KISS - Los Angeles, CA 1998 (Halloween Night)

As promised a week ago, the best Halloween concert I've ever been to. I mean, come on, KISS on Halloween night? And a Saturday Halloween at that, like the one just past?

This is a superb live boot, 22 stupendous-sounding tracks from a complete FM broadcast. Even the three then-new Psycho Circus songs don't suck. (Incidentally, the complete video of this show can be found on Vol. 3 of the exhaustive Kissology DVD series.)

My enduring memory of this massive Dodger Stadium gig -- which I attended with my old buddy Jon "Smackley" Alpo, both of us stoned 'n' stupid in our KISS 3-D glasses -- is that prior to "God of Thunder", Gene Simmons was doing his customary stalk around the stage...in inky darkness. Then he stopped, stood still, and his voice rumbled out: "Gimme a fuckin' spotlight."

Directly behind Jon and me, a spotlight beam popped on, quickly finding its way to the Demon onstage...

We both looked behind us, toward the hapless spotlight operator. I clearly remember thinking, "That poor bastard is lucky if he only gets fired, and doesn't end his Halloween floating facedown in the L.A. River, courtesy of the God of Thunder himself."

Scary, right?

KISS
Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA - October 31, 1998 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

PS -- You will need to number the tracks yourself. But hey, as Mr. Simmons and I always say, "Can't beat the price!"

KISS - Auckland, New Zealand 1980 (HAPPY HALLOWEEN!)

One good Halloween KISS deserves another. So here's another scary-good show from the boys, including then-new drummer Eric Carr, from the final night of the Unmasked Tour.

This live monster is commonly referred to as "Ace's Last Stand," since lead guitarist Ace Frehley would soon depart for the somewhat greener pastures of slightly above-average solo success in the '80s, later followed by his triumphant (if temporary) reunion with original drummer Peter Criss and those other two machers in the mid-'90s.

If possible, I will cap off this little KISStival next week with one of the three Reunion Years concerts I caught -- at Dodger Stadium in L.A., almost exactly eleven years ago -- on the cool crisp night of October 31st...

Which reminds me:

HAPPY HALLOWEEEEN!!!!

KISS "Ace's Last Stand"
Western Springs Stadium - Auckland, N.Z. - December 3, 1980
(SBD @320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD

KISS - Tokyo, Japan 1977

In solemn acknowledgment of the fact that next weekend brings my favorite day of the year -- and of the fact that THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE LAND has finally been nominated for the Shlock and Roll Hall of Shame -- I give you klassic '77 KISS!

This, my first KISS post ever, is easily among their top bootz of all time, a rough, raw and "real" alternate version of the band's second live album, which would be released a year later in spit-n-polished, studio-tweaked fashion. (Don't get me wrong: I treasure Alive II. It's one of the first three rock LPs I ever owned, along with Elton John's Greatest Hits and Queen's News of the World, sort of a glam-pop Holy Trinity.)

On this version of the album, the tracklist is about half the same as Alive II, and half different or earlier tunes. Rounding out "Side 4" are demo recordings of the five studio cuts that ended Alive II.

Looks like we gon' have ourselves a rawk an' roll pawty tonight!

KISS
"The Lost Alive II Album"
Budokan Hall - Tokyo, Japan - April 4, 1977 (SBD @ 320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

PS -- Haven't checked out the new one yet, but I hear it ain't half-bad!

BOB DYLAN & THE ROLLING THUNDER REVUE - Fort Worth, TX 1976

One great Rolling Thunder Revue show deserves another, right? This one is from the tail end of the tour's second leg in spring of 1976, and it's another Top 75-rated concert according to the superfans at Expecting Rain. In fact, it's actually in the Top 10!

This also happens to be one of the rare boots I've heard that sounds almost perfect despite having a bitrate of just 128 kbps. I merely reveal this information because these days I'm trying to only post material at 256 and above. However, I'm tellin' y'all -- this thing sounds absolutely stellar. I don't know that a higher bitrate would really improve it that much...

'Course if anyone out there has it in 320, do me a kindness and lemme know!

BOB DYLAN & THE ROLLING THUNDER REVUE
"Hold the Fort for What It's Worth!"
Tarrant County Convention Center Arena
Fort Worth, TX - May 16, 1976 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

BOB DYLAN & THE ROLLING THUNDER REVUE - Plymouth, MA 1975

My busy 2009 concert season starts winding down tonight with good old Uncle Bobby at the Hollywood Palladium, his first of three nights at the historic, recently renovated venue (featuring Mr. "Secret Agent Man" Johnny Rivers opening).

Tonight's show should qualify as some sort of footnote in Dylan lore because he rarely ends up playing on the day of an album's release, and because today's release happens to be his wonderfully odd, oddly wonderful Christmas album. Yes, Virginia, a "Yuletide platter" is certainly a first for the Bard -- and after 48 years of recording, why-in-the-name-of- St.-Nick not?

