John Denver's best CD

If you like John Denver, this is his best CD. It was recorded to be a CD and the concert was at the Sydney Australia Opera House- imagine the acoustics! It is too bad the other songs he sang that night were not put on a second CD.

Live at the Sydney Opera House

I inherited this album from my father on vinyl and over more than 20 years, I've worn it out. I had been trying unsuccessfully to obtain a new copy for a while. Surprisingly, for a concert recorded in Australia, the cd isn't released here. It was a pleasant find to see it available at [Amazon.com].
I wanted it mainly for John's version of an Oz folk song, Moreton Bay. This is a fine rendition, very poignant.
John is in good form and obvious good humour on this night, the live album is recorded in a single venue and has a cohesive quality and great mood. All the songs sound better than the studio versions, although I prefer my music live, which colours my view.
A must for any John Denver fan.

Ladies and gentlemen... John Denver!

Hi everyone! Are you trying to decide which John Denver concert CD to buy or considering adding this one to your collection? Maybe I can help. To begin, of the five offerings most readily available (An Evening With John Denver; John Denver Live at the Sydney Opera House; The Wildlife Concert; Sing Australia; Christmas in Concert), this one - due in part to the extraordinary sound - is about as close as you can come to the true John Denver concert experience without actually being there.

Clocking in at a tidy 63:10, it's as if someone said, "Hey, let's do "Evening" again, only this time we'll do it better!" In fact, whereas "Evening" (in its initial CD release) suffered due to the deletion of two songs from the original program, "Live at the Sydney Opera House" has been upgraded for this U.S. release with the addition of 3 fantastic cuts: "Today", "Calypso", and "Me and My Uncle". Granted, the artwork is a bit uninspired, but "Live at the Sydney Opera House" does come with a nice booklet filled with commentary and liner notes.

Powered by a top shelf band and an orchestra directed by Lee Holdridge, the music on "Sydney" will pour from your speakers with a richness that will no doubt trigger moments of true chill-bone. You will smile and sing along with the familiar tunes while being pleasantly surprised by the "new" selections.

The record begins with John greeting the audience and creating a most relaxed atmosphere. He then launches into an epic rendition of "Rocky Mountain High". In this account, layered background vocals in the chorus and an overlapping "Hiiigghhh, in Colorado" by vocalist Renee Armand make this a truly outstanding version.

As I alluded to earlier, in many ways this is the sophomore "An Evening With John Denver" that spent the summer in the gym. The two albums share seven cuts, but in this instance, John's vocals are quite possibly the best they ever were. His enthusiasm comes across as purely genuine and he really sounds like he's having a good time. Also, I found that the songs, while staying relatively true to the studio renditions, received just enough treatment to keep them fresh and interesting. "Back Home Again" fits this profile perfectly, as does "Calypso", which, if I may, should have been installed as the encore. It is, for my money, the finest live version available of this magnificent song.

"Fly Away", an opportunity for Armand to shine in the Olivia Newton-John role, benefits from an arrangement that runs the gamut from minimal guitar to lush strings. Notable too, is the splendid usage of chimes throughout. In "Looking for Space" the tempo of the original is slowed just enough to give it a most appealing perspective.

"Today", a lovely song that made its debut on "Evening", is enhanced by the addition of a harmonica, and is even more exquisite this time around. "Moreton Bay" is a traditional Irish ballad that John makes his own. You will be able to visualize the audience sitting silent and spellbound as he relates it with heartfelt poignancy.

And if you still aren't convinced, there's more. Even after cramming 15 beefy songs onto this single CD - without an ounce of filler - there is still plenty of time for some fun John Denver banter. "I Want to Live" and "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" come with their own dialogue, and later in the show, John very graciously introduces the entire band. His encore anecdote is a kick, too.

Now, if I had to find fault with anything on this offering, it comes during the "bluegrass" part of the show - awesome versions of "Grandma's Feather Bed" and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy". I would have expected more of a response from an audience being informed that the concert was being made into a record! It's a bit of a frustrating moment and you just might find yourself wanting to shout, "Come on, folks!!" Then again, in the grand scheme of things, it's really quite negligible.

In closing, let me just say that "Live at the Sydney Opera House" is a great way to spend an hour. For some of you, it will be an instant trip back to the 70s with an old friend. For others, a wonderful new experience.