It's Great To Be (A)Live

Unwittingly (showing little or no sign of wits) and/or unflinchingly (I usually flinch a lot), I grabbed a handful of CDs and headed out to my Lamborghini ( total fantasy).  I'm not digitally 'of age' quite yet, so I still lug around the cumbersome, plastic jewel cases with the mini-LPs neatly impaled inside.  Before I hit the road (or mailbox), I try to open one up and pop in a disc.  I don't usually pay much attention to what I had chosen so I was slightly amused at my grabbings.

First up:  Staring at me was this beady, black-eyed, open-mouthed, fanged wolf.  Or I assumed a wolf.  Looks more like a stuffed, yawning Alaskan Malamute.  Above this mounted trophy proclaimed Steppenwolf  "Live".  So that's supposed to be a wolf?  Memories of 'heavy metal thunder' reverberated between my ears.  Many, many hours of slapping this on the 'table and rocking out.  However, I decided to wait on this until I felt in the mood for some 'Sookie Sookie', whenever that would be.  Next pick:  James Gang "Live In Concert".  Another brain rattler.  And more animals.  At least the three saddled horses on the cover looked to be alive.  Hard to tell, really.  I passed.  Next:  Humble Pie "Performance- Rockin' The Fillmore".  Another oldie but goodie.  Nah.  Next: Jimi Hendrix "Live at Woodstock".  If you may ask (and you may):  Mark, do you arrange your CDs in any particular fashion?  I, Mark, would have to say:  Other than a lame attempt to alphabetize, no I don't.  How curious to pick all live discs.  Might be some cosmic voice telling me to listen to this live tunage because, just maybe, I won't be around to hear them again.  Or maybe some more of these musicians will soon be gone.  Kinda morbid but I'll go with the latter.

The last pic I saw of John Kay (Steppenwolf  lead singer, writer) looked like he was already dead.  And that was 30 years ago.  Inside, the liner notes include all the band snapshots and, collectively, they might be uglier than Aerosmith.  [Note: My respects go out to the family and friends of original drummer Jerry Edmonton, who is, in fact, dead from a '93 car accident.  Kay is still somehow alive, as is the rest of the band].  This double release in '71was culled from various venues in early '70 and it showed off the fierce and fury ('Tighten Up Your Wig', 'Twisted', 'From Here To Eternity', ) as well as their more delicate ones ('Corina, Corina', 'Don't Step On The Grass, Sam).  Ending the disc is four rock anthems that are pretty worn out but still hold up.  Quick quiz: Name 2 outta 4 and you win a pat on the back.  What impressed me was the quality of the recordings, the harmonica fills and subtle hickbilly of these guys that I had overlooked way back then.  And the political tones.  The intro to Hoyt Axton's 'The Pusher' from Kay, sounds vaguely familiar.  "Despite the things that are wrong in our country, there are too many good things to let things go down the drain.  So we should get together and bring about change."  

Another '71 live release, 'Live In Concert', James Gang flat out kicks buttowski.  This is their fourth and final record with the incomparable Joe Walsh (singer/guitarist/keys/writer and general crazy man).  Fragile and gentle songs ('Take A Look Around', 'Tend My Garden', 'Ashes, The Rain and I') are surrounded by stompers ('Stop', 'You're Gonna Need Me', 'Walk Away').  This recording has some flaws but back then we didn't notice nor cared.  The ultimate goodbye from Walsh to JG was his 17+minute opus del grande: 'Lost Woman'.  Raw and unforgiving.  You could just feel a change coming from this guy.  

And yet another live '71 rocker, Humble Pie's "Performance: Rockin' The Fillmore", featured another guitar great destined for change, Peter Framptom.  Only two songs from a vastly overlooked gem, "Rock On" ('71),  made it onto this double.  The 23+minute Dr. John song, 'I Walk On Gilded Splinters' was a workout between Frampton and vastly unappreciated guitarist/singer/writer, Steve Marriott.  Humble Pie, considered a "boogie", "good-times" band, cranked out some of the most muscular and harmonic rock of the late '60s and early'70s.  Commercially, their payday would hit on their next, "Smokin" ('72).  Once again, the recording is a little dated with call and response and crowd noise but overall it charges through every song with attitude.  Sadly, Marriott ('91, house fire) and bassist Greg Ridley ('03, pneumonia) aren't around but Jerry Shirley (drums) and Frampton still grace us with their skills.

And, speaking of skills, who better than Jimi to give us "Live at Woodstock" ('69).  This two-disc '10 release is the ultimate 'stock performance.  If you're sick of renditions like 'Spanish Castle Magic' or 'Purple Haze', please listen again.  If you've heard plenty of 'Hey Joe' or 'Foxey Lady', please listen again.  All are done with precision, passion and heart.  And 'Jam Back at the House', 'Lover Man' and 'Villanova Junction', along with an informative and energetic 12 page booklet, brings us back to this experience called Three Days of Peace and Music.  Even playing in front of a sparse and muddy crowd, Jimi blazed new trails with this legendary performance.  Once again, change was right around the corner after this release.

Sitting there, still in my driveway, still in my 'gini (still my fantasy), I pondered the significance of these discs.  When this music was made, there was a youthful exuberance anticipating new notes.  Expecting nothing more than being entertained.  Expecting these musicians to live forever.  I turned the key.  Click.  I turned it again.  Click whirrrrrink.  A cosmic voice was in the back seat of my '55 VW Transporter.  ' Time for a new car,  Alto.  Why don't you try a Ferrari this time?'