#145 REM - Hollywood, CA. 2003 (Flac)

Avalon Hollywood Theatre
Hollywood, CA
October 29, 2003

This show was used to promote the 'In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003' album. It was the first time that the band's later work was featured on a compilation and was released by Warners to try and boost the band's sales profile.

This show as the original notes mention was pressed on CD and distributed to radio stations. It has never been available to buy and is now difficult to acquire.
 
The release of 'In Time' falls between the release of studio albums Reveal (2001) and Around The Sun (2004). This performance has quite an unusual set list. It doesn't indulge or gratify the most recent studio album or the tracks compiled on the new Best Of.


Source:
WB Promo 2CDR-set sent out to radiostations
Excellent soundboard recording
*This is NOT the widely spread FM sourced recording*

CD-R -> EAC -> CDWAVE -> FLAC Frontend 1.7.1 -> FLAC

Encoded by Matthijs

Disc 1:
01. Finest Worksong
02. These Days
03. The Wake-Up Bomb
04. So Fast, So Numb
05. Exhuming McCarthy
06. Animal
07. Sweetness Follows
08. Bad Day
09. World Leader Pretend
10. Strange Currencies
11. Losing My Religion

Disc 2:
01. At My Most Beautiful
02. She Just Wants To Be
03. Walk Unafraid
04. Man On The Moon
05. Life And How To Live It
06. Welcome To The Occupation
07. Nightswimming
08. Final Straw
09. Permanent Vacation
10. Imitation Of Life

LINK 1 

LINK 2 

#144 THE LOW ANTHEM - Gebaude9, Cologne - 2009 (Flac)

The New Wave of Americana

If you are familiar with the music of their contemporaries, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver & the Felice Brothers then you should enjoy this spectacular sounding set by the Low Anthem recorded on tour in Germany during 2009. 

The 'Oh My God Charlie Darwin' album saw limited release in 2008 and was taken up by the Nonesuch label. After a remix by sound master Bob Ludwig it was re-released in 2009.

The show was reviewed in the German press with impressive headlines of endorsement.


Tragic that of all places I have to play the horn

The Low Anthem lamented the loss of silence with ever new instruments: a sublime concert in Cologne. You will tell your grandchildren about it.

"In Kolner Building 9 it is so quiet on Saturday evening that you can hear your own swallowing and the click of the cameras seems like a grotesquely loud noise, causing uncomprehending headshakes from those standing at the front of the stage.

Like a human installation of timidity, the musician Jocie Adams plays a rarely seen instrument called crotales, an arrangement of brass disks that are made to sound with a bow.

The two other musicians from Low Anthem, the singer and the all-rounder, look like scrapped supporting characters from a Freak Brothers comic, and show similar symptoms of immersion. There is collective astonishment down in the hall. After the piece, the cheer of the perhaps one hundred listeners sounds like there were several hundred more present. 

The Americana genre, is much loved in this country. Bands like Fleet Foxes, the Felice Brothers and Bon Iver; are musicians who manage to approach ancient American music varieties with a great sense of tradition without appearing as conservative purists.

The Low Anthem out of Providence, Rhodes Island are such a band too. Their second album "Oh My God, Charlie Darwin!" has just been released, a lesson in progressive maintenance of published tradition. But just when you're sure, the Low Anthem are more than pessimistic keepers of culture, Ben Knox Miller announces the next piece as a lament for days past when the world was still a quieter place. Maybe only American musicians can afford to make such announcements.

In addition, The Low Anthem are not humorless. Before the actual concert, the musicians were there, strengthened by their roadies, as their own opening act Snake Wagon - a rumbling parody of drunk folk rock varieties. "Sorry this is our first show in public", Prystowsky had apologized in between. 

The effect is great: in contrast to this moody pastiche, the Low Anthem pieces then look even more sublime and cathedral-like. The first lines that Ben Knox Miller sings in the concert ultimately explain the band perfectly: "To them ghosts who write history books, to them ghosts who write songs / Everyone asks: Would you write one about me?" The band reflects America, its (musical) history: continent and soul measurement in one.

