equalized and processed through the “SoundForge” system.
Chris will have them for sale at the shows after June 30th. Or you can order
it right from the fan club. I hope you like it. I tried to give you a little
different flavor of CDG than you would get from the record company! I am
hoping this will be the first volume in an ongoing series. I hope it does
well so we can do many more. Drop us a note at the fanclub and let us know
what you think. I would like to hear your feedback on it. You can reach
me at revbobj@hotmail.com. Support the band and get one today! If you like
it, buy a couple of extras and give them out to family and friends, they
make great gifts!Soundcheck / Scrawl / Crazy / Crimino
/ Big Legged Woman / All Night
Free 4 Me / Shiloh (includes Tin Pan Alley) / Drivin’ South / Watch
Out
Baddness / My Way Down / Cleopatra
This is a really nice show released on the Home Grown label by Jim and Melissa Hassing. I don’t know for sure what kind of equipment Jim used to record this one but it has great sound all the way through! It also has the added benefit of the soundcheck which is always cool to have. The opener for this show was Bernard Allison (Luther’s son) and he sits in during "Shiloh" and eventually turns it into "Tin Pan Alley", which is a nice rare treat. We also get a killer 17+ minute version of "Watch Out". The whole show is a cooker all the way through and well worth having. If you’ve got something to trade you could probably look Jim up and work out a trade with him. He and Melissa are both real cool people and I think you could probably work something out. He also did a real nice job on the artwork on this one. Big thumbs up! And speaking of Thums...
First Set: Opening Instrumental /
Cool-Shakin’ Baby / Letter To My Girlfriend / Crazy / Catch The Next
Line / Scrawl / That’s Alright
Let’s Have A Party / Sunshine Of Your Love / Poison / Shakespeare
Wild Thing / I’ve Been Abused / Across The Borderline / People Get
Ready
Second Set: Hideaway / Killing Floor / Just Kissed My Baby
Brand New Day / I Wonder Why? / Dancing Days
Sitting Here Waiting For You / My Way Down / The Sky Is Crying
Manic Depression / Take It To The Lord
This is one of many great early Thum’s
shows. Robert Weilund, who has a very interesting recording technique, recorded
this one. He explained it to me once as this…
One feed comes off the soundboard patched into a Y connector and runs into
the left channel of his cassette deck. The other feed is from two audience
microphones that run into a Y and go into the right channel of his cassette
deck. Then when he gets it home he does a final mix of audience and soundboard.
However he does it, he has made some outstanding recordings of Chris. This
particular show is long (two sets, three hours and twenty minutes), and
has lots of Howlin’ Wolf and other surprises as well. Just the way
I like ‘em. In the first set we get a rippin’ "Cool Shakin’
Baby", a nice slinky rendition of "Sunshine Of Your Love",
a sweet version of "Poison (Commit A Crime)", a Wolf classic and
one of my own personal faves. Chris throws in a little Shakespeare during
a string change for a little flavor. "Wild Thing"? When was the
last time you heard a kick butt version of that one? It’s on here.
A very rare performance of John Hiatt’s "Across The Borderline"
followed by an incredible "People Get Ready" complete with a long
guitar intro. And as if that weren’t enough, in the second set we get
the incredibly rare "Dancing Days" (yeah, I’m talking Led
Zeppelin here). It’s a little choppy but it’s all there, and hearing
it takes me right back to high school in the back seat of my Gremlin X with…Another
rarity, "Sitting Here Waiting For You", is a Texas shuffle with
a nice swing to it. It’s a cool song. The version of "Manic Depression"
on this show has a slowed-down stroll sort of groove to it that works real
well, and they finish off the night with a beautiful version of the Chris
Duarte/Jr. Medlow classic, "Take It To The Lord", heartfelt and
soulful as always. This show goes to eleven, and there is none more. Find
it, it’s well worth having!
This may be one of the cleanest shows ever produced by my trusty
little Sony D3. I was in the sweetspot when I recorded this one and it came
out nice! The Colorado Music Hall has great acoustics, which helps a lot
also. The recording opens up with Chris sitting in with Dirty Pool (the
opening act). Chris and Paul Shelloe trade licks for awhile on "Cool-Shakin’
Baby" before the CDG takes the stage and opens with a gut-wrenching
".32 Blues". We get some standards before working into a smooth
version of "The Thrill Is Gone", followed by "Crazy"
with Eric helping out on background vocals. We also get a nice funky version
of the Meters cover "People Say", and, of course, the standard
yawner, "Big-Legged Woman". The version of "Shiloh"
on this recording will bring tears to your eyes, it’s that good! Chris
came out and sat right on the front of the stage while he played it and
it has a real nice personal feel to it. A real grungy version of "Walls"
should keep the power chord enthusiasts happy. Both of the encores are great.
Erick’s drumming on "Azul Ezell" drives the song perfectly.
It cooks!!! "Crash" is destined to be a rock classic! The dunderheads
at the record company haven’t figured it out yet. Once they do, it
will be right up there with Stairway and Freebird. Remember, you heard it
here first! It is a song that was written for and about the drummer in Big
Sugar, Walter “Crash” Peyton, who died of a heart attack while
opening a show for the Chris Duarte Group one night. Right now it is only
available on the Japanese version of Tailspin/Headwack, but hopefully
Chris will put it out on a future release and it will get the recognition
it deserves. The band is really on this night and the whole performance
is crisp and clean. This would make a nice addition to any CDG collection.
If you’re interested, get in touch with me at the fan club and we’ll
work out a trade! (And dig those crazy fingernails in the photo below!)
