BEEHIVE CANDY

OK lets get the all important 'Queen Of Soul' reference stated, and out of the way! From the mid 1970's Aretha Franklin's musical career was struggling, not surprisingly as her personal life was troubled by family tragedy and a big problem with tax debt issues. In 1980, Aretha Franklin's career was given a much-needed boost thanks to a cameo appearance on The Blues Brothers, singing 'Think' as Mrs. Matt Murphy. That same year, Clive Davis signed Aretha, to his Arista Records. 'United Together' and 'Love All The Hurt Away', a duet with George Benson, returned her to the Top 10 on the Billboard R&B charts. Her 1982 release, 'Jump To It', produced by longtime admirer Luther Vandross, gave the singer her first R&B chart-topper and pop success since '(Giving Him) Something He Can Feel'. The Jump To It album enjoyed a long run at Number One on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. Aretha was back on form, as th

Carlos Santana is sixty years young this year, yep once again another one of those now familiar milestones for music fans. Was it really 35 years ago that I bought Caravanserai , an album of timeless qualities, which I think pretty much sums up so much of the music of Santana. This concert was recorded in 1976. Lets get the period in context. Carlos Santana along with Tom Coster, producer David Rubinson, and drummer Ndugu Leon Chancler had formed yet another version of Santana, adding vocalist Greg Walker. The album "Amigos" was released in 1976 which featured the songs "Dance, Sister, Dance" and "Let It Shine" and had a strong funk and Latin sound. The album also received considerable airplay on FM (USA) album oriented rock stations with the instrumental "Europa (Earths Cry Heavens Smile)" and re-introduced Santana back into the charts. Rolling Stone magazine ran a second cover story on Santana entitled; "Santana Comes Home"

Guess which one went on to a solo career and acting? Hmmm.... OK so Fish was a bit of an extrovert, that said Marillion have done very well since he left, way back when. This is interesting, the band on tour prior to 'Misplaced Childhood' being released, and the very successful hit single 'Kayleigh'. They played some of the 'forthcoming material', which for Marillion fans, is fascinating to hear. The comments from Fish, introducing the 'new material', also demonstrates that the final album structure was not quite as planned. Also the lyrics on 'Kayleigh' are different from the final album/single version. This was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon on December 14th 1984. The original source was stereo soundboard, and considering that the likely path was vinyl, then CD, and finally digital, the sound quality remains excellent. Setlist is: 01. Garden Party 02. Cinderella Search 03. Jigsaw 04. Chelsea Monday 05. Pseudo Silk Kimono / Kayleigh 06. Bitt

Welcome to Bootleg Originals number one , an occasional look back to some of the defining moments in rock bootleg history. Bootlegs have been around for a long time, way before rock'n'roll, however this series will focus on the rock/pop era. 1969 tends to have tacit agreement, as the year rock bootlegs began to surface for sale, particularly in the USA. Bob Dylan is often regarded as an early 'target'. Other obvious candidates were The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. It was made easier when the Rolling Stones undertook a 17 date US tour, in November 1969, culminating at the notorious Altamont concert on December 6th. The third date (two shows) on November 9th 1969, at The Oakland Coliseum in California, has been widely circulated as a boot. It was the US 1969 tour, and the subsequent bootlegs, that lead to the official release of the 1970 Rolling Stones album 'Get Your Ya Ya's Out!' (predominately recorded from the Madison Square Garden concerts element

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 Thin

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

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

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 Noctur

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

There was a time when Genesis would have automatically been included in my top favorite five bands. When Peter Gabriel left, like many I thought it was the end, however although the sound and style gradually developed, it was still Genesis, and some good music was produced. In 1980 the album Duke was released, and I was really impressed ! With hindsight this was the beginning of the end of my Genesis 'must buy - must have' era. After that for whatever reason only the odd song here and there appealed to me. As regards Phil Collins solo material, sorry I have tried, but it ain't for me. I think early on, he made to much of an effort not to sound like Genesis, but with respect was never going to be a crooner. To the point - This is Genesis towards the end of my 'Top Five Favorite' era. The details - Genesis live at The Lyceum London (second night) on the 7th May 1980. The Lyceum was one of the smaller venues they played on this tour. Set List: CD 1: 0