The instruments are exchanged again and again, but never in the sense of displaying instrumental virtuosity: everything remains reduced, nothing steps forward, it is the interplay in the song that defines the almost sacred grandeur of the music. 

The Low Anthem are the kind of band where one suddenly has a horn, the other a clarinet in his hand and plays on it as if no one had ever done it before. But even their three-part harmony singing alone could carry these pieces.

The Low Anthem are as traditional and conservative as American organic apple cultivation. And as modern and now, as electronic music from Cologne: 
"It is something special for us to play our music in the hometown of minimalism," says Ben Knox Miller in between. 

As an encore they play the incredible "Don't Tremble" - which says: "If your clarinet should break / please don't cry a million lakes."

And again you hear yourself swallowing. Will the grandchildren still understand that? (Eric Pfeil)

 

The Low Anthem
Cologne, Germany
Gebäude 9
19 September, 2009

01. To The Ghosts That Write History Books
02. Charlie Darwin
03. Vines
04. Don´t Let Nobody Turn You ´Round
05. Sally Where´d You Get Your Liquer From
06. "Ben talks about Snake Wagon"
07. This God Damned House
08. Ticket Taker
09. To Ohio
10. Home I´ll Never Be (Tom Waits/ Jack Kerouac)
11. Cheatin´
12. band introduction
13. Smart Flesh
14. Cage The Songbird
15. Dreams
16. Cigarettes And Whiskey
17. encore break
18. Don´t Tremble
19. True Love Will Find You In The End (Daniel Johnston)
75:00

The Low Anthem:
Ben Knox Miller
Jeff Prystowsky
Jocie Adams
with
Dan Lefkowitz (Track 15 & 16)
Graham Smith (Track 16)

Lineage:
Sound Engineer: Nick Hannan
Soundboard>XLR>Tascam DP-1>Marantz DR-6000
CDR>EAC>Audacity 1.3.5 (normalize, levels)>nero
by pavemalk
special thanx to Olaf from the Gebäude 9

LINK 

#143 BJORK - Red White (Flac)

Orchard Hall, Tokyo, Japan
5 December 2001

My initial exposure to Bjork's music was through the Sugarcubes 'Birthday' single released in 1987. BBC Radio DJ John Peel was a fan and played the single often, followed by a session and tracks from the 'Life's Too Good' debut album in 1988.
 
Five years later Bjork would release her debut solo album which I bought on CD and the two subsequent albums, Post & Homogenic. This show was downloaded some 12-years ago and became an essential live boot in the absence of 'Vespertine.'

During the 35-date world tour, Bjork accumulated recordings of the live performances and compiled them to create the official disc 'Vespertine Live.' It mixed her vocals from various different performances together to achieve seamless, near-perfect versions of some of the live Vespertine songs. 

It was critically acclaimed and a box set including the Vespertine disc, as well as a live DVD of the performance from the Royal Opera House in London was also released.

You may be forgiven for thinking, well what does the bootleg do, that the official releases don't? 

This is sourced from a live Japanese broadcast that was bootlegged and is a more representative example of the tour and set list. It's the actual live audio without any studio or technological 'enhancements.' The broadcast set has five tracks from the latest album* and a varied tracklist drawn from the previous three albums with a 'Selmasong' and the unreleased 'It's In Our Hands' (eventually issued on the greatest hits compilation.)

Sound quality as you would expect from the Japanese sources is superb.

Tracklist:
01. Overture (3:41)
02. All Is Full Of Love (4:11)
03. Harm Of Will (4:34)*
04. Undo (5:43)*
05. An Echo, A Stain (4:17)*
06. Unison (6:47)*
07. Isobel (6:20)
08. Pagan Poetry (5:28)*
09. Hyperballad (4:48)
10. Army Of Me (4:05)
11. Bachelorette (5:27)
12. Human Behaviour (6:23)
13. It's In Our Hands (6:26)

FM recording: Taken from Red White bootleg.

