Grateful Dead - 1972-12-31 - Winterland, SF (FM)

Grateful Dead

1972-12-31

New Year's Eve

Winterland Arena

San Francisco, CA

FM Broadcast

192 kpbs (Vbr)

Artwork Included

CD 1:

1st Set

01. NYE Countdown > Around And Around

02. Deal

03. Mexicali Blues

04. Brown Eyed Women

05. Box Of Rain

06. Jack Straw

07. Don't Ease Me In

08. Beat It On Down The Line

09. Candyman

10. El Paso

11. Tennessee Jed

CD 2:

1st Set (continued)

01. Playing In The Band

02. Casey Jones

2nd Set

03. The Promised Land

04. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

05. Big River

06. Sugaree

CD 3:

2nd set (continued)

01. Truckin' >

02. The Other One >

03. Drums >

04. Drums & Bass >

05. The Other One >*

06. Morning Dew*

07. Bill Graham Thanks and Intro to

08. Sugar Magnolia

CD 4:

2nd Set (continued)

01. Sing Me Back Home

02. Johnny B. Goode

Encore

03. Uncle John's Band

04. One More Saturday Night

* with David Crosby

Grateful Dead - 1972-12-31 - Winterland, SF (FM)

The year 1972 had been a momentous one for the Dead, filled with legendary performances but also marked by transitions in personnel and style. The spring Europe 72 tour was one of the legendary series of shows in the band's long storied history. Every show from that tour is now being officially released for sale. The August 27, 1972 show at Veneta, Oregon is considered the top rival to May 8, 1977 for the title of the best Dead show ever. The Dead integrated Keith and Donna Godchaux into the band, while losing founding member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan due to ill health, which would eventually claim his life in 1973. What the band didn't do in 1972, however, is produce a studio album. That wouldn't happen until 1973, when they released Wake of The Flood, a jazz influenced disc which was quite a change from the prior two albums, Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, both released in 1970, which had fused together rock, folk, bluegrass and country music. Some of that transition in style is evident on this FM recording from December 31, 1972, 39 years ago today. The instrumental during the Other One, instead of being the normal thunderous jam, is a sweet musical piece in which Garcia's guitar almost sounds violin like. The band is on fire throughout the evening, with many Deadheads ranking this among the best Grateful Dead performances on New Year's Eve. Add to that a guest appearance by David Crosby during the last half of the 2nd set, and you have a show worthy enough to end the a historic year and set the stage for reaching even higher heights in the 365 days to follow!  Enjoy this incredible show and happy 2012 to all!

The Blues Brothers - 1978-12-31 - San Francisco, CA (SBD)

The Blues Brothers

1978-12-31

Winterland

San Francisco CA

Soundboard Recording

192 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Intro

02. Hey Bartender

03. Messin' With The Kid

04. (I Got Everything I Need) Almost

05. Band Intro 1

06. Rubber Biscuits

07. Shotgun Blues

08. Groove Me

09. I Don't Know

10. Band Intro 2

11. soul man

12. Band Intro 3

13. B Movie

14. Flip Flop & Fly

15. Jail House Rock

16. Outro

The Blues Brothers - 1978-12-31 - San Francisco, CA (SBD)

It started as a sketch on Saturday Night Live on April 22, 1978 with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, playing the roles of Jake and Elwood Blues, the front men for  a fictional band known as the Blue Brothers. The sketch grew into a real band, with Belushi and Aykroyd being backed by such legendary musicians as;

• Steve "The Colonel" Cropper – lead and rhythm guitar (formerly with Booker T & the M.G.'s)
• Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass guitar (formerly with Booker T & the M.G.'s)
• Murphy Dunne – keyboards 
• Willie "Too Big" Hall – drums, percussion (formerly of the Bar-Kays)
• Tom "Bones" Malone – trombone, trumpet, saxophone (Saturday Night Live Band)
• "Blue" Lou Marini – saxophone (Saturday Night Live Band)
• Matt "Guitar" Murphy – lead and rhythm guitar (Howlin' Wolf, other artists)
• Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin – trumpet (Saturday Night Live Band)
• Paul "The Shiv" Shaffer – keyboards, arranger
• Tom "Triple Scale" Scott – saxophone 

They released the album, Briefcase Full of Blues, in November 1978, which would go double platinum and eventually climb to number 1 on the charts, while producing 2 top 40 singles, Soul Man at #14 and Rubber Biscuit at #27.  Jake, Elwood and The Blues Brothers would go on tour, winding up as one of the opening acts for the Grateful Dead on December 31, 1978, 33 years ago today, at the show which closed the famous Winterland Arena in San Francisco. (Belushi and Ayroyd were both Deadheads, and, as I mentioned in a post last year, I actually saw John sing US Blues with the Dead at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ on March 30, 1980!).  This soundboard recording captures the Blues Brothers entire set from that legendary night.  Download this one, and when you're done listening, check out the 1980 Blue Brothers movie for some more great music from the band!

