3. Sixty Years On (Elton John - Live In Edinburgh: 9/17/1976)

For many years, I have had this concert on my hard drive, but the listens were infrequent as there are so many Elton John eras to listen to and to upload onto Youtube. I finally sat down and gave this show several full listens with this upgraded and excellent source. With the full show being featured on this excellent copy of the show, I think uploading it would be a good move! After the chaotic circus that the 1975-1976 tour was, hearing these songs with only Elton and his piano was a breath of fresh air. With the stripped down sound, the songs were treated more respectably instead of being bombarded with sound, musicians stepping all over each other, and Elton’s piano playing being subdued. This show brings the song’s raw identities back and it’s a classic case of “less is more.” While not being completely clean with his piano work and singing (nerves and alcohol being the major factors), Elton sounds inspired and enthusiastic to be playing this show with his voice being in pretty strong form for the evening. While Elton is very gusty on songs and doesn’t mind showing off embellishments, some of the results aren’t as good as they could’ve been. Things would be more consistent over the next few years as Elton would take vocal lessons from Thom Bell and really showcase his full potential as a live singer. Now… time to go through this legendary show! “Skyline Pigeon” is a pretty strong opening performance and while Elton’s nerves are apparent (the piano playing and singing isn’t completely clean in a few spots), he gets through the classic ballad without major issues. “I Need You To Turn To” sounds pretty nice with some nice vocalizations from Elton towards the end of the performance. “Sixty Years On” highlights the rawness of Elton’s pre-Thom Bell voice and his general boldness as he doesn’t hold back on the embellishments and falsettos during the outroduction section. However, the runs don’t have the same precision as they would have by 1979. “Border Song” features Elton giving a strong vocal effort and while his delivery isn’t completely clean, he sounds enthusiastic and inspired (unlike performances from the previous tour). “Daniel” is mostly a good rendition, although Elton’s intonation is a bit iffy in places. “Love Song” contains a more focused Elton compared to the last few performances with a haunting vocal delivery (which really suits the stripped down nature of the concert). “The Greatest Discovery” sounds pretty nice at this show with some great vocal cadences being used to give additional effort and emotion to the performance. “Candle In The Wind” has a couple of minor lyrical blunders, but is otherwise a good version with Elton’s tone sounding pretty clean. “Bennie And The Jets” is a spirited version with Elton throwing his voice around and not shying away from falsetto embellishments. “Rocket Man” has some nice vocals during the improvisational section which reflect Elton’s mood during the show. Concluding this section, “Tonight” makes its live debut at this concert and it’s interesting to hear this somewhat unrefined rendition. By 1977, Elton would be more comfortable singing and playing the song with the 1979 tour highlighting his prowess. “I Think I’m Going To Kill Myself” sounds great at this show with Elton’s vocals being strong and having a whimsical edge to his delivery. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” features Elton cutting loose on the piano and vocal which keeps building up until he unleashes a number of falsetto embellishments towards the end of the performance. “Better Off Dead” contains botched lyrics to start off things, but things get back on track and the overall performance is quite solid. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” also makes its live debut at this show, and things would get more refined on the live vocal side of things as some sections don’t sound fleshed out. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” is an improvement over versions from the 1975-1976 tour as Elton sounds way more inspired with a better tone to his voice. However, he throws in random embellishments that border on oversinging and the intonation isn’t always clean when attempting them. “Sweet Painted Lady” contains some strong vocals and Elton giving a spirited rendition. “Your Song” features one of the best performances of the night with Elton keeping his focus and having a very nice and sincere vocal delivery. The “Island Girl/The Bitch Is Back” medley is a bizarre combination of the two songs, but at least Elton sounds like he’s having fun with them and sings well. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” features one of Elton’s most ambitious and gutsy live performances from the decade as he sings Kiki Dee’s parts in addition to his own parts. Lastly, “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” highlights the wonderful crowd atmosphere with Elton giving his all during the performance! ENJOY!!!