(U.S 1978-1982)
SNL band members, Lou Marini and Tom Malone, both horn section vets of Blood, Sweat & Tears, were immediately enlisted, as was SNL drummer, Steve Jordan. Steve Cropper and Donald Dunn, the guitar and bass powerhouse behind Booker T & The MGs and a long list of hits from Memphis' Stax Records label, were also brought on board at Shaffer's suggestion. Juilliard-trained Alan Rubin was brought in on trumpet and Matt Murphy, a veteran blues guitarist, who had played with Howlin Wolf, James Cotton, and other legends, was also brought into the fold. Bar-Kays' drummer Willie Hall, a close friend of Cropper and Dunn, was also enlisted, as was pianist Murphy Dunne. Once this stellar assemblage of musicians was outfitted with black suits and Ray-Ban sunglasses, the classic Blues Brothers stylistic image was in place.
The group's repertoire was firmly based on R&B, blues, and soul classics, but with a distinct rock sound that appealed to younger audiences. One of Belushi and Akroyd's primary models was the Toronto based Downchild Blues Band, co-founded by brothers Donnie and Richard Walsh. The group specialized in a high spirited, bar-band-esque style of jump-band and Chicago-style blues, which the Blues Brothers would also pursue, adding several of Donnie Walsh's songs to their repertoire and adopting their arrangements on several others. With a horn section that excelled at the clean, jazz-influenced sound of New York City and the rest of the band reflecting the grittier blues of Chicago and the soul sounds of Memphis, Paul Shaffer began developing additional song arrangements to beef up their repertoire.
With all these musical resources at their disposal, Belushi and Akroyd synthesized these elements into their own distinctive style, toning down their comedic flare and maintaining a strong reverence for the music. Quite different from the prevailing disco-oriented, vocal-dominated music of 1977/78, the Blues Brothers were a breath of fresh air amidst the formulaic music so popular at the time. The added television exposure on Saturday Night Live soon turned the Joliet and Jake Blues stage characters into pop culture icons of the day and even led to a full-length feature film deal. While opening for comedian Steve Martin at the Universal Amphitheatre in 1978, the Blues Brothers recorded their debut album, Briefcase Full Of The Blues. This live recording, which captured the raw energy of the group far better than any studio recording could have done, proved to be a very wise decision, as the album shot up to #1 and spawned two Top 40 hits, with covers of the Isaac Hayes/Dave Porter penned "Soul Man" and the Chips' "Rubber Biscuit."
Recorded several months later, when the Blues Brothers opened for the Grateful Dead on the monumental closing night of Winterland, this bootleg recording captures a full unedited performance of the group at their prime. With the help of Belushi and Akroyd's rapidly growing fame and an extremely receptive audience, this may be the most exciting performance they ever did. Although it is obvious that they take this music seriously, Belushi and Akroyd's innate comedic abilities at engaging an audience, balance their sincere reverence for the music with a boatload of fun.
Book-ended by a driving "Can't Turn You Loose," which serves as both intro and outro to this set, the Blues Brothers serve up nearly an hour of hot R&B and blues numbers at a rapid fire pace that never lets up. In additions to older classics like Willie Dixon's "Hey Bartender," "Soul Man," (made famous by Sam & Dave) and "Jailhouse Rock" the group add more esoteric fare, like King Floyd's irresistible "Groove Me" and "Delbert McLinton's "B Movie Box Car Blues." They also pay big homage to the Downchild Blues Band, by copping their arrangements of "Messin' With The Kid," "Rubber Biscuit," and "Flip, Flop Fly" in addition to playing two of that group's originals, "(I Got Everything I Need) Almost" and "Shotgun Blues," both written by Donnie Walsh. The combination of New Years Eve festivities, an historic event and the popularity of SNL among the Dead-head audience, combine to create a sizzling performance that will long be remembered as one of the most entertaining openers ever at a Grateful Dead concert. [extract from https://www.wolfgangs.com]
This post consists of FLACs ripped from my Unlicensed Bootleg CD which I sourced many years ago at a record fair in Camberwell, Melbourne. This A grade soundboard recording comes from a concert held at Winterland, in San Francisco on the 31st December, in 1978 which featured the Blues Brothers supporting the Grateful Dead. This bootleg has been previously released under many other titles, including 'The Closing Of Winterland', 'Live In The USA' and 'Winterland, San Francisco, CA. 12-31-78'
Track Listing
14 - Flip Flop & Fly
Alan Rubin - trumpet
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| John Belushi & Dan Akroyd (The Blues Brothers) |
The group's repertoire was firmly based on R&B, blues, and soul classics, but with a distinct rock sound that appealed to younger audiences. One of Belushi and Akroyd's primary models was the Toronto based Downchild Blues Band, co-founded by brothers Donnie and Richard Walsh. The group specialized in a high spirited, bar-band-esque style of jump-band and Chicago-style blues, which the Blues Brothers would also pursue, adding several of Donnie Walsh's songs to their repertoire and adopting their arrangements on several others. With a horn section that excelled at the clean, jazz-influenced sound of New York City and the rest of the band reflecting the grittier blues of Chicago and the soul sounds of Memphis, Paul Shaffer began developing additional song arrangements to beef up their repertoire.
