Tuesday, September 27, 2016
ALBUM REVIEW: Bootleg Series #16: The Rolling Stones – Leeds University, Leeds, England // 13th March 1971
by Tom Caswell: https://tomcaswell.net/2016/09/12/bootleg-series-16-the-rolling-stones-leeds-university-leeds-england-13th-march-1971/
The UK tour of 1971 saw The Rolling
Stones stage their first at home since 1966. The band played to sold out
venues across the country between the 4th and 26th March, with most of
those dates featuring two shows from the band per night. On the 13th
however, they were in Leeds playing at the University and we are well
and truly blessed to have an exceptional quality bootleg that exists
from the one show they played that day.
The band open with Dead Flowers which is a song that featured on their 1971 classic Sticky Fingers, which wouldn’t be released until over a month later on the 23rd April. Along with the other songs on Sticky Fingers, Dead Flowers
sees the Rolling Stones take their music in a new direction after the
death of founding member Brian Jones nearly two years earlier. Keith
Richards at this point was friends with Gram Parsons which definitely
influenced his songwriting, hence the country tones throughout the song.
Mick Taylor plays a gorgeous solo during the third verse, showing you
exactly why he was added to the band in the first place.
Stray Cat Blues comes next which is from their 1968 album Beggars Banquet. Compared
to an early live version played in Hyde Park in July 1969 which was
lacking in many ways, this version is far superior with the band on top
form and together musically. Jagger is a man possessed on lead vocals
who has every single person in the audience in the palm of his hand.
Taylor again plays a tasteful guitar solo.
It’s followed by the Robert
Johnson number Love In Vain which takes the show in a slower
direction. The band sound fantastic as a unit here and deliver a
cracking rendition of this blues classic.
The great Midnight Rambler from their 1969 album Let It Bleed
follows and immediately shifts the gig into top gear. During this
period of the band it was one of their best live songs and this
performance is no different. The roaring guitar playing paired with
Jagger’s sublime harmonica work make it one of the highlights of the
entire show. The band start the song by jamming until they find that
driving groove that makes the song so infectious, cemented of course by
Keith Richards on rhythm guitar. The looseness of this song is what
makes it so appealing and at just short of 13 minutes in length it’s the
longest song of the set.
It’s followed by another new song in Bitch
which is played so beautifully that it could well be the studio
version. The horn section is another element of the music they were
making at this time which showed what direction the band were heading in
and they sound fantastic as a result.
- Dead Flowers
- Stray Cat Blues
- Love In Vain
- Midnight Rambler
- Bitch
- Honky Tonk Women
- Satisfaction
- Little Queenie
- Brown Sugar
- Street Fighting Man
- Let It Rock
After a short band intro, the 1969 single Honky Tonk Women follows Bitch
and Keith Richards is right at the forefront on this track. On the
studio version it’s Charlie Watts who starts the song with a cowbell but
it’s Keith Richards who goes straight into that guitar riff during this
live version. When you think of the most legendary guitar riffs of all
time, Honky Tonk Women is right up there with the best of them
all, surrounded by many more classic Keith Richards guitar riffs from
this period. The live version adds even more energy to an already
energetic song.
The Stones then move on to Satisfaction which,
in the beginning at least, sounds a lot different to the original studio
version recorded six years earlier in 1965. The opening riff sounds
less definitive and more soul like in many ways, again highlighting
their evolution as a band since the recording of the original. The
addition of horns in the outro only confirms a more soulful direction
which is wonderful to listen to.
The Chuck Berry classic Little Queenie follows immediately after Satisfaction
although it lacks any of the high tempo featured in the original
version. However it’s still enjoyable to listen to, even though the band
take a more relaxed and laid back approach to it. The piano playing in
particular is an exciting highlight and Jagger owns the song from the
front of the stage. Keith Richards replicates Berry’s world famous
guitar lines to make the song more reminiscent of the original version.
The great Brown Sugar comes next, debuting for many that
incredible opening guitar riff from Keith Richards, after all it wouldn’t
be released as a single until over a month later on the 16th April.
