Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [Original recording remastered]

Amazon.com essential recording
Rarely mentioned as one of the great double albums, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road had to settle for ending up in a few million record collections. So sprawling that it doesn't quite measure up to the earlier, more laid-back Honky Chateau or the later, pushy Rock of the Westies, this still holds claim to a lot of brilliant, very pop-savvy music: the winking rebellion of "Bennie and the Jets" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," the ready-made nostalgia of "The Ballad of Danny Bailey," the downbeat melodicism of "Harmony." --Rickey Wright

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,Elton John,Island,Album Rock,England,Glam Rock,Pop,Pop/Rock,Popular Music,Rock,Rock & Roll,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter,Soft Rock

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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [Original recording remastered]

Average customer rating: The multi-talented Elton Elton John in top form. The Definetive Elton John album Elton! Elton! Elton John rocks strong and even does some "lighter" music to give us all a golden nugget of an album !!!

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John Manufacturer: Island ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music $9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music International | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Madman Across the Water Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Tumbleweed Connection Honky Chateau Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player ASIN: B000001DQI Release Date: 1996-02-20

Tracks:

1. Funeral For A Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)
2. Candle In The Wind
3. Bennie And The Jets
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
5. This Song Has No Title
6. Grey Seal
7. Jamaica Jerk-Off
8. I've Seen That Movie Too
9. Sweet Painted Lady
10. The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34)
11. Dirty Little Girl
12. All The Girls Love Alice
13. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'N Roll)
14. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
15. Roy Rogers
16. Social Disease
17. Harmony

Amazon.com essential recording

Rarely mentioned as one of the great double albums, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road had to settle for ending up in a few million record collections. So sprawling that it doesn't quite measure up to the earlier, more laid-back Honky Chateau or the later, pushy Rock of the Westies, this still holds claim to a lot of brilliant, very pop-savvy music: the winking rebellion of "Bennie and the Jets" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," the ready-made nostalgia of "The Ballad of Danny Bailey," the downbeat melodicism of "Harmony." --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

The multi-talented Elton.......2007-07-17

Rightly this album is rated as the greatest album Elton John ever made. In fact its not my favourite but thats a different story.

The breadth of material on this is amazing. It opens with 'Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding' which is a stunning prog-rock overture followed seamlessly by a hard rock song. Remember before he became Elton John the young Reg Dwight auditioned for both King Crimson and Gentle Giant!
Following track 1 is the original and best version of Candle in the Wind. Sadly this tune has been overplayed... Bennie and the Jets is track 3. A great crowd pleaser (with artificial live feel on the track). This track was huge in the U.S. and it went to the top of the R&B charts. It also best displays Elton's Piano playing and has a completely unique feel to it.

The title track Goodbye Yellow Brick Road sounds like a standard that was written in the 40's or 50's. This is one of those songs that Elton will be remembered for in the decades to come.

On these opening tracks you can hear (but not see!) everything that made Elton such a huge star:
Primarily great song-writing, but also high quality musicianship - listen to Nigel Olsson's drumming or Davey Johnstone's guitar playing on this album.

With one exception the rest of the album maintains a similar high standard. Jamaica Jerk-Off is the one track I really don't like but there's 16 others so I'm not complaining!

Elton John in top form........2007-07-13

In 1973, Elton John released his first and only double-album, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". While he also made several other truly fantastic albums in that era, this one always stands out for me as being a completely flawless and true masterwork.

First off, the album opens with the epic "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" which easily ranks as one of my favorite songs of all time. The placement of the songs on this record make for smooth transitions between each song. There's never a track for me that makes me want to skip. Elton John is in top form here. While technically considered a "pop" album, it easily ranks next to such classic albums as Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", or Led Zeppelin's "Zoso". It's a mostly upbeat album, with a few mellower songs (Candle in the Wind, Sweet Painted Lady, I've Seen That Movie Too) and makes for a great album to bring along on a road trip.

It's not as compact and ragtime-ish as "Honkey Chateau", and not as personal as "Captain Fantastic", but it's downright fun the entire way through and will always stand as the pinnacle in Elton's career.

The Definetive Elton John album.......2007-06-21

If there was ever an album that defined the seventies, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" has got to be one of them. It is also the album that comes closest to being what Elton was about in his grandest. Extravagant, over-the-top, melodic and brash, this double album is probably how many from the period would describe both the album and the performer. As such, it redefined music and super stardom, and is a classic.

Stylistically, the 1973 version of Elton John and Bernie Taupin were now fearless. They were (to quote a line that eventually became part of "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy") turning them out thick and fast. There was the beautiful, melodic piano work on the title track and "Candle In The Wind," the hard rocking "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting," the western looking "Social Disease" and the melodrama in "I've seen that movie too" and "Harmony." Seventeen near flawless songs over two albums, and that was following the breakthrough of "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" and the number one "Crocodile Rock" from earlier that same year.

It wasn't just the seeming effortlessness to Elton and Bernie's prolific pace that was so attractive, it was the extravagance. Elton's reputation as a showman had already become the stuff of legend, and in the feverish time of the seventies, he allowed that into the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" artowrk. The original album was a thing of ornate beauty, a triple-fold gate sleeve that expanded out to show Elton stepping into a magic kingdom in ruby red platform shoes. The inner-sleeves were decorated with illustrations for each lyric and the band photos. It was everything you wanted in an album at the time...the full experience. Something you really don't get from too many performers these days. (And better reproduced in the Deluxe "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.")

As such, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is as good as gold. I know it is a cliche, but they just don't make 'em like this anymore.

Elton! Elton!.......2007-06-08

This is one of my favorite Elton John albums. I had it on vinyl when it first came out (was that yesterday?) and bought it recently as a CD because of technology.

Elton John rocks strong and even does some "lighter" music to give us all a golden nugget of an album !!!.......2007-06-03

Elton John has enriched us all with his incredible artistry. He remains a prolific writer and he sings with all his heart. This double LP album entitled Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, here on one CD, shows us just a glimpse of Elton's great artistry in rock, reggae and "lighter" music as well.

The CD starts with one of Elton's greatest masterpieces entitled "Funeral For A Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)." Elton's piano and the work of his band make a smashing musical intro to a song about a love gone bad. Elton displays his raw emotion on this track as he sings about how "love lies bleeding in (his) hands."

