"Cold as Christmas", "Carla/Etude" and "Slow Rivers" were left off the live album because Geffen owned the rights to the songs and this was Elton's first release for MCA after leaving Geffen. While it's true that this would only have affected the US amd Canadian releases, the set had to be paired down to fit onto 2 LPs or 1 CD anyway.
This Town from this show is on youtube. Search for Elton John - Live in Sydney (December 14, 1986) This Town starts at 01:04:48 All VHS quality, but the whole thing. Does it not get an album rating, as based on the selection of the songs chosen for release in this format, and the quality of the performance? What would you have chosen instead - lets say limited to 14 tracks, would you have made any changes? Watch the whole show in the above vid and see. If there was a second CD, perhaps a little bonus one, for the first half of the show, what would you have picked for a 5 track EP or something? You could similarly rate the earlier Best of Albums in the same way, as based on the selection.
Hi John, as I start watching this I just firstly have to correct you on the pronunciation of our cities. I hope you don’t mind (good line for a song). Melbourne is just Melbin and Brisbane is Brisbin where the Tour de Force premiered. I had a raw audio tape of the complete 3 and a half hour show from Funeral for a Friend/One Horse Town to Saturday Nights Alright for Fightin’ including all dialogue. I also saw the concert 3 times in different states. 2 weeks later he had surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst, a 10 minute walk from the Sebel Townhouse where he used to stay when he was in Sydney. I’ve looked over the years for anyone else, solo artist or band, who has travelled with a full orchestra and band and I haven’t found any. There are several single shows but there are no extensive tours that I’ve found. If you’re interested, here’s the link to the (almost) full concert. th-cam.com/video/P5IwEQDjZcc/w-d-xo.html And again, if you’re interested, the documentary that played on the ABC before the concert was simulcast on the ABC and FM radio. th-cam.com/video/Pt0cnko0oHs/w-d-xo.html It is my absolute favourite concert of all time of any artist I’ve seen and my favourite of Elton’s. The vocal, as you alluded to, gives each and every song a powerful new depth audibly and, more particularly, in meaning.
Sorry to be slow catching up on this. I will look at both of those links. Apologies for my pronunciation of Australian cities! You are so lucky to have seen this series of concerts. I've recently bought the CD version of the concert as the vinyl is not the greatest recording in playback.
Hi John! First I ' ve bought the two WHS of that incredibile concert . One with the band, one with the 88 Melbourne sinphony orchestra musicians, plus the band!! Than the double vinile!! A little low recorded, I use to watch to the video! I like to see Elton playing! All the songs were great, great piano, great voice at the end of its " part one"" !!! Thank's a lot for the video!!
Thanks John, your vid encouraged me to search for the concert on u tube and I wasn't disappointed.. The orchestral numbers were great and I thought "Have Mercy On The Criminal" was outstanding.
I've always quite liked the orchestral shows, including that much earlier one at the Royal Festival Hall, 1972. I felt quite short changed with the televised Royal Opera House performance in 2002 - that was really good, but all cut down to an hour. Same with the Radio City show 2004, of which there's about an hour and a half on TH-cam. I saw him do the same concert at the NEC in Birmingham. A little oddity when I went, in that he performed Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting twice for some reason, and then I later found myself irritated to find that he played Freaks in Love when he took the show to the states. Of course in those days it wasn't so easy to find these things on the internet to watch or listen to. I remember being quite miffed about him not giving that to us lot in the UK. While I'm at it, I was livid upon seeing him in the UK for the Union tour, upon reaching the UK Elton reducing the new songs in the set from 6 to 3, but that's an unrelated gripe, other than feeling short changed again in the UK. 🤣🤣
I would like to have heard him doing Freaks in Love - in fact ANY deeper cuts. I don't want to hear the greatest hits set anymore. Shame about The Union tour. I would have been happy for him to play through the whole album.
Hate to admit this but.............went to the Melbourne concert with fiancé now wife. At the time I wasn't an Elton fan so sadly during the Symphony part. I fell asleep zzzzzzzzz. Ok I confess. I now have about 8 Elton cds, does this free me of this crime ?
A sensational concert recording John. Definitely well worth checking out and adding to your Elton John collection .
Do you mean the CD version? Is it better than the vinyl in sound quality?
