vg+/ex- SBD ??unknown generations?? cassette tape> CDR
Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, April 24, 1972
For the longest time, fans of rock power trios have wondered why when West, Bruce and Laing's Live 'n' Kickin' album was reissued on CD in 2004, it did not include any bonus tracks? The original LP stuck two songs on either side for a total of 40 mins.
An ROIO has surfaced with a super long version of their cover of The Rolling Stones' Play With Fire plus the omitted encore a cover of Cream's Sunshine Of Your Love. The meeting was less than fortuitous. Bruce needed a new vehicle to earn some income after his critically acclaimed albums failed to sell in super quantities. West was star struck at the Cream bassist's legend and leapt at the opportunity, pulling in Laing. End of history.
"This album [Live 'n' Kickin'] came out in 1972 or so and was on vinyl and there is only so much space on a vinyl long playing record.
"Live 'n' Kickin' was recorded at a place called the Orpheum Theater in Boston, Massachusetts. The songs were edited. Now you know the rest of the story."
Some trimming was made to fit four songs onto two sides of an LP which was then released in May 1974, after the band had already split. West, Bruce & Laing recorded only two studio albums with the live album arriving after the trio had gone their separate ways. The trio played Carnegie Hall in New York and that show must have been recorded as well.
What we have here is a full one-hour concert with a super long cover of The Rolling Stones' Play With Fire in two parts with a drum solo in between. Almost 23 mins long with Jack Bruce and Leslie West trading vocals. On the official release taken from the concert in Boston on April 27, the track is 13.26m long.
The trio's version of Sunshine Of Your Love is 13mins long. Omits two tracks - Politician and Powerhouse Sod - as these while having a few extra seconds are the same as the released version.
It remains a mystery if more is in the vaults. During the 1972 tour to promote their debut album Why Don'tcha, the trio also played several Mountain tunes plus the Cream covers.
Leslie West - guitar & vocals
Corky Laing - drums
Jack Bruce - bass