W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Captain Crabbe And The Garden Gnomes - All Abound for Sydney Town

Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
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What a strange name for a folk group. It is also intriguing that the album cover does not include any details of the individuals, but some gaps have been filled in after a little research.

These three were the original team of "minstrels" at "Old Sydney Town" but only the two "garden gnomes", Eric Thompson (pictured with guitar) and David Hogston (with Banjo), were still there when Tony Suttor joined Old Sydney Town in 1976. The dog Patch belonged to Eric. "Captain Crabbe" has been identified as Vernon McGrath but the horse still remains unidentified.

In the 1980s, the duo performed at the Argyle Tavern in The Rocks, Sydney.

David composed Sydney Town and the last three listed instrumentals.

This album was definitely recorded and produced in Australia (at Tin Pan Alley Studios) but with two exceptions, the tracks are as much at home in the British Isles as in Australia. The major exception, Little Fishy (a.k.a. Little Fish), is strongly Australian but this is the first time that I have heard anyone sing it other than as a lullaby. The second exception is Sydney Town with a song title that speaks for itself !

Nevertheless, it is of little concern because the group performs very well both instrumentally and vocally. The vinyl ripped, was in good condition and the tracks required very little editing. There is a good mix of songs and instrumentals.

Please note that the track Lusty Young Blacksmith has extensive sexual innuendo and the track Ho Boy Hey Boy is sexually explicit and very politically improper in respect of the female gender. You have been warned !   [extract from australianfolk.blogspot ]

So why have I included this album for this month's WOCK on vinyl post. Well, the album title gives us some hints, and the boy's outfits only add fuel to the fire (aka Korny) but this album is super rare and so ticks the Obscure box. Something different I know, but I think you're gonna like these little ditties. Thanks to the Victorian Bush Folkie website for providing this rip.

Released on the Bunyip label, the vinyl has been ripped to MP3 (256kps) and full album artwork is included.

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Tracklist
01. Bonnie Dundee (instrumental)
02. 10,000 miles
03. Sydney Town
04. Maggie May
05. Botany Bay
06. Drunken sailor
07. Little fishy
08. Molly Malone
09. Foggy foggy dew (English traditional)
10. Molly McInstry (instrumental)
11. Billy O'Donnell O'Day
12. The keel row (instrumental)
13. Wild Rover
14. Lusty young blacksmith
15. Black velvet band
16. Four Mary's
17. Patsy Fagan
18. Ho boy hey boy
19. Flying pie man (instrumental)
20. Sam Hall
21. Home boys home (instrumental)
22. Thoughts by a stream (instrumental)
23. Waterfall (instrumental)
24. March of the gnomes (instrumental)

 

Captain Crabbe Link (59Mb)

Eric Clapton - Unauthorised Live Vol.1 (1993) Bootleg

(U.K 1962 - Present)
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By 1975, Eric Clapton has been firmly established himself as a solo artist, having been involved with some of the most important blues and rock acts of the 1960s. From the Yardbirds, through the Bluesbreakers, to Cream and Derek & The Dominos, Clapton's guitar playing had been featured on a plethora of classic records, and his reputation was that, as early as 1966, the words Clapton Is God were spray painted onto a wall in London.

But the early 1970's were a lean time for Eric and, following many years of drug and alcohol dependence, his eponymous 1970 solo debut was not the subject of a follow-up for another four years.
Titled '461 Ocean Boulevard' and released in 1974, it featured a major hit single for Clapton with Bob Marley's, "I Shot The Sheriff". He followed this with several low key albums in 1975, 'There's One In Every Crowd' and 'E.C was Here'

Eric Clapton 1977

In 1976, Clapton released 'No Reason to Cry', which featured all members of The Band backing him.
Also featured was a Dylan number "Sign Language" and further contributions from Ron Wood, Georgie Fame, Yvonne Elliman, Marcy Levy, Billy Preston and Carl Radle. The album reached the Top 20 in six countries and went Silver in the UK

