Reprinted from 'Smilin' Ears Magazine', October 1996
Greetings! I hope this issue finds everyone doing well, and enjoying the tail end of the summer. A number of great bands have been touring in Europe, and I'm sure some of you have managed to see some fine live performances. Hey ... will there be tapes of some of those shows turning up in future "Rare Tape Round-Up" columns? Who knows!?
Well, the weather is calm for the moment here on the East Coast of the states. As it stands, we're starting to zip through the alphabet during hurricane season. I think Hurricane Hortense is out there in the Atlantic somewhere waiting to send us some heavy rains. But as long as the power stays on, the wet weather gives me an excuse to listen to some great new tapes.
There are a few fun obscure ones in here this month, so ... enjoy. And let's start with:
1) DEVO - Central Park, NY; July, 1980 - 70 minutes Sdbd
Let me begin by simply saying that I haven't had so much fun listening to a live tape in a long time.
DEVO is a band that hindsight has done great things for. They were thinkers. They were conceptual. Occasionally, they took their pretentiousness and self-indulgence to extremes, but that was alright. It was part of the package. It was part of their plan. Mark Mothersbaugh, the chief songwriter and main vocalist of the bands most popular material, and his cronies really cranked out some great songs. The lyrics usually had some dignity and bite to them, and there was often more than a touch of humor. Let's look at some of the highlights of the show for example.
We open with a high-powered intro that blends a number of the bands main themes into a medley. This rolls into a fine rendition of "Whip It". I assume that this was the single at the time, since the tour was timed to promote their third album, "Freedom Of Choice", which includes this track. The band is very tight and driven. The pace isn't overly frenetic, and they don't seem to be rushing things, but it's real high energy stuff. A hot version of "Girl U Want", a song that got some some radio life later in the band's career, shows up a few song later. Overall, DEVO perform seven songs the album during the course of the evening, including a nice run-through of the title cut. All of the band's vocalists sing with clear understanding, allowing the humor in the lyrics to come to the forefront.
It seems that the intention of the group at the time was to sandwich some crowd-pleasing oldies in between a few groupings of new songs. After the first five songs, which are all from "Freedom ...", they jump back a year to their second LP "Duty Now For The Future". The live version of "S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain)" from that album is rather non-essential. It's quickly followed, however, by their hysterical take on "Secret Agent Man". This is NOT the Johnny Rivers tune. No cruisin' on the Riviera in this one. Our protagonist is busy " ... fighting cavities of evil, and safeguarding America's health". And the lines - coupled with their delivery - " ... But not an afternoon pass / when I don't get up off my ass / and thank you Jesus 'cause I'm ... I'm a secret agent man" still crack me up almost twenty years after they were written. They follow this up with "Pink Pussycat". Now, DEVO fans know the tune, but even a non-fan has to admit that this is an interesting one. If it was reworked and restructured this song could be a hit for any current major "alternative" band. The vocal delivery, however, makes it unquestioningly DEVO, and the "meow meow meow" interjections keep it in an ambiguous place between humorous, freaky, sociopathic and downright silly. Neat stuff. "Blockhead", a second album track leftover from before the release of the first album closes the set.
The yellow suits come out to start the second set and they rip through "Satisfaction" and "Uncontrollable Urge". I think the latter is a punk classic. After two new songs in a row, the band offers up their theme song, "Jock Homo". By this point, I'm convinced that "We Are DEVO". Again, the lyrics, whatever the hell they mean, are just great. Two medleys, from the second and first album respectively, end the set and make up the first part of the encore. The band pass themselves off as the "Smart Patrol", then offer themselves up to "Mr. DNA" as a sacrifice (experiments?). The extremely unusual "Gut Feeling / Slap Your Mammy" medley builds the show to a real high point musically. They bring it all to a stunning climax with a rip-roaring "Come Back Jonee", a single from their first album that brought Chuck Berry's "School Days" riffs into the punk / new wave era.