This is Elvis Presley Live at Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, on the 14th April 1972. I am not an Elvis aficionado, probably not even up to amateur standard, by any Elvis Presley fans measurement criteria. I do not impersonate him though, surely this gets me some street credibility back ? I tried to get some background on this concert and failed miserably. I know Elvis toured in 1972, he sold out Madison Square Gardens for four consecutive nights, and a video of him touring won a Golden Globe for best documentary that year. What is curious for me, is that the very limited notes that accompanied this concert say it was his first performance of 'Burning Love' on stage. This was released in 1972 and was his last top ten hit in the U.S. single charts, so from that perspective there is a little bit of Elvis history here. Oh well onto the main reason I am posting this, easy one as usual, not being a major Elvis fan, I swallowed the hype, and decided to give it a play, next thing I k

This is Kraftwerk live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, on the 3rd July 1981. This is one of those annoying 'I was there' posts, yep that may be me somewhere in the crowd cheering, applauding or yelping, and why not, it was one of the best live concerts I have ever attended - not a comment I make lightly! Everything about them was refreshing. Ralf Hutter's occasional ad lib's and his sheer intensity at times as he sung. The use of electronic drum pads, and the whole tightness & rhythm of the band. The simpler & very different lighting for that period, a generous helping of neon would you believe? The uncanny resembling dummies, or was that robots? Letting the audience join in during the encore using handheld devices (circa pocket calculator). Most of all it was the underlying humour, the knowing smiles between each other that became laughter if one of them got something wrong. I expected technical efficiency, I got a band playing live and roc

I first got hold of this particular concert recording a few months back, because I thought my dad would appreciate it. What surprised me, was how much I enjoyed it myself ! I know very little about Frank Sinatra 's music, beyond what I heard being played around my home as I grew up. It was a generation gap thing. I associated Frank Sinatra with my 'out of touch' parents back then, and could not understand why they failed to appreciate The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and so on... OK this was the sixties, a long time ago. Enough about my personal Sinatra growing up thing. This is a really good concert musically and sound quality wise. I find it a little bizarre, that according to some mainstream websites, this is still considered a rarity, and yet I obtained it without effort, whatever the case, here it is! A little background: MAY 22, 1968: Frank Sinatra headlined at a fund raising rally and concert for the then presidential candidate, Hubert Humphrey at the Oakland Coliseu

Also known as Acoustic Masterpieces , I am very pleased to be able to share the Esher demos from 1968. These were recorded in late May 1968, at the home of George Harrison, and how is this for detail, his home was Kinfauns, a bungalow-style house, located at 16 Claremont Drive, Esher, Surrey, England, KT10 9LU, on the Claremont Estate, and only a short drive from the homes of John Lennon (Kenwood) and Ringo Starr (Sunny Heights). Hmmm - I need to get out more... These demo recordings would eventually develop, with a few exceptions, into 'The White Album'. (Seven of the actual demos also appear on The Beatles Anthology, Vol. 3). They were made on George Harrison's Ampex four-track reel-to-reel tape recorder. The songs are performed by John, George and Paul, recording some of the material, they had written during their time in India, along with other recent numbers. Track listing as follows: 1. Back In The USSR 2. Blackbird 3. Child Of Nature (eventually Jealous Guy on Imag

I try and share really good quality boots, (unless the material is very collectible) I am really pleased with the sheer audio quality of this one. This particular bootleg, is mainly known as Route 66, live in LA and PA. Humble Pie originally formed in 1969, and had a large and loyal fan base right through to calling it a day in 1975. In 1980 founder Steve Marriott revived Humble Pie with former drummer Jerry Shirley, adding Bob Tench (from Jeff Beck Group) on guitar and Anthony "Sooty" Jones on bass. Two albums were released 'On To Victory', and 'Go For The Throat', however the 'second' Humble Pie called it a day by 1982. The tour(s) supporting these two albums became known as the 'Route 66' era, and despite the short lived reformation, the band were really good in concert, probably because Humble Pie were always a live band first. This is Humble Pie - Route Sixty Six. 01 ~ I Don't Need No Doctor (10:01) 02 ~ Infatuation (5:23) 03 ~ 30 Days