The Byrds - 1977-12-08 - San Francisco (Late Show) (SBD)

The Byrds

Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark & David Crosby

1977-12-08

Late Show

The Boarding House

San Francisco, CA

Soundboard Recording

192 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Denver or Wherever (Gene Clark)

02. Silver Raven (Gene Clark)

03. The Lee Shore (David Crosby)

04. Drive My Car (David Crosby)

05. Dreamland (Roger McGuinn)

06. Jolly Roger (Roger McGuinn)

07. Mr. Tambourine Man (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

08. Chestnut Mare (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

09. Crazy Ladies (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

10. Turn Turn Turn (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

11. I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

12. She Don't Care About Time (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

13. You Ain't Going Nowhere (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

14. Chimes of Freedom(McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

15. He Was a Friend Of Mine (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

16. My Back Pages (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

17. Little Mama (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

18. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

19. So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

20. Eight Miles High (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

The Byrds - 1977-12-08 - San Francisco (Late Show) (SBD)

Welcome back for our 2nd post of the day featuring the reunion of McGuinn, Clark and Crosby at The Boarding House in San Francisco on December 8, 1977, 34 years ago today. This post features the late show, which in addition to acoustic sets by McGuinn and Clark, and all 3 former Byrds playing together, includes a 2 solo numbers from Crosby, The Lee Shore and Drive My car. The latter song wouldn’t appear on a studio album for another 12 years! The trio add 3 additional Byrds numbers not played during the early show in Turn, Turn Turn, I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better and My Back pages, the last of which just may be my favorite by the band. Download this one to have the complete set of performances from this historic reunion.

The Byrds - 1977-12-08 - San Francisco (Early Show) (SBD)

The Byrds

Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark & David Crosby

1977-12-08

Early Show

The Boarding House

San Francisco, CA

Soundboard Recording

192 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Release Me Girl (Gene Clark)

02. Silver Raven (Gene Clark)

03. Train Leaves Here This Morning (Gene Clark)

04. Ballad of Easy Rider (Roger McGuinn)

05. Wasn’t Born to Follow (Roger McGuinn)

06. Jolly Roger (Roger McGuinn)

07. Chestnut Mare (McGuinn & Clark)

08. Crazy Ladies (McGuinn & Clark)

09. Mr. Tambourine Man (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

10. He Was a Friend of Mine (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

11. She Don’t Care About Time (McGuinn, Clark, & Crosby)

12. You Ain't Going Nowhere (McGuinn, Clark & Crosby)

13. Wild Mountain Thyme (McGuinn, Clark & Crosby)

14. Chimes of Freedom (McGuinn, Clark & Crosby)

15. Knockin' on Heaven's Door (McGuinn, Clark & Crosby)

16. I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better (McGuinn, Clark & Crosby)

17. So You Want to Be a Rock’n’Roll Star (McGuinn, Clark & Crosby)

18. Eight Miles High (McGuinn, Clark & Crosby)

The Byrds - 1977-12-08 - San Francisco (Early Show) (SBD)

In 1977, Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark, 2 of the original members of the Byrds, toured together as an acoustic duo, generating hopes among fans that the full band would reunite. Alas, such a reunion would not take place until 1991 at the band’s induction into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, mere months before Clark’s untimely death. In 1977, however, other members of the Byrds did join McGuinn and Clark on various occasions throughout their tour, though never all at the same time. Chris Hillman made several appearance, and would join permanently the following year to perform and record as McGuinn, Clark & Hillman. David Crosby also joined his former band mates at a few concerts during their tour, including on December 8, 1977, 34 years ago today, for 2 shows at the Boarding House in San Francisco. This post features a soundboard recording of the early show from that date, while later on today, we’ll have a soundboard of the late show. The early show opens with an acoustic set from McGuinn and Clark, after which Crosby strolls out to join them on for The Byrds classic, Mr. Tambourine Man. It’s an electric moment, that’s followed by a host of additional tunes from their days together in The Byrds, making this (as well as the show we’ll have later) a must have for your collection.

