Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 1978-12-31 - New Year's Eve Show, Santa Monica, CA

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
1978-12-31 (New Year's Eve)
Santa Monica, CA

Soundboard recording, excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320kbps) versions

What a year it has been. A year with much upheaval, and, once again, the loss of so many iconic rockers. Just since October and the incomprehensibly tragic and unexpected death of Tom Petty, when I started this tribute to him and his fantastic contribution to rock music, there have been several more deaths of outstanding rock musicians. From Fats Domino, to more recently and unexpectedly, power pop sensation Tommy Keene, and Smithereens singer-songwriter and frontman, Pat DiNizio, all major losses to the music world. But, as always, their music will be remembered and live on, and for the rest of us, time keeps moving, and we must keep moving on too, to the new year.

Continuing the tradition of featuring classic New Year's Eve shows for New Year's Eve, and this year also continuing with our Tom Petty tribute, here is the only Petty NYE show recording I know of, and it is a great one. This one goes back to 1978, and, in addition to it being a NYE show, it has some unique features that make it extra special. Remember, this came at a time when Petty was still working on the album that would be his real breakthrough, Damn the Torpedoes, but also would be much delayed in its release due to Petty's issues and legal problems with his record company (resulting in lawsuits, Petty's bankruptcy, and refusal to back down - see previous story related to this time). This show features previews of 2 new songs that would be on the new album (which would not be released until late 1979), 'Casa Dega' and 'Refugee', and of special note is that this is one of the only times 'Casa Dega' was ever played live at a Petty show (it was not included in the setlists of any shows post-album release). Another rarely played song featured at this show was 'Mystery Man' from their first album. So, here is a great NYE show featuring some rarely played gems in addition to the usual high-quality Petty songs and jams from this time. Since this show was relatively short (about an hour), I've added a couple more songs from the 1977-11-11 Capitol Studios show (in superb quality - 4 songs from this show were previously featured with the 1977 Record Plant post).
Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year, and a hope that 2018 is better than 2017.

Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. I Need to Know
3. Surrender
4. Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)
5. Casa Dega
6. Refugee
7. You're Gonna Get It
8. Mystery Man
9. American Girl
10. Breakdown
11. Too Much Ain't Enough
12. New Year's Announcement
13. Shout (The Isley Brothers cover)
Bonus tracks (1977-11-11 Capitol Studios, Hollywood)
14. Listen to Her Heart
15. Strangered in the Night

FLAC - Tom Petty_1978-12-31_Santa Monica CA_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Tom Petty_1978-12-31_Santa Monica CA_Mp3.rar
New Link (Updated 08/04/2021)

Friday, December 22, 2017

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 2002-07-05 - Saratoga Springs, NY

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
July 5, 2002
Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

Audience master recording, excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Continuing with Tom Petty's Musical History. By 2001, Tom had recovered from his heroin addiction and had just married Dana York, whose relationship had re-charged his life. And by the end of 2001, The band learned they would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But the latter months of 2001 also were filled with tragedy, from the 9/11 terror attack to the death of Tom's friend, George Harrison. And although Petty was now clean and drug-free, bassist Howie Epstein was mired ever more deeply in drug addiction and was no longer able to function in the band. Petty and the rest of the band tried everything they could to get help for Epstein and get him through this, but Howie just kept going back to drugs. Finally, the band had to just move on without him. On their next album, Petty and Mike Campbell played bass on most of the songs, and then they brought back original bassist Ron Blair to play on a couple tracks, and then to join them on their 2002 tour, and eventually, full-time back as a Heartbreaker. Tragically, Howie Epstein would later die of a heroin overdose in 2003. For that next album, which became The Last DJ (2002), Tom still had some things gnawing at him that he wanted to get off his chest, and several songs on The Last DJ were sharp attacks on the Music Industry, their greed and unfair practices. Because of this, the album was unsurprisingly not well-received by the industry, and it became one of the band's least heard and poorest-selling albums. But, also not surprisingly and as usual, the album actually contains many very good songs. Here is a show from their 2002 tour, an audience recording, but with excellent sound quality. This show was actually from earlier in the year, before The Last DJ was released, so there were only 3 songs from the new album featured ('Have Love Will Travel', 'Lost Children', and 'Can't Stop the Sun'). Later in the tour, around the time of the album release, many more songs from the album were played, so I have included 4 additional songs from The Last DJ that were played at the November Las Vegas show. Check out another great show as well as the new Last DJ songs (Note: There actually was one more Last DJ song played at the Vegas show, 'Good Kid Gone Bad' -for a total of 8 new songs from the album in that show!, but the recording for that one was messed up, so I did not include it here.


Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Runnin' Down a Dream
3. I Won't Back Down
4. I Need to Know
5. Mary Jane's Last Dance
6. Have Love Will Travel
7. Here Comes My Girl
8. Even the Losers
9. You Don't Know How it Feels
10. It's Good to Be King
11. Lost Children
12. Rebels (acoustic)
13. Learning to Fly (acoustic)
14. Yer So Bad (acoustic)
15. Can't Stop the Sun
16. Refugee
17. Too Much Ain't Enough
18. You Wreck Me
19. Free Fallin'
20. Gloria
21. American Girl
Bonus Tracks (2002-11-01 - Las Vegas, NV))
22. The Last DJ
23. Dreamville
24. Joe
25. Like a Diamond

FLAC - Tom Petty_2002-07-05_SaratogaSpringsNY_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Tom Petty_2002-07-05_SaratogaSpringsNY_mp3.part1.rar
          Tom Petty_2002-07-05_SaratogaSpringsNY_mp3.part2.rar


Sunday, December 17, 2017

Merry Christmas 2017



Refresher of Christmas-related posts

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! Although no new Christmas collection this year (I usually do one every other year, and last year I did two!), there are plenty of Christmas-related posts and downloads available here. So, if you haven't previously checked out my delightful and eclectic Christmas collections, I invite you to do so now (links to those pages below). In addition, there are several other Christmas-related shows and compilations that have been posted previously. To see all the Christmas-related posts check here. As I've said before, personally, I love Christmas music of all types, classical, rock, pop, jazz, etc., from the traditional to the outrageous, the serious to the silly, the classics to the newest ditties, and these compilations contain some of my favorites. Enjoy the season while it lasts. 


BB's Chronicles Christmas Collections 2016 (featuring 2 full collections - Bright and Blue)


BB's Christmas Chronicle 2014 - Tiny Tree Christmas


BB Chronicles Holiday Sampler 2012 - No Rest for Ye Merry Gentlemen


BB Chronicles Echlectic Christmas Chollection 2010


Other Christmas posts:

Aimee Mann and Ted Leo Christmas Shows: 2014 - Boston ; 2015 - Boston

Bruce Springsteen Live Christmas compilations

Chicago - 1998 Christmas show

Bill Kirchen's Honky Tonk Holiday Party - 2010 - Northampton, MA 



Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 1999-04-23 - The Docks, Hamburg, Germany

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
1999-04-23
Rockpalast, The Docks, Hamburg, Germany 

