Customer Reviews

Live at Sydney Opera House

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hi everyone! Are you trying to decide which John Denver concert CD to buy or considering adding this one to your collection? Maybe I can help. To begin, of the five offerings most readily available (An Evening With John Denver; John Denver Live at the Sydney Opera House; The Wildlife Concert; Sing Australia; Christmas in Concert), this one - due in part to the extraordinary sound - is about as close as you can come to the true John Denver concert experience without actually being there.

Clocking in at a tidy 63:10, it's as if someone said, "Hey, let's do "Evening" again, only this time we'll do it better!" In fact, whereas "Evening" (in its initial CD release) suffered due to the deletion of two songs from the original program, "Live at the Sydney Opera House" has been upgraded for this U.S. release with the addition of 3 fantastic cuts: "Today", "Calypso", and "Me and My Uncle". Granted, the artwork is a bit uninspired, but "Live at the Sydney Opera House" does come with a nice booklet filled with commentary and liner notes.

Powered by a top shelf band and an orchestra directed by Lee Holdridge, the music on "Sydney" will pour from your speakers with a richness that will no doubt trigger moments of true chill-bone. You will smile and sing along with the familiar tunes while being pleasantly surprised by the "new" selections.

The record begins with John greeting the audience and creating a most relaxed atmosphere. He then launches into an epic rendition of "Rocky Mountain High". In this account, layered background vocals in the chorus and an overlapping "Hiiigghhh, in Colorado" by vocalist Renee Armand make this a truly outstanding version.

As I alluded to earlier, in many ways this is the sophomore "An Evening With John Denver" that spent the summer in the gym. The two albums share seven cuts, but in this instance, John's vocals are quite possibly the best they ever were. His enthusiasm comes across as purely genuine and he really sounds like he's having a good time. Also, I found that the songs, while staying relatively true to the studio renditions, received just enough treatment to keep them fresh and interesting. "Back Home Again" fits this profile perfectly, as does "Calypso", which, if I may, should have been installed as the encore. It is, for my money, the finest live version available of this magnificent song.

"Fly Away", an opportunity for Armand to shine in the Olivia Newton-John role, benefits from an arrangement that runs the gamut from minimal guitar to lush strings. Notable too, is the splendid usage of chimes throughout. In "Looking for Space" the tempo of the original is slowed just enough to give it a most appealing perspective.

"Today", a lovely song that made its debut on "Evening", is enhanced by the addition of a harmonica, and is even more exquisite this time around. "Moreton Bay" is a traditional Irish ballad that John makes his own. You will be able to visualize the audience sitting silent and spellbound as he relates it with heartfelt poignancy.

And if you still aren't convinced, there's more. Even after cramming 15 beefy songs onto this single CD - without an ounce of filler - there is still plenty of time for some fun John Denver banter. "I Want to Live" and "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" come with their own dialogue, and later in the show, John very graciously introduces the entire band. His encore anecdote is a kick, too.

Now, if I had to find fault with anything on this offering, it comes during the "bluegrass" part of the show - awesome versions of "Grandma's Feather Bed" and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy". I would have expected more of a response from an audience being informed that the concert was being made into a record! It's a bit of a frustrating moment and you just might find yourself wanting to shout, "Come on, folks!!" Then again, in the grand scheme of things, it's really quite negligible.

In closing, let me just say that "Live at the Sydney Opera House" is a great way to spend an hour. For some of you, it will be an instant trip back to the 70s with an old friend. For others, a wonderful new experience.

I inherited this album from my father on vinyl and over more than 20 years, I've worn it out. I had been trying unsuccessfully to obtain a new copy for a while. Surprisingly, for a concert recorded in Australia, the cd isn't released here. It was a pleasant find to see it available at [Amazon.com].
I wanted it mainly for John's version of an Oz folk song, Moreton Bay. This is a fine rendition, very poignant.
John is in good form and obvious good humour on this night, the live album is recorded in a single venue and has a cohesive quality and great mood. All the songs sound better than the studio versions, although I prefer my music live, which colours my view.
A must for any John Denver fan.

This is an excellent concert. This shows his humor and his excellent musical talent. It even contains his flaws when his voice cracks occasionally which just shows that no one can always be perfect. This is a must for all John Denver fans. He always shows his best when he's in concert. I've been to many of his concerts and they are the most memorable and most fun concerts I've ever been to. It's just fabulous!

