Tripping the Live Captain Fantastic

Elton John is by far one of my all-time favorite artists. Sure, many know him as the guy who wrote the music for “The Lion King” or being the artist who struck gold twice with “Candle in the Wind” (once about Marilyn Monroe and even more successfully about Princess Di), but a lot of people tend to forget what a powerhouse he has been live. Here are some of my favorite Elton live recordings, many of them rare performances quite hard to find nowadays…

1. Elton John, “Take Me to the Pilot” (Live from the 11-17-70 album)
   1970 was the year that Elton descended upon the United States…and when he arrived, he arrived big. Many of his first concerts consisted of a simple piano, bass, and drums lineup. (Sound a bit familiar, Ben Folds Five fans?) The late Dee Murray was on the bass while Nigel Olsson hit the skins. This track is a live version of the classic song from the “Elton John” album and it proves that even without the Paul Buckmaster-arranged orchestral backing, this tune packs a wallop.
2. Elton John, “Holiday Inn” (Live from Songs for Saturday)
   This 1971 recording is from a music program that aired on the BBC. Again, the lineup was just Elton, Dee, and Nigel and this time the trio previewed some tracks from then-forthcoming “Madman Across the Water” album. This particular performance is notable in that it includes an extra verse that was dropped from the final version of the song.
3. Elton John, “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” (From the Walls and Bridges remaster)
   This legendary performance is from Elton’s Thanksgiving concert at Madison Square Garden in 1974. By this time the lineup had grown to include Davey Johsntone on guitar and Ray Cooper on percussion…in my opinion, the best lineup for Elton’s band. However, this evening was even more notable in the special guest that joined them…John Lennon. Lennon hadn’t performed live in years. Now, the story goes that Elton bet Lennon that “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” would hit #1 on the chart. Lennon said it wouldn’t, but that if it did, he’d perform live with Elton. Sure enough, the song gave Lennon his next-to-last #1 hit. Sure, the performance wasn’t the most polished, but you can definitely feel the magic here. Sadly, this proved to be Lennon’s last live performance.
4. Elton John, “Part-time Love” (Live in Moscow - 1979)
   The year is 1979 and Elton hadn’t hit the top of the charts are frequently as he did in the past. His previous album “A Single Man” charted lower than any of his previous studio album leading this very minor Top 40 single in the US. This recording is from a historic tour he did in the Soviet Union. It was just him on the piano and Ray Cooper on percussion. With the two of them on the stage, it led to some unique arrangements of Elton’s songs. “Part-Time Love” is one of my favorite forgotten gems of Elton and this performance in spite of the sparse arrangement still does it justice.
5. Elton John, “Cold as Christmas” (Live in Australia - 1986)
   Elton’s 1986 Australian tour with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra proved to be one of his most ambitious and also one of his toughest. Throughout the tour he was set back by vocal troubles - ultimately, nodules were discovered on his vocal chords leading to surgery that left his vocal range permanently lowered. This rare live performance of the “Too Low for Zero” ballad was left off of the CD release of the concert, but thanks to a little research I was able to track down a recording. This recording incorporates an orchestral arrangement that wasn’t used in the 1983 studio version but finally came to life courtesy of this tour.
6. Elton John, “Elton’s Song” (Live at Madison Square Garden - 1999)
   This later recording by Elton is just him on the piano. The song is from the much-forgotten “The Fox” album from 1981. While uneven, the album sported a few great tunes including this one about a young boy’s hardship dealing with crush on a male classmate. Elton’s later-era voice gives the song an extra bit of gravitas that wasn’t present on the original recording.
7. Elton John, “Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)” (Live at Central Park - 1980)
   1980 was a bit of a comeback for Elton with his summer Top 3 hit, “Little Jeannie.” This recording here capped of the infamous Central Park concert that continued the winning streak for Elton in ‘80. It’s a bit of a fluffy song but one of my faves from the “Blue Moves” album. Not quite the huge hit that it should have been when it was originally release in 1977, but it’s a great closer. And by the way, to get the full effect of this…picture this being sung by Elton dressed in a Donald Duck costume… yes… seriously… there are clips on Youtube of it…

Download: Elton John, “Take Me to the Pilot” (mp3)
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Download: Elton John, “Holiday Inn” (mp3)
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Download: Elton John, “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Elton John, “Part-time Love” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Elton John, “Cold as Christmas” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Elton John, “Elton’s Song” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Elton John, “Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)