Soundboard recording, excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Continuing with the musical history of Tom Petty: Following the 1995 tour, Petty's next album (which was with The Heartbreakers) was Songs and Music from the Motion Picture "She's Te One" (1996). But this was more than just a 'soundtrack' album, as it was a full album of new music from Tom & The Boys, much of which was featured in the Edwards Burns film, She's The One. The album consisted of a mix of new songs and some that were holdovers from the Wildflowers sessions, as well as a couple intriguing covers, and was consistent with the styles explored in Wildflowers. The album's best-known songs was 'Walls' (which is one of my all-time favorite Petty songs). There was no tour in support of the album and it did not have the same degree of success as most previous albums (only reaching Gold status, instead of Platinum or beyond).  Petty's next album was Echo in 1999, and is probably his most underrated album. Even Petty himself has indicated he was not happy with this album. However, his feelings about the album are probably more closely related to what he was going through at the time, rather than the musical content of the album, which is excellent. These years (mid-late '90's) were a dark period for Petty, as he was going through rough times, with the pressures and self-examination of a failing marriage, then difficult divorce, and the unsettled aftermath. After his divorce, he lived alone and somewhat isolated from others. In addition, as we have only recently learned (through the Petty biography by Warren Zanes - 2015), during this period he was also struggling with heroin addiction. The songs on Echo are some of his darkest, but also very personal and revealing, and overall a musically excellent album. However, once the album was behind him, he didn't want to look back on it at all, it was too painful to relive. He never listened to it, and after the 1999 tour never played songs from it on subsequent tours (although interestingly, he did include 'Swingin' on some dates on his final tour (2017)). Fortunately, Petty eventually recovered from his funk, and kicked his drug habit, as greatly helped (and probably made possible) by his developing relationship with Dana York, who nursed him through the drug recovery period. It was also Dana (who he married in 2001) who, many years later, urged him to re-listen to and re-discover Echo, and he found that, yes, it really was a good album after all. Here is a great recording of a great show from the 1999 tour (This show was broadcast on European TV - Rockpalast, from Germany, and full video from the show is available). These 1999 shows are really the only place to hear live versions of the songs from this period. This show features 2 songs from She's the One, 'Walls' and 'Angel Dream' (and by the way, this acoustic version of 'Walls', played only on this tour, is without doubt the best version of this song available, so evocative and beautiful), and 4 from Echo, 'Swingin', 'Room at the Top', 'Free Girl Now', and 'I Don't Wanna Fight', which is one of the only songs Mike Campbell ever sang lead on. This show also features numerous covers, ranging from old-school Rock and Blues ('Round & Round', 'Lucille', 'Call Me The Breeze', 'Guitar Boogie Shuffle') to bluegrass ('Little Maggie') to 60's rock classics ('Pipeline', 'Green Onions', 'Gloria', 'For What It's Worth'), and Petty also features each member of the band to a greater degree than usual (even Scott Thurston gets his own song to sing). A great show, you would never know that Petty was having any problems based on these performances. Also, if you are a Petty fan, but haven't checked out Echo previously (for whatever reason), by all means do so, it is definitely worth it, and an important part of the Petty legacy. 

Tracklist:
1) Round & Round
2) Jammin' Me
3) Runnin' Down A Dream
4) Breakdown
5) Call Me The Breeze
6) Swingin'
7) Don't Do Me Like That
8) Pipeline
9) Mary Jane's Last Dance
10) I Won't Back Down
11) Listen To Her Heart
12) Green Onions
13) It's Good To Be King
14) Lucille
15) Little Maggie (Scott Thurston lead)
16) Lay Down That Old Guitar
17) Walls
18) Angel Dream
19) For What It's Worth
20) Room At The Top
21) Guitar Boogie Shuffle
22) American Girl
23) Honey Bee
24) I Don't Wanna Fight (Mike Campbell lead)
25) You Wreck Me
26) Free Girl Now
27) Free Fallin'
28) Gloria
29) Learning To Fly

FLAC - Tom Petty_1999-04-23_Hamburg_FLAC.rar

Mp3 - Tom Petty_1999-04-23_Hamburg_mp3.part1.rar
           Tom Petty_1999-04-23_Hamburg_mp3.part2.rar

Links updated 09/18/21


Friday, December 8, 2017

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 1993-11-04 - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Update-Upgrade)

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
1993-11-04
Stephen C. O'Connell Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

FM Broadcast recording, excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

As promised, here is the Updated-Upgraded version of this show. I previously posted this show several years back (in 2012). It was the complete show, but it was only available as Mp3 and at 256 kbps. So, as part of this look back at Tom Petty's magnificent career, here is a new version of this show, now available in both Lossless (FLAC) and improved Mp3 (at 320 kbps). This is an excellent quality FM broadcast recording of the full concert (many of the available recordings are only partial, as it was usually broadcast that way (such as Westwood One shows), especially in subsequent broadcasts), however, it is not from the same source recording as the previously posted version (as I could not find that exact recording available in Lossless), so I am keeping that other version available for those interested in that recording (both are excellent). This one did have a couple issues that I had to sort out before posting, as detailed below. But overall, great show, great recording, and now available in FLAC as well as Mp3. Enjoy!
Note: This may be one of the last shows where Stan Lynch played drums for the band, as he left around this time. Also, this was when multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston first started joining The Heartbreakers on tour to fill out their live sound: not yet officially a Heartbreaker, but would become a consistent presence on stage and eventually in the studio with the band. 
 
Tracklist:
01. Love Is A Long Road
02. Into The Great Wide Open
03. Listen To Her Heart
04. I Won't Back Down
05. Free Fallin'
06. Psychotic Reaction
07. Ben's Boogie
08. Don't Come Around Here No More
09. Something in the Air
10. Mary Jane's Last Dance
11. King's Highway
12. A Face In The Crowd
13. Ballad Of Easy Rider
14. Take Out Some Insurance
15. Thirteen Days
16. Southern Accents
17. Yer So Bad
18. Driving Down To Georgia
19. Lost Without You  (mp3 only)
20. Refugee
21. Running Down A Dream
22. Learning To Fly
23. Rainy Day Women
24. American Girl
25. Alright For Now

Band Members:
Tom Petty – rhythm guitar, lead vocals
Mike Campbell – lead guitar, mandolin
Benmont Tench – piano, organ, backing vocals
Howie Epstein – bass guitar, backing vocals
Stan Lynch – drums, backing vocals
Scott Thurston – rhythm guitar, harmonica, synthesizer, backing vocals


FLAC - Tom Petty_1993-11-04_Gainesville FL_Full_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Tom Petty_1993-11-04_Gainesville FL_Full_mp3.part1.rar
          Tom Petty_1993-11-04_Gainesville FL_Full_mp3.part2.rar
Links updated 09/18/21


Notes on recording issues: First, it had a tape-flip gap of about 21 seconds in 'Free Fallin', that I could not let stand. So, I spliced in the missing section from the readily available Pre-FM Westwood One recording (see if you can hear it). Also, this version of the show left out 2 songs, 'Something in The Air' and 'Lost Without You' because versions of them had been released in other live recordings. I have restored 'Something In The Air', again from the Westwood One recording, but didn't have a FLAC version of 'Lost Without You', so that is only available as mp3 (from the previous recorded version). 




Sunday, December 3, 2017

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 1995-08-15 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
1995-08-15
Saratoga Performing Arts Center,
Saratoga Springs, NY

Soundboard recording, Excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and MP3 (320 kbps) versions

Sorry for the gap in posts, just been very busy and traveling extensively all through November, but I'm back now, and ready to continue this chronological tribute to Tom Petty's live shows.

When we last left Tom and the band, they were finishing up their hugely successful Full Moon Fever tour in 1989. Following that tour, Tom continued to work with Jeff Lynne as a producer, both for the second Traveling Wilbury's album (Vol. 3, released in 1990), as well as on Tom's return to The Heartbreakers, the 1991 album, Into The Great Wide Open, which nonetheless continued right where Full Moon Fever left off. At this time, Tom's contract with MCA was winding down, and Tom had actually already secretly signed a new lucrative contract with Warners Bros. For their last action with MCA, Tom & The Heartbreakers recorded a couple new tracks to be included in a greatest hits package, as part of MCA's contract. This was also the last session for drummer Stan Lynch with the band, as he left soon after, not happy with his status in the band and Tom's forays and success outside of the Heartbreakers. The single album greatest hits collection was released in 1993. The new songs were 'Mary Jane's Last Dance', and a cover of Thunderclap Newman's 'Something in the Air', of which 'Mary Jane...' became a major hit, and the album went on to sell over 12 million copies in the US alone. I have previously posted Tom's triumphant concert return to his hometown, Gainesville, FL, that year (1993-11-04 show), and I will update that show to include a FLAC version ASAP.
Tom's first new album on his new label was another 'solo' album, his second, Wildflowers (1994), and was another masterpiece (and critical and commercial success), once again expanding his overall sound and style beyond what The Heartbreakers were known for (but as with the previous solo album, all The Heartbreakers contributed, and, in fact played on most of the songs). It included the hit singles 'You Don't Know How It Feels', 'You Wreck Me', 'It's Good To Be King', and 'A Higher Place', and went multi-platinum. So, when Tom & The Heartbreakers went out on tour in 1995, in what was dubbed the 'Dogs With Wings' Tour, the setlist incorporated numerous tracks from the new 'solo' album. Drummer Steve Ferrone was brought in to play on the Wildflowers album, and subsequently also played with the Heartbreakers and on tour, but was not officially named as a member of The Heartbreakers until a few years later. Here is an excellent recording of a great show from the 1995 tour. Although much of the setlist is similar to that played in the 1993 Gainesville show, these shows now featured 5 new songs from the excellent Wildflowers, as well as a fun cover of the The Ventures' surf-guitar instrumental 'Diamond Head' (where Mike Campbell gets a chance to really stretch out), and an original song that was only played live, but never recorded, 'Drivin' Down to Georgia', as additional treats. Listen as Petty soars into the '90's'. 