The CD track set remains incredibly strong with "Candle In The Wind" and "Bennie And The Jets." "Candle In The Wind" explores how people can be misunderstood and abused and it uses Marilyn Monroe as an example. "Candle In The Wind" also features Elton's piano playing to reflect the sensitivity of the song. In addition, "Bennie And The Jets" paints a portrait of a fictional female rock star and her band. The rock beat on "Bennie And The Jets" is strong, solid and awesome.

The title track actually comes fourth on the set: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" allows Elton to sing of a supposedly beautiful and luxurious lifestyle that he realizes is not as special as he thought it would be. The use of the image of the yellow brick road to a better life from The Wizard Of Oz works well; and we see, just like Dorothy concluded, that there's no place like home.

If you REALLY want to hear Elton at his most versatile, listen to "This Song Has No Title." Elton plays farfisa organ, electric piano, mellotron AND piano!!! This number shines like pure gold and the mixing reflects excellent judgment. The melody of this song is wonderful.

On "Jamaica $erk-Off" Elton and the band turn out an excellent reggae tune that beckons to you to love it; Elton sings his praises for the island of Jamaica and Prince Rhino's "vocal interjections" rule!

Other gems on this CD include the stunningly beautiful "I've Seen That Movie Too;" for this song Elton sings of how he won't let himself be fooled by a woman who doesn't truly love him. The piano and percussion work wonders in the arrangement; and Del Newman's orchestral arrangement stuns you with its beauty. "Sweet Painted Lady" tells the story of a woman who "rents by the hour" as she "satisfies" the sailors in the port; Elton sings this with a type of sensitivity that I rarely experience. Del Newman once again gives "Sweet Painted Lady" a gorgeous orchestral arrangement. Excellent!!!

"All The Girls Love Alice" lets Elton sing about a young lady who enjoys pleasing some of the other girls in town; however the ending is most definitely glum. The musical arrangement shifts back and forth between a hard rockin' song and a type of love ballad with a much slower tempo and great key changes--and this impresses me greatly.

Of course, there's that Elton John classic number, "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting." This number showcases the youthful rebellion young people experience when they are starting their own lives separate from their parents. I can just envision all these young people marching and dancing through the streets chanting this anthem as they shake their fists in the air!

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. "Harmony," the last track on this CD, moves you with its sensitivity; and Elton delivers this with great panache. An excellent number to close the track set!

The liner notes feature an awesome essay by John Tobler; and you get all the lyrics and song credits. The beautiful art work enhances the liner notes as well.

Elton John is a living legend. Long after most "celebrities" are dead and forgotten, Elton John will remain in our hearts and minds because of his incredible music and his legendary performances. Thank goodness Elton has shared his work with us; and, if we're lucky, Elton will be performing for many more years to come.

Average customer rating: The best, even better! Unbelievable!! Benchmark 5.1 SACD Outstanding Remastering Job Just when you thought it couldn't get any better ...

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (w/ Bonus DVD) Elton John Manufacturer: Island ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Captain Fantastic Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Tumbleweed Connection Madman Across The Water Dark Side of the Moon 30th Anniversary Edition ASIN: B0000E64TQ Release Date: 2003-11-25

Tracks:

1. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
2. Candle in the Wind
3. Bennie and the Jets
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
5. This Song Has No Title
6. Grey Seal
7. Jamaica Jerk Off
8. I've Seen That Movie Too

Tracks:

1. Sweet Painted Lady
2. Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)
3. Dirty Little Girl
4. All the Girls Love Alice
5. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'N Roll)
6. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
7. Roy Rogers
8. Social Diseases
9. Harmony
10. Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again) [*]
11. Jack Rabbit [*]
12. Screw You (Young Man's Blues) [*]
13. Candle in the Wind [Acoustic Version][#][*]

Tracks:

1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [From The Making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
2. Jamaica Jerk-Off [From The Making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road][Multime
3. Ballad of Danny Bailey [From The Making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road][M
4. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting [From The Making of Goodbye Yello
5. Bennie and the Jets [From The Making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road][Mult
6. Sweet Painted Lady [From The Making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road][Multi
7. Roy Rogers [From The Making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road][Multimedia Tr
8. Candle in the Wind [From The Making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road][Multi

Customer Reviews:

The best, even better!.......2007-02-20

This is a celebration for music fans. The best CD by Elton John, even better. One of the best albums of all times and among my Top 20 favorite albums of all time. The album hit #1 in the Billboard Pop List in 1973. This is the Deluxe edition on SACD Surround Sound. The remaster of the audio is outstanding and will blow you away! This edition comes with a DVD (The Making of GYBR) that lasts about 50 minutes. This is the film that was previously published on DVD in the collection Classic Albums. If you already have this DVD, you can buy the CD SACD separately for $29,00. If you don't, I strongly recommend you to get the "whole package." The film tells the inside story of the making of this classic album with archive footage and interviews from Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Gus Dudgeon (producer of the original album), etc. The documentary has many terrific moments. To me, the best one is when Elton John is singing Candle in the Wind in honor of the Princess Diana. GYBR was released as a double album. CD1 contains the first 8 songs of LP1. CD2 contains the other 9, plus 4 bonus tracks, one of them Candle in the Wind acoustic, previously unreleased. The packaging is gorgeous with a booklet that contains a presentation by John Tobler, the original art work with lyrics, and some drafts of some lyrics. I had the original album on CD already, but went ahead and bought this edition and I am completely and absolutely satisfied. No regrets! The only problem is that this is expensive. But honestly, I am a collector and I appreciate the record company for releasing this so beautifully. If we don't buy this gems, record companies will stop doing this and then we'll go back to the complaints that the music industry sucks today. This is how CD's should be. Great music, great lyrics, great art work, packaging and sound! This is a MUST for any collector. 5 Stars, 10 over 10!
P.S. If you like my review vote YES. You can read all my other reviews if you wish to. I modestly write them to help people form an opinion about movies, music and books, but if nobody reads them (if you don't vote I do not know if you did) there is no point in writing them.

