. The remastered 1998 CD didn't impress me, either. My fave digital version by a wide mile is the original UK Rocket issue. It's a little "smiley face" with its tone but it's warm and full of life.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the original Rocket CD. Might consider stretching out into picking up some of the albums on CD after Blue Moves that I only have the remasters of, although I did try an original Rocket copy of The Fox and the difference was minimal to my ears and I ended up selling it on.
I compared "Street Kids" and "Hard Luck Story" today. I am not an audiophile by any means, which is probably why I think the two versions sound very similar. The only difference I noticed was that the guitars may have been louder on the '95 version of "Hard Luck Story", but I'm not really sure. Bottom line, I'm glad that I didn't pay a whole lot for it, but it's still a nice addition to my collection.
Psst... Sometimes I think that, after having paid an arm and a leg for an "audiophile" version of a record, we feel compelled to actually hear with our ears what we felt with our wallet
Psst….I’ve always had a lot of time for the ‘95 ROTW as I think the remaster kind of breathes life into the mud.
Great article/interview on Davey's days with Elton...and very detailed! "I’ve Had an Amazing, Unbelievable Career”: Elton John Guitarist Davey Johnstone Names His Top Five Tracks
“Elton didn’t really make demos back in the early days. Frequently he would simply play us a new song he’d just written, and a lot of times Dee, Nigel and I would be right there while he wrote. As he’d play, we’d start to work out our parts so that we knew what to do when it came time to lay down the track. “Elton never said, ‘I want you to do this,’ or ‘Please, don’t do that.’ We all did what we wanted. Gus Dudgeon would spur us on: ‘Oh, that sounds amazing. Let’s double-track that. Let’s quadruple-track that.’ It was all very fun.
I finally am getting around to playing the 4 new vinyl re-releases, starting with A Single Man. As @Solly Bridgetower said, the packaging is done well. The label is the original Rocket UK label. Well-printed sleeves and jacket, and the record is a fine pressing - flat as a pancake, solid. My copy had absolutely no surface noise or anything. These last few EJ vinyl releases have really been top quality. For this release, they put the LP right in the lyric sleeve - not an anti-static sleeve as they've done with other releases. Sound-wise, I compared it to my 1998 UK Rocket remastered CD - the only other copy of this album I have (my US MCA copy went out the door years ago). No surprise, the '98 CD is louder — MUCH louder. The CD has more bass, it's just all-around heavier. The vinyl has much less bass - everything is just clearer and has more room to breathe. But overall I didn't notice a dramatic difference if I'm being honest. At comparably equal volume settings, the CD just comes across as more bass filled and harder. It wasn't quite as different as the CD and vinyl of The One that I recently compared. I prefer the vinyl - as I have with all the recent EJ releases - because the sound is cleaner to me. I'd prefer turning up my amp rather than having the album already in my face. I particularly appreciated this on Song for Guy - my favorite song on the album (and also the very first song I ever learned on the piano). So I'd highly recommend this to anyone who likes the album and wants a version that isn't super loud. I'd be curious to see how this compares with the old Rocket CD or MCA CD. Oh, and the hype sticker - it's on the actual cover, not the cellophane.
Tammy Faye musical rehearsal pics and news...Elton is there in one of them. From a few days ago before he came back to Canada and the States. https://www.broadwayworld.com/artic...and-More-in-Rehearsal-For-TAMMY-FAYE-20220915
