9. Roy Rogers (Elton John - Live In Moscow: 5/28/1979)

Описание: The European 1979 concert uploads cannot conclude without Moscow 1979 being represented on this channel! Due to Tommy, Jacob, and Ethan constantly crying to me to upload this show, you’ve gotten your wishes! This BBC broadcast recording features the complete show in very good quality. There are some slight imbalances with the sound mix from time to time, but nothing that greatly affects the listening experience.

Despite being the final show during Elton John’s early 1979 tour (and the last show from the USSR run), his voice holds up well with many strong vocal performances and moments still being put on display. Despite sounding slightly tired compared to earlier recordings from the tour leg, Elton still fine-tunes the vocal deliveries to great results and the on stage energy from himself and Ray Cooper doesn’t let up a bit. The musicianship and improvisations are also much more refined compared to earlier recorded shows. Now… time to go through everything!

“Your Song” features Elton having a noticeably coarse voice when navigating through the song and he bungles the piano at the start of the third verse. “Sixty Years On” has powerful falsetto during the outroduction section and Elton’s rougher tone begins to clear up as he soars up to the higher notes. “Daniel” has some nice falsetto during the choruses and Elton’s piano playing has an edge to it which sounds great. “Skyline Pigeon” is a really good rendition with Elton changing up his vowel placement during the choruses and singing with less bombastic phrasing compared to earlier in the tour. “Take Me To The Pilot” is full of energetic piano riffs, licks, and improvisation along with Elton’s vocals getting more and more confident as the performance moves along. “Rocket Man” is like a cake being baked as the performance slowly rises to amazing heights with the improvisation section containing amazing falsetto singing and use of vocal dynamics that is among Elton’s greatest in a live performance. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” contains some robust and spunky piano playing which reflects Elton’s mood during the show and he gives a great vocal performance on top of it. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” features one of the best vocal performances of the song from the year as Elton’s falsetto parts sound excellent with the intonation being strong. “Roy Rogers” is a great rendition with delivering a rock-solid vocal without holding anything back. “Candle In The Wind” has nice vocal dynamics behind the delivery along with Elton’s choice of cadences sounding great. “Ego” is an excellent performance with Elton alternating between his aggressive and clean vocal approaches with great results. “Where To Now St. Peter” highlights the strength in Elton’s voice during this era as his transitions between registers and tones are extremely smooth with the punchy belting sounding very strong. “He’ll Have To Go” is nicely sung with a robust tone being prominently featured. Concluding this section, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” is one of the greatest live renditions from Elton as the energy and creativity are off the charts with the entire performance being like a juggernaut that just won’t let up for a second.

“Tonight” has a piano clunker during the outroduction, but the performance is still of a very high quality with Elton singing well and displaying strong falsetto. “Better Off Dead” is a relentless and powerful version with Elton’s overdriven approach to the vocal being used to great effect. “Idol” contains some commanding mid-ranged singing from Elton and his upper notes sound powerful with great control over them. “I Think I’m Going To Kill Myself” is a fun and spirited rendition with Ray’s percussion complimenting Elton’s performance perfectly. “I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford)” shows off why the 1979 tour is loved as Elton’s vocals are better than the record version with great control being used during the delivery. “Bennie And The Jets” is more reserved vocally during the main bulk of the song as Elton cuts off the falsetto sustains and sings with a more cautious approach (although still creative), but the effort and energy are still fantastic. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” highlights Elton’s soft tone and his falsetto tone sounds especially nice on this performance. “Part Time Love” features a great mood and atmosphere heard on the recording with the chemistry between Elton and Ray being highlighted. “Crazy Water” has Elton figuring out when to begin singing, but afterwards, things are brilliantly executed on stage with Elton’s manic performance and Ray’s energy providing magic. “Song For Guy” sounds great in the broadcast quality. The “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting/Pinball Wizard” section sounds incredible with Elton’s vigorous singing and playing not letting up for a single second. Lastly, the “Crocodile Rock/Beatles Medley” section ends this legendary concert with high energy and Elton singing with great enthusiasm.

ENJOY!!!