Hi, a fun memory for me was in December 1973 (20th). It was my 15th birthday, and I had all my school friends and cousins over for a birthday party and as they all knew It was an big Elton John fan, I got 15 copies of Step into Christmas as birthday presents. I still have them all mint in covers! It has always been a standing joke with my old school friends on every birthday since 1973, so much that on my 60th, they all got me another mint copy of Step into Christmas!. Like I needed another one!
This was the fastest 34min ever - just a fantastic video Matt ! Your knowledge base is astounding & I could listen to your info all day. Looking forward to a deep dive into these singles. Also mentioning that the 'Dear God' double single set was also locally released here in Australia. I was lucky enough to pick one up on release & they were very limited. Cheers mate!
So cool Remember seeing lot of those singles in Elton's discographies Loved collecting US, UK Japan and my home country New Zealand releases. Thanks for sharing
No kidding! I heard myself say that line when I was editing, and I almost called the video "Goodbye Cardboard Box: A Tour of..." but with the subtitle it didn't make sense.
ah ! Man ! Snow Queen . Yep,had that one. Also One day at a Time, I Saw Her Standing There, House of Cards . Had a newer Skyline Pigeon .Sugar on the Floor . I would like to hear Bite Your Lip on 45 . Maybe it doesn't go on for 40 minutes. White man Danger had a great organ solo .
The 7" version of "Bite Your Lip" is on TH-cam -- check out mab5805's channel (can't post links in comments anymore, unfortunately). It's basically an edited version of the 12" remix by Tom Moulton -- which, to my ears, is better than the mix that made the album.
I started collecting EJ 45s for the non-LP B-sides, then later for the art work as well. You could quickly accumulate an album’s worth of new songs, and these songs were relatively unknown to the general public. Some of the sleeves were Fantastic (pun intended), and some were bizarre (please explain the French sleeve for “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”). It was-for the most part-a relatively inexpensive way to expand your EJ song library. Thanks for a tour of your collection!
I've no idea what it's supposed to me, or how it relates to either song, but I've always thought the French sleeve for the 7" “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is cool. I especially love the "dripping blood" letters.
An interesting thing to note about the Your Song mono mix is that it actually appeared on the UK promo 45. There were two versions of the promo made, one with Your Song on both sides and another with Your Song and Into The Old Man's Shoes. The one with Your Song on both sides is a mono mix and is not marked "STEREO" on either side, while the other version is the stereo mix and is denoted as such. The matrix numbers are also different, A2 on the mono opposed to (presumably) A4 on the stereo.
I totally didn't know about the mono mix being used on any 45 in the UK. Makes me think about new ways to expand my collection! I still don't have even a stock copy of the original UK DJM "Your Song".
Sadly, I didn't keep tabs on a lot of my 70s & 80s purchased vinyl 45s, let alone all of my early albums as well - long gone. Moved too often plus vinyl disappeared...so did mine! I only kept Elton picture sleeve 45s and a few interesting imports such as Elton's UK 45 rpm for the "Wrap Her Up" single that opens up to form into a gift box! I have (apparently) only about a dozen surviving Elton 45s, most from the early 80s up to "Cry To Heaven" and then "Candle in the Wind - Live"- all have picture sleeves. At least I kept all of my Elton 12" EPs - all from the 80s.
I don't have the "Wrap Her Up" gift box 45. I've seen it online, and it sounds cool; but I've never held one in my hands. It's cool that you have one! I've always thought the sleeve design for the "Cry to Heaven" single would've made a better LP cover for the album.
@@CollectingElton One very nice perk for having the "Wrap Her Up" gift box 45 is to get the B-side, the live version of "Too Low For Zero" from Wembley, 1984. Love that version. Really enjoyed seeing EJ and the band play "Too Low For Zero" at Maple Leaf Gardens (Toronto) in 1984. In Montreal a few weeks later he dropped it in favour of "One More Arrow" which didn't go over nearly as well.
@@douglasstruthers8307 Oh yeah, I forgot about that B-side. Love the piano solo on that version. Clive Franks remixed those Wembley 84 tracks for the single releases, and I believe the mixes are different from the home video audio. So, multis exist for that show, somewhere. Home video release is great but that show would be great to have as an album too. The band was on fire for that tour. Fred Mandel was new but was an asset to that lineup.
I started collecting (buying, actually) everything from from Elton from "Philadelphia Freedom" (1975) onwards. I need to check my many (60+) packing/moving bins to see where or if I saved EJ's non-picture sleeve 45s. All of my 45s from 1975 onwards would be original pressings - bought them upon release! I did buy lots of EJ CD singles in the 90s. Yeah, "Snow Queen" got a lot of spins on my turntable, too! I wish the remixed 45 for "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" would have appeared somewhere either on a vinyl re-release album (maybe in 2026), or iTunes, or on a CD box set like the JEWEL BOX. I have no DJM vinyl singles - all of mine are MCA, Geffen, and Rocket. No UNI either. You mentioned the TO BE CONTINUED box set: it was plagued with so many inaccuracies, wasn't t? Agreed, A SINGLE MAN had a superb cover. Thanks for sharing your collection - a true world beater!
