Other Mixes By SMoss
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The Concert Years
| Side A | ||
| Artist | Song | |
| Fans Cheering | shouting and cheering | |
| The James Gang | Funk #49 | |
| Long John Baldry | Stormy Monday (live) | |
| Blue Oyster Cult | Before the Kiss, A Redcap | |
| Yes | I've Seen All Good People (live) | |
| Black Sabbath | Black Sabbath | |
| Fleetwood Mac | Jewel Eyed Judy | |
| Fleetwood Mac | Oh Well (live) | |
| Deep Purple | Strange Kind of Woman (live) | |
| Alice Cooper | Desperado | |
| Jeff Beck Group | You Shook Me | |
| Uriah Heep | Easy Livin' | |
| Mountain | Nantucket Sleighride | |
| Wishbone Ash | Jailbait | |
| Led Zeppelin | Moby Dick | |
| Savoy Brown | Poor Girl (live) | |
| Side B | ||
| Artist | Song | Buy |
| Montrose | Bad Motor Scooter | |
| Blue Oyster Cult | O.D.'d on Life Itself | |
| Jeff Beck Group | Morning Dew | |
| Led Zeppelin | Thank You (live) | |
| Yes | Roundabout (live) | |
| Fleetwood Mac | Coming Your Way (live) | |
| Fleetwood Mac | Future Games | |
| Black Sabbath | Wicked World | |
| Wishbone Ash | Time Was | |
| Led Zeppelin | Friends (live) | |
| Buddy Miles (with C. Santana) | Them Changes (live) | |
| Jeff Beck Group | Ice Cream Cakes | |
| Edgar Winter Group | Frankenstein | |
Comment:
2 CD'sTHE CONCERT YEARS
In Memory of the Swing Auditorium. San Bernardino CA, 1971 - 1973
It was around May of 1971 that I attended my first rock concert. Southern California used to be known for its orange tree groves, and every year a fair (the "Orange Show") was held on the Orange Show grounds in San Bernardino, California. On these grounds was an auditorium, the Swing Auditorium, and for the next two years I would be fortunate enough to attend many wonderful rock concerts held there.
The Swing Auditorium was not an A-level venue. Many bands at the top of their careers could go from the famous halls of San Francisco, to the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, to the Long Beach Arena, and on to San Diego without ever considering to take a left turn at LA to travel the 60 miles into the beginning of the California desert. But, luckily for me and other music-hungry denizens of the Inland Empire (San Berdoo and other more deserted spots to the east, north, and south), an integral part of making it meant playing the Swing as part of the road through California. Sometimes the biggest names of the time played there, maybe to tune up for the Forum, or for San Diego. Hendrix played there in 68. Led Zeppelin played in 72, and Fleetwood Mac played there in 76. But the biggest names were not my favorite shows.
The James Gang's Walk Away had been getting some airplay, and a friend and I plunked down $4.50 each to see them and two now forgotten (by me) opening acts. Redbone and War could easily have been the two opening bands. The sounds those bands generated in that cubic, corrugated metal tin can of a concert hall completely blew me away. I was hooked. The Swing had upper and lower bleacher seating on three sides, many floor seats, and an open area 20 yards or so deep for standing in front of the stage (now known as the mosh pit, I guess). The bleachers held most of the seating, but the ample floor space off to the sides made for a pleasant place to sit, stand, or walk around during the shows or the intermissions. Or you could get hopelessly stuck in the front pit crowd to wait out the opening act.
Next up was the Jeff Beck Group, for about $5 or so. Rod Steward had left, and his Maggie May had been released or was about to be. Probably someone like Long John Baldry was one of the opening bands. Was Nicky Hopkins along on the keyboards? I want to say so, since Rough and Ready had not been released yet. Anyway, it is a faint recollection.
Every band on the mix was included in one or more of the 20 or so concerts I saw at the Swing in the next two years. Some of the most memorable shows were:
Buddy Miles opened (I think), with Fleetwood Mac (Future Games tour) playing second, and Deep Purple as the headliner doing their Fireball tour. I remember being packed in the middle of the front crowd, watching Bob Welch and the band bathed in blue light as they played Future Games, to this day still one of my favorite albums and songs. It was an absolutely magical moment. Danny Kirwan sat a lot of the time, and fortunately they played a lot of his nice stuff from the prior albums. Deep Purple was fantastic as well, but not as simply wonderful to me as Fleetwood Mac had been. But they packed more of a wallop. I remember a scowl on Ian Gillan's face as he knocked over his tall conga-type drums in disgust and walked to the back of the stage while Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore tried to out-solo each other.
