Editorial: Is Vinyl Killing The Mp3 Industry?

...or does it?

About a year ago, after purchasing and assembling a rather large, wall-sized CD storage rack, I posted a photo of this behemoth on Facebook. The first comment on that post was something along the line of how much simpler it was to have the same amount of music stored digitally on an external hard drive the size of a hardcover book. (An ironic analogy, I thought.) I have found that this is a widely held opinion these days, although I would caution digital media fans to back up their hard drives. If you've ever had a hard drive crash on you, taking all of your stuff down with it, then you understand that pain. This is a primary reason why I prefer having hard copy CD's and vinyl records, but there's much more to it than that.

Please understand, I like the convenience of digital media. I'm the kid who used to head over to his friends' house with 20 record albums stuffed under each arm. Being able to fit 5 times that much music (with room to spare) into a device that fits in my shirt pocket, that can sound as good if not better than my old records, is pretty darn slick. As vinyl collectors know, any respectable record collection can weigh a ton. In the early 90's, when my wife and I moved from a rented townhome into our first proper house, my record collection numbered around 4000, and it was boxed up in groups of about 50-70 albums per box. After the moving guys had schlepped all the furniture, and an upright piano, they started on the records. You'd have thought they were going to die. As with anything else, it's not the weight that gets you, it's the reps. So yes, digital media definitely has the advantage there.

Nonetheless, I have to wonder if one format is truly better than others, or are they all just different, equally valid options? Overall, I am finding that the answer is entirely subjective. As it has been during any period of multiple home audio formats, there are several choices, and which is best depends on your own perspective of what is right for you. So let's have a brief look at the past for some perspective on how we got to the way things are now.

In the 70's, we had turntables, reel-to-reel tape, cassettes, and the popular but clunky 8 track cartridge. No audiophile of that time whose opinion was worth his Stereo Review subscription would have said that the 8 track was the best home listening format; nor would that same person have had a turntable or reel-to-reel deck in his car. They all had their purpose, but vinyl records were still the primary format back then, despite their size, weight, and the necessity of being careful when handling them, not that everyone did that.

I done been hyp-mo-tized!

When compact discs arrived in the mid-80's, they were revolutionary in many ways. They certainly weighed a lot less. The all-too-familiar pops, crackles and skips of vinyl were gone. They didn't warp and you didn't have to be quite as careful with them. But above all, they were shiny. We liked the shiny. We liked it so much that we didn't see behind the curtain. Through the compact disc, the record industry was able to persuade most of us to replace our record collections en masse, despite the average retail price of $18-20 per disc. They advanced this by reducing the number of vinyl pressings made, and retooling their pressing facilities for CD's. Many private record pressers who couldn't afford to adapt their operation closed their doors. Records were expeditiously evicted from stores, as browsing racks were quickly rehabbed for CD longboxes. (Remember them?) The big music corporations also saved millions on the backside by greatly reducing shipping expenses due to weight, and by slashing returns losses for defective vinyl.

It took some time before the concept of using better masters for CD's took hold, as our ears were used to the subpar sonics that the often terrible record pressings of the 70's provided. For the rest of the 80's, it was a full speed "find a master and call the plant" production schedule, regardless of the sonic quality of the master that was used, hence the notoriously poor sound of the first edition CD's of classic albums like "Abraxas" by Santana, Rod Stewart's "Every Picture Tells A Story", Jethro Tull's "Aqualung", and several others. Most of these CD's were made from multi-generational copies of copies that suffered from muffled highs, excessive compression, distortion, and other maladies that weren't corrected until the arrival of the Mobile Fidelity Gold editions. Only then did the notion of improving sound for CD release occur, as the technology now allowed for it, and customers began to make their demand for it known.

A tube amplifier by CAV Audio. Righteous.

One thing that has certainly changed is the way people listen to music. Our attention span as a society is not what it once was. Truthfully, it's been in decline since Americans got used to having the radio in their lives. Many of us use music or the TV as background noise in our homes, and that's fine. What I'm talking about is a decline of participatory listening for the pure enjoyment of the music, and for the quality of its sound.

