Steve Goodman - 1983-10-26 - Wolfgang's, San Francisco, CA

Steve Goodman

1983-10-26
Wolfgang's, San Francisco, CA
Audience recording, average sound quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's more from the irrepressible Steve Goodman, the legendary Chicago singer-songwriter. In keeping with my tradition of posting any available shows from Steve here, to increase awareness and adulation of this gifted songwriter-performer. This is a show from late in his career. For most of his career he had kept his battle with leukemia a secret from all but his closest family, but by 1983, after acute recurrences and extended chemotherapy sessions, his tribulations had become public. By the time of this show in late 1983, most in the audience knew that this would likely be his last tour. Nonetheless, Steve was bubbly and charming as usual, putting on a great upbeat and funny show. But less than a year later, Steve was taken by his illness and died at the age of 36 in September 1984. Although the recording for this show is not very good, it still is worth posting and listening to to hear Steve in his last year, as wonderful as ever. Since this was later in his career he adds a few newer tunes to his catalog of fine originals and standards. 

Tracklist:
01. Intro (Listed-but not present)
02. City of New Orleans
03. How Much Tequila Did I Drink Last Night
04. Vegematic
05. A Dying Cub Fans Last Request
06. Banana Republic
07. If Jethro Were Here
08. Big Rock Candy Mountain
09. Talk Backwards
10. Unwed Fathers
11. Watching Joey Glow
12. Warm and Free
13. What This River Has Done
14. The Auctioneer Song
15. You Never Even Call Me by My Name
{the ultimate "country-western"song}**
Encores:
16. The Dutchman*
17. Somebody Elses Troubles*
18. Elvis Impersonators Song*
19. God Bless Her Mobile Home*
20. What Have You Done for Me Lately*

*Mike Marshall on mandolin

**Note:#15 he breaks a string and improvises
the rest of the song while he changes it. Never misses a beat!

FLAC - Steve Goodman_1983-10-26_SanFrancisco_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Steve Goodman_1983-10-26_SanFrancisco_Mp3.rar

Steve Goodman - 1979-04-26 - My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY

Steve Goodman
1979-04-26
My Father's Place,
Old Roslyn, NY
Pre-FM Soundboard recording, excellent quality
Available in both lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions
New Upgrade! Now includes full show including encores (mp3-only)

Here's another Steve Goodman show, from his 1979 High and Outside Tour. This tour was unique in that it was his only tour with a full band (instead of just Steve with his guitar, or accompanied by a single back-up musician on guitar or mandolin). Personally, I prefer Steve all alone, where you get the full dose of his charm and musicianship, but hearing Steve with a band brings a different dimension to alot of his songs, and is certainly worth experiencing. Although the setlist here is essentially the same as the Cincinnatti concert from this same tour previously featured here, what is great about this show is that the recording is a pristine Pre-FM Soundboard, with excellent sound throughout, and that makes this just a bit more special. Enjoy anothet great show from the incomparable Steve Goodman.
 
Tracklist:
1. Larry Kleinman intro > Just Lucky I Guess
2. Banana Republic >
3. Luxury's Lap
4. Would You Like To Learn To Dance?
5. The One that Got Away
6. What Have You Done For Me Lately?
7. You're the Girl I Love
8. It's A Sin To Tell A Lie
9. Chicken Cordon Bleus
10. This Hotel Room
11. My Old Man
12. The Dutchman
13. City of New Orleans (band intros)
14. Men Who Love Women Who Love Men
15. I've Got To Hand It To You
Encores: (New addition - not previously included in earlier posting -added 5/23/21)
16. The Twentieth Century is Almost Over
17. Tossin' and Turnin'
18. Common Sense

Steve Goodman   Guitar, vocals
Jimmy Enger    Piano
Amy Madigan    Keyboard, Percussion, Vocals
Jim Rothermel    Reeds
Peter Bunetta     Drums
Rick Chudacoff    Bass
Arno Lucas    Percussion, vocals

FLAC - Steve Goodman_1979-04-26_RoslynNY_FLAC.rar

New Links (Updated 09/29/23)
mp3 - Steve Goodman_1979-04-26_RoslynNY_mp3.rar

Note: Thanks to Stephen P for sending me the missing encore songs from this recording. They are a very nice addition and complete the full experience of the show. 

 

Steve Goodman - 1977-01-15 - University of Chicago, Chicago, IL (FM)

Steve Goodman
January 15, 1977
Mandel Hall, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

FM Broadcast recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

I've acquired a couple more Steve Goodman shows over the last several months. In keeping with my quest to spread the word and get more recognition for this wonderful singer-songwriter-performer (see previous posts) and in serving as an unofficial repository for all known live Goodman shows and recordings, I present another radio broadcast show from 1977, this one from the University of Chicago. As always, this show contains many wonderful moments from Steve. Although most of the songs played have been featured here in other recordings from this era, there are some new additions: For example, Steve's medley of motown-R&B songs that he does in his own way, and The Roving Cowboy song. It's another fine recording of a wonderful hour-long glimpse into the artistry of Steve Goodman.
 
Tracklist:
01. Radio Intro
02. It's a Sin to Tell a Lie (Billy Mayhew)
03. Chicken Cordon Bleus
04. Paul Powell
05. Banana Republics (S. Goodman / Steve Burgh / Jim Rothermel)
06. Rhythm & Blues Medley:
    La La La I Love You (W. Hart / T. Bell)
    Get Ready (Smokey Robinson)
    My Girl (Smokey Robinson)
    Can’t Go Back
07. Yellow Coat
08. You Never Even Call Me By My Name (S. Goodman-John Prine)
09. This Hotel Room
10. The Dutchman (Michael Smith)
11. The Ballad of Penny Evans
12. Roving Cowboy (Ballad of Dan Moody) * (Michael Smith)
13. Radio Outro

All songs by Steve Goodman unless otherwise credited.
* Harmony Vocal: Jim Post

FLAC - Steve Goodman_1977-01-15_Chicago_FLAC.rar

Mp3 - Steve Goodman_1977-01-15_Chicago_mp3.rar
Links updated 09/26/21

Steve Goodman - 1979-04-18 - Bogart's - Cincinnati, OH

Steve Goodman
April 18, 1979
Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH 
FM Broadcast Recording (WEBN-FM), very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's more Steve Goodman, another fine FM Broadcast show, this one from 1979, and this time he is with a full band (piano, bass, drums, percussion, and even reeds - sax, clarinet, recorder, harmonica) backing up his guitar and voice for the full set. This is quite unusual for a Goodman shows, as he usually performed solo, or with a single backup player, such as Jethro Burns on mandolin, or another guitarist. So this is an additional treat to hear his songs live with full band, with some different arrangements for many of his songs than we usually hear, and sometimes closer to the album versions of the songs, sometimes different. At any rate, it's a slightly different side to his songs, but we still get the full Steve Goodman personality and charm and another rousing show of the incomparable Steve Goodman. Enjoy!