It's also worth noting that, including 2008's Bootleg Series Vol. 8 edition, Christmas in the Heart marks Dylan's third official CD release in the past year. Not bad for a dude pushing 70.

To commemorate this special day in Dylan history, here's a classic live boot from Halloween 1975, the second night of the legendary, ramshackle Rolling Thunder Revue Tour starring Roger McGuinn, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Joan Baez (who I caught at the Santa Monica Pier this summer), et al. Rated one of the Top 75 shows ever by the invaluable Dylanology resource Expecting Rain, the complete soundboard version was only discovered a few years ago.

Big thanks to the mighty Big O for this one. Go Bobby go!

BOB DYLAN & THE ROLLING THUNDER REVUE
War Memorial Auditorium - Plymouth, MA - October 31, 1975 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

RADIOHEAD - London, England 2008

One good Yorke/Radiohead boot deserves another, and this is a tough one to find, too. It's a webcast of a special small-venue gig the band did a few weeks after the release of In Rainbows in compact disc format (quaint concept, that). They play the entire album and more, and it sounds rowdy, noisy, sweaty and typically brilliant.

I threw my back out ealier this week -- Radiohead should record a song about what it feels like to do that -- so I'm done for the day. Wish me luck hauling my ass outta this chair...

RADIOHEAD
93 Feet East - London, England - January 16, 2008 (SBD @ 320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

THOM YORKE - Bridge School Benefit Concerts, 2002

Rockin' so heavy on the Muse lately has reminded me that the great Matthew Bellamy does in fact have a few other vocal models besides Freddie Mercury, the main one of course being Radiohead's Thom Yorke. That thought led me to track down one of my all-time fave live boots, by anyone, not least because I beheld both of these unforgettable solo performances with my own eyes and ears.

What makes these shows so interesting -- aside from the sheer deep feeling of Yorke's singing and piano/guitar playing -- is that seven years ago, Yorke had no identity as a solo artist; the release of his debut album The Eraser was almost four years in the future. So it was just...odd to see this little guy walk out onstage, alone, right at sunset (a magic moment during any outdoor festival, when the stage lights turn on, everyone is nicely buzzed, and you can finally focus on the music instead of the scene).

But, as you will hear, it took about ten seconds for anyone there paying attention (which, sadly, didn't include everyone in the vicinity of our heroic taper) to realize that something very special was happening. This was especially surprising and thrilling given that what Yorke performed on both nights was not "Creep" or "Fake Plastic Trees," but the weird shit, the heavy shit, the bleepy-whooshy-squiggly electronic shit from OK Computer and Kid A and Amnesiac. On his own old guitar and Neil Young's old piano. Miraculous, really.

In short, two of my favorite live performances ever. Thanks to whoever out there did such a brilliant job of taping this clear, crisp, rich and full recording.

THOM YORKE "Acoustic Solo"
Bridge School Benefit Concert
Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA
October 26 and 27, 2002 (AUD @ 320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

MUSE - Teignmouth, Devon, UK 2009 (NEW LINK!)

In celebration of Muse's epochal new album The Resistance finally being released last week -- and making the U.S. Top 3 this week! -- I'm squeezing out one more show by the boys, probably the best one so far. It's a BBC FM broadcast taped just over two weeks ago at the band's hometown album launch concert, called (in a cute Queen reference) "A Seaside Rendezvous."

And yes, it's 61:15 of absolute perfection, a highlights mix of brand-new and classic tracks. My most favoritest part? The live Once Upon a Time in the West harmonica introduction to the climactic "Knights of Cydonia". If 21st century rock and roll gets any better, please let me know.

This was a damned difficult boot to track down, so thanks to the lovely Erato1 for hooking a brother up.

MUSE "A Seaside Rendezvous"
The Den - Teignmouth, Devon, UK - September 5, 2009 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD

PS -- This is a NEW LINK, with more songs and a higher bitrate! So thanks to "Tufty," whoever and wherever you are...

THE BEATLES - The Complete Rooftop Concert, 1969

It being Beatles Day and all, who am I to resist the holy spirit... yet, fatalist that I am, it seems only fitting to post their last (live) hurrah, no?

Me, I'm so broke at the moment that I haven't a pot in which to piss nor a window out of which to dump it. However, I am at the same time listening -- at no expense whatsoever, thanks to the good graces of a good friend -- to the very same remastered box set that's causing so many others to happily put themselves in the poor-house today...funny how that works.

Somehow I don't think Paul or Ringo will miss my $200.

THE BEATLES
"The Complete 2CD Rooftop Concert"
Apple Headquarters - London, England - January 30, 1969 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

BLUR - Hyde Park, London 2009

These are great days we're living, bros. Within the same month, brilliant Britpop legends Blur finally reunited, and boorish Britpop louts Oasis finally disbanded.