Book-ended by a driving "Can't Turn You Loose," which serves as both intro and outro to this set, the Blues Brothers serve up nearly an hour of hot R&B and blues numbers at a rapid fire pace that never lets up. In additions to older classics like Willie Dixon's "Hey Bartender," "Soul Man," (made famous by Sam & Dave) and "Jailhouse Rock" the group add more esoteric fare, like King Floyd's irresistible "Groove Me" and "Delbert McLinton's "B Movie Box Car Blues." They also pay big homage to the Downchild Blues Band, by copping their arrangements of "Messin' With The Kid," "Rubber Biscuit," and "Flip, Flop Fly" in addition to playing two of that group's originals, "(I Got Everything I Need) Almost" and "Shotgun Blues," both written by Donnie Walsh. The combination of New Years Eve festivities, an historic event and the popularity of SNL among the Dead-head audience, combine to create a sizzling performance that will long be remembered as one of the most entertaining openers ever at a Grateful Dead concert. [extract from https://www.wolfgangs.com]
The Closing Of Winterland
After Billy Graham closed the Fillmore West in 1971, he ran shows at Winterland almost every weekend. The Rolling Stones gave four memorable shows at the rickety old hall in 1972. Peter Frampton recorded his blockbuster double album "Frampton Comes Alive" there. The Band filmed "The Last Waltz" and the Sex Pistols closed the band's U.S. tour at Winterland. But pieces of plaster were raining on the heads of concertgoers at almost every show, and Graham estimated the cost of repair at more than $350,000, which his landlords refused to deduct from his rent.
He made an emotional appeal to the Grateful Dead to play New Year's Eve and close the hall for him. He wrote a letter asking the band to rehearse for the concert and to play some old favorites that had been dropped from the repertoire. As a supporting act, he booked the great party band of the moment - - the Blues Brothers with Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi, at the height of "Saturday Night Live" mania. The evening promised a rich emotional subtext, even for the relatively unsentimental Dead.
After Billy Graham closed the Fillmore West in 1971, he ran shows at Winterland almost every weekend. The Rolling Stones gave four memorable shows at the rickety old hall in 1972. Peter Frampton recorded his blockbuster double album "Frampton Comes Alive" there. The Band filmed "The Last Waltz" and the Sex Pistols closed the band's U.S. tour at Winterland. But pieces of plaster were raining on the heads of concertgoers at almost every show, and Graham estimated the cost of repair at more than $350,000, which his landlords refused to deduct from his rent.
He made an emotional appeal to the Grateful Dead to play New Year's Eve and close the hall for him. He wrote a letter asking the band to rehearse for the concert and to play some old favorites that had been dropped from the repertoire. As a supporting act, he booked the great party band of the moment - - the Blues Brothers with Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi, at the height of "Saturday Night Live" mania. The evening promised a rich emotional subtext, even for the relatively unsentimental Dead.
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| Winterland Fillmore Interior |
"This was home base," said drummer Hart, "Dead Central, longtime center for the San Francisco Dead universe."
Instead of a touching farewell, however, the evening descended into a deranged bacchanalia. The place was a cocaine speakeasy -- even the janitor was holding. "There was a bit of blow going around," said Weir. "The Blues Brothers brought mounds of it. I think they had it for breakfast."
The "Saturday Night" crowd -- Bill Murray, Father Guido Sarducci, Al Franken, Paul Shaffer (playing in the Blues Brothers band) -- mingled backstage with psychedelic bull goose loony Ken Kesey, NBA all-star Bill Walton, Chet Helms of the Family Dog and members of the Jefferson Airplane. After their set, the Blues Brothers moved their scene to an after-hours party at the Airplane mansion on Fulton Street that lasted through the night.
Instead of a touching farewell, however, the evening descended into a deranged bacchanalia. The place was a cocaine speakeasy -- even the janitor was holding. "There was a bit of blow going around," said Weir. "The Blues Brothers brought mounds of it. I think they had it for breakfast."
The "Saturday Night" crowd -- Bill Murray, Father Guido Sarducci, Al Franken, Paul Shaffer (playing in the Blues Brothers band) -- mingled backstage with psychedelic bull goose loony Ken Kesey, NBA all-star Bill Walton, Chet Helms of the Family Dog and members of the Jefferson Airplane. After their set, the Blues Brothers moved their scene to an after-hours party at the Airplane mansion on Fulton Street that lasted through the night.
Full album artwork is also included, along with alternative bootleg release artwork. You don't have to be a fan of the Blues Brothers to appreciate this music, but it would help if you wear dark sunglasses and shake your tailfeather while listening to it. LOL
01 - Intro
02 - Hey Bartender
03 - Messin' With The Kid
04 - (I've 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
15 - Jailhouse Rock
16 - Finale
Note: No song separation / single 45:36 track
Joliet Jake Blues (John Belushi) - vocals
Elwood Blues (Dan Akroyd) - harmonica, vocals
Steve Cropper - guitar
Matt Murphy - guitar
Donald Dunn - bass
Tom Malone - trombone, trumpet, saxophone
Lou Marini - saxophone
Tom Scott - saxophone
Paul Shaffer - keyboards
Murphy Dunne - piano
Steve Jordan - drums
Willie Hall - drums
The Blues Brothers Live Link (262Mb)
New Link 06/09/2023
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