Reprinted from 'Smilin' Ears Magazine', January 1997
Greetings! I hope that all of our readers had a great holiday season and a thoroughly enjoyable New Year.
I had the pleasure of seeing Barenaked Ladies (the five-man group for those of you who were wondering!) on New Year's Eve. They're a great band from Canada who have toured Europe (and the States) on a few occasions. They put on an excellent show, and have just released their first live album. If you have the opportunity to catch these guys, by all means do so! After three studio albums and numerous tours, they already have an extremely active trading network of live tapes, so they're becoming a lot of fun to collect as well.
The first major snowfall is beginning to blanket the New York area, serving as a not-so-gentle reminder that a stack of new live tapes will provide a needed bit of relaxation on the days that will be spent fighting Mother Nature in the coming months. Here are some recent acquisitions that can stand up to multiple playbacks ...
1) Eric Clapton - Jones Beach, NY - July 2, 1983; Sdbd. 90 min.
Let me start by saying that unfortunately this is not the entire show, but what is here is just plain great. The vocals and E.C.'s guitar are up a bit high in the mix, but at least if anything is going to be prominent on a Clapton tape, those two elements would be my choices.
This was a exciting tour. Clapton had cleaned himself up again, and he was ready to prove to the world that the drugs and the drink were gone, but his talents were back in their fullest potential. In the late '80's, Clapton shows became essentially, "greatest hits" sets; ones which didn't give E.C. dozens of opportunities to really let loose. Come to think of it, most of Clapton's regular tour set lists between the blues-based '74/'75 tour and the recent tour for "From The Cradle" didn't really feature long jams over popular "singles". On this '83 tour he does let himself stretch out a bit. The hits singles which would be culled from albums like "Behind The Sun" and "August" were not occupying precious stage time yet, so there was simply more room for the bluesier tunes.
This very fine quality soundboard tape is highlighted by some great jams on songs like "Double Trouble" and "Worried Life Blues". Clapton's is in a fantastic mood during the show. The soundboard recording allows you to eavesdrop on his comments to the band, and they show him as a man who is really loving what he does. "Cocaine" is often a low point for me on Clapton tapes, and this one is no exception. It's a good enough version, but the song just seems to come off as a bit drawn out. The energetic version of "I Shot The Sheriff" that opens the show sets the tone of the evening. The ballad "Wonderful Tonight" is sung a bit wearily, but played with pathos. The night's set-closer of "Layla" is fantastic, and rounds off this extremely enjoyable tape quite nicely.
Overall, this board tape would make a fine addition to any E.C. collection.
The whole set: I Shot The Sheriff / Worried Life Blues / Lay Down Sally / Let It rain / Double Trouble / Key To The Highway / The Shape You're In / Wonderful Tonight / Blues Power / Have You Ever Loved A Woman / Cocaine / Layla
2) Jorma Kaukonen - Southampton Coll., NY March 4, 1979 - Sdbd. 80 min
After the demise of Hot Tuna, Jorma Kaukonen, the band's lead guitarist extraordinaire, went in an unusual direction. A brief tour featured Jorma and drummer Bob Steeler performing under the questionable moniker of "Teasin' the Hidden Clits". Well, no one had ever said he was tasteful. Thankfully this noisy incarnation only survived briefly, and for the first time in almost fifteen years (prior to the formation of the Jefferson Airplane) Jorma set out as a solo performer. While he had opened the "Teasin' ..." shows with a solo set, he would now be carrying shows on his own, playing in smaller venues then the monster that had been Hot Tuna.
College audiences always had a special place for Hot Tuna, and the band had always also done especially well in the Long Island area of New York. It's no wonder then that this show from Jorma's second solo tour, recorded at Southampton College in New York, was played for an extremely enthusiastic audience. Jorma himself was in fine form for this eighty minute set., as this fine quality document reflects. The highlight of the tape is his acoustic take on "Serpent of Dreams", a track from the band's "Yellow Fever" album. "Sleep Song", an original which hasn't been played in many years made a most welcome appearance during the midpoint of this set. This tour marked the debut of the lovely "Roads and Roads and ... ", which would appear both on Jorma's self titled 1979 solo album and on his sole release as the leader of Vital Parts, "Barbecue King". Unfortunately, Jorma's tendency to mumble the lyrics to most of his originals (and almost all of the blues tunes) kept this show from really "taking off", but it all still worked pretty well despite the fact that some fine lines in songs like "Genesis" vanished into thin air.
One interesting thing note for Jorma fans is the way in which Kaukonen's music has changed and grown over the years. Songs like "Water Song" and "Sea Child" are beautiful in this stripped down form, but on this early show there is little embellishment form the recorded versions. Rather than allow these songs to stagnate in the eighteen years that have followed this show, Jorma has added new shape and dimensions to both of these fine instrumentals. Don't get me wrong, though, the versions here are thoroughly enjoyable; especially considering that this was the first time most fans had heard them in this way.
