17-11-70

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17-11-70
171170UK.jpg
Live album by Elton John
Released 9 April 1971
Recorded at A&R Recording Studios, New York, NY, on 17 November 1970 for a live radio broadcast on WABC-FM (later WPLJ)
Genre Rock
Length 48:25
Label Uni (US)
DJM (UK)
Producer Gus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
Friends
(1971)Friends1971		 17-11-70
(1971)		 Madman Across the Water
(1971)Madman Across the Water1971
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3.5/5 stars[1]
Rolling Stone (not rated)[2]

17-11-70 (US title 11-17-70), released in 1971, is the fifth official album release for Elton John, and his first live album.

Background

The recording was taken from a live radio broadcast on 17 November 1970, hence the album's title. The recording was originally popular among bootleggers which, according to Gus Dudgeon, eventually prompted the record label to release it as an album.[3] It has been said that the release by an eastern bootlegger of the whole 60-minute aircast rather than the 48 minutes selected by Dick James Music significantly cut into the US sales of the live album.[4] However, the entire concert was an 80-minute affair, and double-LPs containing the entire concert were more common than those containing only 60 minutes. Another contributing factor to the original album's soft sales could have been the glut of Elton John product on the market at the time. John also had in release 2 full studio albums (Elton John and Tumbleweed Connection) and a movie soundtrack (Friends) when the live LP was issued. Nonetheless, it became the fourth of John's records to simultaneously land in the Top 100, making him the first act to do so since The Beatles.

According to longtime NYC radio personality Dave Herman (who can be heard at the beginning and end of the album), Elton John cut his hand at some point during the performance, and by the end of the show, the piano keys were covered with blood.

John and his band performed 13 songs during the radio broadcast. The original album included only six of the songs; a seventh, "Amoreena," appeared as a bonus track on the album's 1996 CD reissue. The other six performances remain officially unreleased: "I Need You to Turn To", "Your Song", "Country Comfort", "Border Song", "Indian Sunset" and "My Father's Gun".

John has stated in several interviews that he believes that this recording is his best live performance. He has also cited the album as a great showcase for the musicianship of drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray. It is also the only officially released example of what John's live band sounded like prior to the arrival of guitarist Davey Johnstone, who wouldn't be a member until the release of Honky Château in 1972.

Track listing

All songs by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Take Me to the Pilot" – 6:43
  2. "Honky Tonk Women" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 4:09
  3. "Sixty Years On" – 8:05
  4. "Can I Put You On" – 6:38

Side two

  1. "Bad Side of the Moon" – 4:30
  2. Medley – 18:20

1995 Mercury and 1996 Rocket reissue

  1. "Bad Side of the Moon" – 4:57
  2. "Amoreena" – 4:54 (on 1996 reissue only)
  3. "Take Me to the Pilot" – 5:55
  4. "Sixty Years On" – 7:22
  5. "Honky Tonk Women" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 4:07
  6. "Can I Put You On" – 6:10
  7. Medley – 18:27
  • The 1996 edition changed the running order and added "Amoreena" as a bonus track. This version is also different from the earlier releases in that album producer Gus Dudgeon remixed the tracks to create a notably different sound from the original LP mixes. In addition to level changes, Dudgeon's version also added some echo and other effects not present in the earlier mixes, which has drawn mixed reactions from fans.

Full set list

  1. I Need You To Turn To
  2. Your Song
  3. Country Comfort
  4. Border Song
  5. Indian Sunset
  6. Amoreena
  7. Bad Side of the Moon
  8. Take Me to the Pilot
  9. Sixty Years On
  10. Honky Tonk Women
  11. Can I Put You On
  12. Burn Down the Mission (including My Baby Left Me & Get Back)
  13. My Father's Gun (encore)[5]

An alternate version of the setlist was presented on several 1970-1971 bootleg album issues of the concert. It presents a concert with a somewhat different flow, and although crossfades of the UNI/MCA/Mercury issues present applause where it did not occur in the original concert, the setlist as presented on these bootleg albums does seem to clear up a few problematic references in Elton's comments.

  1. I Need You to Turn To
  2. Your Song
  3. Bad Side of the Moon
  4. Country Comfort
  5. Can I Put You On
  6. Border Song
  7. Sixty Years On
  8. Indian Sunset
  9. Honky Tonk Women
  10. Amoreena
  11. Take Me to the Pilot
  12. Burn Down the Mission (including My Baby Left Me & Get Back)
  13. My Father's Gun (encore)[6]

Personnel

Production

  • Producer: Gus Dudgeon
  • Recording engineer: Phil Ramone
  • Reduction (mix) engineer (US LP): David Hentschel
  • Reduction (mix) engineer (UK LP): Clive Franks
  • Reduction (mix) engineer (Rocket reissue): Matt Howe
  • Coordination: Steve Brown, Joe Disabato
  • Design: David Larkham
  • Photography: David Larkham
  • Liner notes: Gus Dudgeon, John Tobler
  • Emcee: Dave Herman

Charts

Album

Year Chart Peak position
1971 UK Album Charts 20
1971 Billboard US Pop Albums 11
1971 Canadian RPM 100 Album Chart 10[7]

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. 17-11-70 at AllMusic. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  2. ↑ [1] Archived 28 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ cite web|url=http://www.bootlegzone.com/files.php?section=10&pub=&letter=9&sort=1&words=&first=0&filter=
  7. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.5359&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=8flu94hkg8nkt74latvtu6ttc6
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