Here and There
By Elton John
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Track listing
Show track credits
- Live in London
- A1 Skyline Pigeon 4:44
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writer
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writer
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- A2 Border Song 3:23
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writer
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writer
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- A3 Honky Cat 7:32
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writer
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writer
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- A4 Love Song 5:41
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writer
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- A5 Crocodile Rock 4:04
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writer
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writer
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- Live in New York
- B1 Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding 11:47
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writer
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writer
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- B2 Rocket Man 4:48
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writer
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writer
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- B3 Bennie and the Jets 6:17
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writer
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writer
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- B4 Take Me to the Pilot 5:55
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writer
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writer
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- Total length: 54:11
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.
12 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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Here and There [p] 33 rpm, Live
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Here and There Live
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Here and There 33 rpm, Live
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Here and There Bonus Tracks, Live, Remastered
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Here and There Bonus Tracks, Live, Remastered
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Here and There Bonus Tracks, Live, Remastered
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Here and There Bonus Tracks, Live, Remastered
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Hear and There Bonus Tracks, CD Sized Album Replica, Numbered Edition, SHM
12 Reviews
Greatly extended from its original nine-track running order on its first release when it was issued as a strictly contractual obligation album, this unimaginatively titled live set takes in two Elton live dates from May and November 1974.
The settings could hardly have been more different. The first show was held at London's 2700 capacity Royal Festival Hall in the presence of Princess Margaret and was a fundraiser for invalid children, while the second was coincidentally played on the eve of Thanksgiving at New York's 20000-seater Madison Square Garden. Both shows feature guest-turns with the New York show probably winning out on star power featuring as it does a three-song blast, alongside Elton's NBF John Lennon while less well-known songwriter Lindsay Duncan gets to accompany Elton on her own "Love Song" which he covered previously on "Tumbleweed Connection".
Quite the contrast then, between the two shows as you can clearly hear.
The London show opens to the strains of "God Save The Queen" and you can almost hear the restraint of Elton and his band throughout. There appear to be no backing vocalists outside of his band members, most obviously on "Border Song", no horn section as is most apparent on "Honky Cat" or even the familiar organ sounds on "Crocodile Rock".
As someone who rather likes his early pre-superstardom material, I particularly enjoyed the first seven tracks including Ms Duncan's cameo on "Love Song".
Unfortunately, "Honky Cat" gets drawn out to a ludicrously bloated near 8 minute length most of it taken up by some inexplicably inane kazoo noises by Ray Cooper trying to sound like a duck.
All the songs at both shows are delivered with enthusiasm by the band. On the RFH songs, "Skyline Pigeon" gets proceedings off to a stately if serene start, "Border Song" actually sounds more effective without being swamped by the choir and strings, I've always had a soft spot for the "Tumbleweed Connection" album although you do miss the authenticity the fiddles add on, say "Country Comfort" while crowd-pleasers "Bad Side Of The Moon" and "Burn Down The Mission" unsurprisingly rock harder on his earlier "17/11/70" live set. The side finishes with an enthusiastic although you'd hardly term it a wild version of "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" where Elton struggles to get the assembled blue-bloods to rattle their jewellery.
Again, as you'd expect things are larger scale across the Atlantic. The MSG side gets off to a great start with an electric rendition of the blockbuster opening salvo from "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Funeral For A Friend / "Love Lies Bleeding", even if the former is served by pre-recorded tapes. Nice to hear one of my own faves "Grey Seal" make the set-list but "Daniel" sounds a little lacking without the prominent organ.
What we lose on the organ though we gain on the horns as the band is joined by the redoubtable Memphis Horns to add texture and depth to the sound, softly on the ballads and more brashly on the rockets.
I'm a big Lennon fan so the three-song JL interlude works great for me, I love Davey Johnstone's little quote from "I Feel Fine" as the ex-Beatle takes to the stage and especially the way Elton adds boogie-woogie piano to the exhuberant take on "I Saw Her Standing There". Elton has spoken many times since about his own as well as the euphoric crowd reaction to Lennon's appearance and that definitely comes across.
After that he takes it home with three big hits, two recent "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", "The Bitch Is Back" and of course "Your Song" which got things underway for him only not even four years before. Shame there's no "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" itself but I guess you can't have everything.
