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Gregg Allman  8 Oct 94 - Birmingham (2) - Sloss Furnace, w/ Alabama All Star Soul Review        SB     A  

A few ABB standard fare stuff but a lot of the old R&B that you'll never hear the ABB do. I think Gregg Allman has one of the best blues voices and he shines on this setlist. 

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Dickey Betts & Great Southern -  5 Mar 78, Essen, Essen (2) - & Great Southern, Grugahalle, Rockpalast       TV sourced       A

I know what you're thinking. I'm hung up on ABB stuff. Not true.  I've never been a huge Betts fan but this show caught me off guard. The band does the predictable Betts ABB material but with some different arrangements  . . . . and  then they also do some wonderful riffs that outjams the ABB in their own style.  If you're a fan of the ABB, you will want this show.

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The Black Keys - 31 July 2008, Chicago - The Metro   FM     A+

I feel so out of it musically. I mean here's an awesome ass-kicking blues-rock band that has been playing together since 2002 and I hear about them in 2008? Geez - am I that myopic? With an original sound that is vaguely remeniscent of the 1970s, you'll want to listen to this show several times to get the full effect of their hypnotic chords, melodies and minimialistic approach.  They are billed as a duo (guitar-drums) and it is truly amazing what they can make two instruments do on stage. So take Led Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, blend them alltogether, add in some very usual sound effects, ala garage grunge, and you get - The Black Keys.  If you like rock music, you must give these guys a try.

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The Bomb Squad  -  16 May 02, Terra Alta - All Good Festival, Sunshine Daydream Campground Barn   -   Aud     A

If James Brown had bedded Janis Joplin, the illegitimate child would would have been Jen Durkin, the lead singer who fronted the Bomb Squad in 2002. Bomb Squad is a hard funk band with no gimmicks. They are the real deal. They were the winner  of the 2004 American Music Awards best unsigned band in America.  .  .  now fast forward to 2006. After a couple of commercial cds, and a smokin' DVD, Durkin has left the band. The Bomb Squad has selected a replacement - Brenna Gethers, an Americaon Idol finalist with sass, ass and brass enough for 10 people.

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Booker T & The MGs - 5 Jul 88 - Montreux  - Jazz Festival, all star show, Blues Brothers style, 1 digital skip           FM        A+

I was expecting 50 minutes of Green Onions. Wrong! This is an all Star Show in a "Blues Brothers" style.

David Bowie - 23 Mar 76 -  Uniondale - Nassau Colesium, aka Suffragette City        FM    A

The show starts out hot and just gets hotter to the finish.

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Billy Bragg - 1991 - London - BBC In Concert, Paris Theatre, w/ the Red Stars              FM     A+

An incredible mix of rock 'n roll with Billy's unique banter on politic and social consciousness.

Leonard Cohen - 6 May 93 - Copenhagen        FM     A+

This was my first Cohen boot - incredible lyricist and poet. My daughter calls it funeral music. It is haunting. 

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Sugar Pie DeSanto - 1964 - Use What You Got - OOP album, great 60's R&B sound      Studio     A+

I didn't know what to expect when I first got this (via a vine) but it only took one listen to know that this was a gem -- this woman is the real deal. In a retro throwback to that great 60's R&B sound, Sugar Pie delivers the goods -- juicy, danceable music that will make you go "hum, I think I've heard that before." . . and chances are, you have heard her songs but not her singing. She wrote a long of songs but only rarely hit the recording stuido herself. If you had to pin me down, I'd say it's like Martha Reeves, only more sensual, dirty, raw, suggestive and juicy. There, I used that word again. Well, one look at the album art and you'll see what I mean.

Fleetwood Mac -  5-7 Jan 70 - Boston (4) - The Boston Tea Party, Remastered, rare jam w/Clapton on D4 (aud source)         FM            A+

Jan 70 is the date and it's near the end of the Peter Green era at The Boston Tea Party. Recorded over 3 nights, this collection captures FM at an artistic peak. The band knows all the songs, the Kirwin-Green-Spencer guitar jams are extroidinary, Fleetwood and McVie provide a wonderful foundation (most underated bass player and drummer IMHO); everyone is playing with confidence -- it is darn close to perfection and is easily one of my favorite boots. Shortly after this, Green leaves to escape the pressure; Kirwan eventually departs due to uncontrollable stage fright, and Spencer leaves in search of religious meaning.  And FM would never be the same again.  . . . . sigh.  . .   . . and then came Stevie and Lindsey . .  . double sigh.

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John Fogerty - 26 Jun 97 - Roskilde            FM     A+

This should have been called Return of the Prodigy Son. A great mix of CCR songs and new stuff. Solid rock 'n roll.

