Half a century after it shot to the top of the American charts, Elton John‘s Rock of the Westies is getting an anniversary makeover. A 50th anniversary edition of the 1975 album will be released on November 20 through Universal, featuring previously unheard piano and vocal versions drawn from the original sessions.
The first preview, a stripped-down “Street Kids,” is already out. Rather than new recordings or demos, these versions isolate John’s voice and piano from the album tapes, leaving the full band out entirely. In comments shared with the announcement, John said he revisited the whole record this year in that format and was struck by the precision of the playing, singling out the long, unbroken piano riff on “Street Kids.” He also called it the most genuine rock and roll album he has made.
A new band and a blockbuster year
Rock of the Westies, John’s 10th studio album, appeared in October 1975, less than five months after Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. It was cut at Caribou Ranch in Colorado with longtime producer Gus Dudgeon and introduced a reshaped lineup: guitarist Davey Johnstone and percussionist Ray Cooper stayed on, joined by bassist Kenny Passarelli, drummer Roger Pope, keyboardist James Newton Howard and guitarist Caleb Quaye. The new group headlined Wembley Stadium before heading into the studio.
The record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, holding the spot for three weeks and extending John’s run of consecutive US chart-topping albums, while “Island Girl” spent three weeks atop the Hot 100. In the UK, the album reached No. 5.
Formats
The 2LP edition comes on sea blue and electric blue vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with a 16-page booklet, while the 2CD digipak includes a 24-page booklet with new liner notes and archival photos. Both pair the original album with piano and vocal versions of the whole track list; the CD uses the 2017 remaster, which also reaches streaming services for the first time. A limited single LP on tri-color vinyl is available only through John’s official store. SuperDeluxeEdition reports that no Dolby Atmos mix was made for this campaign.
Image credit: Buda Mendes/Getty Images, via 95.7 BEN FM.
Source: 95.7 BEN FM