Galapagos Duck - Endangered Species (1985)

(Australian 1969 - Present)

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Galapagos Duck is an Australian jazz band. Formed in 1969, they have an extensive history of international touring, including:

-Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland

-Jazz Yatra Festival, Bombay, India

-American Musexpo

-Singapore International Jazz Festival

-Queenstown Jazz Festival, New Zealand

-Vanuatu International Jazz Festival, Vanuatu

The band formed in 1969 for the winter season at "The Kosciusko Ski Chalet, Charlottes Pass".

Before it moved to The Rocks Push jazz club in Sydney, the band in 1969 was Marty Mooney and Tom Hare (reeds), Chris Qua (bass and trumpet), and Des Windsor (piano and organ).

Bruce Viles (owner of the Rocks Push) established The Basement jazz club at Circular Quay in 1973 and the Galapagos Duck opened there as the house band. At that time, the personnel was Marty Mooney and Tom Hare (reeds), Chris Qua (bass and trumpet), Willie Qua (drums and reeds) and 

Doug Robson (piano).

Some of the top names in Australian jazz have worked with the band at one time or another, including Dave Levy, Roger Frampton (no relation to Peter I'm afraid!), Col Nolan, Paul McNamara and Warren Daly (ex-Daly-Wilson Big Band). For more info, see their website  and a previous post I made for their 1977 Magnum album.

How the ‘Duck’ got its name

I’ve heard a few versions of the story, but this was told me by Tom Hare and John Connelly during my radio interview in the 1980s in Townsville. The “Duck Flies North” tour was to promote their “Endangered Species” album, sponsored by the Australian Wildlife Society : ‘In the early days at “The Basement” in Sydney the band shared the stage with an assortment of props for various functions. Alongside the old paraphernalia was a large wheel with a clapper that produced a loud clacking-quacking sound when it was spun around the numbers on the outer edge, giving rise to much humour in dull moments.

Around this time general conversation was rife about the discovery of the last giant tortoise left on the Galapagos Islands, nicknamed “Lonely George”. Spike Milligan was a firm follower of the band, often sitting in on trumpet and when a visitor to the club asked him the name of the band, in his own peculiar habit of zany humour, Spike told him: “it sounds like a Galapagos Duck”.

The following week the new chum was heard telling his friends loudly, “Oh, they’re the Galapagos Duck”. The name stuck. It is often misspelt, but seldom forgotten, and followers agree the band will never become an 'endangered species'. 

[from Bundaberg-Jazz-Waves-Newsletter-Issue 25-February-2015, Editor: Valerie Brown]

Album Review

Galapagos Duck would be counted as one of Australia's best-known jazz bands (which may not be saying that much, in truth). With a constantly changing personnel, they have been in existence since 1969, when the original members got together to play some gigs in the NSW snowfields 

during ski season.

Since then the band has travelled a long musical road through most spectra of the jazz idiom, owing to the eclectic strengths of various members of the band. Their sound is unique, partly owing to their wide-ranging use of idiom, and the fact that over time most members of the band have been multi-instrumentalists, which means that in any one night or recording the line-up of instruments can change from tune to tune.

Endangered Species was released in 1985, in aid of the World Wildlife Fund. I suppose in some ways it could be termed as a concept album, in that the songs are about specific endangered species, or wildlife in general, with one song about the Greenpeace organisation.

As with most albums created around a concept, there are high points and low points in this recording. In fact quite often it is the grooves that stand out, rather than the tunes as a whole. The riff in Hindsight is very catchy, the groove in China Bear is good, (the lyrics aren't!), Living Planet has a great funk feel, and Grizzly Bear is a classic R'n'B type groove.

There are also some tunes here that hark back to traditional jazz, Wombat Walk being one of them. All the instrumentalists are top notch, with especially good trombone playing - in fact a few of the tunes feature a frontline of trombone and tenor sax, which perhaps shouldn't work as well as it does, given they are playing in the same voice.

The album is let down by it's lyrics - four tunes are sung, and the lyrics are somewhat trite (especially in Poor Little Bustard), which is a shame, as they make this album less than the sum of it's parts. 