This makes for a great period piece, and a worthy document of a band that had a fairly exciting, albeit too brief, career caught in the height of it. If you think about it, the Monkees told us "Hey Hey we're the Monkees", but they never tried to tell us that WE are all Monkees too. By the late seventies, however, we were prepared to ponder that concept. I find it interesting that the group's fan base still continues to grow. It could be that we're even more ready to accept their idea as the millennium approaches. Are we just going backwards in this nuclear age? Or maybe they were trying to tell us that we were becoming, er, perhaps "mutating" into something we can't possibly imagine? Whatever the message was, it was BIG ... and it was theater of the mind, body and de-evolved soul. Moreover, however, it was fun, and it was damn good rock and roll.
The full DEVO experience is: Intro / Whip It / Snowball / It's Not Right / Girl U Want / Planet Earth / S.I.B. / Secret Agent Man / Pink Pussycat / Blockhead / (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction / Uncontrollable Urge / Gates Of Steel / Freedom of Choice / Jocko Homo / Smart Patrol - Mr. DNA / Gut Feeling - Slap Your Mammy / Come Back Jonee
... oh, and we were speaking of the Monkees ...
2) The Monkees - Westbury Music Fair, New York; July 11, 1986 Aud 105 min.
The boys are back in town. It's their thirty year anniversary. Their first album in twenty-five years as a full blown four-man band (including the elusive Michael Nesmith) is on the way. Since we last saw the guys on a concert stage together ten years ago; Mickey's lost some more hair, Davy has become more annoying, and Peter Tork has become a true performer and vocalist in his own rite. They are still, however, a lot of fun.
The Monkees are a more cohesive "musical" unit, seemingly a bit more in control, on this current tour. The sound at this particular venue, which has a rotating stage, must have left a bit to be desired judging from the resulting audience tape. It's rather enjoyable, but the instruments seem to come and go, and Davy's percussion, which was fed through the house PA along with the vocals, occasionally dominates the sound spectrum. Mickey is on guitar throughout the entire show, and Peter slides easily between lead guitar and keyboard duties. A fine backing band is highlighted by a versatile female horn player. The set list for this anniversary tour features many of the songs which the group tackled during their 1986 and 1987 sets. New additions are taken mostly from Peter Tork's fairly enjoyable recent solo album. The other members leave the stage to allow Tork to perform three songs during the second set, including a lovely Bach harpsichord piece that begins the latter half of the proceedings. The thoughtful "Sea Change" and the bluesy "Good Looker" (a song which has been "in the can" since the early seventies) are well written tunes which fit nicely into the set. The two pieces serve nicely as counter-balances to the (pleasant but) saccharine sweetness of some of Davy's love songs. In the first set he's also offered the chance to play his version of the old soul classic "(Your Love Is Lifting Me) Higher and Higher".
Michael Nesmith's presence is strongly felt throughout the tape. Mickey informs the crowd that their fourth member is busy mixing the upcoming album. During the show the other three offer up their renditions of four classic Monkees songs: "Papa Gene's Blues", "Listen To The Band", "Circle Sky" and "What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round?". All four originally featured Mike on vocals and only the last, a Michael Martin Murphy song, was not penned by Nesmith. They do them justice ... or should I say "Justus", which is the title of the group's upcoming album. Incidentally, "Circle Sky", originally from the soundtrack to their film "Head", has actually been rerecorded for the new LP.
Davy is featured on "Hard To Believe", the opening song on side two of their 1967 album "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, Jones, Ltd.". This tour is the first live appearance for this song. Another first-timer, "Girl", is a song which Davy breathed new life into with his appearance in last years "Brady Bunch Movie". Mickey surrounds the story of Jimi Hendrix' brief stint as an opening act for the Monkees with a brief version of "Purple Haze". He then takes center stage with a solo cover of Lenny Welch's classic "Since I Fell For You".
