James Taylor - 2015-08-06 - Fenway Park, Boston, MA (SBD)

James Taylor 

2015-08-06

Fenway Park

Boston, MA

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

CD 1:

01. Wandering > Secret O’ Life

02. Me And My Guitar

03. Montana

04. Today Today Today

05. Country Road

06. Copperline

07. Carolina In My Mind

08. You've Got A Friend

09. Your Smiling Face

10. Fire And Rain

11. Up On The Roof

CD 2:

01. Shower The People

02. Angels Of Fenway

03. Steamroller

04. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

05. Sweet Baby James

06. Mexico

07. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)

08. Knock on Wood* 

09. Shed a Little Light* 

10. You And I Again

*with Bonnie Raitt

James Taylor - 2015-08-06 - Fenway Park, Boston, MA (SBD)

According to some sources, James Taylor, who was signed to the Apple label at the time, was invited to play Woodstock on the condition that the Beatles played the festival.  When the Beatles declined (more on that in a post later this month), the invitation to Taylor was pulled. Taylor's first album, and only one the Apple label, was released in the US in February 1969. The disc included 2 tunes that would become classics, both of which also had links to the Fab Four. Paul McCartney and an uncredited George Harrison guested on bass and backing vocals respectively on Carolina in My Mind, which includes the lyric "holy host of others standing around me", which referenced The Beatles. The tune Something in the Way She Moves provided the starting point for Harrison's #1 single, Something. Ironically,  Taylor said he originally wanted the tune to be called I Feel Fine, but the title had already been taken by a Beatles song.  

In any event, this soundboard recording captures Taylor over 4 1/2 decades after Woodstock, at Fenway Park in Boston on August 3, 2015, 9 years ago today.

David Bowie - 1990-08-05 - Milton Keynes, UK (FM)

David Bowie

1990-08-05

Concert Bowl

Milton Keynes, UK

BBC Radio Broadcast

256 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Interview before the show

02. DJ Intro > Intro > Space Oddity

03. Rebel Rebel

04. Ashes To Ashes

05. Fashion

06. Life On Mars

07. Pretty Pink Rose

08. Sound & Vision

09. Blue Jean

10. Let's Dance

11. Stay

12. Ziggy Stardust

13. China Girl

14. Station To station

15. Young Americans

16. Suffragette city

17. Fame

18. Heroes

19. Changes

20. Jean Genie > Gloria

21. White Light White Heat

22. Modern Love > DJ Outro

David Bowie - 1990-08-05 - Milton Keynes, UK (FM)

On July 11, 1969, about a month before Woodstock and 5 days before the Apollo 11 launch that would land the first man on the moon, David Bowie released the single Space Oddity, the saga of a fictional astronaunt named Major Tom. The tune reached the top 5 on the UK Charts, launching, no pun intened,  Bowie's career.

Some 2 decdes later, on March 4, 1990, Bowie embarked on his Sound & Vision tour  a run of shows built upon an unusual premise. The set list for the tour would feature a host of his greatest hits, which Bowie would then retire from all future concert performances. For fans, it would supposedly be their last opportunity to hear classics such as Suffragette City, Ziggy Stardust, Rebel Rebel and Changes, just to name a few, in concert. Fortunately, Bowie didn’t completely abandon his old material in future tours, but at the time no one was quite certain how serious he was about the claim. This FM broadcast captures Bowie on August 5, 1990, 34 years ago today, in Milton Keynes on the 2nd night of the 2nd European leg of the tour. Download this one to hear Bowie during a tour Rolling Stone called one of the highlights of the 1990 summer season.

Led Zeppelin - 1979-08-04 - Knebworth, UK (SBD)

Led Zeppein
1979-08-04
1979 Knebworth Festival
Knebworth, England
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

CD 1:
01. Introduction
02. The Song Remains The Same
03. Celebration Day
04. Black Dog
05. Nobody's Fault But Mine
06. Over The Hills And Far Away
07. Misty Mountain Hop
08. Since I've Been Loving You
09. No Quarter

CD 2:
01. Ten Years Gone
02. Hot Dog
03. The Rain Song
04. White Summer - Black Mountain Side
05. Kashmir
06. Trampled Underfoot
07. Sick Again
08. Achilles Last Stand

CD 3:
01. Guitar Solo
02. In The Evening
03. Stairway To Heaven
04. Rock And Roll
05. Whole Lotta Love
06. Heartbreaker

Led Zeppelin - 1979-08-04 - Knebworth, UK (SBD)

Led Zeppelin, who had taken the rock world by storm earlier in 1969 with their ground breaking debut album, was invited to play Woodstock. The band declined, opting to play 2 shows at the convention  center in Asbury Park instead. The band's manager, Peter Grant, apparently decided that headlining their own concert was preferable, explaining "I said no because at Woodstock we'd have just been another band on the bill."  Of course, that explanation seems a bit hollow given that the band played the Texas Pop Festival on August 31, 1969, just 2 weeks after Woodstock where they were just one of over a dozen bands on the bill!

