Alan Sculley
Special to Go Triad
For all the things that went horribly wrong in 2020, it was a good year for deluxe box sets and album reissues â all good options for Christmas gifts. Of the dozens of such sets that arrived this year, here are some recommendations.
Anthology sets
Elton John: âElton: Jewel Box.â The meat to this 8-CD set is three CDs of demos, the vast majority being unreleased songs recorded between 1965 and 1971. They illustrate the early growth of Elton and Bernie Taupin as a songwriting team.
Quite a few solo demos sound like they would have blossomed in the studio, while some full-band demos, including the trippy and catchy âRegimental Sgt. Zippo,â the horn-filled âWhen The First Tear Showsâ and the rollicking âThank You For All Your Lovingâ are well worth hearing.