A Music-related blog containing information and commentary of my favorite music, as well as some choice downloads of quality, hard-to-find music (unofficial releases, ROIO's, concert bootlegs, etc.) available on the web.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Steve Goodman - 1977 Radio Shows - NY & Atlanta
Steve Goodman
(with Jethro Burns)
1977 Radio Broadcasts
1977-10-10
The Bottom Line, New York, NY 1977-11-01
Great Southeast Music Hall, Atlanta, GA
FM Broadcasts, excellent quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and mp3 @ 320 kbps
Here's more from the great Chicago singer-songwriter, Steve Goodman, a combination of 2 radio broadcasts from the fall of 1977, with excellent sound quality. These shows also feature great mandolin playing from Jethro Burns (of country act Homer and Jethro), who regularly toured and performed with Goodman. Goodman does most of the show solo, then brings out Jethro for the last part of the set. I have combined these 2 shows to highlight the different songs from the sets, removed some repeated songs, and arranged them all into a relatively seamless longer single show. Highlights include another of his songs co-written with John Prine 'The 20th Century is Almost Over', his observations on sexual relationships - 'Men Who Love Women Who Love Men', and 'Moby Book', his condensation of Moby Dick into a blues song (or as he says, 'like Cliff Notes written by Willie Dixon' ). Enjoy.
Some more background on Steve. Right around the time Steve was just getting started as an entertainer, in 1969, he was diagnosed with Leukemia, which in those days was basically a death sentence. He didn't know how long he would have to live, but he dedicated himself to making the most of his career while he could. Only his close friends and family knew about his condition, so he went through his music career fighting back the disease as best he could, with his fans and public not knowing anything about his ailment. That he was able to keep up such an upbeat attitude, high energy, and good humor, and be such a prolific songwriter and performer throughout his career was an amazing achievement. By 1983, however, the cancer was really taking it's toll, and Steve finally revealed to the world his condition. Steve died in September 1984, but left behind a rich legacy of songs, albums, and performances. Next time I'll feature some shows from his last few years. Till then, enjoy this small glimpse of a wonderful performer and great guy, Steve Goodman.
01 Red Red Robin
02 Videotape >
03 Do It Yourself
04 Old Smoothies
05 20th Century Is Almost Over
06 One Of These Days >
07 Men Who Love Women Who Love Men
08 Two Lovers
09 Can't Go Back
10 You’re The Girl I Love
11 Three-Legged Man
12 Mind Your Own Business
13 Moby Book
14 Bandstand
15 Yellow Coat
16 Is It True What They Say About Dixie?
17 Donald and Lydia
18 Door Number Three
19 My Old Man
20 The Auctioneer
21 Spoon River Anthology
22 Jessie's Jig
23 City Of New Orleans
24 Just Lucky I Guess
tracks 1-9, 16, 21-23, New York, NY (WNEW-FM)
tracks 10-15, 17-20, 24, Atlanta, GA (WKLS-FM)
Links Updated 02/13/19
Steve_Goodman_-_1977_Broadcasts.rar
New!