Well would you believe it, I first heard the band Heart on Radio Caroline, and guess when? Yep in the 1970's! They may have been given air time elsewhere in the UK, but the option of suffering The Bay City Rollers, Donny Osmond and possibly Cliff Richard's to eventually here them does not require consideration. This is Heart some time later, 1987 to be precise, however I must apologise I do not have the actual day or month to hand. This concert is from the tour supporting the release of 'Bad Animals' - not one of their best albums as far as I am concerned, and yet, they are on sparkling form here, and with plenty of other Heart material, very, very good! Set list: 1. Bad animals 2. Wolf 3. Barracuda 4. Nothing at all 5. What about love 6. Dreamboat Annie 7. These dreams 8. Straight on 9. Who will you run to 10. Never 11. How can I refuse 12. Crazy on you 13. If looks could kill 14. Bebe le strange 15. Alone 16. Rock and roll Quality is exce

Think about it? A band comes together from the pedigree of The Small Faces, and The Jeff Beck Group, during the late 1960's. They are all broadly inspired by R&B, Blues, and good old rock'n'roll, and like a drink or two before, during, and after any concert. As a bonus each and every one of them can play their part to a very high standard. I give you The Faces ! Against that background how can any band stay together for more than a few short years. It is no wonder they were instant favorites of the UK's then premier DJ John Peel, and that their gig's have attained legendary status for concert goers of that time. There is a good synopsis over on wikipedia (click HERE ), that briefly captures The Faces history. This for me, with fond memories, was all about having a great time, unashamedly doing the rock'n'roll thing, with all the excesses, even if I was to young to actually join the party! This is The Faces live at The Paris Theatre, London, on the 8th F

In my own humble opinion the following live Beatles recordings are incredible. Boots from the early 1960's are often disappointing, and for obvious reasons. They are not official, they are copies of copies of copies... you get the point! The equipment used (even if professional) had limitations, often the crowd noise is more dominant and... OK this is over kill - point made !!! However very recently some new tape sources of The Beatles have emerged, which are close to pristine for their time. You may note the odd speed fluctuation or adjustment as some very tender remastering has been undertaken. However this is very much The Beatles as they sounded live in 1963 and 1964. It is a must for any Beatles fan, or fan of early guitar rock bands. This is the track order: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - OCTOBER 24, 1963 (From best known source to date). 1. Intro 0'46'' 2. I Saw Her Standing There 2'46'' 3. From Me To You 2'01'' 4. Money (That's What I Want) 2&#

Back in March I featured a couple of tracks from the 'Lord of Madness' boot. I have kind of got my act together since then, and am now pleased to share the whole album. To recap - In 1968 The Beatles were both at Trident and EMI studios in London. Some excellent (performance and recording quality) material was created, final versions of which are found on The White Album. Lord of Madness are versions in production, another piece of The Beatles history, for collectors. The album comprises of: 01 - Hey Jude 02 - Revolution 03 - I'm So Tired 04 - Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey 05 - Sour Milk Sea 06 - Circles 07 - While My Guitar Gently Weeps 08 - Julia 09 - Not Guilty 10 - What's The New Mary Jane 11 - Yer Blues 12 - Helter Skelter 13 - Cry Baby Cry 14 - Revolution No. 9 15 - Good Night This is studio quality material - enjoy. FULL REPLACEMENT LINK NOW IN COMMENTS BELOW (18th APRIL 2009). More Beatles material to follow, so check back soon.

It's been some time since part three of 'a trip with the Beatles', for which I apologise, and no, I have not yet edited the 'Get Back sessions' to share, I feel another apology coming on. So this is part four, and I make no apologies for this! A twenty three track album, the copy I have obtained goes under the name of 'Magical Mystery Tour Outtakes', it is however far more than that. Lets go interactive for a moment. If you have the time, read the Wikipedia entry for the Magical Mystery Tour (click HERE ). It's easy to forget the 'TV' film version bombed originally outside the UK. and was panned by the critics of that time. It's a reflection on my personality I guess, that I loved it, it is however the music that in typical Beatles style has demonstrated longevity. I think it reasonable to say that against the Wikipedia background, this series of recordings are an absolute must for all Beatles fans, and curious parties. The album is as follo