Tracklist:
1. Love Is A Long Road
2. You Don't Know How It Feels
3. Listen To Her Heart
4. I Won't Back Down
5. Free Fallin'
6. You Wreck Me
7. Diamond Head
8. Mary Jane's Last Dance
9. Don't Come Around Here No More
10. A Higher Place
11. Learning To Fly
12. The Waiting
13. Yer So Bad
14. It's Good To Be King
15. Drivin' Down To Georgia
16. Refugee
17. Runnin' Down A Dream
18. Honey Bee
19. American Girl
20. Alright For Now

FLAC - Tom Petty_1995-08-15_Saratoga SpringsNY_FLAC.rar

Links updated 09/17/21

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 1989-09-13 - UNC, Chapel Hill, NC

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
September 13, 1989
Dean's Dome, University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill, NC

Plus bonus tracks from: August 20, 1989,
Garden State Arts Center,  Holmdel, NJ 

FM Broadcast Recording, excellent quality
(Bonus tracks from Audience recording, very good quality)
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

After the success of their Southern Accents tour (1985), Bob Dylan asked Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers if they would join him on his next tour, which would feature Petty and the band playing their own songs, as well as serving as Bob's back-up band on the Dylan songs. Well, how could they say no to that? So, in 1986 they toured all over with Dylan, performing as both headliners and back-up band to the legend (I've previously posted one of those shows here, and there are many shows from this tour available). Then in 1987, they released the next TP & The Heartbreakers album, Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) featuring the single 'Jammin' Me', and a subsequent tour of their own. After this, Tom took a bit of a break from the Heartbreakers and worked on other projects, including the Traveling Wilburys in 1988 and his first solo album, Full Moon Fever (1989). The story of the Wilbury's has been often told, but basically came about by accident, as when George Harrison was preparing to record a B-side for a european single, Jeff Lynne (who had produced George's most recent album, Cloud Nine) dropped by with Roy Orbison for Lunch, so George asked them if they would like to help out with the recording of a half-finished song for this B-side track. Since George hadn't previously booked any studio time, they headed over to  Bob Dylan's garage studio to do the recording. But then George remembered he had left the guitar he wanted to use over at Petty's, so swung by there to get it, and returned with not just the guitar, but Petty in tow as well. And since Bob was there at the studio, they asked him to join in too. So, that was how these 5 legendary figures all got together for an impromptu session. When the recording was finished, and the little ditty called 'Handle with Care' was played for George's record company, they said, Hold On, this is way too good to be used as an obscure B-side, this is a hit single! Can you make more of these? When George asked the group if they wanted to do more recording together, maybe make an album, everyone was in, and The Traveling Wilburys were born, and the album (Vol. 1, 1988) )was a major success. Petty then continued to work with Jeff Lynne as producer (and co-writer and performer) for his solo album, which although was not a Heartbreakers album, did have Mike Campbell also playing on all the tracks, as well as the rest of the the Heartbreakers (except drummer Stan Lynch) contribute parts to various songs, as well as other musicians, including Harrison and Orbison. Petty took this opportunity to explore more of his musical roots and styles, as well as some more gentle and introspective songs, deviating somewhat from the Heartbreakers Rock sound, and Lynne's production also gave it more of a glossier pop sound. The album, Full Moon Fever, was a huge success, one of the greatest of Petty's career, and produced such Petty classics as 'I Won't Back Down', 'Free Fallin', and 'Runnin' Down a Dream'. However, some of the Heartbreakers (especially Stan Lynch) were not too happy to be playing these solo Petty tracks at Heartbreakers shows, as they were not "their" songs and it made them feel a bit like a cover band. But the subsequent tour was another major success, and the 'solo' songs soon became a fixture of all subsequent Heartbreakers shows.  Here we have a combination of a couple great shows from the Full Moon Fever tour. The first, a great FM recording from North Carolina features some of the new songs from both Let Me Up and Full Moon Fever, and of special note is the middle section with new acoustic renditions of 'Even the Losers', 'Listen to Her Heart', and the rarely subsequently played 'Face in the Crowd' (in an absolutely beautiful version). Other highlights are the rarely performed 'Something Big' from Hard Promises and a new, more rockin' arrangement of 'Don't Come Around Here No More' (perhaps how The Heartbreakers would have recorded it without Dave Stewart producing?). The added tracks from the Holmdel, NJ show features covers of The Byrds and The Clash, as well as an acoustic 'Yer So Bad' and a rockin' 'Jammin' Me' closer.  Great sets. Enjoy

Track List:
 1. Bye Bye Johnny (C. Berry)
 2. The Damage You've Done
 3. Breakdown
 4. Free Fallin'
 5. The Waiting
 6. Benmont's Boogie
 7. Don't Come Around Here No More
 8. Southern Accents
 9. Even the Losers (Acoustic)
10. Listen to the Heart (Acoustic)
11. A Face in the Crowd (Acoustic)
12. Something Big
13. I Won't Back Down
14. I Need to Know
15. Refugee
16. Running Down a Dream
Bonus Tracks (1989-08-20 - Holmdel)
17.  I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (Byrds)
18.  How Many More Days
19. Yer So Bad (Acoustic)
20. You Got Lucky
21. Rebels
22. Should I Stay Or Should I Go? (The Clash)
23. Jammin' Me

FLAC - Tom Petty_1989-09-13_Chapel Hill NC_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Tom Petty_1989-09-13_Chapel Hill NC_mp3.part1.rar
Tom Petty_1989-09-13_Chapel Hill NC_mp3.part2.rar
Links update 09/17/21


Note: This show (1989-09-13) has also been widely distributed in various bootlegs as being from 1990-05-18 - Wilmington, NC (with titles such as Southern Choice, etc.). However, all recordings I've heard attributed to this date have been this same recording as 1989-09-13. Although I do not know for sure the actual correct date, the information I have indicates that 1989-09-13 Chapel Hill is the correct date for this show. Actually, the recording version I used for this comes from the Southern Choice (Italian) boot, as that version has a clearer brighter sound (probably earlier generation recording) than some other boots ('Lost in North Carolina', 'Free Fallin') identified as 1989-09-13.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 1985-08-06 - Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
August 6, 1985
Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA 

FM Broadcast recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

After the breakthrough success of Damn the Torpedoes (1979), there was much anticipation for what Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers would do next, with fans eagerly awaiting their next album. And this inadvertently lead to another battle between Petty and his record label, as MCA planned to invoke what they referred to as "Superstar pricing", meaning they were going to charge a dollar more for Petty's next album than all other albums ($9.98 vs. $8.98), a practice which they had just implemented, with Steely Dan's Gaucho being the 1st to carry the increased price. Well, of course, Petty would not stand for this, which he considered gouging the public with his own album because MCA knew it would be popular. So, when the record company would not honor his request to stop this, he went to the press and public, raising the issue and asking for their voices and support in opposing this before agreeing to release the album. Once again, MCA backed down and released the album at regular price, another victory for Petty on behalf of his fans (Petty has also fought to keep ticket prices down for his shows, amid other stands). That album, Hard Promises (1981), went platinum and peaked at #5 on the Billboard charts, with the biggest hit from it being 'The Waiting'. The album also featured Tom's first collaboration with Stevie Nicks, who contributed harmony vocals on 'Insider'.
In 1982, bassist Ron Blair quit the group, and he was replaced by Howie Epstein. Howie's distinctive harmony vocals would become an integral part of The Heartbreakers sound and were quite evident on their next album, Long After Dark (1982), another success, which featured the hits 'You Got Lucky' and 'Change of Heart'. But tensions flaired within the band in preparing their next album, which initially was planned to be a concept album exploring living and growing up in the South. But, partway through the making of the album, Tom started collaborating and hanging out with Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics), writing and producing some new songs, with a very different sound and feel. The rest of the band was somewhat resentful of this, as they were left out of the creative process for these new tracks and didn't like the more studio-oriented effects direction it was going. It was also during the making of this album that Petty, after a frustrating mixing session, punched the wall, severely breaking his left hand, and sidelining him for months. In the end, the album that was released, Southern Accents (1985) contained 3 songs from the Petty-Stewart sessions, and only some of the 'South'-themed tracks originally intended for the album (Several discarded tracks, including 'Trailer', 'Big Boss Man', 'Cracking Up', 'Image of Me', and 'Apartment Song', were eventually released in the box set retrospective collection Playback in 1995). But the album, although a bit disjointed with the different styles and themed tracks, was again a major success, with 'Rebels' and the Petty-Stewart track 'Don't Come Around Here No More' becoming major hits. Also, this was at the time when MTV was at its peak and videos were not only important marketing tools but also artistic creations, and the innovative and creative video for 'Don't Come Around Here No More' which featured Petty as a MadHatter-type character calmly tormenting 'Alice' in a Wonderland setting, became one of the more memorable MTV videos of all time. So, by the time of the 1985 Southern Accents Tour the band was at an all-time high in popularity, and the tour was quite memorable, and would result in the band's first live album, Pack Up the Plantation: Live! (1986), originally released as a double LP album, but later condensed (with the removal of 2 songs) to a single CD. The bulk of the songs featured on that live album were recorded at the Wiltern Theater in L.A. on 8/7/85 (although only a part of the show was included). That summer the band also performed at Live Aid, the huge all-day international benefit concert for famine relief that was brodcast in its entirety on MTV (picture above is from Live Aid). But, here today, we have the full show from the first night of the Wiltern theater dates (8/6/17), which was broadcast live on the radio. The setlist features several new songs from Southern Accents, some from each of Hard Promises and Long After Dark, as well as some older gems. I have also added (as bonus tracks) some songs from an excellent recording of an earlier show (1982-12-04 - Utrecht) to feature a few more songs specifically from Hard Promises and Long After Dark to catch us up on those. 