Complete shows - full lossless versions
FLAC_1977-New York: Steve Goodman_1977-10-10_New York_FLAC
FLAC_1977-Atlanta: Steve Goodman_1977-11-01_Atlanta_FLAC
Lossless versions are the complete, unedited shows for each date (contain additional songs not included on edited mp3 version)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Steve Goodman - 1974-Portland & 1976-Bryn Mawr
Steve Goodman
Civic Auditorium, Portland, OR
February 2, 1974
Plus
Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA
20 June 1976
FM Broadcasts (KINK-FM and WMMR-FM, respectively), excellent quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and
mp3 @ 320 kbps
Here's the great, underappreciated Steve Goodman, in a combination of 2 shows from the mid-seventies. Goodman is probably most widely known as the writer of 'the best damn train song ever written' (as John Prine says), 'City of New Orleans', as well as several other respected songs. Although Steve is fairly widely known for his songs (at least among other songwriters, folk, and country performers), he is much less-known to the public as a versatile performer and entertainer. Steve started out in the folk clubs around Chicago while still a student, and was already a regular when he met John Prine in 1970, and they became fast friends. It was Steve that was instrumental in getting John's big break, as when Steve was opening for Kris Kristofferson in 1971, he insisted that Kris go hear John play after their own show was over. This lead to Kristofferson hooking them up with Paul Anka, who ultimately got both Steve and John signed to recording contracts. Steve's biggest break came, however, when Arlo Guthrie recorded 'City of New Orleans' in 1972, and it became a huge hit. Although Steve's own albums didn't sell much at all, the success of that train song enabled him to devote himself to a full-time career in music, and he was always grateful for that opportunity. Although Steve has written several respected 'serious' songs (including 'New Orleans', 'Ballad of Penny Evans', 'My Old Man', etc), his real strength was in his quick wit and numerous humorous songs, ranging from mildly amusing ditties to wickedly clever, insightful, and hilarious spoofs and rantings. Although he never sold many albums, his live performances were very popular and widely acclaimed. What was so great about Steve was that his shows were always so entertaining and fun. He had an extremely engaging and captivating personality. He was always energetic, upbeat, and aiming to please. He was like your ideal version of a best friend, smart, funny, and great to be around, but just a regular guy, yet someone you could always count on. Nobody ever left a Steve Goodman show not feeling good and entertained, which is why anyone who ever saw him live on stage became a fan. It wasn't any one thing, but the combination of everything, the versatility of the songs and music, the fun atmosphere, Steve's jokes, storytelling, spontaneity, and ad libs, and Steve's surprisingly good guitar playing and vocal theatrics. It was just a good time for all.
The first show here is a short, opening set (he opened for Prine) with excellent sound that, although short, establishes his format and style. He usually started off with an uptempo version of an old ('30's, '40's) standard, then he follows with a mix of serious and humorous songs, stories, anecdotes, and humorous intros and set-ups. Included here is an extended version of the story of how Steve wrote 'You Never Even Call Me By My Name' with John Prine one drunken night in NY, so Prine fans should not miss this. This show was right around the time that I first saw him, and was totally captivated. Since this was a short show, I've combined it with another, longer show from 1976 (I did a little editing to remove some duplicated songs from the first show). This show was an extended opening set (opened for Warren Zevon) performed for radio. It's interesting to note how Steve keeps tweaking and adding new parts to the final verse of 'My Name' with each year. But the main thing that makes this show unique is the full jam session at end. At this show, after his opening solo portion, he invited some musician friends (country-bluegrass) from the area to join him for the last part of the set. Then, after a rousing 'City of New Orleans', an even larger jam session developed which included Billy Joel (who just happened to be around) on piano and Zevon himself sitting in on drums. They managed to rip through representative country, rock, and blues jams, and started into 'Twist and Shout', when the radio station finally cut them off, as they had gone well beyond the allotted time slot (so, there's only a fragment of 'TnS' remaining). But, it was a wonderful raucous jam, a bit unusual for a Goodman show, but great nonetheless (and Goodman managed to stay in charge, singing and directing traffic throughout). Anyway, hope you enjoy these Goodman shows. Hopefully, they will give you an idea of why Goodman was so liked and admired by other musicians and singer-songwriters all over the world.
01 Lady Be Good
02 Turnpike Tom
03 City of New Orleans
04 Ballad of Penny Evans
05 I Ain't Heard You Play No Blues
06 Chicken Cordon Bleus
07 Lincoln Park Pirates
08 The Auctioneer
09 You Never Even Call Me by My Name
10 The Dutchman
11 It's A Sin To Tell A Lie
12 Unemployed
13 Old Fashioned
14 Banana Republics
15 Can't Go Back
16 Lookin' for Trouble
17 This Hotel Room
18 You Never Even Call Me By My Name
19 Introduction of band, tuning up, etc.
20 Truck Drivin' Man
21 Blue Umbrella
22 Jesse's Jig (Beth's Bounce, Rob's Romp)
23 City of New Orleans
24 Mama Don't Allow It
25 Johnny B. Goode
26 Blues in C
27 Twist and Shout (cut)
tracks 1-10, 1974-02-02, Civic Auditorium, Portland, OR (KINK-FM)
tracks 11-27, 1976-06-20, Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA (WMMR-FM)
Featuring (tracks 20-27)
Lew London - mandolin & guitar
Winnie Winston - pedal steel guitar
Wanamaker Lewis - banjo
Doug Haywood - bass
Added band members
Mike Lieber - comb & tissue paper (track 24)
Billy Joel - piano (tracks 24-27)
Jerry Donahue - guitar (tracks 25-27)
Warren Zevon - drums (tracks 25-27)
New Links - Upgraded quality! (Updated 12/09/13)
mp3 - Steve Goodman_1974-Portland_1976-Bryn_Mawr_mp3.rar
New!