In support of 'No Reason to Cry', Clapton took his band on the road to a number of dates in the US and the UK. The performance featured on this JOKER release was captured at the Convention Center in Dallas on November 15th, 1976.
Taken from a live FM radio broadcast and presented in perfect audio quality, this remarkable concert
with Clapton performing better than he had done for many years is now available on CD for the first time.
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Concert Review [by Trablu]
Eric Clapton's concert on November 15, 1976 at the Convention Center in Dallas was aired on one of the weekly Sunday Night broadcasts of over 300 connected radio stations for the US-wide radio music show KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR.

The radio show, which first aired on television in 1973 and was on air until the mid-eighties and was finally closed after a comeback in 2007, has only aired its own recorded live recordings, including from the band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and the Who.
None of these concerts - to my knowledge - have been officially released to date on recordings.

Clapton's concert was booted many times, first appeared SIGN LANGUAGE and LAYLA on the LP SNOWHEAD (1978), along with the first songs of the concert in Santa Monica in 1978. Last and for the first time completely on the double CD HELLO OLD FRIEND (1998).

The now appearing recording contains the complete radio program, but not the complete concert.
KEY TO THE HIGHWAY and ALL OUR PAST TIMES are missing.
And there's no need to add FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD to Freddie King as a guest guitarist. It was the last shot of Kings. He died a good five weeks later.
The song was the only one on the posthumous LP FREDDIE KING 1934 - 1976. And later on the 5-CD box FREDDIE KING TEXAS FLYER 1974 - 1976, the King / Clapton studio session alongside King's last studio recordings 1974 in the Criteria Studios in Miami contains.

Clapton's music in Dallas was relaxed and punchy in one.  Particularly noteworthy are the versions of TELL THE TRUTH - with a duration of almost 15 minutes!  A jam session par excellence. And LAYLA in three parts: first the familiar first part, then - instead of the second part with the piano part - a two and a half minute percussion / percussion solo and the third part with a good three and a half minute instrumental reprise of the first part. There is no further recording of this version.

THE DALLAS COWBOY - TEXAS BROADCAST 1976 may not be really official either.
But belong to the meanwhile long row of radio recordings that have existed for a good two years. These include live recordings by Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter.  But after all, it's the music that counts.

And Eric Clapton was excellent in 1976. At the Shangri-La Studios in Mailbu recording NO REASON TO CRY and on stage at the Convention Center in Dallas.
[extract from clapton.de forum]

Mark Knopfler (Guest Artist)

This post consists of MP3 (320kps) ripped from my JOKER bootleg CD and includes the usual Red and White generic artwork. Also released as 'The Dallas Cowboy' and 'Dallas 1976 Pre-FM Master', and JOKER's alternative release in its black and red series (see below), this bootleg recording is A+ with all tracks.
Tracks 1 - 6 recorded at the Convention Centre, Dallas. 15 Nov, 1976 on his "No Reason To Cry" U.S. Tour.  Tracks 7 - 8 recorded at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Laguna Hills. 23 Aug, 1988.
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Track Listing
01 - Hello Old Friend (3:51)
02 - Sign Language (3:46)
03 - Badge (7:41)
04 - Wonderful Night (7:45)
05 - Tell The Truth (13:08)
06 - Layla (8:37)
07 - I Shot The Sheriff (6:53) *
08 - Tearing Us Apart (7:19) *
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Backing Vocals – Marcy Levy, Yvonne Elliman
Bass Guitar – Carl Radle
Drums – Jamie Oldaker
Guitar, Vocals – George Terry
Guitar, Vocals – Eric Clapton
Keyboards – Dick Sims
Percussion – Sergio Pastora Rodriguez
Guitar - Mark Knopfler *

Eric Clapton Live Link (138Mb) New Link 20/12/2023

Yes - Extended Versions: The Encore Sessions (2002) Bootleg

(U.K 1968 - 2004, 2008 - Present)

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By the mid nineties Yes were at another crossroads. Guitar wizard and writer of 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' Trevor Rabin had left the group and their last album 'Talk' had hardly set the charts alight. To make things worse the wave of Grunge bands that had taken over the airwaves was now a flood.
So founder members Chris Squire and Jon Anderson plus long serving drummer Alan White did the one thing all Yes fans dream of, they got on the phone to Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman. The classic line-up were together again.