I believe that the portability and convenience of digital music lends itself to an effortless disengagement by the audience. Furthermore, I contend that the advent of the intangible digital file has contributed greatly to a perceptional devaluation of music by the lay public, both as an art form, and monetarily, depriving music of the attention and value it deserves. They can't hold onto it. It's a download, so what's it worth? A buck? They'd rather talk than listen. It pains me when live music that is intended to be listened to is loudly talked over in public places, although alcohol often plays a starring role in that behavior. It's not new, but it seems to have become worse over the last couple of decades.

Webster's defines the word 'listen' as "to pay attention to someone or something in order to hear what is being said, sung, played, etc." Therefore, true concentrated listening is an active, yet submissive event. Formats like vinyl and reel-to-reel tape require some preparation for the listening experience. There's a ritual of sorts that goes with having a good amplifier and the smell of the tubes heating up; the careful handling and cleaning process to remove dust from the record, and once that's done, the anticipation of the slow needle drop. After all that comes the best part: the active engagement and immersion in the sound of the music.

This is why some say that listening to music on vinyl is an experience that can't be matched by simply pushing an instant play button on a digital device. Vinyl is perfect in all of its imperfections. For many reasons that are still unfolding, records are being manufactured again in numbers that grow each year. Pressing plants worldwide are overbooked, new ones are opening, and the records themselves are of far better quality than ever before. My personal opinion is that while vinyl is an excellent format for many genres of music, it does not suit all of them. I've found that Jazz on the Blue Note and Impulse labels, Chess Blues, Folk, Americana and Acoustic music in general, along with most Classic Rock seems to fare the best on vinyl. Anything electronically oriented or generated, not so much. This can be anything from Emerson Lake & Palmer to Nine Inch Nails to Daft Punk. I can enjoy the music of those bands, but I prefer them on CD. It's just a better fit.

I contend that one of the main reasons for the resurrection of vinyl is that it's something of a backlash against the Mp3. There's a sound quality issue, yes, but I also believe that there is a strong desire for something tangible. Music is kind of 'in the air' anyway, isn't it? It's just sound; a composed idea, invisible and weightless. To further that by having all of your music collection stored in an ethereal "cloud" only distances you from your music. We need to have a way to store this fragile thing for convenient reference when we want to hear it again, and to hold it in our hands. The listening experience is also enhanced by having a cover designed with intriguing artwork, photos, song lyrics, and various other enclosed items that can be as exciting and entertaining as the music itself. Besides, should I be fortunate enough to somehow meet the performer of a recorded work, I cannot ask them if they would please sign my download.

I want this shirt.

Records and CD's also provide a way for the writers and performers to get paid for their creative work. Terrific advancements have been made in the digital arena for musicians to sell their own downloads, and I think that's great. It's not just convenient, but it helps keep production costs for the artist in check.

An ugly concept that surfaced during the 90's heyday of peer-to-peer download services like Napster and Limewire is the false and dangerous perception that music should be free art for the public to consume at will, without compensating artists for their work. This is hurtful and destructive, as it causes grave injury and insult to independent artists who depend on their work being purchased, just so they can make an honest living at their craft.

When I say honest living, I'm talking about making enough to cover normal living expenses, and being able to self-finance recording and touring, because there is no old-model record company that is able or willing to back them anymore. Make no mistake, the old ways of rock star royalty making millions off of record sales that keep them in bathtubs full of cocaine are long gone. The days of cushy development deals are gone. The corporations want a sure-fire hit right now, and more for later. There are many big name, legacy artists who wouldn't have a snowball's chance on a gas grille of getting a deal with a major label if they were a new artist today, because their music, fan base, and sales were developed through several album releases over time. This simply does not happen anymore. Recording, touring, and just living is expensive these days, and all those costs come out of the artist's pocket first, which has to be made back before any profit is realised. Thankfully, crowdfunding websites are making things easier, but it's still a tough go. Face it, no one goes into any business just to break even.