Complete shows - full lossless versions
FLAC_1974 - Portland: Steve Goodman_1974-02-02_Portland_FLAC
FLAC_1976-Bryn Mawr: Steve Goodman_1976_Bryn Mawr_FLAC
Lossless versions are the complete, unedited shows for each date (contain additional songs not included on edited mp3 version)
More Goodman coming, so stay tuned
Thursday, September 23, 2010
John Prine - 2005-11-11 - Ennis, Ireland
John Prine
Glór Irish Music Centre,
Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
November 11, 2005
FM Broadcast, very good quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and
mp3 @ 320 kbps
I hope you all are enjoying these great John Prine shows as much as I am (although the lack of any comments on these makes me wonder). To finish up this mini-tribute to Chicago's folk icon, here is a show from his more recent years. This one, another excellent recording, is from his tour in support of Fair and Square, his 2005 grammy-winning album, which was also his first solo album of new songs since Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings in 1995. In the intervening years, however, John survived a serious health scare. In 1998, a cancerous mass was found and removed from John's neck (along with a good chunk of his neck). That was followed by a couple months of radiation treatments. He took over a year off to rest and recuperate from the cancer and treatments, but was ready to start performing again by Spring 1999. After the surgery, his voice was noticably deeper, and a little rougher (more gravelly), but for a singer like John, it just gave his voice 'more character'. John has said that when he started performing again, he had to sing all his songs in a lower key, as he could no longer reach the notes he used to, and in re-learning the old songs in different keys, he achieved an all-new appreciation for some of his older stuff, and thoroughly enjoyed playing many songs he hadn't played in years. That difference in his voice can be heard in all his later concerts, including this one, and most fans have noted that the change in his voice fits right in with his songs and style, and just seems a natural progression into his later years. This show, then features a mixture of some of his old standards along with some of the newer songs, which show that he still has a knack and keen eye for writing gems. Some of the newer songs include 'Glory of True Love', 'Crazy as a Loon', 'Taking a Walk', and 'Some Humans Ain't Humans' from Fair and Square, as well as others like 'All the Best', 'Ain't Hurtin Nobody', and 'Lake Marie' from Lost Dogs. So here is John as he sounds in recent years (Still Great).
tracklist
01 Spanish Pipedream
02 Please Don't Bury Me
03 Souvenirs
04 Fish And Whistle
05 band intro & intro to next song
06 The Glory Of True Love
07 Taking a Walk
08 All the Best
09 Crazy as a Loon
10 Dear Abby
11 That's the Way that the World Goes 'Round / stories about misheard lyrics
12 Sam Stone
13 Ain't Hurtin' Nobody
14 Some Humans Ain't Human
15 Hello In There
16 Lake Marie
17 Band intro / welcomes out Philip Donnelly
18 Speed of the Sound of Loneliness*
19 Paradise **
* with Philip Donnelly
** with Paul Mulligan and Philip Donnelly
John Prine (guitar)
Dave Jacques (bass)
Jason Wilber (electric guitar)
and with Philip Donnelly and Paul Mulligan
New Links (Updated 06/23/19)
mp3 - John_Prine_2005-11-11 - Ennis_Ireland_mp3.rar
FLAC - John_Prine_2005-11-11 - Ennis_Ireland.rar
Also, I need to mention that there is a great official John Prine fan web site, http://www.jpshrine.org , that has all things Prine, including links to purchase his albums. Or you can go direct to John's record company site, Oh Boy Records to buy albums and DVDs from his catalog.
Coming up next, we go back to the early seventies Chicago folk scene to check out John's good buddy, the energetic, wonderful, influential singer-songwriter, and all-around great guy, Steve Goodman.
