Posts

Genesis- And Then There Were Three- Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins

Progressive rock band Genesis flirted perilously close to the mainstream for the first time in December 1976 with "Your Own Special Way" on the album Wind and Wuthering, yet there are no reports of any permanent injury. Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins join me In the Studio. -Redbeard

Cheap Trick- Essential- Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander

On a maximum scale of five stars, the 1977 debut by Cheap Trick  receives AllMusic.com's highest rating, and the even more melodic, better sounding  sophomore effort "In Color" in the same year earns 4 1/2 stars. Then Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson, and Bun E. Carlos wrote and recorded the  masterpiece "Heaven Tonight" in May 1978, yet again scoring a critics' perfect five star rating. So in hindsight it would appear that recording the Rockford IL quartet's set while performing the strongest material from these three killer studio albums, in front of an adoring audience in one of the world's premiere venues, would be as obvious as a sumo wrestler in your shower stall.

Rory Gallagher- Tattoo’d Lady- New York City 11-78

Rory Gallagher and the Irishman's trio in New York City club The Bottom Line in November 1978 performing "Tattoo'd Lady", unfortunately still struggling to get a sizable fanbase in America after almost a decade of constant recording and touring, requiring them to play two complete shows in one night.

Peter Gabriel- Mother of Violence- New York City 10-4-78

Fear, she's the mother of violence, Making me tense to watch the way she feed The only way you know she's there Is the subtle flavor in the air Getting HARD TO BREATHE Hard to believe in anything at all, but fear.- “Mother of Violence” (Peter Gabriel

Cheap Trick- Need Your Love- Passaic NJ 12/78

Cheap Trick actually delayed their studio follow-up to the brilliant 1978 third album Heaven Tonight , not because of a lack of strong songs  written, but because their fluke live in-Japan- only release At Budokan  virtually blew up over…

Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band- Factory- Cleveland 8-78

With the release of the album Darkness on the Edge of Town in 1978, Bruce Springsteen went from the Cinemascope sweep of Born to Run three years earlier to the Rock Generation's defacto Secretary of Labor.

Toto- Rosanna- Dallas 1993

Here's Steve Lukather and Toto totally live and mostly acoustic on my Q102 radio show in 1993 in a Dallas Mexican restaurant. That's not a typo!

Tom Waits- Blue Valentine 40th Anniversary

In 1978 my pick for album of the year was Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town,which no doubt topped many such lists that year.Second by a gnat's eyelash on my list,however,was Blue Valentine by Tom Waits,an album which I can cherish easily for another thirty years...(more)

Heart- Dog and Butterfly- Nancy and Ann Wilson

Without sacrificing any of the hard rock cred for which they had so tenaciously fought, Seattle sisters Ann Wilson and kickin' guitarist Nancy Wilson of Heart showed considerable growth and songwriting confidence in 1978 on "Dog and Butterfly"...

Styx- Blue Collar Man- 2120 Michigan Ave, Chicago- 2004

Styx here live in blues legend Willie Dixon's recording studio at 2120 Michigan Avenue, the site of the original Chess Records, back in 2004 laying down a soul-infused reading of Tommy Shaw's working class musical manifesto "Blue Collar Man".…