nice! i think i would have pooped myself manytimes over if i saw all those groups - especially cream - ginger baker is one of my top musical influences. if you live in austin you should check out a group called tia carrera - they are probably as close to cream as ill ever get (that didnt sound right ). their drummer is a beast.
Cream were great live. One of the all-time power trios, no question. Baker had a gigantic drum kit, and although long drum solos aren't at the top of my goodie bag, he hammered a couple of good ones. Bruce was excellent and Clapton was a madman. What I like about Wheels of Fire, is that it captures a bit of how groups played long, extended versions of tunes you loved on their LP's. Seeing Zappa was like that... he had an enormous "orchestra" (I guess that's the only word that would do them justice) of fantastic musicians playing with him, but as good as they were, I always liked his long guitar solos best. You just don't get that much of him in the LP's, and he was one of the hottest and most unique guitarists ever, in my opinion. And live his band sounded very jazz/rock, if that makes any sense. Very hot, incendiary jazz. Thanks for the tip. I'll try and check them out.
Wow is it me or has no one put Layla and other assorted love songs! The first side is classic and compact, yes even key to the highway. substance and blonde and blonde are right up there also. And last but not least is A night in San Francisco by Van Morrison. my vote for the best live double cd/album of the last 25 years. it is a must for any Van Morrison fan.
yeah, gingers drum solo "toad" gives "moby dick" a run for the money. im not a huge zappa fan, but i like the live albums alot better than his proper studio efforts. there is some series called "you cant do that live" (i think?) anyway, i love the helsinki album. i like the stuff w/ steve vai too. he was always credited on albums as "stunt guitar". and if you see tia carrera, for the love of god bring earplugs.
Damn! I forgot the Derek and the Dominos record. Hey Deckard, ever see them? Your list of bands seen is very impressive.
Yes, they were great. I saw Blind Faith as well. I was just lucky... the right age at the right time and when tickets were cheap. The top ticket was usually 6 dollars for the front rows, center, and down from there. And when the best tickets went up to 6 bucks, we picketed the Music Hall, etc., believe it or not. People were ticked off. Even a hippie like me could afford to go to concerts, and I went to just about every concert worth mentioning (it seemed) in Houston. I had some good friends and it was what we did. We scrounged up the bread somehow and went to see the greatest music ever played... from around '67 through the early-mid '70's. Hard to describe just how great it was. You don't have, in the main, great live recordings of those groups, and their albums frequently didn't capture just how good they were. Just how good even the more obscure groups were, like Canned Heat, for instance. (don't know why they popped into my head) And some groups, like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, weren't as good live as they were on vinyl. Ironically, Buffalo Springfield, with Stills and Young (among others) were terrific live. (hope I didn't overuse "great", terrific" and so on... my vocabulary is limited this morning... uh, this afternoon)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: 4-Way Street Chicago Transit Authority (Chicago I) Chicago II Steppenwolf "Live" (which isn't actually live at all). Ben Webster: Music for Loving
