Lucy Kaplansky - Beachland Ballroom 2006.

One reviewer of this show wrote "If you've never heard Lucy Kaplansky perform before, you're in for a treat. Her songs can be dark and brooding, uplifting and joyous, personal and revealing; always satisfying.

The recording quality here gives you the sense that you're sitting in the first few rows of the hall. Download this show, put on a good pair of headphones, and re-live an extraordinary evening with a superb singer-songwriter".

As audience recordings go this is better than some soundboard copies of shows I have heard. There are a few level issues on track one that are quickly fixed, apart from that this is a superb recording. Performing live in concert at The Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, Ohio, USA on the 10th February 2006 this is Lucy Kaplansky.

Source: Audience (Studio Projects C4's, cards, DIN, 3' right of center, 25' back, 6.5' high).

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps.

Genre: Folk, singer songwriter.

Set: Full Set.

Track List:

Set One:

01. God Will
02. Written On The Back Of His Hand
03. The Tide
04. Ten Year Night
05. Cold Missouri Waters
06. The Red Thread
07. Don't Mind Me
08. Manhattan Moon
09. I've Just Seen A Face

Set Two:

01. If I Needed You
02. Title Missing
03. Line In The Sand
04. I'm Looking Through You
05. For Once In Your Life
06. Brooklyn Train
07. Blue Chalk
08. On An Asteroid With You
09. The Heart
10. This Is Home
(encore)
11. Still Life

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments:

Lucy Kaplansky was originally from Chicago, and at the age of 18, decided not to go to college, and moved to New York City. She became involved in the city's folk music scene, particularly around Greenwich Village, where she played with, among others, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin and Richard Shindell.

In 1983, she decided to become a psychologist, enrolling in Yeshiva University. She continued playing music while doing her PhD, and began to have some success as part of a duo with Shawn Colvin. However, when they began to attract record company interest, Lucy Kaplansky declined, choosing instead to set up a private practice and become a staff psychologist at a New York hospital. For several years, she concentrated largely on her work, and played little in the way of concerts. However, she still did some session work, such as singing backing vocals in the studio for Suzanne Vega.

By the early 1990s she found herself increasingly drawn back to music. Shawn Colvin, who by this time had experienced some commercial success, offered to produce an album for her. The result, The Tide, a mixture of her own songs and several covers, was released by Red House Records in 1994. At this time, she decided to give up her psychology practice, and return to music full-time. She released four more albums before her most recent, Over The Hills, was released in 2007.

Download links (two) in comment below.

New Riders Of The Purple Sage - San Francisco 1971 (IA)

From the Internet Archive (IA) this is the New Riders Of The Purple Sage live at the Fillmore West, San Francisco, USA back on the 2nd July 1971.

The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969, and its original lineup included members of the Grateful Dead.

After a few warm up gigs throughout the Bay Area in 1969, the New Riders (for all intents and purposes John Dawson and David Nelson) began to tour in May 1970 as opening act with the Grateful Dead. This relationship continued on a regular basis until December 1971. Throughout much of 1970, the Dead would open with an acoustic set that often included John Dawson and David Nelson before segueing into the New Riders and then the electric Dead.

By the time the New Riders recorded their first album in late 1970, change was in the air. Dave Torbert, a young Bay Area musician, replaced Phil Lesh. After Mickey Hart went on sabbatical from music in early 1971, Spencer Dryden (from Jefferson Airplane) began a ten-year relationship with the group as their drummer, and eventually manager. The first album, eponymously titled, was released on Columbia Records in late 1971 and was a moderate success. Featuring all John Dawson songs, the record was driven by Jerry Garcia's inventive pedal-steel playing.

With the New Riders desiring to become more of a self-sufficient group and Jerry Garcia needing to focus on his other responsibilities, the musician parted ways with the group in November 1971. Sadly John 'Marmaduke' Dawson passed away on the 21st of July this year.

Source: FM Broadcast.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo.

Genre: Country Rock

Set: Full Set.

Track List:

0. Tuning In & Intro
1. Workingman's Blues
2. Superman
3. I Don't Know You
4. Down In The Boondocks
5. Dirty Business
6. Glendale Train
7. Portland Women
8. Henry
9. Sailin'
10. Last Lonely Eagle
11. Louisiana Lady
12. Honky Tonk Women
13. The Weight

Band Line Up:

John Dawson - rhythm guitar, vocals
David Nelson - lead guitar, vocals
David Torbert - bass, vocals
Jerry Garcia - pedal steel guitar
Spencer Dryden - drums

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments:

A few of the tracks from this date circulate (from the soundboard mix) on the official re-release of the Riders debut LP. The New Riders archivist, Rob Bleetstein, gave permission for the safe 'on-line' release of this FM version of those songs (February 2005). Click HERE for download options (mp3 & OGGVORBIS from the Internet Archive site).

Play:

Leonard Cohen - Royal Albert Hall 1988

This is Leonard Cohen live at the Royal Albert Hall, London, England back on the 30th May 1988.

The performance was recorded by the BBC (from their own soundboard) but never subsequently broadcast.

In 1987, Jennifer Warnes's tribute album Famous Blue Raincoat helped restore Leonard Cohen's career in the USA and the following year he released 'I'm Your Man', which marked a drastic change in his music. Synthesizers ruled the album and Leonard Cohen's lyrics included more social commentary and dark humour. It was Leonard Cohen's most acclaimed and popular since Songs of Leonard Cohen. "First We Take Manhattan" and the title song have become two of his most popular songs.

Source: Soundboard (BBC).

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@192kbps.

Genre: Folk, folk rock, blues.

Set: Full Set*.

Track List:

01 Dance Me To The End Of Love
02 Ain't No Cure For Love
03 Who By Fire
04 Bird On The Wire
05 I'm Your Man
06 Sisters Of Mercy
07 Coming Back To You
08 First We Take Manhattan
09 Chelsea Hotel
10 Tower Of Song
11 The Stranger Song
12 If It Be Your Will
13 Everybody Knows
14 Joan Of Arc
15 Hallelujah
16 There Is A War
17 Take This Waltz
18 The Partisan
19 Suzanne
20 Passin' Through
-- Encore
21 I Tried To Leave You
22 Whither Thou Goest
23 So Long, Marianne
*One song is missing as Avalanche was played prior to Chelsea Hotel.

Band Line Up:

Leonard Cohen - vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards
Perla Batalla - vocals
Julie Christensen - vocals
Bob Metzger - guitars, steel guitar
John Bilezikjian - oud
Bob Furgo - keyboards, violin
Tom McMorran - keyboards
Steve Zirkel - bass, keyboard, trumpet
Steve Meador - drums, electric drums

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments:

Leonard Cohen is set to be honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. His recent touring has seen a significant rekindling of interest in his wonderful music, and his performances have been sublime. Two new live albums are now available and worth checking out. One is from his seminal performance at the Isle Of Wight festival in 1970, the other from his recent tour (Live In London 2009).

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

Buy: Mp3's at Amazon.co.uk - Leonard Cohen

2010FM - Alcoholic Faith Mission

Here's a band I really do like and new little about until those very nice folk at Paper Garden Records sent me a copy of their current album, and am I glad they did! I reckon a lot of people are gonna be 'getting into this band' in 2010, and those already in the know are probably feeling rather smug.

Alcoholic Faith Mission are from Copenhagen however started out in Brooklyn in 2006. Whether it is the contradictory band name, the band’s multinational conception, or just the creation of eerily beautiful music, Copenhagen’s Alcoholic Faith Mission have already proved their worth in Europe with coverage in NME, AOL UK and more in addition to consistently selling out high-profile shows across the European continent.

Listen:
'We All Have Our Shortcomings'



Website: MySpace.
Buy MP3's:Alcoholic Faith Mission

Bio: Alcoholic Faith Mission started in Brooklyn, NY in 2006. The apprentices of dejection, Thorben Seierø Jensen and Sune Sølund, were wandering around in the raw wintery-streets, shooting the breeze and brushing on alcoholism when suddenly before them was big neon cross. This was a holy congregation called Apostolic Faith Mission. “It’s just like booze is to the alcoholic, they thought. A true mission to withstand an empty existence; an Alcoholic Faith Mission.

Three months later the duo’s underplayed and dogmatic debut, Misery Loves Company, was ready.
Dogma’s for the album, which was recorded in a small bedroom in Copenhagen, was that recordings had to take place at night, lit by only candles and always under the influence of alcohol.

Two years later they went back to Brooklyn to seclude themselves in an old factory loft at 421 Wythe Avenue and came up with an alternative active creation process for the new album – perhaps one that was a bit easier on the liver. They tried on a selection of straightjackets for inspiration. Everything used to make the music had to be found within the loft’s four walls – creating some obscure, yet fitting sounds such as that of dictionaries beating each other to become an electronically muted bass drum.

This way of working turned into their second album; named after the street where they lived on – 421 Wythe Avenue