Roger Miller - Live USA 1991

I remember Roger Miller from the 1960's when hits such as 'King Of The Road' and 'England Swings' were often to be heard on the radio. I was of course pretty young then, and preferred The Beatles and all things pop music, but Roger Miller crossed boundaries even to a minor, and sounded great.

This is a recording from his final tour, on this occasion playing at the excellent Birchmere a venue that has helped launch many musical careers as well as feature musical legends.

From The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA, USA, back on February 16th 1991, this is Roger Miller performing on his only ever solo tour.

Source: Stereo soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo MP3@192kbps.

Genre: Country, country pop.

Set: Full 'In concert' performance.

Set List:

You Don't Want My Love
England Swings
Tall Tall Trees
Billy Beayou
Dang Me
You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Heard
Husbands And Wives
Don't We All Have The Right To Be Wrong Now And Then
Chug A Lug Chug A Lug
King Of The Road
Broken Heart
Look Out For Me Muddy River
River In The Rain
Maybe Leaving Nots The Way To Go
How About A Hand For The Hog
Kansas City Star
The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me
If You Want To Be My Number One
Old Friends
God Didn't Make Little Green Apples
Walking In The Sunshine

Links: Official site HERE. Wikipedia HERE.

Comments: From Wikipedia regarding Roger Millers latter career:

Roger Miller stopped writing songs in 1978, feeling that his more "artistic" works were not being appreciated. He was absent from the entertainment business following the release of Old Friends but returned after receiving an offer to write a Broadway score for a new musical based upon Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Although he had never read the novel, Miller accepted the offer after discovering how the story brought him back to his childhood in rural Oklahoma. It took him a year and a half to write the opening but he eventually finished. The work, entitled Big River premiered at New York's Eugene O'Neill Theatre on April 25, 1985. The musical received glowing reviews, earning seven Tony Awards including one for Miller for "Best Score." He also acted the part of Pap's father for three months after the exit of actor John Goodman, who left for Hollywood.

Miller left to Santa Fe to live with his family following the success of Big River. However, in 1990 he began a solo guitar tour. Miller co-wrote Dwight Yoakam's hit "It Only Hurts When I Cry" from his 1990 album If There Was a Way, and supplied background vocals.

The song was released as a single in 1991, peaking at Number 7 on country charts. Miller ended his tour after being diagnosed with lung cancer in the fall of 1991. His last performance on television occurred during a special tribute to Minnie Pearl that aired on TNN on October 26, 1992, the day following Miller's death.

Download link - either click on the above picture or go to comments below.

Buy: - MP3's at Amazon.co.uk - Roger Miller

Vinegar Joe - In Concert 1973

Vinegar Joe were a British rock band who formed in late 1970, and who were best known for their live shows.

The core members were lead singers Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer, bassist Steve York, keyboard player Tim Hinkley and guitarist Pete Gage who also played piano. Conrad Isidore played drums on their first album Vinegar Joe.
Their debut LP was released in April 1972.

This is the band performing live for the BBC Radio in concert series and was the second to last of the 1973 recordings (do not have precise date), and performed at Golders Green, London.

Source: Stereo Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo MP3@192kbps.

Genre: Rock, R&B, Blues.

Set: Full 'In concert' performance.

Set List:

01 - Intro - Let Me Down Easy
02 - Food For Thought
03 - Talkin' Bout My Baby
04 - Band Intros
05 - Giving Yourself Away
06 - Conversation
07 - Black Smoke Rising From The Calumet
08 - Proud To Be A Honky Woman

Band Line Up:

Robert Palmer guitar, vocals
Elkie Brooks vocals
Pete Gage guitar
Mike Deacon keyboards
Steve York bass
Pete Gavin drums

Links: Elkie Brooks Official site HERE.