Tracklist:
01.  4:09 - Just Lucky I Guess
02.  3:38 - Banana Republics
03.  5:34 - Luxury's Lap
04.  5:38 - Would You Like To Learn To Dance
05.  4:18 - What Have You Done For Me Lately?
06.  4:43 - You're The Girl I Love
07.  3:38 - The One That Got Away
08.  3:43 - This Hotel Room
09.  2:26 - Chicken Cordon Bleus
10.  3:37 - The Auctioneer
11.  2:25 - It's A Sin To Tell A Lie
12.  3:13 - My Old Man
13.  4:47 - The Dutchman
14.  6:32 - (band introduction) City Of New Orleans
15.  4:04 - Men Who Love Women Who Love Men
16.  5:51 - I've Got To Hand It To You
Total time: 68:15

Featuring:
Jimmy Enger: Piano
Amy Madigan: vocals, percussion, keyboards
Peter Bunetta: drums
Arno Lucas: percussion, vocals
Rick Chudacoff: bass
Jim Rothermel: saxophone, harmonica, clarinet, recorder


FLAC - Steve Goodman_1979-04-18_CincinnatiOH_FM_FLAC.rar

Mp3 - Steve Goodman_1979-04-18_CincinnatiOH_FM_mp3.rar
links updated 11/12/21

Steve Goodman - 1977-11-14 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

Steve Goodman
November 14, 1977
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
FM Broadcast (KSAN-FM) recording, excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Last year, I acquired a few more Steve Goodman shows in excellent quality, and I feel obligated to post all I can from this very special entertainer, but just haven't had the opportunity to post these until now. Steve Goodman was a sensational one-of-a-kind folk-rock singer-songwriter-storyteller-performer-guitarist from Chicago whose career was cut short by Leukemia. For more about Steve's talent and background, see some of my previous posts on him. For Steve's fans, here is another excellent FM radio broadcast show from 1977, with Steve solo for most of the show followed by several songs with mandolin player Jethro Burns, and this show also features several songs not previously heard in other postings. Overall a fine and welcome addition to the shows already available.

Tracklist:
01. Just Lucky I Guess
02. Banana Republic
03. Turnpike Tom
04. Old Smoothies
05. Daley's Gone
06. I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Going Nowhere in a Hurry Blues
07. Mind Your Business
08. Vegetable Song (Barnyard Dance)
09. Videotape
10. Two Lovers Intro
11. Two Lovers
12. Can't Go Back
13. One Bite of the Apple
14. Men Who Love Women Who Love Men
15. Little Mouse (guest vocalist Melvina Reynolds)
16. Is It True What They Say About Dixie?*
17. Spoon River*
18. Death of a Salesman*
19. Lincoln Park Pirates*
20. City Of New Orleans*

* with Jethro Burns - mandolin

FLAC - Steve Goodman_1977-11-14_-_San Francisco, CA_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Steve Goodman_1977-11-14_-_San Francisco, CA_mp3.rar
link updated 11/12/21

Steve Goodman - 1972-12-09 - University of Illinois, Champaign, IL

Steve Goodman
(solo acoustic)
1972-12-09
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL

FM Broadcast recording (WPGU), good quality
Previously uncirculated recording, transferred from old cassette (provided courtesy Martin M.)
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's the second of the 2 previously uncirculated radio broadcast recordings of performances from the irrepressible Chicago singer-songwriter Steve Goodman that I received on cassette from Martin M. (Thanks Martin!). This show, also from the University of Illinois in the early '70's (1972), is a bit longer than the previous one, and contains several different songs (and a couple rarities). However, although overall the sound quality is quite good, there are a few audio problems that get in the way and severely affect a couple songs. Again, although a nice clear FM recording, the cassette tape it was recorded on (over 40 years ago!) was not high quality, so the dynamic range and fidelity is limited, and there is a severe audio dropout in the middle of Lincoln Park Pirates (volume drops to next to nothing) that stays through the rest of that song and the next song as well. I have boosted the volume just a bit here so at least something can be heard, but then the background noise and hiss becomes very noticeable and distracting. Fortunately this is corrected before too long. There are a few edits here as well (mainly between songs); these are not my edits, but were on the tape itself, either from the original recording or the broadcast. The only place where anything is lost is during the Intro to '...Call Me By My Name' where it abruptly cuts in. Also, on a few songs there is an amplified thumping sound, coming either from Steve tapping his guitar or tapping his foot, that is a bit annoying. Overall, though, this is a very nice show and recording, and one that has not been previously available, and it includes the extended story behind 'By My Name', including Steve's Paul Anka impersonation, the rarely played 'Eight Ball Blues', in addition to a great assortment of early career Goodman favorites. So, check out this latest addition to the Steve Goodman concert collection. 
 

