Jewel Box
Elton John – Jewel Box
The Jewel Box Collection
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Jewel Box
‘Elton: Jewel Box’ covers deep cuts, rarities from the earliest stages of his and Bernie Taupin’s musical journey, B-sides spanning 30 years and songs discussed in his best-selling, critically acclaimed 2019 memoir ‘Me’. The 8 CD boxset of buried treasures comes in a beautiful hardcover book with the discs housed in the back, all wrapped in an outer slipcase. Each section comes accompanied with extensive notes including a track-by-track commentary by Elton for Deep Cuts. All audio was mastered at Abbey Road Studios by GRAMMY winning mastering engineer Sean Magee. With an unprecedented number of previously unheard and unreleased tracks painstakingly excavated from deep within the UMG archives, this is the ultimate treasure trove for Elton John fans.
Speaking of the release, Elton says ‘To delve back through every period of my career in such detail for ‘Jewel Box’ has been an absolute pleasure. Hearing these long-lost tracks again, I find it hard to comprehend just how prolific Bernie and I were during the early days. The songs just poured out of us and the band were just unbelievable in the studio. I always want to push forward with everything I do and look to the future, but having time during lockdown to take stock and pull these moments from my memory from each era has been a joy. As a devout record collector myself, this project has really excited me and I couldn’t be happier with the level of craft involved in such a carefully curated, lovingly constructed boxset. I’m sure my fans will enjoy it as much as I have.’
The ultimate exploration into Elton John’s extensive back catalogue, ‘Jewel Box’ encompasses a selection of deep cuts chosen by Elton himself; rarities from the earliest stage of his and Bernie Taupin’s musical journey; B-sides spanning 30 years, and songs discussed in Elton’s best-selling, critically acclaimed 2019 memoir, ‘Me’. The eight discs come in a beautiful hardcover book, enclosed in an outer slipcase. Each section contains extensive notes and, for ‘Deep Cuts’, there is track-by-track commentary by Elton. The set contains an unprecedented number of previously unheard, unreleased tracks from 1967-1969, the years that cemented the foundations of the iconic John-Taupin partnership: ‘Jewel Box’ truly is a treasure trove for Elton John fans.
| Dimensions: | 58.8 x 37.39 x 7.29 cm; 2.3 Kilograms |
| Manufacture: | UMC – Mercury |
| Origin: | United Kingdom |
This is a great collectors piece!
It’s written material it’s also vey interesting. Lot of fun memories.
The only drawback was the audio quality, it’s wasn’t as good as we wanted.
Lo que me desagrado del artculo es que a pesar de que vena sellado, sin daos externos, vena una hoja desgarrada en el interior del libro.
If your a fan of elton john yhen this is a must.
Tantissimo materiale che non conoscevo assolutamente. Non ho ben capito il criterio con cui sono stati suddivisi i CD. Sicuramente non cronologico. Una confezione molto ricca e scenografica.
I am excited to make my way through the tracks and the book is full of information.
One of the best box sets that I’ve ever bought! This is brilliant with a fantastic, very detailed book. Some real rarities from the late sixties and a great round up of some hard-to-find B-sides too. The Deep-cuts selection is enlightening as EJ has chosen these himself with detailed and informative recollections in the book. The packaging is beautiful. A truly outstanding boxset. Well recommended.
Amei. Embora o puzzle Goodbye Yellow Brick Road no. Comprados juntos.
What an amazing collection of Elton John’s music! So many rarities! The piano demos are the best! This rare collection of music is topped off with its presentation in a beautifully crafted hardcover book which also houses the CDs.
I don’t feel that I can review this item without really reviewing all 3 vinyl editions (Deep Cuts, Rarities & B-Sides and And This Is Me) as a whole and comparing it to the CD Jewel Box. I’ll also add that I initially purchased the Jewel Box on vinyl, but then also ended up picking up the Jewel Box on CD when it was on offer so feel as though I can offer a comparison between the 2 formats.
If all you want is the content and are not fussed about wether this is on vinyl or CD then I would recommend going for the CD Jewel Box. There are a lot more songs included within this and is a much nicer single package in my opinion.
The problems that I have with the vinyl versions are twofold. Firstly there is less content with the vinyl. I understand why and many other vinyl versions suffer the same fate of being ‘cut down’. Had every song that was included on the CD’s been released on vinyl the price would have increased substantially, so I can live with this.
The only real issue that I have with the vinyl versions is that the Deep Cut’s set comes packaged in a similar hard box version as the CD Jewel Box, which is really nice. Compare that packaging to the Rarities & B-Sides and And This Is Me packaging and these 2 seem inferior in a way, even though I’d be happy with them if they were a standalone LP.
Sitting together on my shelf, upon close examination the Deep Cuts box stands out as being different. I keep standard LP’s in plastic sleeves and the Rarities & B-Sides, being a triple disc doesn’t fit into a sleeve. this only adds to the overall inconsistent look to these 3 products. Maybe it’s just me and my OCD but I wish that they’d have offered the complete Jewel Box on vinyl as a single box. I guess they split it across 3 separate releases to appease the fans who may have had a lot of the deep cuts already and only wanted the B-Sides and Rarities etc to save them having to pay again for content they already owned. I can understand that.
