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Bob Marley & The Wailers – Live Forever (Pittsburgh 9/23/80)

Bob Marley returned to the USA in the fall of 1980 for an Eastern seaboard jaunt during which he’d appear over two nights at Madison Square Garden and for one night at Pittsburgh’s Stanley Theatre, the latter of which was released on two discs this week. It was his final concert appearance.

“We did not know how he was hurting,†remembered background singer Judy Mowatt in the book Bob Marley: The Untold Story. “We did not know if he was afraid. We did not know if he was wondering if could do the show or not.†Marley did the show—and what a show he did.

“Greetings in the name of his imperial majesty… Jah Rastafari,†he began. “They say experience teacheth wisdom, but there’s a natural mystic blowing through the hills,†he said, then took his band through a slow and steady version of “Natural Mystic.†He followed with the similarly paced “Positive Vibrationâ€, with its declaration,

“I and I vibration is positive (got to have a good vibe).†At about the concert’s halfway point, somewhere between “War No More Trouble†and “Zimbabweâ€, the show achieves lift-off. But perhaps so as to not get carried away, they take it down a few notches and follow the ascent with “No Woman No Cry.†Of course, the song is the setpiece, the full spectrum of Marley’s genius on display. Not only does “No Woman†provide personal history and philosophy, it’s a love song as well as a portrait of Trenchtown, right down to what’s on the menu (porridge). It’s also where you’ll find one of his many famous refrains that reinforce his positivity vibe: “Everything’s gonna be all right.â€

Rita Marley, whose heart Bob had broken many times over by now, was particularly concerned about her husband’s condition on this night. “Stop the fucking tour now!†she was said to have begged of him, though Marley’s answer to that was to rock steady on and throw down a show to rival them all. In the second half, he and the band kick out the jams, upping the tempo on “Jammingâ€, keeping the locomotive motion growing on “Exodus†and the grooves flowing through “Could You Be Lovedâ€, the song that was tearing up the dance clubs and black radio stations—the ones that helped pave the way for three decades of Marley mania to come. Pausing to breathe for the song he referred to as “Ol’ Pirates†(“Redemption Songâ€), the last song of the final encore is “Get Up Stand Upâ€, his most anthemic number of all. Of course, he couldn’t have done it without Carlton and Aston Barrett on drums and bass, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on guitars, Earl Lindo and Tyrone Downie on keyboards, Alvin Patterson on percussion, and the I Threes (Mowatt, Rita Marley, and Marcia Griffiths) on vocals.

What a tribute to Marley’s musical legacy the release of this final, triumphant concert is, performed as it was in the face of death. Had he lived, Marley would’ve turned 66 this week on Sunday, February 6th. And yet, his 30-year-old jams are still in line with the times. If nothing else, this show demonstrates his genuine belief in the power of positive vibration as a solution to world war, poverty, famine, and all forms of violation of human rights, as well as the way to assuage personal harms like fear, loneliness, isolation, and illness. Slumping into doom, anger, and futility wasn’t Marley’s way, though far from a cure-all, he preached that “Positive Vibration†would at least ease the pain: “Why not help one another on the way? Make things much easier.†Some listeners balk at the simplicity, but if you’re the type that needs a push into the light, this concert is a great start. – Denise Sullivan

MP3@V0

Track List

01 Greetings

02 Natural Mystic

03 Positive Vibration

04 Burnin’ and Lootin’

05 Them Belly Full

06 The Heathen

07 Running Away

08 Crazy Baldhead

09 War/No More Trouble

10 Zimbabwe

11 Zion Train

12 No Woman No Cry

13 Jamming

14 Exodus

15 Redemption Song

16 Coming in From the Cold

17 Could You Be Loved

18 Is This Love

19 Work

20 Get Up Stand Up

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Grateful Dead – Road Trips Vol 4 No 2 – April Fools 1988

Well, we haven’t forgotten ’88—far from it—and this edition of Road Trips (Vol. 4, No. 2) shows you why. It offers up the entire April 1, 1988 concert from the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, NJ (maybe you just called it “the Meadowlands†back in the day), plus the entire second set and a few first set highlights from the previous night’s show, March 31. That April Fools show is a real barn-burner, with a first set that includes a “double-opener†of high-octane versions of “Mississippi Half-Step†and “Jack Straw,†a rare and nearly perfect take on “To Lay Me Down†(played for just the second time since 1983), followed directly by the second (and final) GD-only version of Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man.†Less than a year after their six-show jaunt with the Mysterious One, Weir & Co. give the classic tune an impressively emotional workout; in fact, it’s hard to discern why it didn’t remain in the Dead’s repertoire after this evening. That first set also includes nearly manic versions of both “Cumberland†and “Deal.†Blazing!

