This review will be all over the place, so bear with me. As you may know, the Blu-ray/Dolby Atmos edition of Elton John’s 2017 album “Diamonds” was released a few days after New Year’s Day, and on the back of it, he displaced his very good friend and Rocket Entertainment Artist Ed Sheeran at the top of the album chart.
So, what’s the standout feature of this edition? It’s the 48 tracks, this time in a different order than its previous editions . But the real game-changer is the significantly enhanced sound quality, especially on the tracks recorded on analogue from the 70s to the 90s. You’ll notice a marked difference in the sound of songs from that period, with a reduction in distortion and crackling, particularly in the studio recordings pre-1980s. The Dolby Atmos experience, as I’ve previously highlighted in the Oasis “Definitely Maybe” 30th-anniversary reissue and Ed Sheeran’s “Mathematics Tour Collection”, is truly exceptional. The investment in an album in Dolby Atmos is truly worth it for the quality of the output.
For example, take a listen to songs like ‘Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to be a Long, Long Time’, ‘Daniel’, ‘Bennie and the Jets’ and ‘The Bitch is Back’, and you will notice that the crackle has been removed. So you can enjoy those songs from his early years without them being ruined by the crackle or pop.
The same goes for the early tracks. Because the crackle or pop has been removed, the listening experience is more enjoyable, and you can appreciate young Elton’s wizardry.
Unfortunately, Dolby Atmos did not work well with ‘Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)’. For some reason, it sounded awful.
I was also disappointed with the mixes of the later material, but it is hard to remaster what already is close to perfection sonically. They do not require much touching up, so they don’t sound much different from the originals compared to the early material.
If you didn’t know, the 48 tracks combine his greatest hits, best b-sides, non-album singles, best live tracks and from “The Lockdown Sessions”. You are not listening to anything fresh, albeit a new perspective on his earlier recordings, which have finally eradicated the crackle or pop. The enhanced sound quality, thanks to Dolby Atmos, brings a new life to these older recordings, making them a joy to listen to. Once again, I will be doing the songs to avoid because, as you can imagine, this record is full of too many gems to break down into just three tracks. I cannot do that because apart from ’Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting), even some of the earlier songs I am not fond of sound great with Dolby Atmos.
Recommended: Listening to the earlier songs remastered with Dolby Atmos
Ed’s “Mathematics Tour Collection” was released in the late summer of last year. Still, I am unsure of what I should be reviewing, so I have reviewed the latest edition of the album that was included in the standard edition towards the end of last month, which is a live version. I am not particularly sure if the songs are from random shows or just one particular show. Apparently, the live version was recorded via Ed’s in-ear monitor. I will get on a bit later about why I believe I do not find that to be the truth
After a two-year tour, which is set to continue into the current year, the fans, known as “Sheerios”, were eagerly awaiting a live version of the compilation. Finally, as mentioned earlier, the live album arrived towards the end of last month , boasting a massive 26 songs . It’s a mammoth listen , but one that’s as good as all his shows. I was lucky enough to see him at His Master’s Voice Hatfield Forum in October 2011 during his debut “Red” tour , an experience I’ve already shared in my first review of his material.
Despite being live, the mix has been produced to make it smoother than it usually is in a live setting. I enjoyed most of the songs performed. Of course, there were songs like ‘Sing’ and ‘Bad Habits’, which I do not, but I gave them a chance. They are better than their studio counterparts.
Back to earlier with the in-ear monitor, I heard that the sing-alongs were not evident, but I found that nonsense. I could hear his biggest hits sung by the crowd and Ed participating in crowd participation. It didn’t sound like they used an in-ear monitor for those tracks because I could hear everything crystal clear. You wouldn’t get that from a monitor because you hear what every member of the band is doing. You will notice most musicians take their monitors out during crowd interaction, or they would only hear muffling.
Get ready for an immersive journey because this review is going to be a deep dive. I tuned in to this album via his official YouTube channel, but the ultimate digital experience is the one mixed with Dolby Atmos. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s like being right there in the studio or at the show. This technology is so powerful that it might even overshadow physical CD versions, which currently can’t match its immersive quality. Just like at his live shows, the opener is ‘Tides’.
I love ‘Tides’. It’s a full-on rock anthem, and it’s clear why it’s chosen as an opener. It’s a real crowd-pleaser, and I can only imagine the electrifying atmosphere it creates in a stadium. Despite not being one of his popular tracks, I’m certain that after this tour and the release of the live edition, it’ll gain a strong following and become a fan favourite. I was personally captivated by its rock attitude and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Does Ed’s music resonate more with his loop pedal or with a band? The answer is in your hands. For me, it’s a matter of the venue. I find his solo performances more intimate in an arena or open air, while the grandeur of a stadium is best complemented by a band. Imagine ‘Tides’ without a band in a stadium-it’s a rock anthem that thrives on the depth and fullness a band brings.
After that barnstorming opener, the tempo drops with ‘Blow’. Ed still puts his heart and soul into it to win the crowd/listener over.
‘Castle on the Hill’ follows, and it sounds amazing live, especially in a stadium. Live is where it is at for me. Studio recordings can never capture that magic in a bottle. Again, this track would be flat without a full band.
Now, usually with Ed’s live albums, they fuck up how he uses the loop pedal, and your mood can drop while Ed sets it up for the song.
However, on ‘Shivers’, which follows ‘Castle on the Hill’, they have cut out all the fannying around, and the track begins as he has almost finished setting up, so you are still riding from the high of the previous track.
Of course, some Sheerios will not like the idea of not seeing him set up the loop pedal with his various sequences and layers, especially on the final track, ‘Bad Habits,’ but the producers have to think of all the listeners and how to keep the momentum.
The live version includes all his songs, such as ‘The A-Team’, ‘Lego House’, ‘Give Me Love’, et cetera. You cannot please everyone with the listings, but that’s how the dice rolls.
I mentioned in my review of “Divide” that ‘Dive’ is a heart-wrencher, but Ed sings it subliminally live. Knowing the personal meaning behind it makes it even more of a standout because he manages to keep his emotions in check.
Tracks like ‘The A-Team’ and ‘Lego House’ from his debut “+” remain timeless and still are live favourites.
‘Overpass Graffiti’ was performed the correct way live to bring the rhythm section to life. Ed with just a loop pedal wouldn’t have given it justice.
One of the main sticking points is crowd participation, with some arguing it’s difficult to hear the crowd. However, I personally disagree; I can hear them loud and clear. Perhaps I’ve just been lucky to have the volume set at the perfect level. To gain a broader perspective, I’m eager to hear from a Sheerio who was at one of these shows.
My one flaw with the live tracks is the remastering of them. I would rather hear all the imperfections, and the rawness you experience at the shows. Now, I am not saying include the soundboard(they sound terrible when you listen back), but smooth it over just enough to keep that live feel.
Hopefully, any of the flaws can be corrected in a live film version, which surely has to be inevitable to celebrate a tour of this magnitude.
Of course, my absolute favourite will probably always be ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You,’ and it hasn’t changed after listening to it on this tour. The delivery, the flow, and the lyricism have always been top-class on this. Now, I am going to hopefully do this once this year; who knows? I am going to pick tracks you should avoid because there were far too many excellent tracks.
Honest Opinions 