Monday, September 20, 2010
John Prine - 1986 - Asheville, NC (plus bonus tracks)
John Prine
Asheville, NC
October 1986
(with Phillip Donnelly)
SBD recording, excellent quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and
mp3 @ 320 kbps
Here's another excellent John Prine show, this one from the mid-80's. By this time, Prine had left the major labels and was putting out albums on his own independent record label, Oh Boy Records. Although this meant more freedom and less pressure to make more commercial albums, without major label support it also meant a much lower profile and lower album sales (none of his independently released albums from this period charted on the Billboard 200). Thus, although these albums, Aimless Love (1984), German Afternoons (1986), John Prine Live (1988), and The Missing Years (1991), were not as well-known as some of his previous albums, they were nevertheless gems, each containing several new classic Prine tunes. So, here is a selection from that time in his career. This is an excellent soundboard recording rom Asheville, NC, with assistance from Phillip Donnelly, and I have also added onto this selected tracks from another excellent show from 1984, highlighting more songs from this period, or classic tracks that have not been featured yet. So, please, enjoy more from the great John Prine.
tracks
01 Lulu Walls
02 Torch Singer
03 Aw Heck
04 Six O'Clock News
05 Out of Love intro
06 Out of Love
07 Donald & Lydia
08 Blue Umbrella
09 Souveniers
10 Grandpa Was a Carpenter
11 Fish & Whistle
12 Storm Windows
13 Illegal Smile
14 Dear Abby
15 Far From Me
16 Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone
17 Linda Goes to Mars
18 Let's Talk Dirty intro
19 Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian
20 The Great Compromise
21 Sam Stone
22 Sailing Around
23 My Own Best Friend
24 Spanish Pipedream
Bonus tracks (1984-2-6 - Houston)
25. Bruised Orange
26. Billy the Bum
27. Aimless Love
28. Common Sense
29. Come Back To Us Barbara Lewis...
30. Unwed Fathers
31. Iron Ore Betty
32. People Putting People Down
33. One Red Rose
34. Please Don't Bury Me
tracks 1-24, Asheville, NC 1986
tracks 25-28, 1984-2-6, Rockefeller's, Houston, early show
tracks 29-34, 1984-2-6, Rockefeller's, Houston, late show
New Link (Updated 10/3/21)
mp3 compilation: John Prine_1986-10_-_Asheville_NC_bonus_mp3.rar.html
New!
Complete shows - full lossless versions
1986-10_Asheville: John_Prine_1986_-_Asheville_FLAC.rar
1984-2-6_Houston (both shows): John_Prine_1984-2-6_-_Houston_FLAC.rar
Friday, September 17, 2010
John Prine - 1978-06-11 - Bottom Line, NYC
John Prine
June 11, 1978
The Bottom Line, New York, NY
FM recording, very good quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and
mp3 @ 320 kbps
Here is a show from Prine several years later in his career. This tour was in support of Bruised Orange (1978), his 5th studio album, so, we get the additional songs from this period. In addition, this tour featured a full back-up band with Prine, including additional guitars (both electric and acoustic), keyboards, bass, drums, and back-up vocals, rather than Prine's more traditional solo act or just with guitar and bass. At this time Prine was exploring more of a harder edge and rock sound on several songs, which would be even more prominent on his next album, Pink Cadillac (1979). Here, he already has the band assembled that he would use for most of Pink Cadillac, and it is interesting to hear some of his songs done with a band (and electric guitar?), although he does go back to just himself and guitar for some of the classic tracks that work better that way. But whether you like the fuller sound and arrangements, or prefer just John alone, this represents the next phase of his illustrious career, and it's all great stuff.