The band then played three shows in March 1996, at the Freemont Theatre San Luis Obispo, in California.   All the classics were there and the shows went down a storm with the ecstatic fans that packed in to see them.   The resulting live album 'Keys To Ascension Vol II, also included some new studio material, but poor record company back up and a general lack of promotion meant that sales were not as good as had been hoped for.

Then as always seems to happen with Yes, somebody left and as per usual it was Wakeman, tired of the constant management trouble the band had, he also decided that touring with Yes was not what he wanted at that time, so once again he went off to do his own thing. As quickly as the classic Yes line-up had reformed, it had once again disintegrated, leaving behind only one live/studio album for fans to cling to. Of course, the bootleggers decided that they needed to cash in on this brief reformation of the classic Yes, and this release is one of these offshoots from the Ascensions Tour in 1996.

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Concert Review (San Luis Obispo, California)

Venue - Edward's Fremont Theater (800 capacity)

(by Doug & Glenn Gottlieb)

What was originally planned as a night for “dressed rehearsal” became the debut show for the newly reformed classic Yes lineup of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White. The band hit the stage at San Luis Obispo’s Fremont Theater, performing for nearly 3 hours. 

Concert staples such as "Roundabout" and "I’ve Seen All Good People" were performed with such enthusiasm and vigor that the entire capacity crowd was up and dancing in the aisles. But it was the intense performance of Paul Simon’s America that whipped the already exuberant crowd into a frenzy. Feeding back on the energy from the crowd, guitarist Steve Howe seemed to be jolted off the ground. Fingers flying about the guitar, Howe began hopping across the stage like a cross between Chuck Berry and Roger Rabbit. Howe’s energy and obvious enjoyment pushed the crowd higher. This give and take was one of the nights most exhilarating moments. The song drew a thunderous standing ovation, as did the band’s mesmerising performance of "The Revealing Science of God". 

Jon Anderson, in particularly good spirits and fine voice, introduced Revealing with a story about how the tune was the one song he insisted the band learn for these shows. Jon brought Revealing to the table with the idea of shortening and revising the epic, but Steve Howe insisted the band learn and perform the tune in its entirety. It was the first time Yes performed the song in over two decades. 

Jon coaxed the crowd into singing Happy Birthday to Chris Squire, who was celebrating his birth with a few hundred friends. 

The shows became more and more polished with each performance, and the set list remained the same. By all counts, the third and final show was the tightest, and most intense. Fortunately, the video crew had stepped up to the higher end equipment for the final night, adding additional crew members as well. The band delivered a fantastic performance. All three shows were recorded and video-taped for what promises to be a stellar live album. 

The set list included "Close to the Edge", "And You and I", "Onward", and a very interesting version of Paul Simon's "America". The two encores were "Roundabout" and "Starship Trooper". About mid-way through the ~3 hour set, Jon led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to Chris, which he seemed to enjoy... 

All in all, an incredible experience... 

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Lineup

Jon Anderson     (Vocals)

Steve Howe     (Guitars)

Chris Squire     (Bass)

Rick Wakeman     (Keyboards)

Alan White     (Drums)

Full Setlist

Firebird Suite

Siberian Khatru

Close To The Edge

I've Seen All Good People

Time And A Word

And You And I 

The Revealing Science Of God

Going For The One

Turn Of The Century

Happy Birthday To Squire

America

Onward 

Awaken

Roundabout

Starship Trooper

This post consists of MP3 (320kps) ripped from my CD copy and includes full album artwork.