Unbelievable!!.......2004-04-10

This album is one of the all-time favorites and the new technology showcased here will bring you to your knees. I've listened to all of these songs for over thirty years, but the sound quality displayed is beyond awesome, it's like listening to the record for the very first time. I almost had tears in my eyes when I heard the remixed (and improved) version of "All the Young Girls Love Alice," one of Elton's all-time greatest underrated songs.

I bought this album when I was 10 years old, the day it was released. I have listened to it thousands of times since then and never get sick of it. This is Elton at his creative apex, and Bernie's lyrics are magical. There are many underrated gems on this album: "All the Young Girls Love Alice" (this rocks!), "Danny Bailey" (great piano work here) and "Your Sister Can't Rock but she can Rock and Roll."

For everyone born between 1960-1965, this was *the* album of our generation and it's held up beautifully. Elton never was as good as this again and this was his shining, brilliant moment. The sound here goes above and beyond what you've heard on the original vinyl or CD versions. Highly recommended.

Benchmark 5.1 SACD.......2004-04-04

This was the first album I bought when I was 8 years old, and started me on a 30 year journey of music exploration. Amazingly, this album has stayed with me all these years, through worn-out vinyl to target double-CD to remastered CD to MFSL Cd and now, finally, to hybrid SACD. I say finally, because without a doubt this is the definitive version of this classic. To my ears, this is a benchmark multichannel SACD to which all others should be compared.

I'll skip right over the CD and SACD stereo layers and move right to a review of the 5.1 mix. This is an extraordinary mix. EJ's vocal is anchored in the center channel, with some bleed into the FL and FR, and unlike a lot of the early 5.1 mixes I've heard, his voice isn't overwelmed by the other speakers, but instead stands at the front of the mix just as it should. Davey Johnstone's legendary guitar sound is given a lot of space through the fronts and surrounds, Nigel Olsson's drums are more distinct and real than previous releases and the late, great Dee Murray gives the LFE channel a work out with his fluid bass lines. Add to that the ambient crowd noise on Bennie & the Jets and the until now indecipherable Jamaican dialogue on Jamaican Jerk-Off, and all-in-all you have a magnificent example of what 5.1 SACD can bring to the table.

I use this disc to show off my 5.1 system, especially for folks who are familiar with the album, and I have yet to find anyone who isn't impressed with the sound of the SACD. Buy it!!!

p.s. I have the version with the bonus DVD. It's interesting, but not worth the extra [money]. Only for the real EJ freaks like me.

Outstanding Remastering Job.......2004-02-22

This is a great album, which now sounds even better. Even on my regular CD player (this is a hybrid and plays on both regular and SACD players), it sounds much better than the 1996 remastered CD. My only complaint is that many of this "Deluxe" series don't need to be 2-CD sets (the double album would fit on one CD, and the bonus tracks are unecessary since 3 of the 4 are already on the 1996 remastered "Don't Shoot Me" CD).

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better ..........2004-01-26

In a conversation about music with a friend, I once jokingly referred to Elton John's long career as being divided into his 'Beatles' years (everything up until 'Blue Moves' in 1976) and then his 'Wings' years (everything after that, starting with the 'A Single Man' album in 1978). I had to explain that I was referring to my view of the music he did in the early years (albums like Honky Chateau, Don't Shoot Me, Tumbleweed Connection and of course Goodbye Yellow Brick Road) being of such a standard, quality, and even timelessness, in contrast to later years (i.e. Ice on Fire, Leather Jackets, Victim of Love, even The One, and Made in England) that it reminded me of the the progression one might follow from the Beatles' start to finish, then go from that to McCartney & Wings' entire career, and you may get the idea of my off-the-cuff comment, I hope. This is not to say that I dislike the post 1977 era Elton John, just that I very much favor what his label refers to as the 'classic years' and no doubt many of his fans feel the same way.

The new SACD/CD hybrid + DVD 'making of GYBR' deluxe edition just further cements in place my thinking of that early period of Elton John, and in particular this album. They did a wonderful mastering job, and the sonic improvement I noticed the most was the bass guitar. The clarity of the voices, string arrangements also benefitted from the new re-mastering. (This is having heard the stereo CD version, not yet the multi-channel SACD).

The 'making of GYBR' DVD was a treat to watch -- you get more of an appreciation for the band, the producer, any and everything involved in the making of this great album.

Average customer rating: Elton sets the gold standard A Great Elton John Album Great sound, great album 5 For Album itself but make sure you buy the regular CD not the SACD.... One of the top rock albums ever

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John Manufacturer: Island ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Brothers in Arms Dark Side of the Moon 30th Anniversary Edition Madman Across The Water Captain Fantastic The Stranger ASIN: B0000E64TR Release Date: 2003-11-25

Tracks:

1. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
2. Candle In The Wind
3. Bennie And The Jets
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
5. This Song Has No Title
6. Grey Seal
7. Jamaica Jerk-Off
8. I've Seen That Movie Too

Tracks:

1. Sweet Painted Lady
2. The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)
3. Dirty Little Girl
4. All The Young Girls Love Alice
5. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'N' Roll)
6. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
7. Roy Rogers
8. Social Disease
9. Harmony
10. Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady)
11. Jack Rabbit
12. Screw You (Young Man Blues)
13. Candle In The Wind (Acoustic Mix)

Customer Reviews:

Elton sets the gold standard.......2007-06-21

If there was ever an album that defined the seventies, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" has got to be one of them. It is also the album that comes closest to being what Elton was about at his grandest. Extravagant, over-the-top, melodic and brash, this double album is probably how many from the period would describe both the album and the performer. As such, it redefined music and super stardom, and is a classic.

Stylistically, the 1973 version Elton John and Bernie Taupin were now fearless. They were (to quote a line that eventually became part of "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy") turning them out thick and fast. There was the beautiful, melodic piano work on the title track and "Candle In The Wind," the hard rocking "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting," the western looking "Social Disease" and the melodrama in "I've seen that movie too" and "Harmony." Seventeen near flawless songs over two albums, and that was following the breakthrough of "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" and the number one "Crocodile Rock" from earlier that same year.

