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ELTON JOHN
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Paul Buckmaster
London 1972 [Super Sonic - SS2000012, 1CD]
Concertstück. Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK; February 5, 1972 (sleeve erroneously says 3 March, 1971). Fairly to very good soundboard.
gsparaco, collectorsmusicreviews.com:
Concertstück contains a 50-minute fragment of the soundboard from Elton John’s second orchestral show. The sound quality is excellent however but has edits between the various numbers to fit the broadcast. “Tiny Dancer,” which followed “Sixty Years On” is unfortunately missing from the broadcast.
John opens the concert solo. He is then joined by Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray and the debut appearance of Davey Johnstone as a member of the Elton John Band. The band is augmented by Alan Parker (guitar) and backup singers Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan and Caroline Attard. The first 14 songs of the set have yet to appear on tape and include: “Rocket Man,” “Honky Cat,” “Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters,” “Holiday Inn,” “Can I Put You On,” “The Greatest Discovery,” “Love Song,” “Mellow,” “Suzie (Dramas),” “I Think I’m Going To Kill Myself,” “Amy,” “Salvation,” “Hercules,” and “I Need You To Turn To.”
The tape picks up when John is joined by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Paul Buckmaster. Rock-classical hybrids are a mixed bag and do not work most of the time, either because the orchestra simply isn’t audible over the amplified music or because the arrangements written for the orchestra are too limited by pop sensibilities. But this must be one of the more successful collaborations simply because the orchestra is given an authentic voice in the music. Most beautiful are the use of the woodwinds and brass in the arrangment of “The Greatest Discovery.”
“Sixty Years On” is dramatic with a gorgeous interlude on violins and violas in the middle reminiscent of a Vivialdi emotional tirade. “Indian Sunset” is a bizarre collection of images of the American Indian tribes but the best performance on this disc is the long “Burn Down The Mission.” The song reaches a climax with the gospel/Pentecoastal section by the end of the song. Overall this is a good release although it would be great if someday the entire show with the John solo section and “Tiny Dancer” were to surface and be released.
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Paul John Buckmaster, who passed away on November 7, 2017 at the age of 71, was a Grammy Award-winning British artist, arranger, conductor and composer. He is best known for his orchestral collaborations with Elton John and with The Rolling Stones in the 1970s.
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Thanks to takamasa1963 for sharing the show at Dime.
Lineage:
Silver CD > WAV Exact Audio Copy > FLAC Trader’s Little Helper
Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (320 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.
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Track 01. Your Song 4:13
Track 02. Take Me To the Pilot 3:59
Track 03. The Greatest Discovery 3:41
Track 04. Sixty Years On 4:11
Track 05. The King Must Die 4:58
Track 06. Indian Sunset 7:01
Track 07. Border Song 3:21
Track 08. Madman Across The Water 6:31
Track 09. Burn Down The Mission 10:20
Track 10. Goodbye 1:57
51 mins
Click here to order Elton John releases.
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