To those who download without buying, I say this. You're not "stickin' it to the man" by downloading free music. You're stickin' it to the artist whose work you claim to love so much. Why would it make sense for them to continue to sweat their guts out and hamstring their finances creating more music that you're just gonna steal from them? Don't tell me they'll make it up in merchandise and ticket sales. That's a lie. Theft is theft, no matter what column on the spreadsheet it comes from. If you like what they do, buy the music. Besides, the torrent sites are infested with viruses and bugware.

In closing, a quick anecdote about stealing from artists. I once knew a guy who was dumb enough to ask the bassist for The Replacements if he would autograph a record. That's fine, but it was a bootleg! The bassist took a black Sharpie and wrote F**K YOU!! in giant bold letters across the entire cover, then cussed the guy out for buying bootlegs instead of a t-shirt or one of their legit albums. I don't blame him a bit.

Full Moon And Empty Arms

The Bard in 2013: Another night on a never-ending tour.

In recent years, Bob Dylan has increasingly embraced rootsy American traditionalism. It makes a lot of sense then, that the 73 year old Dylan's first record since "Tempest" in 2012, excluding his latest archival releases, would be a covers album. Dylan, who is so well known for his songwriting, has recorded the songs of others before. In 1993, he released "World Gone Wrong", where he rearranged traditional American songs, and in 2009, he tackled Christmas hymns and carols on "Christmas In The Heart", which turned out better than the idea suggests it might.

As Rolling Stone reported, ads inserted into advance copies of Dylan’s recent "The Basement Tapes Complete" collection confirmed that the album will be titled "Shadows In The Night". Dylan initially hinted at the record back in May when he released a breezy cover of Frank Sinatra's 1945 tune "Full Moon And Empty Arms." But as it turns out, the album will feature 10 tracks, all made famous by Sinatra, making this a tribute album, for all purposes.

The following is a written statement from Dylan himself about the album. "It was a real privilege to make this album. I've wanted to do something like this for a long time, but was never brave enough to approach 30-piece complicated arrangements and refine them down for a 5 piece band. That’s the key to all these performances. We knew these songs extremely well. It was all done live. Maybe one or two takes. No overdubbing. No vocal booths. No headphones. No separate tracking, and, for the most part, mixed as it was recorded. I don’t see myself as covering these songs in any way. They've been covered enough. Buried, as a matter a fact. What me and my band are basically doing is uncovering them. Lifting them out of the grave and bringing them into the light of day."

Here’s the full tracklist for "Shadows In The Night":

1. “I’m A Fool To Want You”

2. “The Night We Called It A Day”

3. “Stay With Me”

4. “Autumn Leaves”

5. “Why Try To Change Me Now”

6. “Some Enchanted Evening”

7. “Full Moon and Empty Arms”

8. “Where Are You?

9. “What’ll I Do”

10. “That Lucky Old Sun”

"Shadows In The Night" will be released on February 3, 2015, but is available for pre-order on iTunes and Amazon now. Here’s what to expect when Bob covers Frank. His vocal delivery is a lot less sloppy and much cleaner than on most of his recent recordings, but it's definitely still Bob.

Dylan has recently been doing multiple nights at theaters across North America, though his set list rarely changed. The vast majority of the songs came from his most recent albums. "She Belongs To Me" is the only track of the night he performed from his 1960's catalog, and "Tangled Up In Blue" and "Simple Twist of Fate" are the only other songs he played that came out before 1997. He hasn't played so few songs from the first decade of his career since his Gospel shows of the late 70's. The current leg wrapped up December 3rd at New York's Beacon Theater.

Ol' Swoon Eyes in 1945.