Overall, a very nice Jorma show, and a fine addition to any collection.
Contents - Water Song / Hot Jelly Roll Blues / Roads and Roads and ... / Serpent of Dreams / Sleep Song / Another Man Done Gone / Genesis / Sea Child / Keep On Truckin' / New Song For The Morning / Death Don't Have No Mercy
------------------------------
I'd like to take a piece of this months column to look back at some of the great live moments that either surfaced in, were released in, or were actually performed in 1996. Here, in no particular order, are my ten best live noises heard in '96.
1) Patti Smith - The whole "comeback" tour; but particularly the Central Park, NY show
2) Pete Townshend - The Supper Club, NY; the May 3rd show
3) Carole King - The official release, on Sony, of an incredible 1971 live performance
4) The Who - "Live At Leeds"; The Complete Show - Either a combination of the official re-release AND the incredible "Tommy Live at Leeds" bootleg CD, or the awesome double live boot! This is the "bloody 'Oo" at their fiercest and their best.
5) Neil Young w/Crazy Horse - Jones Beach Theatre, NY - A stop on their intense, high-energy U.S. Summer tour. He successfully proved to his audience and to these young grunge rockers that he did it first, he did it louder, and he STILL does it best.
6) The Rolling Stones - The Rock And Roll Circus - Finally ... the whole damn thing!
7) Steeleye Span - The Bottom Line, NY - It was the first time in MANY years that this incredible folk act played in the U.S., and Maddy Prior and Company have still got it! We've missed them. Did anyone get tapes of this group of their '96 tour?
8) Led Zeppelin - The Paris Theatre, London 1971 - After having heard the BBC radio broadcast a zillion times, along comes a tape/bootleg CD of the complete, unedited original soundboard recording of this classic Zep show. A MUST for Zep fans.
9) Elvis Costello w/Steve Nieve - The San Francisco set from their whirlwind acoustic duo tour. The entire run of shows were incredible, but this live broadcast (one of five) is my personal favorite.
10) The Kinks - The U.S. double CD release of their live album, "To The Bone" - This set, as compared to the group's earlier (major label) live releases, truly captures the brilliance that shines forth from Ray Davies songs when they are presented to an audience.
So, that's it - my best from '96 in a nutshell. Here's hoping that 1997 offers us some great new live (and rare) gems! Until next issue, take care!
I had the pleasure of seeing Barenaked Ladies (the five-man group for those of you who were wondering!) on New Year's Eve. They're a great band from Canada who have toured Europe (and the States) on a few occasions. They put on an excellent show, and have just released their first live album. If you have the opportunity to catch these guys, by all means do so! After three studio albums and numerous tours, they already have an extremely active trading network of live tapes, so they're becoming a lot of fun to collect as well.
The first major snowfall is beginning to blanket the New York area, serving as a not-so-gentle reminder that a stack of new live tapes will provide a needed bit of relaxation on the days that will be spent fighting Mother Nature in the coming months. Here are some recent acquisitions that can stand up to multiple playbacks ...
1) Eric Clapton - Jones Beach, NY - July 2, 1983; Sdbd. 90 min.
Let me start by saying that unfortunately this is not the entire show, but what is here is just plain great. The vocals and E.C.'s guitar are up a bit high in the mix, but at least if anything is going to be prominent on a Clapton tape, those two elements would be my choices.
This was a exciting tour. Clapton had cleaned himself up again, and he was ready to prove to the world that the drugs and the drink were gone, but his talents were back in their fullest potential. In the late '80's, Clapton shows became essentially, "greatest hits" sets; ones which didn't give E.C. dozens of opportunities to really let loose. Come to think of it, most of Clapton's regular tour set lists between the blues-based '74/'75 tour and the recent tour for "From The Cradle" didn't really feature long jams over popular "singles". On this '83 tour he does let himself stretch out a bit. The hits singles which would be culled from albums like "Behind The Sun" and "August" were not occupying precious stage time yet, so there was simply more room for the bluesier tunes.
This very fine quality soundboard tape is highlighted by some great jams on songs like "Double Trouble" and "Worried Life Blues". Clapton's is in a fantastic mood during the show. The soundboard recording allows you to eavesdrop on his comments to the band, and they show him as a man who is really loving what he does. "Cocaine" is often a low point for me on Clapton tapes, and this one is no exception. It's a good enough version, but the song just seems to come off as a bit drawn out. The energetic version of "I Shot The Sheriff" that opens the show sets the tone of the evening. The ballad "Wonderful Tonight" is sung a bit wearily, but played with pathos. The night's set-closer of "Layla" is fantastic, and rounds off this extremely enjoyable tape quite nicely.
