Levon Helm Band & Friends - 2010-06-06 - 6th Annual Mountain Jam, Hunter NY

Levon Helm Band & Friends
June 6, 2010
6th Annual Mountain Jam; Hunter Mtn. Ski Area, Hunter, NY
Final Night of Festival Jam, billed as Levon Helm's 70th Birthday Jubilee
Audience Recording, Good Quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps
Artwork included

In addition to all The Band posts, I also wanted to post some of Levon's solo shows, and particularly to feature Levon with his first solo project Band from the late '70's, the fine Levon Helm & the RCO All-Stars. I was all set to post an excellent show from New Year's Eve in NY 1977, but while visiting Levon's website, I saw that Levon himself has already released this same show (and a more complete version than I have) on CD from his personal archives. I hadn't realized that this show was released commercially. So, obviously, I won't be posting that show after all. If you want to hear that show, by all means order the CD, issued by Levon Helm Studios. Instead, then, I will post a rollicking celebration and review of Levon's illustrious career in music, from much later in his life (2010). This all-star music jam, featuring the most recent version of the Levon Helm Band, along with numerous guest stars and artists, is the final night celebration from the 6th Annual Mountain Jam Music Festival, in Hunter NY. And this night, since it was close to Levon's Birthday, was celebrated as Levon's 70th Birthday Jubilee (complete with elaborate cake, pictured below). So, what we get here is a nearly 3 hour extended show that provides a pretty good complete encapsulation of music from all phases of Levon's career celebrated with his band and musical friends (and shows that he still had it at 70). At the time, it was a great celebration of his life and career, and now, after his death, it takes on even more meaning in this regard. In a concert with many similarities to The Last Waltz itself, this show provides a gloriously fine tribute to the man and his music, as well as a bittersweet realization of the great loss his death (less than 2 years after this show) means to all of us.
 
Tracklist
01 - The Shape I'm In
02 - Love Played A Game
03 - Fanny Mae
04 - Bourgeois Blues
05 - The Long Black Veil
06 - I Wanna Know
07 - Shakedown Street (with Donald Fagen)
08 - Up On Cripple Creek (With Sam Bush)
09 - Deep Elem Blues
10 - White Dove (with Alison Krauss)
11 - It's Goodbye And So Long To You
12 - Ophelia
13 - Sweet Virginia (with Steve Earle & Allison Moorer)/ Birthday cake presentation
14 - Same Thing (with Warren Haynes)
15 - Blind Willie McTell (with Warren Haynes)
16 - Across The Great Divide (with Ray Lamontagne)
17 - Tears Of Rage (with Ray Lamontagne)
18 - Tennessee Jed
19 - All On A Mardi Gras Day
20 - Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes (with Jackie Greene)
21 - The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show (with Jackie Greene)
22 - The Unfaithful Servant (with Patterson Hood)
23 - I'll Take You There
24 - King Harvest (with Donald Fagen)
25 - Chest Fever
26 - Stage Banter
27 - The Weight

Levon Helm Band:
Levon Helm - drums, vocals
Amy Helm - vocals
Teresa Wright - vocals
Larry Campbell - guitar, vocals
Jim Weider - guitar
Byron Isaacs - bass
Brian Mitchell - keyboards

With featured guest artists: Donald Fagen, Sam Bush, Alison Krauss, Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, Warren Haynes, Ray LaMontagne, David Greene, Patterson Hood, and David Hood 

New Links! (Updated 07/05/20)
part1: Levon Helm Band & Friends - 2010-06-06 - Mountain Jam.part1
part2: Levon Helm Band & Friends - 2010-06-06 - Mountain Jam.part2
part3: Levon Helm Band & Friends - 2010-06-06 - Mountain Jam.part3

Aliotta-Haynes-Jeremiah & Bill Quateman - 1973 Made in Chicago TV (Alternate Source)