It wasn't just the seeming effortlessness to Elton and Bernie's prolific pace that was so attractive, it was the extravagance. Elton's reputation as a showman had already become the stuff of legend, and in the feverish time of the seventies, he allowed that into the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" artwork. The original album was a thing of ornate beauty, a triple-fold gate sleeve that expanded out to show Elton stepping into a magic kingdom in ruby red platform shoes. The inner-sleeves were decorated with illustrations for each lyric and the band photos. It was everything you wanted in an album at the time...the full experience. Something you really don't get from too many performers these days.

That is one of the many bonuses of this Deluxe version of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." The album art is faithfully reproduced, plus you get reproductions of some of Bernie's typed lyric sheets with correction and the faces of the mastertape labels. I have to admit that I don't care about - or for - the extra B-sides, as they distract from the original album's structure, are all available elsewhere and aren't very good songs. (The exception being acoustic "Candle In The Wind.") Another nice touch is the "tribute to the genius of Gus Dudgeon."

As such, the deluxe "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is as good as gold, and worth the extra bills. I know it is a cliche, but they just don't make 'em like this anymore.

A Great Elton John Album.......2006-11-16

This album is more than one of Elton's best recordings; it is also one of the best rock albums of all time. The production is excellent, the music is played nearly flawlessly, the lyrics are some of the best Taupin ever wrote, and the music is some of the best Elton has written.

This album starts off with a beautiful instrumental, "Funeral for a Friend," which segues into "Love Lies Bleeding." "Funeral for a Friend" should be experienced rather than described.

Everyone knows "Candle in the Wind." This version is the original, and is a moving tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

"Bennie and the Jets;" the song is pretty good, but didn't come off quite as well as Elton wanted it to. The crowd participated less than Elton had intended. Regardless, the lyrics and music are wonderful, and a bit of insider commentary on pop musicians and their fans.

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a 70s pop/rock anthem. Every greatest hits of the 70's list includes this song. Played heavily on top 40 radio for several years and now frequently on classic rock stations, this song was an instant classic.

The next two songs are underappreciated. "This Song Has No Title" and "Grey Seal" are both very good songs. There is a serious undertone to "Grey Seal" that hints at perceptions and feelings, and perhaps the difficulty of being an individual in modern society. "Grey Seal" was re-done for "Yellow Brick Road," having been previously recorded in a style more like that of "Empty Sky." The original version can be found on the "Rare Masters" CD. I prefer this version, which is more polished.

"Jamaica Jerk-off" is a silly song. However, someone did their homework because while the song is a bit annoying at times, it fits well where it was positioned on the CD.

"I've Seen That Movie Too" is a bluesy song that is mellow and moving, and relates life to - what else - the movies. If you like soft rock with a touch of heavy, this is a good song. "Sweet Painted Lady" laments the life of prostitutes, and is sad rather than condescending. "The Ballad of Danny Bailey" should be part of a soundtrack to a movie; it feels like it came from a soundtrack. The song contains a fictional story that draws imagery from the fictionalized accounts of characters such as Bonnie and Clyde. This song just as easily could have been the ballad of Clyde Barrow. This well-executed song provides enjoyable listening.

"Dirty Little Girl" is lyrically a bit of a puzzler for me. I was unable to definitely divine Taupin's point. On the surface the lyrics appear to be about someone physically dirty needing a bath with the reference to a social worker, likely someone who is poor. But is there a point to the lyrics? Regardless, this song is one of the rocking songs on this CD, along with two others that appear right after "All the Girls Love Alice," which is a sorrowful song about a young female lesbian.

Two back-to-back rockers follow that are the fastest songs on the CD: "Your Sister Can't Dance" and "Saturday Night's alright for Fighting." These are songs to play at that party you were planning, along with "Dirty Little Girl." Elton John can rock when he chooses.

The last three songs cluster nicely since all three deal with different topics. The first song, "Roy Rogers," I really enjoy though it gives me a strong feeling of nostalgia every time I listen to it. Not really a tribute to Roy Rogers so much as a tribute to old movies and TV shows, the feeling they give you, and memories of days gone by.

"Social Disease" is a mixture of thoughts, but the theme seems to be borderline alcohol abuse. I say borderline because the principal character seems to like his life. Perhaps that is an understatement. The principal character seems to revel in his life.

The last song on this CD is one of Elton's beautiful ballads, "Harmony." As happens so often with some songs, this song is flawed in that it could have been twice as long and even then it might not have been long enough. This song is very beautiful, though there seems to be two themes intertwined that may be aspects of the same theme. One theme is that of love by someone who is on the verge of obsession. The other is a musical question; will I continue to be able to sing well in the future, and for how long? Listening to the song I was unable to pick up on the second theme, but reading the lyrics I realized that the song could be interpreted in the second way.
This version of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," which is in sumptuous hybrid SACD, contains bonus songs. "Jack Rabbit" is the first, "Screw You (Young Man's Blues" is the second, "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" is the third, and a version of "Candle in the Wind" is the fourth. The first three songs are also available as bonus songs on some versions of "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player" and in the "Rare Masters" boxed set. These songs are okay and nice to have just to fill out CD space.

If you like Elton's music, then you must be reading this review for curiosity, because you already have "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". If you like pop/rock from the 70s, then you already have "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." If you have heard music from the 70s and want to find the better music from that era, you have hit one of the best. I believe that while the music sounds a little dated in spots, I believe that released today it would still sell songs. Perhaps it might even influence younger artists.

Go buy this CD if you have yet to do so. It is one of pop-rock's greats!

Enjoy!

Great sound, great album.......2006-08-16

...and if you're fortunate enough to find it, I recommend buying the version with the bonus DVD, which chronicles the making of Yellow Brick Road. When I bought it, it cost the same as the 2 SACD set without the DVD, so it was still a great deal.

My only complaint--and it's really minor--is that it would have been nice if they could have fit the original album onto a single SACD. A second disc could have included the bonus tracks that are included in this package, plus any extra--maybe even audio-only interviews--still remaining in the vaults. No matter. The important thing, if you are able, is to make sure you have an SACD-compatible player (like the Pioneer DV-563A, or one of the really expensive players if you've got the cash and love audiophile formats in both your hardware and your CDs). Even if you don't, the stereo CD layer still sounds truly excellent.

5 For Album itself but make sure you buy the regular CD not the SACD...........2006-05-03

But it does not play on all CD players due to it being a SACD.