Although not the full concert setlist (see the official 'Keys To Ascension Vol II' release to hear more), this bootleg contains most of the highlights - even my favourite Yes track "Starship Trooper" and the quality of the recording is exceptional. 

OK, so "Close To The Edge" isn't on this one, but then again; nothing comes Close To Hearing the original Yes lineup again!  Enjoy

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Track Listing

01 Siberian Khatru 10:09

02 America                 10:27

03 Onward                   5:33

04 Awaken                 18:14

05 Roundabout           8:24

06 Starship Trooper 13:04

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Yes Link (130Mb) New Link 17/11/2024

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Budgie - Budgie Live + 3 (1978) Bootleg

(U.K 1967-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010)
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This is a hard to find Budgie bootleg and having finally located a copy, it's become apparent that the cover artwork is both inaccurate and misleading.

Firstly, the band members depicted on the front cover do not match the annotated date of the recordings (1978). Drummer Pete Boot is depicted on the cover (LHS) yet Steve Williams was well and truly playing the drums for Budgie from 1975.  In fact, the inside cover depicts the correct band for 1978, but clearly creates confusion for the listener.

Secondly, the labelling on the back cover states that the recordings come from two gigs held in 1978, one held at 'The Electric Ballroom' in Milwakee and another gig in Los Angeles.  A comparison in track lengths and basic song structure (for Tracks 1-8) with the official Milwakee release (see previous post) clearly shows that none of these tracks were recorded at The Electric Ballroom and simply come from a gig held later in the year (October), in Los Angeles (see Radio Sessions).

Inside Cover

It should also be noted that dual guitars can be clearly heard in these performances, indicating that these recordings come from a period in Budgie's lineup when 'Myf Isaac' was playing rhythm guitar alongside the legendary lead guitarist Tony Bourge. Their sound on stage is distinctly fuller and Bourge is given a lot more freedom to reproduce those magical lead breaks that he is renowned for on record.
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Budgie received Myf Isaac, a former member of Quest, as the second guitar player for live performances in 1978. After their next trip to America they released a much-wanted live recording of "Live At Atlantik Studios". But the pressure on the band and the small sales of the album caused them to return to Britain in mid-1978 as both Myf and the founding member, guitarist Tony Bourge. Isaacs then endeared in Welsh productions like BANDO, CRYS and EDEN. Trapeze guitarist Rob Kendrick took on the guitarist position, but he did not stay with Budgie for long. After another series of successful concerts in the UK during October and November Kendrick left the band. In 1979, he was officially replaced by 'Big' John Thomas, also known as J.T, a high quality player from George Hatcher Band, who debuted with a band at Stafford Bingley Hall on December 15th.

Budgie Live in L.A 1978

The origin of the 3 bonus tracks on this bootleg is a mystery, but I'm guessing these were recorded some years later based on the track titles, perhaps 1981/82, maybe at the Reading Festival.

Featured Band Members

This post consists of MP3 (320kps) ripped from CD and includes full album artwork (no responsibility taken for inaccuracies).

I would like to acknowledge and thank the source of my Band Member Info above (progressrock.cz) and encourage you to visit this informative Budgie website.

Track Listing

01 - Breadfan

02 - In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter's Hand

03 - In For The Kill / You're The Biggest

Thing Since Powdered Milk / Rocking Man

04 - Zoom Club

05 - Smile Boy Smile

06 - Breaking All The House Rules

07 - Love For You Me

08 - Sky High Percentage

09 - Guts

10 - Superstar

11 - Panzer Division Destroyed

Budgie were:
Burke Shelley- Vocals, Bass
Tony Bourge - Guitar, Vocals
Myf Issac - Lead Guitar
Steve Williams - Drums

Budgie Live 1978 Link (146Mb) New Link 17/12/2023

Deep Purple - Unauthorised Live at Knebworth, England (1985) Bootleg

(U.K 1968 - 1976, 1984 - Present)

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The comeback concert that Deep Purple played at Knebworth in 1985 went down in history as one of the muddiest rock concerts of all time.

