Elton John - Better Off Dead (live in Russia, 1979)

Elton John performing 'Better Off Dead' with Ray Cooper on percussion. Live in Russia, 1979.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• elton
• john
• ray
• cooper
• russia
• better
• off
• dead

[butterflydancerlady]

Awsome song! Amazing lyrics Bernie. First heard this LIVE on the Single Man Tour 1978 in the intimate setting of Bristol hippodrome. Was blown away by Ray Cooper. I'd owned the Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album since 1975. Bought it mainly for Alan Aldridges artwork on the cover (I have always been AA fan). But it was Ray Cooper on percussion on that night that turned me on the album for life! Again. . . Awesome!

[tierza218]

NO GLASSES...WOW !!!!!

[gibsondanny]

1:37 Caption - "I just farted hehe"

[Lightner445555555555]

Seeing EJ in 1979 anyone noticed how much He and his voice seemed to have aged by the time 1980 hit?

[Moonberry94]

@TriangulusPoloniae were available, BUT! it was very hard to get them because they were sold very quickly. And yes, many authorities saw that concert, but I dont really think that they had a great fun from it

[Moonberry94]

@OronOfMontreal By the way! KGB was formed in 1954 and the GULAG("prisoner work camps in Siberia"(c)) stopped its existence by this time.

[Moonberry94]

@OronOfMontreal, TENS OF MILLIONS of Russian citizens were enslaved? Are you kidding us? It's rather sad to realise that someone who doesnt have enough knowledge about the topic tries to persuade us that it was in that way. Why not tens of billions were eaten by Stalin? What do YOU know about Russia except vodka, sputnik and glasnost'? Oh, if we are talking seriously, I cant deny, that many Russians, Ukraines etc were prosecuted, but MUCH more less.

[ObiwannabeKenobi]

flawless

[gibsondanny]

1:37 CAPTION - "The guy next to me just farted, and i find that funny hehe"

[OronOfMontreal]

@TriangulusPoloniae

Thank you for your perspective, Triangulus. I had forgotten that behind the Iron Curtain, members and officials of the Communist Party were given special privileges from time to time. Most such privileges were not as special as a night of Elton John music, of course. It was a fearful time indeed, and it looks as though Mother Russia is attempting to re-establish the totalitarianism of the Soviet era. Sad, as you wrote.

[TriangulusPoloniae]

@OronOfMontreal Hi. I come from Poland which used to ba a communist regime too and if the system was the same as in my country (and I'm sure it was - we were obliged to copy everything from our Big Brother) It may sound strange but the audience were not ordinary Elton's fans. They were carefully selected from local activists to represent different factorys, collective farms, the intelligence, scientists, miners, welders etc. Tickets were not available for ordinary people. They were sad times...

[peccer69]

Best performance of this song by both Elton and Ray. Love the way he looks at the audience as he hammers the percussion!