Little Steven And The Disciples Of Soul Lift The Curtain On ‘SOULFIRE LIVE!’

We saw Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul for free at The Ridgefield Playhouse on May 1st of this year. It was a fantastic evening and they played many of the songs featured on the new ‘SOULFIRE LIVE!’ recording.

This spectacular live collection was recorded last year in North America and Europe during the legendary rock ‘n’ roller’s first world tour in nearly two decades. Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul’s SOULFIRE LIVE! is available now via Little Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records and UMe. The 3CD collection includes 24-tracks released digitally in April alongside an exclusive third disc highlighted by superstar guest performances recorded throughout the trek, including Bruce SpringsteenRichie SamboraPeter Wolf, and Jerry Miller (of Moby Grape).

Little-Steven-Soulfire-Live--Album-Cover-Final

The video “Can I Get A Witness,” featuring Richie Sambora was recorded last year at the famed Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. It captures Little Steven and his 15-piece band, the Disciples of Soul’s, spirited and sweat-soaked shows which will be on full display on the Blu-Ray coming later this year.

Fans can pre-order ahead of the release later this year, SOULFIRE LIVE! as a unique 7LP vinyl box set and on Blu-Ray video exclusively at Little Steven’s just-launched new Webstore.

The vinyl box set will incorporate an exclusive bonus LP capturing Little Steven’s extraordinary surprise set at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club recorded November 2017 during his band’s sold out European tour. The intimate lunchtime gig saw Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul paying tribute to The Beatles with rocking renditions of “Magical Mystery Tour,” “Good Morning, Good Morning,” “Got To Get You Into My Life,” and “All You Need Is Love,” alongside iconic songs famously performed by the nascent Fab Four, including “Boys” (originally by The Shirelles), “Slow Down” (by Larry Williams) and “Soldier Of Love” (first recorded by Arthur Alexander).

“Playing in the same venue where The Beatles started their careers was a childhood dream of mine come true,” says Little Steven. “This was a band that set me on course for a life of music. For my rock ‘n’ roll religion, The Cavern is the first sacred site. It was an honor – no, make that an epiphany – to perform there.”

The SOULFIRE LIVE! Blu-ray video edition will include Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul’s complete Cavern Club concert alongside video performances of each song on the 3CD/vinyl set, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage. In addition, the Blu-ray edition will feature a special documentary about the Cavern Club performance that sees Little Steven honored with a brick in the club’s hallowed Wall of Fame before leading his band through swift rehearsals of Beatles songs mere minutes ahead of their performance.

The exclusive SOULFIRE LIVE! Disc 3 showcases special guest appearances from some of Little Steven’s closest friends, collaborators, and favorite artists. Among the highlights are versions of Moby Grape’s “Can’t Be So Bad” performed with the legendary San Francisco band’s founding member, Jerry Miller; the Motown classic, “Can I Get A Witness,” performed with New Jersey’s own Richie Sambora; The J. Geils Band’s “Freeze Frame” with vocals from the one and only Peter Wolf; and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and Little Steven’s own “I Don’t Want To Go Home,” both joined by Bruce Springsteen.

As if that weren’t enough, Disc 3 also includes the Disciples of Soul’s electrifying takes on a number of Little Steven’s all-time favorite rock ‘n’ roll songs, including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Even The Losers,” AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero,” The Allman Brothers Band’s “It’s Not My Cross To Bear,” The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” and The Ramones’ “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight).”

SOULFIRE LIVE! was produced and arranged by Stevie Van Zandt; the album was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig.