Tracklist
1. Turnpike Tom
2. BB King Blues
3. Chicken Cordon Blues
4. Intro to 6 hrs
5. Six Hours Ahead of the Sun
6. City of New Orleans
7. Ballad of Penny Evans
8. Lincoln Park Pirates (audio dropout - very low volume: at 2 min. mark to end)
9. Would You Like to Learn to Dance? (audio dropout persists through entire song)
10. Intro to Call My Name (cuts in) - Diane (Anka) - Name Story
11. You Never Even Call Me By My Name
12. Eight Ball Blues
13. I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Going Nowhere in a Hurry Blues
14. The Dutchman

mp3 - Steve Goodman_1972-12-09_University of Illinois_mp3.rar

FLAC - Steve Goodman_1972-12-09_University of Illinois_FLAC.rar

Steve Goodman - 1973-10-13 - University of Illinois, Champaign, IL

Steve Goodman
(solo acoustic)
1973-10-13
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
FM Broadcast recording, very good quality
Previously uncirculated recording, transferred from old cassette
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions


Here's an exclusive, previously unicrculated performance/recording of the wonderful Steve Goodman. I was recently contacted (through the blog) by Martin, telling me he had a couple of Steve Goodman shows from radio broadcasts on old cassette tapes he had recorded in the early seventies, and wondered whether I would be interested in transferring them to digital. Of course, when I found out that they both were uncirculated shows I had not seen anywhere before, I said that I would be very interested in them, so he sent me the cassettes for the two shows (one from 1972 and one from 1973). This is the first of those shows (and the one in the best condition). Both are shows from the University of Illinois, and this 1973 show, although relatively short (45 min., 10 songs) is very good quality, suffering only from the limited fidelity quality of the old cassette tape used.  This was at a time in Steve's career where he was making the transition from a more traditional folk artist to more of a singer-songwriter-entertainer, as half of the songs are covers and half are his own. Interspersed with the songs are examples of his observational wit and storytelling. Particularly noteworthy here is his excellent guitar playing, which he features prominently throughout the set. Certainly a worthy addition to the legacy and recorded shows of Steve Goodman. If new to Steve's music, be sure to check out some of Steve's other great shows/recordings already posted here previously. 

Tracklist
1. Goody Goody (Mercer-Malneck)
2. Chicken Cordon Blues
3. Six Hours Ahead of the Sun
4. There Stands the Glass (Web Pierce)
5. Peanut Butter Conspiracy (Jimmy Buffett)
6. Lincoln Park Pirates
7. The Dutchman (Michael Scott)
8. City of New Orleans
9. You Never Even Call Me By My Name
10. I'll Fly Away (Albert Brumley)

FLAC - Steve Goodman_1973-10-13_University of Illinois_FLAC.rar
Links updated (02/06/2024)
mp3 - Steve Goodman_1973-10-13_University of Illinois_mp3.rar

Note: The show from the second tape will be coming soon, also from the University of Illinois (1972-12-09). It's a longer show, but has some audio and fidelity problems, with cuts and dropouts in several places, but still worth checking out, so stay tuned.

Steve Goodman - Misc. performances, WXRT Tribute show

Steve Goodman
Miscellaneous performances (1974-1979)
(with Interview segments from John Prine)
WXRT-FM Steve Goodman Tribute show, 2010-07-21, Chicago, IL
FM Broadcast recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

OK, here's one last Steve Goodman post before I move on to other things. This was a radio tribute show to Steve Goodman broadcast on WXRT in 2010, consisting of various unreleased live recordings of Steve in the 1970's, with interspersed more recent interview excerpts from John Prine, talking about Steve and his music, all in very good quality sound recordings. Even contains a few songs that have not been heard in any of my previous posts. Although by no means comprehensive, nor even a collection of 'best of' works, it is a nice little compilation to honor the great Steve Goodman.
   
Tracklist
-- Unknown date
01 I Hope You're Satisfied
02 Election Year Rag
03 John Prine Interview
04 Somebody Else's Troubles
05 City of New Orleans
06 Announcer
-- 1975 - Amazing Grace, Evanston, IL
07 This Hotel Room
08 You Didn't Even Call Me By My Name-John Prine Interview-Last Verse
09 Chicken Cordon Blues
10 634-5789
11 Words We Can Dance To
12 Lincoln Park Pirates
13 John Prine Interview
-- 1978 - Amazing Grace Farewell Concert
14 The Auctioneer (w/Corky Siegal)
-- 1979 - Unconcert w/Full Band
15 Men Who Love Women Who Love Men
16 The Dutchman
17 John Prine Interview
18 I'll Fly Away

mp3 - SG_2010-07-21_WXRT_Tribute_mp3.rar
link updated 11/12/21
FLAC - SG_2010-07-21_WXRT_Tribute_FLAC.rar

Steve Goodman - 1978-03-03 - East Lansing, MI

Steve Goodman
(with Jethro Burns, mandolin)
1978-03-03
Mariah Coffee House, East Lansing, MI
Both sets, early and late shows
Soundboard recording, very good quality
Available in both lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Yes! Even more from the wonderful singer-songwriter-storyteller Steve Goodman. And this time, it is a full evening of entertainment from Steve (and backed up by the great Mandolin player Jethro Burns), with both complete sets (early and late shows, each 80 min) in very good sound quality from this Spring 1978 night at Mariah Coffee House in East Lansing MI. That's a whopping 2hr.40 minutes, 44-plus songs from Steve, and in the 2nd set he only repeats 4 songs from the earlier set (all of which are with Jethro), so the second set is mostly completely different from the first, for a grand night of fun from Steve. OK, it might be a bit too much for non-fans (try the previous compilations for a good intro to Steve's wit, style, and songs), but for real fans, this is a rare treat to get such a long, full show in it's entirety. Enjoy. 

