Coming Attractions

From September 11 to 20, we'll bring you:
Bruce Cockburn, Edie Brickell, Bruce Springsteen, Rick Derringer, David Bowie, Southside Johnny, Music For Montserrat, Jerry Garcia, Crowded House, Counting Crows,The Pretenders, Men At Work, Elton John, and Bob Weir!
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Nick Lowe - 1983-03-30 - New Haven, CT (FM)

Nick Lowe
with Paul Carrack
1983-03-30
Toad's Place
New Haven, CT
WNEW-FM Broadcast
320 kbps
Artwork Included

01.  A Little Unkind
02.  Stick It Where the Sun Don't Shine
03.  Tempted
04.  Cruel To Be Kind
05.  Saint Beneath The Paint
06.  Give My Heart A Break
07.  I'm Not In Love
08.  Raging Eyes
09.  Cool Reaction
10.  From Now On 
11.  I Found Love
12.  I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass
13.  How Long
14.  Lesson In Love
15.  Burning
16.  I Need You
17.  Shake And Pop
18.  I Knew The Bride (cuts in)
19.  So Right, So Wrong
20.  Peace, Love & Understanding
21.  Heart Of The City

Nick Lowe - 1983-03-30 - New Haven, CT (FM)

Having brought you some post Rockpile, solo Dave Edmunds earlier this one, it seems only fitting we do the same treatment for Nick Lowe! In 1981 after the breakup of Rockpile, Lowe recorded a solo album entitled Nick The Knife. The disc, however, has several ties to his former band. First, it includes a slowed down cover of the Rockpile tune, Heart. Second, both drummer Terry Williams and guitarist Billy Bremner from the band back Lowe on the album. So too do guitarist Martin Belmont, from The Rumour and Paul Carrack, formerly of Squeeze. Then in March 1983, Lowe released an album entitled The Abominable Showman, which included the now well know tunes  Ragin' Eyes and Time Wounds All Heels.  Carrack and Belmont also played on that album along with James Eller and Bobby Irwin. Those 4 also served as his backing band when he went on tour in support of both albums in Spring 1983, as captured in this FM broadcast from Macrh 30, 1983, 28 years ago today.



Friday, March 25, 2011

The Police - 1979-03-25 - Buffalo, NY (FM)

The Police
1979-03-25
Stage One
Buffalo, NY
FM Broadcast
320 kbps
Artwork Included

01. Can't Stand Losing You
02. Truth Hits Everybody
03. So Lonely
04. Fallout
05. Born In The 50s
06. Hole In My Life
07. Be My Girl - Sally
08. Peanuts
09. Roxanne
10. Landlord
11. Next To You
12. Can't Stand Losing You 


This FM broadcast captures The Police in Buffalo, on March 25, 1979, 32 years ago today. The band was on tour in support of their debut album, Outlandos d’Amour. The tour kicked off on March 1 at the legendary Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles and ran until May 25, with the band criss-crossing the US and Canada. They often played 2 shows a night, and rarely took a day off. Given that the album had flopped when initially released, the band felt compelled to tour relentlessly in hopes of gaining exposure for themselves and airplay for their songs. The strategy worked, as the album eventually climbed to the #23 position on the Billboard charts in the US, and rose all the way to the #2 position in the UK. In addition, 3 singles from the disc – Roxanne, Can’t Stand Losing You and So Lonely - charted in the top 20 in the UK in 1979. Roxanne also climbed to the #32 spot on the US Billboard charts.






Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Other Features At So Many Roads To Ease My Soul

Take a moment to check out some of the other features at So Many Roads To Ease My Soul. Right below the blog title, you'll find an announcement of Coming Attractions; scrolling text that tells you the posts to expect in the next 4 or 5 days!

Beneath that, you'll find a series of links to some new pages on the site:
  • The Artwork links page provides a list of websites where you can find CD covers for your bootlegs.
  • The Set Lists page provides a list of sites where you can find set lists for past concerts. In case you can't remember what you heard at a show you attended, or want to check if a bootleg you have is a complete show, you may find the answer on one of these sites.
  • The Rock Links page is a guide to web sites for famous radio and TV stations, important concert venues, historic concerts and festivals, and interesting "best of" lists.
  • The My Concerts page is a complete list of every concert that I've attended since 1976! Many of these shows have been topics for posts on this blog, and I'm fortunate to have recordings of a good number of them. I'll be sharing more of those bootlegs in the coming months.
  • The My Requests page lists shows that I'd love to find a bootleg of.  If you know whee I can download any of the shows listed, just post the link in a comment.  Thanks!
Check back often as these pages will be continually updated as I find new links to share.