Tracklist:
01 American Girl                                       
02 You Got Lucky                                     
03 It Ain't Nothin' To Me                              
04 Don't Do Me Like That                               
05 The Waiting                             
06 I Need To Know                                      
07 Don't Come Around Here No More                      
08 Spike                                              
09 Southern Accents                                  
10 Rebels                                              
11 Breakdown                                           
12 Refugee                                             
13 A Little Bit O' Soul                                
14 So You Want To Be A Rock & Roll Star                
15 Make It Better (Forget About Me)                    
16 Route 66
Bonus Tracks (1982-12-04 - Utrecht, Netherlands SBD)
17 A Thing About You
18 Straight Into Darkness
19 A Woman in Love
20 Kings Road
21 Change of Heart

Tom Petty - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
Mike Campbell  - lead guitar
Benmont Tench - keyboards, backing vocals
Howie Epstein - bass,  backing vocals
Stan Lynch - drums, backing vocals
      with
Soul Lips Horns:

Jimmy Zavala - saxes, harmonica
Lee Thornburg - trumpets, flugelhorn
Nick Lane - trombones, euphonium
       and
The Rebelettes:

Pat Peterson - backing vocals, percussion
Caroll Sue Hill - backing vocals, percussion

FLAC - Tom Petty_1985-08-06_Wiltern-L.A._FLAC.rar 

  Links updated 09/17/21

 

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 1979-11-19 - Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
November 19, 1979
Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA

Audience recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Continuing with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers story: After their first album was finally getting some attention in the US, their 2nd album (You're Gonna Get It - 1978) sailed up the album charts, peaking at #23 (on the strength of 2 successful singles, 'I Need to Know' and 'Listen to Her Heart' and strong AOR radio play), and the band looked to be well on their way. Yet, despite a string of hits, they were still struggling. Like many bands starting out and eager for a record deal, Petty had signed a contract that paid them very poorly, and even worse, he had signed away all of his songwriting and publishing rights (He has said that at the time, he thought 'publishing' only referred to sheet music sales). So, the band was dismayed to find that despite their hit records, they were still in debt to the record company, and would be in debt for some time. So, in 1978, when their label Shelter announced that it had been sold (along with their contract) from ABC records to MCA, Petty was outraged to be sold "like we were groceries, or frozen pork", but thought he may have a way out of the contract. Because he was not consulted prior to the sale, Petty claimed they violated his contract, and therefore the contract was void, and he was free to pursue other deals. The band was working on their 3rd album at the time (which Petty was now financing himself) and he refused to turn any of the recordings over to MCA. Of course, MCA said "No Way", and in early 1979 sued Petty for breach of contract, and prevented him from negotiating with other labels, releasing any music, or even performing live. Petty responded by declaring bankruptcy, hoping to void his contract. MCA fought back hard, as they didn't want this to set a precedent, leading to other artists declaring bankruptcy to get out of their contract. They told him he could not fight them legally, saying he had to accept their deal and "Just shut up and play your music". But Petty stood firm, he knew his latest album was the best music he had ever made, he just didn't know if it ever would be released. He told them "I'll sell peanuts before I give in to you", and "You can't make the music yourself". Petty appealed to a judge to allow him to perform to pay his legal bills, and the band embarked on a short, hastily-arranged "Lawsuit Tour".  Eventually, MCA backed down, and agreed to set-up a new subsidiary label for Petty, Backstreet Records (with a much better royalty deal, as well as return of Petty's publishing rights). Thus, Petty's third album was finally released in October, 1979, and titled Damn the Torpedoes, in reference to the struggles. And it was an instant success, catapulting the band from cult band to Major Star status. Four singles became instant classics ('Refugee', 'Don't Do Me Like That', 'Even the Losers', and 'Here Comes My Girl'), and the album reached #2 (only held back from #1 by Pink Floyd's The Wall) and went triple Platinum.
Here is a show from early on in the Damn the Torpedoes Tour, in Boston. The tour kicked off with an appearance on Saturday Night Live, then some New York dates, then on to this show in Boston. No more supporting act spots, they were in-demand headliners now, putting on great full-length concert shows. This was the start of Petty and the Band becoming Superstars. The setlist featured 5-6 new songs from 'Torpedoes' (varied by date) added to their already strong set of original rockers and covers. Added on to this show is a few additional songs from radio broadcasts of their London shows in early 1980 as bonus tracks.    

Tracklist:
01. Shadow Of A Doubt
02. Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll
03. Fooled Again
04. Here Comes My Girl
05. Even The Losers
06. Wild One Forever
07. I Need To Know
08. Don't Do Me Like That
09. Cry To Me
10. Luna
11. Refugee
12. Listen To Her Heart
13. American Girl
14. Breakdown
15. Too Much Ain't Enough
16. Shout
17. Don't Bring Me Down
18. Any Way You Want It
19. Strangered In The Night
20. I Fought The Law
Bonus Tracks (1980-03-07 - London):
21. Century City (Mp3-only)
22. When the Time Comes (Mp3-only)
23. Somethin' Else (KBFH)

FLAC - Tom Petty_1979-11-19_Boston_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Tom Petty_1979-11-19_Boston_mp3.part1.rar
Tom Petty_1979-11-19_Boston_mp3.part2.rar
Links updated 09/17/21

Monday, October 9, 2017

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - 2017-09-22 - Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
2017-09-22
Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA

Tom's Penultimate Performance (Next to last show ever by Tom Petty - R.I.P., 10/2/17)
Audience recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

I've just been devastated by the shocking news of Tom Petty's death this week. And coming in the wake of so much tragedy and devastation over the past couple months, with earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorists, Trump, and the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas, as well as last month's death of Walter Becker, this was just too much to take. And although we certainly have to come to grips with the inevitable deaths of aging rock stars (and there have been many in the last couple years), for me at least, this one hurts more than any of the others. First, it was just so shocking, in that, of all the aging rockers out there, Tom Petty was about the last one I would have thought might die. He was such a fighter, and survivor, and was just coming off a very successful and impressive tour. Second, we need Tom Petty; his music, his songwriting, his style, his voice, his personality, his attitude, his being. Him and his music was still so relevant and vital. He wasn't just a 'greatest hits' act, he was still making, creating great new music. His last album with the Heartbreakers, Hypnotic Eye (2014), was their best in many years, and his recent work with Mudcrutch (2008, 2016) was also great, broke new ground and presented a different side to his music. In other words, he was still at his peak. He was just as good, if not better, now as he was back in his early days, and The Heartbreakers were better than ever - just check them out on this last tour - amazing rock band. But probably more than anything else, this loss of Tom Petty seems to mean so much more because of just who Tom Petty was. Sure, he was a great rocker, great songwriter, musician, etc., but his death seems more personal, because you never think about Tom as a star, a legend, an icon (though he was all of those), because he just seemed like such a regular guy, someone that could be a close friend, a buddy. No ego, pretension or self-rightousness, didn't think much of celebrity or fame, he was just a guy playing his music, and he hoped you would like it too. And his songs were very personal, with strong emotions. He wrote songs of defiance. And as Bill Flanagan said the other day on CBS Sunday Morning "Tom Petty wrote songs for anyone who felt lonely or misunderstood. His message was simple and profound: 'You are not alone.'" Alot has already been said about Tom, and alot more will be said, and I have no eloquent words or thoughts to add. The emotions are just too raw to put into words right now. I've listened to alot of Tom's music this week, but none without getting choked up and teary. Thank You and God Bless You, Tom. We'll miss you.