[Review by Roger Clark, from A View Over The Bell, 2011]

The reason I've included this album here is because it is a great introduction to jazz - many styles are included here, the improvisation is good and easy to follow, and the grooves get into your head. 

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my newly acquired vinyl copy (found tucked away in a box of jazz records at a garage sale) which literally sparkled when I inspected its condition. No crackles and pops on this one folks.  Full album artwork and label scans (ABC records) included.  

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Track Listing

01 - Hindsight (Tasmanian Tiger) 4:27

02 - Wombat Walk 3:42

03 - Whale Song 4:05

04 - Rhino Rag 4:06

05 - China Bear 3:45

06 - In The Wild 5:00

07 - Living Planet 5:07

08 - Greenpeace 3:26

09 - Grizzly Bear 4:13

10 - Poor Little Bustard 3:45

11 - Save The Duck 3:05

12 - In The Wild Pt II 2:40

13 - Whale Song 4:44

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Galapagos Duck consists of: 

Tom Hare - Saxaphones, trumpet, flugelhorn, drums

Greg Foster - Trombone, harmonica, didgeridoo, ocarina, vocal

Bob Egger - Keyboards

John Conley - Electric bass and guitar

Len Barnard - Drums, percussion, washboard and vocal

Nicky Crayson - Vocals

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Endangered Species FLAC Link (308Mb)

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The Dream Academy - Selftitled (1985) plus Bonus Tracks

(U.K 1983–1991, 2014).
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The Dream Academy are an English folk rock, dream pop and sophisti-pop band, comprising singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes, multi-instrumentalist Kate St John, and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel.

In America and Australia, The Dream Academy tends to be best known for one song: “Life in a Northern Town.” Thankfully, this is an instance where one can safely say that if you're going to be known for one song, that's a pretty great one to be known for, but it in no way comes close to telling you who the group really was, how they came about, or what sort of legacy they've left behind beyond that one song. For example, did you know they actually had two top-40 hits? True story. History tends to forget that “The Love Parade” actually hit #37.

Nick Laird-Clowes and Gilbert Gabriel wrote "Life In A Northern Town", and was dedicated to the singer Nick Drake, who was 26 years old in 1974 when he died of an antidepressant overdose which may have been suicide. His work was very influential to many British musicians and songwriters, and his legend grew after his death.

The song was not specifically about Nick Drake, as some suppose, but merely dedicated to his memory. Laird-Clowes recalled to Mojo magazine in a 2011 interview: "The song was created in a Southgate bedsit where Gilbert Gabriel had a room. We wrote it while sitting on a floor. Just two guitars - one nylon strung with just three strings on it, while the other was the same guitar that was on the cover of Nick Drake's Bryter Layter. We had the idea, even before we sat down, to write a folk song with an African-style chorus. We started it and when we got to the verse melody, there was something about it that reminded me of Nick Drake, who I had been turned on to in 1972 by Roundhouse DJ Jeff Dexter. It was Jeff who first informed me what a brilliant record Bryter Layter was. He claimed, 'I know where that guitar is and one day we'll get hold of it.'

I was working at the RCA record factory in Ladbroke Grove at the time and bought Nick Drake's guitar for £100. When the single was completed I dedicated it to Nick."
"Northern Town" started life with a different title. Laird-Clowes told Mojo that he had befriended Paul Simon at one point and the two stayed in touch. He recalled: "I played him the song and he asked, 'What are you going to call it - 'Ah Hey Ma Ma Ma?' I told him that we intended to name it 'Morning Lasted All Day.' 'That's no good,' he said and so I came up with 'Life In A Northern Town.' which he thought was a great title."
The song's subject matter was inspired by the time Laird-Clowes spent working on a music TV program that was produced in the north east England city of Newcastle. He recalled to Mojo: "The lyric emerged because I was an early presenter on The Tube and Geoff Wonfor, who went on to shoot The Beatles Anthology series, showed me the long lines of people unemployed and the shipyards that were closed down. That's what 'Life in Northern Town' is really all about."

