The Dixie Dregs - 1982-06-11 - Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA

The Dixie Dregs

1982-06-11  
Berklee Performance Center,
Boston, Mass. U.S.A.

Soundboard recording, excellent quality

Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's more from jazzy progressive rockers The Dixie Dregs, from a few years later than the previous post (from 1979). In 1980, the band released their first album with Arista Records (and fifth overall), Dregs of the Earth. For their next album, Unsung Heroes (1981), Violinist extraordinaire Mark O'Connor joined the band (replacing Allen Sloan), and they shortened their name to just The Dregs, in an attempt to increase their national and commercial appeal (by removing the obvious Southern reference), but with little effect. Their next album, Industry Standard (1982) included vocals on some songs for the first time, featuring guest vocalists such as Patrick Simmons (Doobie Brothers) and Alex Ligertwood (Santana). Although their albums were critically acclaimed and much loved among fans, and they toured extensively in 1981 and 1982, efforts to increase their popularity were not successful, and frustrated by their lack of building a bigger fanbase, the band members went their separate ways following their 1982 tour. Reunions occurred in the late 80's and mid-90's, releasing a new album in 1994 (Full Circle). In subsequent, The Dregs have remained a loose assemblage of former members, occasionally reunited for specific events or short tours, right up to the present day. But here we have The Dregs in a great soundboard recording from their 1982 Tour, with a longer show featuring mostly new and different songs than in the previously posted show. Great stuff.    

Tracklist:
1: assembly line > take it off the top  5:55
2: divided we stand  5:21
3: where's Dixie  4:33
4: chips ahoy  4:45
5: rock and roll park (O'Connor on guitar)  5:03
6: bloodsucking leeches (O'Connor on guitar)  4:17
7: limerock  2:25
8: odyssey  7:37
9: kat food  5:12
10: vitamin Q  6:16
11: the bash  8:28
12: cruise control  13:42
13: punk sandwich  3:43
14: Twiggs approved  4:46
runtime: 82:09

The Dregs
Steve Morse: guitar
Mark O'Connor: violin (guitar on tracks 5 and 6)
T. Lavitz: keyboards & sax
Andy West: bass
Rod Morgenstein: drums

mp3 - Dixie Dregs_1982-06-11_Boston_mp3.rar

FLAC - Dixie Dregs_1982-06-11_Boston_FLAC.rar

Note: Although the image shown indicates 6/2 as the date, the correct date is 6/11. Image is from an earlier version recording of this show which had the wrong concert date. 

The Dixie Dregs - 1979-05-07 - Oakland Park Theatre, Oakland Park, FL

The Dixie Dregs

1979-05-07 

Oakland West Theater, Oakland Park, Florida, USA 

Soundboard recording, excellent quality

Mp3 @ 320 kbps

While I'm featuring jazz fusion-esque prog rockers from the 70's, I can't leave out The Dixie Dregs, and their exciting and unique blend of country, southern rock, classical, jazz, contemporary pop, and 'electronic nonsense' in a compelling and dizzying package. The basis of what came to be The Dixie Dregs were originally formed by guitarist Steve Morse and bassist Andy West back in 1970, and went through various names, forms, and lineups in their early days as Morse and West were music students at University of Miami. Their first recording (The Great Spectacular, 1975) was a limited independent LP release recorded at U of M. Their first major label release, Free Fall, came in 1977 after signing with Capricorn records (and a recommendation by Chuck Leavell of the Allman Brothers Band). The critical success of that album led to What If  (1978) and their first major tour, with a lineup of Morse, West, Allen Sloan (violin), Mark Parrish (keyboards), and Rod Morgenstein (drums). Their next album, Night of the Living Dregs (1979) earned them their first Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance and garnered them a much wider following. Keyboardist T Lavitz joined the band around this time, as Mark Parrish left. However, in late 1979, Capricorn Records folded, and the band signed with Arista for their next several albums. The show presented here is a fine soundboard recording from the Night of the Living Dregs tour in 1979 and features the band in prime form, shortly after T Lavitz joined the band.

   
Tracklist:
01. Freefall
02. Gina Lola Breakdown
03. Punk Sandwich
04. Night Meets Light
05. Refried Funky Chicken
06. Patchwork
07. Night Of The Living Dregs
08. The Bash
09. Odyssey
10. Drum Solo / Cruise Control
11. Disco Dregs
12. Kathreen
13. Dixie

Steve Morse - guitar
Andy West - bass guitar
Allen Sloan - violin
Rod Morgenstein - drums
T Lavitz - keyboards

Dixie Dregs_1979-05-07_OaklandPkFL_mp3.rar

Weather Report - 1977-11-30 - Majestic Theater, Grand Rapids, MI

Weather Report

1977-11-30
Majestic Theater, Grand Rapids MI
Soundboard recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

While I'm featuring jazz fusion-prog rock from the Seventies, we can't forget one of the pre-eminent jazz-rock bands of that time, Weather Report. Weather Report was formed in 1970 by jazz keyboardist Joe Zawinul, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and Czech bassist Miroslav Vitous. Although the band had a revolving door of drummers and percussionists over the years (Most notably Alphonse Mouzon, Chester Thompson, Alex Acuna, Peter Erskine) and multiple bassists (Alphonso Johnson, Jaco Pastorius, Victor Bailey), Zawinul and Shorter were central to every Weather Report lineup.  Both Shorter and Zawinul had worked with Miles Davis (most prominently on In a Silent Way, 1969) prior to forming Weather Report, and the early sound of the band leaned more towards an avant-garde jazz style building on the what Davis was doing. By 1973, the band was moving more towards a jazz-funk groove-oriented style, and Zawinul was a pioneer in the use of synthesizers in jazz. With both Shorter and Zawinul being first-rate composers (along with the later addition of Jaco Pastorius), Weather Report featured more structured and melodic songs than most jazz-oriented bands. By 1976, Weather Report moved further toward a jazz-rock-oriented approach, Bassist Jaco Pastorius joined the band, and their albums Black Market (1976) and Heavy Weather (1977) were their most popular and successful yet, culminating in an actual 'hit' in 'Birdland'. Here is a show from Weather Report around that time, a very nice soundboard recording of a show from Grand Rapids, MI in 1977. Although the recording is a bit short (may have been edited down to under an hour for radio broadcast), it features several songs from both Heavy Weather and Black Market. And since this recording did not include their most popular song, 'Birdland', I have added a version from another show (1978 audience recording - Providence) to round out the set.

Tracklist:

1.  Elegant People

2.  Scarlet Woman

3.  Teen Town

4.  A Remark You Made

5.  Interlude

6.  Black Market

7.  Its About That Time

8.  Night and Day 

Bonus Track: 

 (1978-11-12 - Providence, RI, Aud)

9. Birdland

Joe Zawinul - Keyboards
Wayne Shorter - Saxophones
Jaco Pastorius - Bass
Alex Acuna - Drums
Manolo Badrena - Percussion  
(Bonus track only, Peter Erskine - Drums)

FLAC - Weather Report_1977-11-30_Grand RapidsMI_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Weather Report_1977-11-30_Grand RapidsMI_mp3.rar