Earlier this year, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers set out on an ambitious 40th Anniversary Tour. Tom had already decided that this would probably be their last big tour, but would still do smaller tours and performance dates. The final show was set for the Hollywood Bowl on September 21. Tickets sold-out so quickly that an additional show was added for Friday, Sept. 22. When that also sold-out in minutes, they agreed to add one more show on Monday, Sept. 25th. That show would be the last performance ever for Tom Petty, as he died of cardiac arrest one week later, on Monday, October 2nd. The show presented here is from 9/22/17, the next to last show ever performed by Tom Petty. So, check this out, as well as other Tom Petty shows (and there fortunately are many great Tom Petty shows available), as Tom Petty is one of those artists that was at his best in live shows. It's nice that they started these shows with the very first song from their first album, the wonderful, but nearly forgotten gem 'Rockin' Around With You'. It's also interesting that for this 40th Anniversary Tour setlist (and all the dates had virtually the same setlist with only minor variations), fully half of the songs Tom chose to play came from his solo albums (which actually also included back-up from all of the Heartbreakers), 5 from Wildflowers (1994), and 4 from Full Moon Fever (1989). Although both his solo albums and Heartbreakers albums are great and contain great songs, I always felt the few solo albums he did contained his most personal songs, less straight-forward Rock n Roll, but more gentle and more heart. So, it's interesting to see this final tour contain so many of these solo songs among the Heartbreakers hits.     

Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. Rockin' Around (With You)
03. Mary Jane's Last Dance
04. You Don't Know How It Feels
05. Forgotten Man
06. I Won't Back Down
07. Freefallin'
08. Into The Great Wide Open
09. Don't Come Around Here No More
10. -band introduction-
11. It's Good To Be King
12. Crawling Back To You
13. Wildflowers
14. Learning To Fly
15. Yer So Bad
16. I Should Have Known It
17. Refugee
18. Runnin' Down A Dream
19. You Wreck Me
20. American Girl

Band:
Tom Petty - Lead vocals, guitars
Mike Campbell - Lead Guitar
Benmont Tench - Keyboard, vocals
Ron Blair - Bass Guitar, backing vocals
Scott Thurston - rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Steve Ferrone - Drums, percussion
Patti Webb - background singers
Charlie Webb - background singers

FLAC - Tom Petty_2017-09-22_Hollywood_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Tom Petty_2017-09-22_Hollywood_mp3.part1.rar
          Tom Petty_2017-09-22_Hollywood_mp3.part2.rar



Friday, September 29, 2017

Steely Dan - 1974-03-20 - Record Plant, L.A., CA - TooleMan Remaster-35th Anniversary Edition

Steely Dan
1974-03-20
The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA

Pre-FM (KMET-Live) master recording (as remastered by Tooleman-35th Anniversary Edition - 2009), excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Ok, I'll wrap up this mini-tribute to Steely Dan with another classic show from that great 1974 tour while still a rock band (last before going all studio thereafter, that is, until the reunion and 'Big Band Dan' tours starting in 1993). So, here is a very well-known show, and one that I have previously featured before, as it is a great Pre-FM recording of a radio show (KMET-Live), with great sound. But here, this time, is a newer, remastered version of that classic show, by The TooleMan, for a 35th Anniversary Edition (made in 2009) of the show. Although the original recording was already very good, TooleMan has tweaked it here and there to improve the sound a bit more. The only drawback to this show, however, is that because it was made for a radio show (and to fit a one hour timeslot), it is a shortened version of their show (This show is missing 'My Old School', 'Dirty Work', and 'Show Biz Kids' from their regular setlist for this tour, which is alot to miss). But aside from that, this is a great show, with great sound, and definitely - a classic.  BTW, for those that prefer the unaltered (Pre-FM recording, not remastered), it is still available on the previous post (here), and I have added the FLAC version of that show, too).


Tracklist:
01 - Stalling for time - Intro
02 - Bodhisattva
03 - The Boston Rag
04 - Do It Again
05 - Any Major Dude
06 - King Of The World
07 - Rikki Don't Lose That Number
08 - tuning
09 - Pretzel Logic
10 - Your Gold Teeth II (Jam)
11 - Reelin' In The Years
12 - This All Too Mobile Home
13 - Announcer outro

Lineup:
Donald Fagen – piano, vocals
Walter Becker – bass
Jeff Baxter – guitar
Denny Dias – guitar
Jim Hodder – drums
Jeff Porcaro – drums
Royce Jones – percussion, backing vocals
Michael McDonald – electric piano, backing vocals

Remaster notes - As with many tapes of this vintage, I thought a little more bass was needed. While I was at it, I ironed out a couple of tape wrinkles, too. Also, tiny amount of pitch correction, re-tracking, etc. - TheTooleMan, March, 2009

mp3 - Steely Dan_1974-03-20_RecordPlant_TooleManRem35_mp3.rar

FLAC - Steely Dan_1974-03-20_RecordPlant_TooleManRem35_FLAC.rar


Sunday, September 24, 2017

Steely Dan - 1974-04-30 - Memphis, TN - "Memphis Blues Again" (Tooleman Remaster)

Steely Dan
April 30th, 1974
Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, TN
"Memphis Blues Again", Tooleman Version (2008)
Soundboard recording (Remastered by Tooleman), Excellent Quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) vesrions

More Steely Dan! After featuring some of the later shows, time to go back once again to the original rock band version of the group in the early '70's, and their great 1974 tour. Here is another one of the classic soundboard recordings from that tour (I've previously featured the Rainbow Theater (5-20-74) and Record Plant (3-24-74) shows with excellent sound). This tour comes right on the heels of recording their 3rd album, Pretzel Logic (one of my favorites), and thus features some 'new' songs from that album, as well as several from my personal favorite, their previous, Countdown to Ecstasy. This was their last tour as a working rock band, before Becker & Fagen stopped touring, dissolved the rest of the band, and retreated to the studio to produce flawless jazz-rock records using various guests and session musicians. But here for the 1974 tour they had a killer lineup, with ace dual guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff Baxter, dual drummers (Jeff Porcaro and Jim Hodder, and even dual keyboard/vocalists (Fagen and Michael McDonald). The energy and performances at these shows are just fantastic. Each of these shows are great (and fortunately a number of hi-quality recordings from this tour are available), showing a much harder rockin' Dan than any of the post-reunion ensembles, with great guitar, keyboard, and drumming work throughout - vocals/harmonies are also quite strong as well, with the backing vocals of velvet-throated McDonald and percussionist Royce Jones. The only drawback is the setlist for all these shows was virtually the same (shuffling 'Any Major Dude' with 'Brooklyn' for some shows seems to be the only variant), so it is the same show each time, but even still, hearing multiple performances of this classic tour is a must. Although the sound from the original recording of this show was already very good, I am featuring here the Tooleman Remastered version of the show, as it does noticeably improve the overall sound quality and gives some extra punch to bass, drums, and vocals.So, if you don't have this already, check out some more classic Steely Dan.