As always, if you like what you see (and hear after you download), please leave a comment on the post!

Enjoy the site!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Sting - 1991-02-17 - Beacon Theatre, NY (HQ Aud)

Sting
1991-02-17
Beacon Theatre
New York, NY
HQ Audience Recording (vocals a bit distant)
320 kbps
Artwork Included

CD 1:
01. All This Time
02. Mad About You
03. Jeremiah Blues Part 1
04. Why Should I Cry For You
05. Ain´t No Sunshine
06. I Miss You Kate
07. Roxanne
08. Bring On The Night
09. When The World Is Running Down
10. Fortress Around Your Heart
11. Islands Of Soul
12. The Wild Wild Sea

CD 2:
01. The Soul Cages
02. When The Angels Fall
03. Purple Haze
04. Message In A Bottle
05. Tea In The Sahara
06. Walking On The Moon
07. Every Breath You Take
08. Fragile

Bonus Tracks
1990-07-21
Montreux, Switzerland

09. Message In A Bottle (with Andy Summers Band)
10. I Ain´t Got Nobody (with Vinx)
11. Ain´t No Sunshine (with Vinx)


On February 14, 1991, I spent my first Valentine’s Day with my then girl friend, soon to be my fiancée and then my lovely bride. She had to wait until the next day, however, for her present, tickets to see Sting, one of her favorite musicians, at the Beacon Theater in New York. The memories of starting out together are still as fresh today as they were back in the early 1990’s. We sat in the last row on the floor at the Beacon that night, thankful that there’s not a bad seat anywhere in that building. We were presently surprised by the opening act, a singer by the name of Vinx. Sting was in top form, playing a nice combination of his solo work and tunes from his days with the Police. Maybe he knew it was a special night for the two of us, as he played one of my bride’s favorite songs, Fortress Around My Heart. Needless to say, my Valentine’s gift was a big success. Maybe that’s why, 2 weeks later, when I asked her to marry me, she said yes. This May, we’ll celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. It’s been the best 2 decades of my life and I look forward to spending every remaining day that I have on this earth with her. While I’ve never been able to find a recording of that February 15th show, I do have this high quality audience tape, from 2 days later, on February 17, 1991, 20 years ago today. This one is dedicated to my bride!



Saturday, February 12, 2011

Expanding The Roster At So Many Roads To Ease My Soul

Over the last 6 months, I've made a concerted effort to expand the number of artists featured here on So Many Roads To Ease my Soul.  For example:
  • September: 1st Frankie Valli post
  • October:  1st Frank Sinatra post
  • November: 1st post of George Harrison
  • December: 1st David Bowie post
  • January:  1st post of James Taylor
  • February:  In just a few days, you'll see your first post involving Johnny Cash
I plan to continue that trend in the upcoming months, so that this blog offers more music to appeal to a wider audience, while still staying true to its classic rock roots!  In March, you'll see the first posts of Stephen Stills as a solo artist and Crosby and Nash as a duo.  April will bring the debut post of the Rascals!  Then in May and June, Lou Reed, Southside Johnny, Dean Martin, Jefferson Starship, Dire Straits and Tom Jones will all make their first appearances on So Many Roads.

In addition, I'll be working hard to post more shows from some of the bands where, up to this point, we have only featured one or two concerts.  So be on the look out for additional shows from The Eagles, The Bangles, The Pretenders, Steely Dan, Otis Redding, Marshall Crenshaw, Frank Sinatra, Joe Jackson, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Hootie & The Blowfish, and Elvis Costello.

