Rockpile - 1979-08-20 - Palladium, NYC, NY

Rockpile
1979-08-20
The Palladium
New York City, NY
FM Broadcast recording (WLIR-FM), very good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps
Artwork Included

Here's one more excellent radio broadcast show from the mighty Rockpile. This one from their 1979 US tour, and another WLIR radio show from New York in very good quality, and this one features (finally) a live Rockpile version of Lowe's 'Cruel To Be Kind', as well as a couple other songs ('Born Fighter', cover of  'Jailhouse Rock', etc.) not included in previous shows here. We are very lucky to have so many high quality live shows available from this excellent live band. In addition to those featured here, there are are a few others, including a 1980 NY (The Ritz) performance in a bootleg known as 'Provoked Beyond Endurance'. Also available are 2 very good official live releases (Live at Montreux 1980 and Live at Rockpalast 1980). So, once again, enjoy one more dose of Rockpile. Following this we will go back to featuring some of the other, somewhat lesser-known bands of the Pub Rock movement. 

Tracklist:
01. DJ Intro
02. Down, Down, Down
03. And So It Goes
04. I Knew The Bride
05. Switchboard Susan
06. Crawlin From The Wreckage
07. Trouble Boys
08. Girls Talk
09. Band Intros
10. Crackin Up
11. Born Fighter
12. Let It Rock
13. Cruel To Be Kind
14. I Hear You Knocking
15. Elvis Rap
16. Jailhouse Rock
17. Sweet Little Lisa
18. Love So Fine
19. Love So Fine (cont.)
20. They Call It Rock
21. Ju Ju Man
22. Encore Break
23. Promised Land
24. Lets Talk About Us
25. DJ Outro (0:17)

New Link! Updated 03-06-22
Rockpile_1979-08-20_Palladium.rar

Rockpile - 1978-11-04 - Roslyn, NY

Rockpile
1978-11-04 (Early Show)
My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY 
FM Broadcast recording (WLIR-FM), very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Ok, we're really piling on the Rock now! Here's another fine Radio broadcast show from Rockpile, this one from their 1978 US tour and a stop at My Father's Place in NY. The setlist is similar to others from this period (previously I presented the Bottom Line show from this tour here), so there is nothing new regarding the song selection, but it is another great rollicking show from Nick, Dave, Billy, and Terry, as they show us what rock is all about. 

Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Down Down Down
3. And So It Goes
4. I Knew The Bride
5. Deborah
6. Trouble Boys
7. Breaking Glass
8. Never Get Me Up in One of Those
9. Let It Rock
10. So Fine
11. I Hear You Knockin'
12. They Called It Rock
13. Ju Ju Man
14. Heart of the City
15. Crowd noise
16. Let's Talk About Us


mp3:  Rockpile_1978-11-04_RoslynNY_mp3.rar

FLAC: Rockpile_1978-11-04_RoslynNY_FLAC.rar

Rockpile - BBC Sessions (1977 & 1979)

Rockpile
BBC Sessions - 1977 and 1979
February 14 & April 7, 1977; June 16, 1979; BBC In Concert
FM Broadcast Recordings, excellent quality
Available in both lossless (FLAC), where available, and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's more live Rockpile! And this time, in excellent quality from BBC radio broadcast recordings, and also available in lossless versions (at least for some). Just great stuff! The only down-side here is that because these are from multiple different sessions, there is some duplication of songs ('I Knew the Bride' 3 times, etc.). Also, I did not have a lossless source for the 1979 session, so that is available as mp3 only, but for the FLAC version I included some tracks from a 1979 San Francisco show (which were included in the lossless show package I received). These are of lesser quality than the BBC material, but still good quality. One other note, I put these together from multiple different partial sources, so there may be some differences or inconsistencies among tracks (volume levels, etc.), but all are high quality recordings that sound great, and together represent the most complete versions of these sessions that are available. So, rock on some more with Rockpile at their best.


