Eric Francis

Planet Waves began in 1998 as the home of the Eric Francis horoscope, a prominent feature in our premium service. Going far beyond what most Sun-sign astrologers even dream is possible, Eric brings in-depth interpretations to his work. He is a pioneer in the newly-discovered planets, including Chiron and the centaurs, and is able to translate their movements into accessible human terms, offering ideas for life, love and work. Discover a whole new world of literary journalism in Planet Waves. We offer free trial subscriptions, discounts for students and seniors, and gift subscriptions for veterans and those on active military duty.

I was at Rhino Records in New Paltz the other day, a very excellent independent record store, and I found something utterly rare — a 1970 recording of Elton John at the studios of A&R Records, with a small audience of about 125 people. This was for a special broadcast on what was then WABC-FM Radio, the precursor to WPLJ, for many years the heart and soul of rock in New York City.

Berine Taupin was already writing with Elton at that time, but there are no familiar hit songs on the recording. Yet the atmosphere and the sheer artistry of the performance are stunning; and man, can he play piano. Personally I always think it’s fascinating to get a glimpse of people the day before they become superstars. So this CD has been going around and around in my car as I’ve been tooling across the countryside the past week or so.

Then I woke up with the song “Philadelphia Freedom” in my mind this morning and voila, I found this recording on YouTube at the Royal Opera House.