Tracklist
01 Spanish Pipedream
02 Often Is A Word I Seldom Use
03 Angel From Montgomery
04 Fish And Whistle
05 Crooked Piece Of Time
06 Blue Umbrella
07 Illegal Smile
08 Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone
09 The Bottomless Lake
10 Sam Stone
11 That's The Way That The World Goes Round
12 There She Goes
13 I Had A Dream Last Night
14 Chinatown
15 If You Don't Want My Love
16 Try To Find Another Man
17 Band Intros - Pretty Good
18 Hello In There
19 Grandpa Was A Carpenter
20 Ballad Of A Teenage Queen
21 Paradise
22 Please Don't Bury Me
23 Sleepy Eyed Boy
24 Treat Me Nice
25 Onomatopeia
26 Sailin' Around
27 Mexican Home
28 How Lucky Can One Man Get
29 I'm Not That Good At Goodbye
30 Saddle In The Rain
John Prine - acoustic guitar, vocals
John Burns - acoustic and electric guitars, background vocals
Howard Levy - piano, keyboards, harmonica, mandolin
Tom Piekarske - bass
Angelo Varias - drums
New Links - Upgraded Quality! (Updated 12/30/13)
mp3 - JP_1978-06-11_New_York_NY_mp3.rar
FLAC - JP_1978-06-11_New_York_NY.rar
Thursday, September 16, 2010
John Prine - Early Live Recordings - 1970-71
John Prine
Live at the 5th Peg, Chicago IL
August 1970
FM Broadcast (WFMT), excellent quality
mp3 @ 192
First up in my feature of influential Chicago artists is John Prine, one of the all-time great American songwriters and folk artists. Now, in recent years, towards the end of his career, he finally seems to be getting more of the respect, honors, and accolades he deserves as one of the best of all time (This year a new tribute album featuring young folk and rock artists was released, along with other awards, and international acclaim). But back in 1970, he was just getting started in Chicago clubs like the 5th Peg, The Quiet Knight, and the Earl of Old Town. Here are some of the earliest known recordings of Prine (in excellent quality), before he recorded his first album (1971). It's amazing that he already had written and was performing so many of his classic songs at this time (Sam Stone, Paradise, Hello In There, Angel From Montgomery, Spanish Pipedream, Donald and Lydia, Souvenirs, The Great Compromise, Illegal Smile, etc). By the time he made his first album in 1971 he already had enough great songs for 2 or 3 albums. And his first album was a masterpiece, with several more to follow. He has such a gift for so accurately and specifically depicting human problems and emotions with sincerity, honesty, and simple but brilliant turns of phrases that concisely sum things up with just a few words or sentences (The haunting and heartbreaking refrain from Sam Stone 'There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes...' is an excellent example). His songs are very personal, but always accessible, and sum up often unspoken feelings that we all can relate to. Although some of his songs deal with very serious issues and problems, they are handled with humor and grace, and are usually uplifting, and not at all depressing (Other songs are just funny and 'goofy' as he would say, but still express strong emotions and values). And although his voice may be rough and have a very limited range, it is perfectly suited to the music, and his simple but powerful presentation and style (including unique phrasing and ironic tone) make the songs come alive in ways that just don't happen when other artists (with better voices) cover the songs. And that has been one of his limitations, in that he is one of the world's great songwriters, yet his songs are not covered all that often, because he is the only one that really can do them justice (well accept for 'Angel' which sounds best with a female voice, like Bonnie Raitt's version). Although he has always garnered critical acclaim and a devoted following, he never really achieved widespread commercial success, which is such a shame, but really just fine with him. He is one of the most straight-forward, humble, unpretentious, and unassuming people you could ever meet. When he began writing his songs, he never expected anyone would ever hear them (or want to hear them), they were just made for his own entertainment. And he still goes about his craft that way.
This first show is said to be the oldest surviving John Prine recording. This show was recorded sometime in August 1970, labelled as 'John Prine Live at the 5th Peg 1970 WFMT Archives'. It was also around this time that John met another young singer-songwriter playing the Chicago clubs, a funny little guy named Steve Goodman. Steve would become his best friend, co-hort and collaborator, and it was through Steve that John was 'discovered' by Kris Kristofferson leading to his first recording contract. But more about Steve later. The second show presented is from a Studs Terkel radio show (songs and talk), and provides some very interesting talk and background on John and these early songs (such as 'The Frying Pan' was the very first song he wrote, at age 14). The info on the show states that it is from 01-07-1970, but this clearly is wrong, as in the interview they discuss his upcoming recording sessions for his first album for Atlantic, and he did not have a recording contract until sometime in 1971 (he hadn't even started performing at all until around mid-1970), so this session must be from 1971, and it would seem to be more like June or July rather than January, so I'm just calling it 1971. Whether you are a fan of Prine or not, If you are someone that is at all interested in American folk or roots music (or even just great songwriting), you have got to check out these early shows by John Prine. It just doesn't get any better than this. John Prine is a National Treasure. Next I'll put up a couple of shows from later in his career.