Tracklist:
BBC Session February 14, 1977
1. Introduction
2. Heart of The City
3. Ju Ju Man
4. Down Down Down
5. I Knew The Bride
BBC In Concert April 7, 1977 (broadcast April 23, 1977)
6. Introduction
7. Down Down Down
8. Back To Schooldays
9. I Knew The Bride
10. Band Introductions
11. Mess of The Blues
12. I Hear you Knockin
13. They Called It Rock
14. Here Comes the Weekend - So Fine

BBC In Concert June 16, 1979 (mp3 only)
1. Intro
2. Sweet Little Lisa
3. So it Goes
4. I Knew The Bride
5. Girls talk
6. Cracking Up
7. Let It Rock
8. Love So Fine
9. Switchboard Susan
10. Ju Ju Man

1979 San Francisco (Audience recording, good quality) FLAC only;
15. Introduction
16. So It Goes
17. Fool Too Long
18. Breaking Glass
19. They Call It Rock
20. Heart of the City

mp3: Rockpile_BBC sessions_mp3.rar

FLAC: Rockpile_BBC77&SF79_FLAC.rar

Six Years of 'Chron'

Six Years on the Blog...


While we have been boppin' and rockin' to Rockpile over the past week, this blog, the BB Chronicles, has reached another milestone. It has now been 6 whole years since I started this little musical venture. That's right, we just reached our 6th Anniversary. Now, that may not be much in terms of music  history (most of the music posted here is way older than that), but for this type of music blog, that's quite a long time. So many other very fine sites have come and gone in that time, but this little outpost is still here, with most all of the music I've ever posted still available. Anyway, just wanted to acknowledge that before moving on. We have faced several challenges over the past few years, including having all of my links and uploaded files deleted three separate times (due to closure of filesharing sites, crackdown on potentialcopyright infringement, etc.), but the blog has persevered and right now virtually all of the posts are available once again (however tenuous that may be). Currently, Zippyshare seems to be working very well, has many advantages (fast, multiple downloads, etc.), but also some disadvantages (200MB size limit, only 30-day storage). I thought that the 30-day limit (any file not downloaded over a period of 30 days would be deleted) would be a major headache, especially for some of the older posts, but actually, I have been quite pleased and surprised that most of the files (even the older ones) still get downloaded pretty regularly. There have only been a handful that have had to be re-upped due to non-use. So, it has been very nice to see that these posts still see fairly regular activity even long after they were originally posted. Of course, this has been and will to continue to be a small, personal undertaking, where I try to provide insight, information, commentary, and links to unreleased music content for artists that I feel deserve to be heard and appreciated by more people. In that sense, I do believe that we have something at least a little bit special here, and hopefully, people like what they find here and will keep checking back. so, thanks to all those that do stop by and check things out, and to all those who comment, interact, and provide feedback and more to me. 

And once again, as I have each year at this time, I also want to take this time 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, tapers, 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, at least for the time being, it will continue pretty much as it has been, that is, on the same limited basis (one or two posts a week, tops). I very much enjoy doing it, but just have a very limited time I can 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. Frankly, though, I don't really know how long this will be able to continue, but I'll keep it going while I can. I will make my same usual complaint, however, and that is that I do wish I could get more comments, feedback, and discussion from you, the readers of this blog. Please, let me know what you think of what is here, provide your own insight and perspective, and some real discussion of some of this great music. i would love to hear and see more from you, if possible.

Coming right up will be even more from Rockpile (as they have been very well-received), as well as some more of the 'pub rock' bands, as I continue with that feature, and hopefully much more interesting stuff over the next several months.  

...and I'll be posting more tonight!

