Elton John - Live In Australia (1987) Album Score: 10

Elton John was such a Crocodile Dundee fan, THE hit movie of 1986, that he decided to pay a visit to those folks Down Under and give them a show. Just as I would have been, Elton John was shocked to discover that not everybody down there wears crocodile leather pants, so he figured it was safe to bring in an 80-piece orchestra to back him up. Those must have been exciting new sounds for the people of Australia considering they only play the didgeridoo.

Erm, it seems that orchestra actually came from Melbourne, so apologies. I'm misinformed as usual. I'm not too sure what led Elton John to give a major show in Melbourne, which was also recorded and released on home video, but he did! It's also interesting that he was just weeks away from having major throat surgery, which would forever alter his vocal range. There is a distinct raspy quality to his voice evidenced all throughout this disc, but he can still hit most of the notes most of the time, and it can still soar when it needs to.

The most surprising thing about this album is that it only contains material from his 1970-1976 catalogue. Even more surprising, very few of these tracks were actually hits. He reveals to the audience in between tracks that he hadn't performed many of these songs for more than a decade, which shows that this concert was something of a special event. According to the All-Music Guide (I'm not willing to do research beyond that), this was a broadcast shown all around the world! It's clearly not as essential as the two previous live albums he released, the raucous 11-17-1970 or the all-encompassing Here and There, but any Elton-John-phile would be at a loss if they didn't give this a spin.

He seems to concentrate mainly on his eponymous 1970 album, and it isn't until the 13th track until he finally performs “Your Song!” He opens the album with a lovely rendition of his slow-moving “Sixty Years On,” which sets the tone for the first half of the album; expect a lot of unexciting though pretty orchestral compositions. The second track, “I Need You to Turn To” is a song I couldn't even readily recall from Elton John, but it's very pretty. After a faithful performance of his Gershwin-esque “Tonight,” Elton John finally delivers what most the Aussies in the audience probably sat down to hear in the first place: a song that was on the radio! And it's “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.” It's not the finest of the Elton John hits, but his vocal rendition of it is so convincing that it's quite heart-wrenching.

By the seventh track, things start to get considerably more exciting with a soulful performance of a tune from Tumbleweed Connection, “Take Me to the Pilot!” I get the feeling that the reason he was concentrating on the slower songs was due to the hoarseness in his voice, but he still manages to deliver quite a vibrant performance. That's followed up with the excellent “Tiny Dancer,” which probably wasn't as widely loved in 1986 than it was after Almost Famous came out, so that doesn't exactly break with his policy to concentrate on the non-hits. It isn't until the 11th track until he obligingly performs “Candle in the Wind,” which interestingly is the only track on here to not feature the orchestra. Could it be that he was a mite sick of that song, and didn't want to practice it with the orchestra? I don't know.

However, the penultimate number is one of the best songs of his career, “Burn Down the Mission.” That's a song that sounded great when his vocals were in tip-top shape, and it sounds great when his voice is a bit gravelly. It's funny how that number tends to be the highlight of all his live albums. The final song is a terribly beautiful rendition of “Don't Let the Sun Shine Down on Me.” The orchestra lends it a totally epic feel, and he couldn't have ended the live album with a more appropriate song. Seriously, that chorus gets me to my knees no matter how many times I hear it.

All in all, this is an enjoyable live album. It's nice to hear the guy revisiting some of the lesser known tracks of his peak career as well as reliving some of his more widely loved ones. Considering his personal life was a real mess at the time and his throat badly needed surgery, it's amazing to hear the guy could still get it going in the live arena.

TRACKS

Sixty Years On A-

Well, this is quite a change from the albums that had only recently been featured on his discography. Why, this song is from 1970! When his career was just starting to peak! It's a little bit of a low-key one to begin a concert, methinks, but it's very pretty. The he doesn't even get around to playing the piano here... it's the cinematic, ultra-dramatic full orchestra all the way. Did people show up to this concert in gowns and tuxedos, or something? Do they even have gowns and tuxedos in Australia? ... Why am I picking on Australia?

I Need You to Turn To B+

He follows that up with another lovely, low-key song from that 1970 album. I was about to say that he doesn't play piano on this one, either, but I do hear it very subtly through the orchestra. The orchestra makes this quite a bit prettier than the original, which I suppose might make this album worth purchasing to the die-hard fans. Oh, and we get to hear Elton John speak at the end... He reveals that he hadn't sung some of these songs in more than a decade. OK, maybe he does perform his lame-o '80s albums to some audiences.