All that aside I can’t fault the quality of the vinyl and the music is excellent. If you are a casual Elton John Fan then I would highly recommend the Jewel Box as it will open up a whole new world of great songwriting that you may never have known.
I would class myself as being a casual admirer of Elton John since probably my teenage years and have always enjoyed his hits. However, it wasn’t until I picked up copies of Madman Across the Water and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy did I truly come to appreciate just how good some of the other songs are. This started me on a journey into his back catalogue just before this boxset was announced.
Having now had the chance to listen to all of the songs on these discs and there are a lot!, I’ve begun to appreciate just what a wonderful catalogue of songs he’s produced during his career.
I can’t recommend this boxset highly enough.
Beautiful lavish box
Lots of track info from Elton himself
Unusual and pleasing Deep Cuts selections from EJ
A must for any fan or casual admirer
Highly recommended
Having said that I got it for 55
Otherwise might not have gone for it
Very pleased
Really well put together boxset, a stunning package really.
I can think of several major artists that should look at this and see how it’s done.
I’m delighted with this purchase, fantastic.
Great uncovered rarities – Elton’s picks are fun – and I just keep playing it! Especially enjoy the Tumbleweed and Madman alternates!
I must concur with the other 5-star reviews. This set is essential for every Elton fan. I just turned 60 and was overwhelmed to receive this as a birthday gift. Okay, the sound quality on the early recordings/demo’s is not brilliant, but what do you expect?: Elton and Bernie’s song-writing talent shines through. There is not a favourite song, but the two “deep cut” albums are the best Elton compilations; funny, that, since they have been curated by the man himself.
What can I say everything is great packaging music delivered on time thanks amazo
Stunning boxset. I was not expecting it to be so exquisite for the money. You will not regret it.
Brilliant album. Well worth investigating – some real treasures included.
op lp…kein eiern sauber gepresst und tolle songs die ich noch nie…na ja fast nie gehrt habe.
peters lied ist einfach genial und ein absoluter hit,wenn es auch nur eine b-seite war.
dies 3fach lp ist ein muss fr jeden fan von elton john und ein muss fr sammler.
top…empfehlung!
Excellent item and good price. Very quick delivery, excellent service.
I love his music. Even his sad songs are somewhat upbeat.
Raccolta davvero valida, che esce dai soliti brani, pi conosciuti, di Elton John, per spaziare in una serie di pezzi, meno noti, ma di elevato valore “musicale”.
Prodotto consigliato
Great Elton John album on cd with extra songs from earlier years
A estas alturas y tal como anda el mundo de la msica y obre todo sus ventas, sacar una caja con 8 Cd’s pueda parecer una empresa descabellada, per hablamos de una superestrella con ms de 50 aos de carrera y absolutamente consagrada y contrastada. ELTON JOHN, hace ya muchos aos que ocupa un lugar en el olimpo musical y ha querido poner al alcance este maravilloso estuche que sin duda va a hacer las delicias de cualquier seguidor y coleccionista que se precie, porque tiene una presentacin en forma de libro en cartn duro con cientos de fotos y lo ms importante, nada menos que 148 canciones muchsimas de ellas inditas hasta ahora. El precio tal vez sea excesivo, pero seguro que una vez est entre las manos, lo dar por bien empleado.
Muy bien embalado y cualquier artculo de Elton John que sea edicin limitada es muy goloso para los fans
Seemed a bit expensive, but as a gift and having made the recipient happy, I guess it was worth it.
Good collection worth buying while it’s gone down in price .
I liked how well the package was shipped. Very, satisfied, with my purchase.
Full disclosure: I’m a huge Elton John fan…i really don’t why anyone would buy this unless they are too.
Very nicely packaged, great variety of remastered and deep cuts.
Beautiful boxset and was packed in a great big box avoiding any damage to the item.
The delivery didn’t take long either from UK to Aust, so very happy with this purchase.
Wot can I say if your a Elton fan you’ve got to have this
Amazing glad to se its heavy vinyl
Not the cheep flimsy stuff a must have for any elton fa
Great price for a triple vinyl and includes a download card. Rare tracks many of which are piano instrumentals but some with full band. Good to have some of the different versions and unheard tracks. A nice vinyl package.
First my EJ cred: I own 21 of the 36 B-sides, the Time magazine, the Breaking Hearts program, and the Caribou sheet music book (with the EJ/BT side of the inserted poster up)-as well as a Breaking Hearts Tour poster up as well. Jewel Box was clearly assembled by a collector for collectors like me. I love it all and have been a fan since 1974. I first bought 45s to get the extra songs, which range in styles and sounds that reflect the artist’s eclectic tastes. To finally issue Rare Masters 2 together with the “demos” is like hitting the jackpot in new EJ material. Now, I know it’s about EJ, but please WHO IS SPARRING ON GUITAR ON “Hey Papa Legba”? Luke? Zito? It has been my favorite B-side forever! Bernie don’t be angry (I have your what I’ve learned from Esquire) but how could you miss the obvious monikers..wait for it,,CATCHY REGI or, later. SIRREGIE?
If you’re an Elton fan, this should be in your collection. My dad’s been a fan since 69 and has heard music in this set that he’s never heard before.
It is WELL WORTH the cost.