There are some definite highlights, including a very nice take on "Heart and Soul", the band's last single from the late 1980's. Peter's quirky "Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?" is very well executed. "She", from "More Of The Monkees", and the group's '80's "comeback" single "That Was Then, This Is Now" are early bright moments. "No Time" from "Headquarters" really rocks, as each member takes a verse alternately. One unusual moment occurs when Mickey Dolenz seems to lose his voice during the first verse of "Randy Scouse Git" shortly after he dedicates it to his daughter Ami, who is apparently in the audience. The tape doesn't reveal whether Mickey was choked up, or had a very nasty thingumybob caught in his voice box. Davy briefly covers for him.
Ah, and this brings us to Davy. I began all of this by saying that Davy is a bit annoying on the tape. My reason is this: he has a habit of over-singing. Now I love harmony vocals as much as the next guy, but why sing over someone else's vocal line when there is no harmony? The other members are capable of carrying a song all by themselves, thank you. So, though the group's performance is quite pleasant, Davy can be a bit too far up in the mix at times when he shouldn't be in the mix at all. It's a fun show, though, and a token from this tour is a must for any Monkees fan.
The whole set is ... Last Train To Clarkesville / That Was Then, This Is Now / Valleri / For Pete's Sake / She / It's Nice To Be With You / Do I Have To Do This All Over Again? / Girl I Knew Somewhere / Your Auntie Grizelda / Hard To Believe / Purple Haze - Since I Fell For You / Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) / Circle Sky / I Wanna Be Free / Higher and Higher / Randy Scouse Git / Pleasant Valley Sunday / Bach Piece / Little Bit Me, Little Bit You / Heart and Soul / What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round / Mary Mary / Sea Change / Good Looker / She Hangs Out / Goin' Down / Brady Bunch Theme - Girl / No Time / Papa Gene's Blues / (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone / Daydream believer / Listen To The Band / I'm A Believer
3) Gene Pitney - Westbury Music Fair, New York; July 30, 1994 Aud. 55 min.
Well here is a unique live recording of a performer who has not kept up much of a touring career here in the U.S. for the past twenty-five years. It's very nice to hear that Pitney's exceptional voice has stayed in excellent shape during all of that time.
For the pop music historian, this set is delightful. Pitney avoids all of the tacky pitfalls which most performers from his era tend to fall into during their modern sets. There are no plastered smiles here, and no pompous moments of big glitz and glamor. The show is, quite simply, a guy with a great voice who has enjoyed a very nice career - one which even spilled into the nineties in Europe - presenting a fine selection of pop songs with very competent orchestral arrangements. He is very grateful and respectful to his audience, and he chats briefly about almost every song in the set. While the majority of the evening is devoted to the hits, the set includes a number of "misses" which the vocalist acknowledges as songs which are among his personal favorites. These tracks add a very nice warmth to the performance, along with a touch of true dignity. The crowd in gives all of the songs a warm reception, and seems quite attentive throughout.
The set is very nicely paced. A big hit, "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" begins the evening. A few lesser songs from Pitney's repertoire follow, including the Broadway-ish "If I Didn't Have A Dime". Gerry Goffin and Carol King's "Last Chance To Turn Around" is a show highlight. Four of Pitney's most impressive chart hits are blended beautifully into a medley. It makes one wonder whether or not Mr. Pitney, a composer himself, does the arrangements for his live sets. Three Burt Bacharach / Hal David compositions, including the classic "(Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" are offered in a row.
The second medley of the evening is definitely the shows high point. Pitney takes the spotlight for a few minutes as a composer, offering his renditions of the hit songs which he has written over the years, three of which charted for other artists. His 1961 single "(I Wanna) love My Life Away" leads into a great turn on "Hello Mary Lou", a song which helped to put Ricky Nelson on the map. Pitney's version of "Rubber Ball" is devoid of Bobby Vee's nasal, pseudo Buddy Holly vocal and corny female backing vocals, making for a thoroughly enjoyable pop song. Finally, "She's A Rebel", the male lyric of the song made famous by the Crystals, builds to a wonderfully dynamic, though stereotypically early sixties, rock and roll crescendo.