The Greatest Discovery B

There is a pretty dramatic use of the full orchestra at the beginning and end of this, but the rest of it most prominently features Elton singing with his piano. Yeah, this is a lovely song, as most things from that album were, but this is on the boring side of things. Seriously, stop playing stuff from Elton John if it's not going to be “Your Song!”

Tonight A-

Well, he finally got out of Elton John from the beginning of his career and moved all the way to Blue Moves, the end of the string of classic albums. That's quite a jump, but not a surprising one, since the extended introduction of the album version is certainly his most impressive orchestral composition. This doesn't come off quite as sweeping as the original version, but it's still nice to hear. The bittersweet piano ballad that comes afterward comes next, and he still had a great singing voice for this stuff. (I was noticing that there was a slightly strange hoarseness to his voice, but I read that he was about to undergo throat surgery that forever altered his vocal range ... yeesh.)

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word A-

Everybody knows this song! This is the first one on the set he performed that was even a vague radio hit. While it's nice that he's only performing stuff from the artistic peak of his career, it's weird that he's been straying away from the hits like he's been doing! ...Well, this sentimental old ballad all fits nicely with that full orchestra.

The King Must Die A-

Yeah, I'm sure the King of Australia wasn't to pleased with Elton John's decision to sing this of all things. (By King of Australia, I mean, of course, Paul Hogan.) Anyway, how can he sing another song from his 1970 album without it being “Your Song?” Is he teasing us or something? But I don't have much to complain about, because this rendition is positively earth shattering. The orchestra is at its heights, dramatically, and there's even an awesomely loud snare drum brought in here points. Even that timpani player is given something to do. This is a wonderful rendition... it's nearly an A.

Take Me to the Pilot A

Well, it took him awhile, but he's finally performing something from one of his great albums, and it's one that rocks, too! Hooray! They keep the '80s snare drum from the previous track and use the orchestra in a much more rhythmic fashion to the point where it actually fits in well. And what's this? The bass guitarist is brought out of hibernation to give us a tight old groove. Where have you been hiding?

Tiny Dancer A

Here's one of Elton John's most well-known songs, but do you hear how weakly the audience cheers after he announces that he's about to sing it? Hm, I guess Almost Famous didn't come out yet! Anyway, this is a gorgeous tune, of course, and the orchestra makes it even prettier, if you ask me. Elton John's vocal performance manages to soar magnificently despite the apparent hoarseness of it.

Have Mercy on the Criminal B

After he introduces this song, he gets an even more lackadaisical response from the crowd. I probably wouldn't have clapped too loudly, either, for this minor song from Don't Shoot Me. At any rate, this is the first time I've heard an electric guitar solo on this album... finally introducing the good people of Australia to the sounds of rock 'n' roll. Once again, his vocal performance is so soaring here that it's hard to believe that he needed the surgery! The orchestra does such a nice job of making this melodically dull song into something with a little more punch.

Madman Across the Water A-

Continuing with that “mission” of his to perform the good though not-too-well-known tracks from his distant discography, he performs this wonderful track from the album with the same name! Once again, these vocals are excellent. Any review of this album you read that reports the album is barely listenable because of his tattered voice is only evidence that the reviewer didn't listen to it. The orchestra doesn't stray too far from the original version, but that's basically a good thing.

Candle in the Wind A-

.......Wha? He's actually performing a real hit now? What happened??? It's a bit funny to hear the audience sort of wake up 10 seconds into the song as though to say “Hey! He's finally playing something we know!” So, this is one of his signature ballads, and it's a good one too if you ask me. He performs it just like you'd expect him to. The only difference is he gives the orchestra a rest and lets a bubbly organ take over midway through.

Burn Down the Mission A

For some reason, my life always seems to get better whenever I hear this song play. I know, that doesn't make sense considering this is rather depressing. But anyway, it's one of those songs that always manages to grab you by the horns and take you on its roller coaster ride. The orchestra is put to excellent use here, contributing beautifully to that dramatic interlude. The one downside is this is the one place where Elton John's deteriorated vocals becomes painfully evident... He really has a hard time with some of those passionate high notes.

Your Song A

Hey, finally! He performed half of the songs from Elton John before he finally got to this one, but was it worth the wait? Sure it was. I always welcome hearing this good classic! A flute-dominated orchestra comes in and makes it even fruitier than it originally way. Hey, I'm not saying that's a bad thing.

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me A

This song with its ultra-dramatic chorus is quite an appropriate tune to close the album, if you ask me. If I went to an Elton John concert, I might even be disappointed if this wasn't the closing track! This is quite a rousing rendition of it, too, with the full orchestra going at it once again.