Hope you continue to enjoy So Many Roads as we relive rock's concert history, day by day!   If you like what you see, please post a thank you in the comments.  It's the great feedback from all the folks who visit  this blog that give me the motivation to keep posting great music!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Beatles - 1964 & 1965 - Ed Sullivan Shows (SBD)

The Beatles
1964 & 1965
The Ed Sullivan Shows
New York, NY
Soundboard Recording
320 Kbps
Artwork Included

1964-02-09
Show #1
01. Intro > All My Loving
02. Till There Was You
03. She Loves You
04. Intro I Saw Her Standing There
05. I Want To Hold Your Hand > Outro

1964-02-16
Show #2
06. She Loves You
07. This Boy
08. All My Loving
09. Intro > I Saw Her Standing There
10. From Me To You
11. I Want To Hold Your Hand > Outro

1964-02-23
Show #3
12 - Intro > Twist And Shout
13 - Please Please Me > Speech
14 - I Want To Hold Your Hand

1964-05-24
Show #4
15 - You Cant't Do That

1965-09-12
Show #5
16. I Feel Fine
17. I'm Down
18. Act Naturally
19. Ticket To Ride
20. Yesterday
21. Help

1966-06-05
Show #6
22. Interview (missing videos of Paperback Writer & Rain)

1964-02-16

From Miami - Rehersal for Ed Sullivan Show
23. She Loves You
24. This Boy
25. All My Loving
26. I Saw Her Standing There
27. From Me To You
28. I Want To Hold Your Hand > Outro

The Beatles - 1964 & 1965 - Ed Sullivan Shows (SBD)

Perhaps the most significant moment in rock and roll history transpired 47 years ago today, on February 9, 1964, when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show for the very first time. An estimated 73 million Americans tuned into that broadcast, and after 5 songs, which could barely be heard over the screams of the teenage girls who packed the audience, music, TV and pop culture were transformed forever. Beatlemania, The British Invasion, stadium sized rock concerts, album oriented rock, new fashion trends and hairstyles, TV as a major promotional vehicle for reaching the masses and countless other revolutions followed in the wake of the Beatles appearance on the Sullivan show. The band would appear twice more in February, on the 16th and the 23rd, once in May 1964, and then again in September 1965 (a month after the historic Shea Stadium show highlighted in an earlier post), their last live appearance. The Beatles continued to work with Ed Sullivan from 1966 and 1970, however, replacing live performances with filmed promotional clips of their new songs, the first ever music videos, years prior to the launch of MTV! These videos included Paperback Writer, Rain, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields Forever, Hello Goodbye, Two of Us and Let It Be. This soundboard captures all their live appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 and 1965. Download it and relive history.





Saturday, January 15, 2011

The Go Go's - 1982-01-15 - Boston, MA (SBD)

The Go-Gos
1982-01-15
Boston Garden
Boston, MA
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

01. Can't Stop The World
02. Skidmarks On My Heart
03. How Much More
04. Tonite
05. Fading Fast
06. Cool Jerk
07. London Boys
08. Automatic
09. Lust To Love
10. This Town
11. You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)
12. Our Lips Are Sealed
13. Surfing And Spying
14. Beatnik Beach
15. (Remember) Walking In The Sand
16. Let's Have A Party
17. We Got The Beat


On January 22, 1982, I was fortunate enough to have a ticket to see The Police at Madison Square Garden on their historic Ghost in The Machine tour. That album went to #2 on the billboard charts, while the band became the first new wave act to headline 20,000 seat arenas, such as MSG. The Go Go’s, were the lead-in band that night and their album, Beauty and The Beat, actually did one better than the Police’s disc, reaching the top of the Billboard charts! Just a few months earlier, on November 28, 1981, I had seen the Go Go’s when they headlined the Palladium in New York. That was a far better setting for the band, whose danceable hits translated much better on the small stage than in the cavernous spaces inside the World’s Greatest Arena. Whereas at the Palladium, the Go Go’s had the crowd on their feet dancing and singing from the first note to the last, they just could not generate the same energy level among the thousands at MSG. The contrast became even more stark when the Police hit the stage and were able to induce a mass sing along to Walking On The Moon. Trust me, the Go Go’s played well that night at the Garden, but the jump in arena size just wasn’t one they were prepared to make at the time. In any event, while I’ve never found a tape of the Go Go’s from that January 22 show (or of the Police for that matter), I do have this soundboard recording of the band from 7 days earlier in Boston, on January 15, 1982, 29 years ago today.