The Guess Who - 1983-05-27 - Reunion Rehearsal - Vancouver, BC

The Guess Who
1983-05-27
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Reunion rehearsal for their celebrated "Together Again" tour in 1983.
Soundboard recording, very good quality
mp3 @ 320 Kbps

More Guess Who! As most know, The Guess Who disbanded in late 1975, when lead singer/songwriter Burton Cummings folded the group to pursue his solo career. However, various forms of The Guess Who have continued on over the years. In 1977, the CBC tried to get the classic lineup of the group to re-unite for series of concerts, but neither Randy Bachman nor Burton Cummings were interested, as they had their own successful careers. However, original members Jim Kale (bass) and Garry Petersen (drums), along with former guitarists Kurt Winter and Don McDougall, were very interested, and with the blessing of Bachman and Cummings used the Guess Who name for their reunion. At this time Kale found that the name "The Guess Who" had never been officially registered, which he then did, and has had legal control of the band name ever since. This Kale-led version of the band put out new albums from 1978-1981 (Guess Who's Back, All This For a Song, and Now and Not Then), but were generally dismissed by critics and fans alike. But then in 1983, the original 'classic' lineup (Bachman, Cumminga, Kale, Petersen) did briefly re-unite for a limited series of concerts in Canada, which resulted in the release of a live album (Together Again) and video. This was the first time Bachman and Cummings had been together in the band since Bachman left in 1970. For these reunion concerts, the band sounded great and apparently had a great time, as several commented that they had never been better musically. That reunion was short-lived, however, as Bachman and Cummings went right back to their solo careers after the brief tour, and Jim Kale went back to fronting various different 'pseudo' versions of The Guess Who over the next several years. In 1997, Bachman and Cummings reunited with the band for a special one-time performance for a flood disaster relief benefit in their hometown of Winnipeg. Then, in 1999, the original quartet once again reunited, at the personal request from the Premier of Manitoba, at the closing ceremionies of the Pan American Games in Winnipeg. Following this the original band lineup remained together (with the addition of Don McDougall once again) for a full-scale tour through Canada in 2000 (resulting in another live album and video - Running Back through Canada), and continued to play live dates through 2003, including playing to the largest ticketed audience in Canadian history, an estimated 450,000, at the Toronto SARS benefit concert. By 2004, Cummings and Bachman had left again, but Kale and Petersen continued on with their version of the band, with various singers and lineups, right up to the present day. Over the last several years, Bachman and Cummings have joined together in their own band (Bachman-Cummings Band), which is basically their version of The Guess Who, but without the name (which Kale owns). By most accounts, the 1983 reunion was by far the most successful, productive, and musically close to the 'old' Guess Who of all the various reunion attempts. So, what we have here is a rehearsal session in preparation for the 1983 concerts, held in Vancouver a few days before their first show. The recording is very good quality, and the song versions presented are generally complete and pretty good, too, as they run through their concert preparations. There are some lags, gaps, discussion, and banter between songs (including a breakdown of what they will do in their next (last?) rehearsal at the end), but generally they just go right through the songs with no stops or problems. So, here is a unique look at the band in rehearsal for their big reunion show.
 
Tracklist
01. Shakin' All Over (incomplete)
02. Bus Rider
03. Albert Flasher
04. Undun
05. Laughing
06. Clap For The Wolfman
07. Hand Me Down World
08. Whats Going To Happen To The Kids?
09. No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature
10. Takin' Care Of Business
11. MyOwn Way To Rock
12. These Eyes
13. No Time
14. American Woman
15. Flying On The Ground Is Wrong
16. You Ain't Seen Nothin'Yet
17. Let It Ride (false start)
18. Orly
19. Heartbroken Bopper
20. FollowYour Daughter Home
21. Rain Dance
22. Runnin' Back To Sakatoon
23. talk-rehearsal planning

Burton Cummings - vocals, keyboards
Randy Bachman - vocals, guitar
Jim Kale - bass
Garry Peterson - drums

Guess Who - 1983-05-27 - Reunion Rehearsal - Vancouver