Dionne WordPress Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • The Weekend Stream
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

Where to Now, St. Peter? Elton John's RSD-Exclusive Rainbow Theatre Live Album Gets Wide Release

June 12, 2025 By Mike Duquette 6 Comments

Elton John Rainbow Theatre Ray Cooper

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

An archival live album from Elton John, released earlier this year for Record Store Day, is getting a wider release this summer.

Live from the Rainbow Theatre with Ray Cooper will come back to LP as well as bow on CD and digital on July 25, featuring all 12 tracks from the original release plus one extra, a disc-closing rendition of "Goodbye." The British piano pop icon, who released the collaborative studio album Who Believes in Angels? with Brandi Carlile in April, curated the album, drawn from six stripped-back dates at the London venue. The album centers deeper cuts from Elton's '70s material - "Border Song" is perhaps the most recognizable - offering album sides from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy and the previous fall's latest, the double album Blue Moves.

The Rainbow sets came at a fascinating time: after a breakneck pace, Elton hadn't been seen in concert in nearly eight months, and the month of May 1977 also marked the first time in five years that none of his singles or albums (11 studio releases, two live records and a greatest hits collection) were in the U.K. charts. Despite the success, it was also a period of personal and professional upheaval: in 1975, he sacked most of his stalwart touring band, and in a 1976 interview with Rolling Stone announced that he was bisexual. (He's since been open about being gay, in a committed relationship with manager David Furnish for decades.) The resultant live sets were a bit of a creative rebirth, then, with only percussionist Ray Cooper joining for part of the solo piano sets. Elton would in fact announce his retirement from the stage by 1977's end, though he of course reneged on that; a recent 1979 performance with Cooper from the former Soviet Union was given a similar RSD to general release in 2019 and 2020.

Amazon links are still populating below, but should be fully available soon in time for the July 25 release of Live At The Rainbow Theatre with Ray Cooper. (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

Live from the Rainbow Theatre with Ray Cooper (Rocket/Mercury/UMe, 2025)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD)

  1. The Greatest Discovery
  2. Border Song
  3. Cage the Songbird
  4. Where to Now, St. Peter?
  5. Ticking
  6. Better Off Dead +
  7. Sweet Painted Lady
  8. Tonight +
  9. Idol +
  10. I Feel Like a Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford +
  11. Roy Rogers
  12. Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future)
  13. Goodbye *

All tracks recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, England - 5/2 to 5/7/1977 (+ with Ray Cooper on percussion)
Tracks 1-12 released as Record Store Day exclusive LP - Rocket/Mercury/UMR 756 049-1, 2025. Track 13 previously unreleased

Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, Rock Tags: Elton John

Avatar photo

Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams' Oscar-winning score to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

Connect With Mike:

You Might Also Like

  • Neil Sedaka Sedaka's BackLaughter in the Rain: "Sedaka's Back" Returns on CD, LP, Digital Formats
  • Screenshot 2025 05 17 at 00.56.12The Weekend Stream Extra: A Guide to 'MTV Unplugged' on Paramount+ (Part 1)
  • record store day logoThe Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2025: Our Favorite Picks
  • Elton John and Brandi Carlile Who Believes in AngelsRelease Round-Up: Week of April 4

Comments

  1. Brad Sonmor says

    June 12, 2025 at 6:48 pm

    I KNEW I shouldn't have bought that RSD release. I really don't like when they do this. Oh well, I can alway dump it on discogs.

    Reply
    • Jim says

      June 13, 2025 at 2:12 pm

      How does the vinyl sound?

      Reply
      • Brad Sonmor says

        June 14, 2025 at 9:03 am

        Sound quality is pretty good. It's just that I tend not to buy vinyl for an archival release like this. It's a great performance.

        Reply
  2. Greg T. says

    June 12, 2025 at 7:44 pm

    I really wish they would have released the full concert.

    Reply
  3. Sean says

    June 12, 2025 at 10:06 pm

    Given the quality and capacity of CD’s, it’s a shame they don’t release the concert in full. The cost difference between a digi pack single and two disc release is minimal. Even the similar Soviet concert release from 1979 was missing tracks. With they’d view these releases from the fans perspective.

    Reply
    • Brad Sonmor says

      June 14, 2025 at 9:05 am

      Agree 100%!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Elton John Rainbow Theatre Ray Cooper
    Live From The Rainbow Theatre with Ray Cooper
    Elton John
    July 25, 2025
    US UK
  • Version 1.0.0
    Dizzy: The Medicine Label Anthology
    Green Apple Quick Step
    July 25, 2025
    US UK
  • More Songs About Buildings and Food deluxe
    More Songs About Buildings and Food: Deluxe Edition
    Talking Heads
    July 25, 2025
    US UK
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,683 other subscribers

Popular Posts

  • Most Commented
  • Most Viewed
  • Brian Wilson At My Piano Promo ShotIn Memoriam: Brian Wilson (1942-2025)
  • McCartney SHM splashPaul is Live (on SHM-CD): Five New McCartney Titles Follow Nearly a Year of Additional Discs
  • Johnny Mathis ProgramI Get Misty: A Personal Reflection on Johnny Mathis' Final Concert
  • John Williams Anthology 1Mondo Maestro: New John Williams Box Set Series Announced, Plus 'Star Wars' Re-Recordings on Vinyl
  • Frank Zappa Cheaper Than CheepWowie Zowie: Frank Zappa's "Cheaper Than Cheep" Premieres Lost Concert Film, Soundtrack
  • The B 52's boxRoam Around the World: Rhino Readies Nearly-Complete Albums Box for The B-52's

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popdose
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2025 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy