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San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Music Review: Elton John's 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre With Ray Cooper' spotlights a rich catalog
On Elton John's new concert album, the songs steal the show. Deep cuts from John's rich catalog are given the spotlight on 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre With Ray Cooper.' The 13-song set was culled from a six-show residency in London in May 1977, with John at the piano and his longtime percussionist, Cooper, joining him for the second half of the show. The album initially received a limited release on vinyl for Record Store Day and will be available digitally and on CD for the first time beginning Friday. While John, of course, performed his biggest hits during the residency, the album wisely focuses on often overlooked material, pointing to the astounding quantity of quality songs John produced early in his career. That includes 'Cage the Songbird," a lilting tribute to Édith Piaf from the underrated 1976 LP 'Blue Moves.' Another highlight from that album is the cabaret jazz ballad 'Idol,' which shows John could have thrived in a lounge had the rock star thing not worked out. The piano man's playing here is closer to Liberace than Little Richard, because ballads predominate, and Cooper's role is tastefully restrained. Even when the tempo gets brisk on 'Better Off Dead,' the song is delightfully hammy operetta rather than rock 'n' roll. From start to finish, John sings with relish: He knows how good these songs are. 'Where To Now St. Peter?' features an especially vigorous vocal, including full-throated falsetto. 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre' underscores John's lyricist Bernie Taupin's vital role in their songwriting partnership. The album opens with 'The Greatest Discovery,' a pairing of sweet sentiment and a charming melody, while 'Ticking' is a gripping tale set in Queens that anticipated America's epidemic of gun violence. John introduces 'Ticking' and two other songs by noting he doesn't perform them often, or often enough. Banter elsewhere is mostly brief and stiff, but his droll wit does surface in one exchange with a spectator. 'How are you tonight? Nice handkerchief,' John says, before telling the rest of the audience, 'He hasn't washed that in three years.' The 1977 performances took place as punk and disco were knocking John off his pop pedestal and ending his years-long reign as a consistent hitmaker. 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre' offers a reminder that not all of his superb songs were singles.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Music Review: Elton John's ‘Live From the Rainbow Theatre With Ray Cooper' spotlights a rich catalog
On Elton John's new concert album, the songs steal the show. Deep cuts from John's rich catalog are given the spotlight on 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre With Ray Cooper.' The 13-song set was culled from a six-show residency in London in May 1977, with John at the piano and his longtime percussionist, Cooper, joining him for the second half of the show. The album initially received a limited release on vinyl for Record Store Day and will be available digitally and on CD for the first time beginning Friday. While John, of course, performed his biggest hits during the residency, the album wisely focuses on often overlooked material, pointing to the astounding quantity of quality songs John produced early in his career. That includes 'Cage the Songbird,' a lilting tribute to Édith Piaf from the underrated 1976 LP 'Blue Moves.' Another highlight from that album is the cabaret jazz ballad 'Idol,' which shows John could have thrived in a lounge had the rock star thing not worked out. The piano man's playing here is closer to Liberace than Little Richard, because ballads predominate, and Cooper's role is tastefully restrained. Even when the tempo gets brisk on 'Better Off Dead,' the song is delightfully hammy operetta rather than rock 'n' roll. From start to finish, John sings with relish: He knows how good these songs are. 'Where To Now St. Peter?' features an especially vigorous vocal, including full-throated falsetto. 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre' underscores John's lyricist Bernie Taupin's vital role in their songwriting partnership. The album opens with 'The Greatest Discovery,' a pairing of sweet sentiment and a charming melody, while 'Ticking' is a gripping tale set in Queens that anticipated America's epidemic of gun violence. John introduces 'Ticking' and two other songs by noting he doesn't perform them often, or often enough. Banter elsewhere is mostly brief and stiff, but his droll wit does surface in one exchange with a spectator. 'How are you tonight? Nice handkerchief,' John says, before telling the rest of the audience, 'He hasn't washed that in three years.' The 1977 performances took place as punk and disco were knocking John off his pop pedestal and ending his years-long reign as a consistent hitmaker. 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre' offers a reminder that not all of his superb songs were singles. ___ More AP reviews:
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Music Review: Elton John's ‘Live From the Rainbow Theatre With Ray Cooper' spotlights a rich catalog
On Elton John's new concert album, the songs steal the show. Deep cuts from John's rich catalog are given the spotlight on 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre With Ray Cooper.' The 13-song set was culled from a six-show residency in London in May 1977, with John at the piano and his longtime percussionist, Cooper, joining him for the second half of the show. The album initially received a limited release on vinyl for Record Store Day and will be available digitally and on CD for the first time beginning Friday. While John, of course, performed his biggest hits during the residency, the album wisely focuses on often overlooked material, pointing to the astounding quantity of quality songs John produced early in his career. That includes 'Cage the Songbird,' a lilting tribute to Édith Piaf from the underrated 1976 LP 'Blue Moves.' Another highlight from that album is the cabaret jazz ballad 'Idol,' which shows John could have thrived in a lounge had the rock star thing not worked out. The piano man's playing here is closer to Liberace than Little Richard, because ballads predominate, and Cooper's role is tastefully restrained. Even when the tempo gets brisk on 'Better Off Dead,' the song is delightfully hammy operetta rather than rock 'n' roll. From start to finish, John sings with relish: He knows how good these songs are. 'Where To Now St. Peter?' features an especially vigorous vocal, including full-throated falsetto. 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre' underscores John's lyricist Bernie Taupin's vital role in their songwriting partnership. The album opens with 'The Greatest Discovery,' a pairing of sweet sentiment and a charming melody, while 'Ticking' is a gripping tale set in Queens that anticipated America's epidemic of gun violence. John introduces 'Ticking' and two other songs by noting he doesn't perform them often, or often enough. Banter elsewhere is mostly brief and stiff, but his droll wit does surface in one exchange with a spectator. 'How are you tonight? Nice handkerchief,' John says, before telling the rest of the audience, 'He hasn't washed that in three years.' The 1977 performances took place as punk and disco were knocking John off his pop pedestal and ending his years-long reign as a consistent hitmaker. 'Live From the Rainbow Theatre' offers a reminder that not all of his superb songs were singles. ___ More AP reviews:
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Dave Stewart was playing Dylan songs as a teen. Now he's made an album of them
Dave Stewart is known as half of '80s New Wave powerhouse Eurythmics. He's also well-regarded for his production and writing with Mick Jagger, Tom Petty, Jon Bon Jovi and Ringo Starr, and for crafting the music for Broadway's 'Ghost the Musical' and 'The Time Traveller's Wife.' But Stewart's 40-year friendship and collaborative relationship with Bob Dylan is a revelation for most. Then again, this is the guy who, at 72, cheerfully reminds you that he's 'always working on about five different things at once. If you've got the greatest job in the world, why stop? It's not like I'm going to retire from having a good time.' Stewart's affection for Dylan's lauded catalog is etched in his new 'Dave Does Dylan' album. Originally released in April exclusively for Record Store Day, the 14 tracks blend well-worn classics ('Lay, Lady, Lay,' 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door') with deep cuts ('To Ramona,' an album track on 1964's 'Another Side of Bob Dylan'). The Stewart-Dylan connection is perhaps deepest on 'Emotionally Yours,' a 1985 cut from Dylan's 'Empire Burlesque' album featuring a video shot by Stewart as Dylan wandered Camden High Street in North London. The charmingly chatty Stewart spoke last spring, and hadn't yet seen 'A Complete Unknown,' the fictionalized take on a portion of Dylan's career. But he shares plenty about his time with the bard. More: Lady Gaga thrills at theatrical Mayhem Ball tour kickoff: Review Question: You've known Dylan since 1985, so is this an album you've wanted to do for a long time, but your schedule interfered? Dave Stewart: Over the last year for fun I was putting my iPhone on a stick and singing a Dylan song (for social media). People were saying how much they loved them, so after doing about 24 videos, I thought, "Why not just do 14 songs that are exactly what you see on Instagram?" The iPhone was filming it and the mic was picking up what I was singing. I didn't think I was making an album, but I was! You mention that Dylan's lyrics and melodies have kept you company through the best and worst of times. How did you determine which songs fall in those categories? I