After bringing the pace down with a lovely ballad, the set is closed with the 1966 rocker "She's A Heartbreaker". For his encores, Pitney selects two very different songs. The first one, "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" is a song which, as he explains to the crowd, went Top 10 in nearly every country in the world while it remains unreleased in his native country. The night's final piece is Pitney's signature song "Town Without Pity".
Overall, this surprising tape - which is superbly recorded, incidentally - is a very nice addition to any pop archivists collection.
The set: Orchestra Medley / Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa / I Want You, I Need You, I Love You / If I Didn't Have A Dime / Last Chance To Turn Around / Backstage / Medley: Looking Through The Eyes Of Love - It Hurts To be In Love - Mecca - Half Heaven, Half Heartache / I'm Gonna Be Strong / Medley: True Love Never Runs Smooth - (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance - Only Love Can Break A Heart / Medley - (I Wanna) Love My Life Away - Hello Mary Lou - Rubber Ball - She's A Rebel / Whisper Small, Tower Tall / She's A Heartbreaker / Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart / Town Without Pity
-------------------
So you may ask ... how does one round them up??
While we covered this topic to some degree a few years ago, some readers have recently asked questions regarding how one begins a collection of good live tapes. While we do not promote, or offer up any "how-to" information about, the actual recording of live performances at the venue as they happen (without the express consent of the artist), we do recognize that there is a "network" of fans who have had, and sometimes continue to have, access to such recordings over the years.
Of course, this is not the only source of such material. Radio stations around the world often schedule live simulcasts or broadcasts of prerecorded live concerts of artists ranging from the most obscure to the most internationally well-known. This is certainly the source of live documents of the highest quality. On many occasions, artists over the years have been joined by special guests, or have added rare songs into their set during a show which was being broadcast, to the sheer delight of their at-home listening audience. This type of show makes for a real "event" as far as an artists fan base is usually concerned.
There are a number of places to go where one has the best chances of finding fellow collectors who are looking for new and exciting rarities by their favorite artists. You may also find folks willing to lend an ear to artists that they have never heard perform live in exchange for a collectible tidbit by your favorite artist. Either way, the circle is large and fairly mighty. Seek ... and ye shall find.
And here are some ideas:
1) Write to artists fan clubs and subscribe to fanzines. In most instances, these magazines will have classified sections where tape collectors place ads. Some mags even dedicate whole columns to the discussion of current tapes of their featured artists which have recently begun "surfacing".
2) Read magazines like "Smilin' Ears" which focus on the "art" of collecting. There will also be classified sections in magazines of this nature.
3) If the group allows or promotes taping, give it a shot! Many fans who have attended and enjoyed recent shows by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Metallica or Phish could have left with a wonderful memento of the evening if they had had the foresight, and the equipment, to purchase tickets in the assigned "tapers' sections". Any fan who saw The Grateful Dead at any point during the course of their entire career knows that taping was not only allowed but was encouraged by the group. Consider, too, that many young bands may encourage or allow taping. If the group members or management are approached politely, permission may be given for you to record a performance. Often enough, you may simply be asked to run a copy (or at times to pass along the master after you've copied it) for the group's archives.
4) Check local radio station schedules. They are often printed in newspaper, or can be obtained by contacting the station and requesting placement on any promotional mailing lists.
5) Talk to people at concerts. If you simply lock yourself into a corner at a concert, how would you know whether or not the guy standing next to you has a copy of that concert that you've been looking for since you were in the audience 15 years ago? You are surrounded by other fans. Is there a better place to find people who may have an interest in an artist's live performing career?
6) Make a list of tapes which you begin to accrue. It's the easiest way for you to remember what you have, and it's the simplest way to offer items in trade to a fellow collector.
And remember to always record tapes for others on new blank tapes of mutually agreed upon (usually Type II High Bias) quality. Of course DAT is quickly becoming the most requested medium, but until there's one in every home, cassette trading will still be the most popular method.
