Customer Reviews:
 Can't go passed this! July 2, 2008
Sam M (Australia)
If you liked Madman Across The Water by Elton John you'll surely enjoy the same album in SACD - "Super Audio CD" the who reason why I got myself a copy. If you have Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound receiver and a DVD player that supports SACD then this is the only way to listen to a great album. The rest is history.
 great album, horrible mastering June 18, 2008
Gregory Szorc (San Francisco Bay Area, CA USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This negative review is mainly about the sound quality of the album, not the album itself. The album itself is amazing and I would encourage you to own a copy. However, the sound quality doesn't live up to expectations. Yes, it may be detailed. But, while listening to both the stereo CD and stereo SACD version, I was constantly distracted by clipping on almost every track. Perhaps the multichannel SACD track is better (I haven't listened to it), but I have little reason to believe it is since if they butchered the stereo SACD version, they probably did the same for the 5.1 mix.
It is sad to hear such a creative masterpiece destroyed by post-recording mastering. It appears all they did for this release was turn on the dynamic compressor, turn up the volume, simulate surround sound, and wrap it in SACD packaging. If this was the regular CD version, I'd probably give it 3 or 4 stars. But, since the record company desecrated the SACD medium, I'm giving it 2 stars.
All that being said, I would still own a copy of this album. If you care about audio quality, I'm sure there is a better version out there. However, I can't tell you which release it is because I don't know.
One of Elton's greatest albums June 1, 2008
finulanu (Here, there, and everywhere)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Often cited as Elton's "progressive" album because of the strings, serious lyrics, and complex arrangements. And, yeah, I guess I can go along with that. It's a lot, well... catchier than anything progressive, though - it's still Elton John, after all. And it's good! Probably my third-favorite EJ record, after Tumbleweed Connection and the self-titled. In my opinion, Elton was at his best between 1970 and 1971. This was before Bernie's lyrics started to get really irritating, before his records became full of grandstanding schlock like a majority of Blue Moves and Caribou, or even a very small part of the still exceptional Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Or maybe it's just because I'm tired of hearing "Bennie and the Jets", good song as it is, on the radio all the time. I'm not sure. Basically, stardom-era Elton good (as in "1972-1975"), pre-stardom-era Elton better. All right, now that the rant's out of the way, on with the show. Totally butt-kickin' album! Especially the first five tracks, or more specifically four of the first five tracks. Elton got the big hits out of the way as fast as possible, and they rule. "Tiny Dancer" is a wonderful orchestrated piano ballad with a little touch of the country, and "Levon" is just Elton at his best. His vocals are in peak form, Paul Buckmaster's orchestration is complex without overwhelming the song, and Taupin's vague character sketch is much more interesting to me than, say, "All the Young Girls Love Alice". Amazingly, though, the title track is even better. Screw Alice Cooper, this is "horror-rock". Elton's vocals, the strings, the minor-key piano, the guitar riffs, and the lyrics about a madman. Amazingly, the ten-minute version found as a bonus track to Tumbleweed Connection is even better, and this is a hard song to top! And "Indian Sunset" may have regrettably stereotypical lyrics, but the arrangement, structure, and vocals. (Noticing a pattern here? Elton's singing in the early period absolutely rules). In such classy company, "Razor Face" is kind of a trifle, but it's fun. The last four tracks aren't as good as the first five, and one of them (the "Bohemian Rhapsody"-"Hey Jude" hybrid "All the Nasties") is a miss by any standards. But "Goodbye" is a passionate elegy; "Holiday Inn" has whiny lyrics but makes up for it with cool mandolin and strings, and "Rotten Peaches" is a great country tune reminiscent of Tumbleweed Connection. So yeah, get this!
Amazing after all these years March 29, 2008
Clem C (NE USA)
This sacd sounds like it was recorded yesterday. Simply amazing sound, not to mention the quality of the music. I am new to sacd, and have to say I don't understand why it didn't get more popular. A big step up from the regular cd which I also own. Highly recommended for any Elton fan with an SACD player.
This has aged like wine! January 18, 2008
Eric V. Coleman (Houston, Texas)
Having heard this (album) many times since it was released, I am very familiar with it.
But, since I got this SACD, not only does it bring back fond memories, it is also better sounding than I remember the original album.
It like being in the studio audience and listening to the original recording session! Amazing...
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