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Thanks! Yes, I too am hoping for something for the CF 50th. Maybe a double LP, something like a vinyl version of the 2CD deluxe from 20 years ago. I've never heard of any demos floating around; I don't think a studio version ever existed for "Dogs in the Kitchen". Perhaps we'll get more "session demos", or whatever they were called on the HC and DSM deluxes. The "sessions demos" thing used to annoy me but now I'll take just about anything they offer, especially since CF has had few special editions over the years.

Thanks! Yes, Alfonso sent a package last year and put a similar image in that one too. I've saved them all.

I never thought I'd get one, but now I have one. You never know!

It was a genuine surprise indeed! Unforgettable.

Yes, I love that photo. I’d originally mentioned it in the video but cut it for time. Notice that he’s signing the right panel of the gatefold; there are also copies of the 1975 Wembley Midsummer Music show program on the floor. I think the batch of albums he’s signing were for another purpose, but I suppose he could be signing brown vinyl copies in that photo. About the (long overdue) last “ranked albums” video: Yes, I’ve everything I need to shoot that episode; it just keeps getting delayed. The yellow vinyl “Single Man” episode’s also in line; and in the fall, I said I’d do an episode about my childhood Elton cassette collection. I found I was missing two of my cassettes though, and for a while I’d hoped to recover them; but I don’t think I’ll get them back. But I’ll go ahead and do that episode anyway - Feb or March, probably. I began working on a different “background set” (I finally got a giant Kallax unit from IKEA) a couple weeks ago, and I want the fourth and last “ranked albums” video to be my first with that new set. But the “set” is still not done, and the lighting tests have not gone well. This week I’ll spend a couple days at a (work related) conference in Toronto, which will jumble my weekend schedule, which also means that next week’s episode might end up being another “Elton Safari” (groaann…). But I’ll finish that ranked video soon.

Thank you for your detailled reply. You're right about the photographs, I didn't recognize this. Take your time with your videos - they're all something I really enjoy a lot and Look forward to. Also, you're my favourite person on TH-cam. You seem like an (slightly) older brother with tons of cool knowledge and stories to tell! Keep up the great work! ✌️

Didn't AF also publish that illustrated discography paperback in 1981? I've seen his name a number of places. He must've had quite a personal collection. I didn't know about that MCA letter. I've seen a few of these brown vinyl "Fantastics" listed for sale or auction and, unless I've forgotten, none had that letter. It might've been something that most recipients didn't think was worth keeping? Guard yours with your life!

@@CollectingElton yes Alan had an amazing collection i was a regular customer of his and as i got to know him he would bring items from his collection in to show me i remember him showing me his bootleg Vinyl cop of i get a little bit Lonely fasinated by all the unreleased tracks on it , you are right he was the Author of the book the illustrated discography this was a revelation to me in the early 1980s as it was the first time i had seen all the early singles , Bluesology, from Denver the L.A etc , etc, promos, bootlegs and more and yes Alan had copies of everything for sale i had an expensive ten years or so buying from him

I appreciate that! Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching!

Definitely will be hard to beat! Perhaps even impossible, short of getting a lost master tape or something. I too am hoping for something interesting for the CF 50th -- and not another splatter vinyl edition.

It'll be difficult to beat, that's for sure! The 1968 Portuguese "Loving You" EP is still a contender but the brown vinyl "Fantastic" is in much better condition. So, I think you're right -- it's now tops. And something I forgot to mention in this episode: This copy of "CF" is the first and only item I have signed by either Elton or Bernie. I've never met either one of them and I've never sought anything signed by them. I guess by ca. 2000 the prices just went far too high for me. I have signed first editions by some of my favorite authors, though; I also have two of the Monkees' autographs (on a tour program, which I obtained in person), plus Peter Noone's (Herman of Hermits fame) autograph, which I also obtained in person.

@@CollectingElton And, you have Roger Pope and Clive Franks autographs as well.

@@mygrooviecollection1837 Thanks for the congrats. No, not a Goaldigger but that's a really good guess!

Man, I'm sorry to hear you've waited so long for those. I heard about the new _Diamonds_ limited vinyl; I've not heard any good things about it. Just about everyone I know that's bought it feels ripped off. It's too bad. That's why I prefer buying vintage.

@CollectingElton update: TSOV finally responded after more than two weeks of silence and stated that "the warehouse is currently fulfilling my order and I should receive a shipping update shortly." Hopefully, my order will arrive before we hit the 2 month milestone!

Thanks so much, Alan! I appreciate that a lot. Lots more good stuff comin'...

Thanks. I had to keep the music down so that YT's content filters wouldn't flag the video for the music. I'm not monetized, so it really isn't _that_ big of an issue for now, but that could change. I agree with you re: original DJMs, in _most_ cases. There are some exceptions, I think, i.e. some pressings (e.g. later DJM-UK and some non-DJM) that at least equal the classic UK DJMs by Pye.

Thanks @DDavis-mg9nd. Unless I missed an earlier comment, you're the first commenter to guess at what next week's grail will be (perhaps the "grailiest of all Elton grails", as I describe it -- even though "grailiest" isn't a word I don't think). But no, it's not the Barron Knights disc. A good, thoughtful guess though!

