All right you crazy people, it’s time to continue with my uploading tour! For this concert upload, I am taking a subscriber request in the form of the complete Hammersmith 1974 show. This is the complete show (all 142 minutes are featured) made up of two different broadcast sources. While there are some slight issues with the recording quality (the low end is a bit overblown as an example), the general listening experience should still be very good as this concert has more than reasonable sound quality going for it. If you are also a Davey Johnstone fan, this concert should be a great listen as his guitar is fairly high in the mix and often panned hard into one of the channels. I’d like to dedicate this upload to Amy Reddick as she has been requesting me to upload this show for over a month! Don’t worry - your wish has come true!

This is a special concert as it is not only Elton’s last concert of 1974, but it is the last concert until 1982 with the classic core members of Elton’s band on stage (if you don’t count Davey’s cameo appearance at a Los Angeles show on the 1980 tour). In 1975, Elton would infamously fire Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray and replace them with Roger Pope and Kenny Passarelli respectively. While Elton would later regret those decisions, he said at the time that he wanted his music to be harder-driven (lol). If these performances on this show don’t prove that the original band was raw, heavy, and hard-driven - then hell would freeze over!

Speaking of the band, they are in fantastic form on this show. It’s awesome to really hear the melodic and intricate bass lines of Dee and Davey’s tasteful guitar playing in broadcast quality. Ray Cooper adds his awesome percussion playing throughout, Nigel’s drumming shines on this show, and the Muscle Shoals Horns are a great touch as well. With the exception of some dodgy backing vocals in spots, this is an excellent example of Elton’s band at the time. While Elton’s voice isn’t in too great shape early on in the set (possible illness?), he does give his all throughout, and his voice improves a bit as the set progresses. Now, time to talk about the set!

“Skyline Pigeon” isn’t the strongest start to the set as Elton’s voice is very rough throughout the song. “I Need You To Turn To” still has coarse vocals, but it’s a slight improvement over the previous performance. “Border Song” highlights the prowess of the Elton John Band, but Elton’s vocals and some of the backing vocals are a bit iffy. “Take Me To The Pilot” has rough singing, but Elton makes the sound work on the song, and the band sound fantastic on this performance. “Country Comfort” has great guitar playing by Davey Johnstone and Elton sounds pretty decent overall. “Holiday Inn” sounds great on the musical side of things with Dee’s bass playing and Davey’s guitar licks being highlights. “High Flying Bird” sounds nice overall with Elton delivering a great rendition (despite the slightly coarse vocals). “Burn Down The Mission” is the last performance of the song until 1985, and the band absolutely tear the song up during the instrumental sections. “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” sounds very energetic and the band really shines on this performance. “Candle In The Wind” sounds pretty good overall. “Grimsby” is one of the best live versions as Elton delivers a great vocal and the band are absolutely on fire as a whole. “Rocket Man” has the standard mid 70s vocal delivery (not sustaining the falsettos), but this version sounds better than any performance of the same song from the next tour. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” has some off vocals/harmonies in spots. “Daniel” is a solid performance all-around with Davey playing a great solo and “Grey Seal” is very energetic performance - although Elton forces his voice during the chorus sections.

“Bennie And The Jets” is a fun performance with the musicianship shining throughout. “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is a good performance from all members. “I Saw Her Standing There” sounds really punchy overall and the band do this rendition justice. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” has some rough vocals, but the band sound fantastic and the horn section sounds quite cool on the performance. “Honky Cat” features Ray Cooper’s duck calls in all their glory and the rest of the members turn in a great performance on their respective instruments. “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” sounds excellent on this show with the musicianship and energy being top notch. “Crocodile Rock” sounds excellent as Elton’s rougher vocal tone fits the song and the entire band gel nicely. “The Bitch Is Back” sounds raw and rocking with Elton really giving his all. What a performance! “Your Song” has Elton sounding slightly worn out, but he delivers a good rendition and Davey’s subtle guitar playing sounds really nice. Finally, “White Christmas” ends the show by being a festive and energetic performance!

ENJOY!!!

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