The strangest bill by far was Wild Turkey, Yes, and Black Sabbath. March 17, 1972 (I remember since it was my birthday present to me, the 18th being the big day). Glenn Cornick had left Jethro Tull and formed Wild Turkey. I had their first album, Battle Hymn, and imho it was quite good. Yes was touring to support Fragile, and I think Black Sabbath's Master of Reality had been released. I was very close to the stage,
Feedback:
Absolutely great mix, Steve. The liner notes are first-class too. Well done.
I've got asoft spot for the Montrose cut. And I'm envious of anyone that got to see the James Gang - especially early on when they liked each other. Nice mix and great comments. You captured the enthusiasm and passion that makes being a music fan so damned fun. On that first cut, is it shouting THEN cheering or is the cheering interspersed with the shouting?
I remember going to Grand Valley State College (now University) to see Wishbone Ash. The Fieldhouse couldn't handle the power and the band kept blowing the "fuses". This is an awesome mix.
I love it. Some deep tracks, and it really captures the time well.
This is a great mix, Steve! Well worth the wait, I might add.
That Yes-Black Sabbath pairing must have been something!
That Yes-Black Sabbath pairing must have been something!
Wow! Montrose, BOC, James Gang...very amazing. Sounds like some awesome concerts...makes me wish I wasn't born in the 80's, cause I really missed out on all these awesome bands. This is an awesome mix.
Steve, great mix and great notes. I saw most of these bands during that era too. Awesome shows.
Fantastic. The memories you evoke are unbelievable. I guess everybody has a favourite venue and gigs, but this is awesome. I'm inspired to do the same thing for Aylesbury Friars Club, but I doubt it will have the same impact. Amazing.
This looks amazing!
Fantastic job, Steve! And the liner notes, as always, are great!
A home run! Great! Brings back very fond memories of a place called the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ, which was the place for bands on the way up and for bands on the way down. Situated about 12 miles outside NYC, I recall seeing Joe Walsh there on his Rocky Mountain Way tour with an unknown band opening up called Marshall Tucker. Well, Marshall Tucker blew the joint down and Joe Walsh stumbled through a half-dozen numbers, either drunk off the meter or influenced by god-knows-what...I remember The Outlaws, all lined up across the stage like front-line soldiers, in huge cowboy boots and western gear, blazing though a 20-minute version of Green Grass And High Tides that had my ears ringing for two weeks. And Climax Blues Band boogieing though "Going To New York", which absolutely blew me away...Touche for celebrating the golden years of, shall we call it, "Arena Rock"? Oh, yeah, one last point to make you grin: My first big time concert was Alice Cooper when they were doing Billion Dollar Babies, and we bought the tickets for the Madison Square Garden show from a ticket agency. The face value was $8.50 a ticket and we paid the outrageous sum of $10 to see the show...Oh, how things have changed...
GOOD JOB...brings back some fun times... Chuck Gann
From 71'-73 I was stationed at George AFB in Victorville,CA. My first concert in CA was the WT-Yes-Black Sabbath show.
A couple of months later I was mezmerized by the mighty Led Zepplin at the same venue.
During this same time I also saw Spooky Tooth (Foreigner) with Jo Jo Gunn and the Edgar Winter Grp. The Swing Auditorium will always be in my thoughts as the place where I started out on a long awesome road of live performances. The last show that I have seen recently was the Crossroads Guitar festival in Dallas, TX in June of '04. I am now 54 yrs old and I will keep going to shows as long as I can afford the ticket and I can get to the venue.
Rock on...forever!!
A couple of months later I was mezmerized by the mighty Led Zepplin at the same venue.
During this same time I also saw Spooky Tooth (Foreigner) with Jo Jo Gunn and the Edgar Winter Grp. The Swing Auditorium will always be in my thoughts as the place where I started out on a long awesome road of live performances. The last show that I have seen recently was the Crossroads Guitar festival in Dallas, TX in June of '04. I am now 54 yrs old and I will keep going to shows as long as I can afford the ticket and I can get to the venue.
Rock on...forever!!
This is awesome! My first concert at the Swing was Credence Clearwater Revival. I was in 6th grade 1968/69. After that I went to every single show I could. I would literally bum money at lunch time at Highland Jr. High and have enough for a ticket ($7 most shows)at the end of lunch. I think the last concert I saw there was Blue Oyster Cult in 1977 or '78. I was always down in front as close to the stage as I could get. Remember the water fountain outside the doors? I remember people getting in the water and running from the police at the Jimi Hendrix concert. I wish I had kept all my tickets etc. or a journal of all the concerts.
I seen many concerts at The Swing as I lived in Ontario at the time.The concert that sticks out the most for me was,Blue Oyster Cult 1973.They were the first band to show off the laser light show.Then one night I seen Deep Purple w/ Nazereth(so mellow and no crowding)but the next night was Kiss and it was just out of control!But let me tell you;I wouldn't trade it for anything.The Swing was the place to see a concert!!!