The most informative magazine for live music during the 1990s returns with new articles and past rants and reviews. Review samples may be sent to: Bill Glahn, editor, 3238 W. State St, Springfield, MO USA 65802 Items considered for review: 1. Live CDs and LPs, both authorized and unauthorized 2. Authorized independent recent releases (Officially Speaking column) 3. Fan generated CD-Rs of live concerts (Roll The Tapes column) 4. Recent books or fanzines focused on music
Planet of Sound [Rev. Keith A. Gordon, Excitable Press]
It's always exciting news when one of Live! Music Review's contributors has a new book on the shelves and I'm especially pleased to announce this one by the ever prolific spiritual force of Rock 'n' Roll journalism, the mighty master of Blues criticism, and music historian extraordinaire, Keith A. Gordon.
Comprising of 34 essays, reviews, and artist profiles, the latest volume focuses on Gordon's writing in Rock and Roll Globe from 2018-2020. As to be expected from many such compilations, Gordon writes about such luminaries as Keith Richard, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker and Black Sabbath, but also delivers the unexpected as well. Gordon has dug deep into rock n roll history with profiles of such worthy footnotes as Buzzy Linhart, Eugene Chadbourne, The Flamin' Groovies, The Pretty Things, and Will Kimbrough - all personal favorites. But it doesn't stop there.
Gordon also includes essays on the industry itself, including a highly educational obituary for Grande Ballroom founder, Detroit DJ and promoter Russ Gibb, a dissection of Woodstock '99 (an event held on a superfund disaster site), a look back at the Ann Arbor 1969 festival, and Stax Records' second round of success after being sold.
Planet of Sound not only makes for some excellent reading, benefitting from Gordon's inventive use of descriptive (and accurate) phrasing, second to none, but also as a reference source when researching other projects. For example, with the release of Mike Felton's new CD (another Live! Music Review contributor back in the day) which includes Corky Siegel among the credits (some GREAT harp playing on that one, review in the works) there's a highly informative chapter on the Siegel-Schwall Band. Of course, I went immediately there for a refresher course.
I have nothing but the highest recommendations for this book. And I'd say that even if I didn't know Gordon. He's a veteran of some 4 decades of music journalism and it shows. I was reading his writing before he ever wrote a sentence for L!MR.
Planet of Sound can be purchased from Amazon or directly from the author here.
Led Zeppelin: Scandinavian Broadcasts 1969 (Magic Dice MGCD 002)
Cover: single pocket jacket with attractive graphics. Track listing and venue information listed on back.
Sound Quality: Very good stereo on side 1 (FM), mono on side 2 (TV)
Venue: (Side 1) Koncerthuset, Stockholm, Sweden, March 14, 1969 (Side 2) RV-Byen Studios, Gladsaxe, Denmark March 17, 1969
Track List: (Side 1) I Can’t Quit You Baby/ I Gotta Move/ Dazed And Confused/ How Many More Times (Side 2) Communication Breakdown/ Dazed and Confused/ Babe I’m Gonna Leave You/ How Many More Times
Comments: Let’s dispatch side 2 right away. It is simply the soundtrack to what already appeared on the official Led Zeppelin 2003 double DVD set called, simply enough, DVD. Only presented without the benefit of Jimmy Page’s remastering. It’s useless to any serious Led Zeppelin fan and the official 2DVD set is easily available on various Internet retail sites for a fraction of what this LP would cost you. It might serve a purpose to vinyl fetishists, but ultimately, it’s a wasted opportunity, being that there are other shows from the same Scandinavian tour that haven’t been released officially. Notably, two very good to excellent recordings from March 15 when the band played shows at two different teen clubs in Denmark.
On to side one.
The Koncerthuset broadcast first appeared on the impossibly rare Japanese bootleg, Missing Links. Doing an a/b comparison, it is immediately obvious that Magic Dice has used a different tape source. This release includes a lengthy DJ intro (in Swedish) that was not included on Missing Links and, after the fade out on “How Many More Times,” a DJ outro as well. Missing Links opened with the first notes of “I Can’t Quit You Baby” and finished with a quick fade out of “How Many More Times,” which left listeners wondering, “where’s the rest of the broadcast?” This time around, “How Many More Times” is extended a bit longer before the DJ interrupts to close out the broadcast in mid-song. Time limitations on radio – don’t you just hate them?
On the down side, the sound quality on Missing Links was stunning while the source used for Scandinavian broadcasts has some periodic level fluctuations. Still, the instrument separation is still wide and enjoyable.
The performance? It’s astonishing, The band opens with “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” a number from their recently released first album. There’s some fine picking from Page and tight support from the band, not wavering far from the studio version. Then things get interesting. Plant announces to the audience that Page has broken a string and tells them that the performance will feature a couple of numbers from the new album. “I don’t know whether you’ve heard it.” Plant is not being facetious. Dead air being the enemy of radio, the band proceeds as a 3-piece with a version of the non-LP Otis Rush song, “I Gotta Move.” Unlike many influences for songs on their albums, Plant gives proper accreditation to Rush. It’s as close an arrangement to “traditional” blues as you will ever hear from Zep, and they shine. Backed by a superb bass line by John Paul Jones and some solid, in the pocket drumming from Boham, not to mention Plant’s harp work and vocals, It’s a rare glimpse of Zep sticking close to their roots. One listen to this, and no nay-saying critic will ever accuse Bonham of being “ham-fisted” again. Freed from his usual position of accenting Page’s guitar licks, he’s brilliantly subdued on this track.
