Live from Moscow 1979

Last updated

Live from Moscow 1979
Elton-John-Live-From-Moscow-Album-Art.jpg
Live album by
Released13 April 2019 (limited edition LP)
24 January 2020
Recorded28 May 1979
Venue Rossiya Concert Hall, Moscow
Length97:44
Label Universal Music
Elton John chronology
Revamp & Restoration
(2018)
Live from Moscow 1979
(2019)

Live from Moscow 1979 is a live album by English musician Elton John released in April 2019. It was recorded during John's May 1979 tour of the Soviet Union, when he played a series of shows in Leningrad and Moscow accompanied by percussionist Ray Cooper. The live recordings were initially broadcast by BBC Radio 1 and were long available on bootleg albums. Footage was also included in the 1979 documentary To Russia...With Elton. [1] The official release, as a limited-edition double LP, was issued for Record Store Day 2019 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the tour. The album was then re-released in 2020 on vinyl and CD, and in digital music stores. [2]

Contents

The album includes 16 of the 27 songs from John's 28 May concert at the Rossiya Concert Hall in Moscow. [3] He describes the show as "probably one of the best concerts I've ever given in my life". [4]

Track listing

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

Disc one

  1. "Daniel" – 3:56
  2. "Skyline Pigeon" – 4:02
  3. "Take Me to the Pilot" – 6:50
  4. "Rocket Man" – 7:33
  5. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" – 5:36
  6. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" – 3:04
  7. "Candle in the Wind" – 3:34
  8. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong) – 11:50

Disc two

  1. "Funeral for a Friend" – 2:57
  2. "Tonight" – 7:41
  3. "Better Off Dead" – 2:58
  4. "Bennie and the Jets" – 12:31
  5. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" – 3:33
  6. "Crazy Water" – 7:58
  7. Medley: "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)/Pinball Wizard" (John–Taupin/Pete Townshend) – 10:11
  8. Medley: "Crocodile Rock/Get Back/Back in the U.S.S.R." (John–Taupin/Lennon–McCartney/Lennon–McCartney) – 3:30

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2020)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [5] 198
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [6] 79
French Albums (SNEP) [7] 166
Scottish Albums (OCC) [8] 44
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [9] 59
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [10] 29

Related Research Articles

<i>Abbey Road</i> 1969 studio album by the Beatles

Abbey Road is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although Let It Be (1970) was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly recorded in April, July, and August 1969, and topped the record charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom. A double A-side single from the album, "Something" / "Come Together", was released in October, which also topped the charts in the US.

<i>Peachtree Road</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Elton John

Peachtree Road is the twenty-seventh studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 9 November 2004. The album was named after Peachtree Road, the northern part of Peachtree Street in Atlanta, where one of John's four homes is located. This is the only album during his long career on which John has sole credit as producer, although on some previous projects he was listed as a co-producer, with Clive Franks, or Greg Penny. It was recorded in January 2004.

<i>Madman Across the Water</i> 1971 album by Elton John

Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 5 November 1971 by DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a popular music artist. John's first progressive rock album, Madman Across the Water contains nine tracks, each composed and performed by John and with lyrics written by songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman plays Hammond organ on two songs.

<i>Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy</i> 1975 studio album by Elton John

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is the ninth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 23 May 1975 by DJM Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US. The album is an autobiographical account of the early musical careers of Elton John and his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin. An instant commercial success, the album was certified gold before its release, and reached No. 1 in its first week of release on the US Billboard 200, the first album to achieve both honours. It sold 1.4 million copies within four days of release, and stayed in the top position in the chart for seven weeks.

<i>Here and There</i> (Elton John album) 1976 live album by Elton John

Here and There is a live album and the fourteenth official album release by English musician Elton John, released in 1976. The title refers to the two concerts represented on the album: "Here" is a concert recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in London during the summer of 1974; "There" is a concert recorded at New York City's Madison Square Garden on 28 November 1974.

<i>A Single Man</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Elton John

A Single Man is the twelfth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in 1978, it is the first album for which Gary Osborne replaced Bernie Taupin as lyricist. It is also the first of two John albums that, on the original cut, have no tracks co-written by Taupin.

<i>Back in the World Live</i> 2003 live album by Paul McCartney

Back in the World is a live album by Paul McCartney composed of highlights from his spring 2002 "Driving USA" tour in the United States in support of McCartney's 2001 release Driving Rain. It was released internationally in 2003, save for North America – where Back in the U.S. saw issue four months earlier in 2002 – to commemorate his first set of concerts in almost ten years.

<i>Greatest Hits 1970–2002</i> 2002 greatest hits album by Elton John

Greatest Hits 1970–2002 is a career-spanning compilation album of popular songs by English musician Elton John, released on UTV Records in 2002. It debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number 12 on 30 November 2002, for a total run of 67 weeks. It was certified gold and platinum in December 2002, double platinum in March 2003, triple platinum in August 2004, four- and five-times platinum simultaneously in February 2011, and 6× platinum in April 2016 by the RIAA.