Aliotta - Haynes - Jeremiah
Bill Quateman
1973-04-11 (Original Broadcast date)
Made In Chicago TV Broadcast
(audio extracted from videotape source) - Alternate source from previous version available

As indicated earlier, here is an alternate audio source for the same Made in Chicago Live TV broadcast previously made available here, featuring these two great Chicago area artists of the 1970's. The date has been updated to the original broadcast date for the show, according to the archivists at fuzzymemories,tv, (I would've sworn it was from 1972, but they seem to know their stuff), who are responsible for finding the rare video footage from this classic show. Please see the previous AHJ and Bill Quateman post for fuller descriptions of these memorable Chicago artists and the songs they played in this live performance show.The tracks and files are organized in exactly the same way as the previous version

Although far from a high fidelity recording, these audio tracks extracted from a mono videotape recording of the off-air broadcast, are nonetheless much clearer and distinct from the rather low quality cassette recording I had previously, even though that was taken from the stereo FM simulcast of the original broadcast. So, it provides a much better and clearer presentation of these remarkable one-of-a-kind performances. And now, in addition to the audio, you can actually see these performances, thanks to this B&W video that was recently unearthed by the folks at fuzzymemories.tv. This is just great stuff, even if the sound and picture quality leaves something to be desired. It is just amazing that this tape survived and exists at all (almost none of the other Made in Chicago shows were preserved in any form). So, if you did not previously check out these great, but relatively unknown artists the first time I featured them, here you have another chance. And if you already are of fan of them, well it is an even bigger treat. Although the overall quality of this recording is better than the one I had, I am still keeping the original recordings available also, because that was true stereo, and from the FM feed, even though the tape and quality had deteriorated over time, it still is of interest also. So, anyway, here they are again, Chicago's own Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah, and Bill Quateman, with their original performances from Chicago TV in 1973, with performances and songs not heard anywhere else. A huge thanks to fuzzymemories.tv for finding this rare gem, and making it available to the masses. 

Audio files (from alternate source - videotape) New Links! (Updated 10/8/21)
Aliotta-Haynes-Jeremiah - AHJ_1973-TVaudio link here
Bill Quateman - Bill Quateman 1973-TVaudio link here


Also, Here are the links to the video clips of the show now available at www.fuzzymemories.tv, which together comprise the entire broadcast (2 segments for each act). This is the order of the show (AHJ, then BQ, then AHJ again). Although the show was broadcast in color, the videotape this was recorded on was B&W

AHJ, part1: http://www.fuzzymemories.tv/#videoclip-3980
BQ, part1: http://www.fuzzymemories.tv/#videoclip-3981
BQ, part2: http://www.fuzzymemories.tv/#videoclip-3982
AHJ, part2: http://www.fuzzymemories.tv/#videoclip-3983

He Shall Be Levon

And he shall be a good man, may he rest in peace

Sad news that Levon Helm, drummer/vocalist for the Band (and numerous solo projects), passed away yesterday, at the age of 71, after a long battle with cancer. Readers of this blog know that The Band was one of my favorites, and I have featured many excellent shows and compilations here. By all means, go and check those out, if you haven't already. But also, please, if you enjoy the Band's Music, be sure to also support them by purchasing their available commercial releases (As my friend at the Steam Engine website pointed out, Helm's family still have the burden of years of medical bills from his long battle with cancer, and any support from fans through purchase of his music is appreciated)

Although The Band was blessed with 3 strong vocalists in Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Levon Helm, as well as a masterful writer-producer in Robbie Robertson, to me, Levon was always the primary voice (as well as spirit) of the band. And as great as they all were together, Levon was always my favorite. His stand-out vocal renditions on classics like 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down', 'Up On Cripple Creek', and 'The Weight' provide much of the enduring appeal of those songs. He was the only American among Canadian musicians that were known for their 'American' sound and style, with alot of that 'Americana' coming directly from Helm. It was great to see him battle back from his previous struggles with throat cancer, to produce a string of Grammy-winning 'Americana' albums the last few years. Now, with the loss of Levon, as well as previous deaths of band members Richard Manuel and Rick Danko, only keyboardist Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson remain from the original group. But for now, let's celebrate the great music that the Levon and the Band made, that will live on forever.

