Neil Young “Tonight’s the Night” Acetate (’73-74), John Lennon “Studio Tracks” Discs 1-9 (around unfound)
One of my recent favorite bootleg sites has been Grateful Breed, run by the self-proclaimed Netanderthalian. His site focuses on the 60's and 70's and often includes rare acetates and quality live boots. Here are two recent examples of the Grateful Breed site that I think you should download:
Download HERE from Grateful Breed
This alternate acetate of Tonight's the Night is particularly mindblowing. Given that On the Beach was recorded after but released before Tonight's the Night, it is plausible that Neil Young may have sequenced tracks from both recordings into one possible record. This mutant acetate goes beyond that, including not only On the Beach tracks, but also old Crazy Horse and CSNY. I'll say no more. Liner Notes:
Of all legendary released or unreleased Neil Young albums, none has received more accolades, criticism or prompted more discussion by fans &/or critics than "Tonight's The Night".
Although the released LP (issued June 20, 1975) is supposidly closer to the original concept, it's those the alternate versions that Neil (or someone close to him) has mentioned in numerous interviews over the years that fuels interest in what might have been.
Details were few, except that "most" of the released songs have always been part of the story, which songs were anybody's guess. Even the often-mention Elliott Roberts stage play version has never been detailed.
Then, about 25 years ago, I came across a box of acetates at a record swap meet. Some of them were labeled; some were not. A few of the labels bore the names of unknown artists in faded type. One Columbia Studios disc had "NEIL YOUNG" in type so faded that it was more embossed than legible; the "B" side label was
blank. I bought it, carefully put it in my record carry-case, headed for the door & went home. I had no idea about what I'd found, but I knew that I'd found enough for one day.What I found that day was one of the who-knows-how-many different "Tonight's The Night" acetates.
Although seven of the twelve acetate cuts did end up on the 1975 Reprise LP, the song order was completely different (and included only one take of the title song). Three of the remaining five songs were eventually released, but the other two are still unreleased, nearly thirty years later. Expected but missing was the no-break between-song chatter that had been one of the few recurring "original concept" rumors. There is a small amount of extra "musician noise" at the end of some cuts, but it is always followed by cold silence.
As it turned out, nothing unexpected (--based on countless discussions and published articles) would appear sonically on the acetate. Invariably, accounts of the numerous unreleased versions of this album have always implied a cohesive "story" (i.e., starting and ending with the title song), this previously "Tonight's The Night" 1974 LP acetate side 1 label undocumented version seems unfocused as it rolls on like any other collection of songs drawn from various dates.
The album starts off just like the released LP, with "Tonight's The Night (part one)", followed by "Mellow My
Mind", "Roll Another Number", "Tired Eyes" and "Speakin' Out" --out of sequence (all from the released LP).But that's where the similarities end and the interesting stuff begins. Two tracks from "On The Beach" (July 10, 1974) follow, with "Walk On" closing side one and "For The Turnstiles" opening side two.
The still-unreleased "Bad Fog Of Loneliness" is next. How this February 6, 1971 Crazy Horse track ended up in this project has been debated for years, but the mood & performance fits seamlessly with the Santa Monica Flyers cuts. This slow, plodding recording is classic Crazy Horse, highlighted by the "dueling" lead guitars of Old Black (Neil) & the sweet pedal steel guitar (Ben Keith).
"New Mama" (from the released album) follows, with "Winterlong" (from "Decade" October 28, 1977) and then
"Borrowed Tune" (also from the Reprise LP). The acetate closes with the second unreleased song, a solo acoustic version of "Traces". A well-known leftover from the '74 CSNY tour, the song is most-likely an unused demo from the unfinished "Human Highway" project rather than a new recording cut specifically for this project. Even so, the song of hope for an unresolved relationship closes the set well in this symbolic summing up of the program's theme.After twenty-five years of listening to "Tonight's The Night" as Neil presented it to us, it's disorienting (although certainly interesting) to listen to this acetate. Nonetheless, of all the Neil Young tapes available from tape collectors/traders, maybe ten of them are really worth seeking out; this one is ESSENTIAL.