Well, you're not missing much re: the DJM 45s. They don't sound any better than 45s from anywhere else. 7" discs are doomed to sound less than great, although that US Geffen of "In Neon" b/w "Tactics" sounds surprisingly good for a 45. The 12" singles are better to have, in terms of sound quality, although a few of the UK 12"ers were cut way too loud for my system (e.g. "Passengers"). That French 12" "Dear God" EP (four songs) is worth its weight in gold, though: those three B-sides are better than the single's A-side, in my opinion, and on that French 12" they're all-analogue and cut at 45rpm. Yes, the credits (particularly the recording and/or release dates) given in the "To Be Continued" liner notes are useless. I don't refer to them for info unless I have nothing else!
Oh yeah, a fantastic song! I'll bet it was included on the original version of the album that eventually became "The Fox", i.e. the first version that David Geffen rejected.
AH!!! So there are some people who do genuinely collect the mighty Elton. I do tend to joke around on my videos and others that Elton is the Antichrist of music and record collecting, total stain on anyone's reputation, and of couse, this is all for comedy, even if I have no curiosity about his music. Still, it's fun to see I have some real fake enemies, hahaha! Cheers, Stunty
Sir Elton is the Golden God of Music. Even his farts are musical. lol Seriously, I've met many over the years who do not like his work at all, or who are simply not interested, etc. And I get it. We all have our likes and dislikes. I'm not the only serious Elton collector out there, though. There are some whose EJ collections make me look like a beginner! Seriously. Anyway, thanks for leaving your comment. (Remember to like and subscribe! haha)😆
@@CollectingElton Yes, It's all tongue in cheek, but happy to have found my true VC Frenemy ^^ You would probably cringe at half of my most beloved records, so it's all fair and square, hahaha
Hi, a fun memory for me was in December 1973 (20th). It was my 15th birthday, and I had all my school friends and cousins over for a birthday party and as they all knew It was an big Elton John fan, I got 15 copies of Step into Christmas as birthday presents. I still have them all mint in covers! It has always been a standing joke with my old school friends on every birthday since 1973, so much that on my 60th, they all got me another mint copy of Step into Christmas!. Like I needed another one!
Oh my gosh, that's a great story! Thanks for sharing.
This was the fastest 34min ever - just a fantastic video Matt ! Your knowledge base is astounding & I could listen to your info all day. Looking forward to a deep dive into these singles. Also mentioning that the 'Dear God' double single set was also locally released here in Australia. I was lucky enough to pick one up on release & they were very limited. Cheers mate!
Thanks! Glad you liked it. Thanks also for the correction re: the "Dear God" double-7" pack. I've added it as an "erratum" in the video description.
So cool
Remember seeing lot of those singles in Elton's discographies
Loved collecting US, UK Japan and my home country New Zealand releases.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
That would make an interesting song! “Goodbye Cardboard Box’s” 😉
No kidding! I heard myself say that line when I was editing, and I almost called the video "Goodbye Cardboard Box: A Tour of..." but with the subtitle it didn't make sense.
ah ! Man ! Snow Queen . Yep,had that one. Also One day at a Time, I Saw Her Standing There, House of Cards . Had a newer Skyline Pigeon .Sugar on the Floor . I would like to hear Bite Your Lip on 45 . Maybe it doesn't go on for 40 minutes. White man Danger had a great organ solo .
The 7" version of "Bite Your Lip" is on TH-cam -- check out mab5805's channel (can't post links in comments anymore, unfortunately). It's basically an edited version of the 12" remix by Tom Moulton -- which, to my ears, is better than the mix that made the album.
I started collecting EJ 45s for the non-LP B-sides, then later for the art work as well. You could quickly accumulate an album’s worth of new songs, and these songs were relatively unknown to the general public. Some of the sleeves were Fantastic (pun intended), and some were bizarre (please explain the French sleeve for “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”). It was-for the most part-a relatively inexpensive way to expand your EJ song library. Thanks for a tour of your collection!
I've no idea what it's supposed to me, or how it relates to either song, but I've always thought the French sleeve for the 7" “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is cool. I especially love the "dripping blood" letters.
An interesting thing to note about the Your Song mono mix is that it actually appeared on the UK promo 45. There were two versions of the promo made, one with Your Song on both sides and another with Your Song and Into The Old Man's Shoes. The one with Your Song on both sides is a mono mix and is not marked "STEREO" on either side, while the other version is the stereo mix and is denoted as such. The matrix numbers are also different, A2 on the mono opposed to (presumably) A4 on the stereo.
I totally didn't know about the mono mix being used on any 45 in the UK. Makes me think about new ways to expand my collection! I still don't have even a stock copy of the original UK DJM "Your Song".