A decade after Woodtsock, Led Zeppelin found themselves on the grounds at Knebworth House, located 26 miles north of London. The site hosted itss first rock festival in 1974, when the Allman Brothers, Van Morrison and The Doobie Brothers took the stage in front of 60,000 fans (go here for more on Knebworth's history). Additional festivals were held in 1975, 1976, and 1978 with acts such as The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Genesis. No Knebworth show might have been more anticipated, however, than the one in 1979, when Led Zeppelin agreed to perform. For Led Zep, it would be their first live show since the death of Robert Plant's son in 1977, and their first show in the UK in 4 years. Ticket demand for the initial August 4 performance was so great that a second show was added on August 11. Zeppelin would return to the stage in front of over 400,000 fans during those 2 days, reinforcing their place at the time as rock's biggest act. Their shows would also feature the first live performances of tunes from their soon to be released album. In Through The Out Door. Some reviews claimed the band sounded rusty -- hardly surprising after a 2 year lay off - and the band members themselves were not completely satisfied with their performance. Maybe they sensed it was the beginning of the end. Led Zep's original line up would never again perform live in their home country. In fact, within a year, John Bonham would be dead and Led Zeppelin would be no more. Download this soundboard of their 1st Knebworth show from 45 years ago today, August 4, 1979, therefore, to capture their next to last live performance in England.

John Fogerty - 1997-08-03 - New York, NY (FM)

John Fogerty 

1997-08-03

Hard Rock Cafe

New York, NY

FM Broadcast

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Introduction

02. Suzie Q 

03. I Put A Spell On You

04. Hot Rod Heart

05. Centerfield

06. Proud Mary

07. Bad Moon Rising

08. Walkin' In A Hurricane

09. Born On The Bayou

10. Green River

11. Blueboy

12. Before You Accuse Me

13. Fortunate Son

John Fogerty - 1997-08-03 - New York, NY (FM)

John Fogerty, of course, played Woodstock as the front man for Creedence Clearwater Revival, though you might never know that if you just listened to the original soundtrack or watched the first releases of the documentary film. Creedenece doesn't appear in either, CCR didn't take the stage until well after midnight, after a long set by the Grateful Dead that was plagued by equipment issues and some "over indulgence" by the band. By that time, the crowd was weary while the sound issues and technical problems continued. Fogerty was unhappy with the situation and CCR'ss performance, so he barred the use of any of their set from either the original movie or soundtrack.

Almost 28 years after Woodstock, on May 20, 1997, Fogerty released the album Blue Moon Swamp, his first studio recording in 11 years. The disc climbed to #37 on the Billboard charts and certified gold. Rolling Stone gave the album a 4 star review and in 1998, it won a Grammy for Best Rock Album. After years out of the spotlight, John Fogerty was back. He went on tour in support of the album the same month it was released. In December 1997, he recorded a live album, Premonition, then continued to tour well into 1998 in support of both discs. This FM broadcast captures Fogerty in New York at the Hard Rock Cafe on August 3, 1997, 23 years ago today, promoting his new disc on national radio, during the early part of his tour. 

Elton John - 1989-08-02 - Mansfield, MA (SBD)

Elton John

1989-08-02

Great Woods Perorming Arts Center

Mansfield, MA

Soundboard Recording

192 kbps

Artwork Included

CD 1:

01. Bennie And The Jets

02. Island Girl

03. Harmony

04. Tiny Dancer

05. Sleeping With The Past

06. The Bitch Is Back

07. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

08. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters Parts 1 And 2

09. Funeral For A Friend-Love Lies Bleeding

10. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

11. Daniel

12. Candle In The Wind

CD 2:

01. Sacrifice

02. Blue Eyes

03. Philadelphia Freedom

04. Burn Down The Mission

05. Come Down In Time (Cuts in)

06. Healing Hands

07. Levon

08. Stones Throw From Hurtin'

09. Sad Songs (Say So Much)

10. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

11. I'm Still Standing

12. Rocket Man

Elton John - 1989-08-02 - Mansfield, MA (SBD)

Elton John released his debut album, Empty Sky, on June 6, 1969. The disc, however, was only released in the UK and would not hit stores across the pond in the US until 1975, well after Sir Elton had become a superstar. Given that he had yet to release a US album when Woodstock took place, its little wonder he wasn't invited to the festival.