Download HERE from Grateful Breed (tracklist is available at this link)
From Grateful Breed:
Happy 70-th birthday, Johnny L. I had this in store for a while, just waiting for this day to come. A huge pack of 9 CDs called Studio Tracks to celebrate the birth of John Lennon, one of the biggest influences in this world for the last 50 years. Most of these recordings are studio outtakes ('69-'76) alternate versions and home demos. I created 2 archives, Studio Tracks 1-5 and Studio Tracks 6-9 for your convenience. The official recordings may be found here, there's a new boxset out this week: http://johnlennon.shop.livenation.com/ God may as well be a concept but peace is certainly achievable if you want it.
Interesting Lennon-related read from Gary Arseneau "Artwork of John Lennon $100 MILLION FRAUD, The Dead Don't Create Artwork"
VIDEO: The Kinks – BBC “In Concert” documentary and Live at The Rainbow Theatre, 1972
This amazing 40-minute special was originally broadcast in 1972 by the BBC for its In Concert series. The concert footage was from a performance at the Rainbow Theatre sometime in 1972 and is heavy on Muswell Hillbillies material, further evidence that you should download this right now. I'm hosting the full 440MB file on my server and I'm sure it'll have to be taken down within the next couple of days so get on this quick.
Download HERE (Warning: 440MB zip file)
The Kinks – Live at The Rainbow Theatre 12-24-1977 (soundboard recording)
This bootleg has been circulating for years under the name "Kristmas Koncert" (cute, right?). The show was broadcast as a Christmas Special for a program called "The Old Grey Whistle Test" and it documents the end of the Kink's nearly year long tour in support of Sleepwalker. If you have video of this performance, I'll gladly take it. Here's a cute, well written review of the performance. You'll never get this much effort from me. <3
Recorded at the very end of the band's 1977 Sleepwalker tour on Christmas Eve, this is one of the most incredible live Kinks recordings ever captured. After being on the road for nearly a solid year, the band was shit-hot, and that is reflected here in a set that was unusually tight for a band that made a career out of being often drunk on stage. Not only did the band sound great, Ray Davies picked one of the best and most encompassing set lists the band ever offered its fans.
The show covered all periods in the legendary rockin' band's career from its early British Invasion hits ("You Really Got Me," All The Day And All The Night"), to its reflective middle period (where Davies wrote some of his best material including "Lola," "Get Back Into Line," "Celluloid Heroes," and the poignant ballad, "Waterloo Sunset"), to the concept/theatrical phase when it released albums such as Preservation Act I and Act II, School Boys In Disgrace, and Starmaker. Finally, it also included the newer material from Sleepwalker when the band signed with Clive Davis and Arista Records and returned to making radio friendly rock singles.
But aside from the hits, there are some real gems in this recording, including "Slum Kids," a great song from the Preservation Act 1, that was never recorded for the record. Hearing the song, one can understand why it was left off of the disc: It is blatant remake of Sam Cooke's classic, "Bring It On Home To Me."
The King Biscuit Flower Hour recorded nearly a dozen Kinks shows going back to 1974 that were used to cull the tracks for the group's many appearances on the syndicated radio show. This one, recorded a full three decades ago, is clearly one of the best. The Kinks last performed in 1995 when they helped open the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. A few years later, Dave Davies suffered a serious stroke that has hampered his ability to play guitar. Around the same time, Ray Davies decided to pursue his solo career in earnest.
