11-17-70 by Elton John (Vinyl record album review)

Album name: 11-17-70

Artist name: Elton John

Year: 1971

Number of discs: one

Label: MCA Records

Collection: Selman

Distinguishing characteristics:

Sticker with “J-8-4” and “1971(2)”

Sticker with something crossed out

Sticker with “J” (presumably for filing under John, Elton)

Buy it on Amazon: $8.99

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m not familiar with this live record or the songs on it, with the exception of the Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Women.

What I expected

Bad Elton John music.

What it was actually like

I really am not an Elton John fan, as I may have mentioned when I reviewed Caribou, but I actually have to give him a lot of credit for doing a good job on 11-17-70.

I didn’t really care for much of it and won’t listen again, but the parts of it that had a more rock sound, such as the fast bits of Burn Down the Mission (and working the Beatles’ Get Back into it, medley style), were quite decent.

Take Me to the Pilot was also good in that way, and the best song on the record was his version of Honky Tonk Women, which I thought could easily hold its own against how the Stones did it.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me