There is false advertising stating it plays on all CD players. -- Just not on PC players!

False advertising!!! Very disappointed.

Please make sure you put that in your description Amazon and smoke it!

Otherwise a great album indeed!

One of the top rock albums ever.......2006-03-07

In October, 1973 "Goodby Yellow Brick Road" was released as two LPs and re-released in 2003 as a two CD set under the cover of "30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" in a hybrid SACD format. Wonderful way to treat this classic guys!! I'm not going into great detail because there are other good write-ups here that suffice but I will say that this set belongs in any collectors library. Highlights include: 'Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding', 'Candle In The Wind', 'Bennie and The Jets' (my favorite), 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', 'All The Young Girls Love Alice', 'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting' and a bonus 'Screw You (Young Man Blues)'.

Average customer rating: Yellow Brick Classic Elton's greatest album

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Touch Madman Across the Water Elton John Elton John - Greatest Hits 1976-1986 ASIN: B00000E5IH Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)
2. Candle in the Wind
3. Bennie and the Jets
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
5. This Song Has No Title
6. Grey Seal
7. Jamaica Jerk Off
8. I've Seen That Movie Too
9. Sweet Painted Lady
10. Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)
11. Dirty Little Girl
12. All the Girls Love Alice
13. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)
14. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
15. Roy Rogers
16. Social Disease
17. Harmony

Customer Reviews:

Yellow Brick Classic.......2005-05-06

This album is more than one of Elton's best recordings; it is also one of the best rock albums of all time. The production is excellent, the music is played nearly flawlessly, the lyrics are some of the best Taupin ever wrote, and the music was consistently some of the best Elton has written.

This album starts off with a beautiful instrumental, "Funeral for a Friend", which segues into "Love Lies Bleeding." "Funeral for a Friend" should be experienced rather than described. I plan to have "Funeral for a Friend" played at my funeral, which will hopefully be very far away.

Everyone knows "Candle in the Wind." This version is the original, and is a moving tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

"Bennie and the Jets;" the song is pretty good, but didn't come off quite as well as Elton wanted it to. The crowd participated less than Elton had intended. Regardless, the lyrics and music are wonderful, and a bit of insider commentary on pop musicians and their fans.

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a 70s pop/rock anthem. Every greatest hits of the 70s list always includes this song. Played heavily on top 40 radio for several years and now frequently on classic rock stations, this song was an instant classic.

The next two songs are underappreciated and are very good. "This Song Has No Title" and "Grey Seal" are both very good songs. There is a serious undertone to "Grey Seal" that hints at perceptions and feelings, and perhaps the difficulty of being an individual in modern society. "Grey Seal" was re-done for "Yellow Brick Road," having been previously recorded in a style more like "Empty Sky." The original version can be found on the "Rare Masters" CD. I prefer this version, which is more polished.

"Jamaica Jerk-off" is a silly song. However, someone did their homework because while the song is a bit annoying at times, it fits well where it was positioned on the CD.

"I've Seen That Movie Too" is a bluesy song that is mellow and moving, and relates life to, what else, the movies. If you like soft rock with a touch of heavy, this is a good song. "Sweet Painted Lady" laments the life of prostitutes, and is sad rather than condescending. "The Ballad of Danny Bailey" should be part of a soundtrack to a movie. It feels like it came from a soundtrack. The song contains a fictional story that draws imagery from the fictionalized accounts of characters such as Bonnie and Clyde. This song just as easily could have been the ballad of Clyde Barrow. The song well executed song provides enjoyable listening.

"Dirty Little Girl" is lyrically a bit of a puzzler for me. I was unable to definitely divine Taupin's point. On the surface the lyrics appear to be about someone physically dirty needing a bath. With the reference to social worker, likely someone who is poor. But is there a point to the lyrics? Regardless, this song is one of the rocking songs on this CD, along with two others that appear right after "All the Girls Love Alice," which is a sorrowful song about a young female lesbian.

Two back-to-back rockers that follow are the fastest songs on the CD, "Your Sister Can't Dance" and "Saturday Night's alright for Fighting." These are songs to play at that party you were planning, along with "Dirty Little Girl." Elton John can rock when he chooses.

The last three songs cluster nicely since all three deal with different topics. The first song, "Roy Rogers," I really enjoy, though it gives me a strong feeling of nostalgia every time I listen to it. Not really a tribute to Roy Rogers so much as a tribute to old movies and TV shows, the feeling they give you, and memories of days gone by.

"Social Disease" is a mixture of thoughts, but the theme seems to be borderline alcohol abuse. I say borderline because the principal character seems to like his life. Perhaps that is an understatement. The principal character seems to revel in his life.

The last song on this CD is one of Elton's beautiful ballads, "Harmony." As happens so often with some songs, this song is flawed in that it could have been twice as long and even then it might not have been long enough. This song is very beautiful, though there seems to be two themes intertwined that may be aspects of the same theme. One theme is that of love by someone who is on the verge of obsession. The other is a musical question; will I continue to be able to sing well in the future, and for how long? Listening to the song I was unable to pick up on the second theme, but reading the lyrics I realized that the song could be interpreted in the second way.

If you like Elton's music, then you must be reading this review for curiosity, because you already have "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". If you like pop/rock from the 70s, then you already have "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." If you have heard music from the 70s and want to find the better music from that era, you have hit one of the best. I believe that while the music sounds a little dated in spots, I believe that released today it would still sell songs. Perhaps it might even influence younger artists.

Go buy this CD if you have yet to do so. It is one of pop-rock's greats!

Elton's greatest album.......2004-04-10

This album is one of the all-time favorites and the new technology showcased here will bring you to your knees. I've listened to all of these songs for over thirty years, but the sound quality displayed is beyond awesome, it's like listening to the record for the very first time. I almost had tears in my eyes when I heard the remixed (and improved) version of "All the Young Girls Love Alice," one of Elton's all-time greatest underrated songs.

I bought this album when I was 10 years old, the day it was released. I have listened to it thousands of times since then and never get sick of it. This is Elton at his creative apex, and Bernie's lyrics are magical. There are many underrated gems on this album: "All the Young Girls Love Alice" (this rocks!), "Danny Bailey" (great piano work here) and "Your Sister Can't Rock but she can Rock and Roll."