LINK 

                                                                         Flyer from defunct Tower Records

#142 THE BYRDS - Unsurpassed Masters 1965 (Flac)

The sessions for the Byrds first two albums 'Mr. Tambourine Man' & 'Turn, Turn, Turn' took place at Columbia studios in Hollywood throughout 1965.

 

These are top quality out-takes and all date from the early recording sessions, before the numerous line-up changes, apart from: 5D (Fifth Dimension) which was recorded near the end of the third album 'Fifth Dimension' sessions after Gene Clark had quit the band in early 1966. 

 

'Stranger In A Strange Land' was one of three David Crosby songs rejected for the second album. The Dylan cover 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' was intended to be their third single release but the idea was dropped in favour of 'Turn! Turn! Turn!'

 
01. Mr Tambourine Man (vocals only)

02. You Won't Have To Cry (alternate version)

03. We'll Meet Again (alternate version)

04. Mr Tambourine Man (take 1, 2 instrumental)

05. Mr Tambourine Man (take 19, 20 instrumental)

06. I Knew I'd Want You (instrumental)

07. It's No Use (different takes)

08. Bells Of Rhymney (take 1, 2)

09. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (take 1, 2)

10. It's All Over Now Baby Blue (take 2, 3, 4 instrumental)

11. The World Turns All Around Her (take 14, 15  instrumental)

12. It's All Over Now Baby Blue (take 7)

13. It Won't Be Wrong (take 5, 6, 7, 18 instrumental)

14. Satisfied Mind (take 17, 18)

15. Set You Free This Time (take 1, 2, 3, 4, 18)

16. Stranger In A Strange Land (take 1, 2, 9, 10)

17. Wait And See (take 23, 24, 25, 26)

18. 5D (Fifth Dimension) (take 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
19. I Knew I'd Want You (Gene Clark outtake)

This disc can be repetitive and perhaps difficult to focus on especially with many takes not tracked individually. It can also be revelatory for the most enthusiastic of Byrds fans. The instrumental takes do give you an opportunity to hear the glorious ringing chimes of the six and twelve string guitars unfettered by vocals. At the time it was an unique and ground-breaking sound.

On the nine-disc 'Journals' bootleg there are twenty-two takes of Mr. Tambourine Man. Here, we have an a cappella and four instrumental takes. Take one is a little slow and tentative, the second much stronger although producer Terry Melcher isn't happy with the sound on the bass drum. Take 19 is stopped after a minute because he says "It doesn't feel right." Take 20 is much tighter but the producer still isn't convinced. The band go on to take 22 which was finally selected as the backing track on the released version.  (not included on the boot)

The track 5D (Fifth Dimension) needs even more takes, twenty-six are included on the 9-disc set. This sampler single disc includes nine takes but most are incomplete or breakdowns. The producer is Allen Stanton on this song and he stops many of the takes without explanation unlike the more vociferous comments of Terry Melcher. 

It's a disc you need to spend time with and appropriate for these hard times. Your effort in listening will be rewarded.

Band Members: with assistance from session musicians

Jim Mc Guinn: vocals, 12 string guitar

David Crosby: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Gene Clark: Vocals, Tambourine

Chris Hillman: Bass Guitar

Michael Clarke: Drums

Studio Session Outtakes 1965 (except track 18, recorded early 1966)

Recorded at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Running Time: 75: 42

Lineage: Silver disc (Over The Air OTA-008) > PC >You

LINK

#141 BOB DYLAN - Expecting Rain N.E.T. Vol 1-6 (Flac)

In 2011, members of the Bob Dylan 'Expecting Rain' forum conducted a poll to decide on the best 100 live performances of Dylan’s career. The tracks included on these volumes have been selected from the Never Ending Tour only - those that made the top 100 and also some of the best tracks from the forum's short list.