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul will rev up again this fall to celebrate SOULFIRE LIVE! with the final leg of their Teacher Appreciation Tour, set to get underway this October. The tour will once again benefit TeachRock, Van Zandt’s Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s national initiative to bring music curriculum into middle and high schools across the country. At each stop of the tour, teachers will get in free to the concert and TeachRock will host workshops before the show to educate teachers on how to implement music education into their classrooms.  For complete details and ticket availability, please visit littlesteven.com. For more information about TeachRock and the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, please visit rockandrollforever.org

logo-rrff

LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL: SOULFIRE TOUR 2018

OCTOBER
18 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Kirby Center
20 – Rochester, NY – Kodak Theater
23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock
24 – Munhall, PA –Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
29 – Wabash, IN – Honeywell Center
31 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater

NOVEMBER
2 – Burnsville, MN – Ames Center
5- Chicago, IL – Copernicus Center
7 – Tulsa, OK – Club Brady
9 – Detroit, MI @ Detroit Music Hall
10 – Peoria, IL – Monarch
12 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
14 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
16 – Cleveland, OH – Hard Rock
17 – Morgantown, WV – Metropolitan Theatre

Jimi Hendrix – The Day I Was There

As a veteran of over 415 concerts in 49 years, one of my regrets is that I never saw Jimi Hendrix live in concert. Alas, that was not meant to happen.

I will soon have an opportunity to read about the personal memories of 400 eyewitness accounts of seeing Jimi live. Richard M. Houghton has a new book coming out on the 48th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s death, September 18, 2018, Jimi Hendrix, The Day I Was There.

I love the use of color that illustrates the book cover.

Richard M. Houghton is a music journalist/archivist. He has forged an interesting niche by writing a series of books from a rock music fan’s point of view. His, I Was There theme is a smart and welcome idea. The Jimi Hendrix book is the fifth I Was There title in the series.

He has written I Was There books about The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Pink Floyd.

He is working on several more I  Was There books for 2019 and beyond. Upcoming projects are fan memories of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath (2019), the Faces, Cream and Neil Young.  I have some memories to share with Richard for those titles.

If there’s anyone else you’re passionate reading about, he’ d love to hear from you. Drop him a line at iwasatthatgig@gmail.com

I will be corresponding with Richard very soon 🙂

Yes featuring ARW, Live at the Apollo

I am pleased to share that Yes featuring Anderson, Rabin, and Wakeman (ARW), Live at the Apollo finally has a release date, September 7, 2018.

The recorded live event is available in various formats,  highlighted with an opaque orange vinyl 3 LP edition. The orange vinyl edition is limited to 3,500 units.

The other formats available for preorder are CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray.

I was fortunate to see Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, and Rick Wakeman ARW, An Evening of Yes Music & More on October 21, 2016, at the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT. They were grand together as Yes is Jon Anderson on vocals!

I’m eager for the live concert footage on the Eagle Rock Blu-Ray edition.

Track Listing

Side A
1. Intro / Cinema / Perpetual Change
2. Hold On

Side B
1. I’ve Seen All Good People : (i) Your Move (ii) All Good People
2. Lift Me Up
3. And You & I (i) Cord Of Life (ii) Eclipse (iii) The Preacher, The Teacher (iv) Apocalypse

Side C
1. Rhythm Of Love
2. Heart Of The Sunrise

Side D
1. Changes
2. Long Distance Runaround / The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)

Side E
1. Awaken

Side F
1. Make It Easy / Owner Of A Lonely Heart
2. Roundabout

Best of the Grateful Dead Live

I had a long drive ahead and pondered what to play on the car audio system. I began to hear strains of the Grateful Dead’s “Fire On The Mountain” when it hit me. Why not play the new Best of the Grateful Dead Live that was just released on Apple Music? The recording timed out perfectly for a 2.5-hour ride.

A two-disc set with recordings selected from the band’s official live albums on Warner Bros. and Arista, plus a few tracks from their many archival live releases, beginning with “St. Stephen” – from the group’s first official live album, 1969’s Live/Dead – and ending with the poignant “So Many Roads,” taken from the band’s final concert at Chicago’s Soldier Field in July of 1995.

I recommend “Estimated Prophet”, “Eyes of the World”, and “Blow Away” for starters 😉

 

 

 

The Who Live at the Fillmore East 1968

Fillmore-East-Front-2

April 20th Universal Music drops a 3-LP / 2-CD set of The Who’s stunning 1968 live performance at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East theatre in New York.

