Neil Young - 1970-12-05 - Carnegie Hall, NY (HQ Aud)

Neil Young

1970-12-05

Carnegie Hall

New York, NY

HQ Audience Recording

224 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Down By The River

02. Cinnamon Girl

03. I Am A Child

04. Expecting To Fly

05. The Loner

06. Wondering

07. Helpless

08. Southern Man

09. Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing

10. On The way Home

11. Tell Me Why

12. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

13. Old Man

14. After The Goldrush

15. Flying On The Ground Is Wrong

16. Don’t Let It Bring You Down

17. Cowgirl In The Sand

18. Birds

19. Bad Fog Of Loneliness

20. Ohio

21. See The Sky About To Rain > Sugar Mountain

Neil Young - 1970-12-05 - Carnegie Hall, NY (HQ Aud)

In the book Neil Young: The Definitive Story Of His Musical Career, author Johnny Rogan wrote that “The performances at Carnegie Hall in December (4th-5th) were regarded by Young as some of the most important of his career. Young even stated that he would have gladly played for free, just for the pleasure of performing at that prestigious venue. The seriousness with which Young took those performances were evident in some of his adverse comments to the audiences. He demanded silence between songs and when one punter shouted for a song, Young gave him this stern reply: “Listen, let me tell you one thing. As a performer, when you play Carnegie Hall you look forward to it for a number of years. I don’t take playing here lightly at all and I think that you should have enough faith in me to know that I would plan ahead and include all of the songs that I thought you’d want to hear. That’s OK at the Maple Leaf Gardens… but I’m not Grand Funk Railroad.” This HQ Audience recording captures Neil from the 2nd night at Carnegie Hall, on December 5, 1970, 42 years ago today.  Download this one to hear Neil’s music match the majesty of the venue, as he transforms such well know electric numbers as Cinnamon Girl, Down by The River, The Loner, Cowgirl In The Sand, Ohio and Southern Man into acoustic masterpieces.

Led Zeppelin - 2007-12-05 - Surrey, UK (SBD)

Led Zeppelin

2007-12-05

The Final Rehearsal 2007

Shepperton Studios

Surrey, England

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

CD 1:

01. Intro

02. Good Times, Bad Times

03. Ramble On

04. Black Dog

05. In My Time Of Dying

06. For Your Life

07. Trampled Under Foot

08. Nobody's Fault But Mine

09. No Quarter

10. Since I've Been Loving You

CD 2:

01. Dazed & Confused

02. Stairway To Heaven

03. The Song Remains The Same

04. Misty Mountain Hop (end cut)

05. Kashmir

06. Whole Lotta Love

07. Rock And Roll

Led Zeppelin - 2007-12-05 - Surrey, UK (SBD)

It may have been the most long awaited and anticipated reunion concert in rock history. The Guinness Book of World records certainly supports that opinion, claiming that the concert set the record for Highest Demand For Tickets, as 20 million requests were received on line. On December 10, 2007, the 3 surviving members of Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones, along with Jason Bonham, son of the band’s late drummer, John Bonham, took the stage at the O2 Arena in London. Led Zep had returned, for one night only, to pay tribute to the late Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic records and one of the giants of the music industry. Led Zep rose to the occasion that night. Music critics in attendance were unanimous in their praise for Led Zeppelin's performance. New Musical Express proclaimed, "what they have done here tonight is prove that they can still perform to the level that originally earned them their legendary reputation...We can only hope this isn't the last we see of them.” The New Yorker critic Sasha Frere-Jones, who attended the concert wrote, "The failed gigs of the nineteen-eighties and nineties have been supplanted by a triumph, and the band should be pleased to have done Ertegun proud with such a spirited performance.” Unfortunately, that was the last we have seen of Led Zep. While bootlegs of the show exist, all are audience recordings, of varying quality. Just recently, however, a soundboard recording has surfaced, not of the show itself, but of the rehearsal 5 days prior, on December 5, 2007, 5 years ago today, at Shepperton Studios in Surrey. This one is a must have for your collection.