The earlier live recordings were excluded as many have been officially released and the early sixties to early eighties recordings are best heard in their entirety.

This is the complete series of six volumes made available for the first time.They cover the beginning of the N.E.T. in 1988 through to 2010. The vast majority of tracks are from audience recordings.

As you can imagine this set required a great deal of work putting together, not just in collecting and collating the actual tracks chosen in the 100, but also those that made the short lists. 

Source information where available has been included with the notes, as has the artwork which was created especially for those that like a tangible object in their hand, with details on the tracks they are listening to. 

If this compilation inspires a further interest in the NET years and I hope it does, then I would advise getting hold of the following two books:

Mind Out Of Time (1986-1990 & beyond) by Paul Williams.
Superb writing and especially strong on the beginnings of the NET in 1988 through 1990

The Razor's Edge: Bob Dylan and the Neverending Tour by Andrew Muir
One More Night: Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour (Second and updated edition of above)
Infectious and enthusiastic, Andrew's book more than any gets a grip on the mammoth task of understanding Dylan's live performance since 1988

One final point, if you are looking for further information about Bob Dylan, don't forget to check out 'Expecting Rain' the finest Dylan site on the web. 

Exprecting Rain

Compiled by thebasement67
for the 100 greatest bootlegs blog (February 2016)

-------------------------------------------------

Expecting Rain N.E.T. Vol. 1

01. Lakes Of Pontchartrain - Wantagh 30-Jun-88         

02. Hallelujah - Montreal 8-Jul-88            

03. Barbara Allen - New York City 19-Oct-88   

04. Disease Of Conceit - London 8-Feb-90       

05. That Lucky Old Sun - Madison 5-Nov-91   

06. Most Of The Time - San Jose 9-May-92           

07. Tight Connection To My Heart - NYC. 17-Nov-93    

08. Blood In My Eyes - New York City 17-Nov-93

09. Delia - New York City 17-Nov-93     LB-6207   

10. A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall - Nara 22-May-94       

11. Ring Them Bells - Nara 22-May-94       

12. Mama, You Been On My Mind - Warsaw 19-Jul-94        

13. Two Soldiers - Boston 9-Oct-94       

14. I Want You - Unplugged 17-Nov-94

 ER NET Vol 1

 Expecting Rain N.E.T. Vol. 2 

01. Desolation Row - Unplugged 18-Nov-94   

02. Dignity - Unplugged 18-Nov-94    

03. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Unplugged 18-Nov-94    

04. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue - Prague 11-Mar-95

05. Shelter From The Storm - Prague 11-Mar-95

06. Mr. Tambourine Man - Prague 11-Mar-95

07. In The Long Black Coat - Prague 11-Mar-95

08. Born In Time - Berkeley 26-May-95   

09. Gates Of Eden - Berkeley 26-May-95    

10. Restless Farewell - Sinatra 80th 19-Nov-95   

11. Dark Eyes - Philadelphia 17-Dec-95    

(an alternate has also been provided of a superior recording from 15 Dec 1995)

ER NET V2

 Expecting Rain N.E.T. Vol. 3

01. My Back Pages - Berlin 17-Jun-96

         02. Friend Of The Devil - Berlin 17-Jun-96

03. Lovesick - NYC 25-Feb-98

04. This Wheel’s On Fire - Stockholm 9-Jun-98

05. I And I - Dijon 1-Jul-98

06. The Times We’ve Known - New York City 1-Nov-98

07. Train Of Love - J. Cash Tribute 6-Apr-99

08. Tryin’ To Get To Heaven - Lisbon 7-Apr-99

09. Not Dark Yet - New York City 30 Jul-99

10. Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)