Having finally taken care of his broken string, Page and company continue on to “Dazed and Confused” skipping what most likely would have been “You Shook Me” or “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” standard parts of their repertoire at the time. It’s a rather subdued first half of “Dazed,” Page using his violin bow to good effect and an appropriate follow-up to “I Gotta Move” in feel. Then, Wham! Page puts down the bow and delivers a blistering rave-up – the kind that made Led Zeppelin the notorious kings of bombast that they became. The band follows with their set-closer “How Many More Times,” with Plant giving each member the intros that would no longer be needed within the next year. But, alas, allotted time has run out and the radio feed fades to nothing with the MC giving a short outro announcement. For a complete version of the song in all it’s manic glory, see side 2.
Grade: This is a tough one. I’m torn between the importance and quality of Side 1 and the duplicity of Side 2. Whether taken from an independent source tape or simply lifted from an official DVD, Side 2 reeks of piracy, something that I have never supported. Until such time as the Stockholm show becomes available on vinyl with more appropriate material, I’ll give it a “buy” recommendation and leave it at that.
Back Pages [The print version of Live! Music Review began in 1993, well into the CD era. Our last issue was in 2000, well before the reemergence of vinyl as a popular format. As a vinyl enthusiast, I wish there had been some vinyl reviews to post here. But it is what it is. Led Zeppelin is the most bootlegged band in history, and it seems, especially in Japan, not a newly discovered source tape was overlooked. We tried to cover them all. I’m sure we missed a few. Here is a small sample of Zep reviews that appeared in the April 1999 L!MR, an issue which covered 27 new Zep & Zep-related bootlegs over a one month period. Now available on the Internet for the first time.]
Led Zeppelin: Rare Short Party (Image Quality IQ 003-004)
Venue: Yale Bowl, New Haven, CT 8/15/70
Sound Quality: Awful – lots of hiss, but you can hear Page’s guitar clearly. There are numerous cuts and the taper and his buddy just won’t shut up. It gets better as you go along, but playing this one is akin to scraping fingernails on a blackboard.
Cover: Typical low budget packaging from Image Quality. “Fat boy” double jewel case with inlay cards and no booklet.
Tracklist: (Disc 1) Immigrant Song/ Heartbreaker/ Dazed & Confused/ Bring It On Home/ Since I’ve Been Loving You (Disc 2) What Is & What Should Never Be/ Moby Dick/ Whole Lotta Love medley/ Communication Breakdown> Good Times, Bad Times
Comments: The pathetic quality of this recording prevents any enjoyment of what sounds like a pretty exciting concert. The Image Quality discs that we received for review have all been regular silver CDs and not CD-Rs. So while we have had some readers writing to say that all Image Quality releases are CD-Rs, it just ain’t so. But whether it’s on silver, or blue or green or gold disc, Rare Short Party is still a dog.
Led Zeppelin: Fillmore 69 Definitive Remastered Edition (House of Elrod)
Venue: Fillmore West, San Francisco, Cab 4/24/69. The final track is from the Boston Tea Party 1/26/69
Sound Quality: Mind blowing! Even the Boston Tea Party material is better than you’ve ever heard it before.
Cover: Fabulous laminated gatefold cardboard cover with blimp flying over the Golden Gate Bridge in brownish duotone coloring scheme.
Tracklist: As Long As I Have You/ You Can’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover/ Killing Floor/ White Summer/ Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You/ Pat’s Delight/ How Many More Times medley
Comments: Despite the fact that this material has appeared on bootleg CDs previously, this has to be the best Zep disc to come down the pike in eons. The upgrade in sound quality for both shows is a major one, a jaw-dropping adventure to be sure. The only question I have is, “where is the rest of Boston in this quality?” Killer disc. Hands down, pick of the month.
Led Zeppelin: C’mon Everbody (House of Elrod)
Venue: disc one and disc two tracks 1-3 are from the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on 11/6/69, disc two track 4-8 are from the Teen Club, Gladsaxe, Denmark 3/15/69 [2020 edit: as mentioned in vinyl review above, prime material for pairing with Stockholm for a vinyl release], disc two 9-11 are from Glensaxe, Denmark TV-Byen 3/17/69. The cover erroneously listed disc two 4-11 as Danish TV Studios 3/13/69.
Sound Quality: Outstanding audience recording, lots of bite with an occasional glitch. This show has never been available in this quality before. The Danish stuff are the usual sources, a good audience tape from the 15th and an outstandinfg TV studio recording from the 17th [2020 edit: the 17th received an official release in 2003].
Cover: Laminated 4-panel insert and two-sided tray card. Very nice layout. The CD-R discs are silk-screened.