This is by far and away the BEST boxed set my wife and I have ever heard!!! So many songs that make you stop and say: Why was this never on the radio??
Ja, da denkt man Mann hat ja alles vom guten alten Elton, und dann kommt da noch so eine Box. Was in der Box drin ist seht ja drauf, da sollte man sich also auch nicht aufregen das man die Lieder auf 3Cd’s (1,2 und 8) schon hat. Da finde ich trotzdem die Zusammensetzung interessant. Ist ja wirklich eine bunte Mischung die man auch als EJ Fan wohl so nie hren wrde. Die Deep Cuts sind natrlich von unterschiedlicher musikalischer Qualitt. Klar, da sind viele Demos dabei, Experimente, Improvisationen. Ob man die jetzt alle immer am Stck hren muss…..Und dann sind da noch die B-Sites. Wow, kann man da nur sagen. Bereits beim ersten Titel ( Duett mit Kiki Dee) haut es einen von den Socken. Viele von diesen Tracks wren es eigentlich wrdig auf Alben zu sein, manche haben es ja auf die remasterten CDs geschafft. Da sind ganz viele tolle Stcke dabei.
Jetzt aber noch ein paar Worte zur Box selbst. Sie ist ein absoluter Traum . Da haben sich die Designer” wirklich alle Mhe gegeben.Da passt wirklich alles. Alleine das farblich, zur Weste auf dem Cover, passende Buchband …..Kleinigkeiten, sicher. Aber da sieht man wieviel Mhe und Gedanken sich die Macher gemacht 🙂 haben. Mit den Farben geht es im inneren der Box weiter je nach CD die gleiche Farbe bei den Titeln, der Seite in der die Cd untergebracht ist und sogar den Aufschriften auf den CDs. Auch die Seiten mit den Begleittexten zu den Liedern sind toll gestaltet. Alte Cover, Backstagepsse, Textbltter……jede Seite passend zu den Titeln die kurz vorgestellt werden. Und das alles in einer sehr schnen und stabilen Box. Hier passt wirklich alles. Also fr jeden EJ Fan ist diese Box wirklich ein Muss.
What a fantastic box set. Beyond the music, which is spectacular and covers all eras of Elton’s long career, the packaging is amazing. The book included with personal notes by Elton and all the pictures is great! Love this set!
Elton John meu dolo na msica. S no ganha 5 estrelas pois acho que deveria ter mais raridades que tem nos CDs ao invs de colocarem Lados B que todos conhecem.
Love this whole box! It was a present for my mom who LOVES ELTON JOHN, only down fall is the side of the book is peeling back.
Was packed and presented beautifully. The perfect gift for my husband that he will cherish.
This is a great box set with wonderful packaging and details about the songs. We all love the hits, and now you can even enjoy more with deep cuts, early demos, B-sides. I have a lot of Elton John CDs and the first box set. This box set fills in the gaps very well. You will hear great stuff you have never heard before.
A review of the cd box set
Ok, first up, this box set is a very beautiful package. The words and images (some from Elton’s personal archives) makes for fascinating reading while listening to each disc. I honestly didn’t know some of these stories behind the songs. Now onto the songs, the musical content if you like…
For the longtime Elton fan there is a lot of unreleased stuff here, three discs of demos actually and it’s pretty compelling stuff. However, there are three discs of previously released tracks here too, stuff that any Elton fan worth their collections will already have. These are divided up as two cd’s of “Deep Cuts” and a third disc curated by Elton to be listened to whilst reading his 2020 biography “This Is Me”. Great if you don’t have these tracks already, not so great if you do. The remaining two discs of b-sides gathers up most of the “other sides” tracks not already included with album reissues over the last three decades or so.
For this reviewer it’s a bit of a yin yang thing going on here. On the one hand it’s a stunningly presented box set with a nice chunk of unreleased demos. On the other it’s another collection of Elton archive material that promises so much but has still left heaps in the vault. I’ve knocked a star off for three discs of material most Elton fans will already own. Here’s hoping for a volume 2.
“I’ve seen The Bridge and The Bridge is long, And they build it high and they build it strong…”
The music is of course wonderful, that’s obvious. This box set us amazing and totally worth the money. The packaging and layout is just so cool and original. I love it.
his was the crown jewel of all of Sir Elton johns musical career. he and Bernie Taupin early years. so great and it shows how far they came in their writing the hits . the book is lovely and the 8 cds were great. worth every dollar i spent .
I’ve been a huge Elton fan since 1970, so I may be skewed…but this set is great. It’s a must have for the Elton fan or collector. I love the old rarities and “basement” recordings…one or two of the disks skip a bit but it could be my crappy boom box. Yeah, that’s all I have right now because I usually stream music. This is an excellent compilation. There are a few cuts I’d have loved to have included here, but overall, a nice variety. I love the booklet that comes with it, lots of loving care went into this collection. Love the layout of the cuts, by era and “this is me”…Get it. Not a bad price for how many songs and the quality!
Elton John’s Jewel Box collection is a delightful one. I especially like his discs with the single b-sides (discs 6 and 7). I was happy to find the song, Take Me Down To The Ocean which was originally the b-side to Empty Garden from the early 80s. The sound quality is very good, especially for his earliest recorded works I have been an Elton John fan for many years and have all of his studio albums (except Victim of Love) and 2 or 3 collections I even have his original Rarities 2 CD set which features the complete Friends soundtrack.