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Led Zeppelin  - 27 April 69  - San Francisco (2)  - Fillmore West, aka Kosmic Blues           SB        A+

This is LZ in the early stages of their career - they had been playing live together only about 6 months and this gig was just 3 months after the release of of their first album. But here they are - playing confident, long, bluesy extended and improvised jams with many nods to blues greats.  Page's guitar has that heavy, trodden, plodding chord and solo arrangment that builds anticipation into every note. Even the LZ-penned songs are done with  diferrent arranagements from what we will normally hear later in their career. This all leads to an exciting show where you're never quite sure what will come next. Just when you think you know a song and where it's going . . . . . .This is one of my favorite boots of all time.  

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Van Morrison  - 17 Dec 95  - Dublin (2)  - Point Theatre, (Tonight Only bootleg), aka From Dublin up to Sandy Row     FM        A+

The best sounding bootleg and probably a top 5 Van performance of all time. Period. I have the original limited edition silver cds of this show so you're not going to get a fresher, cleaner copy  .  . unless you know someone with the master tapes. In that case, contact me off list and let me know you're preferred denomination size.

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North Mississippi Allstars  28 Feb 00,   Atlanta - w/ Gary Burnside on bass        FM   A+

There guys are a pretty amazing slide blues band - especially if you're into a blended sound of Mississippi Delta Blues, RL Burnside's 2 chord structures, Allman Brothers-like riffs at times, and long extended jams. This particular show features Gary Burnside on bass (before Chris Chew) but he delivers the underbelly. This group has a strong sense of musical family and musical history. NMAS came to me as a suggestion from a friend who noticed that I like jam bands and blues. I am grateful for the suggestion. You will be too. 

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Smiling Assassins  28 Feb 03,   Denver (3) - Gothic Theater, with Kenny Brown and Cedric Burnside   SB   A

For 95% of the shows in my collection, I listen to a show once, put it in my storage bins, and then pull it out when someone wants to trade. I listened to this show 3 straight times and many times since- maybe I was trying to figure out the sound; maybe I was pigeon-holing the group to other groups; maybe I was drinking too much (most likely). Anyway, I have to confess that I don't care too much for the lead vocalist (John Hermann) but there is something about his voice mixing perfectly with the blues jams, the country influenced melodies, the Southern riffs, the Mississippi slide blues and other influences that made me pay attention.  Smiling Assassins is actually a side project for 2 other bands - Widespread Panic and North Mississippi Allstars. Both of these groups offer long extenced jams with big chords that build and build and build - taking you musically higher (in both notes and scale). They hit more cresendos in a 2 hour show that anyone I've every heard. 

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Derek Trucks - 20 Sept 91 - Atlanta - The Cavern, 12 year old Derek & The Dominators, Aud shot     DVD   A-

I've often wondered what it was like to have seen Mozart when he was a child - playing and composing. Did the public know they were witnessing genius, or did they see just another performing monkey? This DVD captures a 12 year old Derek playing with a band called The Dominators. It is truly amazing. The rest of the band does every cliche' in the book - it's almost like a scene from Spinal Tap - and amidst all that comedy is a little guy who's playing like he's the only professional on stage. Wonderful slide work - almost channeling Duane Allman at times. I've watched this DVD several times because I simply can't believe it.  I also think the audience knew thay were watching true genius on a guitar. People standing around with their mouths wide open is usually a good indicator.

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Tom Waits - 5 Dec 78  - Austin - Austin City Limits                  TV            A+

A CD that requires a cigar, Lagavulin scotch and dim lights.

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Jr. Walker & the All Stars - Live - Motown OOP            SB     A+

No date or venue but a great party cd when everyone needs to get up and dance.

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Tony Joe White - Jul 92 - Montreux  - aka Swamp Snake Soul                 SB     A+

Yes, I know - it's the Polk Salad Annie guy but if that's the only way you know of Tony Joe, then you're missing a real treat. He performs a lot of blues - Tony Joe cajun style, and who can resist that swamp guitar and vocal growl that mesmerizes the live audiences. Truly a unique artist. 

Stevie Wonder - 18 Dec 83 - San Carlos (3) - Circle Star Theatre, one cut song        Aud     A

 Stevie as a lounge act? Yes I know it sounds bizarre but he laughs, he jokes, he talks with the audience, he does Little Stevie Wonder impressions, he does Christmas carols, he cuts up with the band, he talks of his Motown troubles . . and oh yea, by the way,  the song list is like a greatest hits collection (172 min)  that has been super charged with funk and soul. 1983 was the last year of the "Stevie lounge show" before he modified his stage performance to mostly play songs rather than interact with the audience.

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