Tracklist: (disc 1) Communication Breakdown/ I Can’t Quit You, Babe/ Heartbreaker/ Dazed & Confused/ White Summer> Black Mountainside/ What Is and What Should Never Be/ Moby Dick (disc 2) How Many More Times/ C’mon Everybody/ Something Else/ Train Kept A Rollin’/ I Can’t Quit You, Babe/ As Long As I Have You/ You Shook Me/ Communication Breakdown/ Dazed & Confused/ Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You/ How Many More Times
Comments: A stunning document for fans of Page’s most aggressive Marshall boogie. The Good Times Bad Times” intro to “Communication Breakdown” started on the Fall UK tour and is most commonly found on the Lyceum shows, both which come nowhere close to the quality found on this disc. This was the start of a Zep tradition where Page would play a tease from one song to introduce another. The Eddie Cochran encores are a rare treat and most commonly found on BBC recordings and the Japanese 1971 tour. A winner!
[Some classic tape reviews by Keith A. Gordon and Tom Fisher (RIP) from the archives of Live! Music Review. Available on the Internet for the first time.}
ARTIST: R.E.M.
VENUE: Ripley's, Philadelphia PA; 07/20/83
SOURCE: 90 minute audience, very good sound with a few low spots
TRACKLIST: Wolves, Lower /Moral Kiosk /Laughing /Pilgrimage /7 Chinese Brothers /Talk About The Passion /Sitting Still /Harborcoat /Catapult /Pretty Persuasion /Gardening At Night /9-9 /Wind Out /Just A Touch /West Of The Fields /Radio Free Europe /White Tornado /Time After Time /We Walk /8 Miles High /Roadrunner /1,000,000 /Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) /Skank
COMMENTS: At one time, R.E.M. practically made Nashville their second home. Years in advance of their success as the world's best-selling "alternative rock" band they played at funky area clubs like Cantrell's and crashed on the living room floor of Jason & The Nashville Scorchers' manager Jack Emerson's house. Talking to them then (hey Mikey, remember the Reverend?) they never thought that this rock & roll thing they were doing would last, a feeling that carried on well into mid-decade (how 'bout it Peter? I'm still waiting on tickets to that show!). All of which, by way of illustration and blatant name-dropping, is to show that the very things that made R.E.M. one of the most commercially-successful bands of the '90s also helped make them one of the great rock bands of the '80s. They didn't take themselves too seriously.
As shown by this Philadelphia performance from 1983, early R.E.M. were, at heart, a sloppy garage band playing for the hell of it rather than aiming for any sort of fame and fortune. In '83 they were still of the mind that any show could be their last and the fact that they had an album, Murmer, on the streets was still a big thrill. Although they've been known to cross over the line through the years into self-indulgent pretension, the material offered here from their first album and ground-breaking EP Chronic Town is enigmatic and oblique rather than obnoxious. Songs like "Wolves, Lower," "Talk About The Passion," "Gardening At Night" and "Radio Free Europe" were not only to become standards for the band during the decade but also became touchstones, of sorts, for alternative rock as a whole.
This show's setlist draws heavily from Murmur, which should come as no surprise, with a smattering of songs from their original EP and three new songs that would later be recorded for Reckoning, their second album: "7 Chinese Brothers," "Pretty Persuasion" and "Time After Time." It's a rather animated performance, the band playing loose and hard with singer Stipe showing a bit of fire in his vocals (and not slurring them as badly as usual, another R.E.M. trademark). A couple of well-placed covers are offered, with the Byrds' "Eight Miles High" provided the R.E.M. treatment while the classic "Roadrunner" is delivered up in tried-and-true garage band style. As the decade would wear on, with many of R.E.M.'s alt-rock contemporaries falling by the wayside, the band would become more polished and professional, avail themselves of Warner Brothers' massive publicity machine and would become a monster success. At this time, however, every night was still exciting, still unpredictable, still magic. (Rev. Keith A. Gordon)
TRACKLIST: Love Me Like A Man /I Ain't Blue /Midway /Hold On /Really Know How /Up The Country Blues /Louise /Viva El Salvador /Women Be Wise /Ain't Goin' Down That Big Road /Mississippi Road/ River Of Tears /Kokomo Medley /Party Doll /Angel From Montgomery /I Was Born In The Country/ Sweet And Shiny Eyes / Man Sized Job
COMMENTS: Bonnie Raitt has had a long career. For the longest time, she was a cult artist. When she finally broke through to the mainstream, I thought her music changed and I lost interest. Throughout her career, she has taken opportunities to perform solo, or with one other person accompanying her. That particular format has always been my favorite way to hear her. She takes a much blusier approach to the material, the material chosen is blusier, and her playing is magnificent. This particular show is one of my all-time favorite tapes by any artist. Her song selection is wonderful, the playing superb, and the approach heartfelt. I have never heard Bonnie in finer form. Bonnie is an entertainer, as well. There is plenty of
in-between song banter that definitely connects her with the audience and, in this case, the listener. The soundboard recording is outstanding. A remarkable show to capture in such clarity. This is a must have tape for any musical collection, regardless of your taste.