Unfortunately, like any collection, there are flaws, that I’m sure Elton did not check. First, CD 5,6,7, are in foreign languages. iTunes using Gracenotes to find the titles and information for ID tags. I had to type out every track on from the three CDs into iTunes and sent them to Gracenotes. (Hope any of you who have recently purchased this collection can benefit). I also thought with all the information and comments about each song on the CDs by Elton, it would include a lyric booklet like the old albums use to do (love my LPs). It did not. The sound quality on some of the unreleased songs seem to be digitized at a lower volume. It showed on my CD player and on my iTunes collection. But, hey! I’m not sure there was ever a perfect collection by any artist without some flaws. It’s too bad “Flames of Paradise” wasn’t on this collection, but it was on then Best of Jennifer Rush’s LP/CD.
8 CD set contains many unreleased and demo tracks. A must-have if you love Elton!
Speaking of B-sides, discs 6 and 7 are comprised of B-sides of singles, originally released from 1976 to 2005. With the exception of a few odd instrumentals, every song would have been a worthy addition to the Elton John album released at the time they were recorded. Exceptional songs include “Conquer The Sun,” “Steal Away Child,” “Hey Papa Legba,” “Take Me Down To The Ocean” (with Beach Boys-sounding harmonies), “The Retreat,” “Rope Around A Fool,” “So Sad The Renegade,” “A Little Peace” (with John Lennon mentioned in the lyrics), and “Things Only Get Better With Love.” The eighth and final disc includes songs with special meanings to Elton, beginning with “Empty Sky” (1969), and concluding with the Academy-Award winning “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” (2019), featuring vocals by Elton and Taron Egerton. If this eight-disc box set was the complete catalog of Elton John’s recordings, his career would rank very highly. When taking into account that it’s only a portion of his entire recorded output, there’s no doubt that Elton John is the absolute best of the best! If you haven’t done so already, buy the “Jewel” box set immediately. You’ll thank me later.
Tolle Box sehr schn verpackt kam super an das Geschenk
Un trs beau coffret avec un livret bien prsent qui aurait peut-tre pu tre plus long compte-tenu du prix de l’ensemble. C’est une vraie belle ralisation indispensable tout fan d’Elton John.
Les enregistrements sont intressants et documents. Certains plutt rares, mais pour la majorit des morceaux connus dans des interprtations particulires. Tout n’est pas fondamentale mais tout est d’intrt. Et puis il y a quelques perles introuvables par ailleurs qui mritaient publication au moment o Elton John tente de faire ses tournes d’adieu.
C’est un 5 toiles sans hsitation pour tout fan tendance collectionneur !!
So gald to get this, a beuatiful package and one that I reckon will sell out quickly
I love the early Elton John, especially the first album of all, very Deram era psyche pop, and this is such a wonderful addition to music that we simply did not know existed
It came promptly, and cafefully packaged, so a very happy custome
There are some excellent CDs on it and could not understand why he never released them on albums. Let the fans decide if they are good or not the recording companies are sometimes wrong.
I will sit and listen to it so can enjoy it more with chocolate and wine.
Wonderful collection of Elton songs across deep cuts (hand picked by Elton), songs referenced in the Elton autobiography, “Me”, and especially a huge number of unreleased songs from Elton’s pre-fame years. All packaged in THE BEST presentation I’ve ever seen for ANY box set from any artist.
Im a huge fan of Elton John the box set is excellent i have everything he has done fantastic
This really is a comprehensive trawl through Elton’s back catalogue. Leaving aside the hits for the most part, these are deep cuts and unreleased songs. This box set does not replicate the To Be Continued box set from years ago, and is definitely worth the money. The sound is excellent and the detailed hard cover book with its track by track commentary by Elton and details of the recording sessions is presented so well. Yes, it is expensive but this is no greatest hits compilation. It covers his earliest Bluesology days up to the new song he included over the Rocketman movie’s closing credits. The box itself is robust, and consistent with the greatest hits box set he released a while back. Glad I got it.
I’m taken aback by how much detail has gone into the compilation of this collection. The presentation is like nothing I’ve seen, basically an autobiography built around the CDs within. The slipcase, binding, text, pictures, everything is done with thought and respect, not just for the music itself but for those of us that will enjoy listening to it and reading the stories within these pages. It was clearly a labor of love and I’m looking forward to experiencing every moment.
The presentation of the Diamonds Greatest Hits box set was fantastic, and this takes it to the next level. Highly recommended.
Always been a fan of Elton and this collection gives a perfect overview of his career and the songs he likes best.
Elton’s rarities at last, Shame they ended the demos in the 1970’s
So Much more out there. (Sweetheart On Parade anyone?)
If you think it is overpriced – consider what you are getting. Well packaged and information at your fingertips.
May I take this opportunity in thanking Amazon for a brilliant service with this item.
I am a life-long Elton John fan and to have his “new” (early career) music is a fabulous gift.
The CDs fall into several categories. There are Deep Cuts, B-Sides, and Demos. They are organized on CD by type, then by rough date. The audio quality ranges quite a bit, although the studio-produced tracks are all solidly done, but some of the demos are of a lower quality (but still not bad). Unlike another reviewer here, I had no issue with burning correct English track info on any of the CDs to my network player.