To put this tune in context, here's Frank Sinatra's 1945 recording for Columbia Records, made with Axel Stordahl and his Orchestra. The song was written by Buddy Kaye and Ted Mossman, although it was melodically based on Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2. Sinatra had the biggest hit with it, and subsequently, the song was recorded by many other stars of the 40's thru the 60's, including the Erroll Garner Trio, Eddie Fisher, Robert Goulet, Sarah Vaughan, Jerry Vale, Caterina Valente, The Platters, Carmen Cavallaro, and Jim Nabors(!). You can already hear the natural ease with which he controlled his vocal phrasing. Sinatra would soon take this ability to new artistic heights in his great recordings for Capitol Records in the 1950's.

I feel compelled to note that this recording sounds pretty darn good for having been transcribed from an old 78 rpm record. Modern audio restoration technology certainly does have its benefits.

I don't need to tell you where to find recordings by either Bob Dylan or Frank Sinatra. Both of these men usually command two of the more densely filled bins in any record store, unless you tend to shop at a big box. If you're after specific titles, or if you're just getting started with either of them, I will direct you to your best local independent musical emporium that is staffed with knowledgeable people who love music, and can direct you to the essential titles without being snobbish about it. For you vinyl heads, there are lots of titles being freshly reissued, so you have a wealth of choices. On that note, if anyone knows of a super-clean vinyl copy of "Sinatra At The Sands", please contact me.

Review: The Music Never Stopped - Roots Of The Grateful Dead

Though I must acknowledge that their music can be something of an acquired taste, there can be no doubt that The Grateful Dead left a musical legacy unrivaled by any other American band. As I stated in a previous article about The Dead, they were set up like a Rock ensemble, but performed with a Jazz mentality; developing peerless improvisational skills over the years. Their personal musical backgrounds were deeply rooted in Blues, Folk, Country and Bluegrass. Their song lyrics were steeped in American history, particularly the Old West. The group even began life as a Jug band! Their songs incorporated elements of all these uniquely American genres, sometimes simultaneously. Musically, it gets no more American than that. That said, when they were having a good night, they could be spectacular, but The Dead's live shows were better known for spontaneity, not consistency.

From their earliest explorations together, The Grateful Dead incorporated cover tunes into their repertoire. When they began in 1965, the peak of the Folk era was not far behind, and The Dead were not about to leave it in the past. Instead, like many of their peers, they brought it forward into the present, with some arrangement changes to fit the rapidly evolving musical climate, just as the folkies had done.

During the Folk era, it was common for musicians to dig into the past to find songs that were not only part of the American fabric, but were also preferably, for publishing purposes, in the public domain. The go-to resource for many was the 4 volume "Anthology Of American Folk Music", compiled by Harry Smith and released in 1952 at the then-exorbitant price of $25. There's a fine article that discusses the importance of this album series at The Vinyl Factory website.

But The Grateful Dead were self-sufficient with resourcing material to fill out their setlists, and fairly fearless about it as well. They chose Blues and Country songs with equal ease, and dug into Folk and R&B with less regard about whether it had been a hit or not, but more on whether they liked the tune and could play it well. The first time I heard Merle Haggard's classic hit "Mama Tried" was the version on The Grateful Dead's epic live set, "Europe '72", so I'm sure it's possible that some other young kid may have heard Chuck Berry or Buddy Holly for the first time through The Grateful Dead. All popular music comes from something else that went before. Chuck Berry told me so himself, face to face, when I met him at a gig in 1981. In our very brief conversation, Chuck told me that his music was inspired by Louis Jordan, and he wasn't joking. So that proved to me that it's all just links in the chain.

There have been several compilations on the CD market that chronicle the original recordings of songs that were done by more famous performers, such as The Beatles, Elvis, David Bowie, The Ramones, etc. One of the earliest of these compilations was released in 1995 on the small Shanachie label, in cooperation with The Grateful Dead. "The Music Never Stopped" features 17 often-rare original recordings of songs that were covered by The Grateful Dead over the span of their nearly 30 year run. Several of the tracks on this album can be found on no other compact disc, including "Rain and Snow" as performed by Obray Ramsey, and "Big Railroad Blues" by Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers.