01 Hello In There
02 Souvenirs
03 Sam Stone
04 Paradise
05 Blue Umbrella
06 My Woman
07 Illegal Smile
08 Flashback Blues
09 The Frying Pan
10 Sour Grapes
11 A Star, A Jewel And A Hoax (unreleased)
12 Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore
13 The Great Compromise
14 Angel From Montgomery
15 A Good Time
16 Hey, Good Lookin' > Jambalaya
17 Quiet Man
18 Spanish Pipedream
John_Prine_1970-08_Chicago.rar
New Link! (Updated 06/18/21)
John Prine
Studs Terkel Radio Show
Chicago, IL
1971?, specific date not clear
Pre-FM Recording, excellent quality
mp3 @ 192
01 Hello In There
02 interview
03 The Frying Pan
04 interview
05 Sam Stone
06 interview
07 Donald and Lydia
08 interview
09 Spanish Pipedream
10 interview
11 Flashback Blues
New Link (Updated 06/18/21)
John_Prine_-_1971_-_Studs_Turkel_Radio_Show.rar
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Made in Chicago (in the 1970's)
Coming Next
I grew up in the western suburbs around Chicago, IL. Where we lived was far enough out that it was still fairly rural and kind of out in the sticks (not at all the neat suburban developments that come to mind), and it was a good hour's drive to get to the city. I was thirteen in the summer of 1970, and transitioning from junior high to high school. This was around the time my musical development really took off, as I was exposed to and listening to more different kinds of music (and coming into the time when I could start buying my own records, stereo, etc.) throughout the early '70's. This was when FM radio (and the developing AOR style) was still very diverse, progressive, and exploratory, and really featured whole albums and across the board styles (WXRT, in particular comes to mind). For the next few weeks, I will be featuring artists that were very important to me in my musical development. More specifically, these were all artists that I grew up hearing and hearing about in and around the Chicago area in the early-mid 1970's. These were primarily local artists (many of which shortly became famous nationally and internationally as well), but I will focus on their Chicago days. Chicago had a rich history and tradition of music, from folk, pop and rock bands, to jazz and blues. Now, I have to admit that as a young teenager I was not into (or even aware of) the jazz and blues scene that Chicago is well-known for. Later, of course I came to know and appreciate that style of music, but at that time, I was a teenager and totally unaware or uninterested in it. So, I will not be featuring that aspect of Chicago music and artists, as it was not a part of my world then. But I will feature several of the Chicago folk and rock artists of that time that were important to me (wherever possible that is, as some did not go on to great success and few or no recordings are available). So, anyway, stay tuned for 'Made in Chicago, the BB Chronicles version'.
I grew up in the western suburbs around Chicago, IL. Where we lived was far enough out that it was still fairly rural and kind of out in the sticks (not at all the neat suburban developments that come to mind), and it was a good hour's drive to get to the city. I was thirteen in the summer of 1970, and transitioning from junior high to high school. This was around the time my musical development really took off, as I was exposed to and listening to more different kinds of music (and coming into the time when I could start buying my own records, stereo, etc.) throughout the early '70's. This was when FM radio (and the developing AOR style) was still very diverse, progressive, and exploratory, and really featured whole albums and across the board styles (WXRT, in particular comes to mind). For the next few weeks, I will be featuring artists that were very important to me in my musical development. More specifically, these were all artists that I grew up hearing and hearing about in and around the Chicago area in the early-mid 1970's. These were primarily local artists (many of which shortly became famous nationally and internationally as well), but I will focus on their Chicago days. Chicago had a rich history and tradition of music, from folk, pop and rock bands, to jazz and blues. Now, I have to admit that as a young teenager I was not into (or even aware of) the jazz and blues scene that Chicago is well-known for. Later, of course I came to know and appreciate that style of music, but at that time, I was a teenager and totally unaware or uninterested in it. So, I will not be featuring that aspect of Chicago music and artists, as it was not a part of my world then. But I will feature several of the Chicago folk and rock artists of that time that were important to me (wherever possible that is, as some did not go on to great success and few or no recordings are available). So, anyway, stay tuned for 'Made in Chicago, the BB Chronicles version'.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Dan Fogelberg - 1985-08-15 - Los Angeles, CA