Thank goodness for the former, and good riddance to the latter. I hope both are for keeps.

Herewith, the full BBC FM broadcast of the thrilling culmination of Blur's June-July U.K. reunion shows. And have a hap-hap-happy holiday weekend.

BLUR
Hyde Park - London, England - July 3, 2009 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD

THE MARS VOLTA - "Summer Demo Sessions," 2002

To finish off the massive 2009 summer concert season, I caught these mad scientists at the newly remastered Hollywood Palladium. It was no threat to Green Day's aforementioned Forum show in the Concert of the Year competition, but a very freaky scene nonetheless. They throw a ton of Zep/Sabbs/Rush/Santana-type ingredients into their space salsa, yet somehow they don't sound quite like anyone else. (I still think Cedric sounds like Björk, however.)

Their debut, 2003's powerhouse De-Loused in the Comatorium, remains their best. Here are the demos for that album.

THE MARS VOLTA
"Summer Demo Sessions" - 2002 (STU @320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

GREEN DAY - BBC Maida Vale Studio, London 2004

Who knew? Green Day was so bloody phenomenal at my beloved Forum on Tuesday night that I can't resist posting another boot from the boys.

No kidding, folks: simply put, this was the show of the year. It kills me that they didn't tape it for the ages; so far there's not even a single decent boot from the entire U.S. leg of the 21st Century Breakdown Tour, of which Tuesday night's three-hour blowout was the final night.

Here's hoping the band, or anyone else, decides to remedy this situation starting in one month's time, when the three-month European leg kicks off. You can do it, fellas!

To compensate, we have a short, sharp FM broadcast from the launch of American Idiot almost (good gawd) five years ago...

just in time for the launch of the musical!

GREEN DAY
BBC Maida Vale Studio - London, England - October 10, 2004 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD

GREEN DAY - Bridge School Benefit Concert, 1999

Tonight's show is Green Day at The Forum, first time I've seen them since the epic 1999 Halloween weekend up in Mountain View when my bros D.D. and G.G. and I attended both Bridge School Benefit concerts.

The '99 edition was only my second time at this wonderful annual event; I've been many times since, but Bridge XIII still stands as my favorite ever. Look at that year's lineup -- along with Green Day, we got Neil Young of course, plus Brian Wilson, The Who, Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Pearl Jam, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, and Billy Corgan and James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins... inconceivable!

I remember the shows as if they were ten days ago, not almost ten years. I was excited, cold, high on weed and shrooms, fretting about dating some new chick and starting a new job...yeah, all told, closer to the best of times than the worst. Can't be too bad when you're at a show like this one.

So here's all 29 minutes of Green Day's terrific first set of the weekend; Green Day before they started reaching for Greatness, and were happy just to be good goofy fun.

GREEN DAY "Unplugged"
Bridge School Benefit Concert XIII
Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA - October 30, 1999 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD

PS -- Stay tuned; more on the way from Bridge School 1999...

STEELY DAN - "Katy Lied" Outtakes & Rough Mixes, 1974-'75

The Steely Dan Show stops tonight in Los Angeles, and I'm so very there. Have a groo-hoo-hoovy weekend, one and all!

STEELY DAN
Katy Lied Outtakes & Rough Mixes - 1974-'75 (STU @320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD

HEAVEN & HELL - Sweden Rock Festival, 2007

I'll be seeing The Creator of The Metal (all 8 fingers of him) and The Evil Elf Himself (all 67 years of him!) tonight at L.A.'s Greek Theatre. Heaven & Hell have been chugging along strong for a couple of years now, with no sign of slowing down. I saw them a year ago in San Berdoo on the limited-edition Metal Masters Tour, and they were magnificent, a most pleasant surprise...

For a taste of their salubrious, sibilant and supernal Satan sauce, check out this sample from Sölvesborg, Sweden. It's an hour-long FM broadcast of seven songs and salutations to Swedish sausages. Seriously: Dio sings "You’ll be dreaming of sausages!" The silly Swedish DJ chatter adds a li’l sumpm-sumpm to the stew as well.

Why all this speaking of sauce and sausages? What can I say... between Maestro Iommi, Dio and drummer Vinny Appice, Heaven & Hell is probably the most Italian group since The Four Seasons. So Ave Satani and Buon Appetito!

HEAVEN & HELL
Sweden Rock Festival - Norje, Sölvesborg, Sweden - June 7, 2007 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD

MUSE - Reading Festival, UK 2006

More monstrous epicness from Muse, this time an FM broadcast from their head-lining slot at the UK's gigantic summer Reading Festival (the next edition of which comes in three weeks, for our friends in Old Blighty). The band was riding high on the worldwide success of Black Holes & Revelations, an album so supermassive it even managed to somewhat break the band here in benighted America, land of Coors-slurping idiots whose idea of a rock band is ratshit like Nickel Park and Linkinback.

