Elton John - 11.17.70 (1971)

I've known about this album for years, but it was still shocking when I finally got to listen to it. This is a live album recorded by Elton John, and it completely rocks! And I mean that in the literal sense. Listen to this album, and you can hear the sweat accumulating on his forehead as he's working up those Jerry-Lee-Lewis-inspired piano acrobatics and singing his heart out. More amazingly is the very limited band he's using. There's no lead guitar. There's just him, a piano, a drummer, a bass guitarist, back-up singers and about 125 lucky-as-hell people in the audience.

This live performance was taken from a radio broadcast (three guesses as to the date this was recorded), which is why the sound quality is unusually clear. Most live albums sound murky and/or are downed out by thousands of mad cheering fans, but this one is pure quality. This was also recorded a few years before Elton John became a massive superstar (especially for his ballads), which is why this was unusually rockin'. (And I mean that it's rockin' ... you can tell how serious I am because I'm dropping the 'g.') You see, in 1970, nobody was expecting him to play “Candle in the Wind,” because he didn't write it yet. Elton John could pretty much get away with whatever he wanted, because there were no expectations, and he wanted to rock.

I think just mentioning the fact that Elton John did a completely awesome cover of The Rolling Stones' “Honky Tonk Woman” might give you an idea of how rockin' this album is. I can't describe how mean his piano pounding sounds in that track, because it's impossible. You'll have to listen to it. It's like his piano owes him rent, and Elton John is really broke so he's trying to beat the money out of it. (Sorry. That's the best I could do.) This version of “Take Me to the Pilot” completely blows away the original on Elton John. And you probably thought that it couldn't get anymore rockin'! Sure, we could have used some blues guitar in that one, but I haven't heard anything so pure as Elton singing as passionately as he can with just his piano... which of course is his instrument. Excuse the Hallmark-corniness, but the piano is the window to his soul, right?

Perhaps the most amazing song on here is the closing one, an eighteen-minute medley of “Burn Down the Mission” (the best song from Tumbleweed Connection), “My Baby Left Me” (and old blues tune) and “Get Back” (by The Beatles!). There's a whole heck of a lot of piano improvisation in the middle of that, and it's incredibly dazzling watching him do this. This dude was probably better at that than any of his peers. (I wouldn't really know that, but I can assume that his peers were impressed.) “Sixty Years On” is an amazingly soul-bearing ballad that is so better than the original version that you'll cry. The beginning is incredibly gorgeous, and proves once and for all that the only musical instrumental he needed was his piano. But the drums and bass guitar certainly help later on when they treat us to a real fireworks show! ...REALLY, YA GOTTA HEAR IT!

The CD release of this album is different than the original vinyl release. The CD release reordered the tracks so that they were played in order that they were actually broadcast. (I assume that the limitations of vinyl forced them to reorder the tracks to get everything to fit right.) They added an extra song to the CD, “Amoreena,” which is great to hear, though not really the highlight of the album. “Bad Side of the Moon” is the opener, which was originally a B-side... It's the first song he performed. Exciting, sure, but he was just warming up!! “Can I Put You On” is a song taken from a film soundtrack that Elton John did called Friends. I just became aware of that album's existence, and I haven't heard anything from it! (Holy crap, there's an early '70s Elton John album I haven't heard? ... How could I have missed it?) Judging by that song there, the album is more pure-Elton-John waiting for me to experience!

Even though most people know and love Elton John for his big radio hits and sentimental ballads, you cannot go another second without hearing him at work in this massively entertaining live album. There might have only been 125 people in the audience, but I guarantee that none of them left the building still wearing their socks.

TRACKS

Bad Side of the Moon B+

There's someone with a deep voice who introduces Elton John. This was a radio show, and only 125 lucky people got to listen in the audience! They give a clap, and he starts to play this little-known song that never appeared on one of his regular albums. (Nowadays, you can find it on the bonus tracks of Elton John.) He gives an incredibly soulful performance just playing his piano as boldly as he humanly could... which was pretty bold. For this album, Elton John mostly chose his more rockin' songs to play, so it you're not dancing around a bit while you're listening to this, then there's something wrong.

Amoreena A-

Tumbleweed Connection hadn't been released in the USA at this point, so I guess Elton wanted to give everyone a preview! (Although, this wasn't included in the original vinyl pressing of the album... for some weird reason.) This also seems a little more energetic than the original version, but not much. Of course, it's great hearing this song again!

Take Me to the Pilot A

Did it ever occur to you that all Elton John might need is the piano, drums, bass guitar, back-up singers and his incredibly energetic voice? ... Well, probably not, but listening to this bare-bones live cut, that's all we have ... and that's all we need. (Though it might have been cool to hear Caleb Quaye who has proved to be a great guitarist... but I gotta say that it's pretty interesting without him.) He's giving the most soulful performance that his voice could possibly allow (which was a lot of soul), and he plays his heart out of that piano.

Sixty Years On A

Well, this is much better than the version I remember hearing from Elton John, amazingly. This is a seven-minute version, too, and I'm usually not someone who prefers lengthy versions of songs that should have been shorter. But anyway, this thing is great. It starts out with some sentimental piano twinkling, and it's gorgeous. There are short bouts of dramatic, violent and energetic crescendos, which are done much more notably than the original version, which I thought was on the boring side. Elton John and the drummer sound like they're having fun battling out... and it's a wonderful song!

Honky Tonk Woman A

It wasn't a secret that one of Elton John's early influences was The Rolling Stones... and here is MORE proof. This starts out a cappella... you only have to really like a song to give it such treatment. But it isn't long until Elton starts giving us some of the meanest piano playing and singing that he's ever done... and then there's some really awesome bass guitar going on. Anyone who is a rock 'n' roll fan shouldn't go in life too much longer before hearing this energetic, passionate cover song.

Can I Put You On A-

I was wondering about this song. It's from an album he cut called Friends, which is so obscure that I haven't heard it! I really need to, though, because Elton John was unstoppable in these early years. (I don't think the album itself is available to purchase, but you can find the whole thing on Rare Masters. I'll probably get around to reviewing it.) Well, this is a really good rocker... It's as tuneful as anything on Tumbleweed Connection, and Elton John sings it incredibly passionately. ...You can believe almost anything with a vocal performance like that!

Burn Down the Mission/My Baby Left Me/Get Back A

This track is 18 minutes long!!! Just to prove what an incredible mass of energy was at the time, he manages to keep this thing completely entertaining the whole time. He plays the best song from Tumbleweed Connection, which was an exciting thing to begin with. I can't say this version is better that the studio one, but it's still more energetic, and he's pounding away at his piano just like Jerry Lee Lewis. He goes on this incredible piano solo in the middle of it, which is an utter necessity to see how much the dude could rock out with it. He eventually brings it to a cover of an old blues song, which I'm not familiar with, but he gives it an incredibly energetic performance not too far removed from the awesomeness level of Elvis Presley. His piano playing especiallyverrrry long coda. The crowd is going wild, of course.