Repost: Baker Gurvitz Army - BGA Live In Derby (1975) Excellent SB

(U.K 1974-76)

.

Baker Gurvitz Army (BGA) was a short-lived English rock group. Former The Gun and Three Man Army members, Paul Gurvitz and Adrian Gurvitz joined forces with ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker in 1974. Things had not been going too well for Ginger Baker since the demise of his own band Ginger Baker's Air Force. The Gurvitz Brothers, too, were looking for a new way ahead after the early success of their band The Gun. In 1974, though, it seemed all three could use their greatest talents in the Baker Gurvitz Army.
Their self-titled debut album was released the same year and featured a dynamic mixture of heavy rock, guitar themes propelled by Baker's irrepressible drumming. 

He also contributed a lengthy dramatic opus called 'Mad Jack' which told the story of a motor race in Africa partly sung by Paul with a spoken narration by Ginger, sounding as if he had a bit of trouble with his teeth! He added some tyre squealing sound effects, presumably from his beloved high speed Jensen sports car - fortunately recorded before the fan blade disintegrated and destroyed the engine.

The Baker Gurvitz Army would later take on extra musicians, including vocalist Snips from the band Sharks and keyboard player and arranger Peter Lemer from Seventh Wave. At its best the band was very tight and powerful and the music still stands up today, at a time when many Seventies albums sound weak and poorly produced. Certainly Adrian was a much underrated guitarist, who had a tremendous turn of speed and passionate feeling for the blues. It was perhaps not surprising he sometimes seemed pissed-off at the world. He was a much better guitarist than many of his more publicised contemporaries.

Paul Gurvitz and Ginger Baker

The band recorded two more albums, 'Elysian Encounter' (1975) and 'Hearts Of Fire' first released in 1976. Maybe it should have been called 'Tempers Of Fire' because personality clashes eventually led to the band breaking up the same year! In the aftermath Ginger briefly led a band called Energy, and was associated with Vincent Crane's Atomic Rooster and Hawkwind. Baker the master drummer would spend the next few years dividing his time between playing polo and olive farming in Italy, until he returned to play with such bands as Masters Of Reality and a Cream style trio with Jack Bruce and Gary Moore in 1994 (BBM). Adrian Gurvitz embarked on a solo career and became a successful writer and producer based in Los Angeles, writing for such artists as Whitney Houston. Most of the 'Hearts On Fire' material was written by Adrian, although Snips contributed a couple of songs, 'Neon Lights,' and 'Mystery.'
Paul Gurvitz wrote 'Smiling', something he did rather more than Adrian. Ginger Baker devised the opening title track, but it wasn't long before the fires went out, at least until the next gig and the next band. [Taken from the liner notes of the Hearts On Fire and Wikipedia]

Ginger Baker

Adrian Gurvitz went on to record several solo albums and released the hit single 'Classic' in 1982. He also joined up with Graeme Edge (Moody Blues) and his brother Paul to form the Graeme Edge Band in the late 70's - releasing 2 successful albums 'Kick Off Your Muddy Boots' and 'Paradise Ballroom'.

During the short 3 year period that the Baker Gurvitz Army were together, they were captured live on a number of bootleg recordings, and I am including the best one of these here for your enjoyment. Recorded live in Derby (1975), this recording captures the band at the height of their career and the sound qualty of this boot is excellent. Playing a selection of tracks from all three of their albums along with a number of covers ('Freedom' by Hendrix, and 'White Room', 'Sunshine Of Your Love' by the Cream), each band member gets an opportunity to strut their stuff. In particular, Baker produces a dynamic (but not too lengthy) drum solo at the end of Memory Lane which leads straight into the nostalgic 'Sunshine of Your Love'.
Their Cream renditions are fresh and tight and fit nicely in amongst their own BGA classics. My favourite BGA tracks are 'Remember' and 'Inside Me', mainly due to the awesome guitar work from Gurvitz along with the interplay of vocals and drums from Mr. Snips and Baker respectively. However, it would have been nice to see the inclusion of 'Mad Dog' in this set, as it was their first big hit and has been an all time personnel favourite.

The rip included here was taken from CD in MP3 (320kps) format and includes full album artwork along with selective pictures of the band. 

Note: This MPL recording is no longer available for purchase from the MLPLIVE.com website, and so becomes a Public Domain recording which can be freely shared.

.

Track Listing

01 - The Hustler

02 - Space Machine

03 - Remember

04 - White Room

05 - Neon Lights

06 - Inside Of Me

07 - Memory Lane

08 - Sunshine Of Your Love

09 - The Artist

10 - Freedom

11 - Time

12 - Going To Heaven

.

Ginger Baker (Drums)

Adrian Gurvitz (Guitar, vocals)

Paul Gurvitz (Bass guitar, backing vocals)

Steve Parsons aka 'Mr Snips' (Lead Vocals)

Peter Lemer (Keyboards)

BGA Link (193Mb)

.

