11-17-70 - Elton John

Personnel includes: Elton John (vocals, piano); Dee Murray (bass); Nigel Olsson (drums). Recorded live at A&R Recording Studios, New York, New York on November 17, 1970 for a live radio broadcast on WABC-FM, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by John Tobler. Digitally remastered by Tony Cousins (Metropolis Mastering, London, England). Recorded live on WABC-FM, 11-17-70 would become the fourth of John's records to simultaneously land in the Top 10, making him the first act to do so since The Beatles. Drawing mostly from his self-titled second album, John's set included a sweeping "Sixty Years On," a gospel-soaked reading of "Take Me To The Pilot" and a funked-up "Honky Tonk Women." Dee Murray and Nigel Olson's background vocals and solid rhythmic support on songs such as "Bad Side Of The Moon" and "Can I Put You On" made this a particularly potent trio that would set the stage for such groups as Ben Folds Five 25 years later. The centerpiece of this show was a roof-raising, 20-minute version of "Burn Down The Mission" that found John throwing in covers of Arthur Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" and The Beatles' "Get Back."

• Genre: Pop
• Released: 05/14/1996
• Format: CD