David Gilmour (aka Pink Floyd) helped produce The Dream Academy selftitled album with Nick Laird-Clowes. Initially, Dream Academy's record label - Warner Brothers - didn't want to release this song, as they felt it needed more drums. The band refused and it became a worldwide hit. [extracts from rhino.com]

.This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from my vinyl and is accompanied with artwork for LP only. As an added bonus, I have included two additional tracks, both taken from my prized 12" Single featuring the extended version of "Life In A Northern Town" and the non-album track "Test Tape No3".   If you liked their big hit single, then you won't be disappointed with this album release.
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Track Listing
01 - Life In A Northern Town
02 - (Poised On) The Edge Of Forever
03 - (Johnny) New Light
04 - In Places On The Run
05 - This World
06 - Bound To Be
07 - Moving On
08 - The Love Parade
09 - The Party
10 - One Dream
11 - Test Tape No3 (Bonus Single)
12 - Life In A Northern Town (Bonus Single Extended Version)

Nick Laird-Clowes - Guitar / Vocals / Harmonica
Gilbert Gabriel - Keyboards / Vocals
Kate St. John - Oboe / Piano Accordion, Tenor Saxophone / Vocals
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The Dream Academy (125Mb) New Link 12/01/2025

Bonham - The Disregard of Timekeeping (1989)

(U.K 1989 - 1992)
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Jason Bonham first began playing drums at the age of four, and appeared with his father in the film The Song Remains the Same, drumming on a scaled-down kit. At 17, he joined his first band, Airrace. In 1985, he joined Virginia Wolf, making two albums and touring the US supporting the Firm. In 1988, Bonham joined former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page for his Outrider album and tour. In May of the same year, Bonham appeared with the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin for a performance at Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in New York City.

In 1989, Bonham appeared as a special guest at the Moscow Music Peace Festival, performing the song "Rock and Roll" with many major rock stars of the day. That same year, he formed his own band, Bonham, whose Zeppelin-inflected first release. ' The Disregard of Timekeeping' had a hit single, "Wait for You" and the music video for the subsequent single "Guilty" did get some play; however, after a lukewarm reception for their 1992 release, 'Mad Hatter', the band was dissolved, and Bonham concentrated on session work and guest appearances.
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Review1
I have no doubt that being the son of a famous father opens doors in the music business just like any other. But, nepotism aside, obscurity is only one bad review away and if you can't perform you'll soon be found out by public and critics alike. So, after the indifferent reaction to his previous band Virginia Wolf, Jason Bonham had his entire future riding on the success of this group. In fact, I would suggest it smacks of desperation by all concerned that they feel they have to sell themselves on the strength of Bonham's name. Personally, I find it impossible to judge whether Bonham the drummer is up to scratch. How can you distinguish one from another unless you are a drummer?

To give tub-thumpers the benefit of the doubt maybe you have to understand the technicalities to make any sort of call. As to Bonham the band, the fact they disappeared with little more than a ripple is more to do with bad timing than any musical deficiency. In truth, this traditional style of rock was very much in the decline at the time of the album's release and so it was almost destined to fail.
Bonham are certainly not afraid of the inevitable comparisons with Led Zeppelin, in act they seem to actively encourage them with Daniel MacMaster sounding uncannily like Robert Plant. The Disregard Of Timekeeping is not a brilliant album, but released only five years earlier and who knows?

Review2
It shouldn't be surprising that the debut album by a band fronted by Jason Bonham, son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, would bear a resemblance to the music of Dad's band. But The Disregard of Timekeeping doesn't so much sound like a Led Zeppelin album as it does like one of the solo albums by former Zeppelin singer Robert Plant. That is to say, it is altogether more conventional and controlled -- more pop, in a word -- than Zeppelin, which could be quite adventurous at times.

Here, Bonham-the-group sets up majestic guitar/keyboard riff patterns; Daniel MacMaster, in a familiar tenor screech, repeats simple chorus hooks; and Bonham-the-drummer pounds away in the familiar hard, woody sound of his father. The result is palatable, but without the famous name it would be hard to distinguish from the army of other Zep imitators. [AllMusic Review by William Ruhlmann]

This post was mainly chosen as I am a long standing Zep fan - Black Dog was my initiation and Rock 'N' Roll was their swan song (pun intended), so I do enjoy a bit of good skin action when it comes around. Who better to continue this on but the son of the great John Bonham. This post was ripped from my cassette tape release into MP3 format (320kps) and includes full artwork for the CD release. The sound quality is excellent (and in some ways superior to vinyl) and should keep most head bangers out there happy.

