Elton John on vinyl

A good few years back, going back the last dying days of my original laptop I did post something about my collection of Elton John cds and his "To Be Continued..." box set of 1990 of which my copy is Canadian.

During a period in the late 1980's through early 90's much of my original vinyl and tape collection of his got converted into cds some of which are specialty gold re-masters of better than regular cd quality.

Feeling the need as I got back into vinyl for some of this prolific singer/songwriters output in that form, I decided to add a couple of well chosen compilations.

My original copy of this the 1974 Greatest Hits album was the MCA edition that had a different track selection but it was an album much played growing up and to which I have the DCC gold remaster that over twenty years on still stands out.

What's on it ten essential tracks including such vignettes as Crocodile Rock, Candle in the Wind and plaintive Border Song.

I got the original 1974 UK lp which sounds like he's almost in your room singing.

 That compilation was followed up three years later by another that because he had just switch labels required some cross-label licensing that has caused issues with the US cd edition since to the point I remade the selection digitally.

The strength of this compilation was it housed on lp form a number of non album 45's such as Pinball Wizard, Philadelphia Freedom and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and his Rocket Records duet Don't Go Breaking My Heart with Kiki Dee which was a British #1.

I decided to get the UK version as it sounded better and between both volumes of Greatest Hits I was only missing one song, Levon, and that didn't matter so much.

If one was to pick a single album of Elton's that you could say was his greatest achievement musically, then it would be the 1973 double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road which breaks very well into four suites of songs.

It was the home of Candle In The Wind, Saturday's Alright For Fighting, Bennie & The Jets and the title track although for me nothing surpasses the opening Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.

My copy is the 1976 Japanese reissue that kept the tri-fold jacket in thick card with inserts and rice paper inners to cuddle the mint super quiet vinyl.

Issued in 1987 only for a brief period on Geffen Records in the States and Canada, this third volume of greatest hits covers the very late 70's to 1987 taking in such hits as I'm Still Standing, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues  and Wrap Her Up.