Tracklist:
01. Sleepwalker
02. Life on the Road
03. Waterloo Sunset
04. All Day and All of the Night
05. Slum Kids
06. Celluloid Heroes
07. Get Back In Line
08. Hard Way
09. Lola
10. Alcohol
11. Skin and Bone
12. You Really Got Me
13. Juke Box Music
Personnel
Mick Avory - drums
Dave Davies - guitar, vocals
Ray Davies - vocals, guitar
John Gosling - piano, organ
Andy Pyle - bass
Pamela Travis - backing vocals
Claire Hamill - backing vocals
Ray Cooper - percussion
Mike Cotton Sound - horn section
Spiritualized – “Ladies and Gentleman…” LIVE at Radio City Music Hall (2010.07.30, New York, NY)
How did SELF-TITLED MAG know I was morbidly depressed last Friday when I learned Spiritualized was performing Ladies and Gentleman... live in its entirety?
Luckily, they found and posted a decent recording of the event. I found and alternate link (if for some reason the orginal link goes down).
Alternate link HERE.
Tracklist
01. Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space.mp3
02. Come together.mp3
03. I think I'm in love.mp3
04. All of my thoughts.mp3
05. Stay with me.mp3
06. Electricity.mp3
07. Home of the brave_The individual.mp3
08. Broken heart.mp3
09. No God only religion.mp3
10. Cool waves.mp3
11. Cop shoot cop....mp3
12. encore break.mp3
13. Out of sight.mp3
14. Oh happy day.mp3
Mississippi Records Mixtape #12: A Little Bit Of Hurt – Soul and R&B (MRC-012)
Mississippi Records Tape Series #12
Download HERE
If you haven't heard of Mississippi Records, here's a brief explanation by J.Spaceman:
It’s a label with offices in Portland and Montreal, run by two guys, Warren Hill and Eric Isaacson, who willfully avoid things like the internet or any kind of self-promotion.
They release interesting records of old, obscure, and unbelievably beautiful music. The original releases were available in quantities of 500 to 1,000 and on the back it said something like: “We’re sorry, we can’t do more than this, but if you want to make copies for your friends on any format, do it.”
The records sell for $10 apiece so it’s obvious that they’re coming from a place that has a deep love of music, not profit. I guess they’re barely scraping their money back.
Read more: I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE - J. Spaceman on the Strange and Beautiful Canon of Mississippi Records - Vice Magazine
Mississippi Records recently began selling an instore-only mixtape series. This is mixtape #12 and contains rare and otherwise unheard Soul and R&B. Follow the link, light some candles, pour some grape-juice, and warn the neighbors. It's that kind of good.
Tracklist
A01 - Pat Hervey - Pain
A02 - Evangeline - Little Bit Of Hurt
A03 - Magic Tones - Together We Shall Overcome
A04 - Clyde McPhatter - Lover Please
A05 - Barbara & The Browns - Please Be Honest With Me
A06 - Pat Lundy & Bobby Harris - A Thing Going On
A07 - Marvin Gaye - You
A08 - Mary Wells - Strange Love
A09 - J.J. Barnes* - Don't Bring Mo Bad News
A10 - O.V. Wright - Born All Over
A11 - Yvonne Baker & The Sensations - When My Lover Comes Home
A12 - Ike & Tina Turner - PretendB01 - Garnet Mimms - Cry Baby
B02 - Joyce Davis - Stop Giving Your Man Away
B03 - Blue Rhythm Combo - Never Let A Kiss Fool You
B04 - Freddie Watson & The Restorators - Unlucky Seven
B05 - Barbara & The Browns - In My Heart
B06 - Bettye Swann - Don't Take My Mind
B07 - Eldridge Holmes - Where Is Love?
B08 - Jimmy Sinclair - When I Pray
B09 - Tarheel Slim & Little Ann - You're Gonna Reap
B10 - Nina Simone - I Can't See Nobody
B11 - Freddie Watson & The Restorators - It's All Over Now
Lou Reed Live – 1975
Download HERE
If you've been a fan of Lou Reed for a while, your appetite for diversity might be stronger than the average bro. Needless to say, some people just cannot get behind various Lou Reed ventures. Today, we'll focus on the era of Rock 'n' Roll Animal (1974 live release). This very powerful, seemingly glam-rock live release is a testament to the direction of rock and roll at the time: larger than life performances, culture bending fashion, egotism...