As for the music, well, these are not “hits”. These are deep catalog tracks and interesting side tracks, and for anyone who likes or loves Elton, there’s going to be some fun listening to these CDs. For those who don’t know his music, and won’t bother reading the details in the book, there will be questions about where the “famous” songs are…not here! As a collector’s item, this is a lovely box. As a tribute to music by an unquestionable genius hit-maker, this is illuminating, too. There’s some great music here, even if the world didn’t make all these tracks into hits!
Like everything about this release but not the low volume that these cds are mastered. It is surprising. A definite flaw.
Concernant les rarets alors l rien dire tellement c’est riche, avec l’intgrale du lost album SGT ZIPPO, dont le tracklist est prsent dans le book mais malheureusement pas dit sur un CD part. Pour le reconstituer il faut piocher droite gauche sur les 3 CDS. Il est fort parier que cet album ressortira en dition simple bientt …
Pour la partie titres prfrs d’Elton ainsi que les titres cits dans sa bio, il s’agit de compilations… Et l c’est la catastrophe… 3 CDs o le son n’est pas galis… Vous allez devoir baisser ou augmenter le volume en fonction des titres… Quelle horreur me diriez-vous… Aucun confort d’coute…
Sinon tout passe trs bien, certaines demos ont un son un peu satur d au fait qu’il s’agit de documents sonores de plus de 50 ans conservs sur bande magntique et surtout non destines tre dites en l’tat. Mais pas de soucis cela concerne deux trois titres et rien de gnant.
Tolles Produkt, sehr hochwertig, ich freue mich aufs Anhren der CDs.
It’s for a Christmas present, know they will be pleased, looks great.
It may take ten hours to play it all, but certainly worth the time.
Und ich schnappe mir beim Hren immer wieder dieses wunderschne Buch. Zu jedem Song stehen interessante Infos dabei, die Elton geschrieben hat, was ihn zu dem Song bewegt hat, oder hier und da auch Anekdoten.
Ich liebe es.
Und genau SO EINE Box zeigt, dass wir immer noch physikalische CDs brauchen und keine seelenlosen Downloads, an denen Knstler eh kaum was verdienen.
Danke Elton!!!!
Beautiful set. I own everything that he has ever released dating back to 1968. This is truly a treasure to add to my collection.
Was the wait worth it?……. A RESOUNDING YES!!!!!
I haven’t dived into the full box yet as there is so much to take in,but focused on the b.sides discs to start with…1.because my wife will listen to these and 2.she wont sit through the demo,s or early material( that is reserved for me in an empty house,(I’ve bought her a one way ticket to the moon for that experience lol).
The book and slipcase are massive and sturdy(and yes will sit nicely in your vinyl storage unit) and the content within the book is a pure fan treasure trove delight with photos, memorabilia pics and great reading material.
As for the sound,well as I say,my opinion is based just on the b.sides disc,s at the moment,but as soon as i heard Snow Queen i just knew the remastering was going to be superb,and that goes for every track thereafter.
One minor gripe is that there are some b.sides still missing,and as Elton states in the book there was enough material for a further 2 disc,s. So let’s hope a follow up 2 disc set follows with those missing b,sides,and perhaps 12″inch extended mixes.
Elton comments that prior to this release he listened again to Leather Jackets and thought it wasn’t as bad as he remembered…the track chosen here is Hoop of Fire.
I bought my COPY from another site for 75 and it is money well spent…..an almost perfect set with one minor gripe(above).
I can’t wait to delve into ealy stuff.
An amazing set that any REAL EJ fan can simply not live without………SUPERB!!!!
Shame the jazz version of Come Down In Time wasn’t included
Der erste Teil ist der Buchteil,danach folgt der Teil mit den einzelnen CD’s. Wobei jede CD in einer festen Kartonseite fixiert ist,welches eine recht gute Lsung ist.
Der Buchteil ist reichlich bebildert und es gibt interessante Erklrungen zu jedem einzelnen Song. Alles ist sehr schn aufgemacht!
Die Box beinhaltet acht CD’s,wobei fr den Fan eigentlich nur fnf CD’s wirklich interessantes bieten.
Nmlich die drei CD’s mit den Frhaufnahmen von EJ und zwei CD’s mit den B-Seiten von 1976-1984,welche meine persnlichen Favoriten sind und ich schon lange gerne auf CD haben wollte.
Die ersten zwei CD’s in der Box sind eine Zusammenstellung von Songs von Elton John’s persnlichen Favoriten und jeder Sammler besitzt sie schon lngst auf den entsprechenden Alben verteilt.
Die letzte 8.CD ist sozusagen ein Soundtrack zu seiner Autobiographie “Me”,welche ich eher als Fllmaterial empfinde.hnlich wie bei den ersten beiden CD’s.
Anstatt dessen htte es bestimmt interessanteres Songmaterial fr Fans und Sammler gegeben. Zumal jeder gut ausgestattete Elton John Fan diese Songs schon lngst in Top Qualitt in seinen Besitz hat.
Aber Alles in Allem gefllt mir die Juwel Box trotz leichter Kritik trotzdem sehr gut und ich kann den Kauf Fans und Sammlern wirklich nur empfehlen.