Rolling Stones - 1969-11-27 - Madison Square Garden, NY (HQ Aud)

Rolling Stones

1969-11-27

Madison Square Garden

New York, NY

HQ Audience Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Jumping Jack Flash

02. Carol

03. Sympathy For The Devil

04. Stray Cat Blues

05. Love In Vain

06. Prodigal Son

07. You Gotta Move

08. Under My Thumb > I'm Free

09. Midnight Rambler

10. Live With Me

11. Little Queenie

12. Satisfaction

13. Honky Tonk woman

14. Street Fighting Man

Rolling Stones - 1969-11-27 - Madison Square Garden, NY (HQ Aud)

In November 1969, the Rolling Stones toured the United States for the first time since 1966.  It was also Mick Taylor's first tour with the band since replacing Brian Jones. Robert Christgau called it "history's first mythic rock and roll tour", while Dave Marsh would write that the tour was "part of rock and roll legend" and one of the "benchmarks of an era." At each show, Sam Cutler, the road manager for the tour, introduced the Rolling Stones as "the greatest rock and roll band in the world", a title he had first bestowed upon them at their Hyde Park concert back in July (a show posted on this blog on July 5, 2010).  The tour set list was derived mostly from the albums Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed.  Each performance featured several Rolling Stones hallmarks -- Charlie Watts businesslike drumming, Bill Wyman's undertaker persona on bass, the guitar interplay of Mick Taylor and Keith Richards, and above all, Mick Jagger's prancing, strutting, leering and preening in front of the crowd.  The 2 concerts at Madison Square Garden were considered among the major rock events of the year.  This HQ audience recording captures the first of those 2 concerts, on November 27, 1969, 42 years ago today. Download this one and re-live one of the peak moments of the Stones' career.  Ironically, less than 10 days later, they would hit one of their low points, at Altamont on December 6, 1969. 

Warren Zevon - 1988-11-26 - Rochester, NY (SBD)

Warren Zevon

1988-11-26

The Warehouse

Rochester, NY

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

CD 1:

01. Drop Down Mama

02. Boom Boom Mancini

03. Play It All Night Long

04. Frank and Jesse James

05. The Factory

06. Carmelita

07. Mama Couldn't Be Persauded

08. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner

09. Networking

10. I Can't Tell You Why

11. Junko Partner

12. Hasten Down the Wind

13. Play It All Night Long

14. Poor Poor Pitiful Me

15. What's New Pussycat

16. Lawyers, Guns and Money

CD 2:

01. Werevolves Of London

02. Trouble

Note:  Artwork has the incorrect date of the 25th

Warren Zevon - 1988-11-26 - Rochester, NY (SBD)

In August 1987, Warren Zevon released the album, Sentimental Hygiene, his the sixth studio album. but his first in over five years. The disc featured a host of notable guest stars. The track Even A Dog Can Shake Hands was composed by Peter Buck, Bill Berry and Mike Mills of R.E.M., who also recorded an album with Zevon under the name Hindu Love Gods. Michael Stipe, also of R.E.M., appeared on the album, providing vocals and harmony on the song Bad Karma. In addition, the album featured Bob Dylan playing harmonica on The Factory. This soundboard recording captures Zevon on tour in support of the album, in Rochester on November 26, 1988, 23 years ago today.  

Happy 2nd Anniversary at So Many Roads

Believe it or not, today marks the 2nd anniversary for So Many Roads To Ease My Soul. When I started this blog 24 months ago, I had no idea what it would grow into. We've posted almost 500 different concerts from over 100 different artists. Those posts have included such monumental events as Woodstock, Monterrey Pop, Knebworth and Live Aid. We've grown from a 2 column layout to a 3 column one, have added numerous special features such as set lists, artwork, trivia, etc., and have been through 17 versions of our front page banner. We now average over 700 visitors a day and have had folks from 144 different countries stop by. We've had over 390,000 unique visitors, and almost 1.3 million page views. Why, we even have 84 followers, visitors who have signed up to get notified every day of any new content that we post. I'm still amazed that so many folks have taken an interest in my little place on the web. Amazed and very appreciative.

It takes a significant investment of time and effort to keep So Many Roads going. Finding shows to post, especially great sounding shows, isn't easy. Researching each post to provide some historical context involves numerous hours of searching the web. Of course, writing something coherent, that will actually interest folks who stop by, just may be the hardest part. I sometimes wonder why the hell I do it, but then I remember 3 things. First, I love music, history and writing, so this place lets me pursue those passions. Second, whenever I get disgruntled, I wind up getting a comment like the one below and it makes it all worthwhile:

Anonymous said... Thank you for your generosity in posting these great moments in music history. Also, for the time you took to write comments for each show. Makes this site a new favorite, and shows how you hold the music in high regard.

Third, I've made some great Internet friends while running this site, folks like Dino, Normski, Andy, Laker, Volke, Beaker, Staffie, AZ,  Sterling, Scousemike, Wardy, Jordan, Justdave, T-Fred, Kat, Coop, Matt G, Zep, Doug B and many many more (sorry if I missed anyone). Dino helped me get started and you can visit him and all the regulars listed above at his amazing site, Bootleg Tunz World.  When you visit, be sure to join the community area where you'll find a treasure trove of concerts (none commercially released!), great music resources and a very active (and usually insane) chat box!

My thanks to everyone who has helped So Many Roads grow over the last 2 years. We'll have a very special concert for you later today to help celebrate. I look forward to year 3 and beyond as we continue this "long strange trip".