E014 | On Elton Safari: Sharing My New Orleans Haul (Classics! Variants! A Mini-Grail!)

Now back from The Big Easy, in this episode I go, record by record, through my recent haul from Euclid Records and the Louisiana Music Factory. It’s 100% Elton goodness, with an emphasis on American pressings of his 1970s classics. Enjoy! (Thanks for watching, please like and subscribe, etc.)

CONTENTS:
00:00 Opening titles
00:19 Welcome/How’s my hair?
01:11 Let’s begin with that “mini-grail”…
03:33 “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, 2002 UK Simply Vinyl/Rocket 2LP (SVLP 159)
07:52 “11-17-70” 1971 US Uni by RCA Hollywood (UNI 93105)*
10:27 “Friends” 1971 US Paramount by Philips Recording Co. (PAS 6004)
13:56 “Friends” 1971 US Paramount by Shelley Products (PAS 6004)
15:26 “Friends” 1971 US Paramount by CBS Pittman (PAS 6004)
17:58 “Honky Chateau” 1972 US Uni by MCA Pinckneyville (UNI 93135)
18:35 “Honky Chateau” 1982 US MCA by MCA Pinckneyville (MCA 37064)
22:12 “Don’t Shoot Me” 1973 US MCA by MCA Pinckneyville (MCA 2100)
24:03 “Rock of the Westies” 1975 US MCA by MCA Gloversville (MCA 2163), “B.D.I.” vs. “ARUN” cuts (2 copies)
28:43 “Greatest Hits Volume II” 1977 US MCA by MCA Pinckneyville (MCA 3027)
30:16 “A Single Man” 1978 US MCA by MCA Gloversville (MCA 3065)
31:40 “21 at 33” 1980 US MCA by MCA Gloversville (MCA 5121)
34:08 “Jump Up!” 1982 US Geffen by CBS [Terre Haute?] (GHS 2013) club copy
34:48 A rambly story about how I discovered Columbia House copies from Georgia…
37:37 “Too Low for Zero” US Geffen by Capitol Jacksonville (GHS 4006)
38:18 “Breaking Hearts” 1984 US Geffen by Allied (GHS 24031)
39:12 “Breaking Hearts” 1984 US Geffen by Capitol Jacksonville (GHS 24031) ("CAP JACK" copy)**
40:03 “Reg Strikes Back” 1988 US MCA by MCA Gloversville (MCA 6240)
42:29 “Ice on Fire” 1985 US Geffen by CBS Carrollton (GHS 24077) club copy
44:45 Mastering matters, it matters!
45:13 Closing

You'll find Part 1 here:    • E013 | On Elton Safari: New Orleans (...  

*UPDATED: Turns out the rubbery RCA pressing of "11-17-70" was done on Dynaflex. Thanks @danny1959 for spotting that!

**UPDATED: The "CAP JACK" ("Breaking Hearts") mystery has been solved, I believe. One of the channel's regular viewers has suggested that the metalwork for that pressing might have been intended for Capitol's plant in Jacksonville, IL. And indeed, despite that copy's runouts showing an Allied symbol, its pressing ring (similar to Allied's) confirms that it was indeed pressed at the Capitol Jacksonville plant, which explains the "CAP JACK". (This, it appears, was not the way that plant normally "signed" its LP runouts.) @markdavis4104 cracked the case, with an assist from @michaelcrawley7597. Thanks, gentlemen, for thinking of that! I wouldn’t have made the connection otherwise.

DISCLAIMER: All opinions about the sound quality of various records and CDs offered in these videos are entirely my own and are just opinions. Remember, I’m just an average guy with an average stereo. And my ears aren’t your ears, nor do you and I have the exact same playback system. Mine’s a pretty middle-of-the-road system; it’s not some cheap-o suitcase player, but it ain’t some wowee-zowee high-end system either.