If you like John Denver, this is his best CD. It was recorded to be a CD and the concert was at the Sydney Australia Opera House- imagine the acoustics! It is too bad the other songs he sang that night were not put on a second CD.

I really enjoy this album, I really do. Live albums make you feel like you are there and they can be very personal, unlike a studio album. It is too bad that the record execs have not seen fit to release more albums of John Denver performing live.
Right from the beginning intro with John saying, "relax and ease back in your seats" you know that John is pleased to have the audience with him.
All of the tracks here are well performed and arranged. Looking For Space, a favorite of mine, is slowed down and caressed by John's voice and the band. The entire album is filled with favorites of JD fans.
Listen to the consumer Mr/Ms Record Exec, give us more albums like this of John Denver live in concert.

I agree with virtually everything the other reviewers of this CD have said, but I'd like to add the following: It is a CRIME that RCA did not see fit to release the entire show from "Live at the Sydney Opera House" on CD!!! That's the only reason this CD does not receive five stars from me.

When this concert was originally issued on LP many years ago, it contained only 12 songs. And when it was originally issued on CD, it was an import in the U.S. and still contained only 12 songs. But when that CD version apparently sold fairly well, RCA decided to reissue it domestically in the U.S. and add a few more tracks. So they added "Today," "Calypso" and "Me and My Uncle," as one of the other reviewers stated, plus Denver's introductions of his band. That gave it a total of 16 tracks.

But given the fact that Denver never played under two hours on any of the occasions I saw him in concert, I feel certain that even with the additional songs, only about half the show is on this disc. So why didn't RCA put out the whole thing on a two-disc set when they reissued it? Who knows?

SO HOW ABOUT IT RCA? COULD YOU PLEASE ISSUE A DELUXE EDITION OF "LIVE AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE?" As one of the other reviewers stated, with the accoustics at the SOH, this might have been a once-in-a-lifetime show.

Several years ago, RCA put out a deluxe edition of "Waylon Live" by Waylon Jennings. It was a single, incomplete disc when it came out on CD the first time, then it was reissued as a double-disc set, which is AWESOME. SO PLEASE RCA, DO THE SAME FOR JD at the SOH!!!!

I was fortunate enough to obtain a video copy of an outdoor concert Denver performed at the Sydney Sports Ground later in the same 1977-78 Australian tour. Naturally he has the same great band and orchestra. The picture quality is not that great, given the digital age we live in, but it is nice to have. (NOTE: The remainder of this paragraph is a February 2010 update) The release of the DVD box set "John Denver Live Around the World" includes the Sydney Sports Ground show with cleaned up audio and video. I am very pleased about its release. But to my dismay _ perhaps for timing restrictions _ "Thirsty Boots" and the medley "Deal With the Ladies/When I'm 64" were cut from the DVD version. This is really unfortunate, since "Thirsty Boots" has never been on any previous release of Denver concert material. And the medley has never been previously released either, although "Deal With the Ladies" is on the "In Concert" CD box set by itself. RCA could remedy these omissions by putting out a deluxe version of the complete Sydney Opera House show.)

The Sydney Sports Ground show was later broadcast on TV in the Land Down Under. The show is more than two hours long and Denver performed many of his hits and album cuts from that period that aren't available on the other live albums/CDs mentioned by my fellow reviewers.

For those who are interested, the songs Denver performed at the Sydney Sports Ground show that aren't on SOH are: "Welcome to My Morning," "Spirit," "Come and Let Me Look in Your Eyes*," "Baby You Look Good to Me Tonight," "Druthers," "I'd Rather Be A Cowboy," "How Can I Leave You Again," "Singing Skies and Dancing Waters*," "Love Is Everywhere*," "Pickin' the Sun Down (Blue Grass and High Sierra)*," "Thirsty Boots*," "Follow Me," "Deal With the Ladies/When I'm 64 (medley)," "To the Wild Country*," and "Sunshine on my Shoulders." Live versions of the songs marked with asterisks have never, to the best of my knowledge, been officially released on CD.

If you're counting, that's 15 additional songs (16 if the medley is counted as two). Wouldn't it be great to hear all those wonderful songs from a venue like the SOH?

SO HOW ABOUT IT RCA?????

But until that happens, this CD is well worth having.