With that we bring to you Lou Reed Live - 1975. This live album was released in 1975 and the songs are taken from the same concert as Rock 'n' Roll Animal; recorded live to tape on December 21, 1973, at Howard Stein's Academy of Music in New York. Perhaps the original intention was to release a full concert. We'll never know. What I tend to gather from these two separate releases is that where Rock 'n' Roll Animal demands attention and perfection, Lou Reed Live - 1975 will fall more likely fall flat. For one, the mix is different. Guitarist Dick Wagner is heard on the left channel, and Steve Hunter is on the right; this arrangement is reversed on Rock 'n' Roll Animal. Second, you just get the chance that these were the less than stellar tracks that made it unto the cutting room floor. The plus side is that, if you like Rock 'n' Roll Animal, the basic quality of the show is intact.
If you've heard and love Rock 'n' Roll Animal, this record is for you. If you're a completest who has always wanted to hear more from this unique Reed venture, this record is for you. If you're stuck in a Velvet Underground or Berlin era of Reed, skip this downoad (you're crazy, btw) Enjoy!
Track listing
1. "Vicious" – 5:55
2. "Satellite of Love" – 6:03
3. "Walk on the Wild Side" – 4:51
4. "I'm Waiting for the Man" – 3:38
5. "Oh, Jim" – 10:40
6. "Sad Song" – 7:32
Personnel
* Lou Reed — vocals
* Ray Colcord — keyboards
* Pentti Glan — drums
* Steve Hunter — guitar
* Prakash John — bass
* Dick Wagner — guitar
African Scream Contest: Raw And Psychedelic Afro Sounds From Benin And Togo 70′s
This series was complied by Samy Ben Redjeb and released by Analog Africa in 2008. Thank you David for playing this at your place a few weeks ago. I haven't been able to stop listening. The longer songs are my favorite and their percussive and repetitive nature create a sort of psych that embraces a quick, funk-filled rhythm. But really, they're probably just having a damned good time.
Get it HERE
Track Listing (various artists)
01. Lokonon André & Les Volcans - Mi Kple Dogbekpo
02. Picoby Band D'Abomey - Mi Ma Kpe Dji
03. Gabo Brown & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - It's a Vanity
04. El Rego et Ses Commandos - Se Na Min
05. Napo De Mi Amor et Ses Black Devil's - Leki Santchi
06. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Gbeti Madjro
07. Roger Damawuzan - Wait For Me
08. Ouinsou Corneille & Black Santiagos - Vinon So Minsou
09. Orchestre Super Jheevs des Paillotes - Ye Nan Lon An
10. Tidjani Kone & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Djanfa Magni
11. Discafric Band - Houiou Djin Nan Zon Aklumon
12. Le Super Borgou De Parakou - Congolaise Benin Ye
13. Vincent Ahehehinnou - Ou C'est Lui Ou C'est Moi
14. Les Volcans De la Capital - Oya Ka Jojo
The big picture is that by 1970 Lome and Cotonou were awash in pop music acts creating a fusion of Cuban, Congolese, and local indigenous styles. Those local styles included powerful religious traditions, such as Vodun, with their wealth of ancient rhythms, melodies, and folklore. Then came the overlay of James Brown funk, and its most consequential African offshoot, the Afrobeat sound of Fela Kuti. Throw all that together and you begin to grasp the quirky appeal of groups like Lokonon André & Les Volcans, or Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. Poly-Rhythmo and Orchestre Black Santiago were mainstays of the 24-track Satel studio in Cotonou, and they backed many popular singers of the day. All the names and details a true music nerd requires are supplied, but the real payoff is the music. - http://afropop.org
The Rolling Stones – Necrophilia
The Rolling Stones - Necrophilia
This is an unreleased record by the Rolling Stones. It was supposed to come out in 1972 but was canned for various reasons listed below (but not before being cut to acetate). I've always questioned the legitimacy of rock and roll rumor's such as the below story but it really doesn't matter by this point, does it? Let's just all download it and call it a true story. I mean, there's a catalog number for it and no doubt it's mentioned in a book or two... Enjoy.