"Love Me Like A Man" opens the show with a good blues shuffle and great guitar pickin' – Bonnie is in good voice. Reaching back to 1971, "I Ain't Blue" is given a very soulful interpretation. Joni Mitchell's "Midway" is treated with the same respect. In this setting, Joe Tex's "Hold On" is a perfect fit. For the next couple of tunes, Bonnie pays her respects to Sippie Wallace, as she will throughout the evening. Steve Goodman's "Louise" is incredible. "Viva El Salvador" is full of the sound and fury that created it. The guitar work on "Women Be Wise" is amazing. And if you want superior slide work, listen to "River Of Tears." Dedicated to Lowell George, it is exceptionally mournful. And then she flat gets sown on the "Kokomo Medley." But don't forget to rock, and she doesn't on "Party Doll," she rocks it out. John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery" is a wonderful song, and Bonnie does an exquisite version. Bonnie even manages to work in a little angst with "Born In The Country." Just an absolutely fantastic show. (Tom Fisher)
ARTIST: Neville Brothers
VENUE: Mill City Festival, Minneapolis MN, 9/2/96
SOURCE: 75 minute digital audience: performance (8), quality (7)
TRACKLIST: Fiyo On The Bayou/ Daylight Will Come/ I Love You Baby/ Drift Away/ Don't Take Away My Heaven/ Instrumental/ She's A Lady/ Ain't No Sunshine/ Fire on the Mountain/ Rock N Roll Is the Child of Rhythm & Blues/ Come Together/ Amazing Grace/ One Love
COMMENTS: Sometimes you just have to get funky. What better band to do that with than the Neville Brothers, one of the funkiest bands around. Combine all the various musical influences swirling in New Orleans, throw in a dollop of hippie sentimentality, a handful of sermonizing, all supported by sheer joy and passion and you have a revival. And if you are open-minded, the Nevilles will revive your faith in the power of music. So what was the problem with this show? Nothing! It was a great show. The problem lies in the quality of the tape. The taper must have had a problem with a connection, because there is a crackling sound that surfaces often enough to become a distraction. This is unfortunate, as without this problem this could have been a strong audience tape. But it still would have been an audience tape as the audience is definitely a presence on the tape.
The Neville Brothers don't disappoint. "Fiyo" is an extremely funky way to start the show and set the evening. Aaron Neville, what a voice he has. He steps to the mike for "Drift Away," a great song, and Aaron gives it an inspired rendition. Give in to the music and you will be transported. If you were at the show with a date, "She's a Lady" is definitely a song for cuddling. Mix Aaron's angelic voice with a down and dirty funk and what you get is "Ain't No Sunshine." A heartfelt rendition of "Fire On The Mountain" is dedicated to Jerry Garcia and fits in well with the repertoire. They keep enough of the Dead feel mixed with their funk to make a very strong cover. "Rock N Roll Is The Child Of Rhythm & Blues" proves it point. It is one of the funkiest rock & roll songs you'll ever want to hear. A very strong cover of the Beatles' "Come Together" introduces the sermon. The Neville Brothers don't want to just entertain you, they also want to uplift you. As usual, an incredible version of "Amazing Grace," sung by Aaron, is the communion of the sermon while "One Love," an incredible close to the show, is the message. (Tom Fisher)
ARTIST: Richard Thompson
VENUE: Guthrie Tht., Mpls, MN 2/18/91
SOURCE: 90 minute digital soundboard
SOUND QUALITY: Excellent
TRACKLIST: Misunderstood/ 1952 Vincent Black Lightning/ Shoot Out The Lights/ Turning of the Tide/ God Loves a Drunk/ Two Left Feet/ The Pharaoh/ The Days of Our Lives/ Jerusalem on the Jukebox/ She Moves Through The Fair/ Now That I’m Dead/ I Feel So Good/ Al Bowley’s In Heaven/ Wall of Death/ When the Spell Is Broken/ Waltzing’s For Dreamers/ Valerie
COMMENTS: What do you get if you cross a guitarist with a great songwriter? If you filter through a darker perspective, you get Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention, Richard & Linda Thompson, and solo).
This particular show was a solo performance. He is in fine form, just Richard and acoustic guitar. He has a rich catalog of material to draw upon, and every song in this show is solid. With his dry British wit, he develops a wonderful rapport with the audience. The tape is from a soundboard recording and is of superior quality.
