A few posts questioned who this set was for, so let me attempt to answer. This is from somebody who has all the SACD's, the AF Rock of the Westies, other "classic" period discs. The 3-disc version fills in the blanks, and contains enough less familiar tracks. It's also a great way to celebrate having seen him on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. It would be great for the casual fan, but it's also nice for somebody like me. If you're a diehard and have an astronomical post count, no, this one isn't for you.
I've always considered 70-02 to have fantastic sound. Is Diamonds really a step up...and what do you mean by modern SQ? More boom & tizz?
I only recently picked up 1970-2002 2CD comp, after I bought Diamonds actually, and while it sounds pretty good for its day, I don't think it sounds fantastic and compared to Diamonds it does sound dated, at least to me. Yes, in my opinion, Diamonds is a big step up in audio quality from the 2002 comp. Modern sound quality just refers to the latest remastering - more compression, a more upfront sound...things like that.
I think that the 1970-2002 uses the Gus Dudgeon remasters that were done as part of the Classic Years, which do sound a little bloated in the mids. Bob Ludwig has done a stellar job on the Diamonds set and hope that the same technique is applied to the whole catalog. I'm surprised that Rocket hasn't taken advantage of the 'Final Tour' to push the catalog again with remastered albums. Unless its in the pipeline for a later date....
This has been one of those times I translated a streaming experience into a purchase. The other night I had a craving for some of the 45s I had in the 70s. I came across this set on Spotify. I had forgotten how damn good this guy was making a good record. I saw amazon had the box for just over $25. My first Elton purchase in years. Love it.
I've just done an A/B comparison between the Captain Fantastic Deluxe Edition Philadelphia Freedom and the Diamonds version on my Elton John podcast, about 27 minutes in. I found that the Diamonds remaster actually runs slightly faster, and has a 10 second longer fade-out. The mix sounds substantially different to me. I don't really understand how this happened. I'm going to try some A/B comparisons of the vinyl reissues at some point. Aside from just listening to the songs, is there any software or plugins out there that can be used to make this process less subjective?
Different masterings. Bob Ludwig did the Diamonds set. I'm not even sure it was remastered on the Deluxe Edition - I thought that version used the '95 Dudgeon remasters.
Good point about the Deluxe Edition - it probably was Gus' earlier mastering - I haven't looked into that. I did an A/B comparison because there's been debate on here as to whether it's just a new mastering, or if something else has happened with the track. I'm saying it sounds like a new mix, or maybe that they've used an old, weird master to work with.
It is a bit confusing. Aside from mastering all the vinyl reissues, did Bob Ludwig remaster all the tracks on Diamonds individually? Including the third disc? Because there are some oddball tracks on there (Victim of Love, e.g.)
Yes - there's a chance he might have done it all again from scratch, I suppose, or more likely to have gone over the collection once all the oddities and albums had been remastered, to ensure that it had a cohesive sound. In all likelihood there are different masterings for different purposes... vinyl, CD and streaming services. Who knows. I guess in the end the question is, do we like it, and for Philadelphia Freedom at least, the answer is a definite no from me.
Is it possible that “Philadelphia Freedom” uses the remix that was done for the Superior Sound of Elton John cd?
What is the verdict on the sound quality between this release and "Greatest Hits 1970-2002?" Is the book included in the 3CD box set informative?
Is it worth it to pay more for the Diamonds box set released in 2017 vs the one to be released later this week? https://www.amazon.com/Diamonds-3CD...john+diamonds&qid=1557695646&s=gateway&sr=8-5
Looks like the box set CDs without the box/booklet/art prints. If you just want the music, seems like a fine set.