Tracklist
01 - The Disregard Of Timekeeping 2:09
02 - Wait For You 5:00
03 - Bringing Me Down 4:18
04 - Guilty 4:35
05 - Holding On Forever 4:55
06 - Dreams 7:51
07 - Don't Walk Away 4:41
08 - Playing To Win 6:52
09 - Cross Me And See 5:24
10 - Just Another Day 4:24
11 - Room For Us All 7:10

Jason Bonham - drums, percussion
Daniel MacMaster - lead vocals
Ian Hatton - lead & rhythm guitars
John Smithson - bass, keyboards

Bonham Link  (135Mb)  New Link 14/07/2026

Patch - The Star Suite (1973)

(Australian 1973)
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'The Star Suite' is an interpretation of the Four Elements of the Zodiac: Air, Fire, Water & Earth by an all Australian studio band called Patch.
The idea of this Aussie project, based in Melbourne, was conceived by renowned producer Peter Dawkins (Dragon, Billy Thorpe, Australian Crawl, Billy T, Rabbit, Mi Sex Pseudo Echo and Air Supply), who gathered a line-up of rock veterans and session musicians to play music inspired by the four elements of the Zodiac. ''The star suite'' came out in 1973 on the Harvest label.

Patch was mainly made up of Ariel and Taman Shud personnel, guitarist and fine folk singer /songwriter, Mike McClellan and others. It is not hard to pick out Spectrum / Ariel's Mike Rudd's guitar in the mix along with keyboardist Tony Esterman, New Zealander Rod Coe on bass and drummer Doug Gallacher, later of Madden & Harris.

They were supported by a number of guests, like percussionist Ian Bloxsom from Crossfire, Tony Ansell on organ, bassist Bill Putt, also of Spectrum and Ariel, cellist Nathan Waks, Ariel's and Taman Shud's guitarist Tim Gaze and saxophonist Doug Foskett.

Peter Dawkins

Liner Notes (thanks to Ozmuze at Midoztouch2 for transcription)
An original and stimulating concept in music, this suite depicts the most fundamental and profound aspect of astrological symbolism, that of the consideration of the signs of the zodiac in relation to the elements of fire, earth, air and water. One of the most important and ancient classifications (the very starting point of astrological development) and which are personified in four specific and quite definite horoscopical “types” of people. The connecting theme, evident throughout the different movements, has its correspondence in astrology in the common denominator that unites all people, that is, the similarities that are derived simply from the basic human factor involved, which can occasionally become submerged in efforts aimed at detailed interpretation and analysis, and attempts to define the characteristics of every zodiac personality by keeping each separate and distinctly and recognizably different.
Each movement musically portrays the division of that particular “element” into three, that of cardinal, fixed and mutable, and the extension of the initial primary types into the more subtle categories of the twelve signs. The make-up of each of us is a vast yet delicate merging and balancing of varied yet often contradictory character traits, which find clear and genuine connections via our personal natal chart, with the planetary patterns formed at the actual moment, date and place of birth. Every person should be able to give ample reign to their imagination and should find in each of the movements of this suite startling musical ideas that strike chords of identification in the more perceptive regions of the mind (with perhaps an especial rapport with the “element” that singularly might be the most predominant in his own individual horoscope).
I hope that you enjoy this sensitive and beautifully artistic expression of the elements as much as I have. by Karen Moregold.

Mike Rudd & Bill Putt

Review
Four long, instrumental tracks with a gentle atmosphere was what Patch had created and the opening ''Air'' sounds pretty promising, despite its soft and elaborate atmosphere, it sounds like the instrumental efforts of Goldon Giltrap, featuring a heavy acoustic content next to some jazzy keyboards and mellow electric guitars and swirling around orchestral, Fusion and light, psychedelic overtones.I am afraid that the next three pieces are not as good, even if the extended running times give promise for some charming musicianship.''Fire'' holds a very long Classical-drenched harpsichord theme, which is not really memorable, then the music sinks into a mellow Fusion style with decent organ and electric piano, before evolving into some kind of electric Folk Rock.

