Initially released on a limited vinyl run for this year's Record Store Day, it now gets a wider release, available both digitally and on CD for the first time, alongside a vinyl repress. The CD and digital editions include a brand-new bonus track, "Goodbye," plus the original twelve-song tracklist, personally curated by Elton, and additional liner notes.
In May 1977, Elton John took the stage at London’s Rainbow Theatre with percussionist Ray Cooper for a six-show residency. These performances were the first of 233 Elton-and-Ray only shows that would follow and featured the live debut of “Roy Rogers”, “Cage The Songbird”, “Idol”, and “I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford)”.
May 1977 was the first time in five years that a full month had passed without an Elton LP or single appearing on the UK charts. It had also been eight months since his last performance, after averaging one show every four days throughout the previous seven years. Ticket holders expecting to see a typical Elton concert were in for a big surprise. The first half of the set would be Elton alone at the piano, the second half would see him accompanied by Ray Cooper, the two performers working together telepathically, harking back to the earliest days of Elton’s rise to superstardom. The stripped-back performances have since been regarded as some of the finest of his career.
Speaking on the album, Elton John says: “I’m delighted that Live from the Rainbow Theatre with Ray Cooper will be available for my fans to enjoy. It’s an album I’m incredibly proud of, and listening back to it, I’m astounded by how great it sounds. The freedom I felt playing with just the two of us is something I will always remember.”
The release comes in the wake of Elton’s chart-topping album with Brandi Carlile, Who Believes In Angels?
Track List:
The Greatest Discovery
Border Song
Cage The Songbird
Where To Now St. Peter?
Ticking
Better Off Dead w/Ray Cooper
Sweet Painted Lady
Tonight w/Ray Cooper
Idol w/Ray Cooper
I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford) w/Ray Cooper
Roy Rogers
Dan Dare (Pilot Of The Future)
Goodbye*
Cage The Songbird
Where To Now St. Peter?
Ticking
Better Off Dead w/Ray Cooper
Sweet Painted Lady
Tonight w/Ray Cooper
Idol w/Ray Cooper
I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford) w/Ray Cooper
Roy Rogers
Dan Dare (Pilot Of The Future)
Goodbye*
*Bonus track available on digital and CD release only
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