The diverse and eclectic nature of The Grateful Dead is highlighted on this album with the inclusion of Folk songs ("Morning Dew", "Goin' Down This Road Feelin' Bad"), Blues ("The Red Rooster", "Turn On Your Love Light"), Country ("Mama Tried", "El Paso"), Gospel ("Samson & Delilah"), and straight out Rock 'n Roll ("The Promised Land", "Not Fade Away"). The album also features Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". It's inclusion is notable as it is one of the extremely rare occasions that Dylan authorized the licensing of one of his recordings for a compilation. But a friendly connection existed already, as Dylan had toured with The Dead in the late 80's. The live album that came of this collaboration was marginal at best, and leaves the listener wishing they had gotten together at least a decade earlier.

Robert Crumb

Adding to the collectibility of this album is the striking cover art by famed comic artist, Robert Crumb, who is a fan of old-timey music and an avid collector of obscure 78rpm records. The art reflects the work that Crumb had done for a series of trading cards that featured realistic portraits of early Blues and Country performers. Crumb, being a fan of their catalog, created many original works for the Shanachie label, and this album cover was right up his creative alley. How many of the onstage performers can you identify? Hint: all of their names are on there.

So now, let's have a listen to a couple of these rarely heard original recordings. First up is a song that is one of the earliest cover tunes that The Dead performed, dating back to their jug band days. "Don't Ease Me In" was first recorded in the late 1920's by Henry Thomas. Although The Dead's version is fairly similar, there's a subtle lyric difference of historical relevance. Whereas Jerry Garcia sings "I've been all night long comin' home, don't ease me in", Thomas clearly sings "It's a long night, Cunningham, don't ease me in". It's possible Garcia simply heard it wrong, but the Cunningham in the song was a well-known Texas businessman of the 20's who would grease the palms of local prison officials in order to lease convicts from the state prison to work in his sugar cane fields along the Brazos river. As a result, "Don't Ease Me In" was often sung by convicts in the prison farms.

Rev. Gary Davis

Next, we have a tune that Bob Weir learned right from the source. "Samson And Delilah", originally recorded by the Rev. Gary Davis, appeared on The Grateful Dead's 1977 album, "Terrapin Station", a record that kicked off an artistic and commercial peak period for the band. Their arrangement takes full advantage of their two drummers, and it became one of the most often-played songs in their late 70's repertoire. In a 1985 interview, Weir talked about meeting with Davis, saying "I went and visited him a couple of times in New York in this basement apartment he had. I learned 'Samson And Delilah' the way he used to play it, which is not the way we play it onstage now. You can't play that style of guitar in a band, really. I learned a few other tunes from him too."

"The Music Never Stopped" is available at Amazon, or through your local independent emporium of musical delightment that has a decent selection of Grateful Dead albums, and/or some well-curated bins of assorted Folk and Blues music on small labels. The voluminous catalog of The Grateful Dead can be had through their official online store, most decent record stores, iTunes, and of course, The Big A. Several of their best albums have been reissued on 180 gram vinyl, and they sound terrific, particularly their 1970 classic, "American Beauty", which has long been my recommended point of entry for those who are new to the music of The Grateful Dead. Try "Workingman's Dead" and "Europe '72" after that.

Don't forget to stop by the official 30 Days Of Dead website to get your free downloads of previously unreleased, live Grateful Dead music, mixed straight from the master reels! A new track is posted every day during November, but they'll only be available for a very limited time, then taken down, so grab all 30 while you can. It's the equivalent of a 6 CD boxed set for free. Authorized, high quality, live, Dead. Get it while you can.

Review: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Deluxe Edition

Seeing as how this 2 disc deluxe edition was released this past March, I have to acknowledge that I'm a little late to the party with this review. The truth is, I've been avoiding it. But now, several months later, I've given it plenty of opportunity to justify its existence, and I'm still having trouble understanding why this edition was released at all if it was going to be so poorly thought out. I did wonder if Elton John personally approved this release or not, but according to the booklet notes, he did.