Tracklist:
01  Bodhisattva
02  The Boston Rag
03  Do It Again
04  Brooklyn
05  King of the World
06  Blues in C
07  Rikki Don't Lose That Number
08  Pretzel Logic
09  My Old School
10  Dirty Work
11  Your Gold Teeth II
12  Reelin' in the Years
13  Show Biz Kids
14  All Too Mobile Home

Musicians:
Donald Fagen - keyboards/vocals
Denny Dias - 'bebop' guitar
Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter - 'skunk' guitar/vocals
Walter Becker - bass
Jeff Porcaro - drums
Jim Hodder - drums
Michael McDonald - electric piano/vocals
Royce Jones - percussion/vocals

Remaster notes - The recording has been equalized to make the bass much louder. Treble frequencies have been reduced to help balance the overall sound and make hiss less apparent. Light dynamic compression was used to improve the mix of vocals with instruments. The original recording runs fast and the pitch of the music is a bit sharp, so pitch was altered by -25 cents in the remaster to bring it to proper pitch. Track boundaries were adjusted from the original CD so that the music starts much closer to the beginning of each track. Several seconds of loud hum was reduced in track 14. The separate track for band introductions was merged with the preceding track (track 8, "Pretzel Logic"), while the excerpt of "Your Gold Teeth" was broken out as a separate track. - Tooleman, 2008

FLAC - Steely Dan_1974-04-30_Memphis-Tooleman rem_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Steely Dan_1974-04-30_Memphis-Tooleman rem_mp3.rar




Monday, September 18, 2017

Steely Dan - 1993-08-13 - Auburn Hills, MI - "Kickoff Night"

Steely Dan
August 13, 1993
"Kickoff Night"
Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI

Audience recording, Good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

More Steely Dan! Here is a unique show from their 'comeback' or 'reunion' tour of 1993. In fact, this was the very first show of the tour, so this was the first glimpse audiences got of this new version of Steely Dan, what I refer to as Big Band Dan. Thus, this was the first actual Steely Dan live concert in almost 20 years, and 13 years since Fagen & Backer broke up and went their separate ways. So, this was a historic night. But, in addition to that, this show contained several unique songs that were not continued in most subsequent shows (some never played again anywhere), so this is an especially unique show. First, a little background here. Now, this was at a time when they were both more focused on their solo albums (Steely Dan wouldn't record a 'new' album for another 7 years). Don had recently released Kamakiriad (1993, and produced by Becker), and Becker was getting to release his first solo album (11 Tracks of Whack, 1994, and produced by Fagen). So, it is not surprising that the boys wanted to feature a good chunk of their solo tracks. But at this 'Kickoff' show, they played a whopping total of 12 songs that were 'solo' tracks (7 of Fagen's, 5 of Becker's), which was actually more than the number of Steely Dan songs featured (10, not counting the orchestral instrumental tracks). And I'm sure they rather quickly (within the first few shows) realized that the fans were there to hear Steely Dan songs and not so much their relatively unknown solo tracks, so the setlist was adjusted to drop some of the 'solo tracks' and put back in some popular 'Dan' tracks, which they did for the remainder of the tour (and all subsequent tours). But it does mean that this show featured songs not played at any (or at least only a few) other shows ever again. Becker's 'Cringemaker', 'Our Lawn', and 'Girlfriend' were dropped never to reappear ('Book of Liars' and 'Fall of '92' were kept throughout the tour), and 'Our  Lawn' and 'Fall of '92' were never released on any albums, so are true rarities. Thus, this show also featured more Walter Becker songs than any other Steely Dan show ever, so it also is an appropriate show as a tribute and memorial to Walter. Fagen dropped 'True Companion' (obscure track from the film Heavy Metal) and 'Trans Island Skyway' and 'Countermoon' (from Kamakiriad), but keeping 'IGY' & 'Green Flower St' (from Nightfly), and 'Teahouse on the Tracks' (from Kamakiriad) for the remainder of the tour. So, many rarely played tracks and oddities here to enjoy. The audience recording is good (but not great) quality, not up to the SBD standards of other available shows, but still good and very enjoyable. BTW, the 'Dan' songs they added in subsequent shows after dropping the 'solo' tracks were 'Home at Last', 'Babylon Sisters', 'Reelin' in the Years', and 'Peg'. For an example of the later shows on this tour, check out the St. Louis show, previously posted here.Enjoy!

Tracklist:
Disc 1:
01 Instrumental Overture (Peg->Aja) (First and only time this unusual instrumental was played. By the next show, Peg was taken out of this and played on its own)
02 Green Earrings
03 Bodhisattva
04 I.G.Y. (Fagen solo track)
05 Josie
06 Hey Nineteen
07 Book of Liars (Becker)
08 Cringemaker (rare Walter Becker solo track dropped after only a few performances)
09 Chain Lightning
10 Band Introductions
11 Our Lawn  (rare Walter Becker solo track dropped after a few performances)
12 Green Flower Street (Fagen solo track)
13 True Companion (rare Donald Fagen solo tune; only time played on the 1993 tour)
14 Black Friday

Disc 2:
01 Tuzz's Shadow (Instrumental written by Steely Dan pianist at the time, Warren Bernhardt)
02 Deacon Blues >
03 Tomorrow's Girls (Fagen)
04 Fall of '92 (Becker)
05 Girlfriend (Walter Becker solo track dropped after 2 performances)
06 Third World Man
07 Trans Island Skyway (Donald Fagen tune solo track dropped after only a few performances)
08 Countermoon > (Fagen)
09 Teahouse on the Tracks (Fagen)
10 My Old School
11 FM

-------------------------------------------

THE BAND:

Donald Fagen: Vocals, Fender Rhodes, Lync Keytar
Walter Becker: Guitar, Vocals

Along with The Citizen Steely Dan Orchestra 1993:
Peter Erskine: Drums
Bill Ware III: Vibes, Congas, Percussion
Tom Barney: 5-string Bass
Drew Zingg: Guitars
Warren Bernhardt: Acoustic Piano, Fender Rhodes
Diane Garisto: Vocals
Brenda White-King: Vocals
Catherine Russell: Vocals
Chris Potter: Tenor Sax
Cornelius Bumpus: Tenor Sax
Bob Shepard: Tenor and Soprano Sax
Roger Nichols: Monitor Mix

FLAC - Steely Dan_1993-08-13_Auburn HillsMI_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Steely Dan_1993-08-13_Auburn HillsMI_mp3.part1.rar
          Steely Dan_1993-08-13_Auburn HillsMI_mp3.part1.rar

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Steely Dan - 2009-07-22 - Wang Theater, Boston, MA - Aja and Royal Scam Night

Steely Dan
July 22, 2009
AJA and ROYAL SCAM Night
Wang Theater, Boston, MA

Stereo Soundboard recording, Excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps versions)


Been listening to Steely Dan all week, since news of Walter Becker's passing, especially my two favorite albums of theirs, Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic, just superb, and their entire catalog is exceptional. What a tremendous loss. And although I think many falsely assume that because Donald Fagen is the de facto front man and more outspoken member, that Becker played a lesser role in the groups music and sound, but that is not at all true. Becker was an integral part of everything about the band, from the songwriting (music and lyrics) to the musical sound, style, arrangements, and production. Anyway, in looking back on what Steely Dan shows I have already posted on the blog, it was clear that there are many more that could be included to give a more thorough depiction of the band and their various tours (in addition, will update those that don't include lossless versions). So, first up here, is a great show and excellent recording from the Dan's 2009 Rent Party '09 Tour. This tour was notable for featuring shows on multiple consecutive days in major cities, where they would feature a different full album each night. The albums featured included Aja, The Royal Scam, and Gaucho (unfortunately, no dates included Countdown to Ecstasy or Pretzel Logic, or even Katy Lied). In cities where they played 3 or 4 nights, they also included an "Internet Request Night" where the band would play songs requested by ticket-holding concertgoers through a special log-in internet vote for that show (although this request night seemed especially intriguing, as it turned out, and probably not surprisingly, the songs most requested by the audience were mostly the same popular songs they already were playing most nights anyway, but still resulted in several songs that had not been played live in many years, greats like 'Any Major Dude' and 'parker's Band, etc., and overall, between the request night and the full album shows, this tour resulted in the greatest variety of songs being played than on any other Steely Dan tour). Anyway, this Boston show was quite special itself, for several reasons. In Boston, they were scheduled for 3 nights, with the plan being an Aja night, a Gaucho night, and an internet request night. But on this first night of the Boston shows, the band treated the audience to a combined Aja and Royal Scam Night, doing both full albums (in addition to several other songs). This was the only night of the tour where they did two complete albums. In addition, there were a couple of  other Boston-only surprises, in that they also performed a couple of songs with special meaning for the Boston audience, their own 'The Boston Rag' (which hadn't been featured in any live shows in decades), and The Standells 'Dirty Water', a local Boston standard. Again, this was the only show where these additional songs were performed, just for Boston (and only time ever for 'Dirty Water'). So, this was a special night, and this great recording captures it all. The recording I had of this also included a bonus track of  'Pretzel Logic' with guest Steve Winwood from a 2011 date, so that is included as well. Enjoy! 