About a month prior to this festival show, held at the charmingly named Little John's Farm (capacity 80,000-plus), I had seen Muse at L.A.'s Greek Theatre (capacity 5,700). Seeing them in a venue of such modest size, knowing they could easily draw 15 times that number almost anywhere else on Earth, was an experience that could truly be described as revelatory.

MUSE
Reading Festival, Little John's Farm - Reading, UK - August 26, 2006 (FMB, m4a format)
DOWNLOAD

RAR unzip password: sgeltoob
(Thanks to T.U.B.E.)

MUSE - Earls Court, London 2004

As promised, another Muse post, this one a ferocious show from the end of their Absolution Tour. It's absolutely and completely epic in every way possible, not least in terms of sound quality: FM broadcast at 320, people! I can do no better than that. Now dig:

MUSE
Earls Court Exhibition Centre - London, England - December 20, 2004 (FMB @320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3

MUSE - "United States Of Eurasia" (NEW SONG - RE-POST!)

The Greatest Band on Earth (there can be only one...) has just released a new single from their upcoming album entitled The Resistance, out September 14th. This is not the official first single; that has been confirmed as the more danceable "Uprising".

This one is called "United States Of Eurasia", and its audacious Queenly Zeppelinness must be heard to be believed. Here it is...

Vive le résistance! Viva Muse!

MUSE
"United States Of Eurasia" (@320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD

MICHAEL JACKSON - Brunei 1996

Heading outta town for a week, so I'll leave you with one final MJ concert. This is the best-quality boot from his last tour in 1996-'97, recorded 13 years ago yesterday as a matter of fact.

As the man himself might say..."Shamone."

MICHAEL JACKSON
Jerudong Park Garden - Brunei-Muara, Brunei - July 16, 1996 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD

MICHAEL JACKSON - Unreleased Motown, 1970-'75

Here's a little something different for the weekend, now that MichaelMania has slightly died down (sorry). The MJ live bootleg world seems to be limited mainly to shows from his final HIStory Tour, the best one of which I'll post next week. But HIStory is no one's favorite MJ album; pity there seems to be an online blackout of every Bad Tour boot except for the one I posted last week... luckily, that one is damn good.

MJ's early 1970s solo output is no one's favorite either, which isn't entirely fair. The music from his first four albums, released while doing double-duty as leader of the J5 (damn, these kids were prolific!), is short on funkiness, long on lush loveliness. It's mostly in the ever-so-'70s easy-listening mode, all bathed in swooning strings, but there are moments of piercing beauty throughout.

This extremely rare outtakes LP is as good a sampler of these songs as any. A word of warning, however: it can be heavy going and ultimately makes for a very, very sad listen. If you're any kind of Jackson fan, you might be in tears by the end of it.

MICHAEL JACKSON
Unreleased Motown: Looking Back to Yesterday
1970-'75 (STU) {LP rip @320 kbps}
DOWNLOAD

MICHAEL JACKSON - Yokohama, Japan 1987

The word from MJNBC (as I've dubbed my go-to news network) is that we're soon to be inundated with a tsunami of previously unreleased Michael material, both new and old. Given that Jackson's best studio work is at least 25 years gone, and that he released precious little live stuff during his lifetime -- surprising for such a fantastic stage performer -- I'd be much more excited by the prospect of some classic concerts finally seeing the light of day...

In the meantime, this energetic pro-recorded gig from a Japanese TV broadcast, early on the globe-trotting 1987-'89 Bad Tour, is an ideal place to start. Unlike later shows, it boasts 100% live vocals, with no lip-syncing or overdubs. My fave bit is in the middle of "Shake Your Body", when Jackson heartily yells (I swear) "Gobama Yokohama!"

If the Jackson family and Sony Music play their cards right, this one shan’t remain a bootleg for long.

MICHAEL JACKSON
Yokohama Stadium - Yokohama, Japan - September 26, 1987 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

THE JACKSONS - Amsterdam 1979 (R.I.P. Michael Jackson)

You may have noticed in the last week that live Jacksons bootlegs aren't exactly easy to come by. This one, from the Destiny Tour, is easily the best...and that's all you need to know.

Grab it while you can, then hit Heavy Sugar Radio for a little more.

THE JACKSONS
Carre Theatre - Amsterdam, Netherlands - February 26, 1979 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD

MICHAEL JACKSON & FREDDIE MERCURY '83 DEMOS PLUS M.J./QUEEN MASHUP! (R.I.P. Michael Jackson)

Michael Jackson joining Freddie Mercury in Pop Star Heaven seems an opportune moment to post the two demo tracks co-written and recorded by the legendary singers in 1983, first leaked online 7 years ago. The collaboration was mentioned in Queen guitarist Brian May's statement on Jackson's death yesterday.

Needless to say, neither track was ever released, probably with good reason...

