John Denver - Live at Sydney Opera House (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

John Denver in Concert

Lynn Peterson | 07/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent concert. This shows his humor and his excellent musical talent. It even contains his flaws when his voice cracks occasionally which just shows that no one can always be perfect. This is a must for all John Denver fans. He always shows his best when he's in concert. I've been to many of his concerts and they are the most memorable and most fun concerts I've ever been to. It's just fabulous!"

If only it was the whole show ...

birdman3155 | San Antonio, Texas | 04/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I agree with virtually everything the other reviewers of this CD have said, but I'd like to add the following: It is a CRIME that RCA did not see fit to release the entire show from "Live at the Sydney Opera House" on CD!!! That's the only reason this CD does not receive five stars from me.

When this concert was originally issued on LP many years ago, it contained only 12 songs. And when it was originally issued on CD, it was an import in the U.S. and still contained only 12 songs. But when that CD version apparently sold fairly well, RCA decided to reissue it domestically in the U.S. and add a few more tracks. So they added "Today," "Calypso" and "Me and My Uncle," as one of the other reviewers stated, plus Denver's introductions of his band. That gave it a total of 16 tracks.

But given the fact that Denver never played under two hours on any of the occasions I saw him in concert, I feel certain that even with the additional songs, only about half the show is on this disc. So why didn't RCA put out the whole thing on a two-disc set when they reissued it? Who knows?

SO HOW ABOUT IT RCA? COULD YOU PLEASE ISSUE A DELUXE EDITION OF "LIVE AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE?" As one of the other reviewers stated, with the accoustics at the SOH, this might have been a once-in-a-lifetime show.

Several years ago, RCA put out a deluxe edition of "Waylon Live" by Waylon Jennings. It was a single, incomplete disc when it came out on CD the first time, then it was reissued as a double-disc set, which is AWESOME. SO PLEASE RCA, DO THE SAME FOR JD at the SOH!!!!

I was fortunate enough to obtain a video copy of an outdoor concert Denver performed at the Sydney Sports Ground later in the same 1977-78 Australian tour. Naturally he has the same great band and orchestra. The picture quality is not that great, given the digital age we live in, but it is nice to have. (NOTE: The remainder of this paragraph is a February 2010 update) The release of the DVD box set "John Denver Live Around the World" includes the Sydney Sports Ground show with cleaned up audio and video. I am very pleased about its release. But to my dismay _ perhaps for timing restrictions _ "Thirsty Boots" and the medley "Deal With the Ladies/When I'm 64" were cut from the DVD version. This is really unfortunate, since "Thirsty Boots" has never been on any previous release of Denver concert material. And the medley has never been previously released either, although "Deal With the Ladies" is on the "In Concert" CD box set by itself. RCA could remedy these omissions by putting out a deluxe version of the complete Sydney Opera House show.)

The Sydney Sports Ground show was later broadcast on TV in the Land Down Under. The show is more than two hours long and Denver performed many of his hits and album cuts from that period that aren't available on the other live albums/CDs mentioned by my fellow reviewers.

For those who are interested, the songs Denver performed at the Sydney Sports Ground show that aren't on SOH are: "Welcome to My Morning," "Spirit," "Come and Let Me Look in Your Eyes*," "Baby You Look Good to Me Tonight," "Druthers," "I'd Rather Be A Cowboy," "How Can I Leave You Again," "Singing Skies and Dancing Waters*," "Love Is Everywhere*," "Pickin' the Sun Down (Blue Grass and High Sierra)*," "Thirsty Boots*," "Follow Me," "Deal With the Ladies/When I'm 64 (medley)," "To the Wild Country*," and "Sunshine on my Shoulders." Live versions of the songs marked with asterisks have never, to the best of my knowledge, been officially released on CD.

If you're counting, that's 15 additional songs (16 if the medley is counted as two). Wouldn't it be great to hear all those wonderful songs from a venue like the SOH?

SO HOW ABOUT IT RCA?????

But until that happens, this CD is well worth having."

Jack

John J. Kaurich | 09/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This truly is John Denver at his very best. I wish he could have lived longer because he had so many gifts to share with the whole world !!"

Amazing!!! Just amazing!

