Brinsley Schwarz - January 1974 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Brinsley Schwarz
with the Bakersfield Brass
January 1974 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Audience recording, good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

Since the previous Brinsley Schwarz post has been so popular, here's some more live Brinsley. This one comes from a show in Amsterdam in 1974, and is a much longer and more complete show, as well as much less commonly available, than the widely available Cardiff, Wales show, also from 1974. More great stuff from Brinsley Schwarz.


Tracklist
01.  You Been Cheating
02.  Small Town
03.  I'll Be Doggone
04.  Love Is Gone
05.  Been So Long
06.  Ran Out Of Tears
07.  Happy Doing What We're Doing
08.  I'll Be Ahead
09.  Don't Lie To Me
10.  Surrender To The Rhythm
11.  Country Girl
12.  Range War
13.  Gonna Be A Breakdown
14.  Save The Last Dance For Me
15.  Down In The Dive
16.  Down In Mexico
17.  Ju Ju Man
18.  Wonder Woman
19.  Home In My Hand
20.  Run Run Rudolph
21.  Brown Sugar

Link updated 12/05/23
Brinsley Schwarz_1974_Amsterdam.rar

 

Brinsley Schwarz - Unknown Numbers (BBC Session Recordings) 1971-1973

Brinsley Schwarz 
1971-1973, 'Unknown Numbers' (Miscellaneous BBC Session Recordings)
FM Broadcast recordings, very good quality
Mp3 @ 320 kbps

It's certainly about time I feature something from the legendary British 'pub rock' band Brinsley Schwarz (1969-1975), who despite being a great band on their own, became known primarily for what its members went on to do afterwards. Brinsley Schwarz the band consisted of guitarist Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe, keyboardist Bob Andrews, and drummer Billy Rankin, initially, and grew out of an earlier incarnation called Kippington Lodge. In 1971 (after their 2nd album), singer-songwriter Ian Gomm was added, and the roster was complete. Brinsley Schwarz released 6 fine albums between 1970 and 1974, and established a reputation as a great live band before splitting to go their separate ways in 1975. Their last album (New Favorites of...) was produced by Dave Edmunds, and they played as Edmunds back-up band on tour at that time and were featured on the live tracks from Dave's solo album, Subtle as a Flying Mallet. Of course, Nick Lowe then went on to team up with Edmunds in the great band Rockpile, as well as establish, record and produce for Stiff records (and many others, producing artists such as The Damned, Elvis Costello, Wreckless Eric, Graham Parker, and The Pretenders), as well as a full solo career of his own, on his way to becoming an icon of britiish pub rock, power pop, punk rock, and new wave, and in recent years, even gentleman crooner. Drummer Billy Rankin and guitarist Brinsley Schwarz joined up with guitarist Martin Belmont briefly in Ducks Deluxe before Schwarz and Belmont, along with keyboardist Bob Andrews then teamed up with Graham Parker to become The Rumour, and one of the best back-up bands in rock history (both with and without Graham). Ian Gomm also went on to a successful solo career. All these artists achieved some great things, but Brinsley Schwarz the band is generally only thought about as being a stepping stone to those other things. Yet, they were a great band, and their music deserves to be heard. In some ways, they are kind of the british equivalent to Buffalo Springfield, not so much in their musical style, but in the fact that although they were a great band, they are seen primarily as a pre-cursor to so much other great music (Buffalo Springfield, and members Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, and Jim Messina, of course, lead to CSN&Y, Poco, Loggins& Messina, Manassas, SHF Band, etc. as well as all their stellar solo work). But anyway, Brinsley Schwarz was pretty great, too, and their excellent musical chops, precision playing and singing, and brilliant songwriting, all stand out on these selections of tracks from various BBC live sessions. Knowing their subsequent musical directions, we expect the tight rock 'n roll sound and the soul influences they show, but what you may not expect, is the strong American country-rock influence shown here. In fact, their overall sound is more strongly influenced by The Byrds, Gram Parsons, and particularly The Band, than just about anyone else (especially in their early years). Great stuff here, yet most of it not known at all in the US. By the way, the performances/recordings included here are supposed to be different from any of the officially released BBC material (on 2 LPs, including Cruel To be Kind-2004, which is excellent), but I have not specifically verified this. So, check out Brinsley Schwarz, not for what its members did later, but for the great music they made that was all their own. 