Having just watched his full farewell UK show at Glastonbury, it's very welcome here to hear his voice in such good shape, singing throughout clear, strong and in the right key.
Of the two I'd have personally preferred to witness the New York show for reasons already stated but to the best of my knowledge, Elton rarely, if ever, short-changed a live audience and there's ample evidence here (and there) to support this.
The settings could hardly have been more different. The first show was held at London's 2700 capacity Royal Festival Hall in the presence of Princess Margaret and was a fundraiser for invalid children, while the second was coincidentally played on the eve of Thanksgiving at New York's 20000-seater Madison Square Garden. Both shows feature guest-turns with the New York show probably winning out on star power featuring as it does a three-song blast, alongside Elton's NBF John Lennon while less well-known songwriter Lindsay Duncan gets to accompany Elton on her own "Love Song" which he covered previously on "Tumbleweed Connection".
Quite the contrast then, between the two shows as you can clearly hear.
The London show opens to the strains of "God Save The Queen" and you can almost hear the restraint of Elton and his band throughout. There appear to be no backing vocalists outside of his band members, most obviously on "Border Song", no horn section as is most apparent on "Honky Cat" or even the familiar organ sounds on "Crocodile Rock".
As someone who rather likes his early pre-superstardom material, I particularly enjoyed the first seven tracks including Ms Duncan's cameo on "Love Song".
Unfortunately, "Honky Cat" gets drawn out to a ludicrously bloated near 8 minute length most of it taken up by some inexplicably inane kazoo noises by Ray Cooper trying to sound like a duck.
All the songs at both shows are delivered with enthusiasm by the band. On the RFH songs, "Skyline Pigeon" gets proceedings off to a stately if serene start, "Border Song" actually sounds more effective without being swamped by the choir and strings, I've always had a soft spot for the "Tumbleweed Connection" album although you do miss the authenticity the fiddles add on, say "Country Comfort" while crowd-pleasers "Bad Side Of The Moon" and "Burn Down The Mission" unsurprisingly rock harder on his earlier "17/11/70" live set. The side finishes with an enthusiastic although you'd hardly term it a wild version of "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" where Elton struggles to get the assembled blue-bloods to rattle their jewellery.
Again, as you'd expect things are larger scale across the Atlantic. The MSG side gets off to a great start with an electric rendition of the blockbuster opening salvo from "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Funeral For A Friend / "Love Lies Bleeding", even if the former is served by pre-recorded tapes. Nice to hear one of my own faves "Grey Seal" make the set-list but "Daniel" sounds a little lacking without the prominent organ.
What we lose on the organ though we gain on the horns as the band is joined by the redoubtable Memphis Horns to add texture and depth to the sound, softly on the ballads and more brashly on the rockets.
I'm a big Lennon fan so the three-song JL interlude works great for me, I love Davey Johnstone's little quote from "I Feel Fine" as the ex-Beatle takes to the stage and especially the way Elton adds boogie-woogie piano to the exhuberant take on "I Saw Her Standing There". Elton has spoken many times since about his own as well as the euphoric crowd reaction to Lennon's appearance and that definitely comes across.
After that he takes it home with three big hits, two recent "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", "The Bitch Is Back" and of course "Your Song" which got things underway for him only not even four years before. Shame there's no "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" itself but I guess you can't have everything.
Having just watched his full farewell UK show at Glastonbury, it's very welcome here to hear his voice in such good shape, singing throughout clear, strong and in the right key.
Of the two I'd have personally preferred to witness the New York show for reasons already stated but to the best of my knowledge, Elton rarely, if ever, short-changed a live audience and there's ample evidence here (and there) to support this.
Published
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As someone who has appreciated Elton John’s early work for decades, Here and There’s existence caught me somewhat by surprise, as I thought I was aware of all his album output from the first phase of his career, from early classics like Tumbleweed Connection, to the imperious mega-hit that was Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, to the comparable miss of Caribou, to the more autobiographical Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, and me losing interest entirely by the time of Rock of the Westies. A little research cleared up the mystery live album, and it was revealed to be little more than a cut and paste live recording of a pair of shows in London (Here) and New York (There) in 1974, released purely to satisfy a contractual obligation in 1976. At nine tracks Here and There was a relatively slender offering, and one which easily lapsed in to obscurity.