Die Klangqualitt ist berall hervorragend und die Songs sind alle remastered worden.
Bei den sehr frhen Aufnahmen natrlich altersgem mit Einschrnkungen.
Looking at Jewel Box, you can’t help but appreciate the effort put into it. The box-set is a large green book, made of some fairly sturdy material. The first half of the book is full of information about the music present. The pages are thick and glossy, very rich in colour with some fantastic things to look at and read. Every bit of information that a die hard fan would like to know about these songs is in there. The discs have their own pages, each one in a heavy cardboard sleeve. The slot isn’t tight and doesn’t appear to have scuffed any of the discs. I found it very easy to remove each disc. The large book is held together in a heavy weight outer sleeve. Perfect for protecting the item inside.
The content of the discs is quite immense. In total, the box-set comes just short of ten hours long. It’s quite impressive and very enjoyable to listen to. The first two discs are titled: Deep Cuts. This compilation is curated by Elton John himself and is a collection of his personal favourite tracks. The choice of songs cover the entirety of his career. This is definitely not one for those looking for a greatest hits. It’s as the title suggests, full of deep cuts. There are songs from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and more. The next three discs are the ones titled: Rarities 1965-1971 and let me tell you, these are the crown jewel of this box-set. If you want to hear Elton at his most naive, this is where it’s at. The music is very of its time with plenty of nods to The Beatles, Psychedelia and other popular sounds of the time. Most of these tracks are in mono and have been preserved very well. The early songs sound more rough around the edges but have a great youthful energy about them. The sixth and seventh discs are the B-sides spanning 1976-2005. A lot of the songs here haven’t been released on CD or digitally before, so it’s nice to have them all collected here. As expected, there’s some right gems here. The final disc is titled, And This Is Me… This disc is intended as a soundtrack to Elton’s autobiography and features the 2020 Academy Award winning duet with Taron Egerton. A charming way to round off the collection.
In regards to the overall sound quality, I think a lot of people will be happy with Jewel Box. It appears that some love went into preserving and remastering the music. As I mentioned above, some of the early demos aren’t exactly up to snuff in terms of audio quality but that’s understandable. The majority of the demos etc are crystal clear and sound fantastic. The new songs mix well with the older ones too, which is nice. The transition between songs from different generations isn’t very noticeable on discs one and two. It’s not loud, it’s not blown up to ridiculous proportions. It just sounds about right and that’s quite a rare thing these days.
I spent a whopping 83 on this box-set and as a passive fan of Elton’s music, I’ve got to say, it was worth every penny. Not only is the music utterly fantastic, the actual quality of the book itself is very impressive. This may not satisfy the greatest hits crowd but it is a must buy for those die hard’s who enjoy anything and everything Elton John.
Only negative is that it was dumped on the doorstep and of course your delivery person put “Handed to resident” on his PDA. Total lie, please stop doing this.
Otherwise delighted.
Jewel Box contains TWO full cds worth of these vaunted B sides spanning 1976 to 2005. Plus and this is a big plus THREE discs of rarities chock full of NEVER RELEASED recordings, mostly very old songs and demos. So out of the EIGHT total discs FIVE of them are an absolute must have for Elton completists.
The remaining three discs are a rehashed odd assortment of cuts hand picked by Elton in seemingly no logical order. I’d just as soon listen to them in their original context. But it does include some nice commentary by Elton himself on these cuts in the very nice book included.
So FIVE out of eight discs in a box set are essentially priceless. How often does this happen? I’ve been known to buy box sets of an artist to get a mere hand full (at best) of unreleased tracks. Here the lion’s share (5 full discs out of 8) are true gems. what more can I say.
Vinyl purchasers – 5 out of 6 sides are the rare early demos – the best of the Jewel Box, in my opinion. Side 6 makes up the rare B sides.
Dieses Box-Set hat es in sich. Es ist eine groe Sammlung mit Raritten. Mit dabei sind Songs aus der Bluesology-ra um 1965 sowie frhe Solo-Stcke, die in Zusammenarbeit mit seinem langjhrigen Freund und Songschreiber Bernie Taupin entstanden sind. Ein ganz besonderes Zuckerl ist dabei das Demo von SCARECROW. Das erste Lied, das Sir Elton John jemals schrieb.
Mehr als 80 der 148 Lieder der Sammlung werden zum ersten Mal digital verffentlicht; 60 davon waren noch nie in irgendeinem Format erhltlich. Die Box enthlt auch ein wunderschnes Hardcover-Bcherset, das in einen Schuber gewickelt ist, mit Fotos und persnlichen Kommentaren des Musikers. Die CDs 1, 2 und 8 in diesem Set enthalten zuvor verffentlichte Songs. Elton-Fans werden mit diesen Melodien vertraut sein, da sie auf Eltons anderen Alben erschienen sind. Die Scheiben 3, 4, 5, 6 und 7 sind die Juwelen in der Schachtel”. Demos, unverffentlichte Tracks und B-Sides; die Grundlage der Zusammenarbeit zwischen John und Taupin. Sie sind jugendlich, naiv und nackt. Diese Songs sind das Vorwort” der musikalischen Legende Elton John.