"There Must Be More to Life Than This" is a rather soppy, power-ish ballad, somewhat reminiscent of Queen's earlier "Save Me" and later "Is This the World We Created?," only not half as good as either. Mercury's own version would appear on his first solo album.

"State of Shock" is the dumb dance number which Jackson later reworked with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons' penultimate album, 1984's lousy Victory. (The Victory Tour, on the other hand...well, suffice it to say I was about a mile from the stage at RFK Stadium that night in September 1984, but still. I.Was.There.)

So check the tracks out and judge for yourself; direct links are below. Listening to them 25 years on, I note the irony that, in death, Freddie Mercury was pushed off the coveted cover of Rolling Stone by...Michael Jackson:

(Although Freddie probably never would have made the cover anyway, given the total lack of attention, much less respect, Queen got from RS when he was, y'know, alive.)

Finally, last but not hardly least comes "Jacko Under Pressure", a magnificent mashup of Jackson's "Rock with You" and Queen's "Under Pressure" created by Mark Vidler of Go Home Productions. It's very likely my favorite mashup of all time.

R.I.P. Michael, R.I.P. Freddie...now r-i-p these while you can.

MICHAEL JACKSON AND FREDDIE MERCURY
Studio demo recordings, 1983
"State of Shock"
DOWNLOAD
"There Must Be More to Life Than This"
DOWNLOAD

GO HOME PRODUCTIONS
Michael Jackson/Queen mashup, 2003
"Jacko Under Pressure"
DOWNLOAD

ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS - Essen, Germany 1983

From one King to another: Monday night's fantastic in-store at Amoeba Hollywood reminded me of how much I love that other Elvis...

My man did a full, rocking 70-minute set -- including spirited covers of "Friend of the Devil" and "Not Fade Away" -- yet only berated the sound guy once! (To be precise, Elvis called the poor kid onstage and then, just out of mic range, yelled "This sounds fucking horrible!") Don't let the new mandolin-and-fiddle sounds or jaunty hipster wardrobe fool you; our old Elvis can still be as pissy as ever.

By the way: from where I stood, it sounded fucking brilliant!

So grab another superduper show right here, an expansive FM broadcast from the German TV show Rockpalast. Loaded with sassy tunes from 1983's brassy Punch the Clock album, more from my personal faves Trust and Imperial Bedroom, plus a few hits, oldies and covers, this is certainly one of the essential Costello boots in any collection.

Long live the (Other) King!

ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS "Rockpalast '83"
Grugahalle - Essen, Germany - October 15, 1983 (FMB @320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3

ELVIS PRESLEY - Greensboro, NC 1972

I'm just rolling with my current '69-through-early-'70s live Elvis obsession, so I figure why not take y'all along for the ride?

This concert boot may be of even higher quality than the first one, since was it was originally recorded for the 1972 documentary Elvis on Tour, The King's last-ever film, a Golden Globe-winner no less, though it still remains unreleased on DVD. Here's hoping that long-lost doc undergoes the same loving restoration lavished upon its predecessor, 1970's riveting That's the Way It Is.

At any rate, this is a magnificent performance and a tremendously crisp, dynamic, CD-quality soundboard recording. Read all about it here and here, then download it...you know where!

ELVIS PRESLEY "A Greensboro Revolution!"
Greensboro Coliseum - Greensboro, NC - April 14, 1972 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD

P.S. For top-notch '69 Vegas Elvis, head for Heavy Sugar Radio!

ELVIS PRESLEY - Las Vegas, 1973

Any man who tries to tell me I ain't allowed to post up The King on my own damn blog once in awhile...

(and don't you get offended, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm talkin' to somebody else)

...if I find or hear the individual that has said that about me, I'm gonna break your goddamn neck, you sonofabitch! I will pull your goddamn tongue out by the ROOTS!

Thankyaverymuch. Anyway.

ELVIS PRESLEY "Vegas Rhythm" {Dinner Show}
Hilton Hotel - Las Vegas, NV - February 3, 1973 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD

METALLICA - Fresno, CA 2008

Why?

Because it's been four months since I done posted any Metallica, when I put up the 12/17/08 and 12/18/08 shows from L.A.'s Fabulous Forum.

Because this is another damn jolly good concert from the still-going strong World Magnetic Tour.

Because I just love saying the phrase "Save Mart Center in Fresno."

So let me repeat:

METALLICA
Save Mart Center - Fresno, CA - December 13, 2008 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD

PINK FLOYD - "BBC Archives 1970-1971"

This one was just too fine to resist. An expanded 2-disc version of the Floyd BBC boot I posted here last month, "BBC Archives 1970-1971" has to be one of the best boots I've ever posted. It's almost overwhelming, hearing these two complete performances together with intros and announcements and the rest...so what was great is now perfect!