@@CollectingElton LOL I saw Knight... I thought? Written on the album sleeve? That's where my mind went. But then I wouldn't know if that's a grail necessarily or one that Lennon would possess as a "prize" from Elton. So, my answer is sorta weak... LOL

Well, I gather that you did not take my first guess seriously. Fair enough! I guess John Lennon could not have been in possession of the 2021 release of _The Lockdown Sessions_ . My next guess is far more plausible. Few people know that John Lennon was in Munich in August 1979 and joined his pal Elton at Musicland Studios where, under the pseudonym “Craig Snyder”, he played lead guitar on the smash hit “Johnny B. Goode”! Your next grail is the Limited Edition 4-LP box set of _Victim of Love_ , given to Lennon by Elton as a token of appreciation! (I’m sure that in some universe this could be true) This is my best guess, as you use the same language and have the exact same facial expression I have every time I hear this album!!

@Capt.Ego-78 No, I didn't take it seriously, lol. _Lockdown Sessions_ blue vinyl? Just like the 4LP _Victim of Love_ promo box by MCA. It exists, but who's fighting for a copy??

I think I have one 45? I can't recall which, though. I know the label though.

​@@CollectingEltonI'd show one (Greatest Hits Vol. 1 with "Writing" and "Bitter Fingers" on it) to you, but I don't find your address. It's simply not shown on your profile. 😕 Could you put it in your video description, please?

@LogoKroko I added it at the very bottom of this video.

​@@CollectingEltonI got it - thank you very much! I'll visit my parents at the beginning of February. The LP is there. You'll hear from me. ✌️

Thanks for watching! Much appreciated. And lots more good stuff to come!

I'd say Disc 1 of the 50th anniversary 2CD _Chateau_ is the best-sounding digital version I have of the original album. That's the Lurssen mastering, and I think it beats the 2019 Japanese SHM-CD and even the old MFSL gold CD from the early '90s. And I'm certain that's the Lurssen mastering on LP1 of the anniversary double-vinyl. I haven't yet played the splatter copy yet; I'm assuming it's the Ludwig remaster from 2017. The VMP _Chateau_ sounds really good too; but not so much better to justify paying whatever it goes for now. The 2LP anniversary set is still one of the nicest vinyl copies to own, I think, and not just because of the Lurssen mastering on LP1; it's also the only vinyl edition that includes that beautiful, oversized booklet.

Thanks, Dennis! Much appreciated.

Thanks for the congrats. Yes, Alfonso was/is very generous. Just wait until next week's episode...

@CollectingElton Yea - I suspect certain vinyl release 1975 variant during period Elton was working with the other John. Might be wrong , but it did have "bigger" release x 4 than The Blood Record.

@@shineonugrzydieman Not a bad guess. It doesn't leave much of a "gift window" though, as Elton seldom saw JL after late 1974 and virtually never after Oct 1975. Maybe something released a little earlier than 1975?

Cool - I'm happy to be surprised. Don't want to spoil.

Thanks, Lawrence! I appreciate that very much.

Thanks!

Alfonso predicted that, after receiving the splatter vinyl he sent, I'd want to get the other "splatters". And he was right. I've been looking at them lately, drooling and wringing my hands. They don't seem to be flying off the shelves, though. I thought they would but there's a chance stores may begin to discount them just to get rid of them. I'm also wondering if I were to do another weekend in the States or something, I might be able to grab a few. Even after $$ exchange, they're still much cheaper down there than up here. Are there just the four of them? For some reason, I thought there were five. Perhaps I'm double-counting _Madman_ because of the "propeller vinyl" edition from 2022. How does your splatter _Don't Shoot Me_ sound? I don't like the pink too much either. I think a nice sky blue might've been the better tone for that design.

Thanks! Yes, 500 is one of the lowest runs of anything in Eltonography, at least commercial releases. That I can think of.

Well, the real treasure is the friends I've made along the... Aw hell, who am I kidding? The treasure is the grails, _grails_ and more GRAILS! 😆

Lol. At one point in my region of Ontario, the blue vinyl version of _Lockdown_ was all you could find. Everywhere, too. Black vinyl copies were worth a fortune. Such high prices for frisbees. (I can only surmise that "Lil Nas X" is the product of some automated captioning feature?)

Wow Jay, two of them? Low numbers, too... You can retire! PS - Dude, did you just call me 'honky'? Lol. Touché.

Thank you, glad you enjoy the channel. Interesting about the spelling correction. I'll make note of that. I wonder why, later on, they error reappeared. Hmm... someone at Universal messed up! But yeah, if it's bronzed that bad, it's definitely at PDO UK disc.

Keep trying! You'll find one. If I can, anyone can!

Thanks! I just bought a villa in Tuscany!