----------------
That's it from me for now. Enjoy the changing colors of the leaves, and meanwhile I'll try to stay dry. Until next issue, take care.
Oh, and this month's column is happily dedicated to A.S. for making this whole thing good fun again. Have we stopped counting yet?
Well, the weather is calm for the moment here on the East Coast of the states. As it stands, we're starting to zip through the alphabet during hurricane season. I think Hurricane Hortense is out there in the Atlantic somewhere waiting to send us some heavy rains. But as long as the power stays on, the wet weather gives me an excuse to listen to some great new tapes.
There are a few fun obscure ones in here this month, so ... enjoy. And let's start with:
1) DEVO - Central Park, NY; July, 1980 - 70 minutes Sdbd
Let me begin by simply saying that I haven't had so much fun listening to a live tape in a long time.
DEVO is a band that hindsight has done great things for. They were thinkers. They were conceptual. Occasionally, they took their pretentiousness and self-indulgence to extremes, but that was alright. It was part of the package. It was part of their plan. Mark Mothersbaugh, the chief songwriter and main vocalist of the bands most popular material, and his cronies really cranked out some great songs. The lyrics usually had some dignity and bite to them, and there was often more than a touch of humor. Let's look at some of the highlights of the show for example.
We open with a high-powered intro that blends a number of the bands main themes into a medley. This rolls into a fine rendition of "Whip It". I assume that this was the single at the time, since the tour was timed to promote their third album, "Freedom Of Choice", which includes this track. The band is very tight and driven. The pace isn't overly frenetic, and they don't seem to be rushing things, but it's real high energy stuff. A hot version of "Girl U Want", a song that got some some radio life later in the band's career, shows up a few song later. Overall, DEVO perform seven songs the album during the course of the evening, including a nice run-through of the title cut. All of the band's vocalists sing with clear understanding, allowing the humor in the lyrics to come to the forefront.
It seems that the intention of the group at the time was to sandwich some crowd-pleasing oldies in between a few groupings of new songs. After the first five songs, which are all from "Freedom ...", they jump back a year to their second LP "Duty Now For The Future". The live version of "S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain)" from that album is rather non-essential. It's quickly followed, however, by their hysterical take on "Secret Agent Man". This is NOT the Johnny Rivers tune. No cruisin' on the Riviera in this one. Our protagonist is busy " ... fighting cavities of evil, and safeguarding America's health". And the lines - coupled with their delivery - " ... But not an afternoon pass / when I don't get up off my ass / and thank you Jesus 'cause I'm ... I'm a secret agent man" still crack me up almost twenty years after they were written. They follow this up with "Pink Pussycat". Now, DEVO fans know the tune, but even a non-fan has to admit that this is an interesting one. If it was reworked and restructured this song could be a hit for any current major "alternative" band. The vocal delivery, however, makes it unquestioningly DEVO, and the "meow meow meow" interjections keep it in an ambiguous place between humorous, freaky, sociopathic and downright silly. Neat stuff. "Blockhead", a second album track leftover from before the release of the first album closes the set.
The yellow suits come out to start the second set and they rip through "Satisfaction" and "Uncontrollable Urge". I think the latter is a punk classic. After two new songs in a row, the band offers up their theme song, "Jock Homo". By this point, I'm convinced that "We Are DEVO". Again, the lyrics, whatever the hell they mean, are just great. Two medleys, from the second and first album respectively, end the set and make up the first part of the encore. The band pass themselves off as the "Smart Patrol", then offer themselves up to "Mr. DNA" as a sacrifice (experiments?). The extremely unusual "Gut Feeling / Slap Your Mammy" medley builds the show to a real high point musically. They bring it all to a stunning climax with a rip-roaring "Come Back Jonee", a single from their first album that brought Chuck Berry's "School Days" riffs into the punk / new wave era.