Sadly, I didn't keep tabs on a lot of my 70s & 80s purchased vinyl 45s, let alone all of my early albums as well - long gone. Moved too often plus vinyl disappeared...so did mine! I only kept Elton picture sleeve 45s and a few interesting imports such as Elton's UK 45 rpm for the "Wrap Her Up" single that opens up to form into a gift box! I have (apparently) only about a dozen surviving Elton 45s, most from the early 80s up to "Cry To Heaven" and then "Candle in the Wind - Live"- all have picture sleeves. At least I kept all of my Elton 12" EPs - all from the 80s.
I don't have the "Wrap Her Up" gift box 45. I've seen it online, and it sounds cool; but I've never held one in my hands. It's cool that you have one!
I've always thought the sleeve design for the "Cry to Heaven" single would've made a better LP cover for the album.
@@CollectingElton One very nice perk for having the "Wrap Her Up" gift box 45 is to get the B-side, the live version of "Too Low For Zero" from Wembley, 1984. Love that version. Really enjoyed seeing EJ and the band play "Too Low For Zero" at Maple Leaf Gardens (Toronto) in 1984. In Montreal a few weeks later he dropped it in favour of "One More Arrow" which didn't go over nearly as well.
@@douglasstruthers8307 Oh yeah, I forgot about that B-side. Love the piano solo on that version.
Clive Franks remixed those Wembley 84 tracks for the single releases, and I believe the mixes are different from the home video audio. So, multis exist for that show, somewhere. Home video release is great but that show would be great to have as an album too. The band was on fire for that tour. Fred Mandel was new but was an asset to that lineup.
Another enjoyable video, some great photos on those 45s!
Thanks!
Great video! Maybe I should start collecting EJ 45s too!
Thanks! Well, it's been a fulfilling hobby for me. You can get them in lots sometimes, which is a great way to begin.
I started collecting (buying, actually) everything from from Elton from "Philadelphia Freedom" (1975) onwards. I need to check my many (60+) packing/moving bins to see where or if I saved EJ's non-picture sleeve 45s. All of my 45s from 1975 onwards would be original pressings - bought them upon release! I did buy lots of EJ CD singles in the 90s. Yeah, "Snow Queen" got a lot of spins on my turntable, too! I wish the remixed 45 for "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" would have appeared somewhere either on a vinyl re-release album (maybe in 2026), or iTunes, or on a CD box set like the JEWEL BOX. I have no DJM vinyl singles - all of mine are MCA, Geffen, and Rocket. No UNI either. You mentioned the TO BE CONTINUED box set: it was plagued with so many inaccuracies, wasn't t? Agreed, A SINGLE MAN had a superb cover. Thanks for sharing your collection - a true world beater!
Well, you're not missing much re: the DJM 45s. They don't sound any better than 45s from anywhere else. 7" discs are doomed to sound less than great, although that US Geffen of "In Neon" b/w "Tactics" sounds surprisingly good for a 45.
The 12" singles are better to have, in terms of sound quality, although a few of the UK 12"ers were cut way too loud for my system (e.g. "Passengers"). That French 12" "Dear God" EP (four songs) is worth its weight in gold, though: those three B-sides are better than the single's A-side, in my opinion, and on that French 12" they're all-analogue and cut at 45rpm.
Yes, the credits (particularly the recording and/or release dates) given in the "To Be Continued" liner notes are useless. I don't refer to them for info unless I have nothing else!
Nice. I collect Elton 45s only for the picture sleeves.
I was about to write something like, "Hey man, the music's good too!" ... but then I saw your user name. ;)
Absolutely fantastic have a wonderful day also I have a stomach ache also a stomach flu ❤😢
Get well soon!
One more...Tortured was a great song . B-side of a Fox single .
Oh yeah, a fantastic song! I'll bet it was included on the original version of the album that eventually became "The Fox", i.e. the first version that David Geffen rejected.
OH ! Hey Papa Legba -( some kind of reference to the devil & selling your soul )
I badly wanted to use "Legba" in my first New Orleans video, but it's a protected song etc. Great piano work on that!
AH!!! So there are some people who do genuinely collect the mighty Elton.
I do tend to joke around on my videos and others that Elton is the Antichrist of music and record collecting, total stain on anyone's reputation, and of couse, this is all for comedy, even if I have no curiosity about his music. Still, it's fun to see I have some real fake enemies, hahaha! Cheers, Stunty
Sir Elton is the Golden God of Music. Even his farts are musical. lol
Seriously, I've met many over the years who do not like his work at all, or who are simply not interested, etc. And I get it. We all have our likes and dislikes.
I'm not the only serious Elton collector out there, though. There are some whose EJ collections make me look like a beginner! Seriously.
Anyway, thanks for leaving your comment.
(Remember to like and subscribe! haha)😆
@@CollectingElton Yes, It's all tongue in cheek, but happy to have found my true VC Frenemy ^^ You would probably cringe at half of my most beloved records, so it's all fair and square, hahaha