For everyone born between 1960-1965, this was *the* album of our generation and it's held up beautifully. Elton never was as good as this again and this was his shining, brilliant moment. The sound here goes above and beyond what you've heard on the original vinyl or CD versions. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating: The multi-talented Elton Elton John in top form. The Definetive Elton John album Elton! Elton! Elton John rocks strong and even does some "lighter" music to give us all a golden nugget of an album !!!

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John Manufacturer: Mobile Fidelity ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Madman Across the Water Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Tumbleweed Connection Honky Chateau Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player ASIN: B000000IRG Release Date: 1989-10-11

Tracks:

1. Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)
2. Candle in the Wind
3. Bennie and the Jets
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
5. This Song Has No Title
6. Grey Seal
7. Jamaica Jerk Off
8. I've Seen That Movie Too
9. Sweet Painted Lady
10. Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)
11. Dirty Little Girl
12. All the Girls Love Alice
13. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)
14. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
15. Roy Rogers
16. Social Disease
17. Harmony

Amazon.com essential recording

Rarely mentioned as one of the great double albums, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road had to settle for ending up in a few million record collections. So sprawling that it doesn't quite measure up to the earlier, more laid-back Honky Chateau or the later, pushy Rock of the Westies, this still holds claim to a lot of brilliant, very pop-savvy music: the winking rebellion of "Bennie and the Jets" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," the ready-made nostalgia of "The Ballad of Danny Bailey," the downbeat melodicism of "Harmony." --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

The multi-talented Elton.......2007-07-17

Rightly this album is rated as the greatest album Elton John ever made. In fact its not my favourite but thats a different story.

The breadth of material on this is amazing. It opens with 'Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding' which is a stunning prog-rock overture followed seamlessly by a hard rock song. Remember before he became Elton John the young Reg Dwight auditioned for both King Crimson and Gentle Giant!
Following track 1 is the original and best version of Candle in the Wind. Sadly this tune has been overplayed... Bennie and the Jets is track 3. A great crowd pleaser (with artificial live feel on the track). This track was huge in the U.S. and it went to the top of the R&B charts. It also best displays Elton's Piano playing and has a completely unique feel to it.

The title track Goodbye Yellow Brick Road sounds like a standard that was written in the 40's or 50's. This is one of those songs that Elton will be remembered for in the decades to come.

On these opening tracks you can hear (but not see!) everything that made Elton such a huge star:
Primarily great song-writing, but also high quality musicianship - listen to Nigel Olsson's drumming or Davey Johnstone's guitar playing on this album.

With one exception the rest of the album maintains a similar high standard. Jamaica Jerk-Off is the one track I really don't like but there's 16 others so I'm not complaining!

Elton John in top form........2007-07-13

In 1973, Elton John released his first and only double-album, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". While he also made several other truly fantastic albums in that era, this one always stands out for me as being a completely flawless and true masterwork.

First off, the album opens with the epic "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" which easily ranks as one of my favorite songs of all time. The placement of the songs on this record make for smooth transitions between each song. There's never a track for me that makes me want to skip. Elton John is in top form here. While technically considered a "pop" album, it easily ranks next to such classic albums as Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", or Led Zeppelin's "Zoso". It's a mostly upbeat album, with a few mellower songs (Candle in the Wind, Sweet Painted Lady, I've Seen That Movie Too) and makes for a great album to bring along on a road trip.

It's not as compact and ragtime-ish as "Honkey Chateau", and not as personal as "Captain Fantastic", but it's downright fun the entire way through and will always stand as the pinnacle in Elton's career.

The Definetive Elton John album.......2007-06-21

If there was ever an album that defined the seventies, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" has got to be one of them. It is also the album that comes closest to being what Elton was about in his grandest. Extravagant, over-the-top, melodic and brash, this double album is probably how many from the period would describe both the album and the performer. As such, it redefined music and super stardom, and is a classic.

Stylistically, the 1973 version of Elton John and Bernie Taupin were now fearless. They were (to quote a line that eventually became part of "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy") turning them out thick and fast. There was the beautiful, melodic piano work on the title track and "Candle In The Wind," the hard rocking "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting," the western looking "Social Disease" and the melodrama in "I've seen that movie too" and "Harmony." Seventeen near flawless songs over two albums, and that was following the breakthrough of "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" and the number one "Crocodile Rock" from earlier that same year.

It wasn't just the seeming effortlessness to Elton and Bernie's prolific pace that was so attractive, it was the extravagance. Elton's reputation as a showman had already become the stuff of legend, and in the feverish time of the seventies, he allowed that into the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" artowrk. The original album was a thing of ornate beauty, a triple-fold gate sleeve that expanded out to show Elton stepping into a magic kingdom in ruby red platform shoes. The inner-sleeves were decorated with illustrations for each lyric and the band photos. It was everything you wanted in an album at the time...the full experience. Something you really don't get from too many performers these days. (And better reproduced in the Deluxe "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.")

As such, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is as good as gold. I know it is a cliche, but they just don't make 'em like this anymore.

Elton! Elton!.......2007-06-08

This is one of my favorite Elton John albums. I had it on vinyl when it first came out (was that yesterday?) and bought it recently as a CD because of technology.

Elton John rocks strong and even does some "lighter" music to give us all a golden nugget of an album !!!.......2007-06-03

Elton John has enriched us all with his incredible artistry. He remains a prolific writer and he sings with all his heart. This double LP album entitled Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, here on one CD, shows us just a glimpse of Elton's great artistry in rock, reggae and "lighter" music as well.

The CD starts with one of Elton's greatest masterpieces entitled "Funeral For A Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)." Elton's piano and the work of his band make a smashing musical intro to a song about a love gone bad. Elton displays his raw emotion on this track as he sings about how "love lies bleeding in (his) hands."

The CD track set remains incredibly strong with "Candle In The Wind" and "Bennie And The Jets." "Candle In The Wind" explores how people can be misunderstood and abused and it uses Marilyn Monroe as an example. "Candle In The Wind" also features Elton's piano playing to reflect the sensitivity of the song. In addition, "Bennie And The Jets" paints a portrait of a fictional female rock star and her band. The rock beat on "Bennie And The Jets" is strong, solid and awesome.