could have made another album with all of the songs I left off. I was making it more for the people buying the vinyl album and how the songs flowed. When I was 15 I'd get into a folk club and sing "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and it would shock people because it was 1960s England and they were singing coal miner songs. Then I'd buy Dylan albums and lay on the floor stoned, listening to all four sides of "Blonde on Blonde." And then years later you heard from the man himself. I got a real shock in 1980something when the phone rang in the studio and the receptionist said, "Bob Dylan is on the phone." The minute he started speaking I knew it was real because it was impossible to imitate that voice. From then on we became friends. The back cover of your album is a photo of you shooting Dylan for the 'Emotionally Yours' video. It seems as if you have an easy rapport with the notoriously shy guy. When I'm with him, we just talk like two people talking. Bob talked in a '60 Minutes' interview that he knew something was different about him when he was a kid and then he realized it was a special thing. I know what he means when people ask me, "How did you write this or that song?" It's not that you don't want to explain, it's just some kind of feeling, and I understand that. More: Robert Plant announces fall 2025 US tour with Saving Grace: Cities, dates, tickets Back to your previous life, do you think you and Eurythmics partner Annie Lennox will ever do anything together again? We haven't toured since 1999, and we were offered touring. Annie says she can do some songs for other people (she performed for Joni Mitchell and Elton John at their respective Gershwin Prize for Popular Song concerts) but doesn't want to tour. Basically she's like, Eurythmics was then. But the songs live on, so I like playing Eurythmics songs. I think Annie is happy doing her own thing. But you, of course, are always working on something. I'm not a person who wants to control stuff. I like to relinquish control and let stuff happen. That could be chaotic to the people living it, but it's a fun thing that happens. When I look back at my life with things like the Traveling Wilburys recording in my back garden (Stewart lent George Harrison his California home and the supergroup with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Harrison was formed around his kitchen table), you have to let things just happen. It's a way of allowing your mind to actually be open to endless possibilities and not go bonkers.
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Vinyl edition of Laufey's Night At The Symphoney: Hollywood Bowl hits audio perfection
RELEASED on April 13 as a Record Store Day exclusive, the vinyl edition of A Night At The Symphony: Hollywood Bowl is quite simply astounding. Perfectly mastered, it brings to life the grand settings of the LA Philharmonic in splendid technicolour. Those who are already fans of Laufey will know precisely what they are getting with the jazz chanteuse bringing back a sound seemingly lost to time. This is jazz from the turn of the previous century, no less. Sang in some smoky speakeasy dressed in strings of pearls, these are songs designed to transport the listener into another time and space. Although not advertised as an audiophile recording, the tell tale sign is in the fact that this album is presented on double 45rpm vinyl, which is usually a guarantee of deep, wider sound staging. And it deliver this in spades allowing listeners to take in the epic sound of the LA Philharmonic. But never once does the orchestra sound overwhelming, allowing the star of the show to shine with her delicate, soaring vocals. This is best exemplified from her Grammy-winning tune Bewitched, which sound simply exquisite backed by a full string section. Another stand out moment is I Wish You Love where the Finnish songstress is just in impeccable form taking the song to audio nirvana. The sound that emanates from the speakers when the orchestra kicks in quite simply breathtaking. The best thing about this special vinyl edition is that it captures the vibe of a truly special concert, with Laufey admitting that this was a bucket list moment. The concertgoers enthusiastic response is there mainly at the end of the songs and is never intrusive, giving the artiste the space and stage to just belt it out. The Berklee College of Music graduate has achieved incredible success with a sound that is a complete throwback. It works because it is authentic and the singer's passion and joy for the art form is obvious. This live album captures that perfectly. Those who missed Laufey's concert in Kuala Lumpur last year would do well to grab a copy is as this as close to the real thing one can get. These are retailing upwards of RM250 and prices are set to rise given that this is a limited Record Store Day special. A worthy investment for those who want an audiophile experience of Laufey. A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl is released via AWAL Recordings.