<i>Love Songs</i> (Elton John album) 1995 compilation album by Elton John

Love Songs is a compilation album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 6 November 1995 by John's own label The Rocket Record Company, in conjunction with Mercury Records, and in North America by MCA Records on 24 September 1996. In the US, it was certified gold in December 1996, platinum in March 1997, double platinum in December 1998 and triple platinum in August 2000 by the RIAA.

<i>Reg Strikes Back</i> 1988 studio album by Elton John

Reg Strikes Back is the twenty-first studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1988. It was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press. The "Reg" in Reg Strikes Back refers to John's birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight.

<i>Made in England</i> (Elton John album) 1995 studio album by Elton John

Made in England is the twenty-fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1995. It was produced by John and Greg Penny, his first album since Leather Jackets without producer Chris Thomas. The album was dedicated to John's boyfriend and future husband David Furnish. It was also dedicated to the memory of Denis Gauthier and Peter Williams. It was the last album to feature regular Elton John Band percussionist Ray Cooper until 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night. Bob Birch became John's full-time recording and touring bass player until his death in 2012.

<i>The Big Picture</i> (Elton John album) 1997 studio album by Elton John

The Big Picture is the twenty-fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on September 22, 1997 through The Rocket Record Company and Mercury Records. The album was recorded at Townhouse Studios in London and is John's last release to date to be produced by Chris Thomas.

<i>Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra</i> 1987 live album by Elton John

Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is the twenty-eighth official album release for English musician Elton John, released in 1987. It is a live album recorded at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 14 December 1986 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

<i>Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits</i> 2000 live album by Elton John

Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits is a live album released by English musician Elton John in 2000. The album was recorded on 20 and 21 October 2000 at Madison Square Garden during his Medusa Tour. An extended version was also released as a DVD, entitled One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden. While the album is called One Night Only, it was in fact recorded over two nights. Due to technical issues on the first night, most of the recordings were drawn from the second show. In the US, it was certified gold in July 2001 by the RIAA.

<i>The Captain & the Kid</i> 2006 studio album by Elton John

The Captain & the Kid is the twenty-eighth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 2006. It is his second autobiographical album with lyricist Bernie Taupin, picking up where Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) left off. The Captain & the Kid chronicles the events in their lives over the intervening three decades.

<i>The Best of Joe Cocker</i> (1992 album) 1992 greatest hits album by Joe Cocker

The Best of Joe Cocker is a compilation album by Joe Cocker, released as a 16-track release in UK, Germany and the rest of the Europe in 1992 and as a 12-track release in the United States and Canada in 1993.

<i>The Diving Board</i> 2013 studio album by Elton John

The Diving Board is the twenty-ninth studio album by English musician Elton John. It is the second of his studio releases since 1979's Victim of Love without any of his regular Elton John Band members. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2013 and debuted at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart, his highest-charting studio album in his home country since 2001's Songs from the West Coast, and at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. It is also his highest-charting solo album in the United States since Blue Moves in 1976.

<i>Wonderful Crazy Night</i> 2016 studio album by Elton John

Wonderful Crazy Night is the thirtieth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 5 February 2016. It is John's first album since 2006's The Captain & the Kid to feature the Elton John Band and was written and recorded in 17 days. John's long-standing percussionist, Ray Cooper, makes his first appearance on any of John's albums since Made in England in 1995. This is Kim Bullard's first appearance on keyboards, replacing Guy Babylon, and Matt Bissonette replaced Bob Birch on bass. The album debuted at number eight on the U.S Billboard 200 with sales of 58,000 album-equivalent units sold.

<i>Diamonds</i> (Elton John album) 2017 greatest hits album by Elton John

Diamonds is a greatest hits album by English musician Elton John spanning his hits from 1970 to 2016. The album was released on 10 November 2017. It was released in a single disc version, a 2-CD version, a 3-CD deluxe box set, and a 2-LP vinyl version. The two disc and vinyl versions have either as many or fewer songs than the previous multi-platinum collection.

English rock singer Elton John played eight concerts in the Soviet Union between 21 and 28 May 1979. The two-city tour was a significant event amid Cold War tensions between the USSR and the West, and a sign of the Communist authorities' emerging tolerance towards Western popular culture. The shows were among the first performed in the USSR by a pop act, following visits by Cliff Richard and Boney M. Billboard magazine said that the shows were "significant and successful" and described John as "the first out-and-out rock artist to appear in the U.S.S.R."

References

  1. "Elton John and Ray Cooper formed the perfect team in Moscow". 25 June 2020.
  2. Goldmine staff (21 January 2020). "Elton John's 1979 Moscow Performance to Be Released on 2-LP or 2-CD Set". Goldmine . Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  3. Sexton, Paul (18 November 2019). "Elton John's Historic 1979 Show in USSR Released as 'Live from Moscow'". uDiscover. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  4. Sexton, Paul (24 January 2021). "'Live from Moscow': Behind Elton John's Landmark Russian Concert". uDiscover. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  5. "Ultratop.be – Elton John with Ray Cooper – Live From Moscow 1979" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  6. "Ultratop.be – Elton John with Ray Cooper – Live From Moscow 1979" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  7. "Lescharts.com – Elton John with Ray Cooper – Live From Moscow 1979". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  8. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  9. "Spanishcharts.com – Elton John with Ray Cooper – Live From Moscow 1979". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  10. "Elton John Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2024.