In the booklet, we are also reminded of the unique paradox that Elton John presented. Here was a gay man from an unglamourous suburb of North London, writing and performing songs in a rustic style that would later be referred to as Americana, while dressed in a manner that Liberace might have called excessive. His sartorial choices were not reserved for the stage either, but Elton was not about to be outdone by any Glam rockers of the day. By 1973, Elton John was one of the biggest Rock stars on the planet, and nearing the top of his game, both as a songwriter and as a live entertainer. He could seemingly do no wrong, no matter how flamboyant his recordings and live shows became. (Inevitably, that came later on.)

I should clarify that the problem I have with this release is not with the album itself. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is an unimpeachable cornerstone album of 70's Rock, and is certainly one of Elton John's career highlights. It spent 8 weeks at #1 and sold 7 million copies in the U.S. alone; huge numbers for a double LP. It's one of those records that every high school age kid had, to the point where siblings in the same household each had their own copy. So, I just want to make clear that I feel the album is, and always was, great. It's the bonus tracks I have a problem with.

The spendier Super Deluxe Edition

In a peculiar packaging move for this 2 disc edition, Mercury/Universal has gone off script and chosen not to include the expected parade of bonus tracks, which normally consists of demos, outtakes, B-sides from singles, non-LP singles, etc. No, this time we get a curious series of 9 cover versions of songs from the album that are performed by contemporary musicians, along with another 9 tracks which have been edited from the full-length 1973 Hammersmith Odeon concert, which is on the Super Deluxe edition. This much pricier package contains 4 CD's, a DVD, and a hardcover book. 2 of the CD's contain the complete 18 song concert, along with 10 tracks of the aforementioned B-sides, demos, and other bonus material.

I hate to say it, given the concept of this blog, but for the 2 disc set, I would have much preferred that the cover versions had been included only on the bigger box, the edited live tracks ditched altogether, and replaced with the expected set of outtakes. Here's why. The 9 covers, as a group, are not solid enough to support a stand-alone release, and have the effect, along with the gratuitous, hits-leaning selection of the live stuff, of coming off as little more than filler. This supports some of the recent theorizing I've heard regarding diminishing returns with bonus tracks.

But since we're stuck with them, we'll move on. I've always said that a good cover recording has respect for the original song, yet manages to sound like the artist doing the cover could have written it. Unfortunately, what we have a lot of here is the victory of style over substance. My cynical side wonders if hosting the cover versions on the album legitimizes a double, or possibly, considering the live tracks, a triple dip of publishing royalties for Elton and Bernie Taupin. At any rate, let's dig in and tackle the covers in sequence.

Ed Sheeran

The first track, "Candle In The Wind", is given a lilting acoustic treatment by Ed Sheeran that is enjoyable enough, but provides no direct sign that it's Sheeran. It could be anyone you might find on Sirius XM's Coffee House channel. But Sheeran's track sounds like a gift in comparison to the digital hammering that "Bennie And The Jets" receives at the hands of someone named Miguel and his rap-happy accomplice, Wale. I've never been overly fond of "Bennie", but in no way did it deserve this gut-wrenching treatment. Elton John is a vocal advocate of being proficient at playing live, and this cut is nothing but soulless studio gimmickry. If I were Elton, I would have demanded that it be removed from the album.

Next up is a calmer, faux-country treatment of the title song, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", by Nashville wunderkind, Hunter Hayes. The production is as slick as anything Nashville would be expected to put out these days, and Hayes would sound right at home on "The Voice" or "American Idol". Like Sheeran's track, it's as generic and safe as plain label corn flakes, and just as nutritionally empty.

