Elton We Hardly Knew Ye
This album gives today's listener an idea of what the deal was about Elton John. Unusual melodies and harmonic chords which grabbed you; quirky subjects and off-beat, often intelligent lyrics (thanks to Bernie Taupin), and some wonderfully manic and physical piano pounding. By 1974-75 the original hard rockin' EJ was gone and The Eternally Mr. Fabulous was what we got in his place.

Burn in Hell, Gus.
Gus Dudgeon should spend the rest of his life on Earth trying to make up for the nearly complete ruination of one of the best live albums of all time. I would most certainly box his ears if I every met him, because he is obviously NOT using them. It is my fond hope that this recording will someday be restored to as close to its original form as possible.

a great piece of Elton history!
This album is one of my favorites. It reminds me in a way of a early MTV unplugged show. 60 years on is my favorite cut. Elton's melodic piano playing along with Dee's heavy base performance makes chills run down my spine. Of coarse the 18 minute burn down the mission melody is tops! It just goes to show you that Elton knows how to Rock and just have a great time jamming with Dee and Nigel. A must have for any Elton fan for sure.

Happy 37th Birthday
Happy 37th birthday to one of my favorite albums of all time. Hard to believe it's been so long. This is Elton at his best. Before "Madman." Before "Tumbleweed." Before "Yellow Brick Road." And before the schlock he put out several years later. I love this record.

A fans dream album - almost....
This remastered version of 17-11-70 is well worth getting. It captures Elton at the very beginning of his breakthrough period. 'Your Song' would be his first UK top 10 hit within 3 months of this recording.

The band line-up for the album was very unusual then, and still is now. How many other Pop/Rock artists can you think of who have ever recorded with just Piano, Bass Guitar and drums? This is the classic line-up for a Jazz trio NOT a rock stars band! However, what this does for the album is give it an intimacy missing from some live albums recorded once the artist becomes a superstar. Listen to the little Elton says between songs and you can hear a very shy man who can't quite believe that its really happening.

There are a number of very good tracks on this album. The unfathomable 'Take to the Pilot' is probably the best track on the album. There is no point analysing the lyrics - they don't mean anything, but like a number of tracks on the album ('Sixty Years On' being another example) the band put everything into their performance, and this track really rocks. There is a rare cover by Elton on this album, and its a highly original arrangement of 'Honky Tonk Woman'. Starting with an acapella introduction and finishing with a double speed last chorus its a storming version.

Like a previous reviewer my one critcism of the remastered edition is the overall sound. I think that unneccessary phasing and other efects have been added to the sound. This is a small gripe, but if you have been listening to this album since the 70's like I have, you might find it rather irratating as well.