The Who were in New York and near the end of a grueling tour on April 4, 1968, the day that Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. America was already a country divided; Anti-Vietnam demonstrations, civil rights disturbances and militant student activism. With this turmoil as a backdrop on Friday and Saturday, April 5 and 6, 1968 The Who performed two incendiary live sets at Bill Graham’s legendary Fillmore East on the lower East Side of Manhattan.

The venue had only just re-opened in March by Graham from its previous incarnation as the Village Theatre where the band had played on a couple of occasions the year before. The Who was the first British rock act to headline the Fillmore East and were booked to play four shows over the two nights. However, because of feared social unrest in the wake of Dr. King’s assassination, it was decided to compact the shows into one per night.

The Who’s time in New York City in 1968 can best be described as ‘lively’. Keith Moon’s antics with cherry bomb explosives had meant that the band had to move hotels. When installed in the plush Waldorf Astoria he then somehow managed to a blow a door off its hinges and, they had to move once more.

On the morning of the Fillmore rehearsal, the band was photographed for Life magazine by Art Kane and legend has it that they were so tired from Moon’s antics that they nodded off under the large Union Jack draped over them at the base of the Carl Schurz Monument in Morningside Park. This iconic image was later used as the album cover and poster for The Who’s classic film The Kids Are Alright.

Both nights were recorded by Who manager Kit Lambert with the intention of releasing the results as The Who’s fourth album after The Who Sell Out and before Tommy. Disaster struck when it was discovered that due to faulty equipment or human error only part of the first night was captured. Thankfully the second night was recorded and has now been fully restored and mixed by longtime Who sound engineer Bob Pridden (who was the band’s roadie on those nights in 1968) from the original four-track tapes. For the 50th anniversary of these legendary shows, the unreleased recordings are to be issued on triple vinyl LP and double CD.

Due to an acetate reaching the bootleg market in the early ‘70s, The Who’s reputation as rock’s most dynamic live act quickly grew. The show is regarded by fans as something of the ‘holy grail’ of Who live shows equalling the legendary Live At Leeds album. The tapes have been meticulously remastered for optimum sound quality and will only serve to enhance The Who’s reputation as the best live act of the time.

The 3LP set includes three Eddie Cochran numbers; ‘My Way’, ‘Summertime Blues’ and the never before released Who version of ‘C’mon Everybody’.

Also featured is a rare cover version of ‘Fortune Teller’ written by Allen Toussaint, originally recorded by Benny Spellman but made famous by The Merseybeats, the Rolling Stones, and several English beat groups. These shows also showcased ‘Tattoo’ and ‘Relax’ from The Who Sell Out as well as stunning extended versions of ‘A Quick One (While He’s Away)’ and ‘My Generation’ which becomes a 30-minute-plus jam with the climax of guitar-smashing and drum demolition!

TRACKLIST

Disc One / Side 1

  1. Summertime Blues
  2. Fortune Teller
  3. Tattoo
  4. Little Billy

Disc One / Side 2

  1. I Can’t Explain
  2. Happy Jack
  3. Relax

Disc Two / Side 3

  1. I’m A Boy
  2. A Quick One (While He’s Away)

Disc Two / Side 4

  1. My Way
  2. C’mon Everybody
  3. Shakin’ All Over
  4. Boris The Spider

Disc Three / Side 5

  1. My Generation (Part One)

Disc Three / Side 5

  1. My Generation (Part Two)

PRE-ORDER

To pre-order the 3-LP click here

To pre-order the 2-CD click here

This Tour’s On Fire

The Smashing Pumpkins announced their first U.S. tour since 2000* in exciting fashion with this video.

The Smashing Pumpkins “Shiny And Oh So Bright” Tour- Billy Corgan, James Iha, Jeff Schroeder, and Jimmy Chamberlin celebrating songs from their first 5 albums: Gish, Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Adore, and Machina. Tickets available Friday, Feb 23rd beginning at 10AM local.