''Water'' is without question the jazziest cut of the album, but it lacks the nerve and density of the better bands of the style, again the keyboard work is worth mentioning, but I can find no relation between the stretched jazzy experiments and the following Psych/Folk environments on acoustic guitar and organ. ''Earth'' is a constantly developing Fusion piece, opening with flute and acoustic guitars, synthesisers and calm electric textures take over, but the addition of sax after the middle make this one sound more like Jazz Funk.

The music is entirely instrumental and is progressive at its best. Despite being made up of only 4 tracks and being over 40 minutes long, it is by no means boring. It has an ethereal, dreamy feel, building to great climaxes, all rather good, really. Overall, the music is generally better than the awful cover.
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This post consists of MP3's (256kps) ripped from vinyl (sourced on the web many moons ago) and includes limited artwork.  Note that the rip is a single file Album Wrap. This Australian album is rather obscure and has sold for $50-$150 over the past five years, when it has turned up for sale.  Grab this rip while you can!
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Tracks Listing

01.  Air (9:15)
02.  Fire (10:41)
03.  Water (10:57)
04.  Earth (11.14)

Line-up / Musicians
- Peter Dawkins / concept, composer, producer
- Mike Rudd / electric guitar, composer
- Mike McClellan / acoustic guitar, composer
- Doug Gallacher / drums
- Tony Esterman / keyboards
- Rod Coe / bass

Supporting Musicians:

- Bill Putt / bass (4)
- Tony Ansell / organ (2,3)
- Nathan Waks / electric cello (1,4)
- Tim Gaze / electric guitar (1,2,4)
- Ian Bloxham / percussion (3,4)
- The Bennelong Trio, Peter Draper / guitar (4, opening)
- The Bennelong Trio, Brian Strong / cello (4, opening)
- The Bennelong Trio, Nick Negerovich / flute (4, opening)
- Mike Perjanik / ARP synthesizer (1-3)
- Doug Fosket / saxophone (4)  'Awesome solo by the way !'  

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The Star Suite Link (77Mb)

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The Hawking Brothers - Twenty One Years (1977)

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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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In the early 1960’s Alan & Russell Hawking were already established on the Australian Country Music Scene.  Later they decided to form a band which became one the greatest bands in Country Music history – they had an excellent career for over a decade ‘The Hawking Brothers & The Wildwoods.’ 
The Hawking Brothers band included – Peter Cohen, Garry Newton, George Xanthos, Joe Attard, Peter Hayes, John Faubel, Leo Dalton and Doug Foley.

The Hawking Brothers & The Wildwoods were supporting band on the Johnny Cash and Buck Owns tour of Australia in early 1970’s and late 1970’s toured with Charlie Pride.  The highlight of their career was being the first Australia group to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, 1975. Later they would revert back to the Hawking Brothers.
Their biggest hits were: Hand in the Hand, Catfish John, The Melbourne Cup and Eighteen Yellow Rose.  There were a total of 16 LP’s cut by the brothers before the untimely death of Russel on November 2, 1976.

Alan decided to carry on with the band – and 4 more albums were released – which included their biggest hit ‘One Day At A Time’.  In 1971 the Hawking Brother’s fan club was founded by a Dianne Johns
The Hawking Brothers arguably won more awards than any other Australian country group.   When the band started to have promotional problems and difficulties which saw the group falling to pieces, in 1981, Alan Hawking decided to go solo.

Alan’s solo recordings include:- RCA single ‘Just For Today’ and an LP of the same title. In 1983, Alan received a Gold Guitar for best instrumental. Up until his death, Alan recorded his own tracks in his home studio on multi track recording system.
Alan was very talented:- playing – guitars (acoustic & electric), five-string banjo, mandolin, dobro, steel guitar, auto harp, bass and fiddle (who needs a band!)
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The Hawking Brothers and The Wildwoods.’ 