11. Tomorrow Is A Long Time - Ithaca 15-Nov-99

12. Blowin’ In The Wind - Santa Cruz 16-Mar-00

13. Song To Woody - Santa Cruz 16-Mar-00

ER NET V3

-------------------------------------------- 

Expecting Rain N.E.T. Vol. 4

01. Highlands - Santa Cruz 16-Mar-00  

02. Delia - Newcastle 19-Sep-00                      
03. The Ballad Of Frankie Lee & Judas Priest - Portsmouth 

25-Sep-00     

05. Standing In The Doorway - Paris 3 Oct-00        
06. If Dogs Run Free - Asheville 1-May-01

07. Sugar Baby - Atlanta 9-Feb-02 / Spokane 5-Oct-01  
08. I’ll Remember You - M&A  18-Jul-02  

09. Cold Irons Bound - M&A 18-Jul-02           
10. Mutineer - Fairfax 22-Nov-02 

11. Accidentally Like A Martyr - Fairfax 22-Nov-02

12. Summer Days - Fairfax 22-Nov-02   

This is the first time these volumes (4-6) have been posted, the series was interrupted due to a sound card failure and during the resulting delay the links were lost because of hosting issues.

ER NET V4

-------------------------------------------- 

Expecting Rain N.E.T. Vol. 5

01. Dignity - Niagara Falls 23-Aug-03
02. Highwater (for Charley Patton) - Niagara Falls 23-Aug-03
03. Desolation Row - Berlin 20-Oct-03
04. The Mighty Quinn - London 23-Nov-03
05. Jokerman - London 24-Nov-03
06. Romance In Durango - London 24-Nov-03
07. Million Miles - London 24-Nov-03
08. Dear Landlord - London 24-Nov-03
09. Blind Willie McTell - London 25-Nov-03
10. A Change Is Gonna Come - NYC 28-Mar-04
11. Million Dollar Bash - London 21-Nov-05
12. ‘Til I Fell In Love With You - Dublin 27-Nov-05 

ER NET V5 

   

 -------------------------------------------- 

Expecting Rain N.E.T. Vol. 6


01. Boots Of Spanish Leather - Dublin 27-Nov-05
02. Visions Of Johanna - Dublin 27-Nov-05
03. Ain’t Talkin’ - New York City 20-Nov-06
04. Nettie Moore - Santa Monica 3-Sep-08
05. Billy - Stockholm 22-Mar-09
06. Forgetful Heart Tokyo 23-Mar-10
07. The Times They Are A Changin’ - Whitehouse 9-Feb-10
08. Shelter From The Storm - Osaka 13-Mar-10
09. What Good Am I - Linz 12-Jun-10
10. Love Sick - Tampa 7-Oct-10

ER-V6 

This is the final volume, the download link includes a word document of the tracks shortlisted, that were used to compile this series. 

As we are now ten years on from the oldest performances on this set I recommend the following site:

thousandhighways.blogspot

It's ideal especially if you are looking for Dylan's best performances during the last decade.

#20 CAT POWER - The Complete Peel Sessions (Flac)

*THIS IS AN UPGRADED REPOST*

Standing in a queue waiting to pay for the latest selection of cds I’d chosen. I overheard the girl in front asking what was playing over the shop speakers. When told it was Cat Power’s new album she replied, “I’ll take it too.”

Cat Power at that time was just a name to me despite the 'Covers Record' being her fifth release. Some months later I heard her music for the first time on the John Peel show - the famous long running late night show on BBC Radio One.

The session included a selection of songs that had been recorded but not included on the Covers Record. That covers session included here features just Chan’s vocal and acoustic guitar or keyboards. I remember the DJ John Peel, being particularly taken by “Freebird,” a minimalist cover lasting barely fifty seconds and so completely different from its original incarnation, that it sounds quite bizarre in comparison.

The covers session was recorded on June 18, 2000 at Maida Vale’s studio 4 in London. It was broadcast in two parts, part one on July 20, 2000 including tracks 1 to 4 and track 9. The second part was broadcast on August 31, 2000 and included tracks 5 to 8 with a repeat of “Freebird.” Both parts of the session were broadcast later in the year, a few weeks before Christmas.