Early Show
01 Paradise for Two
02 Chicken Cordon Blues
03 Shake Rattle and Roll
04 Life Could Be A Dream
05 Banana Republics
06 42nd Street
07 Old Smoothies
08 Lincoln Park Pirates
09 Penny Evans
10 Three Legged Man
11 Is It True What The Say About Dixie (joined by Jethro Burns)
12 Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyeball Sockets
13 Jessie's Jig
14 The Dutchman
15 Hillbilly Auctioneer
16 Spoon River
17 City Of New Orleans
18 Stayin' Alive
19 Would You Like To Learn To Dance
20 From A Jack To A King

mp3 - SG_1978-03-03_early_East_Lansing_MI_mp3.rar
FLAC - SG_1978-03-03_early_East_Lansing_MI

Late Show
01 It's a Sin to Tell a Lie
02 Video Tape
03 The 20th Century is Almost Over
04 Turnpike Tom
05 talk
06 Unemployed
07 This Hotel Room
08 Somebody Else's Chickens
09 talk
10 Barnyard Dance
11 That Old Gang of Mine
12 Blue Suede Shoes
13 I Think We're Alone Now
14 You Can't Go Back
15 Introduce Jethro
16 Instrumental (joined by Jethro Burns)
17 Just Lucky I Guess
18 Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes
19 A Fool Such as I
20 Chicken Cordon Bleus
21 You Never Even Call Me by My Name
22 talk
23 The Dutchman
24 City of New Orleans
25 My Old Man
26 Is it True What They Say about Dixie
27 Hobo's Lullaby
28 Paradise

mp3 - SG_1978-03-03_late_East_Lansing_MI_mp3.rar
FLAC - SG_1978-03-03_late_East_Lansing_MI
links updated 11/12/21

Steve Goodman - 1976 - European radio shows

Steve Goodman
1976 - European Radio shows
(London, England and Bremen, Germany shows)
FM Broadcast recordings, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

More from Steve Goodman! This time it is in two relatively short (but sweet, and with fine sound) radio show sets from Steve on a European tour in 1976. Just more of Steve's wit, wisdom, charm, and excellent songs, singing, guitar-playing, and storytelling, as only Steve could do it.

1976 BBC broadcast, London, England
01 I Hope You're Satisfied
02 City Of New Orleans
03 Good, Good Woman
04 Traveling Salesman Joke
05 Old Fashioned Country Western
06 You Never Even Call Me By My Name

1976-08-03 - Post-Aula, Bremen, Germany
01 It's A Sin to Tell A Lie
02 Can't Go Back
03 Banana Republics
04 The City of New Orleans
05 Sixteen Tons
06 Unemployed
07 The I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Goin' Nowhere In A Hurry Blues
08 Old Fashioned
09 I'll Fly Away

mp3 - Steve Goodman_1976_-_European_radio_shows.rar
Links updated 11/12/21
FLAC - SG_1976 - BBC London
FLAC - SG_1976-08-03_Bremen

Steve Goodman (with John Prine) - 1973-04-07 - Bryn Mawr, PA

Steve Goodman (with John Prine)
1973-04-07 & 08
Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA
and Philadelphia, PA 

FM Broadcast recordings (radio station masters), very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's more early Steve Goodman, with some excellent-sounding, but unfortunately incomplete radio show performances from 1973. And as a special bonus here, the Bryn Mawr set includes Steve performing with his good friend John Prine. They sing a couple of classic Prine songs together (Dear Abby. Paradise), and then go into an extended medley of Hank Williams songs, with each taking turns singing lead. It's wonderful to hear the two of them performing together, and obviously enjoying themselves as they do. So, more great stuff here.


01 City of New Orleans (incomplete, only last verse)
02 Talk about Georgie Woods
03 Lincoln Park Pirates
04 Introduction of John Prine
05 Dear Abby (with John Prine)
06 Paradise (with John Prine)
07 Hank Williams medley (with John Prine)
    Hey Good Lookin'
    Jambalaya
    Your Cheatin' Heart
    I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You
    Lost Highway
    Cold, Cold Heart
    Mind Your Own Business
    Setting The Woods on Fire

08 Larimer Street (1973-04-08, WXPN, Philadelphia, PA)
09 Sticks and Stones (1973-04-08, WXPN, Philadelphia, PA)
10 Lady Be Good (Gene Shay Radio Show, Philadelphia, PA)
11 Introduction of Paul Powell (incomplete) (Gene Shay Radio Show, Philadelphia, PA)


Links updated 11/12/21
mp3 - SG_1973-04-07_Bryn_Mawr_PA.rar

FLAC - SG_1973-04-07_Bryn Mawr PA_FLAC

Steve Goodman - 1969-1971 - Early Live Recordings

Steve Goodman
1969-1971 early live recordings
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions


Here is some more from the irrepressible Steve Goodman. These represent some of the earliest known live recordings from Steve. Here is Steve back when he was just starting out, and was more of a traditional folk artist, primarily performing old standard folk songs in a traditional style, before he became known for his own songwriting and performing style (for more info on Steve and his music, see previous Steve Goodman posts here). I would not recommend these shows as an introduction to Steve, as they do not give an accurate depiction of what he became known for, his own inimitable songs and style. However, for fans of Steve, these are interesting to hear to see where he started from, and how his style changed. It is also interesting to hear Steve perform The Beatles 'Eleanor Rigby' and Jefferson Airplane's 'Somebody To Love' (in his extended medley) done in the style of traditional folk songs here.

Steve Goodman (with Bob Hoban)
November 10, 1969
University of Illinois Auditorium, Urbana IL
FM Broadcast recording, very good quality
01 Radio Intro
02 You Can't Tell a Book By The Cover
03 Fast Freight
04 Byker Hill
05 John Barleycorn
06 Country Pie
07 Mama Tried
08 Truck Drivin' Man
09 The Wonderful World of Sex
10 Medley:
    Where Are You Going Mister
    Eleanor Rigby
    Drifter
    Somebody To Love
11 The Auctioneer
12 Radio Announcer
13 Lincoln Park Pirates (June 19, 1977 - Somebody Else's Troubles, Chicago IL - Come For To Sing benefit).
14 Radio Outro

Steve Goodman w/ David Bromberg & Steven Berg
August 28, 1971
Philadelphia Folk Fest, Schwenksville, PA
Soundboard recording, very good quality
01 intro
02 City Of New Orleans
03 Christian Soldier
04 Donald and Lydia
05 Mind Your Own Business

Links Updated 11/12/21
mp3 - Steve Goodman_early_recordings.rar

FLAC - Steve Goodman - 1969-11-10 - Urbana IL
FLAC - Steve Goodman - 1971-08-28 - Schwenksville PA

Upgraded Goodman...and More

As promised, I have started upgrading some of the older files from 192 to 320 kbps mp3's, and also adding lossless (FLAC) versions (where I have them), starting with the incomparable Steve Goodman. So far I have completed the upgrades for the first few shows (1974-1977), available here, and will finish up the rest of Steve's upgrades in the next few days. It's been a few years since I first posted these, so if you are somewhat new to the blog, you definitely should go back and check these out. Steve Goodman was a wonderful man and great talent (For info, read through the posts, then download).

