Boz Scaggs at Wolfgang’s Vault

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Boz Scaggs‘ voice was a very big part in the soundtrack of the seventies, so it’s really not a big surprise that this artist’s music still resonates with me (myself, having come of age in the mid-seventies). For me, Scaggs was then, and still is now, the epitome of smooth blues (like aged dark rum in a shot glass, straight back). If you look past his well known hits like “Lido Shuffle”, “Lowdown”, “Look What You’ve Done To Me”, you quickly realize that Scaggs is one in a long line of great American bluesman (which, perhaps, answers why his music is still popular today while so many of his 70s contemporaries have long since faded away).
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Led Zeppelin at Wolfgang’s Vault

Here’s some Led Zeppelin for us old coots at KUR from the second set of that final show (April 27) of their legendary four night run of shows at San Francisco’s Fillmore West in April, 1969, via Wolfgang’s Vault, before their massive success eliminated the possibility of their ever performing in such intimate venues again.

Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor” kicks off the set, the song that would provide the basis for “The Lemon Song,” which was recorded in Los Angeles for Led Zeppelin II during this American tour. Switching to his Danelectro, the folk song “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” continues the mellower flavor of this set, before Page settles into a Yardbirds number, “White Summer.” The unreleased rarity, “Sitting and Thinking” is up next, followed by Plant’s typical introduction of John Bonham for “Pat’s Delight” (the song that eventually morphed in “Moby Dick“). They close this final night with a rendition of “Dazed and Confused.”

An excellent example of early Led Zeppelin. Click here to listen to the set.

Led Zeppelin is:

Robert Plant – vocals

Jimmy Page – guitar

John Paul Jones – bass

John Bonham – drums

Gil Scott-Heron at Wolfgang’s Vault

Activist poet and musician, Gil Scott-Heron’s musical career began in the late ’60s. He quickly emerged as a sharp, intelligent critic of contemporary culture, boasting terrific jazz-styled accompaniment. By the late ’70s, Scott-Heron’s sound had adopted a bit more of a contemporary R&B aesthetic, but his jazz roots remain clear. He hasn’t released any new recorded material since 1994’s Spirits, and in the early ’00s, faced prison time for drug possession charges. He has since been released, and as of early 2009, he is working on a new record, and still makes occasional live appearances.

Playing the Madison Square Garden stage on September 23rd, 1979, taking part in the famous series of “No Nukes” concerts organized by the Musicians United for Safe Energy, he reveals not just his politics yet a driving fusion between his worlds of jazz, poetry, and R&B.

Gil Scott-Heron – vocals

Robert Gordon – bass

Tony Green – drums

Carl Cornwell – saxophone

Ed Brady – guitar

Just click here to sign up and register for a free account to listen to this and other great concerts.

As an added bonus, the two following tracks are from Gil Scott-Heron’s seminal album, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1974):

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
[audio:http://www.killuglyradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/01-the-revolution-will-not-be-televised.mp3]
Home Is Where The Hatred Is
[audio:http://www.killuglyradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/07-home-is-where-the-hatred-is.mp3]

Wolfgang’s Vault: The Tubes @ Winterland (1975)

This show, staged at Winterland in the band’s hometown of San Francisco, on February 21st, 1975, a few months before the release of their self-titled debut album in June of that year, clearly shows the great energy that the Tubes had at this early point in their career. This short set, clocks in at just under 30 minutes. Listen for yourself by clicking here. Then compare the energy of that ensemble of the Tubes with the one that released Genius of America in 1996:

[audio:http://www.killuglyradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/10-who-names-the-hurricanes.mp3]

Note: If anything in this post interferes with the rights of the copyright holder, please contact us and we will kindly remove it.

George Duke Interview @ Wolfgang’s Vault

By the time this interview was recorded in 1978, Duke had recorded and toured with Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Zappa, Cannonball Adderly, Stanley Clarke, and Billy Cobham — covering jazz, rock, and everything on the spectrum in between before heading in a more straightforward funk direction with 1977’s Reach For It and its 1978 follow-up Don’t Let Go. Duke openly admits in this interview of trying to avoid being pigeonholed in any specific genre, and has a lot to say about the state of music in the late 1970s. Indeed, his views are as relevant today as when they were first recorded.

Click here to hear the whole interview.

Note:

‘Whatever happened to Shuggie Otis?’ is the only unanswered question in this interview. As you know, Shuggie Otis played Bass on Frank Zappa’s song “Peaches En Regalia”, from his “Hot Rats” Album.

George Duke at Wolfgang’s Vault

Recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, Live at the Bottom Line (New York, NY) April 21, 1977, when George Duke was promoting his first Epic solo album, Reach For It, this show incorporated female vocalists, and had a decidedly high energy, Latin-funk groove. Unfortunately, most of the songs are incomplete as they were pulled from a series of outtake reels for the radio show; still the concert is well worth the listen.

Click here to hear the entire show.

The George Duke Band:

George Duke – keyboards, vocals
Manolo Badrena – percussion, bongos, conga
Leon “Ndugu” Chancler – drums, timbales
Dee Henrichs – vocals
Charles “Icarus” Johnson – guitar, vocals
Byron Miller – bass, keyboards
Deborah Thomas – vocals
Sybil Thomas – vocals

Talking Heads @ CBGB’s at Wolfgang’s Vault

This appearance at New York’s seminal punk club, CBGBs, on May 31st, 1977 captures the Talking Heads before their debut record had even been released. The band’s characteristic sound is already fully evident as they dig into some classic material including their artsy interpretation of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” and the career-defining “Psycho Killer.”

Concert Set List:

* 1. Don’t Worry About The Government 3:08
* 2. Take Me To The River 5:37
* 3. Uh Oh, Love Comes To Town 3:02
* 4. Psycho Killer 5:18

The Talking Heads are:

David Byrne – vocals, guitar
Chris Frantz – drums
Jerry Harrison – guitar, keyboards
Tina Weymouth – bass

Click here to listen to the concert.

New Allman Brothers Band @ Wolfgangs

The Allman Brothers Band’s August 6th, 1972 show at the Hollywood Bowl is now available for streaming from Wolfgang’s Vault. While the show only has three tracks — “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, “Whipping Post” (16 min), and “Johnny B. Goode” (w/ Guest: Johnny Winter on guitar and vocals) — it’s well worth the listen. One of the greatest jam bands, ever. Click here to listen for yourself.

The Tubes New Years Eve ’75 @ Winterland

Mike Cotton of The Tubes Project just sent me an email announcing that the Bill Graham archive has added The Tubes New Years Eve 1975 show:

This is the “Big Bang” for us as we sold out Winterland and put on the show of our lives. It was a wild mix of rock, comedy, video and dancing as we pulled out all the stops to celebrate the new year, 1976. This is a live mix, no overdubs, so the keyboard and synths are a little funky at the top but it still rocks.

Just sign up and listen for free:

http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/the-tubes-concert/2646-7903.html