Rockpile - 1980-02-06 - Liverpool University

Rockpile
1980-02-06
Mountford Hall, University of Liverpool,
Liverpool, UKAudience recording, good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

Here's more from Rockpile, this one several months later, back in the UK in early 1980. The setlist is similar to the previous 1979 shows, but does have a few different songs thrown in, and of course features another rollicking performance. This  show was also particularly notable for the opening act, a band billed as 'The Horace Barlow Experience". Actually, it was Elvis Costello  & The Attractions performing incognito in an unbilled, unannounced appearance. This was the first of only two shows (the other being the following night in Bedford) where this occurred. Of course, earlier in their career, Rockpile opened for Elvis for many shows on his 1978 US tour, so Elvis was returning the favor here.
 
Tracklist
01. Sweet Little Lisa
02. So It Goes
03. I Knew the Bride (When She Used To Rock & Roll)
04. Switchboard Susan
05. Three Time Loser
06. Trouble Boys
07. Girls Talk
08. Crawling From The Wreckage
09. Singing The Blues
10. Cracking Up
11. The Promised Land
12. I Hear You Knocking
13. They Called It Rock
14. Ju Ju Man
15. Down Down Down
16. Let's Talk About Us

Rockpile_1980-02-06_Liverpool.rar

Rockpile - 1979-07-06 - Boston

Rockpile
1979-07-06
Paradise Ballroom, Boston, MA
FM Broadcast recording (WBCN-FM), very good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

And so now it all comes back to Rockpile, certainly one of the greatest of the pub rock bands, and just a great band all around. I've chronicled the Rockpile story previously, so won't go into it again, but the combination of Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds together, their superior songwriting melding with their driving rock spirit and firm grasp of music history and style, and with the able backing of Billy Bremner and Terry Williams, they were just awesome. So, here we have a radio broadcast concert from Boston in 1979. This is several months later than the last Rockpile show I featured (10-24-1978 - NY), and comes at a great period for the band, as it is right on the heels of the release of both Dave Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary and Nick Lowe's Labour of Lust albums (both of which are among their all-time best albums, and both are really Rockpile albums), so this show adds in several new songs from those albums, that were not heard at earlier Rockpile shows (Interestingly, though, 'Cruel to Be Kind' (which would be Nick's biggest hit) had not yet become a hit, and was not played here). So, here, once again, is the legendary Rockpile in their prime, and as a bonus, this show also has Martin Belmont (from The Rumour) as a guest guitarist on 'They Called it Rock'. Enjoy.
 
Tracklist
01. Sweet Little Lisa
02. So It Goes
03. I Knew the Bride (When She Used To Rock & Roll)
04. Switchboard Susan
05. Crawling From The Wreckage
06. Deborah
07. Trouble Boys
08. Cracking Up
09. Born Fighter
10. The Promised Land
11. I Hear You Knocking
12. Queen of Hearts
13. Here Comes The Weekend
14. So Fine
15. They Called It Rock
16. Ju Ju Man
17. Let It Rock - Bye Bye Johnny
18. Let's Talk About Us

Rockpile is:
Dave Edmunds, vocals, guitar
Nick Lowe, vocals, bass guitar
Billy Bremner, vocals, guitar
Terry Williams, drums

Guest: Martin Belmont (The Rumour) plays guitar on track 15, 'They Called It Rock'.

Rockpile_1979-07-06_Boston.rar

Graham Parker & The Rumour - 1979-06-06 - Hempstead NY

Graham Parker and The Rumour
June 6, 1979
Calderone Concert Hall
Hempstead, NY
FM Broadcast (WLIR) recording, good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