REPOST: Jimi Hendrix - Last American Concert (30-7-1970) Ex Bootleg

(U.S 1967-1970)
.
(Thursday July 30th 1970. Rainbow Bridge Vibratory Color Sound Experiment, Haleakala Crate, Island Of Maui, Hawaii. Jimi Hendrix was supported by Air)
.
Jimi Hendrix (Cry Of Love) take the stage in the afternoon for the first of their performances. Jimi: "Glad to see you again, I hope everything's alright. Dig, give us about a minute, give us about a minute to set up and, er, yeah we'll forget about tomorrow and yesterday, get into... our own little world for a while, catch up to the wind." Someone offers Jimi something. He replies: "Er, I've had mine actually. Yeah I'd like to get into a thing called "Spanish Castle Magic" and, er, check out everything and see what's happening."

Afterwards: "Yeah, okay... we'd like to do another thing, go into another thing, if... the bass is working. Testing, testing, testing, testing, one, two, three." The crew has to come on stage to adjust the equipment. When they have finished, Jimi continues with "Here Comes Your Lover Man" and "The Land Of The New Rising Sun" and a completely new song, "In From The Storm". Then: "Yeah, thank you very much, thank you. I'd like to tune up one more time, okay? I'd like to do this tune that everybody here knows about, it's a thing called "Message To Love" - everybody knows about that. We'd like to just bathe in it for a second, for always actually." Jimi continues with "Message To Love".
Afterwards he announces: "I'd like to go into one of those other things, do a thing... dedicated to that little girl over there called Hartley, a thing called "Foxy Lady" — look out! Plug your ears, plug your ears, it's gonna be loud!" When the song is over, Jimi says: "Thank you very much, I'd like to do a slow blues right now.

It's a thing about a cat, you know, he gotta leave town because his old lady don't want him around, because, you know, nobody [wants] him in town and all the downs. You know, the cat's all low and everything, but then he's gonna get it together, 'cause he's going down the train station with his little baby and his little pack on his back. Come back and buy the town and maybe the girl does it to him one more time, might even marry her and give a piece to her. It's called "Get My Heart Back Together'" — I don't know whether it's about myself, I don't know." After this blues track, the set continues with "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and "Fire".
"Yeah we'd like to do another one, I think, er, a few of us might remember this one, some of us will never forget it, including me..." Jimi ends the first show with "Purple Haze", then tells the audience: "Thank you, thank you, peace with you man,thank you. We'd like to come back later on and we're bound to get it on again if we can, okay, [unless] anything stops us."

Cry Of Love return for their second performance. Jimi opens the show with another new song, "Dolly Dagger". He slows the song down at the ends and proceeds to play a very melodic version of "Villanova Junction", before continuing the set with "Ezy Ryder". He announces: "I'd like to do a little blues to the sun called "Red House". After this number, Cry of Love continue with "Freedom", "Beginnings" and "Straight Ahead" ending this last song with the introduction to "Land Of The New Rising Sun". After thanking the crowd, Jimi continues with "Land Of The New Rising Sun" and then plays "Keep On Grooving". Mitch plays an extended drum solo and Jimi returns to play "Stone Free". He ends the concert with a few bars of "Hey Joe" before revisiting the solo of' "Stone Free". Jimi says "Thank you very much, good night."
.
Note from Chuck Wein: "Even though the album and video are called 'Rainbow Bridge', it was known as Rainbow Ridge because that's the name of the ridge on which the concert was held." [Transcript from Tony Brown's "Jimi Hendrix Concert Files" 1999, Omnibus Press]
.
Ok - this is my last post for the 2010, and in fact the decade. To celebrate this I have decided to post my most treasured album. I purchased this bootleg in 1978 from Reading Records in Carlton, Melbourne for the pricely sum of $30 (a small fortune for a poor Uni student at the time).

It still has the shrink wrap on it and I reckon I've only played it half a dozen times in the past 32 years. I instead, transfered it to cassette tape and wore out several copies! It really is an awesome stereo recording (a soundboard for sure) and at the time was the best Hendrix 'bootleg' around. I have yet to see this exact bootleg available on any other website, so I am confident that this is the first time it has been posted. There are other bootlegs around with the same name (Last American Concert Vol 1 & 2) but are on different labels and have different track listings and covers. This bootleg was also released under a completely different name and cover design - 'Unknown Wellknown' (see cover above) but was only a mono pressing.

Also note that this Maui concert was not in fact Hendrix's last American Concert as he played at the Honolulu International Centre, Hawaii the following night on August 1st - which was the last time he played on American soil.
This rip has been taken from my 'near mint' condition vinyl copy in glorious FLAC format and I have included full album artwork and a selection of photos taken at the concert by Tony Brown himself.
..
      NEW IMPROVED RIP !

Track Listing
01 - Interview: James Marshall Hendrix
02 - Hey Babe / In From The Storm
03 - Hear My Train A'Comin'
04 - Voodoo Child
05 - Maui Sunset
06 - Foxy Lady
07 - Red House
08 - Easy Rider
09 - Purple Haze . 