Comments: From All music "Vinegar Joe might very easily have been Island Records' answer to the Allman Bros. or Wet Willie. A sextet formed out of a busted big-band rock outfit called Dada, they were brought together at the suggestion of Island founder Chris Blackwell. Elkie Brooks (vocals), Robert Palmer (vocals, guitar), Pete Gage (guitars, piano), and Steve York (bass, harmonica), were at the core of the group, with Tim Hinkley and then Mike Deacon on keyboards, and Conrad Isadore and Keef Hartley, and then John Woods and Pete Gavin on drums--the band cut three albums for between 1971 and 1973. Their live shows were well reviewed and attracted significant audiences in England, but this was never reflected in their record sales. They split up in 1973, with Robert Palmer becoming an international star as a pop-rock blue-eyed soul singer and Elkie Brooks a success as an MOR singer with Pete Gage as her arranger".

This concert is an excellent 'taster' of the superb albeit short lived band.

Download link - either click on the above picture or go to comments below.

Buy: - MP3's at Amazon.co.uk Vinegar Joe

Jethro Tull - Stockholm, Sweden, 1969

This is Jethro Tull live in concert at Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden, on January 9th 1969.

At this time the band were only around a year old and had not long parted with Mick Abrahams who was replaced by Martin Barre.

The change of line up was over musical direction, with Ian Anderson keen on developing the overall band sound and direction, rather than just a blues focus.

That said the blues legacy is notable here and the songs quite different to the more definitive styles that would emerge in the coming years.

This was just prior the the bands debut tour of the USA, on this occasion they were on the same bill as Jimi Hendrix.

Source: Stereo Soundboard (from master reels).

Sound Quality: Very good stereo MP3@320kbps

Genre: Folk rock, progressive rock, blues-rock.

Set: Full concert performance.

Set List:

1. My Sunday Feeling - 5:48
2. Martin's Tune - 10:47
3. To Be Sad is a Mad Way to Be - 4:39
4. Back to the Family - 4:18
5. Dharma For One - 9:09
6. Nothing is Easy - 14:18
7. A Song For Jeffrey - 3:55

Band Line Up:

Ian Anderson - lead vocals, flute, harmonica, acoustic guitar, keyboards, mandolin
Martin Barre - guitar, flute, backing vocals
Glenn Cornick - bass, backing vocals
Clive Bunker - drums, percussion, backing vocals

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments: The band released their debut album 'This Was' in the summer of 1968 which hit Number 10 in the British charts, partly thanks to great airplay from BBC Radio DJ John Peel.

This new line-up released Stand Up later in 1969, the group's only UK number-one album. Written entirely by Anderson — with the exception of the jazzy rearrangement of J. S. Bach's Bourée it branched out further from the blues, clearly evidencing a new direction for the group.

With that in mind this concert recording catches the band on the cusp of change, and is a great document of the bands early stage sound.

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

Frank Sinatra - Live In Australia 1974

This is Frank Sinatra performing live in concert on the 16th July 1974, in Sydney Australia.

Frank caused something of a stir on this tour (see comments). This was a busy year for him, he returned to to Las Vegas, performing at Caesars Palace in January, and then after the Australian tour, he appeared at New York City's Madison Square Garden in a televised concert that was later released as an album under the title The Main Event – Live. He then went on to tour in Europe.

Source: FM Stereo

Sound Quality: Good stereo MP3@160kbps

Genre: Traditional Pop, Jazz, Big Band Vocals.

Set: Full concert performance.

Set List:

1. I Get A kick Out Of You
2. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
3. Let Me Try Again
4. If
5. Bad Bad Leroy Brown
6. Angel Eyes
7. I've Got You Under My Skin
8. My Kind Of Town
9. Send In The Clowns
10. Nancy
11. The Lady Is A Tramp
12. My Way

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments: It was during this tour that Frank Sinatra caused an uproar by describing journalists there — who were aggressively pursuing his every move and pushing for a press conference — as "fags", "pimps", and "whores."

Australian unions representing transport workers, waiters, and journalists all went on strike, demanding that Sinatra apologize for his remarks. Sinatra instead insisted that the journalists apologize for "fifteen years of abuse I have taken from the world press."