Both shows were recorded at the BBC Paris Cinema theatre in London about one year apart, the first a few months before the release of 1970's too-far-out Atom Heart Mother, and the second just before the magnificently mad monolith that is Meddle (1971).

As in the earlier post, audio here is pure FM-broadcast, 320 kbps, CD-quality loveliness. It's amazing to me that, alone among major British bands of the 1960s and '70s, Floyd has never officially released any of their BBC session material...but hey, who cares? Dig, we got the freaky stuff right here, maaan -- from "Embryo" to "Echoes".

And, for the equally great 1967-'69 edition of Floyd at the Beeb, check out my other, '60s-centric blog, Heavy Sugar Radio.

PINK FLOYD "BBC Archives 1970-1971"
BBC Paris Cinema - London, England
July 16, 1970 and September 30, 1971 (FMB @ 320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3 / DOWNLOAD 4

IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS - London 1979

Feeling sneezy 'n' sniffly today...but a bit of Sir Ian always cheers and chuffs and puffs me up. A unique individual in rock history was old Ian, who died in 2000. He's sorely missed.

Despite being leaders of Stiff Records' legendary 1977 roster, Dury and his crack band The Blockheads were as much about reggae, funk, English music hall and even disco as they were punk. Dury was a hell of a comic too, a witty and raunchy lyricist -- like Ray Davies' loony, horny, drop-dead funny drunk cousin from up north (North London, that is). For a tasty nibble, click here.

If you love British rock music -- truly, madly, deeply, essentially, eccentrically, ecstatically British music -- then, as you must love The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Jam and/or The Smiths, you simply must love Ian Dury.

IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS
Hammersmith Odeon - London, England - August 11, 1979 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND - San Francisco, CA 1973

I'll be seeing the A-Bros. tonight at the gorgeous, glorious Greek Theatre for my first and most likely last time. Well, what's left of the Brothers, anyway -- I guess three outta six ain't bad, not after 40 years of road wear.

For those who can't be there, and those who will, here's an EPIC!!! face-melter of a New Year's show from way way way back in the day. Four solid discs of blooze-rawk power jammin', with guest shots by no less than the Dead's Jerry Garcia and Bill Kreutzmann, as well as that ol' smoothie Boz Scaggs.

You read that right: we're talkin' Brother Jerry on "Whipping Post"! (A very mellow, Coltrane-does- "My Favorite Things"-style "Whipping Post" jam, at that).

I tells ya, it's a monsta, this thing! Get some!

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
The Cow Palace - San Francisco, CA
December 31, 1973 - January 1, 1974 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3 / DOWNLOAD 4

GREEN DAY - Dublin, Ireland 2005

Got a ton to say and not a minute to say it, so the music will have to speak for itself. Green Day's nifty new one comes out today (on a Friday, just like a movie)!

With that in mind, here's some classic FM broadcast bootage from the Emerald Isle. Rip it up!

GREEN DAY
The Point Theatre - Dublin, Ireland - January 31, 2005 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD

PINK FLOYD - "Rhapsody in Pink," BBC In Concert 1970

I'm warp-speeding out in a sec to see what manner of Green Alien Chickage might be featured in that big new Star Trek joint...I hear it's a pip. At any rate, given the hurry, here's a quick scan on today's space rock extravaganza:

"This is the collection of material to hunt for if you're looking for unreleased Floyd from the post-Barrett, pre-Dark Side era. Bootleg fidelity doesn't come any better than this; it's one of the very few occasions where you could argue that the sound may actually be better than most official releases. These BBC airshots from the late '60s and early '70s focus on rather obscure material: 'Julia Dream,' 'If,' 'Green Is the Colour,' 'Embryo,' and the never-released 'Murderistic Women' (a blueprint for 'Careful with That Axe, Eugene'). There are also full-bore workouts of 'Echoes' and 'Atom Heart Mother Suite' that, depending on one's taste, could be argued to exceed the officially issued versions. "

Can't beat that with a Mek'leth, now can ya? Also, be sure to keep an ear out for one line in "Point Me at the Sky": "And if you survive 'til 2005..." Think about it: the Floyd's last-ever performance, at Live 8, was when...?

Infinite gratitude to Blogstoned for this cosmic trip-ship. As Mr. Nimoy said on Late Show last night, "Live long, prosper, and keep on hangin' and bangin'."

PINK FLOYD "Rhapsody in Pink"
BBC In Concert - London, UK - 1970 (SBD @ 320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD

PS -- One more thing, please: help a brother out by looking to the upper-right, clicking on the new link there, and buying a T-shirt or some such. Your Green Alien Chick will thank you!

BLUE OYSTER CULT - Cleveland, OH 1991

If you can beat an FM broadcast (at 320 kbps, no less) that begins with the DJ shouting "Good evening, Cleveland!" -- totes fo' real! -- then please let me know.

