Elton John was then touring as part of an economical trio, with Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums, and their simple power can be beheld on 11-17-70 (which was the title in America, anyway; other countries swapped the first two numbers depending on how they displayed dates there). The album presents Elton as not yet a superstar; none of the “hits” are here, save a few album tracks that some of the cooler stations had already discovered.
After “Take Me To The Pilot” seemingly opens the show, the crowd chuckles at the a cappella chorus of “Honky Tonk Women” that kicks off that cover. “Sixty Years On” is plenty somber without the strings from the album version, Nigel’s drums covering the tension well. “Can I Put You On” is rescued from the Friends soundtrack, just as “Bad Side Of The Moon” becomes more than a B-side. However, here it’s a setup for an 18-minute medley that begins with “Burn Down The Mission” and manages to find its way through “My Baby Left Me” and “Get Back”.
11-17-70 may not have been planned in a release schedule that was already filling up, but it remains an excellent sample of a time when Elton really did a lot with a little. We maintain that if not for this album, there would be no Ben Folds Five. (The eventual remaster rejigged the order slightly and added a stellar version of “Amoreena”, while a more complete recording of the show appeared as a Record Store Day exclusive on vinyl only. 17-11-70+ put the original running order on one LP, with the other songs from the show on another, including a version of “Indian Sunset” from his yet-to-be-recorded next album.)
Elton John 11-17-70 (1971)—4
1995 CD reissue: same as 1971, plus 1 extra track
2017 17-11-70+ (vinyl only): same as 1995, plus 6 extra tracks
If the original album is taken by itself, it gives the impression that Elton, Dee and Nigel took the stage balls out and hit the ground running. Listening to the complete show in sequence, however, reveals that it wasn’t quite the case. Elton opened the show with several ballads. The album picks up the concert at the point where they started rocking out, if not quite in sequence. I find this interesting, indicating that Elton still had a lot to learn about structuring and pacing a live show. He also had to learn a lot about stage banter, too. Two comments about being naked? Grow up, Elton.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, the album cuts almost all of that. It reveals that live Elton, at that point, was a very different animal than studio Elton. “Take Me to the Pilot” and “Bad Side of the Moon” are transformed by the piano playing. For me, the absolute standout is the powerhouse version of “Sixty Years On”, which blows away the studio version.
I, of course, grew up with the original American mix by Phil Ramone. I was startled when I bought the remastered CD, which standardized the UK mix worldwide. This is unfortunate, because Dudgeon added echo and reverb for NO good reason! I don’t find it as distracting as I used to, but I’d still recommend finding a used copy of a Uni/MCA LP in good shape, instead. I don’t find the omitted tracks all that necessary, and the sound will still be better than bootleg taken from the on air broadcast. This is, in any case, the first indication of why Elton became, very quickly, a legendary live performer.