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GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD (RE-ISSUE), UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA
Those who did not grow up with Elton John streaming out of our stereo speakers may not know the feeling of rushing out to the record store to experience the joy of an album that was greeted with such an uproar of approval. Those who did, however, may remember with joy the moment they unwrapped that vinyl and held a newfound masterpiece between their fingers.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released in 1973 and the sound was incredible, reluctantly recorded in Château d’Hérouville after brief experimentation and attempts at recording it in Jamaica. Elton John composed most of the album’s now-historic melodies behind Bernie Taupin’s lyrics in as little as three days, finalizing them through the weeks to come. The final product held within it an array of feelings pulled from every section of the emotional spectrum, and still to this day Goodbye Yellow Brick Road moves so many to dance, to cry and to sing with fervour and passion.
To refine an album that was already celebrated for its refined sound is a hard task to complete. What makes this release better than the last? From 1973 to now, these songs have held up beautifully, but listening to the re-issue is like being slightly nearsighted and getting glasses to increase the sharpness of vision just so. The sound has a certain crispness to it, more noticeably within the backup vocalization, and a certain punch comes with the piano pieces that would have been hard to do with earlier technology.
When it comes down to it, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road will always be what it is: a masterpiece that has influenced musicians and fans in so many ways for over 40 years. But now, we can properly blast it through our speakers without any hint of crackle or blemish. This re-issue will allow the album to continue being heard for decades to come.
By Ashlyn Lefebvre
