Elton’s first live LP, “17-11-70”. On November 17th, 1970 Elton John made his American concert debut in the summer of 1970, and in October he released his third album in less than two years, “Tumbleweed Connection“. By the year’s end, he was back in the States for more shows, one of which would be the setting for his first live LP, “17-11-70”.
On November 17th, 1970. John gave a performance with drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray at A&R Recording Studios in New York City. The show was set up as a promotion for his new LP, and was broadcast live on WABC-FM.
Elton John gave one of his most definitive early performances on “17-11-70”. In addition to original material like “Take Me to the Pilot,” “Burn Down the Mission” and “Sixty Years On,” John and the band take on songs by the Rolling Stones (“Honky Tonk Women”) and a medley that includes nods to both Elvis Presley and the Beatles.
Did you know: John cut his hand at some point during the performance, and by the end of the show, the piano keys were covered with blood. John has stated in several interviews that he believes that this recording is his best live performance.
According to John, a live album was never planned as a release at that time. Recordings of the broadcast, however, were so popular among bootleggers it prompted the record label to release it as an album in April 1971. John also had released 2 full studio albums “Elton John” and “Tumbleweed Connection” and a movie soundtrack “Friends” when the live LP was issued.
The legendary live radio session concert has been hailed as one of the greatest live albums of all time… and it’s not hard to see why. Elton and his band are on fire here, across a host of early classics and a storming cover of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Honky Tonk Women’. Re-mastered in 2016 from the original tapes by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering in Portland, Maine and the vinyl was cut by Sean Magee at Abbey Road
The Fat Angel Sings 