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The Guess Who - Mobile, Alabama Aug 14, 1971 (1971)

Track listing:
CD1
  1. Undun 3:30
  2. Albert Flasher 3:10
  3. No Sugar Nature 6:12
  4. Come Down Off the Money Bag / Dog / Humpty Blues 8:25
  5. Hang On To Your Life 4:16
  6. So Long Bannatyne 6:41
  7. These Eyes 4:23
  8. Rain Dance 3:19
  9. Hand Me Down World 4:03
CD2
  1. American Woman 10:58
  2. Drum Solo 11:09
  3. Doo Wop 1:55
  4. Boogie Woogie 2:21
  5. American Woman (Reprise) 1:47
  6. Share The Land 4:21
  7. No Time 5:26

Notes


Municipal Auditorium

Audience

“A rare and special find occurred recently when I made contact with a fellow who had done an audience tape of The Guess Who in Mobile, Alabama in 1971. Included with the tape was a portion of the ticket stub, a newspaper review of the show from the next day as well as photos taken by our taper; all of which made for a wonderfully preserved and documented event. The sound quality of this recording varies. He missed the first song (Bus Rider) and there is some sound bleed during that comes through during the drum solo of American Woman. Apart from this though, the show is tremendous. This concert occurred just days after the release of the So Long Bannatyne album and here we have a rare performance of the title track that is clear and sensational. Burton was definitely in fine form that evening and his optimism permeates the recording throughout. Again, we get an excellent performance of Money Bag by Leskiw and the guitar work by both Greg and Kurt is vital and credible.

There is no question from listening to these recordings that Burton was excited about the new phase on which The Guess Who had embarked. Buoyed by the success of Share The Land and the respectable follow-up single Albert Flasher, The Guess Who had every reason to be optimistic and positive about their future musical success. There is an energy in the singing and playing, particularly in the Mobile show. The Guess Who had evolved from a successful "Pop Music Singles Band" (that had been carefully cultivated by Randy) into a harder-edged serious rock ensemble lead by the writing team of Kurt Winter and Burton Cummings and the distinctive lead vocals. By now, Cummings was no longer imitating others. With Albert Flasher, Share The Land, and Hang On To Your Life, Burton had established his own voice, one that would be recognized by many as the greatest voice in rock music.