The Kinks - 1969-10-23&25 - Boston Tea Party, Boston

The Kinks
October 23 & 25, 1969
Boston Tea Party
Boston, MA
Audience recording, Fair quality
mp3 @ VBR 220-320 kbps
Artwork included

Here's a set of vintage Kinks shows, again from their triumphant return to America in the fall of 1969 (after a 4-year imposed exile). This collection, containing the complete shows from 10/23 and 10/25 at the Boston Tea Party, while certainly not a high quality recording (although really not bad for the times), nonetheless provides the most complete setlist and performances from this unique and great period for the band. If you want high quality recording, stick with the Fillmore West show (available here), but for more complete shows and the full-range concert experience (albeit in lesser quality), this is also an important recording for Kinks fans.
 
Tracklist
October 23, 1969
01. Last Of The Steam Powered Trains
02. Mindless Child Of Motherhood
03. Waterloo Sunset 
04. Intros/tuning
05. Mr.Churchill Says
06. Victoria
07. You Really Got Me >
08. All Day And All Of The Night
09-11. Medley: A Well Respected Man / Death Of A Clown / Dandy
12-14. Medley: Milk Cow Blues / See My Friend / Rip It Up
15. Brainwashed
16. Sunny Afternoon
17. Till The End Of The Day

October 25, 1st set
18. Till the End of the Day/Lincoln County
19. You're Looking Fine
20. Waterloo Sunset
21. You Really Got Me
22. All Day and All of the Night
23. Mr. Churchill Says
24. Intros
25. Fancy
26. Last of the Steam-Powered Trains

October 25, 2nd set
27. Louie Louie
28. Mindless Chuild of Motherhood
29. Victoria
30. Mr. Churchill Says
31-33. Medley; Well-Respected Man / Death of a Clown / Dandy
34. Love Me Till The Sun Shines
35. Sunny Afternoon
36. Don't You Fret
37-40. Medley: Milk Cow Blues / Rip it Up / See My Friend / Brainwashed
41. Village Green Preservation Society

New Link! (Updated 12/17/13)
Kinks_1969_Boston_Tea_Party_mp3.rar

Four Years On

Another B-day for 'BB' 

Well, here we are once again. This week marks 4 full years since I started this little blog endeavor. And, although this past year has been filled with much turmoil and immense challenges for myself and anyone running this kind of music blog (we are still trying to somewhat recover from the devastation of the megaupload disaster and its ramifications), me and the blog are still here, and hopefully going strong, whereas many others have disappeared recently. More importantly, in many other ways this past year has been the most rewarding and quite possibly, the best year yet for the blog. More than ever before, you the blog readers and supporters have been responding and providing new music, insight, and fresh content for me and this blog, and has enabled me to feature some great new things (like previously unavailable recordings and info) that are not available anywhere else, and that may not have surfaced for others to enjoy if iw wasn't for this small outpost for music lovers. And for that, I heartily thank you the followers of this blog, and especially those that have given (or offered to give) back to me or the blog through their own unique music collections and recordings. Of course you are already aware of the unique and incredible offerings that have been made possible by our taper friend David M, but there are many others (like David Bailey, Rob Bishop, Joe Coughlan, Stephan Soppa, Geoff (oxonbhoy), and Barry Bartlett to name just a few more) that have also taken the time and effort to share what they have and contribute, which has been a great boon to the blog. And their (as well as other) contributions will continue. So again, thanks so much. Once again, I also feel obliged to thank and celebrate all the others out there who have made so much of this great music, which is not available for purchase anywhere, freely available to all who wish to download and enjoy it. I am only able to offer these downloads because others before me have made them available. So, to all the other bloggers, forum posters, and music fans that have collected these recordings and made them available over the internet, as well as to all the great artists and musicians out there that allow these recordings to be freely exchanged, I offer a huge and heartfelt Thank You.