The title track actually comes fourth on the set: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" allows Elton to sing of a supposedly beautiful and luxurious lifestyle that he realizes is not as special as he thought it would be. The use of the image of the yellow brick road to a better life from The Wizard Of Oz works well; and we see, just like Dorothy concluded, that there's no place like home.

If you REALLY want to hear Elton at his most versatile, listen to "This Song Has No Title." Elton plays farfisa organ, electric piano, mellotron AND piano!!! This number shines like pure gold and the mixing reflects excellent judgment. The melody of this song is wonderful.

On "Jamaica $erk-Off" Elton and the band turn out an excellent reggae tune that beckons to you to love it; Elton sings his praises for the island of Jamaica and Prince Rhino's "vocal interjections" rule!

Other gems on this CD include the stunningly beautiful "I've Seen That Movie Too;" for this song Elton sings of how he won't let himself be fooled by a woman who doesn't truly love him. The piano and percussion work wonders in the arrangement; and Del Newman's orchestral arrangement stuns you with its beauty. "Sweet Painted Lady" tells the story of a woman who "rents by the hour" as she "satisfies" the sailors in the port; Elton sings this with a type of sensitivity that I rarely experience. Del Newman once again gives "Sweet Painted Lady" a gorgeous orchestral arrangement. Excellent!!!

"All The Girls Love Alice" lets Elton sing about a young lady who enjoys pleasing some of the other girls in town; however the ending is most definitely glum. The musical arrangement shifts back and forth between a hard rockin' song and a type of love ballad with a much slower tempo and great key changes--and this impresses me greatly.

Of course, there's that Elton John classic number, "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting." This number showcases the youthful rebellion young people experience when they are starting their own lives separate from their parents. I can just envision all these young people marching and dancing through the streets chanting this anthem as they shake their fists in the air!

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. "Harmony," the last track on this CD, moves you with its sensitivity; and Elton delivers this with great panache. An excellent number to close the track set!

The liner notes feature an awesome essay by John Tobler; and you get all the lyrics and song credits. The beautiful art work enhances the liner notes as well.

Elton John is a living legend. Long after most "celebrities" are dead and forgotten, Elton John will remain in our hearts and minds because of his incredible music and his legendary performances. Thank goodness Elton has shared his work with us; and, if we're lucky, Elton will be performing for many more years to come.

Average customer rating: Yellow Brick Gold One of the great albums of the lat thirty years

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John Manufacturer: Universal Japan ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Classic Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Honky Chateau Madman Across the Water Tumbleweed Connection John Barleycorn Must Die Low Spark of High Heeled Boys ASIN: B00005NS1D Release Date: 2007-06-25

Tracks:

1. Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)
2. Candle in the Wind
3. Bennie and the Jets
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
5. This Song Has No Title
6. Grey Seal
7. Jamaica Jerk Off
8. I've Seen That Movie Too
9. Sweet Painted Lady
10. Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)
11. Dirty Little Girl
12. All the Girls Love Alice
13. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)
14. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
15. Roy Rogers
16. Social Disease
17. Harmony

Album Description

Japanese reissue of 1973 album, packaged in a limited edition miniature tri-fold LP sleeve.

Album Details

Japanese Limited Version featuring an LP Style Slipcase Cover.

Customer Reviews:

Yellow Brick Gold.......2005-11-02

This album is more than one of Elton's best recordings; it is also one of the best rock albums of all time. The production is excellent, the music is played nearly flawlessly, the lyrics are some of the best Taupin ever wrote, and the music was consistently some of the best Elton has written.

This album starts off with a beautiful instrumental, "Funeral for a Friend", which segues into "Love Lies Bleeding." "Funeral for a Friend" should be experienced rather than described. I plan to have "Funeral for a Friend" played at my funeral, which will hopefully be very far away.

Everyone knows "Candle in the Wind." This version is the original, and is a moving tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

"Bennie and the Jets;" the song is pretty good, but didn't come off quite as well as Elton wanted it to. The crowd participated less than Elton had intended. Regardless, the lyrics and music are wonderful, and a bit of insider commentary on pop musicians and their fans.

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a 70s pop/rock anthem. Every greatest hits of the 70s list always includes this song. Played heavily on top 40 radio for several years and now frequently on classic rock stations, this song was an instant classic.

The next two songs are underappreciated and are very good. "This Song Has No Title" and "Grey Seal" are both very good songs. There is a serious undertone to "Grey Seal" that hints at perceptions and feelings, and perhaps the difficulty of being an individual in modern society. "Grey Seal" was re-done for "Yellow Brick Road," having been previously recorded in a style more like "Empty Sky." The original version can be found on the "Rare Masters" CD. I prefer this version, which is more polished.

"Jamaica Jerk-off" is a silly song. However, someone did their homework because while the song is a bit annoying at times, it fits well where it was positioned on the CD.

"I've Seen That Movie Too" is a bluesy song that is mellow and moving, and relates life to, what else, the movies. If you like soft rock with a touch of heavy, this is a good song. "Sweet Painted Lady" laments the life of prostitutes, and is sad rather than condescending. "The Ballad of Danny Bailey" should be part of a soundtrack to a movie. It feels like it came from a soundtrack. The song contains a fictional story that draws imagery from the fictionalized accounts of characters such as Bonnie and Clyde. This song just as easily could have been the ballad of Clyde Barrow. The song well executed song provides enjoyable listening.

"Dirty Little Girl" is lyrically a bit of a puzzler for me. I was unable to definitely divine Taupin's point. On the surface the lyrics appear to be about someone physically dirty needing a bath. With the reference to social worker, likely someone who is poor. But is there a point to the lyrics? Regardless, this song is one of the rocking songs on this CD, along with two others that appear right after "All the Girls Love Alice," which is a sorrowful song about a young female lesbian.

Two back-to-back rockers that follow are the fastest songs on the CD, "Your Sister Can't Dance" and "Saturday Night's alright for Fighting." These are songs to play at that party you were planning, along with "Dirty Little Girl." Elton John can rock when he chooses.

