With so many record releases under his glittering belt, Elton John is to re-release '17-11-70' for the 10th anniversary of Record Store Day. The platter was one of his early offerings which set out to seal his rightful place among rock royalty. It was unusual in that it was a live recording, but in front of a small invited audience at New York's A&R Studios. It's an album which Elton is justifiably proud of and rightly so, as it came out just as his star was on the rise Stateside, and how.
Musically improvise as a trio
The key to the whole session was the band's ability to improvise as a trio musically, and there's no doubting the formula worked. Elton maintained that it was easier to do so as a threesome, but at the same time lose nothing regarding musicianship. He was undoubtedly the lead - and still is - the others simply followed. In keeping with Elton's undying love of vinyl, the 2-disc remastered set is being released in that format, along with six bonus tracks including 'Burn Down The Mission' and 'Indian Sunset.'
World Record Store Day Legend
The album release not only coincides with Record Store Day but also with Elton being appointed World Record Store Day Legend, an honor he is immensely proud of.
Not one to shy away from the trappings of fame, it's no secret he spends hours in record stores and rarely leaves without a purchase or several.
The days of bootleg releases
Unfortunately, as was the thing in those early days of bootleg releases, the original recording was subject to several 'unofficial' copies hitting the stores, a fact which Elton finds deplorable. This new version, however, is a first in that the entire studio session will be packaged. A real memento for fans worldwide.
Certainly, a torrent of water has flowed under many bridges since those heady days of his early fame, but Elton John has not lost sight of his roots, and it could be this that has prompted him to choose this album for the anniversary.
He has always spoken of his early years with a ton of affection, and there's no denying it was a special time for him. The irony of his climb to fame was that he broke the States first - traditionally the toughest market.
Fitting tribute
So it seems a fitting tribute not only to Record Store Day, and Elton's undeniable talent that the country that launched his staggering career should feature on a live album. Those who were around when the original record appeared will look back with affection. Those who weren't will, no doubt, cherish the new release. World Record Day and the album release is on April 22nd.