From http://beatzenith.com/the_rolling_stones/rs3comps.htm
1972 Necrophilia- How this title was even granted a catalog number - AB4224 - is a mystery. Much like the legendary unreleased 1966 Stones LP Could You Walk On Water?, this set was to have featured 15 previously-unreleased tracks including alternate takes of Heart of Stone, Out of Time and Pay Your Dues, which was the original version of Street Fighting Man. Story has it that Andrew Loog Oldham and Allen Klein had a major disagreement on the track selection - more specifically on the extremely vulgar Andrew's Blues. It would have been unprecedented at the time for such a song to be released to the public, but not as far-fetched an idea if you consider that Lonesome Schoolboy Blues [aka: C**ksucker Blues] was included for a limited time in an official 1984 German albums boxed set. This title would be replaced by the friendlier More Hot Rocks but fans fear not, as nine (9) of these selections later appeared in the 1975 LP Metamorphosis. Not surprisingly, Andrew's Blues has since become a popular bootleg track.
rating:**
RELEASE U.S. HCP LABEL CAT. NO. PRINT RUN select feature
planned/not released: 1972 - Abkco AB4224 unknown Andrew's Blues
From the liner notes of this Grateful Breed bootleg:
This is the never-released album from 1971 (or was it 1972), which was pressed on a few acetates. Some acetates were sold, for a lot of money, a couple of years ago, and….surfaced on bootleg CD after a while. The songs are either completely different takes (like “Have You Seen Your Mother Baby”), or different mixes than the official versions (from Metamophosis) Pay Your Dues (the alternate version of Street Fighting Man) and the speeded-up Blue Turns To Gray are really fantastic, as Metomophosis, several of the songs features Jagger, Richards and studio musicians, and not the other Stones members.
The planned follow-up to Hot Rocks was to be titled Necrophilia, and was to have the tracks selected by the unpredictable Andrew Loog Oldham. A gatefold sleeve was designed by Fabio Nicoli using photography by the Stones’ official photographer from the sixties, Gered Mankowitz.
What you will hear here is a vinyl transfer to CD of the actual unreleased album. Alternate versions from 1964 to 1967.
Kevin Ayers – BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert
Kevin Ayers - BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert
I'm slowing starting to dig up some live Kevin Ayers. This show was recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1972.
Here are the liner notes written by Kevin Ayers:
When I left the group SOFT MACHINE at the end of the Sixties I took a break from the music business and touring, but not from song writing. I was not thinking of a solo career but I soon had enough new songs to make an LP which turned out to be 'JOY OF A TOY'.
During the recording of this album I met David Bedford who was an arranger and played keyboards, we got on very well and decided to form a group to promote the new record. Mike Oldfield came to an audition as bass player, it soon became obvious that he was a far better guitar player than I was and you can hear his distinctive style developing on the solo in 'Why Are We Sleeping'.
I met 'Lol Coxhill' busking in a tunnel outside Baker St. Station and decided on the spot that he would fit perfectly into the rather unorthodox group that was developing.
Mick Fincher joined in on drums, I called the group 'WHOLE WORLD' and off we went on our erratic but often inspired way. David developed some novel inspirational ideas, Mike bloomed as a guitarist, Lol did his thing with increasing mania and Mick did his best to keep some sort of order in this chaos.
The songs on this album were recorded at a BBC Live In Concert in London. The orchestra was well intentional but looking back a bit over complicated for the simple songs. It all sounds a bit of a shambles now but we were not the kind of band that paid a great deal of attention to trivial things like accuracy and perfect timing!