Released by Jupiter records, Jupiter S-444, California, US
.
Cry Of Love Members:
Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Vocals)
Billy Cox (Bass)
Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
.
Last American Concert (221Mb)
New Link 18/03/2025

Deep Purple - BBC 1969-1970 (2021) Bootleg

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

After Deep Purple split in 1976, interest in preparing complex reissue projects waned. When the group did reform in 1984 the interest from their old label was on back-catalogue collections and 'Best Of's'. In the absence of anything official, the bootleggers attempted to fill the BBC rarities gap and a number of titles appeared which all contained vintage BBC material. A detailed Deep Purple EMI back-catalogue programme then began which saw some BBC recordings emerge as bonus tracks. Even so, there were sessions which remained unreleased officially, and others assumed to be 'lost'.

The BBC's Transcription Service began back in the thirties to press UK programmes (light and classical music, comedy, drama etc) onto records for the BBC Empire Service, offered to subscribing radio stations abroad. In The sixities, the BBC began adding pop sessions to the mix, firstly on a programme called Pick Of The Pops, then via a new show called Top Of The Pops, both distributed abroad to subscribing stations. The producers of these pop programmes put together selected tracks from recent radio sessions, with DJs like Brian Matthew adding new links and instructions.

Radio 1 presenter Brian Matthew

Participating stations paid the BBC a modest annual fee to air them. At the time the BBC didn't really have a proper active policy for pop music. Many of the session tapes were reused so offten it was only via the transcription department that session tracks survived. The compillers rarely put entire sessions on the discs, but just made a selection - which is why tracks from sessions survive, but not others. And to describe the Transcription programme mix as eclectic is almost to redifine the word: Volume 262 for exampole features Deep Purple, Roger Whittaker, The New Seekers, Lulu, Jethro Tull, Clodagh Rodgers and The Plastic Ono Band together on one 40 minute album!

Researcher Ken Garner discovered that engineers from the Transcription service actually recorded their own live feed alongside that being captured for UK radio. It was these tapes used to make the Top Of The Pops programme, which accounts for the accasional different version or edit of some tracks. The albums themselves were issued on a strict license basius and after a year, the radio stations were under ordrers to return them to London where some were kept but many more were destroyed.

Aside from the discs, fans sometimes managed to record sessions 'off-air', sticking a microphone in front of a radio speaker, As recordings came to light it was possible for collector's to assemble a list of Deep Purple's sessions. Unlike the tapes, the BBC were meticulous in keeping paperwork, so when Garner wrote his definitive 'In Session Tonight' book in 1993, this more or less completed (confirmed) the research.

Although radio in the UK was still resolutely mono, stations abroad were moving over to stereo. Transcriptiuoin engineers (based at Kensington House in Shepherd's Bush since the early sixties) used the session recordings to develop their skills in this area, so while the sessions went out in mono in Britain, some which made it to transcription discs were in stereo. The Transcription albums did also occassionally 'cheat' in an attempt to cover breaking chart singles which the BBC didn't have a session version of. There is one Transcriptioin disc with Strange Kind Of Woman introduced by Brian Matthew as 'live', but which is just the regular single.

Deep Purple BBC Sessions 1968-1970

Deep Purple's original producer Derek Lawrence recollections of the band's early trips to the BBC are understandably hazy. But Derek did recall walking around to the appropriate office at the BBC with a large bunch of red roses and talking the woman into giving them a hearing. This was before they'd even released their debut record and was something of a sharp move, but then Deep Purple did enjoy a number of breaks in those early days. They'd made contact with a businessman, Tony Edwards, wanting to invest in a band and through his financial support found time to audition, rehearse and write.

Derek Lawrence

Through another of Derek's contacts came an approach from a flash new record label in New York seeking a new British cross-over rock/psych/pop band to market in the aftermath of the British invasion. Early monitor mixes impressed and over the next twelve months Deep Purple rode their luck across America with headlining shows. TV appearance and three months of intence gigging at the end of 1968 to support two Billboard top thirty albums and high charting singles. A UK record deal with EMI was also soon in place, again in part thanks to Derek's contacts as an independent producer for the label, but in the UK sales were modest.

Happily though the baand's first BBC session got a positive response from the station. It was BBC policy to assess intial 'pop' sessions via a production panel, whose comments would then decide whether or not the radio station would let them do further work. The panel reported that they found Deep Purple to be a 'Polished commercial group' and cleared the way for further bookings, giving the group an 'Enthusiastic, Unanimous pass'.

At this time Radio One was only just over a year old. Due to Musicians Union restrictions on the number of records which could be played, a number of the DJs on the new station featured In Session recordings by pop bands instead. Deep Purple did six different sessions inside a year for DJs such as Chris Grant, Tony Brandon, Dave Symonds and of course John Peel - who was quite a fan of the early incarnation of the group. And while some of the tracks are a little poppy, many showed just why insiders were so enthusiastic about the potential of the group, and their playing clearly gets more exciting and confident through the sessions. Deep Purple's first line-up did their final BBC session in July 1969 unaware that the rest of the group had already decided to bring in two new members. And with Ian Gillan and Roger Glover in place, Deep Purple were back at the BBC studios just six weeks later for the Mk 2 line-up's Radio 1 debut. The band continued to grace the various studios of the BBC for another year.