As Blackadder once remarked about a girl with the worst personality in Germany – that’s up against some pretty stiff competition. It rained all day. The mud was six inches deep. Chemical toilets were in their infancy. I think you get the picture!

Radio One’s Friday Rock Show rather splendidly decided to record the concert for prosperity.

The concert broadcast started late evening: the “stellar” line up was Mama’s Boys, Mountain, Blackfoot, UFO, Meatloaf and Deep Purple, at least half of whom were pretty obscure even then. The Scorpions also played the gig, but had a live album out, so chose not to be part of the actual radio broadcast.  This bootleg comes from this radio broadcast and is excellent quality.

Knebworth 1985

Being the second Knebworth rock festival of the decade ( we won't count the Jazz fests or the Christian Green Field festivals held in 82/83 ), funds were provided by a consortium which included Paul Loasby, who was the promoter of the Monsters of Rock festival held at Castle Donington . The object was to provide a major concert venue for the reformed Mark 2 Deep Purple.

Although there was a license for 100,000,( which caused all sorts of problems, mainly due to police costs, which were excessive ) around 80,000 punters showed on the day . The weather was appalling, it rained and rained , so much that this show is now referred to as "Mudworth " by those who were in attendance. During the 70's, Knebworth had been very lucky with its weather, the weather gods of the 80's were not so kind !

However, even the privileged have to rough it sometimes and Richie Blackmore had to make his way to the stage clutching a brolly in one hand, protecting his guitar with this 'uncool device'. He also wore gumboots to keep out the mud !

View of the arena at Knebworth 1985 © Henry Cobbold

As for the music, opinions are polarized to a degree that we have rarely experienced when researching concerts. It appears that some people don't really rate most of the support bands and others love their sets . However, almost all agree that the Scorpions played an absolute blinder of a set. Their success was down to being extremely energetic, having a good sound mix and being on top of their game, which , in many cases regarding the supports, was arguably not the case. Some attendees argue that Mountain, UFO and most particularly Meatloaf, were well past their prime. Blackfoot have been either slated , or praised and no one seems to have a good word to say about Alaska.

Some reviews state that Deep Purple played a great set, with the gum booted Blackmore on fire due to the fact that he was annoyed as buggery at life in general, the rest of the band working well together and the erratic Gillan singing well; while  other reviews say they were apathetic and uninspired and were better in the old days. I expect the two hour wait between the end of The Scorpions set and the commencement of Purple's set either honed the anticipation or dulled the expectations for the various reviewers. [extract from UK Rockfestivals]

Concert Review  (By Mark Putterford, the Kerrang! No 98, July 11-24 1985, p. 42)

So who doubted them then, eh? C'mon, WHO DOUBTED THEM!  

As Deep Purple plugged into the driving power of 'Highway Star' and rocked rampantly through 'Nobody's Home' with Ritchie Blackmore rolling in and out of some astounding solos, the years fell away meekly and the reincarnation of a legend exploded on us in a fireball of glory.

I can't quite imagine that anyone expected the re-grouping of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord and Paice on the same stage to be a disappointment, but with a brain-boggling multitude of bare forearms thrusting rhythmically to a remarkable fresh recollection of the ancient 'Strange Kind of Woman', it all seemed faintly unreal. And when, after a short blues passage, Lord and Blackmore dueled viciously throughout a frighteningly pacey rendition of 'A Gypsy's Kiss', it was distinctly lump in throat time. Twelve years? Sheesh!

With Ian Gillan looking and sounding healthier than he has for years, the epic brilliance of 'Perfect Strangers' revealed some flashing lasers during its haunting middle riff and 'Under The Gun' typified the fresh determination of a band reveling in the electric excitement of a truly momentous occasion.

Blackmore in particular appeared to be enjoying every note; dressed inevitably in black (including black wellington boots!) and with that familiar white Strat riding on his slim hips, he stood with left knee twitching in a contentment confirmed with the occasional shake of the barnet, flicking elaborate hand-signals in all directions and blazing up'n'down the frets like only he can.