We were in them days, allowed a great deal of licence, perhaps that should be "Off Licence'.
The 'WHOLE WORLD', always worked more on the sense of occasion and spontaneity than professional, show business type perfection. This exactly suited my nature and gave the musicians in the band a very free hand to develop their own ideas and styles.
We had a lot of fun, we never made much money but we travelled a lot and developed as people and musicians. I still 'do' some of their songs today in more streamlined versions and I miss the rather haphazard way they used to be played with the 'WHOLE WORLD'.
Everything has to be so tight these days, it takes a lot of the fun out of playing music live when it becomes so predictable and there is little or no room for spontaneity.
I don't know what happened to Mick Fincher but I'm sure he's still playing somewhere. I occasionally see Lol Coxhill's name in the music press and he did a guest appearance on a concert I did with another band a few years ago, he is still the same, just as manic, I hope he still has plenty of work.
David Bedford went on to produce some recordings of his own compilations and worked on arrangements for Mike Oldfield who had enormous success with his first solo album and has gone on to even greater success. He occasionally comes over to see me on his travels and has been a good friend. We still have the odd jame together and it's still fun.
I feel nostalgia for that time of my life, there was a sense of family within that group that I have no found since. We were exploring together as opposed to just making time which is what most of my generation do these days, myself of course included.
KEVIN AYERS May 1992
01. LADY RACHAEL (6:36)
02. MAY I (4:00)
03. CLARENCE IN WONDERLAND (5:02)
04. WHATEVERSHEBRING (6:36)
05. THERE IS LOVING (6:55)
06. MARGARET (3:36)
07. COLORES PARA DOLORES (6:21)
08. CRAZY GIFT OF TIME (4:52)
09. WHY ARE WE SLEEPING (12:05)
Neil Young – Citizen Kane Junior Blues
1-11
Recorded live at The Bottom Line in New York on May 16, 1974
12
Recorded live during 1973, location unknown
13
Recorded live at the Carnegie Hall in New York on December 5, 1970.
Neil Young - Citizen Kane Junior Blues
Before the days of the internet, this bootleg was often considered the holy grail of Neil Young bootlegs particularly for its inclusion of many On The Beach tunes. It is also an unannounced set. The story goes that Neil Young, who was at the Bottom Line in New York on May 16, 1974 to see Ry Cooder, was so inspired that he did a special one-hour acoustic guest set after Cooder. Neil Young is very upbeat and talkative during this set. In the set he tells numerous stories - including how to make "honey slides" and why he doesn't play Southern Man anymore.
Here's some bootleg info I found to make it interesting:
"Neil did not tour as a solo act during 1974 (he did a brief tour with CSNY), and therefore his excellent On The Beach stuff doesn't show up on many bootlegs. This (is) an all-acoustic show featuring Neil performing solo during his supposedly "depressed" period (after the OD deaths of his guitarist and roadie) between On The Beach and Tonight's The Night. Can't tell he's depressed here - he's friendly and talkative and doesn't even get upset when a few members of the small crowd yell for Southern Man - instead he tells a funny story about the same thing happening in LA. What really makes this one stand out, besides the happy/chatty Neil is the setlist, which includes some rare appearances of a few songs from the aforementioned NY album On The Beach, including Motion Pictures, Revolution Blues, On The Beach,and the quintessential Neil tune Ambulance Blues.
"With the exception of Helpless, all of the songs were unreleased at the time of this performance, making for some interesting first impressions by the crowd. On The Beach is the backdrop for this recording, with four of its songs performed live. Renditions of Pardon My Heart, Long May You Run, Roll Another Number and Flying On The Ground Is Wrong" (recorded in a 1970 Carnegie Hall performance) round out the songs. This has been called a SBD, but it is clearly not - some distance between the mic and Neil is apparent; however, it is a quality audience tape, with Neil's guitar/harmonica and voice all clear."