Tracklist:
01 Teenie Blues
.....................AJA
02 Black Cow
03 Aja
04 Deacon Blues
05 Peg
06 Home at Last
07 I Got the News
08 Josie
09 Donald's Remarks
......................THE ROYAL SCAM
10 Kid Charlemagne   
11 The Caves Of Altamira  
12 Don't Take Me Alive  
13 Sign In Stranger   
14 The Fez  
15 Green Earrings   
16 Haitian Divorce   
17 Everything You Did
18 The Royal Scam
......................
19 Hey Nineteen
20 Love is Like an Itchin in My Heart - Band Introductions
21 Black Friday
22 The Boston Rag
23 Dirty Water
24 My Old School
25 Last Tango In Paris (exit music)

26 BONUS TRACK - Pretzel Logic (with Steve Winwood) - 2011-10-xx Australia (SBD)

THE BAND:
Donald Fagen: Vocals, Fender Rhodes, Melodica
Walter Becker: Guitars, Vocals
along with,
The "Rent Party '09" Touring Band:
Tawatha Agee, Catherine Russell, Carolyn Leonhart: Backing Vocals
Jim Beard: Acoustic Piano, Nord Electro, Hammond
Marvin Stamm: Trumpet
Jim Pugh: Tenor Trombone
Roger Rosenberg: Baritone Saxophone
Walt Weiskof: Tenor and Alto Saxophone
Keith Carlock: Drums
“Ready” Freddie Washington: Fender P-Bass
Jon Herrington: Guitars

FLAC - Steely Dan_2009-07-22_Boston_FLAC.rar


mp3 - Steely Dan_2009-07-22_Boston_mp3.part1.rar
          Steely Dan_2009-07-22_Boston_mp3.part2.rar

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Walter Becker (R.I.P.) - Tracks of Whack Demos and Outtakes - 1994

Walter Becker
Tracks of Whack Demos and Outtakes (1994)

Soundboard recordings, very good quality
Available in Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Just heard the shocking and sad news that Walter Becker, of Steely Dan fame, has died today, at 67. No details yet on cause of death. He previously missed the recent Steely Dan appearances at the Classic East and West shows, where music partner Donald Fagen just reported that he was 'recovering from a procedure' without giving any further details. But no one knew or thought that his illness was life threatening. Becker, of course, was one half of the duo at the creative center of Steely Dan for all these years, playing guitar and bass, and the songwriting partner with Donald Fagen (all Steely Dan songs are co-written by Becker and Fagen together, perhaps the greatest songwriting duo since Lennon-McCartney). Steely Dan was one of the greatest rock bands of all time (if you could even call them 'rock', or a 'band' even, as Becker and Fagen were the only constant elements that defined the group, with the rest of the musicians a constantly changing mix of professionals and session musicians). They were unlike any other group, before or since, with totally unique songs, sound, style, and outlook, with their musical sophistication, rhythms, and perfect arrangements and instrumentation, and their savagely biting wit, cynicism, inscrutably hip, oddball lyrics. They certainly are one of my favorite groups, and have been an important influence in my life. 
       Becker first met Donald Fagen while both were students at Bard College in Annandale-on Hudson, New York, in 1967, and the two found they had many common interests, musical and otherwise, and began a collaborating as a songwriting duo. In 1971, they moved to California and together started the band Steely Dan, with Don on keyboards and vocals, Walter on bass, and guitarists Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Denny Dias, and drummer Jim Hodder. They soon attracted interest from record companies, with their unique sound and style, but initially were not comfortable with Donald's eccentric vocals (not commercial they said) and wanted to try other singers (hence addition of David Palmer on first album). After an unsuccessful single release ('Dallas'-1972), their first album, Can't Buy a Thrill, was released in 1972, and resulted in multiple breakthrough hits ('Do It Again', 'Reelin' in the Years', 'Dirty Work'), firmly establishing the band. By their second album, Countdown to Ecstasy (1973), which I would maintain was their crowning masterpiece, they grew even more creative, even though it's more quirky excellence was not as radio (hit) friendly. Following Pretzel Logic (1974), Steely Dan went on their only full tour as a headlining rock band (previous touring in '72 and '73 were mainly as opening or supporting act), and produced the terrific 1974 shows. However, after this, Becker and Fagen decided to stop touring and concentrate on studio albums (as Fagen did not like touring and performing live anyway, and they both thought it negatively affected their ability to make great albums). At this point, they began bringing in more guest artists and session musicians, and increasingly incorporating a more jazz-influenced sound, and essentially dissolving the 'band', leaving just Becker and Fagen with numerous and various session musicians for the recording sessions, and no subsequent touring. Fagen and Becker were also notorious perfectionists in the studio, demanding take after take of their musicians, until the sound was perfect. This lead to a trio of successful albums from 1975 to 1978, Katy Lied, The Royal Scam, and Aja. But during the recording of their next album, Gaucho (1980), numerous problems, stresses, and difficulties (including Becker being badly injured getting hit by a Taxicab, in addition to a growing drug addiction), leading to the eventual dissolution of the group in 1981.  During this break-up, Becker moved to Hawaii (to deal with his addiction) and eventually began producing other's albums (including Michael Franks, Rickie Lee Jones, and China Crisis). He also eventually got back with Fagen for his Rock and Soul Revue Show in 1991, which then lead to the full-fledged Steely Dan Reunion and tour in 1993. They have basically been touring ever since, and released new albums in 2000 and 2003 (Two Against Nature, Everything Must Go). I have previously featured several Steely Dan shows from throughout their history, but I have many more, and will probably feature a few more in the next few weeks. But today, in honor and tribute to Walter Becker, here are some demos and outtakes from the recording sessions for Walter's first solo album, 11 Tracks of Whack, from 1994 (which was co-produced by Fagen and Becker, and featured Fagen on keyboards on some tracks). Here are several demos of songs that are on the albujm, as well as some outtakes of tracks that did not make the album, and were never released. Although not quite up to Steely Dan standards (mainly due to Walter's limited vocals), there are several gems here, and this collection nonetheless displays Walter on his own, doing his own music. Certainly much in the same style as Steely Dan, but also some notable differences, and well worth checking out Walter as separate from Steely Dan. So, here's to Walter Becker, a giant in the music industry, who will be greatly missed, but not forgotten, as his music will stand forever.

Tracklist:
 1 Junkie Girl (demo)
 2 Girlfriend (demo)
 3 Cringemaker (demo)
 4 Medical Science (demo)
 5 Sanpaiku
 6 Ghost of Hipness Past aka The Ghost Of Hypnos Past
 7 Lies I Can Believe
 8 Three Sisters Shakin'
 9 Book of Liars (demo)
 10 Hat Too Flat (demo)

All tracks composed by Walter Becker except “Cringemaker by Walter Becker & Dean Parks, and “Three Sisters Shakin'” composed by Walter Becker & Donald Fagen

Musicians
 Walter Becker - Bass, Solo Guitars, Ukulele, Vocals
 Dean Parks - Electric & Acoustic Guitar
 Adam Rogers - Electric Guitar on Hat Too Flat
 Fima Ephron - Bass on Hat Too Flat
 Donald Fagen, John Beasley - Keyboards
 Ben Perowsky - Drums on Hat Too Flat
 Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion
 Backing Vocals - Katherine Russell, Brenda White-King
 Bob Sheppard - Saxophone, Woodwind Solos
 Bruce Paulson - Trombone
 Jon Papenbrook - Trumpet

FLAC: Walter Becker_Tracks of Whack Demos-Outtakes_FLAC.rar

mp3: Walter Becker_Tracks of Whack Demos-Outtakes_mp3.rar
Links Updated 08/26/21

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Tommy Keene - 2017-04-21 - Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA

Tommy Keene
(Acoustic Solo Tour)
2017-04-21
Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA

Audience recording, very good quality
Mp3 @ 320 kbps

Here's one more show from Tommy Keene, this one taking us right up to the present, 2017. And this one also offers quite a different perspective, in that this is a solo acoustic show, and since Tommy is primarily known for his driving electric guitar style, his songs here have a whole different sound and feel, and it all works quite well. Here again, we get many different songs from the previous shows, but also several of his standards, but this time in solo acoustic versions. An excellent show.  

