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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Brilliant Live Album, May 21, 2005
When "Here And There" was originally released in 1976, it was obviously a rush job released to help Elton get out of his contract with Dick James Music. There were only 10 performances on a two sided lp spanning two great shows, possibly the best of Elton's career.
Fortunately, in 1995, a team of producers rectified the album by turning it into a two cd collection including all the songs that were on the original version as well as adding many more. If the album had been released this way in 1976, it would no doubt have been dubbed a classic.
Disc One is from his 1974 performance at The Royal Albert Hall in London. This set has Elton, along with his band of Davey Johnstone (guitar), Dee Murray (bass), Nigel Olsson (drums) and Ray Cooper (percussion), revisiting several lesser known gems, including a dazzling "Skyline Pigeon", "Border Song", "Country Comfort", "Love Song", "Take Me To The Pilot" and "Bad Side Of The Moon". You also get a lot of the standard live fare, including "Your Song", "Candle In The Wind", "Crocodile Rock", "Honky Cat", "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" and a blistering "Burn Down The Mission".
Disc Two contains his Thanksgiving of '74 performance at Madison Sqaure Garden. This cd is more hits heavy, which isn't a bad thing, especially when these hits include excellent performances of "Rocket Man", "Bennie And The Jets", "Daniel", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" (Elton's best song ever), "Your Song" (in a version better than the one on disc one) and "The Bitch Is Back". And here too does Elton dust off some forgotten gems. Elton performs a thrilling version of the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" epic "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding". And the version they include of "Take Me To The Pilot" is much better than the one on the first disc. But the real highlight is when Elton is joined by a certain Liverpudlian from a certain 1960s' band to perform three songs with Elton: "Whatever Gets You Through The Night", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and "I Saw Her Standing There". (For those of you who haven't guessed who it is, it's John Lennon).
The bottom line, "Here In There" has been made into one of the finest live albums of all time, even if took nineteen years to actually release it rightfully. This is a must have.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Doubt: No better live Elton John Album Exists, July 26, 1999
By A Customer
This CD is absolutely essential for any true Elton John fan. In fact, this may be the greatest live record that Elton has ever released. Listeners get two different perspectives: The rather stuffy, reserved concert in London that took place in front of a British Princess v.s. the rowdy, incomparable American Madison Square Garden crowd. Both CD's offer some of Elton's rare songs (Skyline Pigeon, Border Song, Burn Down the Mission, You're So Static, etc.) None of these, though, compare with the electricity present when John Lennon takes the stage for what would be his final live performance. Lennon's appearance is reason enough to buy the CD but there are plenty of other reasons too. This album paints a picture of Elton on his way to the top, the rising of a rock legend.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A really great live record of Elton at his peak, October 23, 2004
The original version of Here and There, issued in 1976, was very brief, with just a few songs from each of the two concerts featured, and I regarded it as an unimpressive album, apparently put together only to fulfil Elton's DJM Records contract . This remastered and expanded edition is a tremendous improvement, with a full 16 additional songs, and much clearer sound than the original LP. As such it gives a much more realistic impression of Elton and his classic 5-piece band live at the peak of their mid-70s success, and because of the length of the performances listening to it is much more of an `experience' than the original LP. There is a good selection of songs, including many hits but also some interesting and less well known Elton album tracks, and there are alternate versions of Your song and Take me to the pilot. You also get the 3 historically very important performances by Elton with John Lennon at Madison Square Garden. An essential album for committed Elton aficionados.
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