E038 | Fantastic Voyage: Abbey Road Studios & Other Elton John Sites in Central London

[@CollectingElton]

I’ve been asked in several forums what I think of the new, limited “splatter vinyl” reissues of the S/T, TC, MATW, and DSM albums that went on preorder Friday at selected online retailers. Well, I’ve twiddled my thumbs on the issue quite a bit since Friday, and… I’ve decided to pass on them. They seem like nice items and I am happy for any collector that gets them. But to buy them would cost me $250+ Cdn, which is pretty much what I saved to buy Holiday gifts for friends and family. And my Holiday buying policy is: after November 1st, Christmas gifts for friends and family come first. Whatever’s left (if anything) I’ll save for vinyl purchases in the new year.

[@Jukebox45s]

I also just cannot justify the cost. I think the 50th Anniversary Propeller Edition of MATW from a couple years ago is the ultimate, so what sense does it make to get the splatter version? Why can't they release album cuts to 45s? I think that would be the only thing they can do now to possess me to buy more.

[@CollectingElton]

@@Jukebox45s I wouldn't mind seeing some of these albums re-cut to 2LP/45rpm. I like the Ludwig masterings a lot; we're never gonna get Mo-Fi one-step editions of these albums, so maybe at least 2LP/45rpm editions. I guess that means GBYBR would be 4LPs? Oh well, definitely worth it.

[@Jukebox45s]

@@CollectingElton - I should mention that my intentions for wanting them released on a 7'' 45rpm is because I own a jukebox that is full of Elton records. I seek out every song Elton recorded on a 7'' 45rpm from across the world. Plus, all of the records I bought from Elton when I was a kid were all 45s. From the UNI label, to the MCA rainbow label, to the Rocket label, to the tan MCA label, to the Geffen label, and on and on. So I have a soft spot for the format. But the 45rpm LPs would definitely be cool also!

[@douglasstruthers8307]

Thanks for the tour! I like London, too but really enjoy Berlin. Good to see the connection between the Abbey Road Studios and the epic "Tonight" from BLUE MOVES. This was an era when Elton's music was brave and really exciting. Did you ever see Elton on his solo tours when he combined "Carla/Etude" and "Tonight" mid-set? Surreal. Highlight of those concerts. It must have been fun for you to be at the famed crosswalk. Rick Beato did a very good video about Abbey Road Studios in recent times. All those years ago (1975) I wanted to get to those London and area sites found in the CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY booklets. Great to see "Musicland." We all had our own "Musiclands" so-to-speak. For me it was Records On Wheels in Guelph, to name just one. Sam The Record Man on Yonge Street was my 3 or 4 times a year expedition! Cool find on Furlong Road: some new bricks but the same door! Really enjoyed the video.

[@CollectingElton]

I've never been to Berlin. The Pet Shop Boys speak highly of it (they're considered gods there, because Germany still has an active dance club scene); so one day I might have a chance to see it myself. I did see Elton on his solo piano tour in Spring 1999 in Hamilton. It was an interesting show but Elton was in a mood; he didn't talk to the audience much and gave us just one encore ("Candle"). That one encore came after a long interval, and even then Elton came out in very informal attire, almost like he hadn't planned to do any encore but maybe someone backstage told him, "Those are paying fans - give them at least one encore." But yes, he did "Carla/Etude/Tonight", and I was delighted because that was a complete surprise, and I'd never heard him play either piece at a concert before, except on live albums of course. That they stand up as piano solo pieces attest to their quality, I think. I saw the Beato thing and enjoyed it quite a bit. "Parlogram Andrew" also visited AR recently, to have a master tape he purchased transferred to digital. Michael Fremer also got a tour some years ago. Those guys must've had the time of their lives walking through there.

[@LogoKroko]

Another great video! I love your content. Keep up the good work!

[@CollectingElton]

Thanks for watching!

[@derekking9824]

Nice one Matt! Loved the pics and the old vids. ... thanks heaps heaps for sharing.😀😀😀

[@CollectingElton]

And thank you for watching, as always, Derek. I appreciate it!

[@shineonugrzydieman]

Thanks very much for sharing your experience & story. Wonderful to see Elton places. Personally Elton collection habit I've ordered the 4 new colour splatter vinyl of self titled, Tumbleweed, Madman & Don't Shoot ...Also got couple of second hand promo US singles, bunch of UK DJM singles with DJM sleeves, and won a red & blue GBYBR 1978 vinyl re-releases. Look forward to next video.

[@CollectingElton]

Congrats on your recent acquisitions! I've pinned a note (top of comments list) about the splatter-vinyl reissues. I've decided to pass on them; it's just too much $$ for me at one time. They're likely to sell out soon though, so you've made a good choice to get them now rather than pay 3x the price this time next year. I must find out more about this red and blue GBYBR... I've heard of it before - you mentioned it a few weeks ago, correct? - but I've never seen a copy.

[@shineonugrzydieman]

@CollectingElton I live in New Zealand so the blue, red & yellow collour 1978 re-release of GBYBR shows up every 3- months either on Trade Me (Kiwis favorite auction site) or Record stores. These were released Australia & New Zealand same time as different colour yellow (more transparent) was released in UK. The Australasian copies have about 6 different hype stickers (related to sales figures for each country and what colour vinyl). Used to pick up for $30-$50NZ, now $100-260NZ. Lot of fun collecting. Sing out if your interested in some NZ oddities, have duplicates and would only ask postage costs.

