Elton John Music:

Live in Australia Track Listing:
1. Sixty Years On
2. I Need You to Turn To
3. The Greatest Discovery
4. Tonight
5. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
6. The King Must Die
7. Take Me to the Pilot
8. Tiny Dancer
9. Have Mercy on the Criminal
10. Madman Across the Water
11. Candle in the Wind
12. Burn Down the Mission
13. Your Song
14. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

Live in Australia Reviews:
It should not work but it is a masterpiece..
2008-06-01 - Why should it not work? Well,considering the not so great quality of the albums he released during this period; BREAKING HEARTS, ICE ON FIRE, LEATHER JACKETS and REG STRIKES BACK, the mid-eighties were a period of Elton John's music that I am not fond of at all.

Also at this time Elton got married either as a publicity stunt or to allay any suspicion of being gay. He was alo trying to kick a drug habit as well a finally ending a soured recording contract with David Geffen. And on top of all this his voice was overworked and almost completely shot.

So out of all this he makes a live album in 1986 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and makes in my opinion one of the best live albums I have ever heard. Conduted by James newton Howard, it allows Elton sing songs not normally heard live. Only four of the fourteen tracks were singles and he delved into his early albums and sang quite a few lesser known songs. In fact none of his songs from 1977 through 1986 were included. Also the first four tracks are Elton with only the orchestra and the band do not make an appearance until Track #5 (SORRY SEEMS...)

But I think what makes the album so special is that he was certainly going through a very rough time (again!). And the rasping, rough vocal only adds to the appeal.

Track listing is given at the end and there is no real need to analyse the songs in detail. But in most cases, they are ideal for a full orchestra accompaniment. The only song without orchestra is CANDLE IN THE WIND, much more restrained and in my view, much better than the studio version.

However it is just wondeful to hear songs like MADMAN ACCROSS THE WATER, SIXTY YEARS ON, THE KING MUST DIE, THE GREATEST DISCOVERY, BURN DOWN THE MISSION get the full treatment.
One of the best tracks is TAKE ME TO THE PILOT. It stands out even more as it is the only fast-paced song on the album. Maybe one or two more fast songs would have helped vary the tempo but overall i do not care as the album is very rewarding anyway.

Some tracks are over the top. HAVE MERCY ON THE CRIMINAL was always way too bombastic for me and unfortunately his raspy vocal gets swamped by the orchestra. TONIGHT sounds too much like cheesy Gershwin and the orchestra is too loud for the sad, yet tender lyric. The album version on BLUE MOVESis much better as it is more understated. YOUR SONG is also better on the studio version with its subdued strings.

But it is a very unique live album and it is not a rehashed Greatest Hits Live. If you only know EJ for the hits, go discover these great early songs with great melody and great lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It ranks up there with Elton John' best albums. Just be prepared for the rasping hoarse vocals.

1. Sixty years on (5.08)
2. I need you to turn to (2.34)
3. The greatest discovery (3.48)
4. Tonight (7.26)
5. Sorry seems to be the hardest word (3.30)
6. The king must die (4.58)
7. Take me to the pilot (3.54)
8. Tiny dancer (6.06)
9. Have mercy on the criminal (5.28)
10. Madman across the water (6.20)
11. Candle in the wind (3.46)
12. Burn down the mission (5.27)
13. Your song (3.48)
14. Don't let the sun go down on me (5.28)

Maybe not his best, but pretty damn good!
2008-04-22 - A few posts have correctly pointed out that we're only getting about half the concert here, but the tracks that Gus pulled for the half we did get are spectacular. While Elton's voice isn't at its best - he was indeed headed for throat surgery just after New Year's in 1987 - there's an emotion to them that's tangible. At this point, had the surgery been unsuccessful, we may never have heard him sing in public again, and that would have negated huge chunks of the wonderful works he managed to issue during the years since, including his last few albums. On songs like "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," one can almost hear him singing a prayer, if you will, that the sun won't set on his ability to entertain, something which he dearly loves. Gus said in later interviews that if you think this performance is rough, some of the earlier shows on the tour were downright scary. In fact, Elton's voice is its best of the entire tour on the night they went live and recorded the album! How's that for divine intervention???!!!