Chris Grant's Tasty Pop Sundae, July 1969

Deep Purple Mk1
Session 6 [30.06.1969]
Studio 2, Aeolian Hall
Show Producer: Paul Williams
Aired: 06.07.1969
1. The Painter (Ver 2)
2. I'm So Glad (Ver 1)
3. Hush (Ver 4)

Although Deep Purple had signed replacements for Simper and Evans, the pair had yet to be given their marching orders at the time of this recording. The band looked back to their first album for two of the tracks, performing Hush for the fourth time in session. Here we get the rather camp spoken introduction from Chris Grant ("mmm....boys....!") but there is another surviving albeit poorer quality off-air version fronted by Brian Matthew. Another take of The Painter reveals a much stronger attack to the performance too. Just four days after this session, Deep Purple Mk 1 played their final live concert and the management told Simper and Evans that they were out of the group.
The Aeolian Hall studio was a building that the BBC took on during the war. It was used for all sorts of recordings by the BBC, including rock and pop sessions, before they gave it up in 1975.

Mike Harding's Sounds Of Seventies, April 1970

Deep Purple Mk2
Session 11 [21.04.1970]
Studio 5, Maida Vale
Show Producers: Malcolm Brown,  Mike France, Mike Harding

Aired: 28.04.1970
1. Hard Lovin' Man (Ver 1)
2. Bloodsucker (Ver 1)
Living Wreck (Ver 2)

Mike Harding was the only BBC DJ who produced his own sessions according to Ken Garner. Again saved by the Transcription Serrvice people (Vol 286) with new introductions by Brian Matthew. A suitably heavy set plugging the 'In Rock' album, the band were already gaining a big live following in Europe. Alternate edits of a couple of these tracks do exist, as both transcription and off-air recordings (tweaked for the different uses) have survived. It is in some ways a shame that we lose a little of the music to the DJ voice over too, but this does add a bit of context to the tracks. And besides, when the DJ in question is Brian Matthew, who is to gripe? The original presenter of the session, Mike Harding, also went on to front the BBC in Concert programme.

Sounds Of The Seventies (which had only kicked off at the start of April) was part of a new progressive music strand the BBC introduced on Radio One in March.

BBC Transcription Service, September 1970

Deep Purple Mk2
Session 12 [23.09.1970]
Studio T1, Shepherds Bush
Producer: Unknown
1. Black Night (Ver 1)
2. Grabsplatter (Ver 1)
3. Into The Fire (Ver 1)
4. Child In Time (Ver 2)

This final session was recorded especially for the BBC Transcription Service (Vol 309) for foreign radio stations. It marked the final visit of Deep Purple to the BBC (with the exception of a second In Concert recording in 1972). The session included a short interview with Jon Lord.

The "Glabsplatter" featured here is an instrumental, strangely for a booked session - you might have expected them to record another album track. The title goes way back to Ian Gillan's ramblings in his Episode Six days. Deep Purple later recorded the track in the studio with vocals as "I'm Alone", released on a B-Side. The BBC take of Grabsplatter was first issued on their New Live & Rare EP in October 1980.

This post consists of FLACs freshly ripped from my recently acquired Vinyl (purchased from 'Radiation Records' in Rome while on hols in Europe) and includes limited artwork. The Pink Vinyl is a nice feature with this release, and the colouration is perfect (rare for these type of bootlegs). 

Although these tracks have already been officially released on CD (see cover below), the quality of the recordings on this release is excellent and there isn't any surface noise. My first DP album was 'In Rock' and the track selection on this release is featured heavily. Pity that "Speed King" is missing however.

Interesting note made by Bootlegger: These recordings are in public domain according to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, sections 6-9 "Copyright in broadcasts made for, or first published by BBC, lasts fo 50 years from the end of the year of first publication"

This is another prize addition to my Deep Purple Vinyl collection and I was more than happy to part with the €20.00 to acquire it. Needless to say it was safely tucked away inside the clothing compartment in my suitcase when flying home.    

Track Listing:

Chris Grant's Tasty Pop Sundae, July 1969 *

A1 The Painter

A2 I'm So Glad

A3 Hush

Mike Harding's Sounds Of Seventies, April 1970 **

A4 Hard Lovin' Man

A5 Bloodsucker

A6 Living Wreck

Transcription Service, September 1970 **

B1 Black Night

B2 Grabsplatter

B3 Into The Fire

B4 Child In Time

Deep Purple Mk1 *

Bass – Nick Simper
Drums – Ian Paice
Guitar – Ritchie Blackmore
Keyboards – Jon Lord
Vocals – Rod Evans

Deep Purple Mk2 **

Bass – Roger Glover
Drums – Ian Paice
Guitar – Ritchie Blackmore
Keyboards – Jon Lord
Vocals – Ian Gillan

Deep Purple BBC Link (234Mb)
 

Joe Satriani - In Concert Against AIDS Oakland Coliseum Stadium Oakland CA (1989) Bootleg

(U.S 1978 - Present)

Joe Satriani is an American rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in his career he worked as a guitar instructor, with many of his former students achieving fame, including Steve Vai, Larry LaLonde, Rick Hunolt, Kirk Hammett, Andy Timmons, Charlie Hunter, Kevin Cadogan, and Alex Skolnick. Satriani went on to have a successful solo music career, starting in the mid-1980s. He is a 15-time Grammy Award nominee and has sold over ten million albums, making him the bestselling instrumental rock guitarist of all time.