 For this month's WOCK on Vinyl, I have decided to post something that pays tribute to these two great artists who pioneered Aussie Country music, paving the way for artists such as Slim Dusty, John Williamson and the Bushwackers to name but a few. This 'greatest hits collection' on the Fable label spans the Hawking Brothers music from 1955 to 1976, when Russell sadly exited the stage for the last time.  As a bonus, I have also included one of their popular covers - "Me And Bobby McGee" from 1972 which was strangely omitted from this compilation.  Oh, and it's in Glorious FLAC Format.
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Track Listing

01 - Homestead On The Farm
02 - Will Hank Williams Meet Jimmie Rogers
03 - The Crooning Bachelor
04 - Old Pal Of My Heart
05 - Barefoot Days
06 - Mexacali Rose
07 - The Picture Of The Wall
08 - My Old Pal Of Yesterday
09 - Sweet Angeline
10 - Under Your Spell Again
11 - Stolen Moments
12 - Five String Special
13 - Stop Teasing Her
14 - Beer Drink Music
15 - Melbourne Brew
16 - The Door Is Always Open
17 - My Other Love
18 - Truck Driver's Lament
19 - (Bonus Track) Me And Bobby McGee
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The Hawking Brothers FLACs (283Mb)
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Rick Springfield - Living In Oz (1983) plus Bonus Live Tracks

(Australian 1962 - Present)
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Rick Springfield has certainly come a long way from Richard Lewis Springthorpe, born in the Sydney suburb of Guilford on August 23, 1949 and educated at Merrylands High School. Now at a very youthful 34 years of age, he is the most popular male pop performer in America.
In an age when the traditional 'teenage idol' is very much a thing of the past, Rick has managed to cultivate an awesome predominantly-female following who view him in much the same light as the girls of the fifties did Elvis. Actor, singer, songwriter, live hard rocker, pin-up poster hero — Rick covers all bases with style and real talent.
Rick began playing rock'n'roll music when he was 14 and within a few years had through such long-forgotten bands as Moppa Blues, X-Group, Daniel James Ensemble, Jordy Boys, Pete Watson's Rockhouse and a later formation of MPO Ltd. His recording career began with a Brisbane group called Wikedy Wak; he sang lead on the single Billie's Bikie Boys — produced by Molly Meldrum and written by Johnny Young.

Rick Springfield Promo Poster 1972

In 1969, Rick joined the Zoot, replacing guitarist Roger Hicks. He immediately turned the band from bubblegum to tough rock and they scored a gold single with "Eleanor Rigby". Other members of the band included Beeb Birtles (now with LRB) and spunky Darryl Cotton.
When ambitious Rick had represented Australia at the 1972 Tokyo Song Festival he decided to try his luck in America and by September of that year had cracked the U.S. top twenty with "Speak To The Sky". His album Beginnings sold over 300,000 copies.
Over the next decade Rick worked hard in America, making more albums (Comic Book Heroes, Wait For Night), scoring three more moderate hits, undertaking acting roles in television shows, and writing songs. His return to rock prominence came when he landed the role of Dr Noah Drake in the soap opera General Hospital. The show shot to-number one and when Rick put out a new single it did exactly the same thing!
"Jessie's Girl" became one of the biggest hits of 1981, winning Rick a Grammy for Best Rock Performance. When Rick showed up at the glittering event to collect his prize he insisted on performing the song red hot rockin live.

After Jessie's Girl came the hits "I've Done Everything For You" and "Don't Talk To Strangers"; as well as the albums 'Working Class Dog' and 'Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet'. When he scheduled a concert at New York's famed Carnegie Hall every ticket was swept up in just three hours! In the words of the New York Post, "Rick Springfield has fashioned a role for himself that Is winning all the way",
Rick is in the studio right now working on a brand new album, to be titled 'Living In Oz'. This time he's working with producer Bill Drescher, rather Keith Dfsen who has been responsible for all his recent hits. The "new sound" will be interesting to hear, Rick has also wrapped up an appearance, in a new film called Travelling Light, directed by Ray Stark.