The Band Perry

But then, we hit on a surprising bit of originality in an unexpected place. The Band Perry, owner of one of the clumsiest names for a successful group in memory, strikes gold with their fine rendition of "Grey Seal"; a deep album cut that was first recorded by Elton during his earliest sessions, and was resurrected for the "Yellow Brick Road" album. Despite the tight production, The Band Perry has great fun with the song, filling it with the requisite fiddles and banjo rolls that don't get in the way of the vocal harmonies. They finish out the track with a brief, but jammy fiddle lead that fits the original outro perfectly. Most importantly, it sounds like them. I don't know whether to give props to the band or their producers, but if they can pull this tune off live, and sound this good, then I salute them. Give it a listen.

Emeli Sande

After all that excitement, someone must have thought we needed a nap. So now we have the droll baritone of John Grant and his Smith Brothers beard, crooning their way through "Sweet Painted Lady". I've always liked the song, but the spare, droning synth-string backing feels cold, so when combined with Grant's warm voice, we get what another reviewer referred to as "chalk and cheese"; a serving of an overall, less than palatable hors d'oeuvre.

This brings us to Emeli Sande, and her rendition of "All The Girls Love Alice". The song is hampered by the same production tricks as most contemporary Pop recordings are, with the notable exception that there is some genuine soul in Sande's vocal. This comes as welcome relief after the previous song, yet production similarities remain. Sande hasn't quite broken through in the states yet, but just may with her single, "Next To Me". All she needs is a good song on a movie soundtrack album.

Imelda May

The next 2 tracks are some of Elton's best known Rock 'n Roll shouters. Irish rockabilly firecracker Imelda May yanks us onto the dance floor with her energetic performance of "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)". Imelda has one foot in the past and the other in the future. Her band does an excellent arrangement of this song that swings as much as it rocks, and with total conviction. This track is just terrific, so crank it up!

Unfortunately, the swing does not hold for Fall Out Boy's noisy, arrhythmic attempt at "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting". The track has plenty of Rock, but precious little Roll. If they'd approached the song by remembering that it was inspired by Bernie Taupin's observing a parking lot altercation near a pub, then they may have come away with something more effective. As it stands, they're mere steps away from "S-A-TUR-DAY... NIGHT!" The song would have been in far better hands being rendered by a Punk band with old school sensibilities, like Rancid or Dropkick Murphys.

The Zac Brown Band

Closing out the disc, as it was on the original album, we have an earnest rendition of "Harmony" by The Zac Brown Band. Focusing on the vocals and avoiding unnecessary production sweetening, the ZBB acquit themselves well with a performance that is faithful to Elton's original, while sounding different enough to make it theirs. I'll bet they could pull this off live with little difficulty.

I've also noticed that Zac Brown and his cohorts have involved themselves in a few different collaborative musical projects, while managing to not antagonize their core audience, who got hooked on their down-home, Jimmy Buffett meets Southern Rock identity. That's no easy task these days, and done at no small risk either. But that musical curiosity, and a willingness to experiment leads me to predict a long-haul career for Zac Brown, whether he keeps the original band together or not.

In conclusion, I'll reiterate that including these cover versions on this latest reissue of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" has the effect of reducing even the good songs to being mere filler. It's a disservice to both the original album, and to the few cover recordings that are worthwhile. I feel it's also no small insult to the consumer, who's being coerced into forking out for yet another 'definitive' remaster. All of the cover songs would fare better being included on releases by their individual performers. And yes, we'd much rather have demos, B-sides, and other 'cutting room floor' items than this lot.

The value of the live recordings depends entirely on your enthusiasm for them. If you want them at all, then you may just want to pop for the Super Deluxe edition, so you'll have the entire concert, along with all the other goodies included in that set. According to Amazon, a perfectly suitable 40th Anniversary single disc version of GYBR is available, and very affordably so. But if you're so inclined, go for the 2 disc set, though if you've read this far, you've been suitably warned.

I would encourage those of you with high end Surround systems to pick up the HD Pure Audio Blu-Ray edition, as 2 readers have already told me about the superior listening experience it provides. Those with turntables should consider the excellent 180 gram vinyl reissue, which should take you right back to 1973. With that in mind, a revisiting of Elton's early 70's work is always welcome, and recommended.