Bob Dylan - 1988-12-04 - Oakland, CA (SBD)

Bob Dylan
1988-12-04
Bridge School Benefit 1988
Oakland Coliseum
Oakland, California
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

01. San Francisco Bay Blues
02. Pretty Boy Floyd
03. With God On Our Side
04. Girl From The North Country
05. Gates Of Eden
06. Forever Young

Bob Dylan - 1988-12-04 - Oakland, CA (SBD)

In staging the Bridge School shows each year, Neil Young has recruited the biggest names in rock to help him raise money for his foundation.  Over the years, such rock legends as Paul McCartney, The Who, Elton John, CSN and Bruce Springsteen, just to name a few have all participated in Bridge School benefit shows. The 1988 concert was no exception, as Neil was joined in Oakland on December 4, 1988, 2 dozen years ago today, by Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir, Nils Lofgren, Billy Idol, Tom Petty and Tracy Chapman. The biggest guest star on the bill, however, was the former Mr. Robert Allen Zimmerman. Bob Dylan, accompanied by GE Smith on guitar, played a 6 song acoustic set, highlighted by the 1st version of Pretty Boy Floyd since 1961. Download this soundboard recording to hear Dylan use his music to support yet another worthy cause.

Neil Young & CSNY - 1988-12-04 - Oakland, CA (SBD)

Neil Young & CSNY

1988-12-04

Bridge School Benefit 1988

Oakland Coliseum

Oakland, California

Soundboard Recording

192 kbps

Artwork Included

Neil Young

01. Comes A Time

02. Sugar Mountain

03. This Note's For You

04. American Dream

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

05. Helplessly Hoping

06. Love The One You're With

07. This Old House

08. Southern Man

09. Don't Say Goodbye

10. Compass

11. Long Time Gone

12. Southern Cross

13. Teach Your Children

Neil Young & CSNY - 1988-12-04 - Oakland, CA (SBD)

In 1986, Neil and Peggy Young founded The Bridge School, an organization to assist children with severe physical impairments and complex communication needs. Neil hosted a benefit concert that year to support the foundation, and has done so every year since, with the exception of 1987. Bridge School Benefit #2 took place on December 4, 1988, 24 years ago today, and holds the distinction of being the only concert in the series not to take place at Shoreline Theater in Mountain View, CA. Instead, the show took place at the Oakland Coliseum. Neil performed a solo set, and was joined later by Crosby, Stills and Nash for a CSNY reunion. Download this soundboard recording of both sets, then go here to make a donation to this worthy cause.

Willie Nelson – 1997-12-03 – Austin, TX (SBD)

Willie Nelson

with Merle Haggard

1997-12-03

La Zona Rosa

Austin, TX

Soundboard Recording

320 Kbps

Artwork Included

CD 1:

01. Willie Says ‘Hello’

02. Funny How Time Slips Away

03. I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink

04. Big City

05. The Silver Eagle

60. Love Is King

07. Crazy

08. Fiddle Jam

09. Be My Valentine

10. Old Fashioned Love in My Heart

11. Natural High

12. Rosetta #1

13. Rosetta #2

14. I’m Not Trying To Forget You Anymore

15. Look What Thoughts Will Do

16. I Want To Be With You Always

17. If You Got the Money Honey I Got the Time

18. Pancho & Lefty

19. Reasons To Quit

20. Cotton College Song

CD 2:

01. On The Road Again

02. Why Do I Have To Choose?

03. Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone

04. Whiskey River

05. Silver Wings

06. Stardust

07. Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground

08. I’ve Got No Reason To Quit

09. I Gotta Get Drunk

10. I’m The Man With The Blues

11. I’ve Got the Money If You’ve Got the Time

12. Django

Willie Nelson – 1997-12-03 – Austin, TX (SBD)