The last three songs cluster nicely since all three deal with different topics. The first song, "Roy Rogers," I really enjoy, though it gives me a strong feeling of nostalgia every time I listen to it. Not really a tribute to Roy Rogers so much as a tribute to old movies and TV shows, the feeling they give you, and memories of days gone by.

"Social Disease" is a mixture of thoughts, but the theme seems to be borderline alcohol abuse. I say borderline because the principal character seems to like his life. Perhaps that is an understatement. The principal character seems to revel in his life.

The last song on this CD is one of Elton's beautiful ballads, "Harmony." As happens so often with some songs, this song is flawed in that it could have been twice as long and even then it might not have been long enough. This song is very beautiful, though there seems to be two themes intertwined that may be aspects of the same theme. One theme is that of love by someone who is on the verge of obsession. The other is a musical question; will I continue to be able to sing well in the future, and for how long? Listening to the song I was unable to pick up on the second theme, but reading the lyrics I realized that the song could be interpreted in the second way.

If you like Elton's music, then you must be reading this review for curiosity, because you already have "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". If you like pop/rock from the 70s, then you already have "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." If you have heard music from the 70s and want to find the better music from that era, you have hit one of the best. I believe that while the music sounds a little dated in spots, I believe that released today it would still sell songs. Perhaps it might even influence younger artists.

This particular version is a Japanese reissue. There is a large variety of this album available with varying prices. You should check to see which version is best for you before you buy.

One of the great albums of the lat thirty years.......2004-04-10

This album is one of the all-time favorites and the new technology showcased here will bring you to your knees. I've listened to all of these songs for over thirty years, but the sound quality displayed is beyond awesome, it's like listening to the record for the very first time. I almost had tears in my eyes when I heard the remixed (and improved) version of "All the Young Girls Love Alice," one of Elton's all-time greatest underrated songs.

I bought this album when I was 10 years old, the day it was released. I have listened to it thousands of times since then and never get sick of it. This is Elton at his creative apex, and Bernie's lyrics are magical. There are many underrated gems on this album: "All the Young Girls Love Alice" (this rocks!), "Danny Bailey" (great piano work here) and "Your Sister Can't Rock but she can Rock and Roll."

For everyone born between 1960-1965, this was *the* album of our generation and it's held up beautifully. Elton never was as good as this again and this was his shining, brilliant moment. The sound here goes above and beyond what you've heard on the original vinyl or CD versions. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John Manufacturer: MCA Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000MZAN0A

Product Description

Recorded at Strawberry Studios, France

Average customer rating: This CD will make you believe in music This is the best thing the King's singers have performed

King's Singers Believe in Music Manufacturer: Angel Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music King's Singers | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music Similar Items: This Is the King's Singers ASIN: B000002RPR Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. West Side Story: Something's Coming
2. You Needed Me
3. All By Myself
4. Short People
5. Lost In Love
6. Betty Grable
7. Because
8. Della And The Dealer
9. Music - I Believe In Music - I've Got The Music In Me - Thank You For The Music
10. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
11. Theme From 'Mahogany' - (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)
12. Save Your Kisses For Me - Hasta Manana
13. How Did We Fall In Love?
14. (At The) Copacabana

Customer Reviews:

This CD will make you believe in music.......2005-02-04

I picked up this CD on a whim in the early 90's as a last minute purchase added to other CDs I was buying. I've been a fan since the early 80's & they never cease to amaze me. Although this is now an older CD I believe it is one of the King's Singers best. I'd put it right up there with Madrigal History Tour & Good Vibrations. This saucy sextet delivers the goods time & time again with perfect diction, phrasing & pitch. Take a listen & just lose yourself in the harmonys, you won't regret it.

This is the best thing the King's singers have performed.......1999-08-16

I can have many chances to meet Albums the king's singers have performed. This 'Believe in Music' is not one of their best albums, but THE BEST of all their albums. I dont need to explain about this album with long and boring words. Just say "The Best"!.

Average customer rating:

The String Quartet Tribute to Elton John Manufacturer: Vitamin Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Tributes | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Compilations | Rock | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: The String Quartet Tribute to Queen The String Quartet Tribute to the Beatles The String Quartet Tribute to the Eagles String Quartet Tribute to Paul McCartney The String Quartet Tribute to Fleetwood Mac ASIN: B0002IQMUW Release Date: 2004-08-03

Tracks:

1. Sad Songs (Say So Much)
2. Bennie And The Jets
3. I'm Still Standing
4. Tiny Dancer
5. Candle In The Wind
6. Little Jeannie
7. Island Girl
8. I Guess That's Why They CAll It The Blues
9. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
10. Your Song
11. Bonus Tracks: The Bitch Is Back
12. Bonus Tracks: Believe
13. Bonus Tracks: Blessed
14. Bonus Tracks: Captain & Me

Product Description

1. Sad Songs (Say So Much)
2. Bennie And The Jets
3. I'm Still Standing
4. Tiny Dancer
5. Candle In The Wind
6. Little Jeannie
7. Island Girl
8. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
9. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
10. Your Song

Bonus Tracks:
11. The Bitch Is Back
12. Believe
13. Blessed
14. Captain And Me (Original Composition)

Format: CD

Average customer rating:

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (original CD release) ProductGroup: Classical Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0002Z9TDC

Rap Music:

1. Graceland [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]
2. Happenstance [Content/Copy-Protected CD]
3. Harmonies For The Haunted [Content/Copy-Protected CD] [Enhanced]
4. Hilary Duff [Enhanced]
5. Il Divo [DualDisc]
6. Impossible Dream
7. Intensive Care [Import]
8. Josh Groban Live at The Greek (CD/DVD) [Enhanced] [Live]
9. Layla [Original recording remastered]
10. Little Fugitive

Rap Music

rap music

Recommended Music:

Act Your Age [Import]

Finnish Chamber Music

Heartaches: 18 Classic Tracks [Import]

Music: Player Pipe Organ at Elm Court - Butler, PA

Fake Sound of Progress

From an Early Age: Music of the Gypsies

Gullah. Songs of Hope, Faith, and Freedom

Li Puntigli DeLle Donne

Documentary

Exitos Originales [Import]

Fwdthought: Extending Electronic Music's Lineage...

Girls & Boys, Pt. 1 [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]

Global Clubbing: Germany

Long Drink of the Blues

Wired