Ditching the cracker and the barrel was a good idea, the old logo was way too busy and detailed. I'm sure wanting to be able to have it be lower resolution and printed for cheaper was the reason for the change. But by retaining a few of the distinguishing features of the original it would have been a great change.
So here is the change:
Either of these that I made it paint just now would have been far superior by retaining just the smallest additional detail!
The fact that they did a shit job is the main reason for the push back, not just change by itself. They really did a shit job. Also, I really like my version of the new logo with the barrel details, that is all it would have taken!