I own every EJ recording I can find; so plunking down more cash on something I already own several copies of wasn't my idea of fun, but it seemed necessary. After doing it, I can only say... worth EVERY cent!

First off, there are two discs, one of the original recording with extra tracks, and the other the Wembley performance of the tneire record front to back. Both feature the Captain Fantastic logo lending more authenticity than the "45-rpm" replica CDs offered last time.

Disc 1 apparently has been digitally sweetened or remastered -- I'm not exactly sure (I haven't read the liner notes yet) but it sounds even better than the remastered edition. It's crisp, clear, powerful; you'd swear this was recorded yesterday, not in 1975. It just blows out of my my speaks with unrivaled clarity and brilliance. Wonderful recording.

The concert is a gem for the second disc, because of its rarity and uniqueness. What's fun here is that Elton talks between tracks and gives some info on the writing behind the songs, as well as his trademark humor and raport with his audiences. You get to be part of the 1975 concert experience, which for me having been born in 1974, is pretty damned cool.

The other awesome, awesome, AWESOME part of this collection is the packing and other items. This disc set is presented as a "double album" treatment where the discs are in a box that unfolds, but slips neatly into a plastic case. Inside, in addition to the two discs, you'll be dlighted to find original artwork, original liner notes... the original Captain Fantastic poster (!)... printed interviews with Elton and Bernie several years on looking back, and notes on the reissue.

This is a classic recording -- the first album to EVER *ENTER* the Billboard charts at #1 -- and it gets the classic treatment it deserves here.

For an Elton fan, this is a must have, as I think it will be the definitive recording. As we've seen reissue after reissue, I think they have finally nailed it by giving you as complete a package as possible. Buy this, and let what Elton intended come from the end of the world... to your town.

"Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy" has aged "fantastically" well. It's one of those great albums, from days long gone by, that are an absolute pleasure to listen to, from beginning to end. All killer, no filler, as they used to say.

I'm biased, because way back in fifth grade, to me, this was the greatest album ever made since the invention of the phonograph. I loved Elton John, and loved this record.

Honestly, I don't think I've listened to this whole thing in decades, but a phenomenally scary thing happened. I sang right along in the car, without missing a syllable, to the opening title song. Every weird phrase I didn't understand, but I didn't care that I didn't understand, when I was young I still had locked somewhere in the vault of my skull. Words that I hadn't THOUGHT of in 20 years came flowing right out of my mouth. How on Earth did the phrase, "and the 68th summer festival wallflower is thinning..." stay intact in there this long? It was kinda weird. I still could "sing" the skip I uses to have on my old record. I remembered exactly where it was, and how I used to have to bump the record player to keep it going.

Anyways, the classic single, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is on here too, and pretty much every other song is filled with strong melodies, delightful arrangements...the album definitely has an overall flow to it.

The remastering is exquisite. Finely detailed and separated.

The folks at MCA have added four era-specific singles to the end of the album proper, like his classic take on "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", and the huge hit, "Philadelphia Freedom"

The second disc is given to an extraordinarily well-recorded concert back in 1975, where he played, mere weeks after the release of the album, the entirety of "Captain Fantastic" from first track to last. I was amazed at the sound quality.

His performance is superb; a young Elton John must have been a sight to see in those days. I hear he recently (September 2005) did this sort of thing, playing this whole album, in NYC. All I'm saying is that there BETTER be a DVD coming out...

The live album ends with a raucous "Pinball Wizard" and a wild, rollicking "Saturday Night's (Alright For Fighting)." The energy is positively nuclear in intensity, and the band borders on "punk" in their ferocity. Seriously, I could not have been more impressed.

Let's review: a remastered classic; additional essential singles; an entire concert recording including one of the best live performance you'll ever hear...all for one absurdly low price?

Oh yeah...you want this. Bad.

I purchased the lp the day it was released in '75, saw EJ at Madison Square Garden later that year. One of 7 (SEVEN!)sold-out shows. The album and the concert are two of the greatest experiences I've had with music. This re-issue is phenomenal.
Just last Friday, my wife & I saw Elton again at Madison Square Garden. The first 45 minutes or so were dedicated to his most recent studio disc "Peachtree Road", which we all politely listened to. After, he went straight into "Captain Fantastic", (all but 2 songs)and the place went crazy. He continued to play more greats from back in the day, but one thing that struck me was how great "Captain" was/is, and not nearly as appreciated as it should be.

Say what you will about "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", but "Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy" is Elton John's best album. The amount of artistic passion put into this album is unrivaled by any of his previous or later efforts. Elton and longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin trace their roots to create quite possibly the most cohesive and overall greatest concept album ever (and yes, that includes "Tommy", "Dark Side Of The Moon", "Desparado", "Quadrophenia" and "The Wall"). It set records as the first album ever to enter the Billboard Album Charts at number one, and sold millions in its initial relase. With the adevent of cds in the late 1980s', many diehard Elton fans had long awaited a digitally remastered version of "Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy". However, all remastering attempts made the album sound flat and lacking in depth and range. Until now. On September 13th, 2005, Universal released "Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy: Deluxe Edition". It featured yet another remastered version of the original album as well as a bonus live disc. How does it do? Read on.

When I got home, I immediyately popped the first disc into my dvd player. The moment I heard those familiar opening acoustic strains of the album's title track, I knew I was in for something special. It sounded, well, fantastic. Honestly, I heard instrumental parts I never knew were there before! The rest of the album did not disappoint. Nigel Olsson's drumming is powerful and commands your attention. Dee Murray's bass is brought to the forefront and at times overtakes all the other instruments in the songs. Davey Johnstone's guitar playing sounds fresh and original, while Elton's keyboard playing sounds lively and robust. As one reviewer pints out, this album sounds like it was recored just yesterday.

Disc Two is the real treat. It is the famed 1975 performance at Wembley Stadium. It was at this particular show that Elton did indeed perform the entire album. And let me tell you, despite the absence of Dee & Nigel, the songs sound just as good as the album versions. The playing is alive and robust, and some of the songs are even more enjoyable than the album version, especially the title track, which is given a more uptempo and peppy arrangement. The only disappointment is the performance of "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" that closes out this disc. It could've used better remastering job.

In the end, you should definitely snatch up this newly remastered edition of "Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy", even if you have every other edition of it. This is a must for any cd colection.

Since most of us who are willing to plunk down the cash for this reissue are already fans of the original album, it wouldn't make much sense to review disc one. The question is, do the restored inserts and disc two make this a worthwhile purchase?
The answer is a slightly qualified yes. Although the booklets and poster have been necessarily minaturized, it's good to have them back as they are part and parcel with the magic of the original release. As to disc two (Live at Wembley), Elton himself is in fine form. The problem is that the Elton John Band Mark II is not quite up to the material. Roger Pope's drumming is tepid and slightly out of sync and the guitars sometimes seem buried in the mix. The back up singing is a bit over pitched and frantic, while Ray Cooper loses all sense of musical proportion, hammering his gong incessantly during "Pinball Wizard". Perhaps the biggest disappointment is "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"; you would think with three great guitarists at hand, that ever-recognizable riff would shake the stadium to bits. Instead, it sounds tinny. Too bad. This was a historic show as far as Elton is concerned, and it's great to have a recording of it. One can't help but wonder, however, how much better things would have sounded if Nigel Olson and Dee Murray had not been dismissed from the band prior to this performance.