[@connorhart3972]

learned so much!

[@CollectingElton]

Thank you!

[@talkaboutcinema3304]

As I’m sure you’re aware, despite not recording his own material there, Elton was very much familiar with Abbey Road through his early session work; all of his verified sessions with the Hollies (“He Ain’t Heavy”, “I Can’t Tell the Bottom From the Top”, and “Perfect Lady Housewife”) were recorded there and he recorded a session with the Barron Knights there in 1968 which resulted in his first meeting with Paul McCartney. I agree it’s odd Elton never attempted one of his albums there; Greg Penny mentioned in one interview I’ve seen that Abbey Road was one of the places he checked out for recording Made in England, but they ultimately went with AIR Lyndhurst Hall. Who knows, maybe it’s just a case of always having bad timing. Great video as always, love seeing 71-75 New Oxford Street in particular, given its place in early Elton history.

[@CollectingElton]

I'd actually forgotten about that other sessions stuff, so thank you for mentioning it here. I absolutely adore “Perfect Lady Housewife”; it's probably my second-fave Hollies song, next to “Bus Stop”. And the piano is killer on it too. I was thrilled to learn later on that Elton had played on that record. Wouldn't it have been great if "Made in England" had been recorded at AR? That said, it may not have turned out the same, and as far as I'm concerned there isn't anything about that album that I'd want to change! Well, Elton still has a few albums left in him; perhaps he'll record at AR some day.

[@Capt.Ego-78]

A very nice walking tour (and not bad for non-stabilized, ambulatory filming). Nice little recording history tidbits sprinkled in along the tour, too. I enjoyed it thoroughly! As for the new splatter vinyl, my take on it is that it is only pretty vinyl, but nothing new musically. I would rather see ‘All-Analog remastering’ from the original DJM tapes if I’m going to pay premium prices. I don’t like the PVC sleeves because of the potential for off-gassing and I don’t store them next to my other vinyl. If you pull the trigger, I would shop for a more reasonable price. In the U.S., Universal Music is currently offering 30% off (US$ 28 each) and free shipping. Full price plus shipping on other “official” sites will eat you alive! (Just my 2 cents)

[@CollectingElton]

Oh, I stabilized those using digital filters! Quite a bit too. I know, I know -- even with the filters, they still look shaky. Well, the raw (non-stabilized) versions were simply unwatchable. And even with heavy stabilization in "post", most of my "walking around London" footage from that summer seems tedious. That's why, when I went to New Orleans back in March, I shot with my phone mounted to a gimbal. It's unbelievable what a difference that gimbal makes. When I got it, as a test I shot video while running around the back yard, going through bushes and around patio furniture. And the footage my phone recorded looked like drone footage -- smooth as ice. Wish I'd had that thing with me in London! I've pinned a note (top of comments list) about the splatter-vinyl reissues. I've decided to pass on them; it's just too much $$ for me at one time. And yes, PVC "wallet" sleeves just drive me up the wall. Every time I'd take my 2022 "propeller vinyl" copy of "Madman" out of its PVC sleeve, I'd cringe at the cracking sound the sleeve made, unsticking itself from the record's surface. Eventually I transferred the LP to a MoFi rice-paper sleeve, which preserves the LP but kills the visual effect those PVC sleeves are designed to create.

[@peterstudley1804]

Hi Matt , The Abbey Road LP photo was taken on 8th August 1969. What's your take on the 4 new coloured marble Elton john lps issued yesterday-15/11/24 , I've secured all 4 already. Great video. Keep up the good work .

[@CollectingElton]

I've pinned a note (top of comments list) about the splatter-vinyl reissues. I've decided to pass on them; it's just too much $$ for me at one time and they don't really offer anything new. But I'm happy for other collectors who jump on those. Better to do it now than pay 3x the price per LP 1-2 years from now!

[@MichaelEnglish-m2j]

Great tour. If it had been me trying to find the Elton, Bernie and Linda door, I probably would have knocked to see if someone would have answered and then ask for a brief inside tour with an explanation as to why since I doubt if the occupants got very many (if at all) requests to see the inside of the residence. AND, if I got no answer, I would have been persistent to try again at another time or day. Of course one would come bearing gifts like a fruit basket or something. How could they have declined a nicely arranged fruit basket?

[@CollectingElton]

You definitely have guts I don't! I considered knocking on the door; and I'm sure others have knocked, especially after the release of the CF album in 1975. But as a privacy freak myself, I just couldn't do it. That was also the summer I also found the Primrose Hill flat where Sylvia Plath had offed herself; but I didn't have the nerve to knock on that door, either. I think I'd read something about the Plath address, that the current owners don't like it too much when people knock -- and who can blame them? I can't remember exactly when, but the flat on Furlong Road went up for sale sometime within the last ten years or so, and of course London newspapers ran the story that that was where Elton and Bernie once lived. And the papers mentioned the "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" story. So, I'm sure whoever lives there now gets plenty of gawkers.