3. Philadelphia Freedom (Elton John - Live At The Grosvenor Hotel: 11/11/1990)
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2020
- All right you wunderbar subscribers, I have a real treat for you all. Even though I acquired this concert a few years ago, It wasn’t uploaded due to other commitments. It is now time to bring this concert to life on my channel and to talk about it. This upload contains 9 tracks from Elton’s performance at the Grosvenor Hotel in London and while this upload doesn’t have all the songs on it (there are set-lists posted on the internet featuring more songs), something is better than nothing and at least the quality is excellent!
This is Elton’s first public performance after his rehabilitation and he sounds absolutely brilliant on this show. His voice shows absolutely no signs of the wear and tear that was evident during the last couple of years (from the rampart drug use, constant touring, and misusing his voice) and he is basically a reborn soul on this recording (as a musician, vocalist, and person). His voice basically sounds like a blend of his mid 80s prime live voice combined with the voice of his best late 80s shows (think Miami 1988, Dusseldorf 1989, etc). His falsetto is also alive and well at this show and it sounds so amazing. Ray Cooper also performs with Elton and his percussion playing is fantastic throughout the show. On a side note, Elton is playing his white Steinway at this show. Now… time to discuss these performances!
“Daniel” sounds amazing with Elton’s soft tone making an appearance and he sounds like a mature version of his 1984 self in spots. This is possibly one of the greatest solo versions of the song that has been documented on audio. “Tonight” is a shocking performance as Elton sings the song better than most of the conservative versions from the 1985-1986 World Tour. He still nails the classic falsetto notes in the chorus sections and at the ending (which sounds absolutely brilliant). This is easily Elton’s best post-surgery version of the song and ranks among his best post-surgery performances of all-time. “Philadelphia Freedom” is very energetic with Elton giving a gutsy performance and he really shows off his falsetto in spots. He also plays around with his voice and goes between his lower/baritone range and his higher range without difficulty. “Rocket Man” has Elton powerfully belting out the song using mostly his middle range, but he also goes for a few falsetto notes in the chorus sections. Ray’s percussion is also a highlight and really compliments this performance very well. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” is the last known version where Elton goes for falsetto notes in the chorus sections and his tone sounds really nice on this version. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” is one of the best post-surgery versions as Elton’s revived voice shows a great resonance that isn’t heard on most versions from 1989 and the Atlantic City versions. He shows great vocal control and his upper range is still very strong. “Bennie And The Jets” is a fun version with Elton showing off his different vocal styles, phrases, and dynamics. His piano playing is extremely playful and you can tell he’s having a good time on this performance. Like other songs on this set, Ray’s percussion is very well played and suits this arrangement extremely well. “Candle In The Wind” sounds better than most versions from late 1986 - early 1990 as Elton’s voice is very powerful and clean throughout all of his ranges. He also nails the ending cleanly without a hint of the rasp and growl that was apparent throughout most versions from the noted timeframe. Finally, “Your Song” ranks among the best post-surgery versions as Elton sounds excellent and does tasteful embellishments without losing clarity in his tone. He also does a very unique ending to the song which sounds quite nice!
ENJOY!!!
This is the best solo version of Philadelphia Freedom I've ever heard. The vocals are unique, only version with Ray's percussion ever, and the amazing sound of the piano.
The solo tour got me into Elton's music. The Ephesus 2001 concert is pure magic! By the time we was performing in 2009 with Ray, I fell in love with the two men show. Very great memories.
Thanks Greg!
You're welcome! Enjoy the show!
For 1990, he hits some dame good high notes, with him just making the “whippoorwill of freedom” note and the final “I love you love you love you”
I love this version!
SO clean!
This was the best his Steinway ever sounded. I love how it sounds here. I use his current piano sound as my own. And much prefer it. But this sounds awesome!
It's a very unique set-up at this show! I miss his Steinway!
@@GregsynthWizard I’ve thought about trying to re-create the sound of his Steinway someway. It would be a challenge for sure!
@@isaiahshelley Good luck with that! :)
Very awesome!
I love it!
Espetacular!!!
It's awesome!
This is my favorite show post surgery, such a powerhouse in that voice !
It's an amazing show!
@@GregsynthWizard there was just something magical about his voice in this era, a perfect blend between richness and range.
@@digglejones218 Plus, him being clean helped! He's amazing in late 1990 and 1991!
@@GregsynthWizard Absolutely! There is a recording of him singing Sacrifice in early 1991 and his voice sounds very angelic in the chorus and it reminds me of his early 70s voice but better!
Nobody compares to John and Cooper
Do any videos exist of this concert?
This sounds like it’s acoustic piano era if it’s white Steinway, but he has the synth pads which I didn’t think came in until the midi piano era. I wonder how they’re being triggered?
Edit: never mind, according to Jordan and HomeOne the Steinway was MIDI rigged back in 1986. The mix of acoustic piano to synth piano is just better here.
This also might be the best “solo” Philadelphia Freedom on record. Lordy.
It's such a great version! Love how creative this whole performance is!
The Steinway was, I believe, midi'd from 1985 onwards, according to what I read recently. A piano tech in LA called Jim Wilson was apparently the guy who installed the first midi setup in EJ's Steinway.
I think here the sound is just the Steinway, with a string/synth pad and also a sort of soft wishy-washy FM electric piano sound behind the Steinway.
The Steinway sound has some chorus and delay effects on it too plus a lot of EQ to take out some of the guts/midrange of the sound.
All in all I'm not surprised if he found this sound muddy. It is horribly complicated by all the effects and the midi patches.
I absolutely love Philadelphia Freedom played solo. NY 1999 and Ephesus 2001 are my favourite versions of the song but I also recently came upon a 1992 private solo show Elton did in Monaco (played on the Roland-1000) which is awesome too. Tho I think this one is much better because it features Ray Cooper in it 🤩
@@luism9278 it was a 40-ish minute show Elton did for someone at their party, just type in Elton John Monaco 1992 and it should pop up in youtube
I need to ask - where on earth did you find these images? My assumption is that they are from the very show?
I found them on an Elton John Facebook group! They are definitely from this show!
During the improv bit has anyone checked how low he goes cuz those low notes are quite impressive
I’d say he sings from a C5 down to Bb2’s in the improv section.
5:34 and 6:04 are brilliant for sure
Love that piano work!
Is this the last time he’d go for the “whippoorwill of freedom” note?
On the available recordings we have, this is the last time he goes for it!