This post captures Elton some 2 decades after Woodtsock and the historic musical year of 1960. Elton John’s 1988/1989 World Tour occurred between 2 traumatic moments in his life. In early 1987, after completing a series of shows in Australia, he entered the hospital for surgery on his throat, which fortunately did not impact his ability to sing, though it did lower his register. In 1990, he entered himself into rehab to deal with his addictions to drugs and alcohol, as well as to help him overcome bulimia. In between, he released 2 albums, Reg Strikes Back and Sleeping With The Past, both of which reached the top 25 on the Billboard charts and yielded such singles as "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That (#2 on the Bilboard charts) and Sacrifice (#18 on the Bilboard charts). Elton’s tour included songs from both discs, though by the time of this show from August 2, 1989, 35 years ago today, he was highlighting tunes from Sleeping With the Past, which would be released at the end of that month. 

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Bachman-Turner Overdrive - 1985-08-01 - Tallahassee, FL (SBD)

Bachman-Turner Overdrive

1985-08-01

Musical Moon

Tallahassee, FL

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Takin' Care of Business

02. Blue Collar

03. Gimme Your Money Please

04. American Woman

05. Let It Ride

Bachman-Turner Overdrive - 1985-08-01 - Tallahassee, FL (SBD)

In 1969, Randy Bachman was part of The Guess Who, who, it turns out, were invited to play at Woodstock, but declined. According to this video from Bachman, they were in Chicago at the time recording what would be the Ameriucan Women album, when their agent called about playing a festival in upstate New York.  The agent told them some half a million people were attending, but  conditions were miserable - the roads were clogged, the weather was terrible, no toilets were working, etc. The Guess Who decided to stay in Chicago and finish the album, which when it was released, went to #9 on the Billboard charts, with the title track climbing to #1 on the singles charts.

This soundboard recording captures Bachman some 16 years after Woodstock, during Bachman-Turner Overdrive's brief mid 1980s reunion tour, on August 1, 1985, 39 years ago today.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - 1988-08-01 - Mansfield, MA (SBD)

Crosby, Stills & Nash

1988-08-01

Great Woods Performing Arts Center

Mansfield, MA

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Dark Star

02. Just A Song Before I Go

03. The Lee Shore

04. Nighttime For Generals

05. That Girl

06. Wind On The Water

07. Wooden Ships

08. Tracks In The Dust

09. Compass

10. Try To Find Me

11. Oh Camile

12. Word Game

13. Crossroads

14. Daylight Again

15. Find The Cost Of Freedom

16. Wasted On The Way

17. Guinnevere

18. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

19. Bluebird

20. Monkey & The Underdog

21. Soldiers Of Peace

22. For What It's Worth

23. Long Time Gone

24. Southern Cross

25. Cathedral

26. Carry On

27. Teach Your Children

Crosby, Stills & Nash - 1988-08-01 - Mansfield, MA (SBD)

When Crosby, Stills Nash & Young took the stage at Woodstock on August 17, 1969 it was just the 3rd time the band had ever performed live. The first two had come just the day before, in Chicago, where they performed early and late shows at the Auditorium Theater. CSNY was one of the first "super groups", bands composed of artists who had already been successful either as solo artists or with other bands. In CSNY's case, Neil and Stephen had played with Buffalo Springfield, David with The Byrds and Graham with The Hollies. Blind Faith, who did not play at Woodstock (more on that in later posts this month) is the other candidate for the title of first super group, with Clapton and Baker having played with Cream, and Winwood with Traffic. 

Nine years after Woostock in late 1987, the on again, off again quartet reformed to record the album American Dreams. Neil Young and David Crosby had made a pact - if Crosby went into rehab to kick his drug addictions, Young would rejoin his former band mates to work on a new album. That disc would eventually be released in November 1988, and go to #16 on the Billboard charts, though critical reviews were tepid. Once recording was done, Neil went off on his own again, long before the album hit the stores, Despite Neil’s departure, CSN decided to tour in the summer of 1988 in advance of the album’s release. This soundboard recording captures the band on August 1, 1988, 3 dozen years ago today, in Mansfield MA.