Tracklist
1. Country Girl (Lowe)
2. Dry Land/Unknown Number (Gomm)
3. Silver Pistol (Lowe)
4. Range War (Gomm)
5. Egypt (Lowe)
6. Nervous on the Road (But Can't Stay at Home) (Lowe)
7. Rockin' Chair (Gomm)
8. Unknown Number (Lowe)
9. It's Been So Long (Gomm)
10. Don't Lose Your Grip on Love (Lowe)
11. Surrender to the Rhythm (Lowe)
12. Home in My Hand (R.Self)
13. Ju Ju Man (Jim Ford/Lolly Vegas)
14. 30 Pounder (Instr.) (Lowe/Gomm/Andrews/Rankin/Schwarz)
15. Hooked on Love (Gomm)
16. It's Been So Long (Gomm)
17. Why Do We Hurt the One We Love? (Lowe)
18. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Lowe)

Tracks 1-7, BBC In Concert, June 18, 1971
Tracks 8-13 BBC In Concert, May 4, 1972
Tracks 14-18, BBC In Concert, Apil 14, 1973

These are different performances/recordings from those on the officially released BBC recordings albums

Brinsley Schwarz_Unknown Numbers-BBC_71-73.rar
Link updated 09/27/21

Ian Gomm - 1979-11-21 - San Francisco

Ian Gomm

1979-11-21

Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA

FM Broadcast Recording, Very Good Quality

mp3 @ 320 kbps

Artwork Included

I've always really liked this guy. Ian Gomm burst onto the music scene in 1978 with his brilliant solo album, Summer Holiday (rearranged and released as Gomm with the Wind in the US), a fantastic pop album that should have established him as a major talent. When the single 'Hold On' became a hit in the US, a back-up band and tour (as opening act for Dire Straits on their 1979-80 US Communique Tour) was hastily established. I was fortunate enough to see him on this tour, and I was mightily impressed. I thought he had the making of a major star in the singer-songwriter tradition. Unfortunately, he was apparently quickly forgotten. His follow-up album, What A Blow (1979) was much less successful, yet still quite solid, but Ian slowly faded away after that. Although mostly known as 'One-Hit Wonder' in the US, these first 2 albums (and especially Summer Holiday) are filled with great songs and arrangements ('24 Hour Service', 'Come On', 'Dirty Lies', 'Sad Affair', and several others are great songs that all could have been hits. Even the covers, such as his cool-groove version of the Beatle's 'You Can't Do That' are done in interesting and unique ways). Ian got his start as rhythm guitarist with the legendary British 'pub rock' group, Brinsley Schwarz (which also included Nick Lowe). After Brinsley Schwarz broke up in 1975, Ian started his solo career with Summer Holiday in 1978. Here then is a show from that 1979 tour with Dire Straits (and which may well have been his only tour of the US). Although his voice is a little rougher in this show than on his records or as I remember it, it's still great stuff. Check it out.

Tracklist

1. It Don't Help

2. 24 Hour Service

3. Dirty Lies

4. Come On

5. Sad Affair

6. Nobody's Fool

7. Slow Dancin'

8. Man on a Mountain

9. Chicken Run

10. Airplane

11. What A Blow

12. You Can't Do That

13. Hold On

14. Hey Bartender

15. Black & White/ Hooked On Love

16. What Makes A Man A Man

New Link! (Updated 06/18/21)
Ian_Gomm_-_1979-11-21_-_SF_Live_At_Old_Waldorf.rar

Thanks to PVAc to 44.1 kHz (digivinyltal.blogspot.com) for making this show available