In 1988, Satriani was recruited by Mick Jagger as lead guitarist for his first solo tour. Satriani briefly toured with Deep Purple, joining shortly after another departure of Ritchie Blackmore from the band in November 1993. He has worked with a range of guitarists during the G3 tour, which he founded in 1995.

Concert Against AIDS
(Oakland Coliseum Stadium - May 27, 1989)

In Concert Against AIDS - also: Grateful Dead, Tower Of Power; Joe Satriani; Los Lobos; John Fogerty; Tracy Chapman

Although not billed as a Day On The Green, this special concert was promoted under this banner. 'Day on the Green' was a recurring concert in Oakland, California, presented by promoter Bill Graham and his company Bill Graham Presents. Held at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, these events began in 1973 and continued into the early 1990s. The last Day on the Green overseen by Graham took place the same month as his death in a helicopter crash in 1991. 

There was a series of Day on the Green shows the following year in the wake of Graham's death and there were other shows in 1994-97 at the Oakland Coliseum Stadium - namely U2, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones.

This post consists of FLACs originating from a Sony TC-D5M/TDK MA-XG Cassette Master (Thanks to Don Pearson) and includes limited artwork. 

There is not much information available for this concert but needless to say Satriani was on fire on the day, playing some of his best guitar licks at lightning speeds.  The concert list is almost identical to his earlier King Biscuit Concert from 1988 (see previous post) and covers all of his classic tracks, however the sound quality on this bootleg is not quite as vibrant as the King Biscuit recording.

Track List

01. Ice 9 (Fades In)

02. Memories

03. Rubina

04. Circles

05. Lords Of Karma

06. Hordes Of Locusts

07. Echo

08. Always With You, Always With Me

09. Surfing With The Alien

10. Satch Boogie

Joe Satriani Link (285Mb)

REPOST: Rose Tattoo - All The Lessons: Live Reading Festival (1981) Ex SB

(Australian 1976-1985)
.

Rose Tattoo was formed in Sydney in 1976 with Leigh Johnston on rhythm guitar, Tony Lake on lead vocals and were led by slide guitarist Peter Wells—who had just departed as bass guitarist of heavy metal band Buffalo. Drummer Michael Vandersluys completed the line-up. Ian Rilen from Band of Light joined on bass guitar. He had taught himself to play while in prison and gave Wells' band the street-cred he was looking for. Rhythm guitarist Mick Cocks soon replaced Johnston; Lake and Vandersluys were substituted by former Buster Brown members Angry Anderson and Dallas "Digger" Royall respectively. Melbourne-based Buster Brown had enjoyed local notoriety, playing at the 1974 Sunbury Festival and had included future AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd. Rose Tattoo made their public debut on New Year's Eve at the rock club Chequers.

Chiefly inspired by The Rolling Stones, Faces and Billy Thorpe and his 1970s Aztecs, Rose Tattoo's hard-rocking sound quickly earned a devoted following in the Sydney area. Members of AC/DC were fans and recommended them to their label, Albert Productions.

Early in 1981, "Rock N' Roll Outlaw" started to chart in Europe, peaking at No. 2 in France, No. 5 in Germany and No. 60 in UK. The line up of Anderson, Cocks, Leach, Royall and Wells toured Europe from April. Three years after their debut the band issued the follow-up album, Assault and Battery in September, which reached the top 30 in Australia. Both Rock N' Roll Outlaw and Assault and Battery peaked at No. 1 on the UK heavy metal albums chart.

Rose Tattoo's 1981 tour of Europe included an appearance at the Reading Festival, where Anderson repeatedly head butted the amp stacks until his scalp started bleeding.They were hailed as the loudest band to play London's Marquee Club since Led Zeppelin [extract from wikipedia].
.
Live At The Reading Festival 1981
Rose Tattoo played all venues during the 1981 tour of England, from small town pubs to the major stadiums. Their approach to the bigger venues was laid back. They didn't set off rockets, or use huge special effects. They just played like they were playing in a pub...a small group making a loud noise. There were always a few theatrics, but for the most part, the band just went out there and played.
The biggest gig the band ever did was the Reading Festival, in front of a huge crowd. Reading is part of a tradition in Britain, the biggest outdoor rock festival of the year. Rose Tattoo was about the middle of the line-up, but there was no doubt that, on the day, they made the biggest impact. It was one of those days where Angry walked on to the stage, but was carried off.