I’d come across one or two of them but never considered them a UK counterpart to the 1987 series done at PRS Baarn. In my mind, the UK issues weren’t their own series. It seemed like PolyGram - having just acquired DJM Records in 1986 - simply added a few of EJ’s more popular titles from the early ‘70s into its pre-existing budget series (“Priceless”), which comprised albums from many artists. They didn't use Phonogram matrix codes, and the (re)use of the "wedge" label for those UK issues further suggested to me that PolyGram had no serious interest in continuing the DJM brand in the UK, at least not on vinyl. That said, those “Priceless” issues were clearly made by PolyGram for the UK market and post-date the PolyGram acquisition of DJM Records. Looks like four former DJM EJ titles were added to the “Priceless” series in 1986 and then _Caribou_ in 1987, the last year PolyGram issued any of its “Priceless” titles on vinyl. So, I guess I’ll have to get them for my collection… aarggh!! Lol. Edit: MCA overproduced _Westies_ too. Some of the later copies that shipped were just ca. 1975 originals with updated catalogue numbers gold-stamped across their covers.

PS - I should have added thanks for mentioning those. I'll mention them in the revised video description.

Yes. I'll reveal more details in a future video. Certain tracks show significant differences (mono vs. stereo); others show little to no difference, in terms of track length or of elements/stems used or not used in one mix vs. the other.

Now, that's interesting. The Dutch copies were for mainland Europe (including the UK), I believe; but if they appeared with the same cat. numbers in other parts of the world, that's something I'll want to look into further. For some reason, Australian Phonogram seems to have rarely (if ever) pressed using Aus's Polygram facility; so, I'd be curious to know whether it was Aus CBS or another plant that did the Aus copies. One thing I cut from my voiceover (the video was getting long) was that I suspect that the masters sources for these 1987 DJM reissues may have been digital. It's just something about their sound; despite the clarity in these discs' upper ranges, they have a sterility to them typical of some early digital sources, back when the technology was still in its infancy.

And when I kept seeing you handle the discs with your bare hands, I kept thinking "Shouldn't you be wearing white gloves?" LOL

You're probably correct about the large image on the inner sleeve. In fact, it's the only image in the 1987 copy that isn't that fuzzy or weird with colors; it's just a boldness/intensity thing. About white gloves: I have considered using them; but I always handle these with clean (i.e. recently washed) hands. Plus I try my best not to remove LPs from their sleeves by "pinching" the edges but rather via the "proper" way, which (I'm told) is to reach into the inner sleeve or bag, place the tip of your middle finger into the spindle hole, place your thumb on the LP's edge, and remove the disc. It took me a few years to get the hang of that, actually, but it's better than "pinching". I used to "pinch" all the time! I'm glad that I reformed.

My best vinyl copy of _Madman_ is my original UK DJM by Pye. But yes, it took me a while to find a copy that hadn't been scratched up. The 2016 reissue sounds almost as good, if you don't mind LPs cut from digital sources. One thing I cut from my voiceover (the video was getting long) was that I suspect that the masters sources for these 1987 DJM reissues may have been digital. It's just something about their sound; despite the clarity in these discs' upper ranges, they have a sterility to them that some early digital sources tended to have, back when the technology was still in its infancy.

I'd have been surprised if any of these 1987 discs turned up as imports in Canada, even at the big Sam's in Toronto. Even in 1987, we still had that line of MCA budget issues in stores, albeit some titles had long since disappeared from MCA's catalogue by then. I believe that's my eleventh or twelfth vinyl copy of Caribou. It sold so well in the 1970s of course, and remained available on vinyl in so many parts of the world up to the end of the 1980s, that I really shouldn't feel as surprised as I do that I have so many copies -- or that they're seldom expensive! It's the vinyl copies of _Goodbye Yellow Brick Road_ that -- no matter how many copies of those have been pressed since 1973 -- go for so much, even dull-sounding MCA copies in less-than-great condition. You make a good point, one that I forgot to make in the video: Another big difference between then 2016+ Universal/Mercury vinyl reissues and these 1987 reissues is the artwork and packaging. We were spoiled back in the late 2010s! Those were luxurious reissues in every way. Now I see some the earliest of the 2016-17 reissues still available but in "reduced" sleeves, _Madman_ being one of them. It's not a gatefold anymore. I think I've also seen the standard black vinyl 2017 _Captain Fantastic_ in a non-gatefold sleeve too. I guess Universal can't justify the ongoing cost of printing those sleeves, which makes sense. For those albums to remain available new for newer listeners, Universal must cut corners I guess. It's really amazing that, eight years later, so many of those are still available at all.

"Missing link" is definitely a good term. -- now I wish I'd thought of it while recording the voiceover! That knife is *the* new knife I got back in October and feel so proud of myself for getting. It's so good that I used it to cut some pretty thick carpet the other day when I was making improvements to this room. And it's still as sharp as it was when I took it out of the Amazon package!

I agree. I cut it in the finished video but in the raw take I speculate that it was probably an error, based on the placement of the text, especially in the upper half of each label. That and the fact that it wasn't just the images that were reversed but their order too (using the Side 1 and 3 label image for Sides 2 and 4, etc.). Probably some intern!

Thank you, as always, for sharing my videos around. Happy new year!

I loved the Preds, especially during the Mike Fisher era. But since moving back to Canada, I've begun supporting Canadian teams more... because, boy, do they need it!

Thanks again!