"Cold as Christmas", "Carla/Etude" and "Slow Rivers" were left off the live album because Geffen owned the rights to the songs and this was Elton's first release for MCA after leaving Geffen. While it's true that this would only have affected the US amd Canadian releases, the set had to be paired down to fit onto 2 LPs or 1 CD anyway.
This Town from this show is on youtube.
Search for Elton John - Live in Sydney (December 14, 1986) This Town starts at 01:04:48
All VHS quality, but the whole thing.
Does it not get an album rating, as based on the selection of the songs chosen for release in this format, and the quality of the performance? What would you have chosen instead - lets say limited to 14 tracks, would you have made any changes? Watch the whole show in the above vid and see. If there was a second CD, perhaps a little bonus one, for the first half of the show, what would you have picked for a 5 track EP or something? You could similarly rate the earlier Best of Albums in the same way, as based on the selection.
Hi John, as I start watching this I just firstly have to correct you on the pronunciation of our cities. I hope you don’t mind (good line for a song).
Melbourne is just Melbin and Brisbane is Brisbin where the Tour de Force premiered. I had a raw audio tape of the complete 3 and a half hour show from Funeral for a Friend/One Horse Town to Saturday Nights Alright for Fightin’ including all dialogue. I also saw the concert 3 times in different states.
2 weeks later he had surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst, a 10 minute walk from the Sebel Townhouse where he used to stay when he was in Sydney.
I’ve looked over the years for anyone else, solo artist or band, who has travelled with a full orchestra and band and I haven’t found any. There are several single shows but there are no extensive tours that I’ve found.
If you’re interested, here’s the link to the (almost) full concert.
th-cam.com/video/P5IwEQDjZcc/w-d-xo.html
And again, if you’re interested, the documentary that played on the ABC before the concert was simulcast on the ABC and FM radio.
th-cam.com/video/Pt0cnko0oHs/w-d-xo.html
It is my absolute favourite concert of all time of any artist I’ve seen and my favourite of Elton’s. The vocal, as you alluded to, gives each and every song a powerful new depth audibly and, more particularly, in meaning.
Sorry to be slow catching up on this. I will look at both of those links. Apologies for my pronunciation of Australian cities! You are so lucky to have seen this series of concerts. I've recently bought the CD version of the concert as the vinyl is not the greatest recording in playback.
Hi John! First I ' ve bought the two WHS of that incredibile concert . One with the band, one with the 88 Melbourne sinphony orchestra musicians, plus the band!! Than the double vinile!! A little low recorded, I use to watch to the video! I like to see Elton playing! All the songs were great, great piano, great voice at the end of its " part one"" !!! Thank's a lot for the video!!
Thanks. An interesting concert of two very different halves. I wonder why he went for the band in the first half and the orchestra in the second??
His voice was shot but it’s a great album. Good choice of material.
Thanks John, your vid encouraged me to search for the concert on u tube and I wasn't disappointed.. The orchestral numbers were great and I thought "Have Mercy On The Criminal" was outstanding.
That's a great version, made for the big stage. Fantastic story song.
I've always quite liked the orchestral shows, including that much earlier one at the Royal Festival Hall, 1972. I felt quite short changed with the televised Royal Opera House performance in 2002 - that was really good, but all cut down to an hour. Same with the Radio City show 2004, of which there's about an hour and a half on TH-cam. I saw him do the same concert at the NEC in Birmingham. A little oddity when I went, in that he performed Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting twice for some reason, and then I later found myself irritated to find that he played Freaks in Love when he took the show to the states. Of course in those days it wasn't so easy to find these things on the internet to watch or listen to. I remember being quite miffed about him not giving that to us lot in the UK. While I'm at it, I was livid upon seeing him in the UK for the Union tour, upon reaching the UK Elton reducing the new songs in the set from 6 to 3, but that's an unrelated gripe, other than feeling short changed again in the UK. 🤣🤣
I would like to have heard him doing Freaks in Love - in fact ANY deeper cuts. I don't want to hear the greatest hits set anymore. Shame about The Union tour. I would have been happy for him to play through the whole album.
"Sorry seems to be the HARDEST word."
Hate to admit this but.............went to the Melbourne concert with fiancé now wife. At the time I wasn't an Elton fan so sadly during the Symphony part. I fell asleep zzzzzzzzz. Ok I confess.
I now have about 8 Elton cds, does this free me of this crime ?
What an admission! I hope you wouldn't fall asleep now. I hope you are enjoying listening to the CDs.
😂