Then came the Elton John reissue campaign of the mid-90s, a period when he was probably at his lowest creative ebb. While the majority of albums reissued boasted the odd bonus track, the exceptions were Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which was too long to include any bonus tracks and keep it to a budget conscious single CD, and Here and There, which went from being flimsy contractual filler to being perhaps the definitive live document of the man formerly known as Reg close to his commercial apex. With producer Gus Dudgeon at the helm polishing the additional tracks, Here and There’s nine tracks became 22, resulting in a double CD which featured a show on each disc, and which much better reflected Elton John and his band in their mid 70s pomp. The original album’s sequencing was pretty much disposed of in favour of the original set list of the two gigs, resulting in a few tracks being duplicated, but given the contrast in feel of both of these gigs, with the London gig being warm and relatively intimate, New York being the rocking arena gig, the inclusion of the duplicate tracks is excusable.
Both set lists run the gamut of Elton John’s work up to that point, with ballads, straight up pop numbers, roots a rock and straight up and rock and roll all being present and correct. Sure, some may grumble about certain omissions, but that’s more down to the fact that at this stage in his career, Elton had so much top draw material to choose from, that there was always going to be some personal favourites left off the set list. Personally, I think it’s a bit of a shame that neither disc features “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” or “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”, but hey, we get a live rendition of the bonkers, Jim Steinman inspiring, “Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding”, so ultimately, I’m quite happy.
For many the real reason to investigate the expanded version of Here and There, are a trio of numbers from the New York gig, “Whatever Gets You Thru’ the Night”, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “I Saw Her Standing There”, where the Elton John Band are joined on stage by John Lennon, making what would ultimately turn out to be his final performance appearance. For all that some like to picture Lennon as a saintly rock and roll figure, who would be the only former Beatle to truly ‘get’ oeuvre of Liam Gallagher (i.e. Mr Gallagher himself), the truth is, not only was Lennon a deeply flawed and sometimes quite unpleasant individual, during the early to mid 70s he regularly voiced his support for a number of acts that are now considered deeply uncool, like Genesis, and particularly, Elton John. For his last appearance on the live stage, Lennon sounds like he is having an absolute blast, but it’s also evident that his voice is absolutely shot to pieces, with Elton having to cover for the deficiencies in Lennon’s performance. This also highlights a common theme throughout Here and There, which is just what an amazing vocalist Elton was, particularly in his prime, with a stylistic range that put the majority of his contemporaries to shame. The inclusion of these three tracks renders Here and There a historically important document, something given the state of its original release, is a remarkable turnaround.
While there are other live Elton John albums out there, Here and There, in its double CD format is arguably the best. True, 17-11-70 may be the cooler choice, but ultimately it was recorded too early to include many of Elton’s big hits, whereas Here and There was recorded at a time where he was a commercial titan, and before the rot set in. While I am not someone who appreciates the liberal use of bonus tracks on reissues, particularly if liberties are taken with the original running order, Here and There is a rare example of it being done right, where a previously lightweight release is built upon with the result being a relatively obscure album from one of rock and rolls best selling stars being one of their most enjoyable.
Then came the Elton John reissue campaign of the mid-90s, a period when he was probably at his lowest creative ebb. While the majority of albums reissued boasted the odd bonus track, the exceptions were Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which was too long to include any bonus tracks and keep it to a budget conscious single CD, and Here and There, which went from being flimsy contractual filler to being perhaps the definitive live document of the man formerly known as Reg close to his commercial apex. With producer Gus Dudgeon at the helm polishing the additional tracks, Here and There’s nine tracks became 22, resulting in a double CD which featured a show on each disc, and which much better reflected Elton John and his band in their mid 70s pomp. The original album’s sequencing was pretty much disposed of in favour of the original set list of the two gigs, resulting in a few tracks being duplicated, but given the contrast in feel of both of these gigs, with the London gig being warm and relatively intimate, New York being the rocking arena gig, the inclusion of the duplicate tracks is excusable.