Sadly the guitars sound a little out of tune but apart from that it’s a
great rendition even though it does lack the incredible sax solo from
Bobby Keys which features on the studio version.
Street Fighting Man and Let It Rock are the two final songs and sadly the out of tune instruments remain on the former. Thankfully things are righted on Let It Rock
which sees Keith Richards laying down some more incredible Chuck Berry
riffs. Watts and Wyman keep the song locked in, enabling the rest of the
band to do their thing so well.
Overall the bootleg is one of the finest
featuring The Rolling Stones out there. The quality is second to none
and the band are on top form from beginning to end. Hearing the band at
during this particular musical period is fantastic because with Taylor
having been on board for two years already they sound as tight as they
ever did and have since.
With a number of the songs you’re also able to
hear the direction they were going musically, a direction which would
ultimately lead to the recording and release of their 1972 classic Exile On Main Street,
an album that is today widely seen as their all time best. Hard to
argue with that. But this show is a must for all bootleg lovers out
there, it’s incredible.
Friday, September 2, 2016
CLASSIC ALBUM SERIES #6: Blind Faith – Blind Faith
by Tom Caswell: https://tomcaswell.net/2016/08/31/classic-album-series-6-blind-faith-blind-faith/
1969
saw the formation of one of rocks most underrated and under-appreciated
supergroups in the form of Blind Faith.
Formed by Eric Clapton and
Steve Winwood initially, bassist Ric Grech and drummer Ginger Baker
would join a little later and the outcome of this musical melding of
minds was their self titled album, Blind Faith, released in August 1969.
The album opens with Had To Cry Today
which gives you your first taste of this gorgeous album. Clapton’s
guitar playing is immediately infectious but in a different manner to
his playing in Cream. The tone is softer, the playing is more delicate
and there’s more intimacy between each of the band members. Steve
Winwood is sublime on vocals and that’s a trend that continues
throughout the whole album.
Can’t Find My Way Home is the
second song which is dominated by acoustic guitar. Without taking
anything away from the other songs, it’s by far the stand out track on
the album. Winwood’s singing is as good as you’ll ever hear him but it’s
the guitar that really stands out the most. There are two versions of
this song, the acoustic on the album and an electric version
which wasn’t officially released until the deluxe edition came out in
2001. Both are superb but the acoustic guitars add a beauty to it that
is indescribable.
- Had To Cry Today
- Can’t Find My Way Home
- Well All Right
- Presence Of The Lord
- Sea Of Joy
- Do What You Like
Well All Right is a Buddy Holly
cover and the only cover on the album. It’s a fun rendition with the
band on top form just like the two previous songs. The piano and guitar
playing fit together seamlessly while Baker does his thing on drums as
only he could. With this song you really start to understand the
direction Blind Faith are going with their music, with each of the songs
sounding nothing like anything the band members had done previously in
their previous bands.
Presence Of The Lord comes next which is
an original Clapton number but Winwood takes lead vocal duties thanks to
the insistence of Clapton himself. Clapton would eventually sing the
song over a year later with Derek and the Dominos but with Blind Faith
it was up to Winwood to do his thing which he does brilliantly. The solo
section towards the middle/end of the song is superb, Clapton’s only
lead part of the song.
Sea Of Joy and Do What You Like are the final two songs, bringing the relatively short album to a close. Sea Of Joy
is a Winwood original and a song that is often under-appreciated on the
album as a whole. There’s a wonderful violin section played by bassist
Ric Grech which adds another element to the band and their music, a
unique aspect which continued in a live setting when they were on tour.
There are a few photos of Grech playing violin with the band on their US
tour.
Do What You Like is a song written by Ginger Baker and
the longest song on the album due to the inclusion of a long drum solo.
It’s an extremely pleasing song to listen to though and Clapton’s guitar
solo before the drum solo is unlike anything he ever played before.
It’s superb.
Overall Blind Faith is a
fantastic album and will (sadly) remain under-appreciated compared
to other albums from that time period. It doesn’t help that the band are
yet to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, something that
is well overdue considering the amount of rubbish that manages to get in
instead. Hopefully that changes soon and more people become aware of
this gem of an album.
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