Pub Rock, continued

So, as indicated previously, from the remains of Brinsley Schwarz and Ducks Deluxe, Brinsley Schwarz, Bob Andrews, and Martin Belmont teamed up with Andrew Bodnar (bass) and Stephen Goulding (drums) to form The Rumour in 1976, best known as Graham Parker's dynamic, precise, hard-driving back-up band through his early (and most consider his best) years (1976-1980), and one of the great rock bands of all-time. But The Rumour also recorded and performed on their own as well, releasing three albums (Max, which was named in response to Fleetwood Mac calling their latest album Rumours-1977, Frogs Sprouts Clogs and Krauts-1978, and Purity of Essence-1980). But The Rumour split-up, with both Graham and each other in 1981, to go their separate ways. Most of the guys continued on as session musicians playing with various other acts, with Schwarz, Bodnar, and Goulding continuing to work quite a bit with Graham Parker on his solo albums and tours, as well as with Elvis Costello and others. Martin Belmont went to work mostly with Carlene Carter and Nick Lowe, being a part of Nick Lowe and his Cowboy Outfit (with Paul Carrack) for several years, and various other groups as well. Of course, in recent years The Rumour reunited and re-joined with Parker, even recording an entirely new album (Three Chords Good, 2012) and appearing in the Judd Apatow film This is 40 (2012). Fortunately, there are many fine live recordings featuring Graham Parker & The Rumour (some already featured here previously) in their prime. Here is a recording that is less widely available than others, an FM Broadcast recording from Hempstead NY in 1979, featuring a full show, a good mix of songs, and a fine performance. Here, once again, the great Graham Parker & The Rumour.
 

Tracklist:
01 Discovering Japan
02 Local Girls
03 Protection
04 Don't Get Excited
05 Back To Schooldays
06 Passion Is No Ordinary Word
07 Howling Wind
08 Heat Treatment
09 Stick To Me
10 Mercury Poisoning
11 You Can't Be Too Strong
12 Love Gets You Twisted
13 I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down
14 Don't Ask Me Questions
15 Saturday Nite Is Dead
16 Nobody Hurts You
17 Soul Shoes
18 encore applause
19 I Want You Back (Alive)
20 New York Shuffle

Original cassette recording from FM broadcast and digital transfer made by Mikedks.
I obtained this show from the Music Ruined My Life blog (which also contains many other fine Graham Parker and related shows).
 

Link updated 11/8/21
Graham Parker & The Rumour - 1979-06-06 - hempsteadNY.rar

The Motors

'Pub Rock' Bands Continued

The Motors (1977-1982)

To continue this brief look at British 'Pub Rock' bands of the '70's, I had hoped to include something from The Motors, the band formed by Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster after they left Ducks Deluxe. The Motors debuted in early 1977 with Garvey, McMaster, guitarist Rob Hendry, and drummer Ricky Slaughter, but Hendry was soon replaced by Bram Tchaikovsky later in 1977. The Motors made 2 well-received albums with this lineup, 1 (1977) and Approved by The Motors (1978), and had some chart success in the UK with the singles 'Dancing the Night Away', 'Airport', 'Forget About You', before Bram Tchaikovsky left to go solo later in 1978, with Slaughter also leaving soon after. Bassist Martin Ace and drummer Terry Williams (both formerly of Man, and Williams also from Rockpile) were brought in as replacements and The Motors continued, releasing The Tenement Steps in 1980. But the group disbanded for good by 1982. Bram Tchaikovsky released three successful solo albums between 1978 and 1981 (Strange Man Changed Man, Pressure, and Funland), before quitting music performance to run a recording studio. Garvey released a solo album, Blue Skies in 1982, and then did session work for many years. McMaster and Slaughter also continued on performing with various bands over the years. Martin Ace  went back to the re-formed Man, and Terry Williams went on to Dire Straits, as well as various projects with Edmunds and/or Lowe over the years, and eventually also re-joined Man in the late '90's.

I said I hoped to post some Motors live tracks. Unfortunately, however, I have not been able to find any unofficial live recordings from The Motors at all, which is surprising for a 'pub rock' band, known for their live shows. They did have several BBC live sessions, but it appears that these have also been officially released. So, sorry, but I do not have any of The Motors music that I can share here. If anyone knows of any unofficial recordings that could be posted, let me know. Anyway, even though I have nothing available for download here, I still wanted to include something about the band in this little glimpse of the pub rock scene in England. Their albums are still very fondly remembered.

Ok, so to move on, this seems like a good time and opportunity to feature more from Graham Parker & The Rumour, so that is coming next.