Both set lists run the gamut of Elton John’s work up to that point, with ballads, straight up pop numbers, roots a rock and straight up and rock and roll all being present and correct. Sure, some may grumble about certain omissions, but that’s more down to the fact that at this stage in his career, Elton had so much top draw material to choose from, that there was always going to be some personal favourites left off the set list. Personally, I think it’s a bit of a shame that neither disc features “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” or “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”, but hey, we get a live rendition of the bonkers, Jim Steinman inspiring, “Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding”, so ultimately, I’m quite happy.
For many the real reason to investigate the expanded version of Here and There, are a trio of numbers from the New York gig, “Whatever Gets You Thru’ the Night”, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “I Saw Her Standing There”, where the Elton John Band are joined on stage by John Lennon, making what would ultimately turn out to be his final performance appearance. For all that some like to picture Lennon as a saintly rock and roll figure, who would be the only former Beatle to truly ‘get’ oeuvre of Liam Gallagher (i.e. Mr Gallagher himself), the truth is, not only was Lennon a deeply flawed and sometimes quite unpleasant individual, during the early to mid 70s he regularly voiced his support for a number of acts that are now considered deeply uncool, like Genesis, and particularly, Elton John. For his last appearance on the live stage, Lennon sounds like he is having an absolute blast, but it’s also evident that his voice is absolutely shot to pieces, with Elton having to cover for the deficiencies in Lennon’s performance. This also highlights a common theme throughout Here and There, which is just what an amazing vocalist Elton was, particularly in his prime, with a stylistic range that put the majority of his contemporaries to shame. The inclusion of these three tracks renders Here and There a historically important document, something given the state of its original release, is a remarkable turnaround.
While there are other live Elton John albums out there, Here and There, in its double CD format is arguably the best. True, 17-11-70 may be the cooler choice, but ultimately it was recorded too early to include many of Elton’s big hits, whereas Here and There was recorded at a time where he was a commercial titan, and before the rot set in. While I am not someone who appreciates the liberal use of bonus tracks on reissues, particularly if liberties are taken with the original running order, Here and There is a rare example of it being done right, where a previously lightweight release is built upon with the result being a relatively obscure album from one of rock and rolls best selling stars being one of their most enjoyable.
Published
528 164-2 CD (1995)
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The extended version is excellent.
Published
Tonsa fun to be had, but too much professionalism hurts sometimes.
Published
Here And Now as certainly changed a lot from the original vinyl version i purchased on its release back in 1976. Here we have 2 discs, 1 consisting of 12 tracks and the other 13 tracks. Just the 1st disc alone is longer than the original vinyl release. This is one hell of a bonus, and even better is the fact of how these original recordings which never made the album, have kept so well. As for comments its better than 11-17-70 well I don't really think so at all, as this concert does not in anyway match up to the pure raw energy of elton's playing as what he had to do on that album. After all that concert was performed as a 3 piece, which is a damn site harder to do than what we have on Here And There.
For value Here And There gets full marks all the way, and the inclusion of the lesser heard live tracks like Country Comfort and Bad Side Of The Moon on the London Set. And Grey Seal and Your So Static form the New York Set make the album even more worthy. Incidntally if you think this version of Bad Side of the Moon is better than the one on 11-17-70 your totally tone death and no nothing about music to even comment in my eyes. The Londod Set is the better recording as it was done indoors rather than the New York Set which was in a football stadium, outdoor venues always carry far to much reverb on the sound as it's not enclosed, making it far more harder to record.
Over all Here And There is worth every penny, and even if like me you still have the original version, its still well worth investing in this one, as you really are getting another album of live music taken from the original venu's. I certainly recomend it. And what the hell is wrong with the cover. I certainly would not say no to that piano, it cost around £70,000 back in 1976. At them prices i would give it a damn good tinkling.
For value Here And There gets full marks all the way, and the inclusion of the lesser heard live tracks like Country Comfort and Bad Side Of The Moon on the London Set. And Grey Seal and Your So Static form the New York Set make the album even more worthy. Incidntally if you think this version of Bad Side of the Moon is better than the one on 11-17-70 your totally tone death and no nothing about music to even comment in my eyes. The Londod Set is the better recording as it was done indoors rather than the New York Set which was in a football stadium, outdoor venues always carry far to much reverb on the sound as it's not enclosed, making it far more harder to record.