Dan Fogelberg
1985-08-15
Universal Amphitheater
Los Angeles, CA
FM Broadcast, Very Good Quality
mp3 @ 256
Listening to the early America shows again also got me thinking about this guy, Dan Fogelberg, and how much his music meant to me throughout the Seventies. Although perhaps best known for his moving, heartfelt love songs, he is actually quite a versatile and talented singer-songwriter-performer, with a wide range of musical styles encompassing aspects of country, folk, bluegrass, jazz, pop, and rock. Fogelberg, who was an Illinios boy just like me, comes from Peoria, IL, where I also went to school for awhile. He emerged in the mid-seventies as a musical force to be reckoned with, and was one of my early favorites. For me, his best album was the excellent double disc, The Innocent Age (1981). In 1985, he teamed up with an all-star band of country and bluegrass musicians to make High Country Snows, an album with a distinctly bluegrass style and feel. Unfortunately, like many other fine musicians, Dan left us too soon. In 2004, Dan discovered he had prostate cancer, battled it for quite awhile, but eventually died from it in December, 2007. Before he died, he worked on finishing up one last album of unreleased original songs, collected from throughout his career, called Love in Time, which was released after his death. And, of course, Dan left behind many other fine albums of his music, which has always been inspiring to me. Here's a fine show from Dan during that High Country Snows tour, which featured a bluegrass-style band and tunes. This was said to be among Dan's favorite tours. The first half of the show is Dan solo (on guitar and piano), then the band joins him for the second half. This is from a Westwood One Radio Broadcast that features very good sound quality, although as with most radio show versions, it does not include the complete concert. But it is one of few high quality live recordings available from this fine artist.
Tracklist:
Solo
1. Part of the Plan
2. Hard to Say
3. Run for the Roses
4. Make Love Stay
5. Nature of the Game
6. Leader of the Band
7. Same Old Lang Syne
w/Band
8. Down the Road
9. High Country Snows
10. The Outlaw
11. Shallow Rivers
12. The Higher You Climb
13. Morning Sky
14. Will the Circle Be Unbroken
New Link! (Updated 07/07/21)
Dan_Fogelberg_-_1985-08-15_-_LA_FM.rar
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
America - 1976-04-24 - Boston, MA
America
April 24, 1976
Boston Garden, Boston, MA
(plus bonus tracks)
Audience recording, good quality
mp3 @ 192
Here's another America show, from a bit later in their career (past their early peak years), but still while all 3 original members were present and the live shows were solid. This show starts out great, featuring several of their early classic songs, but then lags considerably in the second half, when they play songs from their then-current album, the relatively lackluster Hideaway ('Jet Boy Blue'?!, 'She's a Liar'?, 'Don't Let it Get You Down'?), before finishing strong with rousing versions of 'Horse', 'Golden Hair', and 'Sandman'. To make up for some of the lamer songs included, I have added a handful of excellent and rarely played earlier album tracks from a 1978 KBFH show (featuring a couple from Hat Trick, a couple from Homecoming, and a rousing 'Here' to finish it off). Feel free to replace the Hideaway tracks with these, or just keep them here at the end (they add some much needed oomph to round out the show). Anyway, here's more America.
Disc 1
01. Three Roses
02. Don't Cross The River
03. Muskrat Love
04. Riverside
05. Ventura Highway
06. I Need You
07. Tin Man
08. Baby, It's Up To You
09. Amber Cascades
10. Moon Song
11. Lonely People
12. Today's The Day
13. Old Virginia
14. Old Man Took
Disc 2
01. Daisy Jane
02. Jet Boy Blue
03. She's A Liar
04. Woman Tonight
05. Don't Let It Get You Down
06. Company
07. A Horse With No Name
08. Sister Golden Hair
09. Sandman
Bonus tracks (1978-07-04 - LA):
10. Rainbow Song
11. Wind Wave
12. Till the Sun Comes Up Again
13. Cornwall Blank
14. Here
disc 2, tracks 10-14, 1978-07-04 - Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, CA FM
New Links! (Updated 02/24/19)
disc1: America_-_1976-04-24_-_Boston_disc1.rar
disc2: America_-_1976-04-24_-_Boston_disc2.rar