My son and I last saw The Smashing Pumpkins at the Live Earth 2007 concert event at Giants Stadium 11 years ago. It was a huge all day and night live global experience we both cherish.

Live Earth was a one-off event developed to combat climate change. The first series of benefit concerts were held on July 7, 2007. The concerts brought together more than 150 musical acts in eleven locations around the world which were broadcast to a mass global audience through televisions, radio, and streamed via the Internet.

Maybe we’ll see them again at Mohegan Sun in July 😉

 

 

Santana Rynearson Stadium

I am usually leery of artist “bootleg” or non-official recordings. They typically lack the production results I want.  My music collection is  99% official commercial music releases.

My niece gave me a wonderful Christmas gift surprise this year. The vinyl recording, “Santana Rynearson Stadium, Ypsilanti MI, 25-05-75”. I had never seen or heard of this live recording. I was happily stunned 🙂

Klondike Records has done Santana and the listener justice. This recording is based on a King Biscuit Flower Hour radio broadcast. It is Digital Remastered and pressed onto 180 Grade vinyl. It sounds great on my Audio Technica turntable.

Santana was the headline act that day with Special Guest Stars, Peter Frampton’s Camel, and Lynard Skynard.

 

 

MoPop Founders Award 2017 Honoring The Doors

I have to hand it to The Doors management team. When they said there would be many Doors related events for the 50th Anniversary of The Doors they meant it.

Take a look at the MoPop (Museum of Pop Culture) in Seattle, Washington Doors event. I wish I lived in Seattle as I have been a member of MoPop in the past. If you love music museums this one is great plus it is also a Sci-Fi museum as well.

Founders Award 2017 Honoring The Doors
Thursday, December 7, 2017
MoPOP Sky Church

An annual fundraiser to benefit MoPOP’s programs, the Founders Award features legendary performers who have made substantial contributions to the field of music.

“The Doors are carnivores in a land of musical vegetarians.” – Tom Robbins

Still Photos in this blog post by Jim Bennett and Seattle Met

I’ve included the finale video but you can see the entire MoPop YouTube Channel Playlist here:

“Roadhouse Blues performed by The Doors guitarist, Robby Krieger with Carlos Santana, Cindy Blackman Santana, Krist Novoselic, Lukas Nelson, Micah Nelson, Zander Schloss, Tim Pike, John Denney, Jerry Cantrell, Exene Cervenka, and Brian Young.

The Doors – Live At The Isle of Wight Festival 1970

Here, for the very first time, is the last Doors concert ever filmed. The Doors: Live At the Isle of Wight Festival 1970.

This title will be released on February 23, 2018.

August 1970: With Jim Morrison’s ongoing Miami obscenity trial casting an ominous shadow over the band, The Doors flew to England to play the Isle of Wight Festival. Waiting for them at “The Last Great Festival” where over 600,000 fans who had already torn down the barriers, crashed the gates and enjoyed performances by the world’s top acts such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell. The Doors took the stage at 2 am, playing with the weight of the trial on their backs, and showed fans they still had the magic that had propelled them to the top during the Summer of Love.

“We played with a controlled fury and Jim was in fine vocal form,” said Doors organist Ray Manzarek. “He sang for all he was worth but moved nary a muscle. Dionysus had been shackled.”

Blu-Ray & CD Track Listing
1. Roadhouse Blues
2. Backdoor Man
3. Break on Through (To The Other Side)
4. When The Music’s Over
5. Ship of Fools
6. Light My Fire
7. The End (Medley): Across The Sea/Away in India/Crossroads Blues/Wake Up

Bonus Features
1) “This is the End” featurette – 17 minutes of interviews conducted by original director Murray Lerner with Bill Siddons (original Doors manager), Robby Krieger, John Densmore and archival interview from 2002 with Ray Manzarek.

 

 

%d bloggers like this: