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PLAYS: 40

(The Charlatans - going on 20 years and still one of the best)

I have been a huge fan of The Charlatans ever since I first saw them live at The Hollywood Palladium in 1993. It's been one of my favorite memories of a live gig (and this goes back to 1966, so they're in some good company) ever since. They've gone through numerous changes in personnel, label and direction since then. But they've always been an exciting band to listen to especially live, and the best part is they're still going strong and sounding great as ever. New album slated to come out in 2010.

I ran across this recording of their 2001 Birmingham Academy gig by way of the ever-astounding BBC6 Music. Naturally, I had to post it and, if you aren't familiar with The Charlatans, give you a one-hour taste of what you're missing.

Believe me, it's not too late to add them to your favorites list.

. . .or us, for that matter . . .

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PLAYS: 195

(Duke Ellington - aka: National Treasure)

As part of our Fundraising week, I thought I would offer something completely unique and special. A previously unheard and unknown, recently discovered performance by Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra, along with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic live at Hollywood Bowl from August 25, 1966.

This has never been commercially made available and you are the first ones to hear it since it was recorded that August night.

Get comfortable and have a listen.

And don't forget to hit the "donate" button lurking around on the site. It costs to remaster these things.

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DOWNLOADS: 29

PLAYS: 60

(photo credit: Alex Tekeshi)
(Crooked Cowboy and The Freshwater Indians - quickly becoming one of L.A.'s favorite bands)

A few weeks ago I ran a new track from Crooked Cowboy & The Freshwater Indians on my Nights At The Roundtable post. I got a lot of positive response from readers and requests for more. A few days later I got a note from Bron Tieman (Crooked Cowboy himself) alerting me to the fact that there was a live recording of a recent gig around and maybe I should check it out. The thing about Crooked Cowboy is they are constantly evolving and heading into new areas. Bron indicated to me that one of the big things he's working on is a live presentation with over 70 musicians - taking the Crooked Cowboy concept to new places. It's been a slow process, but it's one that has built up a loyal and growing following in Los Angeles (and the West Coast for that matter) over the past few years.

So for those of you not familiar, or not on the West Coast and were wanting a taste more, here is Crooked Cowboy and The Freshwater Indians live from (I think) The Echoplex here in L.A. in March this past year.

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PLAYS: 138

(J. Geils Band - Straight up, Traditional Rock n' Roll from 1975)

A bit of straight-up Rock n' Roll tonight. The J. Geils Band recorded (at least I think so) at the Augusta Civic Theatre on October 24, 1975. I'm doubting the recording date because I'm only going off notes from other websites as my original King Biscuit Flour Hour tape box says only 1975 and doesn't list venues. So . . .any clarification from J. Geils fans out there would be most appreciated.

At any rate, it's a short set but a good one and a little something to go with a Saturday night before Thanksgiving.

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PLAYS: 48

(Massive Attack - giving hip-hop its ear)

Something a little different tonight. From the short-lived Phoenix Festival in England from 1996, a set by the legendary Massive Attack.

Very tasty stuff from a pioneering and adventuresome group. What music should be all about - adventure.

Check it out.

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PLAYS: 54

(The Cribs with Johnny Marr, officially part of the band)

Taking a stab at club crawling this weekend. Live at The Limelight in Belfast Ireland, a high-voltage set by The Cribs featuring ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr from 2004.

Short, sweet and fast. A slight break from the bludgeoning you're probably going through with the Health Care debate . . . play loud, and grab a Guinness (or 6) while you're at it.

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PLAYS: 35

(Come on, admit it - it just wouldn't be Halloween without Alice Cooper, would it?)

A little something to put you in the Halloween spirit - a concert from July 1975 featuring Alice Cooper at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles.

Play loud - play often.

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PLAYS: 78

(The Jags in 1979 - Catchy and hook-laden, but not sustainable)

A bit of late 70s UK Power-Pop this time. The Jags were one of the mainstays of KROQ here in L.A. around 1979. Not really considered Punk or New Wave, but not really mainstream either - sort of falling into that miscellaneous category that just sounded good, played catchy memorable songs but didn't last more than a couple albums. They broke up in 1982.

There were a lot of those kinds of bands from the late 70s to early 80s, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with them. They were not destined to change your life, but rather go along with it and provide the soundtrack to places, times and people.

Here is a live concert, recorded by the BBC at their Paris Theatre in London in 1979. A lot of familiar material.

And for some reason, I remembered exactly where I was when I first heard each of those songs.

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PLAYS: 245

(The Kinks in 1977 - changes in the air)

Back to the 70s this week with The Kinks. A 1977 concert from The Rainbow in London, recorded by the BBC.

Vintage Kinks and vintage Ray Davies.

