Elton's Geffen Records contract had run its course and his old home, MCA, made him an offer he couldn't refuse. MCA also wanted to bring Elton back into prominence, to regain the respect and sales he'd accumulated in the 70's. How better to do that, then, than to revisit those early songs in a live context? Better yet, Elton enlisted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and James Newton Howard to create a televised extravaganza with eyes towards a live album. The set list leaned heavily towards the early years (nearly half the "

" album is here) and tapping some underrated songs like "Tonight" from "

" and "

's" "Have Mercy On The Criminal."

The orchestration is magnificent, utilizing the original Paul Buckmaster and James Newton Howard arrangements, and on CD they are absolutely majestic. Elton made one of his last forays into costume drama, showing up in full Mozart gear and powdered wig. "Live In Australia" even paved the way for "Candle In The Wind" to finally become an American hit, hitting number 6 in 1987. It is a gorgeous album, lush in sound and giving justification to all claims of the brilliance of Elton and Bernie's songwriting.

Only one problem: Elton's voice was almost shot. He was mere weeks away from major, voice threatening throat surgery and the roughness on his vocal chords shows. He can't sustain the highs and his falsetto is gone. On some of the songs, he makes up for it admirably. In fact, he sounds really good on the songs where range isn't a major requirement (like the dramatic "The King Must Die" or "Take Me To The Pilot"), but the ballads occasionally show the frayed spots (like "Tonight," where the orchestration is very Gershwinesque, or "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"). Had it not been for those moments where Elton's voice betrays him, this could have been a five-star definitive work, on a par with "

." While "Live In Australia" is still pretty darn good, the definitive live Elton remains the remastered "

."

I can listen to this CD over and over and over without getting tired of it. I just absolutely love the orchestra backing up ELton's raspy singing voice, the combination is magical to me. I am not as fond of the music coming from Elton John in the last decade or two as I was in his earlier days, and this album to me is ELton singing the best of the best. I also especially like that at least half of the songs are not his most known songs and so they have not been played on the radio ad nauseum (even though I play them in my car ad nauseum!)

This is the best live version of any recording artist I've heard. If you like Elton John, you need this album. Period.

Having seen Elton John in concert four times, this has to be one of his best. Although the concert was over 20 years ago, this performance was stellar. The performance of "Candle In The Wind" was released as a short CD with his duet with George Michael on opposite track. The best way to enjoy Elton John, is LIVE!

Elton's voice rarely sounded worse. He's tired, it's been a long tour, his vocal chords are shredded and he is desperately looking forward to a break. It's the final night and the setting could not be more perfect. Elton is joined during this segment of the show by a full symphony orchestra and it causes everyone to bring their best to the stage. It was the spectacular event that everyone hoped it would be........all captured and mastered using the analog technology of the day.

And now, for the first time, this brilliantly conceived event can be heard the way it was meant to be heard. I could write another paragraph about how the violins are now perfectly placed and how the base drum is perfectly something something, blah, blah, blah. Truth is, this is a one of a kind, a moment in time event. If you've owned the vinyl album or the original CD, this new remaster opens the door to all sorts of brilliant sounds that you can enjoy no matter if you happen to be screaming down the highway on the way to work, or listening in your easy chair with some headphones.

It's a great way to enjoy the recording and the remastering is a remarkable upgrade to all of the previous versions. The price won't break the bank and Amazon makes it incredibly easy to get a copy headed to your door. Take the leap and get a copy. I can't imagine you would regret it.