Und genau das macht diese Box auergewhnlich und speziell. Diese Box hebt sich deutlich von anderen Boxen hnlicher Machart ab. Juwelen” bringt es genau auf den Punkt. Es sind hier etliche Juwelen dabei.
Die Box bietet den bisher tiefsten Einblick in das umfangreiche Archiv aus mehr als fnf Jahrzehnten von Elton John. Dazu wurden drei Dutzend B-Seiten zum ersten Mal in einer Sammlung kompiliert. Es knnte die Box aller Boxen sein.
“Es war mir ein absolutes Vergngen, fr Jewel Box jede Phase meiner Karriere so detailliert durchzugehen”, sagte John in einer Pressemitteilung. “Wenn ich diese lange verlorenen Spuren wieder hre, fllt es mir schwer zu begreifen, wie produktiv Bernie und ich in den ersten Tagen waren. Die Songs strmten einfach aus uns heraus, und die Band war im Studio einfach unglaublich.
Elton John weiter: Ich will bei allem, was ich tue, immer vorwrts gehen und in die Zukunft blicken, aber whrend des Lockdown Zeit zu haben, Bilanz zu ziehen und diese Momente aus jeder Epoche aus meiner Erinnerung zu holen, war eine Freude. Als passionierter Plattensammler hat mich dieses Projekt wirklich begeistert, und ich knnte nicht glcklicher sein mit dem handwerklichen Niveau, das in einem so sorgfltig kuratierten, liebevoll konstruierten Boxset steckt. Ich bin sicher, meine Fans werden es genauso genieen wie ich”.
Dem ist nichts mehr hinzuzufgen. Was mir nicht ganz optimal gefllt ist, dass die CD’s im Buch mit eingebunden sind. Jede CD hat seine eigene Seite aus Pappe. Das Buch wird dadurch knstlich verdoppelt und das Gewicht ebenfalls. Die Handhabung ist sehr klobig. An sich ein super Buch. Sinnvoller wre es gewesen, wie es andere Knstler in hnlichen Boxen praktiziert haben, die CD’s in einem eigenen Buch unterzubringen. Mehr Platz htte man dafr nicht gebraucht. Die Box ist LP hoch und passt wunderbar zu den LP’s und sonstigen Boxen hnlicher Bauart.
Die CD’s:
* CD 1 + 2: Deep Cuts
* CD 3, 4,5: Rarities 1965 – 1971
* CD 6 + 7: B-Sides 1976 – 2005
* CD 8: And This Is Me” (Songs , die Elton John in seiner Autobiografie “Me” erwhnt)
B-Sides: Die Nicht-LP-Tracks” bieten ein umfassendes, wenn auch unvollstndiges Angebot von 36 B-Seiten Songs, von denen fast die Hlfte ihr CD-Debt gibt. Dies ist das erste Mal, dass diese Studio-B-Seiten im digitalen Bereich zusammengestellt wurden.
Auf Vinyl gibt es folgende Formate, die in vier Kategorien unterteilt sind:
* 9 LP Box Set – Enthlt alle 3 nachfolgend genannten, einzelnen LP-Verffentlichungen – Deep Cuts, Rarities & B-Sides und And This Is Me”
o 4 LP Deep Cuts – ist eine Auswahl persnlicher Favoriten, kuratiert von Elton John (entspricht allen 31 Songs der beiden DEEP CUTS CD’s.)
o 3 LP Rarities & B-Sides – Rarities (65-71): Enthlt Demos / Musik, die die legendre John-Taupin-Schreibpartnerschaft festigten (40 Tracks). Enthlt einige groartige Songs, die nie auf CD verffentlicht wurden. B-Seiten (1976-2005). Die 40 Songs teilen sich auf 35 RARITIES und 5 B-SIDES.
Eine Auflistung der Songs dieses 3LP Sets ist am Ende der Rezi hinzugefgt
o 2 LP – And This Is Me” – Fllt mit der Verffentlichung der aktualisierten Taschenbuchausgabe von “Me”, Eltons Autobiografie, zusammen. Ein zustzliches Kapitel wurde seit seiner ursprnglichen Verffentlichung hinzugefgt. Diese 2LP-Sammlung (16 Titel) feiert die Songs, die Elton in seinem Buch erwhnt hat.
Nach dem Memoiren und der Filmbiografie Rocketman” (ebenfalls 2019) ist JEWEL BOX der dritte Hinweis” auf ein mgliches Karriereende. Zumindest scheint es Elton John sehr wichtig zu sein zu Lebzeiten noch alles in trockene Tcher zu bringen und seinen zahlreichen Fans seine Geschichte zu erzhlen und die unverffentlichte Musik rauszuhauen. Dabei macht er, neben dem starken Film, seinen Job mal wieder auergewhnlich gut und zeigt vielen seiner Mchtegern-Box” Kollegen wie Box richtig geht. Das ist mal ein ordentlicher Kracher. Einzig der Preis ist fr mich etwas zu hoch aber gerade noch akzeptabel. Angesichts der Masse an unbekanntem Material ist das aber auch irgendwo nachvollziehbar und vertretbar.
Alles in allem eine sensationelle, hammerstarke und phnomenale Box
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Nachtrag 17.11.20:
Der mp3 Download kostet auf Amazon 65,79. Signifikant gnstiger ist der reine Download nicht wirklich. Da lohnt sich die Box dann doch.
