Lynyrd Skynyrd - Winterland, San Francisco 1975

This is Lynyrd Skynyrd live at the Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, California on the 27th April 1975.

From 1973 through to the tragic air crash in October 1977 that decimated the band, Lynyrd Skynyrd were one of the most popular live acts in rock'n'roll history.

A couple of points of interest for fans and trivia addicts, Billy Powell was absent from this show, so the band had to find a substitute for his piano part in Call Me The Breeze. Notably Sweet Home Alabama also sounds a little different as a result. Lee Freeman, who had played with Ed King in Strawberry Alarm Clock and would later play on Gimme Back My Bullets, blows the harp. An early incarnation of Lynyrd Skynrd supported Strawberry Alarm Clock back in 1968 on some East Coast tour dates.

Source: Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps.

Genre: Southern rock, blues-rock, country rock.

Set: Full set.

Set List:

01 Whiskey Rock a Roller - I Ain't the One
02 The Needle and the Spoon
03 I'm A Country Boy
04 Gimmie Three Steps
05 Don't Ask Me No Questions
06 Saturday Night Special
07 Railroad Song
08 Call Me the Breeze
09 Sweet Home Alabama
10 On the Hunt
11 Freebird

Links: Official site HERE. Excellent history Site HERE.

Comments:

The Winterland Ballroom, often referred to as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland, was an old ice skating rink and 5,400 seat music venue in San Francisco, California. Located at the corner of Post Street and Steiner Street, it was converted to exclusive use as a music venue in 1971 by rock promoter Bill Graham. After closing his New York City venue known as the Fillmore East in 1971, he began to hold regular weekend shows at Winterland.

Lynyrd Skynyrd joined a veritable 'whose who' of rock history by performing at the venue with the likes of bands such as Cream through to The Sex Pistols, or The Doors through to Pink Floyd and many, many more 'top class' acts having played there until it's closure in 1978.

Reloaded - 29/May/2015 - download link in comments. 

Buy: Mp3's at Amazon.co.uk - Lynyrd Skynyrd

The Alan Parsons Project - Tokyo 1997.

This is The Alan Parsons Project live at The International Forum, Tokyo, Japan, on the 4th October 1997. This concert was part of the Japanese leg of the 'On Air' tour.

This comes from a two CD recording and is credited as sourced from the soundboard. Having listened to the recording (which by the way is an absolute must for any fan, or an excellent introduction to the band) the audience seems a little close and high in the mix between songs, which often suggests an audience recording. However the quality of the music and stereo mixing suggests soundboard. So I am not sure about this one, that said though, it is a great recording of a very good show.

Source: Soundboard (see above).

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@192kbps

Genre: Soft, Pop, & Prog rock.

Set: Full set.

Set List:

1. Sirius/Eye In The Sky
2. I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You
3. Can’t Take It With You
4. Old And Wise
5. Money Talks/La Sagrada Familia
6. Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)
7. Prime Time
8. Limelight
9. Time
10. Turn It Up
11. Standing On Higher Ground
12. Blue Blue Sky II
13. I Can’t Look Down
14. So Far Away
15. Fall Free
16. Cloudbreak
17. Brother Up In Heaven
18. (The System Of) Dr. Tarr & Pr. Fether
19. Psychobabble
20. Don’t Answer Me
21. Band Intro/You’re Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned
22. Games People Play

Band Line Up:

Alan Parsons - Guitar, Keyboards,Vocals & Percussion
Stuart Elliott - Drums
Ian Bairnson - Guitars & Sax
John Giblin - Bass
Peter Beckett - Vocals & Keyboards
John Beck - Keyboards
Neil Lockwood - Vocals & Guitar


Links: Alan Parson's official site HERE. Alan Parsons Project site HERE.

Comments:

From the Alan Parsons Project website, regarding how the band got it's name. - In 1974 Alan Parsons was nominated for a Grammy award to recognise his engineering work on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Soon after that he and Eric Woolfson got together with Eric acting as Alan's manager for his engineering and production work. After a string of hits, Eric had the idea of making an album on the lines of developments in the film business, where directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick were the focal point of the film's promotion, rather than individual film stars. If the film business was becoming a director's medium, Eric felt the music business might well become a producer's medium. As a songwriter, he had been developing an album inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe and he now saw a way to combine Alan's and his respective talents: Alan as the engineer and producer, Eric as the songwriter and musician.

Eric put a proposal to 20th Century Records (now Universal) along these lines. He gave it a working title of 'The Alan Parsons Project' and the record company went for the idea. They decided that they liked the proposal and the working title and so it stuck - The Alan Parsons Project was born.

Bearing in mind Alan's known association in the business with Pink Floyd and The Beatles plus the fact that Eric was also the manager of The Project, Eric felt it was better to use Alan's name as the figurehead.

Reloaded 21/June/2015 - link in comments.

Beehive Recommends - Keb Mo

Keb Mo is a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose musical origins are firmly linked to the Delta blues.

His Grammy awards and nominations are testimony to his outstanding talent. Keb has a distinctive sound and yet embraces pop, rock, folk and jazz within his craft.

Having said all of that, his natural blues stripped down to just guitar and vocals is both refreshing and moving.

His new contemporary blues album is quite appropriately named Live & Mo. It features six awesome live performances from notable moments on the road, and four brand new studio recordings, including the anthemic song A Brand New America, a band version of the inspirational Victims of Comfort, the funky sound of Government Cheese, and the back-porch rhythm and blues of Hole in the Bucket. If you already know the mood and style past releases Keb’Mo, you’ll dig “Live & Mo”.

Listen:
'Am I Wrong'



MP3: Am I Wrong.
Website: Official Site.
Buy: Keb' Mo'

Otis Redding - Los Angeles 1966

This is Otis Redding live at the Whiskey A Go Go on Sunset Strip Los Angeles, California, USA back in the spring of 1966.

There have been two official releases of Otis Redding performing live at the venue in 1966. The first was titled 'In Person' and released back in 1968 (Atco). The second was 'Good To Me' which was released in 1993 (Stax).

Some 'Whiskey A Go Go' material also appeared on an Atlantic Records release in 1982 called 'Recorded Live - Previously Released Performances', however I understand these were included on the 1993 Stax release.

This is Otis on the 10th April 1966 from the late show at the venue.

Source: Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@192kbps

Genre: Soul.

Set: Full set.

Set List:

01 - Intro
02 - Your One and Only Man
03 - Security
04 - Good to Me
05 - Respect
06 - Ole Man Trouble
07 - I Can't Turn You Loose
08 - A Hard Day's Night
09 - These Arms of Mine
10 - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (intro then restarts)
11 - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
12 - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
13 - Outro

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments:

There is a little tape hiss on this recording but this does not distract. Classic songs such as 'Dock Of The Bay' may leave our memories of Otis as a more laid back soul singer, this live performance cuts right through that image, as Otis belts out some incredible high tempo and funky songs including covers of A Hard Days Night, and Satisfaction.

Download link in comments below or click on the picture.

Buy: Mp3's at Amazon.co.uk Otis Redding