“I Misunderstood” opens the show in fine style. The song is full of the pathos and anguish of the dissolution of a relationship. A narrative story, “”1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” is about a flowering romance that blossoms in death. The classic “Shoot Out The Lights” brings a strong guitar performance that accentuates the dark lyrics. “God Loves a Drunk” shows Richard has a sense of humor, albeit black humor. “Two Left Feet” continues the satirical vein and is a rollicking number. “The Days of Our Lives” is a song that consists of nothing but soap opera titles. “Jerusalem on the Jukebox” has a beat and you can dance to it. “She Moves Through the Fair” revisits the Fairport Convention days and traditional music. “Now That I’m Dead” is a much different view of the music business than the RIAA would have you believe, and it’s funny. It is amazing how much Thompson can rock with just an acoustic guitar, but “I Feel so Good” continues to prove that. Close your eyes and you can fall under the hypnotic spell of “When the Spell is Broken.” And to send you home exhausted, Richard rocks out “Valerie.” There is quite a bit of Richard Thompson in circulation, both on CD and tape – out there to be found and enjoyed. Go for it. (Tom Fisher)
With the industry’s newfound focus on archival releases, European loopholes in broadcast recordings, and label consolidation, you need a scorecard to keep track of what is an authorized release by the artists and what is not. Take for example, The Rolling Stones’ Steel Wheels Live (reviewed by Keith A. Gordon below). It appears on the Eagle Rock label, not a label fans of Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out, Love You Live, or numerous other Stones live albums would recognize. Gordon explains, “Eagle Rock was formed back in the ‘90s. They started out with video releases, expanded into audio, and have lately moved into film production. [As of 2014] they are owned by Universal Music Group, the Stones distributor.” It is listed in the Wikipedia Rolling Stones discography, not under live albums, but under “official bootlegs.”
What, pray-tell, is an “official bootleg?” I suppose we have Bob Dylan to thank for that term. When he began his “Official Bootleg Series” the legendary Scorpio bootleg label responded with it’s own Genuine Bootleg Series. It was a deserved spoof of Dylan and Sony Records There is nothing “bootleg” about something that is authorized by the artist, is sourced from the artist’s own masters, manufactured legally by their parent company, and distributed thusly. For an industry that fought heavily, often with questionable propaganda (no, not all bootlegs sounded like they were recorded from the parking lot, in fact very few did) they sure embraced the term when it became profitable. Neil Young uses the correct term, Archive Series, for many of his live releases. Score one for Neil.
There is another group of live releases the so-called “Beat the Boots” releases. These are sanctioned releases, but don’t resemble master recordings or anything close. The only connection to the original recordings is that they are put out by the intellectual property holder using previously circulated bootlegs, be they record, CD, or tape. I suppose we can blame Frank Zappa (who, at least, used respectable sources for his “beat the boots” releases) and Robert Fripp (who put out some absolute shit in a similar campaign) for this idea. Their 21st century equivalent is Jerry Shirley, an original member of Humble Pie, who still owns the HP trademark. So when Shirley began issuing multiple disc “box sets” 3 years ago, should we have expected any better? The releases, 4 sets of 3-5 discs so far, with skimpy packaging (clam shell CD-sized box with lousy graphics) called, naturally, Official Bootleg Vol. (1-4), they are simply downloads from the Internet with little or no mastering to improve the sound. He does offer them at incredibly cheap prices, but jeez. He could have at least hired a competent artist to do the cover. William Stout comes to mind.
Then there is what I’ll call protection gap 2.0. Operators in this field avoid the term “bootleg” like the plague. They are officially registered companies in Europe and use court interpretations of copyright law to legally manufacture unauthorized (by the artists) vinyl and CDs of broadcast recordings. These should never be considered sanctioned releases, only legal ones. What is legal? We’ll leave it to the legal staffs of these companies to bash out any challenges in the European courts that may occur. What we have noticed is that there is a rather large time span in how legality is determined. There seems to be an all-encompassing “public domain” entry determined by the language in the Rome Convention for public broadcasts. But beyond that, there also seems to be an unwillingness of the European courts to grandfather in intellectual property language that was instituted in the GATT agreement and he WTO. Thus, if an artist was considered “unprotected” in 1995 and 1996, their broadcast recordings are unprotected now. This applies mostly to American artists (the U.S. did not sign off on the Rome Treaty because U.S. record labels objected to “moral rights” clauses given to artists – See Clinton Heylin’s The Rise and Fall of the Secret Recording Industry for details). I haven’t seen any broadcast recordings coming from these companies that date beyond 1994. These releases do not meet any such legal protection in the United States. An Amazon Prime search usually results in a message reading, “not eligible for Amazon Prime. May be available from other Amazon vendors.” Amazon Prime is the warehouse direct shipping unit of the organization. In other words, Amazon doesn’t stock them in the U.S. but it has no objection if associat vendors do. Meanwhile, the European Amazon Prime website DOES keep them in stock. Amazon makes no moral judgements, but protects itself legally. Although the radio and tv sources for these issues make for some good to excellent sounding albums, they are rarely, if ever, from master tape sources. Don’t expect perfection.
The United States is the largest entertainment market in the world and not one to be ignored by European manufacturers. In March 1997, the largest bootleg bust in history occurred in Orlando, FL when European manufacturers were lured to the States to collect money from mass shipments of protection gap CDs. Nowadays, there is no such need to send large quantities into the States. They just do direct marketing through the Internet.
The final group of archival live and outtake recordings come from traditional sources – actual bootleg manufacturers. These sources aren’t concerned with copyright law. Often headed by actual fans, they unearth valuable uncirculated tapes not found on Internet downloads or in general circulation. They are at the greatest risk from law enforcement, but also the group the New York Times called “heroes of culture” in an early ‘90s article.
We’ll be covering all types of live recordings in the online edition of Live! Music Review, but only those which have received authorization from the actual artists will appear in Officially Speaking.