Those familiar with the posts may remember that for these shows I edited together multiple shows to create extended sets from various points in his career in a way to highlight his versatility, style, songwriting and performing, while also removing the duplicate songs between sets that would be present, so people could experience the most from this extraordinary entertainer in just a few extended sets. So, those edited extended sets are still present in the mp3 (320 kbps) versions of the shows. However, for the quality connoisseurs and purists out there, the new lossless (FLAC) versions I am now posting contain the full recorded versions of each show. Thus, the lossless versions contain additional songs not included in the mp3 versions (mainly duplicate songs from the other shows), and are unedited, the full versions exactly as I received them.

But wait, there's more!

I also have recently received several additional Steve Goodman shows (much thanks to John Osterhout for making these available!), and will be posting some of them soon (as soon as I get a chance to hear them and see which are most suitable for posting). So, in addition to these upgrades, there will be more Steve Goodman shows to download very soon.

Also stay tuned for more upgrades (John Prine next) and new features.
 

Steve Goodman & John Prine - 1980-09-25 - Minneapolis, MN

Steve Goodman and John Prine
September 25, 1980
Minneapolis, MN (venue unknown)
Audience recording, Excellent sound quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps
Artwork Included

Previously, as part of my Chicago series, I featured several shows from each of these wonderful singer-songwriters, and noted that they were the best of friends and often played together on the same bill. However, I did not have any shows to share (nor had I actually heard any) where they actually performed together. Well, now I have one, and here it is. This is a show from Minneapolis in 1980. Steve opens the show with a great 15-song solo set, followed by Prine's masterful solo set, and then Steve joins John for the final 8 songs (all Prine songs). And it's a great show, and an excellent-sounding recording. However, I have to admit that I was more than a bit dissappointed with the combined performance of these two legendary musicians and friends. I was expecting more exchange and interplay between them, with duets, trading lead lines back and forth, and between song banter. But, alas, the combined set is very much just a continuation of Prine's set, with Steve providing background & harmony vocals only, and an occasional  guitar lead, but no lead vocals or duets on any songs, or stories, verbal exchanges between them. Oh well, perhaps I had built up this potential collaboration too much in my mind. It is still a great show, and I finally do get to hear them perform together. Enjoy. If you haven't already, be sure to check out the previous posts of fine shows from both of these great musicians.
 
Disc One
STEVE GOODMAN
101. Bobby Don't Stop
102. Danger
103. Talk Backwards
104. Elvis Imitators
105. City Of New Orleans
106. Chicken Cordon Blues
107. This Hotel Room
108. The Dutchman
109. It's A Sin To Tell A Lie
110. Turnpike Tom
111. I'm My Own Grandpa
112. The Auctioneer
113. You Never Even Called Me By My Name
114. Where Did The 20th Century Go?
115. My Old Man

JOHN PRINE
116. Spanish Pipedream
117. Christmas In Prison
118. Fish And Whistle
119. Living In The Future
120. Angel From Montgomery

Disc Two
201. Iron Ore Betty
202. Bottomless Lake
203. Illegal Smile
204. Donald And Lydia
205. Sam Stone
206. That's The Way That The World Goes Round
207. There She Goes
208. I Had A Dream Last Night
209. Sabu Visit's The Twin Cities Alone
210. Bruised Orange (Chain Of Sorrow) (With Steve Goodman)
211. Souvenirs (With Steve Goodman)
212. Ballad of A Teenage Queen (With Steve Goodman)
213. Paradise (With Steve Goodman)
214. Hello In There (With Steve Goodman)
215. Please Don't Bury Me (With Steve Goodman)
216. Dear Abby (With Steve Goodman)
217. Everybody (With Steve Goodman)

New Links! Updated 04/10/20
disc 1: Steve_Goodman-John_Prine_-_1980_MN_disc1.rar
disc 2: Steve_GoodmanJohn_Prine_-_1980_MN_disc2.rar

Steve Goodman, Baseball, and the Chicago Cubs

Since we are now in the midst of the baseball postseason, I just wanted to add one more item about Steve Goodman. I had planned on including this with the previous post, but it was getteing too long as it was. Anyway, Steve was a big baseball fan, and more importantly, a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. Now, the Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908, and had never even made the postseason during Steve's lifetime. Steve put into his song 'A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request' some of the bitterness and frustration that goes along with being a Cubs fan. When that song started to get airplay in Chicago around 1983, the current general manager of the Chicago Cubs, Dallas Green, was asked to comment on what he thought of the song, to which he complained that it was just too damned depressing. When Steve heard about this, he decided to write an upbeat, postive song about the Cubs in response. So, Steve wrote and recorded Go Cubs Go, a cheery, catchy 'fight-song' style ditty. In 1984, when it looked like the Cubs might actually have a good team, they started playing the song on WGN game broadcasts and at the ballpark. The song caught on and became the rally song for the Cubs that season. As the season progressed, and it looked like the Cubs might actually win their division and make it to the postseason, or possibly even go th the World Series, Steve was asked to sing the National Anthem and throw out the first pitch at the Cubs opening playoff game. Unfortunately, Steve's health took a drastic turn for the worse before the end of the season, and Steve died four days before the Cubs clinched their division title and a spot in the playoffs. Steve's friend Jimmy Buffett filled in for Steve by singing the national anthem at the opening playoff game. Thus, Steve lived his entire life without seeing the Cubs even play in the postseason (Their previous postseason appearance was in 1945, 3 years before Steve was born). However, even if Steve would have lived to see the 1984 playoffs, it only would have lead to more frustration, anyway, because the Cubs blew a 2-0 series lead (in a best of 5 series) by dropping the final 3 games to miss out on the World Series yet again. Perhaps it's fitting (at least to the spirit of the 'Dying Cub Fan's' song), that the Cubs have since blown opening round postseason series in 1989, 1998, 2007, and 2008. The closest they came to the World Series was in 2003 when they were within 4 outs of winning the NL pennant and a trip to the World Series, when they fell apart in the 8th inning, lost a 3-0 lead, and ultimately the series (all through a bizarre series of events that included interference from a fan in the stands, multiple errors on the field, and the meltdown of the their best pitcher). Thus, even now, almost 30 years after Steve wrote 'A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request', everything in the song is just as true now as then, perhaps even more so with the passing years, as the Cubs have continued to be a source of bitterness and frustration for their tortured fans. Steve's song 'Go Cubs Go', however, received new life in 2007 & 2008, when it was taken up again by the Cubs as their victory song, and was played at the ballpark after every Cubs win. And although the team did win their division and make the postseason that year, they were quickly swept away from the playoffs with 3 straight losses. So, why am I bothering to post all this seemingly trivial information? Well, like Steve, I am a lifelong Cubs fan, too. Not that I want to be, mind you, but I don't have any choice, it is ingrained in me from childhood. No matter how fed up and disgusted we get, and say we don't care what happens, we can never completely turn our back on them. They will always be my team. And one day, ONE DAY, they will win it all, and all of us dying Cub fans can finally rest in peace. So, I understand competely why Steve was a Cubs fan, and all that goes with it, and why, after putting out all his frustrations in one song, he turned around and wrote a pep song glorifying for the team in another. So, as we face another baseball postseaon without the presence of the Cubs (they finished next to last in the league), here's a shout-out to all anguished Cubs fans out there, and another special tribute to Steve Goodman, musician-performer-singer-songwriter extraordnaire, but also a baseball fan, and Chicago Cubs fan.