Rick's only problem at the moment is that people keep confusing his name with that of Bruce Springsteen. In fact, he recorded a funny song about the dilemma, called Bruce. It has only ever appeared on the Australian release of the Working Class Dog album. [Feature article from Countdown Magazine - Vol.1 No.9 March, 1983]
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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl which I bought in the 80's, following the huge success with "Jessie's Girl" and his 'Working Class Dog' LP.  "Affair of the Heart" was a top 10 single at the time and everything that Rick touched seemed to turn to gold.  Full album artwork and label scans are also included as usual. To add cream to the cake, I'm also including four live bonus tracks that I ripped from YouTube clips.
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Track Listing

01 - Human Touch
02 - Alyson
03 - Affair Of The Heart
04 - Living In Oz
05 - Me & Johnny
06 - Motel Eyes
07 - Tiger By The Tail
08 - Souls
09 - I Can't Stop Hurting You
10 - Like Father, Like Son
Bonus Tracks
11 - Gloria (Live)
12 - Alyson (live)
13 - Affair Of The Heart (Live)
14 - Living In Oz (Live)

Band Members:

Lead Vocals - Rick Springfield
Guitars - Rick Springfield, Tim Pearce
Drums - Mike Baird
Bass - Rick Springfield, Mike Seifrit & Denis Belfield
Keyboards - Mitchell Froom, Alan Pasqua, John Philip Shenale, Brett Tugle & Gabriel Katona
Percussion - Michael Fisher
Electric Drums - Jack White
Saxophone - Richard Elliot
Background Vocals - Rick Springfield, Tom Kelly & Richard Page
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Rick Springfield FLACs  (379Mb)  New Link 29/01/2017
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Steve Miller Band - Live! (1983)

(U.S 1966 - Present )
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Born Dallas, Texas, on Oct 5, 1943, Steve Miller led his first group, the Marksmen, at age of 12. In 1961, while attending the University of Wisconsin, Steve and another ex Marksman, Boz Scaggs, started a white soul group called the Ardells, which also included Ben Sidran.
After college, Miller headed for Chicago, and after several near misses, including the potentially successful Goldberg/Miller Blues Band, the former half of which was Barry Goldberg (4 Electric Flag), decided to check out the fast-growing San Francisco scene. He acquired a fine bass player in Lonnie Turner (who rejoined him in the mid-'70s) and sent for Tim Davis, leader of the Ardells' rival group in Wisconsin, who brought with him James "Curley" Cooke.

Following the apprenticeship on the Chicago blues circuit, Miller had his first real break fronting his band at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.  A deal with Capitol Records was forged on the strength of their performance, resulting in the well-received debut album 'Children Of The Future' in 1968.

As the Steve Miller Band, the quartet of Miller (gtr, vcls), Turner (bs, vcls), Davis (drms, vcls), and Cooke (gtr, vcls) contributed three tracks to the sound track of the film "Revolution" in 1968, this being their recording debut. (The other tracks on the album are shared between Mother Earth and Quicksilver Messenger Service.)

This combination lasted from late 1966 until autumn of 1967, although organist Jim Peterman joined during that time, and is included on Chuck Berry's Live At The Fillmore album, for which the Miller Band provide backing.
When Curley Cooke decided to leave in September 1967, Miller sent for his old friend Boz Scaggs, who had become a noted folksinger in Scandinavia in the meantime, and the line-up of Miller, Scaggs, Peterman, Turner and Davis recorded two albums which are still regarded as milestones: 'Children Of The Future' and 'Sailor'. The former was regarded as perhaps the best example of progressive rock to emanate from 1968, while 'Sailor' was one of the earliest albums to use stage-setting sound-effects to enhance the music. Many still consider it Miller's finest hour.

In August 1968, Scaggs left to pursue a solo career, and at the same time Peterman decided to become a producer, leaving Miller, Turner and Davis as the nucleus of the band.
With the addition at various times of Ben Sidran from the Marksmen, and British session-star Nicky Hopkins, both playing keyboards, 1969 produced 'Brave New World' and 'Your Saving Grace', before Turner left at the end of that year to be replaced by Bobby Winkelman, while Hopkins threw in his lot permanently with Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Sidran left to become a producer, in which capacity he assisted Miller on the 'Recall The Beginning' album three years later.

