The James Gang @ Cleveland, OH 1976-12-27

 THE JAMES GANG

Monday, 27 December 1976

The Agora
1730 East 24th Street
Cleveland, Ohio  44103
USA


FLAC master, 27 December 2017, by elegmart:
Analog soundboard recording (stereo): WMMS 101 (Cleveland) pre-FM master reel > DAT master > CDR > TDK (Taiyo Yuden base) silver swirl 80-minute CDR {trade, c. 2001-2006} > EAC (WAV extraction, secure mode) > SHNtool (joined all WAVs) > Cool Edit Pro 2.0 (audio cleanup) > SHNtool (fixed SBE) > CD Wave (track splits) > TLH (WAV > FLAC8).
Created this text file.


Total running time  [53:13]
--------------------------------------------
01  introduction [0:08]
02  Hollywood Dream [4:15]
03  When I Was a Sailor [8:50]
04  I Need Love [3:47]
05  Feelin' Alright [4:26]
06  Peasant Song [3:38]
07  Tend My Garden [7:08] >
08  Asshtonpark/Silent Night [3:28] >
09  Standing in the Rain [4:55]
10  Walk Away [3:37]
-- encore --
11  Funk #49 [3:59]
12  band introductions [0:52]
13  Rock My Plimsoul [4:05]


Band line-up:
Bob Webb – guitars, lead and backing vocals
Phil Giallombardo – keyboards, lead and backing vocals, piano
Dale Peters – bass guitar, backing vocals
Jim Fox – drums, percussion, backing vocals

https://we.tl/t-HccPAQV22m

Notes:

This was shared here once before by boeditaper about six years ago on its 35th anniversary, except that it was misdated as December 23rd. That one was sourced from an unknown generation cassette, had some tracks mistitled, and wasn't the complete show.

This is a second CDR generation away from a DAT of the pre-FM, although that doesn't quite explain the 16K banding, but regardless, this is probably as clean as you'll get. In addition, some rework was done on this to bring out the details. If you're whining about why this couldn't be one of the prior configurations with Joe, Domenic, or Tommy -- well, go hunt those down and share them here. If you're an OJG (old James Gangsta), the purist in you might prejudice yourself from cranking this up on your system and giving it the fair shake it deserves, but just keep in mind you've still got the original rhythm section pumping along here on the classics. Oh, and don't forget, Phil Giallombardo was in the very first incarnation of the James Gang before Joe ever joined. As for Bob Webb, he was in Joe's pre-James Gang band The Measles (aka Lacewing, who put out one decent psych LP), and purportedly taught Joe a thing or two on electric guitar, and later played in Barnstorm. But fair enough, even with the authentic pedigree, the weakest songs of this set are the ones off their then recent album "Jesse Come Home," which comprise the first half of this. They ignore everything from the Troiano period, but once they dip into the older repertoire with one Bolin number thrown in, the show starts cooking. The band is basically playing to a hometown crowd, who eat it up despite ending on an off-kilter cover of the Jeff Beck Group covering B.B. King.

This show was part of Cleveland radio station WMMS' Nights Out at the Agora, which they would tape on Monday nights and then broadcast on Wednesday nights at 10:00PM. That's the first hint to corroborate the date on this. The second comes at the end when they wish the audience a Happy New Year. Had this taken place on the 23rd instead of the 27th, it's more than likely Christmas would have been mentioned instead.

Over the years on dime, EZT, the Archival Group, and through all the various and assorted other trading groups online preceding that, and the CDR, DAT, and analog cassette traders which came before, I've gathered a moderate collection of items to share. I've helped with transfers (the Cactus and related uploads from over a decade ago here, and currently a bite out of the massive Stonecutter Archives), contributed setlists and corrections to many a torrent -- all the sort of things that don't raise one's share ratio. I've shared some of my masters back in the old snail mail days, but it's high time to give back more here from where I've received so much. I had meant to do a roll-out with something grand and possibly a series (Elegymart #1, #2, etc.), but that's been done countless times before.

At this point not only have we've all aged along with dime's existence, but our media and the equipment that can play it back has as well. So rather than any fanfare or concern over share ratio, consider this upload another step in a more diligent attempt to beat the time and to circulate the collection.

Enjoy,
elegymart