Over all Here And There is worth every penny, and even if like me you still have the original version, its still well worth investing in this one, as you really are getting another album of live music taken from the original venu's. I certainly recomend it. And what the hell is wrong with the cover. I certainly would not say no to that piano, it cost around £70,000 back in 1976. At them prices i would give it a damn good tinkling.
Published
At least its better than 17-11-70.
Published
Completes EJ's collapse to the trash heap.
Published
It's Thanksgiving 1974 at the Madison Square Garden and Elton John introduces somebody: "I'm sure he'll be no stranger to anybody in the audience". It turns out to be someone who hadn't appeared on a stage in over 2 years, and unfortunately would never play live again: John Lennon. The audience gives him a standing ovation, the kind of sound we only know from early Beatles gigs. First they play their current hit singles: Lennon's "Whatever gets you thru the night" and Elton's rendition of "Lucy in the sky with diamonds". The few lines of "Lucy" that Lennon sings by himself make clear that he completely lost his voice that night, but who cares? Then they finish off with "I saw her standing there" and Lennon's gone again. These 3 songs make the album an essential purchase alone. But it's only 3 of the 25 tracks.
What once was a nice contract filler is now the ultimate Elton John live album. The first disc comes from the Royal Festival Hall in London. Highlights are "Skyline pigeon" (an overlooked classic from the _Empty sky_ album), "Country comfort", "Love song" (its author Leslie Duncan sings harmonies), "Bad side of the moon" and the great "Burn down the mission". Even though he was already mostly playing concert arenas and stadiums by this time in his career, this disc shows his music still worked in an intimate setting as the Royal Festival Hall.
The other disc comes from the Madison Square Garden, and although only recorded a couple of months later it's the complete opposite of the London disc. The disc opens with the epic "Funeral for a friend/Love lies bleeding", what follows is a setlist of Elton's biggest hits of which "Rocket man" and reworking of "Daniel" stand out. Then comes the aforementioned Lennon performance, before Elton finishes with "Don't let the sun go down on me" and "Your song", still encores today. That the album closes with the awful "The bitch is back" doesn't stop it from being one of the best live albums ever released by anyone.
What once was a nice contract filler is now the ultimate Elton John live album. The first disc comes from the Royal Festival Hall in London. Highlights are "Skyline pigeon" (an overlooked classic from the _Empty sky_ album), "Country comfort", "Love song" (its author Leslie Duncan sings harmonies), "Bad side of the moon" and the great "Burn down the mission". Even though he was already mostly playing concert arenas and stadiums by this time in his career, this disc shows his music still worked in an intimate setting as the Royal Festival Hall.
The other disc comes from the Madison Square Garden, and although only recorded a couple of months later it's the complete opposite of the London disc. The disc opens with the epic "Funeral for a friend/Love lies bleeding", what follows is a setlist of Elton's biggest hits of which "Rocket man" and reworking of "Daniel" stand out. Then comes the aforementioned Lennon performance, before Elton finishes with "Don't let the sun go down on me" and "Your song", still encores today. That the album closes with the awful "The bitch is back" doesn't stop it from being one of the best live albums ever released by anyone.
Published
314 528 164-2 CD (1995)
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Catalog
2 Jun 2024
18 May 2024
2 May 2024
13 Apr 2024
19 Mar 2024
17 Mar 2024
29 Feb 2024
22 Jan 2024
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A1
Skyline Pigeon
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A2
Border Song
-
A3
Honky Cat
-
A4
Love Song
-
A5
Crocodile Rock
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B1
Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding
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B2
Rocket Man
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B3
Bennie and the Jets
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B4
Take Me to the Pilot
14 Dec 2023
24 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023
1 Nov 2023
14 Oct 2023
10 Sep 2023
3 Sep 2023
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A1
Skyline Pigeon
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A2
Border Song
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A3
Honky Cat
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A4
Love Song
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A5
Crocodile Rock
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B1
Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding
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B2
Rocket Man
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B3
Bennie and the Jets
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B4
Take Me to the Pilot