You can hear 'A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request' in disc1 of the download of the 1982-3 shows below.

Steve Goodman - 1982-83 Live soundboard shows

Steve Goodman (solo & w/band)
1982-1983 Live soundboard compilation
1982-03-02 & 1983-06-09, Rockefeller's, Houston, TX
1982-02-02, The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
SBD recordings, excellent quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and
mp3 @ 320 kbps


This final extended set in my mini-tribute to the late, great Steve Goodman features a combination of soundboard shows from his last couple of performing years, 1982-1983. And I think this is the very best of the bunch. Just great, classic stuff. It starts off with a superb-sounding recording (and great setlist) of a solo show at Rockefeller's in Houston (This may be the best-sounding boot of Steve I've heard). Unfortunately, the recording was not complete and had cuts in some songs. So, I've combined this with another later solo show (1983) from the same club that includes many different songs. Then for the second half (disc2), I combined these with a show from the Birchmere (1982) that featured a long set with friend and mandolin player Jethro Burns, and that also developed into some serious jamming with an impromptu full-size bluegrass band, courtesy of Steve's urging some of the many famed players that were hanging around (such as Doyle Lawson, John Duffy, and Mike Auldridge, among others) up onto the stage. Thus, the result is a monumental extended set featuring most of Steve's best songs from the later years, many of the classics from earlier years, and a rousing bluegrass jam at the end. Highlights are too numerous to count, but start with an opener of 'Somebody Else's Troubles', one of my favorites from his early years, and build from there. We get great renditions of classics like 'City of New Orleans' (solo version and bluegrass version), 'By My Name', '20th Century', and his bittersweet 'Dying Cub Fan's Last Request' (at the time he wrote this we didn't know that he was actually the 'dying cub fan'), as well as the later solo comic gems 'Talk Backwards', 'Watching Joey Glow', 'Vegematic', and 'How Much Tequila Did I Drink Last Night?'. Also included are one-of-a-kind Goodman events like 'What Were You Expecting, Rock and Roll?', in which we get Steve's spot-on impressions of 4 different new wave bands he recently heard; and Steve's incredible adlibbed 'string-breakin' song' improv as he continues to sing and provide rhyming commentary as he attempts to get a string changed on his guitar. And all this topped with great mandolin work from Jethro, and the full bluegrass jam with an all-star band, all being lead in Steve's incomparable way. Whether you are a fan of 'folk music' or 'singer-songwriters' or not, this is something that I think everyone will appreciate and enjoy, so I urge anyone who has ever read this blog to download this show and check it out (at the very least disc1, to get the best of Steve solo). Steve was just a remarkable talent and possibly the best ever at what he did.
Steve released 9 albums during his lifetime. Strangely, considering how great his live shows were, they didn't release a live album until 1983, as Steve was beginning to succumb to his cancer. Of course, in the years since Steve died they have released many additional albums, including multiple different live albums, previously unreleased material, multiple compilations (including the excellent 2 disc anthology - No Big Surprise) and tribute albums, and at least one live DVD). Steve also has received 2 grammy awards, unfortunately they were both received posthumously, one for songwriting, for 'City of New Orleans' (for Country Song of the Year - 'Willie Nelson version', 1985) and one for Best Folk album for Unfinished Business, his final album of previously unreleased songs, 1988.

I have tried in these 3 'extended sets' that I have posted to provide an overall picture of the best live shows of Steve Goodman through the various years of his career. I realize that the purists might not like that I have cut and spliced different shows together rather then just posting complete individual shows. Well, first of all, most of the available recordings were not complete. But what I wanted to do was provide a more complete picture of the variety and versatility of Steve's songs and performances (by featuring more different songs and removing several repeated songs) in just a few downloads, while still preserving the single show style and flow. In addition, even for veteran fans, it is much nicer to listen to a few of these 'enhanced' shows than having to go through 6 to 8 full-length shows in order to hear all the songs you want to hear. I hope I have succeeded at this. For those that want to get all the available Goodman shows, and those that prefer to get everything in lossless quality, I have good news. All of these shows, as well as several more, including many John Prine shows, are available for download from a wonderful personal ROIO website that features many great folk, rock, and 'roots' artists, available in both mp3 and FLAC formats, everything from Jackson Browne to Wilco, at John's ousterhout.net. If you go there and dowload stuff of interest, be sure to leave John an email message of thanks, and mention that you found his site through the BB Chronicles.

