Live from Moscow 1979

Live from Moscow 1979
Live album by
Released13 April 2019 (limited edition LP)
24 January 2020
Recorded28 May 1979
VenueRossiya Concert Hall, Moscow
Length97:44
LabelUniversal 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]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
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

References

[edit]
  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.