The Knebworth Perimeter Fence

A nod of Blackmore's machine head and Purple's classic blues romp 'Lazy' unfolded into Ian Paice's drum solo, the stage transformed into a titanic temple of technical excellence, swamped in colour and illuminated by the pumping adrenaline of a long-awaited homecoming. Say what you will, he's still the best rock n' roll drummer in the world for my money.

Next up, Lord's eerie keys, Glover's bobbling bass and Paice's punching drums led the crowd into a massive cheer of recognition for 'Knocking At Your Back Door'. And then Rainbow's 'Difficult To Cure' instrumental found Jon Lord amusing himself like a mad professor in his lag during a lengthy, roaming solo. Finally, Ian Paice's wispy hi-hat shuffled into the sprawling 'Space Truckin'' which, as the green pencil-thin lasers bounced off huge mirror balls spraying the thousands with a swirling mass of stars and a blinding array of lights flashed wildly, climaxed with Blackmore's chaotic solo echoing savagely around the vast field like a violent thunderstorm.

After a dazzling deluge of sparks had showered the stage and more or lasers jerked sharply here and there, Purple returned with a 'Woman From Tokyo' and 'Speed King'. Here, Lord and Blackmore stood shoulder to shoulder rifling riffs at each other and splashing about in wild abandon before charging back.

Masses of whizzing fireworks overhead threw light on the orgiastic ocean of bodies and heralded another encore in the shape of 'Black Night', and after what seemed like hours of cheering, the band trooped on yet again to play 'Smoke On The Water', with Blackmore and Glover swooping guitars halfway through. To cap it all, a firework display which made the Battle Of Britain seem like a total non-event mushroomed into the heavy, foreboding blanket of clouds, and hey... I didn't even realise it was raining! [ extract from Highway Star]

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This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from a Grapefruit CD (thanks to DaveL at Midoztouch) and includes the usual generic red artwork.  I have also included artwork for the more extensive bootleg release entitled 'In The Absence Of Pink' (a 2 CD / 2LP set) which some say derives its name from the lack of females in the Knebworth crowd (See covers below).

The quality of the recording on this bootleg is excellent and as the above review states, the band was on fire even though the crowd was soaked.

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Track Listing
01 - Intro / Toccata 1.31
02 - Highway star 5.35
03 - Strange kind of woman 8.04
04 - Perfect strangers 6.07
05 - Lazy 3.20
06 - Space truckin' 24.47
07 - Speed king, Fade Away 8.58
08 - Black night 6.22
09 - Smoke on the water 7.43

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Deep Purple were:

Ritchie Blackmore (guitar)

Ian Gillan (vocals)

Roger Glover (bass guitar)

Jon Lord (organ, keyboards)

Ian Paice (drums)

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Deep Purple Unauthorised Link (74Mb) New Link 18/12/2023

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Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Extended Versions - The Encore Collection (2000) Bootleg

(U.K 1970-1979, 1991-1998, 2010-2016)

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Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of keyboardist Keith Emerson; singer, bassist and producer Greg Lake; and drummer and percussionist Carl Palmer. With nine RIAA-certified gold record albums in the US, and an estimated 48 million records sold worldwide, they were one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock bands in the 1970s, with a musical sound including adaptations of classical music with jazz and symphonic rock elements, dominated by Emerson's flamboyant use of the Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, and piano (although Lake wrote several acoustic songs for the group).

The band came to prominence following their performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970. In their first year, the group signed with E.G. Records (who distributed the band's records through Island Records in the United Kingdom, and Atlantic Records in North America), and released Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1970) and Tarkus (1971), both of which reached the UK top five.

The band's success continued with Pictures at an Exhibition (1971), Trilogy (1972), and Brain Salad Surgery (1973, released on ELP's own Manticore Records label). After a three-year break, Emerson, Lake & Palmer released Works Volume 1 (1977) and Works Volume 2 (1977). After Love Beach (1978), the group disbanded in 1979.

