Steve Goodman - 1982-83 Live soundboard shows

Steve Goodman (solo & w/band)
1982-1983 Live soundboard compilation
1982-03-02 & 1983-06-09, Rockefeller's, Houston, TX
1982-02-02, The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
SBD recordings, excellent quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and
mp3 @ 320 kbps


This final extended set in my mini-tribute to the late, great Steve Goodman features a combination of soundboard shows from his last couple of performing years, 1982-1983. And I think this is the very best of the bunch. Just great, classic stuff. It starts off with a superb-sounding recording (and great setlist) of a solo show at Rockefeller's in Houston (This may be the best-sounding boot of Steve I've heard). Unfortunately, the recording was not complete and had cuts in some songs. So, I've combined this with another later solo show (1983) from the same club that includes many different songs. Then for the second half (disc2), I combined these with a show from the Birchmere (1982) that featured a long set with friend and mandolin player Jethro Burns, and that also developed into some serious jamming with an impromptu full-size bluegrass band, courtesy of Steve's urging some of the many famed players that were hanging around (such as Doyle Lawson, John Duffy, and Mike Auldridge, among others) up onto the stage. Thus, the result is a monumental extended set featuring most of Steve's best songs from the later years, many of the classics from earlier years, and a rousing bluegrass jam at the end. Highlights are too numerous to count, but start with an opener of 'Somebody Else's Troubles', one of my favorites from his early years, and build from there. We get great renditions of classics like 'City of New Orleans' (solo version and bluegrass version), 'By My Name', '20th Century', and his bittersweet 'Dying Cub Fan's Last Request' (at the time he wrote this we didn't know that he was actually the 'dying cub fan'), as well as the later solo comic gems 'Talk Backwards', 'Watching Joey Glow', 'Vegematic', and 'How Much Tequila Did I Drink Last Night?'. Also included are one-of-a-kind Goodman events like 'What Were You Expecting, Rock and Roll?', in which we get Steve's spot-on impressions of 4 different new wave bands he recently heard; and Steve's incredible adlibbed 'string-breakin' song' improv as he continues to sing and provide rhyming commentary as he attempts to get a string changed on his guitar. And all this topped with great mandolin work from Jethro, and the full bluegrass jam with an all-star band, all being lead in Steve's incomparable way. Whether you are a fan of 'folk music' or 'singer-songwriters' or not, this is something that I think everyone will appreciate and enjoy, so I urge anyone who has ever read this blog to download this show and check it out (at the very least disc1, to get the best of Steve solo). Steve was just a remarkable talent and possibly the best ever at what he did.
Steve released 9 albums during his lifetime. Strangely, considering how great his live shows were, they didn't release a live album until 1983, as Steve was beginning to succumb to his cancer. Of course, in the years since Steve died they have released many additional albums, including multiple different live albums, previously unreleased material, multiple compilations (including the excellent 2 disc anthology - No Big Surprise) and tribute albums, and at least one live DVD). Steve also has received 2 grammy awards, unfortunately they were both received posthumously, one for songwriting, for 'City of New Orleans' (for Country Song of the Year - 'Willie Nelson version', 1985) and one for Best Folk album for Unfinished Business, his final album of previously unreleased songs, 1988.

I have tried in these 3 'extended sets' that I have posted to provide an overall picture of the best live shows of Steve Goodman through the various years of his career. I realize that the purists might not like that I have cut and spliced different shows together rather then just posting complete individual shows. Well, first of all, most of the available recordings were not complete. But what I wanted to do was provide a more complete picture of the variety and versatility of Steve's songs and performances (by featuring more different songs and removing several repeated songs) in just a few downloads, while still preserving the single show style and flow. In addition, even for veteran fans, it is much nicer to listen to a few of these 'enhanced' shows than having to go through 6 to 8 full-length shows in order to hear all the songs you want to hear. I hope I have succeeded at this. For those that want to get all the available Goodman shows, and those that prefer to get everything in lossless quality, I have good news. All of these shows, as well as several more, including many John Prine shows, are available for download from a wonderful personal ROIO website that features many great folk, rock, and 'roots' artists, available in both mp3 and FLAC formats, everything from Jackson Browne to Wilco, at John's ousterhout.net. If you go there and dowload stuff of interest, be sure to leave John an email message of thanks, and mention that you found his site through the BB Chronicles.

