Live at the Manchester Free Trade Hall

Live at the Manchester Free Trade Hall Artist: Jack Bruce
Label: Ume Imports
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 2


UPC: 004406560724
EAN: 0004406560724
ASIN: B00008LKHR


Release Date: 2003-05-20

Live at the Manchester Free Trade Hall


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Tracks:

  1. Can You Follow?
  2. Morning Story
  3. Keep It Down
  4. Pieces Of Mind
  5. Tickets To Waterfalls/Weird Of Hermiston/Post War
  6. Spirit

Tracks:

  1. One/You Burned The Tables On Me
  2. Smiles And Grins
  3. Sunshine Of Your Love

Similar Items:

  1. Live on the Old Grey Whistle Test: BBC Live in Concert
  2. Jet Set Jewel
  3. Out of the Storm
  4. Harmony Row
  5. Songs for a Tailor

Album Description

This two CD set is the only known recording of Jack's band from the 1975 tour of the UK. Jack's stellar band of Carla Bley, Mick Taylor (ex-Rolling Stones) & Ronnie Leahy run through a blistering set which culminates with a 12 minute version of the Cream classic, 'Sunshine Of Your Love'. Nine remastered previously unreleased tracks recorded at Manchester Free Trade Hall, June 1st, 1975. Polydor. 2003.

Album Details

This Double CD Set is the Only Known Recording of Jack's Band from the 1975 Tour of the UK. Jack's Stellar Band of Carla Bley, Mick Taylor (Ex-rolling Stones) and Ronnie Leahy Run Through a Blistering Set which Culminates with a 12 Minute Version of the Cream Classic "Sunshine of Your Love".

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Ragged Glory - The Jack Bruce Band Live And Raw.......2006-07-24

Those who expect digitized acoustic perfection are advised to look elsewhere; this is a raw recording of a live show. If you can see beyond that limitation then you have a real treat in store. This concert recording, only recently discovered, is from an exceedingly interesting period in Bruce's career, demonstrating broad ranging interests that spanned jazz, rock, and even classical. (Bruce once noted that one might easily learn music theory simply by studying the baselines of Bach.)

In addition to Bruce, who is spectacular on bass and vocals, it features "dream team" members Carla Bley and Mick Taylor. (Bruce had worked on Bley's astounding "Escalator Over The Hill" some years earlier.) Ronnie Leahy also plays keyboards while Bruce Gary is clearly working up a sweat kicking skins.

As an insufferable musical snob who has performed music I am always drawn to live performances because I believe this is where one separates the Cheese from the Cheese Whiz. Today, almost anybody (no matter how talentless) with time, money, and access to a studio can sound good - examples are so easy to find I don't feel compelled to provide one. But for musicians to set up and play this well live - in Manchester! - that's another story. And to do it with no after-the-fact sweetening, well, now you know you've got genius on your hands.

The program is built around Bruce, his incredibly athletic bass lines and high-octane vocals carry the day. However, the show's only instrumental number, the Tony Williams composition Spirit, is the jewel here. Set smack dab in the show's center, this track takes you down in front of the stage for a visceral sense of what it was like to witness this exceptional performance. Always nice to see a kid from Glasgow do well.

3 out of 5 stars Well i dont agree with the other reviewers.......2003-10-02

Well, i am re-writting my review of this cd after i gave it a couple more spins. I like Jack Bruce's more experimental work (like what he did with don cherry and carla bley) and some of his duos, and other recent stuff too. So, since this had carla Bley in this particular band, i thought things would go (at least a bit) down that road. But the playing is actually lame in some parts, and others will sound just plain dated. No wonder Carla and Mick Taylor walked out of the band after a few gigs. BUT there are some wonderful parts here too. I have to admit it is an acquired taste ...so give it a couple of chances before sending it to the used cd store.

5 out of 5 stars amazing performances.......2003-05-17

It's hard to listen to this and believe that the tapes lay in a vault somewhere for 28 years! Some of this sounds like advanced Cream, some of it sounds like King Crimson. All of it stunning. The rough mix and occassional "pops" and "noises" do not detract at all, in my opinion. A better recording would have been great, but I've heard MUCH worse than this. I'm not going to go over each track and review. If you are even reading this then you already must be somewhat of a Jack Bruce fan and if you dont have this already then get it-got it!

4 out of 5 stars A fiery performance...and a rough mix.......2003-05-15

Perhaps I should qualify the 4 star rating first...

This performance from June of 1975 truly showcases the insane mastery of Jack Bruce and friends (including the fabulous Carla Bley on keys & synth, Bruce Gary on drums). This band was hot - and their seamless performance shines like the best of rock fusion circa this period.

Now, as I found out in the liner notes, these tracks were actually from a rough-mix master made sometime in August of 1975 when the multitrack still existed, indicating that this live performance could have been a release around that time. Unfortunately, that never happened, and this stereo rough mix was the only remaining master.

What does rough mix mean? For starters, no more multitrack, stereo only. Generally when the mix engineer is selectively listening to a performance (live or studio) he/she tends to get a little experimental with instrument balances, play with faders and EQ, and keep the voice very up front and clear. This is indeed the case here. What's missing? Well, Jack's bass is fairly buried on several of the tracks, and Carla is merely heard in the background. This is a shame because both of them (along with Ron Leahy and Mick Taylor) were really playing their hearts out - and unfortunately, some of it gets a little lost.

What *do* you get? Well, for one, Jack's voice never sounded hotter, and the clarity and depth of his vocal in this show will astound you. Though the drums tend to go from slightly buried to 'just right', you never lose the groove, and the pace and precision is incredible. If nothing else, just to have a *complete show* with inter-song banter and announcements makes the price of this disc worth it. I mean, how often today can you actually buy the 'full' concert? Not very...and the rendition of "Sunshine", though slightly lyrically bizarre, is very good and again, a hot take on an old fave.

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