The second session was broadcast live and recorded at John’s home “Peel Acres” on August 23, 2001

The third and final session was recorded on January 23, 2003 to promote the follow up release “You Are Free.” It was broadcast on 12 February, 2003. Chan performs another sparse stripped down session emphasizing the haunting soulful beauty of her voice.

This is the complete Cat Power Peel sessions made available in flac, together for the first time (April 2020).

Cat Power - Peel Session #1
BBC Radio 1 FM
Maida Vale Studio 4
London, England
Recorded: June 18, 2000

Lineage: FM > ? > CDR > EAC > FLAC

01. Sophisticated Lady (2:20)
02. Hard Times In New York City (2:49)
03. Wonderwall (2:41)
04. He Was A Friend Of Mine (3:54)
05. Deep Inside > Come On In My Kitchen (5:11)
06. Werewolf (3:07)
07. Up & Gone (2:21)
08. Sister > Knocking On Heaven's Door (4:00)
09. Freebird (0:52)

--------------------------

Cat Power - Peel Session #2
BBC Radio 1 FM
"Peel Acres" (John Peel's house)
Great Finborough, Suffolk,
England, U.K.
Recorded: August 23, 2001

Master FM recording
Lineage:  BBC Radio 1 FM  -> Roof Aerial -> Marantz ST151L Tuner -> SB Extigy soundcard -> CoolEdit Pro 2.1 ->
WAV -> CD-R -> EAC -> WAV -> TLH -> FLAC 8 & .ffp

10. Intro  (with Nellie the dog) (1:09)
11. The Party (3:10)
12. Interview  (with John Peel) (0:42)
13. Intro  (with John Peel) (0:28)
14. Baby Doll (3:09)
15. Interlude  (with John Peel) (0:24)
16. Up And Gone (2:40)
17. Come On In My Kitchen (3:52)

----------------------------

Cat Power - Peel Session #3
BBC Radio 1 FM
Maida Vale Studio 4
London, England.
Recorded: January 23, 2003

Lineage: FM > ? > CDR > EAC > FLAC

18. Names (5:18)
19. Funny Things (3:10)
20. Evolution (3:01)
21. I Don't Blame You (3:34)

These are the correct dates as sourced from the book 'The Peel Sessions' by Ken Garner (2007)

LINK 

JOHN PRINE - BBC Session & Interview 2018 (Flac)

* Special Post *

JOHN PRINE (1946-2020)

John Prine bravely fought and conquered cancer twice before sadly becoming another victim of the current pandemic. 

His peers and fellow musicians described him in glowing terms:

Bruce Springsteen said:

"We are crushed by the loss of John Prine. John and I were "New Dylans" together in the early 70s and he was never anything but the loveliest guy in the world. A true national treasure and a songwriter for the ages. We send our love and prayers to his family.

Bob Dylan described John's music as:

"Pure Proustian existentialism". "Midwestern mind trips to the nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs."

Robbie Robertson, ex-The Band - called him:

"A genius".

and Robert Plant, ex-Led Zeppelin - said of his work:

"A beacon of clear white light cutting through the dark days," and "His charm, humour and irony we shall miss greatly."

Here he talks candidly to BBC DJ & legendary OGWT presenter, Bob Harris and also performs two songs from his latest album 'The Tree Of Forgiveness'

This short session was recorded by me over a year and a half ago, and is new to circulation. Just a brief example of John's brilliance as a musician, songwriter and raconteur.

Thursday 23 August, 2018
BBC Radio 2  FM broadcast
Bob Harris Country show
John Prine is in session

01. Bob Harris Intro  (0:27)
02. John Prine - Summers End (session)  (3:14)
03. Interview pt. 1  (6:40)
04. John Prine - Crazy Bone (session)  (3:26)
05. Interview pt. 2   (5:02)

Lineage: Denon FM tuner > WAVLAB 6 > FLAC 8
Recorded: thebasement67
 

BBC Radio 2 FM notes.
Earlier this year (2018) legendary singer/songwriter John Prine released his first album for 18 years. Tonight he plays songs from it and discusses his 50 year career with Bob.