There’s no letup in Set Two, either, as the band tears through what looks on paper like a fairly conventional set list, but in execution is far from that. “China Cat†> “Rider,†“Estimated†> “Eyes†and “The Other One†> “Wharf Rat†all sound fresh and alive, and seem to glow with fiery embers thanks to Garcia’s speedy and imaginative runs—basically the guy is on fire!

A few nuggets from the 3/31 first set are tucked onto the back side of Disc One—including a superb “Let It Growâ€â€”and then that night’s second set fills the other disc, and it’s another rockin’ affair loaded with favorites: A “Scarlet†> “Fire†nearly the equal of the famous Hampton version just four nights earlier, a fine “Terrapin,†and a post-“Drums†that never lets up as it moves from “Goin’ Down the Road†into “Miracle,†“Dear Mr. Fantasy,†the coda of “Hey Jude,†and “Watchtower†in the closing slot. The encore is another Dylan tune, “Heaven’s Doorâ€â€”a perfect grace note for a raucous and exciting show. We should also note that the “Rhythm Devils†and “Space†portions of each show are also fantastically varied and interesting—in the spring of ’89 Garcia will be the last band member to “go MIDI,†so this is provides a glimpse of the more “pure†Garcia “Space†tones.

Intrigued? You should be! It’s hot stuff from beginning to end. As is customary, the original recordings (in this case by Dan Healy) have been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman, and our art team of Scott McDougall and Steve Vance have once again come up with a stunning package to entertain your eyeballs. This time out, Dead scribe Gary Lambert has contributed a splendid essay for the booklet, which true-to-form, is also loaded with period photos of The Boys in action. You can find the complete song lists for all three discs, plus ordering information simply by pressing this magic button! What a way to start the New Year! – Blair Jackson

MP3@320CBR

Track List

CD 1:

1. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

2. Jack Straw

3. To Lay Me Down

4. Ballad Of A Thin Man

5. When Push Comes To Shove

6. New Minglewood Blues

7. Cumberland Blues

8. Deal

9. When I Paint My Masterpiece

10. Let It Grow

11. Brokedown Palace

CD 2:

1. Scarlet Begonias

2. Fire On The Mountain

3. Samson and Delilah

4. Terrapin Station

5. Rhythm Devils

6. Space

7. Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad

8. I Need A Miracle

9. Dear Mr. Fantasy

10. Hey Jude

11. All Along The Watchtower

12. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

CD 3:

1. China Cat Sunflower

2. I Know You Rider

3. Estimated Prophet

4. Eyes Of The World

5. Rhythm Devils

6. Space

7. The Other One

8. Wharf Rat

9. Throwing Stones

10. Not Fade Away

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Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ (6/17/76)

Cold Rain and Snow

Big River

They Love Each Other

Cassidy

Tennessee Jed

Looks Like Rain

Row Jimmy

Promised Land

Help on the Way

Slipknot!

Franklin's Tower

Dancin' in the Streets

Samson and Delilah

Lazy Lightnin'

Supplication

Friend of the Devil

Let it Grow

drums

Let it Grow

Wharf Rat

Around and Around

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Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Roots & Herbs

Originally recorded in 1961, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers’ Roots & Herbs was first released in 1970 and then reissued on CD in 1999. Like many titles in the Blue Note catalog, this fine Blakey outing was initially shelved by Alfred Lion for unknown reasons; thankfully, considering Blakey’s large array of available Blue Note albums, this wasn’t necessarily a crisis. But now that it’s out once again with a 24-bit digital makeover, Roots & Herbs is definitely a welcome addition to the drum master’s CD catalog. Having already been a magnet for such talented hard bop players and writers as Hank Mobley, Benny Golson, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver (who helped form the original group), and Kenny Dorham, the Messengers’ lineup of 1961 featured one of Blakey’s best rosters: In addition to trumpeter Lee Morgan, who would alternate in the early ’60s with Freddie Hubbard, the band featured tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianists Walter Davis, Jr. and Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt. Feeding off six early compositions by Shorter (the CD also includes three alternate takes), all the players reel off topnotch solos atop Blakey’s fluidly galvanizing swing beat. Highlights include “Ping Pong,†“Look at Birdie,†and “Master Mind,†compositions that, in their fetchingly askew way, nicely foreshadow the wealth of ideas to come from Shorter’s pen throughout the ’60s. – Stephen Cook

MP3@320CBR

Track List

1. Ping Pong

2. Roots and Herbs

3. The Back Sliders

4. United

5. Look at the Birdie

6. Master Mind

7. The Back Sliders (alternate take, bonus track)

8. Ping Pong (alternate take, bonus track)

9. United (alternate take, bonus track)

Art Blakey – Drums

Wayne Shorter – Tenor Saxophone

Lee Morgan – Trumpet

Walter Davis, Jr – Piano (2&4)

Bobby Thomas – Piano (all others)

Jymie Merritt – Bass

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