[Bill Glahn]
Steel Wheels Live (Eagle Rock/UMe)
VENUE: Atlantic City Convention Center; Atlantic City NJ; December 1989
SOUND QUALITY: Very good soundboard recording, in spite of what some Internet naysayers might claim otherwise. Given its vintage, it’s not an excellent-sounding document of the performance, but it stands several levels above previously-released bootleg copies, and much better than many of the dodgy “copyright gap” CDs released by fly-by-night European labels. Then again, if you’re a Stones fan, it’s not going to matter – you’ll buy Steel Wheels Live regardless.
COVER: Steel Wheels Live has been released in several formats, including multi-disc versions and a four-LP version available in both black or colored vinyl. I’m reviewing the basic two-CD/Blu-ray version that I bought, which is also available with a standard DVD instead of the Blue-ray disc. The packaging for this version is unspectacular but functional, with a multi-panel fold out to hold the three discs and a sixteen-page booklet with lots of color photos and liner notes by Rolling Stone magazine scribe Anthony DeCurtis.
TRACKLIST: Disc One
Intro/ Start Me Up/ Bitch/ Sad Sad Sad/ Undercover of the Night/ Harlem Shuffle/ Tumbling Dice/ Miss You/ Terrifying/ Ruby Tuesday/ Salt of the Earth/ Rock and A Hard Place/ Mixed Emotions/ Honky Tonk Women/ Midnight Rambler
Disc Two
You Can’t Always Get What You Want/ Little Red Rooster/ Boogie Chillen/ Can’t Be Seen/ Happy / Paint It Black/ 2000 Light Years From Home/ Sympathy For the Devil/ Gimme Shelter/ It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)/ Brown Sugar/ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction/ Jumpin’ Jack Flash
COMMENTS:
After better than 20 years in the trenches, the Rolling Stones splintered in the ‘80s. Whereas the band had released a half-dozen albums during the decade of the ‘70s, including classics like 1971’s Sticky Fingers, the following year’s Exile On Main Street, and 1978’s Some Girls, the Stones’ five 1980s-era albums, while largely commercially-successful, found the band members frequently at odds with each other to the point where they were seldom in the studio together to record 1986’s Dirty Work. With Mick Jagger releasing his solo debut album, She’s the Boss, in 1985 and following it up two years later with Primitive Cool, and with Keith Richards releasing his solo album, Talk Is Cheap, in 1988 it seemed that the band had fractured beyond repair. Jagger refused to tour in support of Dirty Work but, somehow, he and Richards reconciled and would reboot the band with the 1989 “comeback” album Steel Wheels, which would be supported by a lengthy international tour.
The North American leg of the Stones’ Steel Wheels tour kicked off in August 1989 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and closed out with three shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey in December. The tour picked back up in January 1990 in Tokyo, Japan and, renamed as the “Urban Jungle Tour,” would sojourn across Europe through August 1990, resulting in a total of 115 shows grossing $175 million. It would be the Stones’ longest-running and most financially-successful tour, with twice as many dates as previous tour. Opening acts for the tour included Living Colour, Guns N’ Roses, Gun, and the Dan Reed Network. It would also represent the last hurrah for original bandmember Bill Wyman, who retired from the Stones to pursue his solo career. The recently-released Steel Wheels Live documents one of the Atlantic City shows with two CDs chock full of music.
A gratuitous intro with lots of crowd noise and cheering opens up the first disc, quickly launching into a raucous performance of “Start Me Up,” the band’s Top Ten hit single from Tattoo You eight years previous. Why they kicked off the show with what was then an antique hit only Mick and Keef know, but it probably has to do with the song’s undeniably upbeat rawk ‘n’ roll tempo. The equally-rowdy “Bitch,” from Sticky Fingers follows, before rolling nicely into the first cut from Steel Wheels, the throwback rocker “Sad Sad Sad,” which evinces more of a ‘60s rock vibe than its predecessors and includes a nice Bobby Keys sax solo. A couple more “blasts from the past” follow, with perfectly-fine renditions of “Undercover of the Night” (from 1983’s Undercover) and “Harlem Shuffle” (1986’s Dirty Work) leading to a greasy, gritty reading of Exile On Main Street’s “Tumbling Dice” complete with gospel-styled backing vocals.
One of the odder guest appearances on Steel Wheels Live is from Axel Rose and Izzy Stradlin of Guns N’ Roses, who sit in on a rambling take of “Salt of the Earth.” They don’t exactly capture the original Beggars Banquet vibe, Rose’s vocals (dueling with Jagger) unable to capture the song’s nuance. Luckily, a pair of songs from Steel Wheels – the album’s two hit singles, actually – follow this middlin’ performance, “Rock and A Hard Place” an unbridled rocker with a locomotive rhythm and “Mixed Emotions” an unremarkable, mid-tempo tune with a catchy, radio-ready chorus that would drive the song to #5 on the Billboard Top 100 chart. The first disc closes out with a couple of Stones chestnuts, electrifying live faves “Honky Tonk Women” (funky fatback rawk) and “Midnight Rambler” (bluesy serial killer theme song). Disc two cranks off with the band’s 1960s vintage gem “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” a funny lyrical sentiment considering the Stones’ pop culture status circa 1989 (hadn’t Mick already gotten everything that he wanted?).
