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
CD1 [59:55]
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
CD2 [62:28]
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
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!
