Since I purchased a Super Audio CD player (SACD) about six months ago, I've been disappointed by most of the surround sound mixes I've heard. It's true that remixing a recording that was originally prepared for two-channel stereo into 5.1 surround does create a different performance. So? The original stereo mix is still available (and with the two-layer "hybrid" format used here, it's readily accessible). As a result, most multi-channel mixes are fairly timid, placing the voice in the center speaker and perhaps daintily tossing a few stray ambient sounds into the rear speakers. When I buy a SACD, I want to hear something daring, something adventurous, in other words... something I haven't heard before.

On this new mix of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", the producer has pulled out all the stops and created a powerful, knock-your-socks-off reinterpretation that really deserves to be called "surround sound." Bold, vibrant music surges into all five speakers from the opening organ notes of "Funeral For A Friend", and the action never lets up until the last note of "Harmony."

This demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of surround sound re-mixes. On the plus side, you hear details that were buried before; backing vocals, guitar parts, and other dynamics leap out at you. This was always a lush recording, but you can now appreciate some of the ingredients more fully.

The downside, of course, is that some passages sound quite different from what you're used to. The opening of "I've Seen That Movie, Too," for example, is almost unrecognizable, as the guitars are much more prominent and even threaten to drown out Elton's piano. Perhaps the producer went a bit too far... but the original stereo mix is right there (and plays on SACD or ordinary audio CD players). "Yellow Brick Road" has been released several times on CD but it's never sounded this good. (We're back, however, to the two-disc format of the first CD issue.)

If you have a surround sound system, don't even think about it. Buy this disc. If you have a regular stereo CD and just need a copy of this record, this is the edition to get.

The DVD contains a 50 minute "making of" program that's fascinating and adds to the value of the package which is admittedly steep. Take note, however, that a more complete version of this video, running to 90 minutes, has been previously released separately on DVD, and the additional 40 minutes are well worth seeing. (I never realized that Nigel Olsson, Davy Johnstone, and Dee Murray did most of the backing vocals; their three-part harmonies rival anything by CSN.)

Note: This release is now available on DVD-Audio. This contains the same surround-sound mix as the SACD. DVD-Audio, with its greater storage capacity, is a single-disc release. The SACD, by contrast, is a two-disc set; however, unlike DVD-Audio, SACD can be copied onto ordinary CDs for car or portable stereo. Sound quality is virtually the same for both formats.

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.

This album has incredible staying power after 28 years. First off, most of the songs here are some of John/Taupin's best--not just the hits, but less known stuff like "I've Seen That Movie, Too," "Roy Rogers," "Harmony" and "Your Sister Can't Twist." Second, this is a great ALBUM---the sequencing works perfectly, particularly when the primo songs are placed in such a way as to buoy up some of the lesser material (EXAMPLE: The title track and "Grey Seal" bracket the mediocre "This Song Has No Title" and this helps give that song more bite than it probably would have in a different place in this collection). Finally, it serves to remind people what a great rock musician Elton John was. Hard to believe when you hear his current output, but this guy got down with the best of them, whether in rockers or on ballads (Elton's terrific band with Davey Johnstone on guitar, Nigel Olsson on drums and the late Dee Murray on bass sure helped him, too!). If you want to be reminded that the pre-punk Sevenites really did have their moments of pop music glory, this album will do it!

This is one of the greatest sounding cd's I have ever heard. It has been beautifully mixed into 5.1 surround sound, and is so clean it is like hearing a brand new recording. Usually the new SACD surround cd's sound good to excellent but this one is the best I have heard (so far). Songs like the title track, Benny And The Jets, Grey Seal, and Jamaica Jerk Off (which is so clear and defined that the Jamaican dialogue is finally heard and adds a freshness that never had been reached on the standard versions of the L.P.). I always loved this album, which by far is Elton's best, but now it is 100 times better. Only one drawback. In the bonus section of songs, you get another version of Candle In The Wind. Now, I have always loved this song, but this is an acoustic version. It has the exact same lead vocal by Elton, and the exact same backing vocals by his band. All of the instrumentation has been taken out and has been replaced by an acoustic guitar. The 1980's version was good, and even the mid 1990's rewritten version which he sang and recorded after Princess Diana's funeral was touching, but enough is enough. Let the original stand on it's own merits. Otherwise a perfect job, and a perfect excuse to get that new SACD player thats out there.

Elton John and his fantastic piano playing were already legend when he came out with the double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

You can tell right from the beginning that this is not your typical rock album. The music is more symphonic than rock, and is great to play on a high quality stereo, the sound filling the nooks and crannies of the room. It moves smoothly into "Love Lies Bleeding" to get you on your feet dancing, ready for the rest of the music.

Amazingly, the ride keeps going. "Candle in the Wind" is a song the entire world knows now - first as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, then redone as a tribute to Princess Diana. In both cases it is quite fitting and poignant.

I've always loved Bennie and the Jets, with its jazzy rhythm and rainstorm-like applause in the background. It's a great song for sitting on the back porch, sipping some wine.

And then, the ultimate. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" was a theme song of mine for a while - anybody stuck in a bad relationship can instantly relate to this song. You just want to get out, back to your own place. Elton hasn't created cookie cutter songs here - each one strikes its own chord.

The list goes on and on, with songs that are both well known and more obscure. Each one has the potential to hit that chord in you, if you take the time to listen. Highly recommended, and one of my treasured albums from this era.