As for the future of the blog, well I will continue as best I can on the limited basis that I have (and I have some great stuff coming soon). I very much enjoy doing it (and receive much in back in return), but just have a very limited time to devote to it. So, please be patient, as it may take me some time to get around to posting things, etc. But I will always strive to provide new and interesting content that is generally not available from the other usual music blogs. But, be forewarned that with the tenuous nature of the current filesharing situation, we could easily be shutdown or rendered linkless at any time (If Mediafire is taken down - and they are being targeted by MPAA - that would probably end the downloading here, as I don't think I am up to re-re-posting everything yet again). Note: For those that are missing the Lossless file links, sorry, but it has been difficult getting those back online with the current state of filesharing (Although I have put some on Depositfiles, I'm not really that happy with their service [speed and availability], and am reluctant to load much on there).

Anyway, no big deal (well, actually, 4 years is a pretty big deal), just wanted to acknowledge our big fourth anniversary here 'BB Chronicles'.  

Fabulous Poodles - 1979-03-28 - Denver, CO

Fabulous Poodles
1979-03-28
Rainbow Music Hall, Denver, CO
FM Broadcast recording (Rob Bishop), very good quality
from his master cassette
mp3 @ 320 kbps
Custom artwork

And now, for all you Fabulous Poodles fans out there, here's another rare treat. This is an exclusive concert recording, only available here, and comes to us thanks to a friend of the blog that sent this in to me. My new friend Rob Bishop was at this concert back in 1979, then rushed home to catch (and record) the delayed broadcast of the show on the radio. The resultant tape, as heard here, although missing the first couple songs (he must not have made it home in time to catch the beginning) of the show (for this tour they usually started with 'Suicide Bridge', then 'Chicago Boxcar'), provides us with another glimpse of the Fabulous Poodles Live. Once again, they are full of shenanigans and hi-jinks between songs, but put down some great Rock 'n Roll, prominently featuring Bobby Valentino on various instruments. Some new additions to this set include a sly re-working of 'Twist Again' as 'The Wrist', and more of their playfulness in their request segment where they ask the audience what was the first record they ever bought, and then attempt to play it. This time, it results in a hilarious country version of The Sex Pistols 'Anarchy in the UK' and a quick turn at Hendrix with 'Purple Haze'. The rest of the set features their usual mix of great songs from their first 2 albums. The recording, although suffering from limited dynamic frequency range (not much at the very low or high end, probably due to the equipment used at the time), is otherwise very good, with a nice clear sound and mix from the FM broadcast. Overall, a fantastic find and wonderful addition to the so few available recordings of this fine band. BTW, I know that Fabulous Poodles recordings are very scarce, because after the last one I posted (2/13/79 My Father's Place here), I was contacted by the former Road Manager for the Fab Poodles themselves (Barry Bartlett), and he was delighted to get that recording (he didn't have any). He also then contacted former Poodles band members Tony DeMeur and Bobby Valentino, who also did not have this recording (and they also were very happy to get it). If the band themselves don't even have live recordings from their days as the Fabulous Poodles, these recordings must be pretty rare. Anyway, enjoy this. Thanks again to Rob Bishop for recording this and making it available here. And Barry, Tony, and Bobby, if you're still out there, this one's for you - Thanks for all the entertainment you provided back in those days as the Fabulous Poodles! Truly classic stuff.

Tracklist:
01. B Movies
02. Rum Baba Boogie
03. The Wrist
04. Work Shy
05. Tit Photographer Blues
06. Pinball Pinup
07. Mirror Star
08. Anarchy in the West
09. Purple Haze
10. Mr. Mike
11. Bike Blood
12. (encore) Toy Town People

New Link! (Updated 06/07/21)
Fabulous_Poodles_1979-03-28_Denver.rar