This makes for a great period piece, and a worthy document of a band that had a fairly exciting, albeit too brief, career caught in the height of it. If you think about it, the Monkees told us "Hey Hey we're the Monkees", but they never tried to tell us that WE are all Monkees too. By the late seventies, however, we were prepared to ponder that concept. I find it interesting that the group's fan base still continues to grow. It could be that we're even more ready to accept their idea as the millennium approaches. Are we just going backwards in this nuclear age? Or maybe they were trying to tell us that we were becoming, er, perhaps "mutating" into something we can't possibly imagine? Whatever the message was, it was BIG ... and it was theater of the mind, body and de-evolved soul. Moreover, however, it was fun, and it was damn good rock and roll.
The full DEVO experience is: Intro / Whip It / Snowball / It's Not Right / Girl U Want / Planet Earth / S.I.B. / Secret Agent Man / Pink Pussycat / Blockhead / (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction / Uncontrollable Urge / Gates Of Steel / Freedom of Choice / Jocko Homo / Smart Patrol - Mr. DNA / Gut Feeling - Slap Your Mammy / Come Back Jonee
... oh, and we were speaking of the Monkees ...
2) The Monkees - Westbury Music Fair, New York; July 11, 1986 Aud 105 min.
The boys are back in town. It's their thirty year anniversary. Their first album in twenty-five years as a full blown four-man band (including the elusive Michael Nesmith) is on the way. Since we last saw the guys on a concert stage together ten years ago; Mickey's lost some more hair, Davy has become more annoying, and Peter Tork has become a true performer and vocalist in his own rite. They are still, however, a lot of fun.
The Monkees are a more cohesive "musical" unit, seemingly a bit more in control, on this current tour. The sound at this particular venue, which has a rotating stage, must have left a bit to be desired judging from the resulting audience tape. It's rather enjoyable, but the instruments seem to come and go, and Davy's percussion, which was fed through the house PA along with the vocals, occasionally dominates the sound spectrum. Mickey is on guitar throughout the entire show, and Peter slides easily between lead guitar and keyboard duties. A fine backing band is highlighted by a versatile female horn player. The set list for this anniversary tour features many of the songs which the group tackled during their 1986 and 1987 sets. New additions are taken mostly from Peter Tork's fairly enjoyable recent solo album. The other members leave the stage to allow Tork to perform three songs during the second set, including a lovely Bach harpsichord piece that begins the latter half of the proceedings. The thoughtful "Sea Change" and the bluesy "Good Looker" (a song which has been "in the can" since the early seventies) are well written tunes which fit nicely into the set. The two pieces serve nicely as counter-balances to the (pleasant but) saccharine sweetness of some of Davy's love songs. In the first set he's also offered the chance to play his version of the old soul classic "(Your Love Is Lifting Me) Higher and Higher".
Michael Nesmith's presence is strongly felt throughout the tape. Mickey informs the crowd that their fourth member is busy mixing the upcoming album. During the show the other three offer up their renditions of four classic Monkees songs: "Papa Gene's Blues", "Listen To The Band", "Circle Sky" and "What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round?". All four originally featured Mike on vocals and only the last, a Michael Martin Murphy song, was not penned by Nesmith. They do them justice ... or should I say "Justus", which is the title of the group's upcoming album. Incidentally, "Circle Sky", originally from the soundtrack to their film "Head", has actually been rerecorded for the new LP.
Davy is featured on "Hard To Believe", the opening song on side two of their 1967 album "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, Jones, Ltd.". This tour is the first live appearance for this song. Another first-timer, "Girl", is a song which Davy breathed new life into with his appearance in last years "Brady Bunch Movie". Mickey surrounds the story of Jimi Hendrix' brief stint as an opening act for the Monkees with a brief version of "Purple Haze". He then takes center stage with a solo cover of Lenny Welch's classic "Since I Fell For You".
There are some definite highlights, including a very nice take on "Heart and Soul", the band's last single from the late 1980's. Peter's quirky "Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?" is very well executed. "She", from "More Of The Monkees", and the group's '80's "comeback" single "That Was Then, This Is Now" are early bright moments. "No Time" from "Headquarters" really rocks, as each member takes a verse alternately. One unusual moment occurs when Mickey Dolenz seems to lose his voice during the first verse of "Randy Scouse Git" shortly after he dedicates it to his daughter Ami, who is apparently in the audience. The tape doesn't reveal whether Mickey was choked up, or had a very nasty thingumybob caught in his voice box. Davy briefly covers for him.