Back in 1970, Prine was playing at the Chicago folk club The Fifth Peg when the young journalist Roger Ebert dropped in for a set. At the time, Prine was a 23-year-old mailman who had been singing his original songs every Thursday night for about two months. Ebert wrote a glowing review for the Chicago Sun- Times , essentially launching Prine’s music career. Kris Kristofferson became one of his earliest advocates; their friendship has lasted decades and they have toured together extensively over the years. In turn, Prine has invited a new generation of songwriters, such as Jason Isbell and Margo Price, to open his concerts. His 2018 tour schedule includes select dates with Sturgill Simpson.

Prine still remembers the first three songs he performed on any stage: “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There,” and “Paradise.” With humility, he recalls, “I sang those three songs and people just sat there and looked at me. I thought, ‘Wow, those are really bad.’ They wouldn’t even applaud.”

Of course, the opposite is true today. Those three songs are Prine signatures. His songs have been recorded by iconic singers like Johnny Cash (“Sam Stone”), Bette Midler (“Hello in There”) and Bonnie Raitt (“Angel from Montgomery”).

LINK 

#140 JOE BONAMASSA - At Maida Vale Studio (Flac)

Between 2006 and 2016, Joe Bonamassa was an annual guest on the Paul Jones Blues Show, broadcast by BBC Radio 2 FM (apart from 2012). Four sessions were recorded at the BBC’s Maida Vale studios in London during this time. These were split between two studio and two live in front of a small audience.

During the soundcheck for the 2010 live session at Maida Vale, Paul Jones interviewed Joe Bonamassa, and welcomed him back to the "scene of a previous triumph." It was a reference to Joe's second appearance on the show in 2008. That live session recorded in front of a small audience of about one hundred people, appeared on a Russian bootleg CD. 

Joe regales Paul Jones with the tale of how they were going to Russia for the first time, to play a couple of shows. On seeing this great theatre where they were scheduled to perform, Joe said, "This will be really terrible if only eighty people show up. Who knows us in Moscow? and apparently the guy, who was the biggest source of said bootlegs, had recommended us for this gig because our bootlegs were doing so well. We ended up selling the place out the first time, based on the strength of like, the Paul Jones show bootleg and a few albums that had the wrong covers and the wrong songs and stuff like that. So you go, well it's not so bad!"

This is the show that was bootlegged. There are numerous excellent high quality sounding officially released live shows on CD and DVD. In fact so many that in recommending a live show it was necessary to focus on something intimate and a bit different. 

I have selected this from the earlier formative years of Bonamassa's solo career. That this show helped him sell out a theatre on his first visit to Russia, is proof enough of its potency. Also included in the post is the first studio session at Maida Vale, broadcast in 2006. The final track has attracted the biggest ever response to a session performance on the Paul Jones' show.

Joe Bonamassa - At BBC Maida Vale Studio
BBC Radio 2 FM Broadcast - Feb 11, 2008

01. Bridge To Better Days (5:38)
02. So Many Roads (6:21)
03. [chat]    (5:13)
04. One Of These Days (5:57)
05. Sloe Gin (7:19)
06. [Question and Reply session] (7:12)
07. Woke Up Dreaming (4:11)
08. You Upset Me Baby (ft. Paul Jones) (5:06)
09. Just Got Paid (9:10)

Time: 56:13

LINK 1 

Joe Bonamassa - At BBC Maida Vale Studio
BBC Radio 2 FM Broadcast - Oct 19, 2006 (track 1 & 2) 
                                                 - Nov 23, 2006 (track 3)

01. Woke Up Dreaming (3:18)
02. Walk In My Shadow >
      So Many Roads >
      Bridge To Better Days (16:36)
03. Just Got Paid >
      Dazed & Confused instrumental section (9:46)

Time: 29:40

LINK 2