Also, hopefully, through these posts, I have made more people aware of Steve and his talent, and resulted in a few more Steve Goodman fans. If so, there are several other websites devoted to preserving the memory of Steve Goodman you should check out. Most importantly, is Steve's official web site: http://www.stevegoodman.net/, where they have most of Steve's catalog of albums available for purchase at very reasonable prices. Also worthwhile is The Steve Goodman Scrapbook: http://www.cobo.org/goodman/good.html and the Steve Goodman Preservation Society: http://www.folkblues.com/goodman/ . In addition, there are several videos of Steve performing posted on Youtube, and if you have never seen Steve in action, you should definitely check those out, too.

I hadn't originally intended to devote this much time and posts to John and Steve (I just knew I wanted to include them in my 'Chicago' series), but I am very glad I did. In preparing these posts, I listened to all these shows numerous times and it was just such a joy to immerse myself in this music, some of which I hadn't heard in years. It made me realize all over again just how great this music is and how special and unique these guys are. I hope some of you have enjoyed these posts as much as I have.

Disc 1: Steve - solo (Houston,TX)
01 Somebody Else's Troubles
02 Banana Republics
03 Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
04 I Just Keep Falling In Love
05 What Were You Expecting, Rock and Roll?
06 City Of New Orleans
07 Chicken Cordon Blues
08 Old Fashioned Kind
09 Elvis Imitators
10 Talk Backwards
11 20th Century Is Almost Over (ending spliced)
12 How Much Tequila Did I Drink Last Night?
13 Watchin' Joey Glow
14 Vegematic (Asleep With the TV On)
15 If She Were You
16 Don't Go Gettin' No Sand In It
17 California Promises
18 God Bless Our Mobile Home

Disc 2: Steve w/ Jethro Burns (and Bluegrass Jam Band)
19 It's Midnight And I'm Not Famous Yet
20 Black Coal Tatoo
21 I'm My Own Grandpa
22 Is It True What They Say About Dixie?
23 Jessie's Jig
24 Don't Let The Stars get In Your Eyeball Sockets
25 Tico Tico
26 City Of New Orleans
27 Lovin' Of The Game
28 You Never Even Call Me By My Name
29 The Dutchman
30 Truck Driving Man
31 Love Please Come Home
32 The String-Breakin' Song Improv
33 Mule Skinner Blues +
34 Mama Don't Allow +
35 Rocky Top + *

+ Steve and Jethro Joined by full Bluegrass band of Birchmere all-stars (coaxed onstage by Steve), including (among others not named):
Doyle Lawson - mandolin
John Duffy - mandolin
Mike Auldrdge - guitar
Tom Gray? - bass

*Errors on master tape

tracks 1-11, 1982-03-02, Rockefeller's, Houston, TX, SBD
tracks 12-18, 1983-06-09, Rockefeller's, Houston, TX SBD
tracks 19-35, 1982-02-02, The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA, SBD

New Links - Upgraded quality! (Updated 10/3/21)
mp3 sbd compilation: Steve Goodman_1982-83 SBD comp_mp3.rar

New!
Complete shows - full lossless versions
FLAC: Steve Goodman_1982-03-02_ Rockefeller's_Houston TX_FLAC
FLAC: Steve Goodman_1983-06-09_Rockefeller's_Houston TX_FLAC
FLAC: Steve Goodman_1982-02-02, The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA_FLAC
Lossless versions are the complete, unedited shows for each date (contain additional songs not included on edited mp3 compilation version)

Steve Goodman - 1977 Radio Shows - NY & Atlanta

Steve Goodman
(with Jethro Burns)
1977 Radio Broadcasts
1977-10-10
The Bottom Line, New York, NY 1977-11-01
Great Southeast Music Hall, Atlanta, GA
FM Broadcasts, excellent quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and mp3 @ 320 kbps


Here's more from the great Chicago singer-songwriter, Steve Goodman, a combination of 2 radio broadcasts from the fall of 1977, with excellent sound quality. These shows also feature great mandolin playing from Jethro Burns (of country act Homer and Jethro), who regularly toured and performed with Goodman. Goodman does most of the show solo, then brings out Jethro for the last part of the set. I have combined these 2 shows to highlight the different songs from the sets, removed some repeated songs, and arranged them all into a relatively seamless longer single show. Highlights include another of his songs co-written with John Prine 'The 20th Century is Almost Over', his observations on sexual relationships - 'Men Who Love Women Who Love Men', and 'Moby Book', his condensation of Moby Dick into a blues song (or as he says, 'like Cliff Notes written by Willie Dixon' ). Enjoy.

Some more background on Steve. Right around the time Steve was just getting started as an entertainer, in 1969, he was diagnosed with Leukemia, which in those days was basically a death sentence. He didn't know how long he would have to live, but he dedicated himself to making the most of his career while he could. Only his close friends and family knew about his condition, so he went through his music career fighting back the disease as best he could, with his fans and public not knowing anything about his ailment. That he was able to keep up such an upbeat attitude, high energy, and good humor, and be such a prolific songwriter and performer throughout his career was an amazing achievement. By 1983, however, the cancer was really taking it's toll, and Steve finally revealed to the world his condition. Steve died in September 1984, but left behind a rich legacy of songs, albums, and performances. Next time I'll feature some shows from his last few years. Till then, enjoy this small glimpse of a wonderful performer and great guy, Steve Goodman.

01 Red Red Robin
02 Videotape >
03 Do It Yourself
04 Old Smoothies
05 20th Century Is Almost Over
06 One Of These Days >
07 Men Who Love Women Who Love Men
08 Two Lovers
09 Can't Go Back
10 You’re The Girl I Love
11 Three-Legged Man
12 Mind Your Own Business
13 Moby Book
14 Bandstand
15 Yellow Coat
16 Is It True What They Say About Dixie?
17 Donald and Lydia
18 Door Number Three
19 My Old Man
20 The Auctioneer
21 Spoon River Anthology
22 Jessie's Jig
23 City Of New Orleans
24 Just Lucky I Guess

tracks 1-9, 16, 21-23, New York, NY (WNEW-FM)
tracks 10-15, 17-20, 24, Atlanta, GA (WKLS-FM)

