Friday, October 23, 2009

A musical interlude...

If you like classic concerts I recommend checking out Wolfgang's Vault. I've been a member for quite some time (it's free) and right now I'm listening to an amazing concert from Byrds in 1970 that took place in San Fransisco, I have quite a few favorite songs, but one is "Positively 4th Street" which really fits right now with the local political drama I've been going through.

From the concert summary:

Recorded on the final night of a three night Fillmore West run, headlining over Fleetwood Mac and John Hammond, Jr., this is the McGuinn, White, Battin, Parsons lineup early on, one which would last longer than any other Byrds lineup. The band was promoting The Ballad Of Easy Rider LP, where the group continued to explore elements of country and western music, while they headed toward a heavier electric rock sound. Ex-Kentucky Colonels guitarist, Clarence White, is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this lineup and his innovative stringbending techniques and fluid solos are well represented here.

Although not as aggressive as the late show performance (also available here in the Vault) and with a tape mix that improves over the course of the first several songs, this performance captures the band approaching their peak as a live act. Several months prior to the sessions for their half studio/half live Untitled album, which would see the group reunite with their former producer Terry Melcher and original manager and mentor Jim Dickson, this is a newly inspired band reinventing itself and venturing forth into a promising new decade.

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