Ah, and this brings us to Davy. I began all of this by saying that Davy is a bit annoying on the tape. My reason is this: he has a habit of over-singing. Now I love harmony vocals as much as the next guy, but why sing over someone else's vocal line when there is no harmony? The other members are capable of carrying a song all by themselves, thank you. So, though the group's performance is quite pleasant, Davy can be a bit too far up in the mix at times when he shouldn't be in the mix at all. It's a fun show, though, and a token from this tour is a must for any Monkees fan.
The whole set is ... Last Train To Clarkesville / That Was Then, This Is Now / Valleri / For Pete's Sake / She / It's Nice To Be With You / Do I Have To Do This All Over Again? / Girl I Knew Somewhere / Your Auntie Grizelda / Hard To Believe / Purple Haze - Since I Fell For You / Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) / Circle Sky / I Wanna Be Free / Higher and Higher / Randy Scouse Git / Pleasant Valley Sunday / Bach Piece / Little Bit Me, Little Bit You / Heart and Soul / What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round / Mary Mary / Sea Change / Good Looker / She Hangs Out / Goin' Down / Brady Bunch Theme - Girl / No Time / Papa Gene's Blues / (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone / Daydream believer / Listen To The Band / I'm A Believer
3) Gene Pitney - Westbury Music Fair, New York; July 30, 1994 Aud. 55 min.
Well here is a unique live recording of a performer who has not kept up much of a touring career here in the U.S. for the past twenty-five years. It's very nice to hear that Pitney's exceptional voice has stayed in excellent shape during all of that time.
For the pop music historian, this set is delightful. Pitney avoids all of the tacky pitfalls which most performers from his era tend to fall into during their modern sets. There are no plastered smiles here, and no pompous moments of big glitz and glamor. The show is, quite simply, a guy with a great voice who has enjoyed a very nice career - one which even spilled into the nineties in Europe - presenting a fine selection of pop songs with very competent orchestral arrangements. He is very grateful and respectful to his audience, and he chats briefly about almost every song in the set. While the majority of the evening is devoted to the hits, the set includes a number of "misses" which the vocalist acknowledges as songs which are among his personal favorites. These tracks add a very nice warmth to the performance, along with a touch of true dignity. The crowd in gives all of the songs a warm reception, and seems quite attentive throughout.
The set is very nicely paced. A big hit, "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" begins the evening. A few lesser songs from Pitney's repertoire follow, including the Broadway-ish "If I Didn't Have A Dime". Gerry Goffin and Carol King's "Last Chance To Turn Around" is a show highlight. Four of Pitney's most impressive chart hits are blended beautifully into a medley. It makes one wonder whether or not Mr. Pitney, a composer himself, does the arrangements for his live sets. Three Burt Bacharach / Hal David compositions, including the classic "(Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" are offered in a row.
The second medley of the evening is definitely the shows high point. Pitney takes the spotlight for a few minutes as a composer, offering his renditions of the hit songs which he has written over the years, three of which charted for other artists. His 1961 single "(I Wanna) love My Life Away" leads into a great turn on "Hello Mary Lou", a song which helped to put Ricky Nelson on the map. Pitney's version of "Rubber Ball" is devoid of Bobby Vee's nasal, pseudo Buddy Holly vocal and corny female backing vocals, making for a thoroughly enjoyable pop song. Finally, "She's A Rebel", the male lyric of the song made famous by the Crystals, builds to a wonderfully dynamic, though stereotypically early sixties, rock and roll crescendo.
After bringing the pace down with a lovely ballad, the set is closed with the 1966 rocker "She's A Heartbreaker". For his encores, Pitney selects two very different songs. The first one, "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" is a song which, as he explains to the crowd, went Top 10 in nearly every country in the world while it remains unreleased in his native country. The night's final piece is Pitney's signature song "Town Without Pity".
