mercoledì 23 dicembre 2020

Leslie West, Jack Bruce & Corky Laing - 1972-04-21 - Cleveland, OH (AUD/FLAC)




West, Bruce & Laing - 1972-04-21 - Cleveland, OH
(Audience FLAC)

WEST, BRUCE & LAING 
Cleveland Public Hall 
April 21, 1972 

- *Uncirculated* & excelllent Joe Ray master recording - 

Sound quality: vg++/5 out of 6 (no kidding!). 
Check "Play With Fire" mp3 audio sample in comments for proof. 
Full colour CD back and front cover artwork in torrent (pdf files), designed with original posters and newspaper ad for the show. Comments always welcome. 

Lineage: 
Joe Ray's mono AUD recording (w/unknown equipment) > wav > Audacity (for auto-boosting levels, ever-so-slight editing and track marks) > wav > FLAC (level 8)
(The original recording came with support act Procol Harum's number as the first track which I took the liberty to tack on the end of CD 2). 

Leslie West - guitar, vocals 
Jack Bruce - bass, vocals 
Corky Laing - drums 

CD 1: 
01. Don't Look Around 
02. Politician 
03. The Doctor 
04. Third Degree 
05. Leslie West Guitar Solo - 
06. Roll Over Beethoven - 
07. Mississippi Queen 
08. Powerhouse Sod 

Total: 59:55 min. 

CD 2: 
01. Play with Fire I- 
02. Drum Solo - 
03. Play with Fire II 
04. Sunshine Of Your Love 

Bonus track: 
05. Procol Harum (support act): Shine on Brightly 

Total: 62:28 min. 

West, Bruce & Laing officially formed in February 1972, straight after Mountain's last tour of the UK. However, even before that tour, there had already been rumours of that band's forthcoming split and obvious thoughts that Jack Bruce might be a fitting replacement for Felix Pappalardi in a succeeding format. These rumours - of course - made it to the music papers and as it happens, Felix did read a respective Melody Maker article titled "Jack Bruce to join Mountain?" on his flight to the UK for their tour - and is said to have gone through the (plane's?) ceiling as he obviously had not been involved in Lez' and Corky's musings and plans. 

Actually, both had already jammed along with Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Overend Watts and Boz Burrell in November 1971 at London's Basing Street Studios during Mountain's stint in the UK for a two-night show at The Rainbow. At that point, the two had already been looking for a singer and bass player and were hoping to win over at least Rodgers who's band Free had split in May 1971 and who at that point was trying to get his own outfit Peace off the ground. Nothing has come of Lez's & Cork's intention though, probably as by February 1972, when the two were finally free for a new project, Free had just reformed (in hopes to save their guitarist Koss' fragile life). 

West, Bruce & Laing's advance reputation was obviously so strong that they were able to tour the US through major venues without having an album out to promote, something that usually is de rigeur for such a financial venture. They actually were even still without a record contract at that point! 

This show here was recorded very early into the band's very first tour and only six days before their April 24 show at the Carnegie Hall of which bits and pieces were released on "Alive & Kicking". However, if one feels inclined to compare the two versions of the band's "crown jewel" (IMHO) "Play With Fire", it is blantantly obvious how the official version starts of nicely but then suddenly seems to somehow lose energy and just somehow drags on (IMHO), while this here runs some 21+ minutes and displays the band literally PLAYING WITH FIRE from start to finish!

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