Still, the song’s a crowd-pleaser, and the Atlantic City audience sings along with Mick on the chorus and everybody’s happy as clams. British rock legend Eric Clapton then joins the band to play a little blooze, the crew tackling the great Howlin’ Wolf’s “Little Red Rooster” with no little aplomb. Clapton’s deft fretwork backs Mick’s growling vocals while keyboardist Chuck Leavell embroiders the performance with some subtle honky-tonk piano. Clapton sticks around while Mick introduces legendary blues giant John Lee Hooker, who takes the microphone for a sizzling take on his 1948 hit “Boogie Chillen.” With the band choogling full-stop behind him, and Clapton’s guitar shimmering with excitement playing behind the master, Hooker delivers the album’s marquee performance. As an aside, ‘The Hook’ launched his own career revival in 1989 with the release of his Grammy™ Award-winning album The Healer.
This auspicious beginning to disc two (half-way through the concert, for those keeping score at home) is let down a little by the Steel Wheels track “Can’t Be Seen,” a nice enough song that suffers from Keith Richards’ insufferable and uneven vocals. Getting back on track, dynamic performances of Exile’s “Happy” (with a much better vox by Keef) and the ‘60s-era classic “Paint It Black” open the door to the concert’s final act, which plays like a Stones’ greatest hits LP with tried-and-true readings of bona fide treasures like “Sympathy For the Devil,” “Gimme Shelter,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and the show-closing “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” all of which stomp ‘n’ stammer their way to the show’s conclusion but never get tired no matter how many millions of times the band has performed them. One of the highlights of this stretch of songs is Mick’s strutting performance of “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It),” from the 1972 album of the same name. Keef’s Chuck Berry licks are in heavy rotation here, along with Leavell’s reckless piano-pounding and some nice Ron Wood git pickin’.
The Atlantic City performance from which Steel Wheels Live is derived has seen a lot of life previously on bootleg CDs and vinyl, including Atlantic City ’89 from The Swinging Pig as well as releases by Crystal Cat, Woodstock Tapes, and Star Records, among nearly-two dozen such albums. A lot of this is due to the concert being broadcast as a pay-per-view TV special back in the day, resulting in a lot of illicit copies floating around in collectors’ circles. Even the Stones got in on the game, including a handful of Atlantic City tracks on their 1991 Flashpoint album, a live disc they tossed off to finish up their Sony Music contract. It’s nice to see a complete show on CD and DVD, though, and for the hardcore Stones faithful, a welcome document of a band while, not at their peak, could still rock the house! Grade: B+ (Rev. Keith A. Gordon)
Humble Pie: The Official Bootleg Box Volume 2
Tracklist: (disc 1, Academy of Music, NYC December 3, 1971) Four Day Creep/ C’mon Everybody/ The Fixer/ I Wonder/ Sweet Peace And Time/ Hallelujah I Love Her So/ Rollin’ Stone/ I Don’t Need No Doctor
(disc 2, Boston Music Hall, March 16, 1972) inro-Four Day Creep/ C’mon Everybody/ The Fixer/ I Wonder/ Hallelujah I Love Her So/ Sweet Peace and Time/ Rollin’ Stone/ I Don’t Need No Doctor/ I’m a Roadrunner
(disc 3, Philadelphia, PA March 15, 1975) Four Day Creep/ Stone Cold Fever/ C’mon Everybody/ I Don’t Need No Doctor (Midnight Special, London, UK November 30, 1973) Oh La De Da/ I Don’t Need No Doctor/ 30 Days In A Hole
(disc 4, Private’s Club, NYC, NY March 25, 1981) I Don’t Need No Doctor/ Infatuation/ All Shook Up/ Drum solo/ 30 Days In A Hole-Walk On Guilded Splinters/ Tin Soldier/ Fool For A Pretty Face/ Route 66-Tulsa Time-Be Bop A Lula
(disc 5, Country Club, Reseda, Ca May 17, 1981) I Don’t Need No Doctor/ Infatuation/ 30 Days In A Hole/ Tin Soldier/ Fool For A Pretty Face/ Route 66/ Be Bop A Lula/ Tulsa Time
Comments: In 2017 Jerry Shirley, who still owns the Humble Pie trademark, decided it was time to cash in on some archival recordings. He also made the rather dodgy decision in 2018 to send out a band under the Humble Pie moniker that contained no Humble Pie members – not even himself. Anyway, this is a five CD set that consists of previously circulated bootlegs – a mix of audience and broadcast recordings with little (or no) 21st century embellishments in sound quality. Here’s the good news. Covering both the Clem Clemson period (late ’71 thru 1975) and the much underrated On To Victory reunion tour (1981), there’s plenty here to excite the hardcore fan and more casual fan alike. And at a price (around $25) that is easy on the wallet. The performances are outstanding and the sound quality, especially on the ‘81 shows, is adequate. It’s great to have these shows back in circulation. And at a price equivalent to a single disc bootleg.