As he says, "It was a great day. Reading is like The Marquee. I mean there's history attached to it. I remember walking on the stage. It was amazing. It was huge, the biggest crowd we'd ever played to. You could just see people going on forever. I mean the band were fantastic that day. We played really well...really well."

In England, Angry had a thing going with the crowds that he could drink a bottle of vodka every performance. He couldn't, but he always gave it his best shot. It just became part of the show, a sort of sight gag. Angry would begin each gig with a full bottle on stage for himself, plus all the beers for the rest of the band. During the show he'd pour drinks for the boys, and toast the crowd with his vodka. After a while the British crowds turned it into a regular challenge. Toward the end of the band's set, they'd start calling for Angry to drink up and finish whatever was left in the bottle. "Skol, skol, skol" they'd yell. As the band was only on stage for just over an hour at most gigs, it was a big call. They'd want the bottle finished every time.
At the Reading gig, Angry had been drinking even more than usual, and he was way past his limits before the challenge even began. The combination of the alcohol and the adrenalin was potent. In the latter half of the band's set on stage, Angry was obviously feeling really extravagant, and in one passionate moment, head butted Pete's guitar amplifier stack. Although Angry did a lot of head butting in those days, this time, he hit his head even harder than usual. He dropped to the floor, virtually unconscious, covered in blood, and had to be carried offstage by roadies.
.

He was mindless and reckless, too drunk and too high. But even now, you can see as he talks about it, that although it may not have been one of his proudest moments, it certainly was one of his most memorable. The image is unforgettable, Angry in the arms of the roadies, bloody, sweaty, tragic, in front of a sea of screaming fans. It's the kind of image that makes you realise he's serious when he says, "You feed off the crowd. The commitment is so great that sometimes you just want to die for them. Not in the true sense, but you know what I mean. You just want to give that much."
The next day Angry was infuriated when some rock writers reported that he'd been "bottled off stage". It was the suggestion that there were some fans there unhappy enough to do that which bothered him most. He tracked down the journos involved, and found out that they'd never even left the media tent, where they were too busy drinking the free booze to figure out what happened.
But, at the end of the day, it was Rose Tattoo's Reading. They stole the whole show. Angry can't help smiling when he thinks of it. 
"It was huge..I mean we could have walked on their hands. It was our gig. The crowd were ours. Even kids years later would say, 'I was there at Reading. I saw you.' We walked out on stage and the place went just nuts...I mean really nuts. It was goose bump territory. No, bigger than that. It was goosebump on goosebump on goosebump territory."
[extract from Angry: Scarred For Life, Ironbark Publication, by Karen Dewey, 1994. p127,129]

Rose Tattoo On Stage At The 1981 Reading Festival

This post consists of a soundboard / FM radio recording in glorious FLAC format and includes full album artwork and choice photos of the Tatts Reading Festival gig. The sound quality of this bootleg is brilliant and features many of their major hits. This bootleg is not to be missed.
.

NEW IMPROVED FLAC  RIP 

Track Listing
01 - One Of The Boys
02 - Manzil Madness
03 - Bad Boy For Love
04 - Assault And Battery
05 - The Butcher And Fast Eddie
06 - Rock'N'Roll Is King
07 - Rock'N'Roll Outlaw
08 - All The Lessons
09 - Nice Boys (Don´t Play)
.
The European 1981 Tour band were:
Angry Anderson - Vocals
Mick Cocks - Rhythm Guitar
Georgie Leach - Bass
Peter Wells - Slide, Lead Guitar
Dallas 'Digger' Royall- Drums
.
Rose Tattoo Link (283Mb)
..

Budgie - Live In St. Louis, Rusty Springs, USA (1976)

(U.K 1967-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010)

This is a very nice radio broadcast from 'If I Were Brittania I'd Waive The Rules' tour in the US, most likely sourced from a very low gen tape. This killer soundboard broadcast was recorded at Rusty Springs in St Louis, Missouri  on the 4th of December 1976.  The sound is flawless on this disc and it was first released about 10 years ago on the great French 'On The Air' label.  Bonus tracks 9 & 10 where recorded live at the legendary My Fathers Place on Long Island in New York, one week earlier and are great audience recordings. 

The sound quality and mixing improves throughout the recording, with a lively and vocal crowd in the background.  With additional Welsh guitarist Myf Issacs (a former member of Quest) touring with the band, Budgie's stage sound was a lot fuller than earlier gigs and Bourge was given a lot more freedom to reproduce those magical lead breaks that he is renowned for on record.  Budgie only used Myf Isaac, as the second guitar player for live performances between Mid 1976 - Mid 1978 and never recorded with any of their studio work.

L-R:  Tony Bourge,  Myf Isaac,  Steve Williams,  Burke Shelley

Budgie were originally scheduled to tour America in February of 1976, however for some reason (health problem?) they cancelled their opening show in Boston (07/02/1976) and postponed their US tour until late November, kicking off at the Royal Oak Theater in Detroit (20/11/1976). 