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PLAYS: 52

(Nancy Wilson - Nat "King" Cole - In a word, magic)

October 4, 1964 - hard to imagine it was 45 years ago this past week, but that particular Sunday night saw an extraordinary group of people assembled on stage at the Hollywood Bowl to raise funds and awareness for defeating a Proposition on the November ballot. Proposition 14, or the attempt by Realtor groups and the John Birch Society to nullify the Rumford Fair Housing Initiative that passed in 1963. A veritable who's who of Hollywood, with orchestra led by none other than Nelson Riddle and emcee's Joey Bishop and Milton Berle introducing a lineup of talent that included Nancy Wilson and Nat "King" Cole.

I've extracted the Wilson and Cole sets out for this segment. I will add the rest over the coming weeks.

This goes under the heading of "previously unknown concert tapes", as I don't believe any commercial (or otherwise) copy of this concert has been available before today.

You get to hear it first.

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PLAYS: 42

(Rufus Wainwright - Right at home at Glasto)

A set by Rufus Wainwright from the 2005 Glastonbury Festival tonight.

All good fun, and the audience seemed to like it too.

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(Lambchop - eclectic and thankfully so)

In case you haven't been to any live gigs of late, and are convinced music died when Winterland closed, I'm here to tell you it's not true. Lambchop are one of those bands that defy description and would fit nicely into any decade - they are just good music and they are wonderful to listen to, and that's something that transcends any year.

Here is a short set from them, recorded by BBC Leicester during the Leicester Summer Sundae festival on August 14, 2004.

I would wholeheartedly recommend checking out their website, checking out their albums, checking them out live and doing whatever you can do to support them.

Bands like this don't grow on trees.

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(Peter, Paul and Mary - Mary Travers: 1936-2009)

Hearing the sad news this week of the death of Mary Travers, I was thinking about the great impact Peter, Paul and Mary had on the music scene from the early 1960s onward. Most people are so familiar with them now that it seems as though they've always been around - there never was a time without Peter, Paul and Mary. They've become so synonymous with American folk music and with pop music in general that it's hard to imagine a time when they were new and had just arrived and those songs so ingrained in our collective consciousness weren't quite familiar yet.

So it was interesting to listen to this concert, recorded live at the Hollywood Bowl on August 2, 1963 - and played here for the first time ever (it has not been available in any form anywhere). Hearing it with fresh ears and all the enthusiasm of a special event, even though it's from 45 years ago.

Maybe not so dim and distant.

Further evidence it's all timeless.

Thank you Mary.

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PLAYS: 17

(Ace - 1974's up-and-coming band and purveyors of Pub-Rock)

Back over to the BBC Transcription Service this week. A performance by Ace from 1974. Probably best known for their hit and uber-shag tune "How Long Has This Been Going On", Ace also featured the multi-talented Paul Carrack, who not only wrote that hit, but also went on to score highly with Squeeze in the early 80s and then go on to Mike & The Mechanics in the early 90's, not to mention a pretty good and thriving solo career.

Anyway, this concert was recorded just at the time "Five-A-Side" came out and pretty much captures the essence of the band. Pub-Rock was a legitimate genre in the early 1970's and many bands established solid careers from it.

Ace were at the right place at the right time.

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(Sadistic Mika Band - rumored to have been named in honor of Mika's cooking)

Sort of in keeping with the Prog/International feel of the week, I thought I would toss something a little different in the live concert department. The Sadistic Mika Band wasn't really characterized as a Prog-Rock band. They came about at a time Glam was starting to take off in 1972 and had the distinction of having their second and third albums produced by Chris Thomas (whom Mika wound up having an affair with and later marrying) and released in the UK, to good reviews and a decent following.

They toured as opening act for Roxy Music in October 1975 (where this concert comes from) to coincide with the release of their 3rd album "Hot Menu" and did several appearances on British television.

As usual, they were never issued by a label in the U.S. and had only the hardcore import collectors here for a following. Naturally, they never performed live in the U.S. even though there was a lot of press about them and a goodly amount of hype, which in turn made it possible for a number of other Japanese bands to explore popularity outside their own country during the middle and late 70's.

It's highly likely that the popularity in Europe for bands like Sadistic Mika made it possible for bands like Yellow Magic Orchestra (which morphed from ex-Mika Band members) and Ryuichi Sakamoto to establish themselves to English speaking audiences. Just as it was possible performers like Stomu Yamash'ta made it possible for bands like Sadistic Mika to be considered for release in the UK. Just speculating.

Vocals are a bit weak and not their strong suit. But the bulk of the tracks during this concert are instrumental, which are top notch and confirms the idea a lot of great musicians were not confined to a couple of countries.

After the affair surfaced, Mika and Kazuhiko Kato, the bands lead guitarist and estranged husband, divorced and left the band. Mika becoming Mrs. Thomas, Kazuhiko pursuing a solo career before becoming a TV personality, while the rest of the group continued for a time as simply The Sadistics.

Just a reminder that music is the universal language and its spoken everywhere and you don't necessarily have to understand it to get into it.