The future Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, then the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) leader, also insisted that Sinatra apologize, and a settlement was eventually reached to the apparent satisfaction of both parties, Sinatra's final show of his Australian tour was televised to the nation.

None of this seems to have had much of an impact on his stage performance, which of course is what this posting is all about!

Replacement download link in comments (21st November 2010).

Buy: - MP3's at Amazon.co.uk: Frank Sinatra

The Moody Blues - Los Angeles, USA 1983.

This is The Moody Blues recorded live in concert at the LA Forum (Los Angeles, USA) on Saturday, 3rd December, 1983, the concert was subsequently featured in full on a Westwood One broadcast first aired on the 31st December 1983.

This was part of 'The Present' USA tour that included Stevie Ray Vaughn as the opening act.

Source: FM stereo Westwood One broadcast.

Sound Quality: Good stereo MP3@160kbps.

Genre: Prog Rock, AOR, Symphonic Rock...

Set: Full concert performance.

Set List:

01. Sitting at the Wheel
02. Gemini Dream
03. Tuesday Afternoon
04. The Voice
05. Going Nowhere
06. Stepping in a Slide Zone
07. The Story in Your Eyes
08. Hole in the World/Under My Feet
09. Painted Smile/Veteran Cosmic Rocker
10. Driftwood
11. Talking Out of Turn
12. Running Water
13. Gypsy
14. Isn't Life Strange
15. Blue World
16. I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock 'n' Roll Band)
17. Nights in White Satin
18. Legend of a Mind
19. Question
20. Ride My See-Saw

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments: The band continue to tour around the world, and have the ability to sell out major venues, even in these harsher economic times.

The Moody Blues formed back in May 1964, and after a number of top 40 single successes, developed more into an album based band and (depending on your point of view this might be good or bad) pioneered what became progressive rock.

Download link - either click on the above picture or go to comments below.

Buy: - At Amazon.co.uk Moody Blues Store

Beehive Recommends - King Wilkie

OK it's a double header today, with a second Beehive Candy recommendation, and this is superb (I know, in my opinion).

A little record label called Casa Nueva based in Boston, USA, recently put out their first release, King Wilkie Present: The Wilkie Family Singers by the acclaimed Brooklyn-based stringband King Wilkie.

I'll quote the press release because as I listen again to the album now, this kind of summarises matters..

"It’s a cinematic concept album, consisting of songs written and recorded by the fictional, dysfunctional Wilkie family as part of a music therapy program spearheaded by the mysterious Dr. Art. This haunting backdrop is brought to life with music that draws from clattering, rustic stringband sounds, while adding more contemporary and eccentric overtones – from shimmering electric guitars to wheezing, Salvation Army brass. Special guests include Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Rowan, Abigail Washburn, Sam Parton (The Be Good Tanyas), David Bromberg, and John McEuen".

Or to put it another way, it's a good listen, with some very talented support along the way.

Listen:

King Wilkie - 'Hey Old Man'



MP3: HERE.
Website: My Space.
Purchase: King Wilkie

It's great when a new band come along and grab your attention on the first song, OK they have been around a while but this is all new to me and hopefully some of you will enjoy the discovery as well....

Beehive Recommends - First Aid Kit

A quick update on one of my favorite new bands First Aid Kit.

The band are touring throughout August and have just launched their new website This Is First Aid Kit.

They are also recording and filming various covers following on from a very feisty version of Fleet Foxes 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song' some months back.

You are invited to suggest songs for them to perform and can do this through their website.

So far covered are Buffy Sainte-Marie's classic 'Universal Soldier', Johnny Cash's 'Walk The Line' and most recent a version of Graham Nash's 'Simple Man'. All can be viewed and listened to over at their new site.

Listen:

Tiger Mountain Peasant Song:

MP3: HERE.

From the debut 'Drunken Trees' EP check out the excellent 'Cross Oceans'.


Finally if you are at an event that includes First Aid Kit on the bill, don't be surprised if they turn up elsewhere for an impromptu session this summer!