Overall, this surprising tape - which is superbly recorded, incidentally - is a very nice addition to any pop archivists collection.
The set: Orchestra Medley / Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa / I Want You, I Need You, I Love You / If I Didn't Have A Dime / Last Chance To Turn Around / Backstage / Medley: Looking Through The Eyes Of Love - It Hurts To be In Love - Mecca - Half Heaven, Half Heartache / I'm Gonna Be Strong / Medley: True Love Never Runs Smooth - (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance - Only Love Can Break A Heart / Medley - (I Wanna) Love My Life Away - Hello Mary Lou - Rubber Ball - She's A Rebel / Whisper Small, Tower Tall / She's A Heartbreaker / Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart / Town Without Pity
-------------------
So you may ask ... how does one round them up??
While we covered this topic to some degree a few years ago, some readers have recently asked questions regarding how one begins a collection of good live tapes. While we do not promote, or offer up any "how-to" information about, the actual recording of live performances at the venue as they happen (without the express consent of the artist), we do recognize that there is a "network" of fans who have had, and sometimes continue to have, access to such recordings over the years.
Of course, this is not the only source of such material. Radio stations around the world often schedule live simulcasts or broadcasts of prerecorded live concerts of artists ranging from the most obscure to the most internationally well-known. This is certainly the source of live documents of the highest quality. On many occasions, artists over the years have been joined by special guests, or have added rare songs into their set during a show which was being broadcast, to the sheer delight of their at-home listening audience. This type of show makes for a real "event" as far as an artists fan base is usually concerned.
There are a number of places to go where one has the best chances of finding fellow collectors who are looking for new and exciting rarities by their favorite artists. You may also find folks willing to lend an ear to artists that they have never heard perform live in exchange for a collectible tidbit by your favorite artist. Either way, the circle is large and fairly mighty. Seek ... and ye shall find.
And here are some ideas:
1) Write to artists fan clubs and subscribe to fanzines. In most instances, these magazines will have classified sections where tape collectors place ads. Some mags even dedicate whole columns to the discussion of current tapes of their featured artists which have recently begun "surfacing".
2) Read magazines like "Smilin' Ears" which focus on the "art" of collecting. There will also be classified sections in magazines of this nature.
3) If the group allows or promotes taping, give it a shot! Many fans who have attended and enjoyed recent shows by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Metallica or Phish could have left with a wonderful memento of the evening if they had had the foresight, and the equipment, to purchase tickets in the assigned "tapers' sections". Any fan who saw The Grateful Dead at any point during the course of their entire career knows that taping was not only allowed but was encouraged by the group. Consider, too, that many young bands may encourage or allow taping. If the group members or management are approached politely, permission may be given for you to record a performance. Often enough, you may simply be asked to run a copy (or at times to pass along the master after you've copied it) for the group's archives.
4) Check local radio station schedules. They are often printed in newspaper, or can be obtained by contacting the station and requesting placement on any promotional mailing lists.
5) Talk to people at concerts. If you simply lock yourself into a corner at a concert, how would you know whether or not the guy standing next to you has a copy of that concert that you've been looking for since you were in the audience 15 years ago? You are surrounded by other fans. Is there a better place to find people who may have an interest in an artist's live performing career?
6) Make a list of tapes which you begin to accrue. It's the easiest way for you to remember what you have, and it's the simplest way to offer items in trade to a fellow collector.
And remember to always record tapes for others on new blank tapes of mutually agreed upon (usually Type II High Bias) quality. Of course DAT is quickly becoming the most requested medium, but until there's one in every home, cassette trading will still be the most popular method.
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That's it from me for now. Enjoy the changing colors of the leaves, and meanwhile I'll try to stay dry. Until next issue, take care.
Oh, and this month's column is happily dedicated to A.S. for making this whole thing good fun again. Have we stopped counting yet?