His voice not withstanding, this is a magnificently produced and mixed album, and that it didn't win a Grammy for best engineered recording is mind boggling. Gus managed to get a 13 piece rock band and 88 piece symphony orchestra into gorgeous form, and even if the song sequence is a bit out of order, who cares! This is Elton at his biggest, most over the top on record and he pulls it off famously.

A showman to the last, you don't need to see him to hear how big the show is, and the remastered recording is sonically HUGE! Only a surround, Deluxe Edition version would be better, but for now, in regular stereo, this is a great album. I won't compare it to "11-17-70" or "Here and There," since those are different recordings from a different time.

Historically speaking, though, looking back on his career, "Live in Australia," the last big hoorah for the "old" Elton John before he retired the costumes, glasses and platforms for good, is simply a must have for Elton purists and die hards, if you just like a great recording by a great musician and songsmith, this one's got to be in your library.

Elton's Classics Revisited
2007-06-29 - Elton's Geffen Records contract had run its course and his old home, MCA, made him an offer he couldn't refuse. MCA also wanted to bring Elton back into prominence, to regain the respect and sales he'd accumulated in the 70's. How better to do that, then, than to revisit those early songs in a live context? Better yet, Elton enlisted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and James Newton Howard to create a televised extravaganza with eyes towards a live album. The set list leaned heavily towards the early years (nearly half the "Elton John" album is here) and tapping some underrated songs like "Tonight" from "Blue Moves" and "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player's" "Have Mercy On The Criminal."

The orchestration is magnificent, utilizing the original Paul Buckmaster and James Newton Howard arrangements, and on CD they are absolutely majestic. Elton made one of his last forays into costume drama, showing up in full Mozart gear and powdered wig. "Live In Australia" even paved the way for "Candle In The Wind" to finally become an American hit, hitting number 6 in 1987. It is a gorgeous album, lush in sound and giving justification to all claims of the brilliance of Elton and Bernie's songwriting.

Only one problem: Elton's voice was almost shot. He was mere weeks away from major, voice threatening throat surgery and the roughness on his vocal chords shows. He can't sustain the highs and his falsetto is gone. On some of the songs, he makes up for it admirably. In fact, he sounds really good on the songs where range isn't a major requirement (like the dramatic "The King Must Die" or "Take Me To The Pilot"), but the ballads occasionally show the frayed spots (like "Tonight," where the orchestration is very Gershwinesque, or "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"). Had it not been for those moments where Elton's voice betrays him, this could have been a five-star definitive work, on a par with "Procol Harum Live: In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra." While "Live In Australia" is still pretty darn good, the definitive live Elton remains the remastered "Here and There."

Tops in my Elton collection!
2006-10-29 - If I could only have one Elton John album (a fate nearly as bad as death for me!), it would be this one. I absolutely love the symphony with him, and I think the journey through his older songs is well warranted. This album introduced me to his older music and inspired me to buy several of his early albums. I've seen reviews that knock it because Elton's voice is rough, but that doesn't detract from it at all. Rather, I admire his courage and determination to go out and perform when he was feeling far from his best.

My only negative - I have the "original" CD version, not the remastered release, and the sound is very low and erratic. I haven't bought the remastered edition yet - I've been holding out hope for an expanded, remastered CD. When his other albums were remastered and re-released, extra tracks were added. I can't understand why this one has never gotten deluxe treatment - this is only about half the concert. I'm not sure, but I think the video of it had the complete concert.

Definitely a hidden gem!

Fans can never be objective...
2006-05-05 - From the OBJECTIVE reviewer...Elton has never been good in concert because he isn't able to put a new spin on his music when played live and when it doesn't have the lush production it falls flat. Kudos for employing a symphony, but it still doesn't make it memorable.