Recorded in 1977, "Live at Sidney Opera House" is an amazing John Denver's live. Denver was "really high": in 1977 made some changes in his music (with "i want to live") and he also added Burton, Hardin and Blaine to his crew. The result, in november, was this memorable concert.
Acoustic and insturmental arrangements are simply unique (better than "an evening with JD") and perfect female voices "support" all the songs. Yes, maybe only 15 songs are a little bit few and maybe some hits are missing (where are "I'd rather be a cowboy" or "Matthew"?)... But you still have JD' sketches with the audience and a lot of good music in amazing versions...! A quite-rare MUST HAVE!
TOP: Rocky Mountain High and Calypso (incredible arrangements!!!)
FLOP: Take Me Home, Country Roads (not a great version)

This truly is John Denver at his very best. I wish he could have lived longer because he had so many gifts to share with the whole world !!

Evening with John Denver (EWJD) or Live at the Sydney Opera House (SOH); which shall it be? I own both and I have my opinion; let me try to be objective and help you decide!

John's singing is great on both CDs. It might be a little better on SOH, but this is a nit. The voice is great on EWJD, too.

The orchestra on SOH is very much better than on EWJD. I am principally talking about sound quality and sense of space, but the arrangements are more elaborate on SOH as well. I wish the horn section were a little more precise, but maybe the strings make up for that. On all but a couple songs, I very much prefer the orchestra on SOH, and so should you.

In contrast, the backing vocals are very much better on EWJD than on SOH. In fact, the SOH backing vocals on Rocky Mountain High and Grandma's Feather Bed are distracting. On the other SOH tracks, the backing vocals are OK if undistinguished. I very much prefer the backing vocals on EWJD, and so should you.

The band is great on both CDs, but on SOH, the steel guitar is downright annoying on some songs. The guy is playing well enough, but the volume is way too loud. This is a mystery to me as it seems it would be pretty easy to remix the tracks to bring it into balance with John, the rest of the band, and the orchestra. As it stands, the mix sucks. Such a pity to ruin otherwise great tracks that way!

And the mix on EWJD? Not a bad one in the bunch!

The song selection is different on the two CDs, although they have eight songs in common. SOH is a later recording and has later material on it. I can't tell you whether you prefer the older stuff or the newer stuff; you'll have to look over the song list and decide for yourself. One thing I like very much about SOH, though, are the songs Me and My Uncle, and Moreton Bay. The vocal on Moreton Bay is beatiful, and a little unusual for John.

It's exciting to have Calypso on SOH, but the chorus doesn't quite work. I haven't decided if it is the arrangement or the pace that doesn't work, but the chorus sounds sloppy. Don't (as I did) get SOH if you're worked up about having Calypso.

I have the version of EWJD with six bonus tracks, having upgraded from vinyl. Were it not for the bonus tracks, I would say the selection of songs on EWJD was just about as perfect as perfect could be. The selection and sequence of songs on the (original) EWJD is equisite. The bonus tracks are interesting in and of themselves, but placed at the tail end of EWJD they are jarring. For example, the first bonus track is a repeat of Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio -- a song that already appears as track 6 on CD one! Ending the CD with the bonus track Amsterdam is just bizarre. The original EWJD ends with This Old Guitar, and John ends This Old Guitar by saying 'I love you people'. That is a very gratifying and appropriate conclusion to EWJD. EWJD has lost its original continuity and soothing logical ending; now it leaves you with the sensation John and the musicians walked out in the middle of a concert. My suggestion to you is to stop EWJD after This Old Guitar (listen to the bonus tracks some other night).

SOH has the feeling of being recorded in a single evening.

My personal prefernce is for EWJD. I wish I could love SOH as much (the orchestra, Moreton Bay, Eagle and Hawk, Me and my Uncle!) but I can't endorse a CD with distractions and annoyances.

If you are buying individual MP3's, here's my advice: buy EWJD up to and including This Old Guitar. From SOH, buy the songs you don't have already on EWJD. Listen to the sample to decide if you want to include Its a Sin to Tell a Lie. I'd mix that one a little differently myself, but that's a matter of taste. Finally, buy Annie's Song from SOH even though you already have it on EWJD. You can hear the difference even on the samples which are otherwise unreliable for judging sound quality.

What's that, you say? You'll have to buy both concerts because you don't trust my judgement? Well go ahead .. you know you want to!