Greg Lake

The band reformed partially in the 1980s as Emerson, Lake & Powell featuring Cozy Powell in place of Palmer. Robert Berry then replaced Lake while Palmer returned, forming 3. In 1991, the original trio reformed and released two more albums, Black Moon (1992) and In the Hot Seat (1994), and toured at various times between 1992 and 1998. Their final performance took place in 2010 at the High Voltage Festival in London to commemorate the band's 40th anniversary. Both Emerson and Lake died in 2016, leaving Palmer as the only surviving member of the band. [extract from wikipedia]

Carl Palmer

For a concert recording of ELP, nothing quite beats the recordings made by the King Biscuit Flower Hour. This version is a Canadian release from 2000 on the BMG label, entitled "Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Extended Version - The Encore Collection". This is a single disc collection, which omits Pirates,  C'est La Vie, the longer Piano Improvisation, Drum Solo and Karn Evil 9. However, because the total length of this bootleg is barely over 40mins, I have chosen to add the popular Karn Evil 9 as a bonus.

This bootleg is derived from two shows on separate tours during the 1970s, effectively makes the official 'Welcome Back My Friends' live set superfluous. The group were caught in their early-'70s prime, doing the best numbers off of Brain Salad Surgery when they were fresh and challenging; additionally, the group was in excellent form on both shows that are represented, so the listener gets the trio doing their best work at their tightest. "Karn Evil Nine" is done complete with all three parts clocking in at over 34 minutes, and comes off twice as urgent and effective as the studio version; the rest is just as well executed. The sound is also superior to the audio quality on 'Welcome Back My Friends'.

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Keith Emerson

Emerson, Lake & Palmer 'live releases' are notorious for overlapping with each other, and this is no exception. Unlike most King Biscuit releases, the tracks included here are not always unique. The 1974 recordings, which include the aforementioned "Karn Evil 9" plus "Lucky Man" and "Still You Turn Me On" are from the Tulsa USA performance. They previously appeared on the bands' first live album "Welcome back my friends..".

The 1977 recordings are from the "Works" tour, but contrary to some reports elsewhere, they are not taken from the "In concert" album. These versions were recorded at The Coliseum, Wheeling, West Virginia USA without an orchestra.

In terms of recording quality, the sound here is excellent, Greg Lake's acoustic guitar passage sounding particularly clear. The bias of the song selection towards the "Works" (Volumes 1 and 2) albums means that some older favourites are missing, such as Tarkus and Knife Edge. The "Piano improvisation" included here is rather clumsily extracted from the "Take A Pebble" suite, and certainly does not benefit from being presented in isolation.

Sadly, the version of "Fanfare" included here is a performance without the orchestra the band used on some concerts during the tour, and so is missing that special sound we are so accustomed to. 

However, it is better than the numerous bootlegs which the band have recently gathered together and their given official releases, so make sure you grab it now.

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This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from CD and includes full album artwork. As mentioned already, I have chosen to include the 34 min version of "Karn Evil 9" as a bonus track, which was released with the derivative King Biscuit Flower Hour bootleg in 1997 (see cover below).

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Track List

01 Peter Gunn Theme 3:44

02 Tiger In A Spotlight 4:22

03 The Enemy God 2:46

04 Still...You Turn Me On 3:02

05 Lucky Man 3:09

06 Watching Over You 4:13

07 Fanfare For Common Man 8:21

08 Hoedown 4:24

09 Piano Improvisation 5:40

10 Maple Leaf Rag 1:17

11 Karn Evil 9 (Bonus) 34:37

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Line-up / Musicians:

- Keith Emerson / keyboards

- Greg Lake / vocals, bass, guitar 

- Carl Palmer / drums, percussion 

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Emerson, Lake & Palmer Link (158Mb)
New Link 20/12/2023