Until then, content thyself with a fierce live boot from the Steely Dan of heavy metal (I'll let you figure that one out). It has everything you need right now, including "Astronomy"...that epic space-rock classic known as "Astronomy". The celestial shreddage of Captain Buck Dharma reaches a particular apex on this number.

Space is the place, truly...speaking of which, why not do us a solid and check out the hot new Green Alien Chick Store!

BLUE OYSTER CULT
Empire Concert Club - Cleveland, OH - August 24, 1991 (FMB @ 320)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3

RAR unzip password: Career of Evil

BOB DYLAN - New York City, 1993

Continuing our celebration of the fact that Bob Dylan is alive and healthy, walking tall and looking good and making terrific new music, I hereby post my first Bob Dylan show ever. That's right, the first of the four legendary NYC Supper Club gigs was the first time I ever saw the man live.

It's actually sort of a bittersweet memory, in my case, being a classic example of glass half-full vs. half-empty...

The beauty part was that since the shows were to be taped and videoed -- a project financed by Dylan himself, no less -- the tickets were free. Dylan would do two hour-long shows per night over two nights.

So, one frigid November dawn, I lined up by my lonesome outside the Tower Records at 4th & Broadway to get a pair of tickets for me and my bud, D. Micah Quince. No problem: got the tix, went to the venue. It was there, however -- as I observed the two dudes in front of me each swapping one ticket for another -- that I realized: if my bud had come along with me to Tower, we could have each gotten a pair of tickets, one pair for the first show and one pair for the second. Thus, we could have swapped ours as well, and gone to both shows instead of only the first one. I just...was not...clever enough to have thought of that at the time. Or maybe I was just too hiiigh...

Oh well. God knows I've been to an assload of Dylan shows since that night, and this beautiful boot more than makes up for my long-ago brain fart. As I said, all four shows were recorded, but none was released, for reasons yet unknown. The upside is that the show I attended seems to have been the best of all, and is certainly the most widely circulated. So here it is.

BOB DYLAN
Supper Club - New York, NY - November 16, 1993 {Late Show} (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

PS -- The album of traditional folk covers which Dylan released just prior to these shows, World Gone Wrong, is a gorgeous, glorious masterpiece and easily Dylan's most underrated album ever, if you ask me. So there.

BOB DYLAN - Eugene, OR 1999

New Dylan album out today. My quick verdict, based on a scant two spins, is it's stronger lyrically than melodically -- more so than usual for Dylan, that is -- and a bit of a lateral move, fair enough after three studio masterpieces in a row, plus the vast wealth of Bootleg Series and remastered CDs, the No Direction Home doc and Chronicles Vol. 1 bio released over the past decade or so since the bard's late-'90s renaissance.

Hell, at this late date (not dark yet, but gettin' there), I just love being able to write the sentence "New Dylan album out today." I mean, if you lived in England 450 years ago, wouldn't you have been psyched to say "Hey, seen the new Shakespeare?"

BOB DYLAN
Erb Memorial Union Ballroom, University of Oregon
Eugene, OR - June 14, 1999 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

GRATEFUL DEAD - Ithaca, NY 1977

The Dead are touring again, and I'll be seeing them here at the Fabulous Forum in a couple weeks, thanks to the kind veggie burrito-ness of a good friend and supporter of the Chick...

So why not post another fine candidate for Best Show Ever, the monumental concert at Cornell U. (my dad's alma mater) from the legendary Spring '77 tour?

Of course, this is a bootleg that even casual Deadheads already have. If you ain't hip, then the recent New York Times article on Dead boot history will tell you more; also check out the 'Head reaction to the piece here and here.

Meantime, enjoy '77 Dead at its finest, and see you on the road, braaah...

GRATEFUL DEAD
Barton Hall, Cornell University - Ithaca, NY - May 8, 1977 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

LEONARD COHEN - Gothenburg, Sweden 1993

I'll be seeing Leonard Cohen, the gravel-voiced bard of Quebec, tomorrow night here in L.A. I still can't quite believe it. The great man, all 74 years of him -- a lyricist second only to Bob Dylan, most likely -- hasn't done a U.S. tour in over 15 years, so it's a rare show indeed.

To acknowledge this rather momentous occasion, here's a quality FM broadcast from Cohen's European tour promoting 1992's The Future, his most accessible and popular LP, featuring tunes from that wonderful album plus a few oldies and, of course, an encore of "Hallelujah".

Want more Lenny? Head over to my '60s music blog, Heavy Sugar Radio, and grab "Live at the BBC", a collection from the year of my birth. (And what a year it was...)

A very Happy Easter, whatever that means to you.

LEONARD COHEN
Lisebergshallen - Gothenburg, Sweden - May 2, 1993 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD

RITZ POWER JAM (Warren Haynes, Jaimoe, Chuck Leavell, John Popper, Noel Redding, Bernie Worrell Etc.) - New York City, 1993

Let's hear it for POWER JAM! Let's hear it for da blues! Da bloooz! Da motherlovin' blüüüüüüüz!