Miller's initial sound was marked by a fusion of Psychedelic Rock with Blues Rock, which contained heavy jamming, improvisation and occasional bits of other genres like Country Music and Folk Music. This style, as showcased on every album between Children of the Future and Recall the Beginning, proved reasonably popular and well-received, with a couple of hits in songs like "Space Cowboy" and "Living in the USA", decent chart placements, and positive reviews.
After attempting to record an album in San Francisco, Miller took Davis and Winkelman to Nashville, where they completed Number Five, released in July 1970, with the help of the celebrated Nashville sessioneers. After that, Davis left to launch a solo career, and Winkelman returned to the sessions from which he had come, their replacements being Ross Vallory (bs) and Jack King (drms).
This combination recorded Rock Love, with occasional assistance from David Denny (gtr), and lasted until the end of 1971, when Recall The Beginning ... A Journey From Eden was recorded, with a nucleus of Miller, Jack King (drms), Dicky Thompson (kbds), and Gerald Johnson (bs).
At around the time it was released, Miller became seriously ill with hepatitis, and after a layoff of six months re-convened the band, with John King replacing his namesake Jack on drums, and Lonnie Turner standing in for Gerald Johnson, who was also ill, plus Miller and Dicky Thompson.
This combination, approximately the seventh Steve Miller Band, recorded The Joker, which became Miller's biggest album, with the title track reaching No. 1 in U.S. singles charts.
In May 1974, Miller decided to take a year off after almost nonstop gigging for nearly eight years, and little was heard from him during 1975, with the exception of a British visit with a pickup band for a festival appearance.

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In 1976, Miller issued 'Fly Like An Eagle', an album of straightforward rock numbers that, with the aid of bestselling singles such as "Rock 'n' Me" and the title-track, went platinum, proved his strongest commercial offering ever, and enabled him to reach new heights of popularity. Back in harness with a regular band (Lonnie Turner (bs), David Denny (gtr), Gary Mallaber (drms) and Norton Buffalo, ex-Commander Cody (harmonica)), Miller toured throughout the year. His eagerly-awaited follow-up, 'Book Of Dreams', proved uncomfortably similar to Fly Like An Eagle, but it shipped gold anyway.
Almost four years elapsed before the low-key 'Circle Of Dreams' was released, but just six months later 'Abracadabra' emerged to resurrect his career once more, the title track reaching Number 1 and 2 in the US and UK respectively.

Subsequent albums saw a gradual decline in sales, until 'The Joker' became a UK Number 1 for the second time in 1990, following its use in a Levi jeans commercial. At its best, Miller's blend of rock and blues was a potent brew.
The band's popularity entered a downward slide after Abracadabra, and they eventually retired from making albums after 1993, but they still tour every now and then.
They finally emerged from their hiatus in 2010 with a new Cover Album, Bingo!.   [extracts from 'The New Musical Encyclopedia Of Rock', Salamander Press, 1977 p158, Wikipedia]
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Review

Originally released in 1983, (and released again in 1988 and 1993), Steve Miller Band: Live! is culled from a concert, or several concerts, that Steve Miller Band gave on the supporting tour for 'Abracadabra'. They run through all the big hits -- the most obscure this gets is "Mercury Blues," from their most popular album, 'Fly Like an Eagle' -- in performances that pretty much stick to the record. There's not much here that's different and, accordingly, there are zero revelations, but this is still  pleasant and enjoyable to listen to.

 There's no real reason to race out and hunt down this record, since it isn't really infused with much live energy, but once it's playing, it's easy to get sucked into the Greatest-Hits set list. By the way, the town where Steve Miller Band performed is not listed in the liners, but the crowd does give a hearty cheer for "Detroit City" in "Rock 'n Me," which therefore implies that's where it was cut.
Further research shows that this concert was recorded at Pine Knob Amphitheater, Detroit, September 25, 1982 and released April 1983. It's Top Billboard Chart Position was #125 (7 weeks)
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This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from my CD copy and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD, and label scans.
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Track Listing
01 - Gangster of Love
02 - Rock 'N Me
03 - Living in the U.S.A.
04 - Fly Like an Eagle
05 - Jungle Love
06 - The Joker
07 - Mercury Blues
08 - Take the Money and Run
09 - Abracadabra
10 - Jet Airliner 
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Steve Miller Band are:
Steve Miller – vocals, guitar
John Massaro – guitar
Kenny Lee Lewis – guitar
Norton Buffalo – harmonica
Byron Allred – keyboards
Gary Mallaber – drums, percussion, keyboards
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Steve Miller Live Link (93Mb)  New Link 20/11/2024
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