Marco Carnevali | Italy | 10/10/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded in 1977, "Live at Sidney Opera House" is an amazing John Denver's live. Denver was "really high": in 1977 made some changes in his music (with "i want to live") and he also added Burton, Hardin and Blaine to his crew. The result, in november, was this memorable concert.

Acoustic and insturmental arrangements are simply unique (better than "an evening with JD") and perfect female voices "support" all the songs. Yes, maybe only 15 songs are a little bit few and maybe some hits are missing (where are "I'd rather be a cowboy" or "Matthew"?)... But you still have JD' sketches with the audience and a lot of good music in amazing versions...! A quite-rare MUST HAVE!

TOP: Rocky Mountain High and Calypso (incredible arrangements!!!)

FLOP: Take Me Home, Country Roads (not a great version)"

Evening with John Denver and Live at the Sydney Opera House

Just another listener | United States | 04/16/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Evening with John Denver (EWJD) or Live at the Sydney Opera House (SOH); which shall it be? I own both and I have my opinion; let me try to be objective and help you decide!

John's singing is great on both CDs. It might be a little better on SOH, but this is a nit. The voice is great on EWJD, too.

The orchestra on SOH is very much better than on EWJD. I am principally talking about sound quality and sense of space, but the arrangements are more elaborate on SOH as well. I wish the horn section were a little more precise, but maybe the strings make up for that. On all but a couple songs, I very much prefer the orchestra on SOH, and so should you.

In contrast, the backing vocals are very much better on EWJD than on SOH. In fact, the SOH backing vocals on Rocky Mountain High and Grandma's Feather Bed are distracting. On the other SOH tracks, the backing vocals are OK if undistinguished. I very much prefer the backing vocals on EWJD, and so should you.

The band is great on both CDs, but on SOH, the steel guitar is downright annoying on some songs. The guy is playing well enough, but the volume is way too loud. This is a mystery to me as it seems it would be pretty easy to remix the tracks to bring it into balance with John, the rest of the band, and the orchestra. As it stands, the mix sucks. Such a pity to ruin otherwise great tracks that way!

And the mix on EWJD? Not a bad one in the bunch!

The song selection is different on the two CDs, although they have eight songs in common. SOH is a later recording and has later material on it. I can't tell you whether you prefer the older stuff or the newer stuff; you'll have to look over the song list and decide for yourself. One thing I like very much about SOH, though, are the songs Me and My Uncle, and Moreton Bay. The vocal on Moreton Bay is beatiful, and a little unusual for John.

It's exciting to have Calypso on SOH, but the chorus doesn't quite work. I haven't decided if it is the arrangement or the pace that doesn't work, but the chorus sounds sloppy. Don't (as I did) get SOH if you're worked up about having Calypso.

I have the version of EWJD with six bonus tracks, having upgraded from vinyl. Were it not for the bonus tracks, I would say the selection of songs on EWJD was just about as perfect as perfect could be. The selection and sequence of songs on the (original) EWJD is equisite. The bonus tracks are interesting in and of themselves, but placed at the tail end of EWJD they are jarring. For example, the first bonus track is a repeat of Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio -- a song that already appears as track 6 on CD one! Ending the CD with the bonus track Amsterdam is just bizarre. The original EWJD ends with This Old Guitar, and John ends This Old Guitar by saying 'I love you people'. That is a very gratifying and appropriate conclusion to EWJD. EWJD has lost its original continuity and soothing logical ending; now it leaves you with the sensation John and the musicians walked out in the middle of a concert. My suggestion to you is to stop EWJD after This Old Guitar (listen to the bonus tracks some other night).

SOH has the feeling of being recorded in a single evening.

My personal prefernce is for EWJD. I wish I could love SOH as much (the orchestra, Moreton Bay, Eagle and Hawk, Me and my Uncle!) but I can't endorse a CD with distractions and annoyances.

If you are buying individual MP3's, here's my advice: buy EWJD up to and including This Old Guitar. From SOH, buy the songs you don't have already on EWJD. Listen to the sample to decide if you want to include Its a Sin to Tell a Lie. I'd mix that one a little differently myself, but that's a matter of taste. Finally, buy Annie's Song from SOH even though you already have it on EWJD. You can hear the difference even on the samples which are otherwise unreliable for judging sound quality.

What's that, you say? You'll have to buy both concerts because you don't trust my judgement? Well go ahead .. you know you want to!"

Search - John Denver :: Live at Sydney Opera House

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