Links Updated 02/13/19
Steve_Goodman_-_1977_Broadcasts.rar


New!
Complete shows - full lossless versions
FLAC_1977-New York: Steve Goodman_1977-10-10_New York_FLAC
FLAC_1977-Atlanta: Steve Goodman_1977-11-01_Atlanta_FLAC
Lossless versions are the complete, unedited shows for each date (contain additional songs not included on edited mp3 version)

Steve Goodman - 1974-Portland & 1976-Bryn Mawr

Steve Goodman
Civic Auditorium, Portland, OR
February 2, 1974
Plus
Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA
20 June 1976
FM Broadcasts (KINK-FM and WMMR-FM, respectively), excellent quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and
mp3 @ 320 kbps

Here's the great, underappreciated Steve Goodman, in a combination of 2 shows from the mid-seventies. Goodman is probably most widely known as the writer of 'the best damn train song ever written' (as John Prine says), 'City of New Orleans', as well as several other respected songs. Although Steve is fairly widely known for his songs (at least among other songwriters, folk, and country performers), he is much less-known to the public as a versatile performer and entertainer. Steve started out in the folk clubs around Chicago while still a student, and was already a regular when he met John Prine in 1970, and they became fast friends. It was Steve that was instrumental in getting John's big break, as when Steve was opening for Kris Kristofferson in 1971, he insisted that Kris go hear John play after their own show was over. This lead to Kristofferson hooking them up with Paul Anka, who ultimately got both Steve and John signed to recording contracts. Steve's biggest break came, however, when Arlo Guthrie recorded 'City of New Orleans' in 1972, and it became a huge hit. Although Steve's own albums didn't sell much at all, the success of that train song enabled him to devote himself to a full-time career in music, and he was always grateful for that opportunity. Although Steve has written several respected 'serious' songs (including 'New Orleans', 'Ballad of Penny Evans', 'My Old Man', etc), his real strength was in his quick wit and numerous humorous songs, ranging from mildly amusing ditties to wickedly clever, insightful, and hilarious spoofs and rantings. Although he never sold many albums, his live performances were very popular and widely acclaimed. What was so great about Steve was that his shows were always so entertaining and fun. He had an extremely engaging and captivating personality. He was always energetic, upbeat, and aiming to please. He was like your ideal version of a best friend, smart, funny, and great to be around, but just a regular guy, yet someone you could always count on. Nobody ever left a Steve Goodman show not feeling good and entertained, which is why anyone who ever saw him live on stage became a fan. It wasn't any one thing, but the combination of everything, the versatility of the songs and music, the fun atmosphere, Steve's jokes, storytelling, spontaneity, and ad libs, and Steve's surprisingly good guitar playing and vocal theatrics. It was just a good time for all.

The first show here is a short, opening set (he opened for Prine) with excellent sound that, although short, establishes his format and style. He usually started off with an uptempo version of an old ('30's, '40's) standard, then he follows with a mix of serious and humorous songs, stories, anecdotes, and humorous intros and set-ups. Included here is an extended version of the story of how Steve wrote 'You Never Even Call Me By My Name' with John Prine one drunken night in NY, so Prine fans should not miss this. This show was right around the time that I first saw him, and was totally captivated. Since this was a short show, I've combined it with another, longer show from 1976 (I did a little editing to remove some duplicated songs from the first show). This show was an extended opening set (opened for Warren Zevon) performed for radio. It's interesting to note how Steve keeps tweaking and adding new parts to the final verse of 'My Name' with each year. But the main thing that makes this show unique is the full jam session at end. At this show, after his opening solo portion, he invited some musician friends (country-bluegrass) from the area to join him for the last part of the set. Then, after a rousing 'City of New Orleans', an even larger jam session developed which included Billy Joel (who just happened to be around) on piano and Zevon himself sitting in on drums. They managed to rip through representative country, rock, and blues jams, and started into 'Twist and Shout', when the radio station finally cut them off, as they had gone well beyond the allotted time slot (so, there's only a fragment of 'TnS' remaining). But, it was a wonderful raucous jam, a bit unusual for a Goodman show, but great nonetheless (and Goodman managed to stay in charge, singing and directing traffic throughout). Anyway, hope you enjoy these Goodman shows. Hopefully, they will give you an idea of why Goodman was so liked and admired by other musicians and singer-songwriters all over the world.

01 Lady Be Good
02 Turnpike Tom
03 City of New Orleans
04 Ballad of Penny Evans
05 I Ain't Heard You Play No Blues
06 Chicken Cordon Bleus
07 Lincoln Park Pirates
08 The Auctioneer
09 You Never Even Call Me by My Name
10 The Dutchman

11 It's A Sin To Tell A Lie
12 Unemployed
13 Old Fashioned
14 Banana Republics
15 Can't Go Back
16 Lookin' for Trouble
17 This Hotel Room
18 You Never Even Call Me By My Name
19 Introduction of band, tuning up, etc.
20 Truck Drivin' Man
21 Blue Umbrella
22 Jesse's Jig (Beth's Bounce, Rob's Romp)
23 City of New Orleans
24 Mama Don't Allow It
25 Johnny B. Goode
26 Blues in C
27 Twist and Shout (cut)

tracks 1-10, 1974-02-02, Civic Auditorium, Portland, OR (KINK-FM)
tracks 11-27, 1976-06-20, Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA (WMMR-FM)

Featuring (tracks 20-27)
Lew London - mandolin & guitar
Winnie Winston - pedal steel guitar
Wanamaker Lewis - banjo
Doug Haywood - bass
Added band members
Mike Lieber - comb & tissue paper (track 24)
Billy Joel - piano (tracks 24-27)
Jerry Donahue - guitar (tracks 25-27)
Warren Zevon - drums (tracks 25-27)

New Links - Upgraded quality! (Updated 12/09/13)
mp3 - Steve Goodman_1974-Portland_1976-Bryn_Mawr_mp3.rar


New!
Complete shows - full lossless versions
FLAC_1974 - Portland: Steve Goodman_1974-02-02_Portland_FLAC
FLAC_1976-Bryn Mawr: Steve Goodman_1976_Bryn Mawr_FLAC
Lossless versions are the complete, unedited shows for each date (contain additional songs not included on edited mp3 version)

More Goodman coming, so stay tuned