Nachtrag Ende.
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Hier noch ein paar Hintergrundinfos:
Sir Elton John hat insgesamt 30 Studio-Alben, 4 Live-Alben, 7 Soundtrack-Alben, 16 Kompilationen und 3 Extended Plays sowie 2 weitere Alben verffentlicht. Hinzu kommen noch Verffentlichungen aus diversen Projekten.
Er hat mehr als fnfzig Top 40-Hits in der UK Singles Chart und US Billboard Hot 100, darunter sieben Nummer Eins in Grobritannien und neun in den USA sowie sieben aufeinanderfolgende Nummer Eins-Alben in den USA.
Elton John soll zwischen 350 bis 450 Millionen Tontrger weltweit verkauft haben, davon knapp 28 Mio. alleine in seiner Heimat. Damit ist Elton John unter den weltweit Top Five der Knstler mit den am meisten verkauften Alben.
Die erfolgreichste Verffentlichung von Elton John ist die Single Candle in the Wind” (1997). Das Original stammt von 1973, ursprnglich Marilyn Monroe gewidmet. Nach dem Tod von Prinzessin Diana im Gedenken an sie umgetextet; mit ber 37 Millionen verkauften Exemplaren ist es eine der erfolgreichsten Singles aller Zeiten.
Das erfolgreichste Album ist Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (1973), das weltweit mehr als 30 Millionen Mal verkauft wurde.
Elton John ist mit ber 9,5 Millionen verkauften Alben einer der Interpreten mit den meisten verkauften Tontrgern in Deutschland.
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Nachtrag 15.12.20:
Das 3 LP Set RARITIES & B-SIDE enthlt eine Auswahl von 41 der 101 Songs aus den 5 CD’s der RARITIES & B-Sides. Die Songs sind (in Klammern auf welcher CD und an welcher Stelle zu finden):
LP1
Come Back Baby (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 1)
Scarecrow (Piano/Tambourine Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 2)
A Dandelion Dies In The Wind (Piano Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 3)
Velvet Fountain (Piano Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 4)
Get Out Of This Town (Piano/Tambourine Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 13)
Countryside Love Affair (Piano Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 9)
The Witch’s House (Piano Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 12)
Year Of The Teddy Bear (Piano Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 14)
A Little Love Goes A Long Way (Piano Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 6)
Mr. Lightning Strikerman (Piano Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 8)
I Could Never Fall In Love With Anybody Else (Piano Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 10)
I Get A Little Bit Lonely (Piano Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 11)
Nina (Band Version) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 17)
Angel Tree (Piano/Guitar/Tambourine Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 18)
Here’s To The Next Time (Piano/Tambourine Demo) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 19)
LP2
Watching The Planes Go By (Band Version) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 21)
When The First Tear Shows (Arranged Band Version) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 22)
Tartan Coloured Lady (Arranged Band Version) (CD3 RARITIES 1968-1968 – Song 23)
When I Was Tealby Abbey (Piano Demo) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 7)
Turn To Me (Arranged Band Version) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 3)
And The Clock Goes Round (Piano Demo) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 6)
I Can’t Go On Living Without You (Arranged Band Version) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 5)
Regimental Sgt. Zippo (Band Version) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 11)
Cry Willow Cry (Band Demo) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 12)
Skyline Pigeon (Piano Demo) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 15)
Two Of A Kind (Arranged Band Version) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 16)
The Girl On Angel Pavement (Arranged Band Version) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 17)
Smokestack Children (Arranged Band Version) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 18)
There’s Still Time For Me (Piano/Guitar/Tambourine Demo) (CD4 RARITIES 1968 – Song 23)
LP3
The Tide Will Turn For Rebecca (Piano Demo) (CD5 RARITIES 1968-1971 – Song 1)
Taking The Sun From My Eyes (Arranged Band Version) (CD5 RARITIES 1968-1971 – Song 4)
Sing Me No Sad Songs (Band Demo) (CD5 RARITIES 1968-1971 – Song 6)
Rolling Western Union (Piano Demo) (CD5 RARITIES 1968-1971 – Song 12)
Amoreena (Piano Demo) (CD5 RARITIES 1968-1971 – Song 14)
Madman Across The Water (Piano Demo) (CD5 RARITIES 1968-1971 – Song 17)
Snow Queen (CD6 B-Sides 1976-1984 – Song 1)
The Retreat(CD6 B-Sides 1976-1984 – Song 17)
Billy And The Kids(CD7 B-Sides 1984-2005 – Song 3)
Medicine Man(CD6 B-Sides 1976-1984 – Song 6)
Peter’s Song(CD6 B-Sides 1976-1984 – Song 16)
Die LP’s wurden also um einige Songs der RARITIES & B-SIDES gekrzt, was ich sehr schade finde. Da wre es besser gewesen statt DEEP CUTS (die Songs kennt eh schon jeder und hat auch jeder wohl in seiner Sammlung) die RARITIES und B-SIDES komplett auf Vinyl zu bringen.
Whilst rip the dics to CD to play on my MP3 player, Go to discs 5 6 and 8, and low and behold the CD info was all in Chinese!!, so had to import all track info by hand. Not very good at all.
What did I expect for 92!!.
Nevertheless, was still a great buy..
Wonder if anyone else has same problem.