Also, hopefully, through these posts, I have made more people aware of Steve and his talent, and resulted in a few more Steve Goodman fans. If so, there are several other websites devoted to preserving the memory of Steve Goodman you should check out. Most importantly, is Steve's official web site: http://www.stevegoodman.net/, where they have most of Steve's catalog of albums available for purchase at very reasonable prices. Also worthwhile is The Steve Goodman Scrapbook: http://www.cobo.org/goodman/good.html and the Steve Goodman Preservation Society: http://www.folkblues.com/goodman/ . In addition, there are several videos of Steve performing posted on Youtube, and if you have never seen Steve in action, you should definitely check those out, too.

I hadn't originally intended to devote this much time and posts to John and Steve (I just knew I wanted to include them in my 'Chicago' series), but I am very glad I did. In preparing these posts, I listened to all these shows numerous times and it was just such a joy to immerse myself in this music, some of which I hadn't heard in years. It made me realize all over again just how great this music is and how special and unique these guys are. I hope some of you have enjoyed these posts as much as I have.

Disc 1: Steve - solo (Houston,TX)
01 Somebody Else's Troubles
02 Banana Republics
03 Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
04 I Just Keep Falling In Love
05 What Were You Expecting, Rock and Roll?
06 City Of New Orleans
07 Chicken Cordon Blues
08 Old Fashioned Kind
09 Elvis Imitators
10 Talk Backwards
11 20th Century Is Almost Over (ending spliced)
12 How Much Tequila Did I Drink Last Night?
13 Watchin' Joey Glow
14 Vegematic (Asleep With the TV On)
15 If She Were You
16 Don't Go Gettin' No Sand In It
17 California Promises
18 God Bless Our Mobile Home

Disc 2: Steve w/ Jethro Burns (and Bluegrass Jam Band)
19 It's Midnight And I'm Not Famous Yet
20 Black Coal Tatoo
21 I'm My Own Grandpa
22 Is It True What They Say About Dixie?
23 Jessie's Jig
24 Don't Let The Stars get In Your Eyeball Sockets
25 Tico Tico
26 City Of New Orleans
27 Lovin' Of The Game
28 You Never Even Call Me By My Name
29 The Dutchman
30 Truck Driving Man
31 Love Please Come Home
32 The String-Breakin' Song Improv
33 Mule Skinner Blues +
34 Mama Don't Allow +
35 Rocky Top + *

+ Steve and Jethro Joined by full Bluegrass band of Birchmere all-stars (coaxed onstage by Steve), including (among others not named):
Doyle Lawson - mandolin
John Duffy - mandolin
Mike Auldrdge - guitar
Tom Gray? - bass

*Errors on master tape

tracks 1-11, 1982-03-02, Rockefeller's, Houston, TX, SBD
tracks 12-18, 1983-06-09, Rockefeller's, Houston, TX SBD
tracks 19-35, 1982-02-02, The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA, SBD

New Links - Upgraded quality! (Updated 10/3/21)
mp3 sbd compilation: Steve Goodman_1982-83 SBD comp_mp3.rar

New!
Complete shows - full lossless versions
FLAC: Steve Goodman_1982-03-02_ Rockefeller's_Houston TX_FLAC
FLAC: Steve Goodman_1983-06-09_Rockefeller's_Houston TX_FLAC
FLAC: Steve Goodman_1982-02-02, The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA_FLAC
Lossless versions are the complete, unedited shows for each date (contain additional songs not included on edited mp3 compilation version)