Tracklist:
1. Going Out Again
2. You Can't Wait for Time
3. Go Back Home
4. Back to Zero Now
5. Nighttime
6. Back Again (Try)
7. Astronomy
8. Laugh in the Dark
9. Nothing Can Change You
10. Raymond Chandler Evening
11. Highwire Days
12. Black and White in New York
13. Deep Six Saturday
14. Long Time Missing
15. Compromise
16. Nowhere Drag
17. Places That Are Gone
18. Mother's Little Helper  (Rolling Stones cover) (with Ivan Julian)

Tommy Keene (Acoustic)_2017-04-21_Philadelphia.rar
link updated 09/21/21

Friday, August 4, 2017

Tommy Keene - 2010-09-05 - Rock Shop, Brooklyn, NY

Tommy Keene
2010-09-05
The Rock Shop, Brooklyn, NY
Soundboard/audience matrix recording, very good quality
Mp3 @ 320 Kbps

Here's some more from Tommy Keene, in a dynamite show from about 14 years later than the last one posted, so it features mostly different songs from that last one (except for those classic Keene tunes that persisted over the years). But Tommy is still rockin' away. Check him out in these later years.

Tracklist:
01. Late Bright
02. A Secret Life of Stories
03. Places That Are Gone
04. In Our Lives
05. Listen To Me
06. Paper Words and Lies
07. Gold Town
08. Kill Your Sons
09. Call On Me
10. As Life Goes By
11. [band introductions]
12. My Mother Looked Like Marilyn Monroe
13. Underworld
14. Astronomy
15. The Story Ends
16. Black & White New York
17. Turning On Blue
18. Long Time Missing
19. [encore break]
20. Back To Zero Now
21. Love is a Dangerous Thing

Tommy Keene_2010-09-05_Brooklyn.rar
Link updated 09/21/21

Friday, July 28, 2017

Tommy Keene - 1996-04-11 - Trinity University, Hartford, CT

Tommy Keene
1996-04-11
"Notes from the Underground"
Trinity University, Hartford, CT
FM Broadcast recording, excellent quality
Mp3 @ 320 kbps

OK, so I took a bit of a break from the blog since the last post, but hey, it's summer, lots of other things going on. Anyway, I'm back now, and here today is another installment in the too-large group of sadly underappreciated, critically-acclaimed but sales-challenged artists, who shoulda been big but never quite made it. Today we feature veteran American power pop rocker Tommy Keene, known for his driving guitar-driven power pop with a keen rock edge. Keene hails from Bethesda, MD and attended the University of Maryland. Tommy first gained major attention in the mid-eighties, when his first major label release (Songs From the Film-1986, Geffen) garnered acclaim and managed to crack the Billboard Top 200. His subsequent album in 1989, Based on Happy Times, floundered, and he was dropped by his label. After playing in a couple other bands in the early nineties, he found his stride again with a couple new LPs (Driving Into The Sun-1994, Ten Years After-1996), and has been continuing undaunted ever since, right up to the present, as he is currently touring, opening for Matthew Sweet. He has survived on an avid cult following that has enabled him to ascend to legendary status among Power Pop aficionados, despite virtually no radio airplay and never again cracking the charts. Here is an excellent recording from his 1996 tour, featuring a fine selection of his songs from that time. So, check out Tommy Keene, from 20 years ago, then we'll feature some Tommy from more recent years. Good Stuff.

Tracklist:
01 Call On Me
02 Going Out Again
03 Turning On Blue
04 Alive
05 Your Heart Beats Alone
06 On The Runway
07 Nothing Can Change You
08 Silent Town
09 Good Thing Going
10 Back To Zero
11 Compromise
12 Love Is A Dangerous Thing
13 Places That Are Gone


Tommy Keene_1996-04-11_Hartford.rar
Link updated 2/6/24


Sunday, June 25, 2017

Big Star's Third Live - Various Artists - 2012-05-28 - London, UK

Big Star Third Live
Various Artists
May 28, 2012
Barbican Hall, Barbican Centre
London, UK

Audience recording, very good quality (Pike1957 recording)
Mp3 @ 320 kbps

Wrapping up this celebration of Big Star and their music, as mentioned in the previous post, despite the death of Alex Chilton in 2010, and the earlier deaths of original members Chris Bell and Andy Hummel, Big Star has lived on in various forms, with surviving member drummer Jody Stephens, and through all the friends and supporters gathered over the years. Starting with the Alex Chilton Tribute shows in 2010, and then with the creation of various all-star assemblages of Big Star's Third Live shows, Big Star's music is still being heard live, still vibrantly vital, and more popular than ever. Organized and coordinated primarily by Chris Stamey (The dB's), who worked and played with Chilton for a number of years, Big Star's Third Live came together as a series of shows featuring the full horn, wind, and string arrangements of the original Third album sessions, and performed by many friends and colleagues of Chilton and Big Star. At that time, these full arrangements  had never been performed live before (as Third was an entirely studio creation, never performed live). So, Stamey and friends, featuring a core ensemble of musicians such as Stephens, Mitch Easter (Let's Active), Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, Big Star), and a host of revolving special guests and friends, put on these shows featuring the music of Big Star (many other Big Star songs in addition to Third). Several of these shows were performed in 2012, 2014, and 2016. And just recently, a deluxe 2CD/1DVD album, Thank You Friends: Big Star's Third Live...and More, from one of the most recent shows (2016-04-27, Glendale, CA) has been released (and is excellent, highly recommended), featuring Stamey et al, as well as Jeff Tweedy and Pat Sansone (from Wilco) and a host of other guests on a great recording of a great show. Here, however, I have a show from 2012, in London, which features Stamey, Stephens, Easter, Auer, and Stringfellow and gang (with full orchestra), plus guest stars such as Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), John Bramwell (I Am Kloot), Sharon Van Etten, Skylar Gudasz, Brett Harris, Django Haskins (the Old Ceremony), Robyn Hitchcock, Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo), Sondre Lerche, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), as well as a special appearance by Ray Davies (The Kinks). It is a special show, a fine tribute to the band, and a fitting finish to this Big Star featurette in The Chronicles. Once again, thanks to dbs-repercussion blog for making this (and many other Big Star-related shows) available.

Tracklist: (lead vocalists for each song noted in parentheses):
Part I
01 - [intro]
02 - Nature Boy (John Bramwell)
03 - [announcement]
04 - Kizza Me (Mitch Easter)
05 - O Dana (Ira Kaplan)
06 - For You (Jody Stephens)
07 - Nightime (Alexis Taylor)
08 - Jesus Christ (Mike Mills)
09 - Big Black Car (Jon Auer)
10 - Take Care (Ira Kaplan)
11 - Stroke It Noel (Norman Blake)
12 - Femme Fatale (Sondre Lerche)
13 - Downs (Robyn Hitchcock) [Mike Mills bouncing a basketball as percussion!]
14 - Dream Lover (Sharon Van Etten)
15 - [announcement]
16 - Blue Moon (Jody Stephens)
17 - Holocaust (Django Haskins)
18 - You Can't Have Me (Sharon Van Etten)
19 - Kanga Roo (Brett Harris)
21 - Thank You Friends

Part II
22 - [intro]
23 - I'm In Love With A Girl (Sondre Lerche)
24 - Thirteen (Skylar Gudasz, Brett Harris & more)
25 - Give Me Another Chance (Norman Blake)
26 - I Am The Cosmos [Chris Bell cover] (Jon Auer)
27 - There Was A Light (Ken Stringfellow)
28 - You And Your Sister (Brett Harris)
29 - Daisy Glaze (Ken Stringfellow)
30 - The EMI Song (Smile With Me) (Ira Kaplan)
31 - The Ballad Of El Goodo (Sondre Lerche)
32 - September Gurls (Mike Mills)
33 - [Ray Davies intro]
34 - Til The End Of The Day [Kinks cover] (Ray Davies)
35 - [Ray Davies chat]
36 - The Letter (Ray Davies)
37 - [audience]
Encore:
38 - Back Of A Car (Jon Auer)

Big Star's Third Live_2012-05-28_London.part1.rar
Big Star's Third Live_2012-05-28_London.part2.rar
Links updated 09/21/21