Hard to believe that I’ve been working on this blog for over a year and haven’t gotten around to posting any Willie Nelson. Willie is more than a country music legend -- he has become an American icon. A driving force behind Farm Aid, Willie has performed alongside such rock legends as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp. I saw Willie on September 2, 1978 at Giants Stadium when he led in for the Grateful Dead at their last concert before heading off to Egypt to play the Pyramids. Willie was supposed to play alongside Waylon Jennings, but Waylon no-showed! That didn’t stop Willie from playing a set of his classics, including my favorite, Whiskey River. In any event, while Willie didn’t have a partner that September day in 1978, this soundboard recording from Willie’s from December 12, 1997, 15 years ago today, makes up for it. Willie is joined by Merle Haggard for this show, another country music legend who also has had a tremendous influence on rock and roll (The Grateful Dead, for example, have played Haggard’s Mama Tried and Sing Me Back Home in concert.) Like our last post, therefore, this one also features 2 legends on stage together, so you’ll definitely want to download it for your collection.

Elvis Costello - 1977-12-03 - Chicago, IL (FM)

Elvis Costello 
& the Attractions
1977-12-03
The Riviera
Chicago, Illinois
WXRT-FM broadcast
320 kbps
Artwork Included

01. Introduction
02. Welcome to the Working Week
03. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
04. Waiting For the End of the World
05. No Action
06. The Beat
07. Less Than Zero
08. Radio, Radio
09. You Belong to Me
10. Lipstick Vogue
11. Watching the Detectives
12. Pump It Up
13. Miracle Man
14. Encore Break
15. Mystery Dance

Elvis Costello - 1977-12-03 - Chicago, IL (FM)

In 1976, at the outset of the punk rock/new wave boom, entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman (aka Jake Riviera) founded Stiff Records in London. They quickly signed and promoted dozens of new artists, including Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric Ian Dury, and one Declan Patrick MacManus, better known as Elvis Costello. Costello released his first single on Stiff, Less Than Zero, in March 1977. It failed to chart, the same fate that befell his next 2 singles, Alison and (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes. Stiff Records had faith in Costello, however, and released his debut album, My Aim is True, in July 1977. The album did far better than the singles, reaching #14 on the UK charts. At the time, neither the singles nor the album were released in the US, however, as Stiff only had distribution deals in the UK. Stiff’s faith in Costello was further rewarded when he became the clear star of the Live Stiffs Tour of the UK that ran from October 3 to November 5, 1977. Folks across the pond started to notice Costello, and he signed with CBS records. As the Stiff Tour concluded, Elvis crossed the Atlantic for his first series of live shows in the US. This FM broadcast captures Elvis & The Attractions on December 2, 1977, 35 years ago today, in Chicago. Exactly 2 weeks later, on December 17, he’d be performing on Saturday Night Live, where his decision to stop playing Less Than Zero in order to perform Radio Radio, would result in his being banned from that show for over a dozen years! Download this one, then come back tomorrow for part 2 of this back to back entry.

U2 - 1982-12-02 - Manchester, UK (SBD)

U2

1982-12-02

Apollo Theater

Manchester, UK

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Twilight

02. Surrender

03. I Threw A Brick Through A Window

04. A Day Without Me

05. An Cat Dubh > Into The Heart

06. Sunday Bloody Sunday

07. Electric Co.

08. I Fall Down

09. October

10. New Year's Day

11. Gloria

12. I Will Follow

13. Fire

14. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock

15. A Celebration

16. The Ocean

17. I Will Follow

U2 - 1982-12-02 - Manchester, UK (SBD) 

Welcome to our first of 6 posts this month that will feature U2. In February 1983, U2 released War, their first overtly political album. The band selected the title because in Bono’s words, “war seemed to be the motif for 1982 The disc went to #12 on the Billboard charts in the US, and climbed all the way to #1 in the UK. The single New Year’s Day went to #53 on the US charts, the first tune from the band to crack the Billboard Top 100. That tune, which was about the Polish Solidarity movement, and< Sunday Bloody Sunday, about the violence in Northern Ireland, made it clear that U2 had grown to be more than a new wave dance band. Two month’s before the album’s release, in December 1982, U2 launched the “Pre-War” tour, designed to showcase songs from the album in a live setting prior to the disc’s release. This soundboard recording captures the band on night 2 of that tour, on December 2, 1982, 30 years ago today, in Manchester. Download this one to hear U2 play songs from the album that started their ascent to the top of the rock world.