This was Budgie's first time in the states, and although their latest album 'If I Were Brittania I'd Waive The Rules' had already been released in April, they chose to play only a few tracks from this album and instead concentrated on showcasing their older material.  Judging by the crowd's enthusiasm heard on these recordings, it is safe to say that Budgie had won over the yanks. Their other US tour dates are shown below. 

It is worth noting that on the 2nd of December at the Night Gallery, Waukegan, they shared the bill with 'Captain Beyond'  and what a gig that would have been folks!  My two 'favourite bands' playing together on the same night - priceless!

Myf Isaacs & Steve Williams

Budgie's first American Tour Dates

(thanks to concerts.fandom.com)

US Tour In February (Cancelled) -

07/02/1976 Boston [Cancelled]

20/11/1976 Royal Oak Theater, Detroit, MI, USA (Budgie's first U.S gig!)

22/11/1976 Agoura Ballroom, Columbus, OH, USA

24/11/1976 Agricultural Hall, Allentown, PA, USA (Co-headline with Montrose)

25/11/1976 My Father's Place, Long Island, New York, NY, USA

27/11/1976 Revs, Milwaukee, WI, USA

29/11/1976 Agora, Cleveland, OH, USA (with Sparks)

01/12/1976 The Beginnings, Schaumberg, IL, USA

02/12/1976 Night Gallery, Waukegan, IL, USA (with Captain Beyond)

03/12/1976 Night Gallery, Waukegan, IL, USA

04/12/1976 Rusty Springs, St Louis, MO, USA

06/12/1976 EL Tejon, Madison, WI, USA

08/12/1976 The Echo, Dayton, OH, USA

09/12/1976 Another Place, Louisville, KY, USA

??/12/1976 Ricco's, Belleville, IL, USA

  

This post consists of FLACs (taken from a Radio Broadcast low gen tape) and includes full artwork for both CD and Vinyl (See Vinyl Covers below). Note that this bootleg has also been released under the title of 'Breaking The Kill', but features different bonus tracks, taken from a 1975 concert in Leicester (see right).

As mentioned, the bonus tracks on the featured bootleg were taken from an earlier concert held at 'My Father's Place' - namely "Black Velvet Stallion" and "Pyramids".  Because "Pyramids" had not been released on any albums at that stage, its inclusion in their set list gives us a hint that Budgie were already working on their next album (which would be called 'Impeccable') and would be released the following year. 

Track List

01 Breaking All The House Rules

02 In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter's Hand

03 Parents

04 Who Do You Want For Your Love?

05 Sky High Percentage

06 I Can't See My Feelings

07 Zoom Club

08 Breadfan

09 Pyramids [Bonus Track]

10 Black Velvet Stallion [Bonus Track]

Tracks (1-8) recorded live at the Rusty Springs, St. Louis, USA on 4th December 1976.

Bonus tracks (9-10) recorded live at My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY on 25th

November 1976.

Line-up:

Burke Shelley - bass, vocals

Tony Bourge - lead guitar

Myf Isaac - rhythm guitar

Steve Williams - drums

Budgie Live In St. Louis Link (553Mb) New Link 

Guns N' Roses - November Rain Unauthorised Vol.2 (1993) Bootleg

 (U.S 1985 - Present)

Guns N' Roses are the bridge separating 1980s and 1990s hard rock, the band responsible for ushering in an era of grim, gritty rock & roll. Where such peers as reveled in the decadence of Sunset Strip sleaze, Guns N' Roses focused on the grimy underbelly of the urban jungle, with guitarists and cranking out mean riffs that matched the dark fantasies of , the vocalist who led GNR with a serpentine charm. countered his nasty tendencies with a romantic side, one that flourished on "Sweet Child O' Mine," the soaring ballad that went to number one in 1988, turning the band into superstars in the process.

Over the next few years, GNR's 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction, sold in monstrous numbers, with "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City" both reaching Billboard's Top Ten and "Patience," from the 1989 EP GNR Lies, also reaching that exalted position. During this peak, Guns N' Roses were lightning rods for controversy, so they avoided trouble by whiling away in the studio crafting their sequel to Appetite for Destruction, the sprawling twin albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. Released simultaneously in September 1991, the Illusions still were rooted in hard rock, but also pursued majestic, melodramatic balladry, a trait that reached its apotheosis in "November Rain," a ballad that became their last Top Ten hit in 1992.

This Bootleg is the 2nd homecoming show of the 'Use Your Illusion' tour for Izzy and Axl. During the show Axl dedicates "Civil War" to all the military in the audience and has Sebastian Bach bring out a dancer during "Rocket Queen."

This is the first ever live performance of "November Rain." and Axl plays the show with a cast on his leg.

This recording comes from the 2nd half of a show that took place at the Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, Indiana, on May 29 1991 during the GNR World Tour. All soundboard audio of this show, including this CD set, was ultimately taken from a 135 minute PRO-SHOT video that was stolen from GNR's video crew in the early 1990's.
Points of interest: Axl was 2 hours late for the gig, so they showed Texas Chainsaw Massacre on the big screens after Skid Row finished their opening set. Missing from the ending the show is Axl saying "Goodnight, and thank you, Homeland."

FREEDOM OF SPEECH COSTS GUNS'N'ROSES $5,000

(From Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, 1991)

Exercising his right to freedom of speech has cost band leader Axl Rose and his group, Guns'N'Roses, $5,000. Hamilton County, Ind., authorities charged Rose and his group with two counts of curfew violation for playing past the county's limit for outdoor concerts at Deer Creek Music Center twice last week. The rock band played 55 minutes past the 11 p.m. curfew for weeknight concerts on Tuesday and 25 minutes past the next night. "That in and of itself wasn't so significant," Hamilton County Prosecutor Steve Nation said Saturday in announcing the charges. "What makes this different is that Axl Rose said on stage Tuesday that he knew about the curfew and thought it was stupid.

And he said a few things about our county and about our state." Rose, who grew up in Indiana, delivered a profane five-minute tirade on stage Tuesday when he discussed the curfew. Nation said other bands have played past the curfew at Deer Creek since it opened in 1989 but that this is the first time he has filed charges. The prosecutor said attorneys for the band have said they will not fight the charge or the fine. Rose said the same thing in announcing he would play past the curfew. [Thanks to Appetite For Discussion for this article]

SAVE FOR DAYS OF Guns n’ Roses THIS SUMMER

(by Dave Bangert - Reporter for the Journal And Courier)

Start saving your lawn mowing money.

Guns n’ Roses is back with a vengeance. Rested, tested and tough to be bested — at least this summer tour season. If Wednesday night’s show at the Deer Creek Music Center was any indication, the Gunners’ next double-length album, Use Your Illusion, will be more than deserving of the big sales it’s guaranteed.

Now, I’m not much for big-time concerts. Watching a bunch of burly wanna-bees pump their fists in the air while they botch the lyrics isn’t my idea of a great show.

But seeing the two-hour-plus Guns n’ Roses show Wednesday was like seeing the Rolling Stones in their prime — a time before everyone in the audience knew the words to all the songs.
GN’R is the real article for the ’90s.

Instead of taking the easy out of a short set of high ticket, crapped-out hit singles, the band ran through the tight set and three encores like the rest of the rock ’n’ roll world was standing still. This had to be one of the best shows I’ve seen on the big stage in a long time.
Beg, borrow or steal a way to see this show when it hits other venues within a four-hour drive.

Maybe it was the freshness factor. Deer Creek was the second stop on the Guns n’ Roses massive two-year tour. Time will tell if lead singer Axl Rose still will be running the full-length of the stage with a flexible cast on his left leg — the Lafayette native recently tore some ligaments in his ankle — and hitting every pile-driving vocal cue. Will lead guitarist Slash’s cuts — ranging from a take on Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile” to ‘‘Theme from The Godfather” — still be as fresh 42 shows in?

They were Wednesday, and that’s what counts for the homecoming show for Rose and another Lafayette native, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin.
GN’R gave the crowd a pile of songs scheduled for the double CD Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, due out in mid-to late-July. The CDs will be released separately, so you don’t have to fork over the full price right away.
Judging from the material Guns n’ Roses played Wednesday, both versions will be albums to be reckoned with in 1991.

Backed by the solid rhythm section of Duff McKagan on bass and new drummer Matt Sorum (formerly of The Cult), GN’R ripped out soon-to-be rock anthems “Double Talkin’ Jive,” “Dust and Bones,” “Civil War” and a cranked version of Wings’ “Live and Let Die.”
The highlight was “Bad Obsession,” a Stonesy feeling honky-tonk rocker made full bodied by the keyboard work of Dizzy Reed, the newest member of the band.

Look for their CD in stores soon. In the meantime, you’ll probably see me out there mowing lawns to save for this one.

[Thanks to Appetite For Discussion for this article]

Of course, not all concerts are a 'Bed of Roses' and it would seem that this was the case for this particular GNR show, as reported in a local Indiana newspaper article above.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my Banana 'Unauthorised' CD Bootleg and includes the usual limited artwork.  Quality of the recording is definitely of Soundboard status and the track listing is a highlight. This bootleg has been released under other names -  'Dramas & Traumas', "Dreams & Illusions' and 'For MotherF*ckers Only' (see below) to name a few.

Track Listing

01 - Double Talkin' Jive   6:07

02 - November Rain 9:05

03 - Only Women Bleed (Intro)  1:31

04 - Knockin' On Heaven's Door 7:27

05 - Perfect Crime 2:25

06 - Estranged 10:46

07 - Bad Time (Intro) / Sweet Child O' Mine 6:39

08 - Welcome To The Jungle 4:46

09 - Paradise City  6:09

GNR were:
Axl Rose: Lead vocals, piano
Slash: Lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals

Duff McKagan: Bass, backing vocals, lead vocals

Izzy Stradlin: Rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Matt Sorum: Drums, backing vocals
Dizzy Reed: Keyboards, backing vocals

GNR November Rain Link (286Mb)