I actually went to this show, long about 16 years ago, through the courtesy of my old buddy Sheldon "Flak" Berdoo (his real name). He had won tix through a radio contest or some such, as I recall, so on a frosty Feb'ry eve we headed over to rock out at The Ritz (not the original Ritz, which is now Webster Hall, but the short-lived second Ritz, which was the original Studio 54; after that Ritz closed it became Studio 54 again, until becoming the Roundabout Theatre Company, which it remains today. If you care, read the entire Ritz saga here.)

Another buddy of mine, D. Micah Quince of New York City (also his real name), recently alerted me as to the existence of this most precious -- and, luckily, extremely well-recorded -- three-disc bootleg of the concert, which was apparently supposed to be the first of many all-star POWER JAMs but ended up just being a one-off, truly "One Night Only." At $12.50 a ticket, no less...

But what a one-off it is, with its demolition derby of power-player star turns by Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes and drummer Jaimoe, Stones pianist Chuck Leavell, Blues Traveler singer/harp-shredder John Popper, Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding, and Parliament- Funkadelic organist Bernie Worrell, among others. Plus encore guest spots by Dave Matthews and Phish's Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon, all performing a slew of Beatles, Elvis, Dylan, Hendrix, blues and oldies covers. Whoa. I mean, WHOOAAH!

As hoarily over-familiar as some of the tunes are, and were even back then, the performances are powerful indeed. It's rather wonderful to experience this show again, since it was such a rare bird. Takes me right back to my purply-hazy college days of Wetlands and Dead shows and the whole groovy early-'90s NYC jam band scene, braaah. Good times! No, really...good times.

Thanks to OldRockr1 for this baby.

RITZ POWER JAM
The Ritz - New York, NY - February 5, 1993 (SBD; MP4 format)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

MASTODON - Lowlands Festival, Netherlands 2006

For the weekend, it's a hard-right turn away from Marley irieness into Mastodon gnarliness.

I just snagged the new zombie Rasputin-vs.-cosmic Satan epic Crack the Skye, released this week, and find it easier on the ears than their 2006 major-label debut Blood Mountain, which was almost too far-out for me (kinda like the Mars Volta's Amputechture, which happened to be released on the same day...apparently there was something gnarly as fuck in the water on September 12, 2006).

Not sure where I stand on the burgeoning notion that Mastodon is the greatest pure-metal band since Metallica. (I say "pure metal" to distinguish from jazz metal or heritage metal or death metal or glam metal or pop metal or stoner metal or funk metal or thrash metal or prog metal or ethno-metal...all of which I also dig. However, I won't dignify nu metal, rap metal or hair metal with links.)

I like and respect Mastodon for their brains and craft and chops, not to mention their wicked-nifty album covers, but so far -- as undeniably powerful as they are -- they're a tad sludgy and short on melodic hookage to be any real threat to Metallica's position in the pantheon.

Still, for pure math-rock heavitude, they may very well be the best band in the known Universe.

This killer-ass boot, a Dutch FM broadcast, features much of Blood Mountain -- then a month away from release -- backed up by three or four tunes from the band's undisputed metallic masterpiece, 2004's monumental, Melville-and-Moby-Dick-inspired Leviathan, culminating in the massive magnificence of "Blood and Thunder".

MASTODON
Lowlands Festival - Biddinghuizen, Netherlands - August 19, 2006 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS - Milan, Italy 1980

Now that spring is officially upon us, I figure it might be time to slow down, lie back in the green grass and take a match ta tings, mon. So why not change it up and lay it down with a top-qual Marley boot, from his final tour in the summer of 1980?

According to the spliff-heads at Wikipedia, "The performance in Milan, Italy on June 27, when Marley performed for about 120,000 people in the sold-out San Siro stadium, is historical and still regarded in Italy as the biggest music event ever. At that time no other musician had reached to have a bigger audience than Marley till then." Well, you catch the drift.

The sound quality couldn't be better if Jah himself had blazed up a fatty and recorded it. This one is just magnificent, and so comprehensive it even includes the four-song opening set by the I Threes, Rita Marley's singing trio and Bob's backup ladies. Providing additional amusement (or bemusement) are the very early-'80s, almost Rush-sounding synth washes throughout. I also never before noticed the similarity in tone between Bob's guitar and Jerry Garcia's, a sound I like to call the "rubber bubble," where the strums sound fat and round, like "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa..."

I think you'll find many of the performances here surpass the studio versions, including the encore of "Coming in from the Cold", one of my fave Bob jams of ever.

Only time will tell if Marley was actually a god, but he’s certainly as close as any musician has ever gotten.

Now, lively up your damn-ass self!

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS
Stadio San Siro - Milan, Italy - June 27, 1980 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD