Steve Forbert - Live New Jersey & New York - 1979/80

Steve Forbert is still touring, and also released a new album back in June. In some ways you have got to hand it to the guy.

Back in the late 1970's he was hailed as the 'new Bob Dylan' by some prominent music journalists.

Down the years comparisons have been made with Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, and anyone else whose name begins with B!

Along with this he has carried the long term 'underrated artist' label with dignity and endurance.

In a recent review of his current album he was described as the 'veteran Mississippi troubadour who mixes gentle folk/pop with the occasional piquant rocker'.

Anyway you draw your own conclusions.

My thanks to Chris for sharing this recording with me (along with some other rarities to follow soon), it is a fine example of Steve Forbert back towards the start of his musical career.

From two concerts:

Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey, 1979.

1 Song For The Sun
2 What Kinda Guy (acoustic version)
3 Thinkin'
4 Goin' Down To Laurel

The Bottom Line, New York, NY, 1980.

5 If You Gotta Ask You'll Never Know
6 Laughter Lou
7 Cellophane City
8 Song For Katrina
9 What Kinda Guy (electric version)
10 School Girl
11 I'm An Automobile
12 Lets Get Well Soon

All very good quality, sound and performance, an upbeat boot that leaves me in a positive mood.

Reloaded - 20/May/2015 - download link in comments.

Steve Forbert site HERE with merchandise HERE.

The Cranberries - Live Wire - 1995

This is a Cranberries boot known as 'Live Wire' from 1995.

I have only seen them in concert once, a few years after these performances, I was not disappointed.

Having been a fan of their music since the first album, I was mightily impressed with them live, so coming across a number of live concert boots, was a pleasure.

The good news is they have been a consistent class act, so if you want more from them let me know!

Live Wire is a compilation of three different concerts, from their 2005 world tour.

This is Live Wire:

Tracks One to Nine at The Milton Keynes Bowl, Milton Keynes, England - 30th July 1995.

1. Sunday
2. Linger
3. Pretty
4. Wanted
5. Daffodil Lament
6. I Can't Be With You
7. Zombie
8. Not Hollywood
9. Dreams

Tracks Ten to Fifteen at The Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland - 2nd June 1995.

10. Sunday
11. Dreaming My Dreams
12. I Can't Be With You
13. I Just Shot John Lennon
14. Twenty One
15. Ridiculous Thoughts

Tracks Sixteen to Seventeen at Cadena 40 Principale, Madrid, Spain - 31st January 1995.

16. Dreaming My Dreams
17. Zombie

Very Good Soundboard quality throughout.

Replacement download link in comments below (02 March 2012).

Usual selection of official stuff to browse, and maybe, ever so maybe, consider buying HERE.

Fleetwood Mac - Nashville USA - 1977

In 1977 Punk was happening, I was listening to lot's of young (similar age), high energy bands, raw and fresh, even if the musicianship was pretty low tech.

For me Fleetwood Mac were really special in the day's of Peter Green, in the late 1960's, they had then morphed into adult orientated rock, and I stopped taking notice of them.

With hindsight of course, things are different. Rumours was a solid album, and maybe some of Fleetwood Mac's songs, have and will continue to stand the test of time, more so than a lot of the 70's punk scene.

Anyway to the point. This is Fleetwood Mac live in Nashville on May 21st 1977, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

This is during the 'Rumours' tour, and the band are playing really well, with excellent vocals.


Set List:

Cd1
01 Welcome
02 Say You Love Me
03 Monday Morning
04 Dreams
05 Oh Well
06 Rhiannon
07 Oh Daddy
08 Never Going Back Again
09 Landslide
10 Over My Head
11 Gold Dust Woman

Cd2
01 You Make Loving Fun
02 I'm So Afraid
03 Go Your Own Way
04 World Turning
05 Blue Letter
06 Second Hand News
07 The Chain
08 Songbird

Sound Quality: This is a stereo soundboard recording that has been professionally mixed.

Reloaded 11/June/2015 - link in comments.

Mink DeVille - New York - 1980

Mink DeVille formed in San Francisco having performed initially as Billy DeSade & the Marquis and also The Lazy Eights before settling on the name Mink DeVille. They relocated to New York in the late 1970's, and were quickly associated with the local burgeoning punk scene.

The reality was that at heart Mink DeVille was a soul orientated band with roots in R&B, the blues and even Cajun music.

This year their founder Willy DeVille, celebrates thirty years as a recording artist, 'oh how time flies' when you are having fun.

This is Mink DeVille Live from The Bottom Line, New York, USA, back on September 12th 1980.

If you are not familiar with the band, I strongly urge you to give them a listen. Many may recognise their hit single 'Spanish Stroll', there is however far more to this band.

They are one of those bands that simply light up a venue when they perform. This is a 'stonking' performance!

The set list is as follows:

1. Harlem Nocturne
2. Slow Drain
3. Savoir Faire
4. She's So Tough
5. Cadillac Walk
6. Mixed Up Shook Up Girl
7. Just Your Friends
8. Desperate Days
9. Steady Drivin' Man
10. That World Outside
11. One Way Street
12. Just To Walk That Little Girl Home
13. Spanish Stroll
14. This Must Be The Night
15. Lipstick Traces
16. Easy Slider
17. Bad Boy
18. Soul Twist

The sound quality is excellent (FM Radio broadcast of the show).

Replacement file link - October 2011 in comments below.

Some Mink Deville Cd's to browse HERE.

REM - Live In London - 2005

This is the 'broadcast' part of REM live in Hyde Park, London, on the 16th July 2005.

It was the final date of their 2004/05 world tour, and had been put back one week due to the terrorist attack on London's tube system, just days earlier.

I have seen a number of bands and artists myself in Hyde Park. I recognise it has been used considerably as a venue in recent years.

A good number of charitable events have been televised in the UK. It is easy to get the impression that this is a fine venue to play.

Hyde Park is a very big place, a very large park.

For around ten years now, the gigs are performed with the stage at the Marble Arch end. The audience are placed parallel with Park Lane going south, between the internal roads.

If nothing else, I hope I have confused some New Yorkers at there own game now, regarding concerts in Central Park (this time last year I was in Manhattan so understand this is said with kind affection).

Put simply this part of Hyde Park is flat, easy to fit in 80,000 people, not so easy to ensure they all hear, or even see the event.

In all seriousness unless you are an absolute fan, you are better off listening to the radio broadcast of the event if available, rather than risking, not being a part of the audience, close to the stage. Like I said, I have seen a number of acts there, it is a challenging venue for crowd and artist. REM did quite well!

This is REM as broadcast on BBC Radio Two live. It is not the full concert, rather the final hour. The sound quality is FM stereo, at it's best. I think it fair to say despite the challenges of the venue REM had their hearts in this gig, what do you think?

Tracks are:

01 - Kenneth
02 - One I Love
03 - Drive
04 - The Outsiders
05 - Leaving New York
06 - Everybody Hurts
07 - Electron Blue
08 - Final Straw
09 - Orange Crush
10 - Walk Unafraid
11 - Losing My Religion
12 - Man On The Moon

Replacement download link in comments below (2nd April 2010).

REM merchandise HERE.