Rating: C
[Bill Glahn]
[It is my intention to add a new element to Officially Speaking, overlooked classics. These are releases that entered the market years ago, but escaped the public’s attention for one reason or another.]
Steve Marriott and the Official Receivers (New Millennium Communications, Pilot 23, 1999 UK import)
Tracklist: Disc One (live) intro - Watcha Gonna Do About It/ Don’t Lie To Me/ Mother-In-Law/ All Or Nothing/ Knocking On Your Door/ My Girl/ Fool For A Pretty Face/ Five Long Years/ Shame Shame Shame/ Big Train/ I Don’t Need No Doctor/ Tin Soldier/ Slowdown
Disc Two (studio): Law of the Jungle/ Oh Well/ I Need A Love/ Lonely No More/ I Never Loved A Woman/ Stay With Me Baby/ I Just Wanna Make Love To You/ Ain’t You Glad (New York Can’t Talk)/ Shakin’ All Over/ Toe Rag/ (live bonus track, the DT’s in Cologne, Germany) Watch Your Step/ Let’s Work Together
Artwork: Slimline double jewel case with 12-page booklet containing brief, but informative, liner notes and previously unpublished photos.
Comments 21 years ago deep vault specialists, New Millennium Communications, licensed this set from the Steve Marriott estate and overseen by his widow, Toni Marriott. Marriott fans are well acquainted with his various bands, The Small Faces, Humble Pie, and the post-Pie, club hopping, Packet of Three. But prior to this release there had never been an album to appear under the moniker “The Official Receivers.” So where, in the scheme of Marriott’s storied career did this band fall?
Steve Marriott is arguably the greatest soul shouter and hardest rocking singer England ever produced. Certainly, despite a history of alcohol and cocaine abuse, his voice remained the most durable. After 5 years of non-stop touring with the power trio, Packet of Three, Marriott yearned to get back to a less guitar-centric style of music. He was looking for a band that had a big keyboard sound, horns when necessary, and some space to put down his guitar to showcase his overlooked harp playing. In essence, a Small Faces style unit as opposed to one reminiscent of Humble Pie (which Packet of Three closely resembled).
In 1987 he put together The Official Receivers which kept Jim Leverton from Packet of Three (bass), added Mick Weaver on keyboards, Richard Newman on drums and unaccredited horns for some studio recordings. Label behemoth, EMI Records, liked what they heard and made an offer. One problem. EMI was offering a solo deal. Marriott, looking at the band as a long-term project (Packet of Three had a revolving door of drummers) insisted on a band deal. EMI balked. Marriott walked. And the band hit the road playing over 200 dates in a single year. No other offers were forthcoming. After a year, the group disbanded.
Steve Marriott and the Official Receivers offers up a live disc culled from a Capitol Radio broadcast and various other soundboard recordings. It’s a mighty set.
While the first track, “Watcha Gonna Do About It,” is more reminiscent of the Small Faces version than the Packet of Three’s. The volume is turned down a notch, but certainly not two. It’s not until the second song, a take on the Rolling Stones “Don’t Lie To Me,” that you get the full scope of Marriott’s vision, when Weaver’s big Hammond sound enters the fray.
Only two Humble Pie staples make the cut – On To Victory’s “Fool For A Pretty Face (The Pie’s last great song?) and Rockin’ The Fillmore’s “I Don’t Need No Doctor.” Surprise song choices abound including a certifiably great rendition of the Temptation’s “My Girl,”, Ernie K-Doe’s “Mother-In-Law,” and Jimmy Reed’s “Shame Shame Shame.” Mixed between are a few Small Faces numbers and recognizable tracks from Packet of Three sets, performed with more grace and less bombast.
Disc two is a mixed bag, made up of demos and unfinished takes. Marriott pulls from a variety of sources including his British Blues contemporaries. Chris Youldon-era Savoy Brown’s “Stay With Me Baby” is magnificent. Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” is far from it. With it’s electronic drum track, Johnny Kidd & the Pirate’s “Shaken All Over” is a disgrace, probably meant as nothing more than an exploratory mission. Marriott is much, MUCH better than this on early rockers. Harken back to “C’mon Everybody” from Smokin’.No way this should ever have left the vaults. “Toe Rag” is a fun little country ditty that reminds one that Marriott knows how to cook up a respectable acoustic tune when he’s in the mood. For example “Theme From Skint” on Humble Pie’s first U.S. album.
Most of the rest are Marriott originals that are far more finished than the rest of what appears here -–strong r&b accents with a blues lick and some horns when needed.
Disc two closes out with two unnecessary bonus tracks, live versions of “Watch Your Step” and “Let’s Work Together.” These were not with The Official Receivers, but rather with a pub band called the D.T.s a year later. The sound is muddy, possibly audience. “Let’s Work Together” rocks. “Watch Your Step” is sloppy. Their inclusion is puzzling, even as bonus tracks.
In 2005 Wapping Warf Records finally released the complete “Official Receivers” album with a second disc of rare tracks, under the title Rainy Changes. A year later they released a 2-CD set, self-titled like the New Millennium set. This time with 2 remastered concerts with additional songs.
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