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Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box Set


by Kevin Wierzbicki

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Happy birthday Elton! In a nice touch from the record label this excellent celebration of the 40th anniversary of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is being released on March 25, Sir Elton's 67th birthday. And while release day is Elton's special day, it is his fans who with this set get to load up on presents.

The 4-CD/1-DVD set starts off with a newly re-mastered version of the original album, full of great deep tracks like "Roy Rogers," "Love Lies Bleeding" and "All the Girls Love Alice" but probably best remembered for its mother lode of hits: "Bennie and the Jets," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," the original version of "Candle in the Wind," (about Marilyn Monroe, not Princess Diana) and the hardest-rocking track Elton has every laid down, "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting."

CD-2 is a compilation of Elton singles, B-sides, outtakes and rarities along with nine Goodbye Yellow Brick Road covers performed by various artists, most impressively a rap-enhanced take on "Bennie and the Jets" from Miguel and guest spitter Wale, a banjo-driven interpretation of "Grey Seal" from The Band Perry and Imelda May's rockabilly romp through "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock and Roll)."

The Elton material includes hits "Philadelphia Freedom" and "Pinball Wizard" along with a couple of Christmas songs, a piano demo and the original 1970 version of "Grey Seal," the hillbilly-ish "Jack Rabbit," an acoustic version of "Candle in the Wind" and several others.

CDs-3 and -4 hold live performances from London's Hammersmith Odeon, featuring about half of the songs from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road along with hits and favorites like "Rocket Man," "Elderberry Wine," "Daniel," "Honky Cat," "Your Song" and "Crocodile Rock."

The set rounds out with the Elton John and Bernie Taupin Say Goodbye to Norma Jean and Other Things DVD and a deluxe 100-page hardcover book packed with new liner notes, essays and rare photos. Fans that long ago wore out their vinyl copy of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road will love all that's presented here; by the same token new fans can do themselves a favor by checking out this tribute to one of the most beloved albums of the '70s.

Get your copy here!

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box Set
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