Elton John Diamonds (SDE Blu-Ray #31) Dec. 27th, 2024

[bktouchstone]

Everyone has a different opinion on things but as far as the price I went to a mediocre restaurant I hadn’t gone to in a long time and for two it was over $100, no drinks. Hmmm. So to pay for this, I will put the disc in while eating a sandwich and it’s going to be the best damn sandwich ever!!

Thanks SDE for putting this out there.

 

[LennonCobain]

As this is a UMG title I wonder if this bodes well for other UMG Atmos titles such as Janet Jackson's hits collection which has already been mixed for this format...

Which hits collection? Design Of A Decade? Interesting to hear this as I don't believe any of Janet's hits are streaming in Atmos yet.

 

[califcab]

Most exciting new release since Who's Next for me.

 

[The Rang]

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I just don't have the necessary love for Elton's post-1976 catalog (a few tracks aside), I'm not equipped for Atmos, and I already have all of the SACD 5.1 mixes. This is definitely a huge get for SDE, and I love how much excitement this is generating on the QQ board, but I can't share the excitement. I'm fine with listening to the fold-downs on Apple Music for Daniel, Blue Eyes, etc.

This describes my feelings to a “T”.
He was my favourite artist growing up and though I have all of his albums my interest tailed off after Blue Moves. The Atmos/5.1 thing isn’t a factor. I feel guilty not being more excited but there we are.

 

[skherbeck]

This is a great release from SDE… I hope it sells well so we continue to get high profile surround releases. And I love greatest hits releases! Greg Penny is a top tier surround engineer, so I have no doubt this is a great mix (especially given Fredblue’s remarks, a very reliable surround critic).

 

[JulesRules]

I'm not really a big fan of Elton John but he's definitely written and recorded a lot of great and enduring songs. And many of those are on this disc. So do I need this? Who knows.

Believe, Sacrifice, Circle of Life, Blue Eyes, The One

I dislike Sacrifice (and Nikita even more, but you didn't mention that), and would've liked A Word in Spanish, Healing Hands, Club at the End of the Street and Made in England. I don't think I've ever heard Believe or The One. Blue Eyes is OK but a bit on the schmaltzy side. Circle of Life is amazing.

While I can't say I remember any specific track, perhaps The Union with Leon Russell should also have been represented on this collection.

Here is an article I wrote about the streaming release of Diamonds in Atmos, including an interview with Greg Penny.

"stereo on steroids"

 

[ssully]

also, fwiw, the Atmos rendering of "Philadelphia Freedom" is an entirely new mix, quite distinct from the 5.1, with different panning and balances and it's also not as loud overall as the 5.1 bonus track on the "Captain Fantastic.." SACD either.

dang, good to know. Maybe it will show up on Apple Music....

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Couldn’t order this fast enough

Aside from any financial restrictions, if you can’t bring yourself to order this one, you must not be too hip for EJ or have gotten surround sound burn out!

Besides all that, I talk often about “digital Gold”; so since this is a time limited release for final output (so far) there’s a pretty good chance in a few years this one will be worth a lot more than you paid for it.

Thanks again Paul S. for keeping surround/Atmos relevant

Also, please read this excellent article if you haven’t already- might help convince you to pull the trigger!

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...ray-31-dec-27th-2024.36748/page-4#post-815411

 

[Blackwood]

I’ve only ever owned one Elton John song... I’m Still Standing. Bought it as an Amazon download years ago. In general, I’m indifferent to Elton... not really a fan, but don’t dislike him either.

However, I can’t deny the guy wrote a ton of songs that I can probably sing along to just due to constant radio exposure over the decades. So if I’m going to buy an Elton John release, this is the one... a bunch of songs I know, and in Atmos.

After a string of passes from me on SDE releases, I’m on roll lately... Elton, Thompson Twins, TFF live, Thin Lizzy, and The Who.

Speaking of I’m Still Standing, I still find this video amusing...

 

[fredblue]

dang, good to know. Maybe it will show up on Apple Music....

here it is

 

[Monkish]

Which hits collection? Design Of A Decade? Interesting to hear this as I don't believe any of Janet's hits are streaming in Atmos yet.

Yeah, there's no Janet Jackson in surround, although seeing this makes me *fervently* wish for a Steven Wilson or David Kosten mix of Control.

 

[sjcorne]

Yeah, there's no Janet Jackson in surround, although seeing this makes me *fervently* wish for a Steven Wilson or David Kosten mix of Control.

At the MixLA immersive event in Santa Monica earlier this year, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis said they were working on Atmos mixes of her back catalog.