One of the best rock alums ever.
As the title says, this is one of the best rock albums ever. It's up there with Physical Graphitti, Dark Side of the Moon, Boston, etc. Highly recommended for the classic rock fan.

audiophile recording
Listen to the bonus track - 13.
"Candle In The Wind (Acoustic Mix)"
Awesome recording and on SACD!
Soundstage is HUGE.
Use this track to explain imaging.
A must have.

Rediscover a Classic!
I really don't have much new to add to what the others who have reviewed this CD have already said. but trust me: the SACD is absolutely wonderful. I got it in the mail the other day and listened to the entire CD, and the fidelity and surround mix enhance the music greatly. This and "Dark Side of the Moon" are now my demo discs when people want to hear what SACD can do for a record. I wish that all SACDs of classic LPs sounded this great. If you have an SACD player, you NEED this disc.

Elton sets the gold standard
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
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!