Overall, this board tape would make a fine addition to any E.C. collection.
The whole set: I Shot The Sheriff / Worried Life Blues / Lay Down Sally / Let It rain / Double Trouble / Key To The Highway / The Shape You're In / Wonderful Tonight / Blues Power / Have You Ever Loved A Woman / Cocaine / Layla
2) Jorma Kaukonen - Southampton Coll., NY March 4, 1979 - Sdbd. 80 min
After the demise of Hot Tuna, Jorma Kaukonen, the band's lead guitarist extraordinaire, went in an unusual direction. A brief tour featured Jorma and drummer Bob Steeler performing under the questionable moniker of "Teasin' the Hidden Clits". Well, no one had ever said he was tasteful. Thankfully this noisy incarnation only survived briefly, and for the first time in almost fifteen years (prior to the formation of the Jefferson Airplane) Jorma set out as a solo performer. While he had opened the "Teasin' ..." shows with a solo set, he would now be carrying shows on his own, playing in smaller venues then the monster that had been Hot Tuna.
College audiences always had a special place for Hot Tuna, and the band had always also done especially well in the Long Island area of New York. It's no wonder then that this show from Jorma's second solo tour, recorded at Southampton College in New York, was played for an extremely enthusiastic audience. Jorma himself was in fine form for this eighty minute set., as this fine quality document reflects. The highlight of the tape is his acoustic take on "Serpent of Dreams", a track from the band's "Yellow Fever" album. "Sleep Song", an original which hasn't been played in many years made a most welcome appearance during the midpoint of this set. This tour marked the debut of the lovely "Roads and Roads and ... ", which would appear both on Jorma's self titled 1979 solo album and on his sole release as the leader of Vital Parts, "Barbecue King". Unfortunately, Jorma's tendency to mumble the lyrics to most of his originals (and almost all of the blues tunes) kept this show from really "taking off", but it all still worked pretty well despite the fact that some fine lines in songs like "Genesis" vanished into thin air.
One interesting thing note for Jorma fans is the way in which Kaukonen's music has changed and grown over the years. Songs like "Water Song" and "Sea Child" are beautiful in this stripped down form, but on this early show there is little embellishment form the recorded versions. Rather than allow these songs to stagnate in the eighteen years that have followed this show, Jorma has added new shape and dimensions to both of these fine instrumentals. Don't get me wrong, though, the versions here are thoroughly enjoyable; especially considering that this was the first time most fans had heard them in this way.
Overall, a very nice Jorma show, and a fine addition to any collection.
Contents - Water Song / Hot Jelly Roll Blues / Roads and Roads and ... / Serpent of Dreams / Sleep Song / Another Man Done Gone / Genesis / Sea Child / Keep On Truckin' / New Song For The Morning / Death Don't Have No Mercy
------------------------------
I'd like to take a piece of this months column to look back at some of the great live moments that either surfaced in, were released in, or were actually performed in 1996. Here, in no particular order, are my ten best live noises heard in '96.
1) Patti Smith - The whole "comeback" tour; but particularly the Central Park, NY show
2) Pete Townshend - The Supper Club, NY; the May 3rd show
3) Carole King - The official release, on Sony, of an incredible 1971 live performance
4) The Who - "Live At Leeds"; The Complete Show - Either a combination of the official re-release AND the incredible "Tommy Live at Leeds" bootleg CD, or the awesome double live boot! This is the "bloody 'Oo" at their fiercest and their best.
5) Neil Young w/Crazy Horse - Jones Beach Theatre, NY - A stop on their intense, high-energy U.S. Summer tour. He successfully proved to his audience and to these young grunge rockers that he did it first, he did it louder, and he STILL does it best.
6) The Rolling Stones - The Rock And Roll Circus - Finally ... the whole damn thing!
7) Steeleye Span - The Bottom Line, NY - It was the first time in MANY years that this incredible folk act played in the U.S., and Maddy Prior and Company have still got it! We've missed them. Did anyone get tapes of this group of their '96 tour?
8) Led Zeppelin - The Paris Theatre, London 1971 - After having heard the BBC radio broadcast a zillion times, along comes a tape/bootleg CD of the complete, unedited original soundboard recording of this classic Zep show. A MUST for Zep fans.
9) Elvis Costello w/Steve Nieve - The San Francisco set from their whirlwind acoustic duo tour. The entire run of shows were incredible, but this live broadcast (one of five) is my personal favorite.
10) The Kinks - The U.S. double CD release of their live album, "To The Bone" - This set, as compared to the group's earlier (major label) live releases, truly captures the brilliance that shines forth from Ray Davies songs when they are presented to an audience.
So, that's it - my best from '96 in a nutshell. Here's hoping that 1997 offers us some great new live (and rare) gems! Until next issue, take care!