Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels, The Last Roundup (Bijou Cafe, Philadelphia, March 16, 1973).

This is a live CD restored from an old cassette tape that belonged to a member of the Fallen Angels and found its way into the hands of the owner of Amoeba Records and Gram's daughter. The drums and bass are poorly recorded, but the steel guitar and particularly the vocals are prominent and pleasing to the ear. Lead guitar is performed by Jock Bartley, who went on to form Firefall after Gram's untimely death.

It's a genuine pleasure to spend 80 minutes with Gram and Emmylou Harris, singing country covers (e.g., Merle Haggard's "California Cotton Fields," Flying Burrito Brothers ("My Uncle"), and The Byrds ("Drugstore Truck Drivin' Man"). They also cover the J. Geils Band ("Cry One More Time") and perform a rock and roll medley that includes "Boney Maronie" and "Hang On Sloopy." Great stuff, and it once again reminds me how much is lost when an artist of Gram Parsons' caliber exits the stage too early.

Upcoming gigs... Marillion, in about half a hour.

I'm in Aylesbury, enjoying the Waterside Theatre once again. It's quite the hotbed of prog. Will be back up to see Steve Hackett in a month or so.

Cheers

Nick

I saw Sam at Sidmouth with Nic in the audience. It was a brilliant concert. Would love to see it again.

I saw Sam doing his Nic Jones set on Saturday at the Durham Festival. We got a good set including three songs from Penguin Eggs and some chat about how he first approached the Jones family to see if they were okay with him performing the songs. And his nerve-racking gig at Sidmouth when Nic was in the audience.

Must admit I felt a bit emotional singing along to The Little Pot Stove. It is a wonderful song though.

Definitely top tier Al,  for me.

Al Stewart Famous Last Words - 33 years old today!

Thursday night I'm off to see Sam Carter doing his Nic Jones set in Exeter.  Don't really know Sam Carter, other than that he was in False Lights (who I wish I had seen live), but the videos I've seen on Youtube look promising for this.

Then on Sunday night it's up to Bath to see Big Big Train. Their Woodcut album is one of my albums of the year.

Cherry Red have also announced yet another Iain Matthews boxset (https://www.cherryred.co.uk/iain-matthews-keep-on-sailing-the-elektra-years-1972-1974-5cd-box-set), this time covering the Valley Hi and Sometimes You Eat the Bear... albums.  I have bought all the others (and the Plainsong Following Amelia one), so may get this one too to complete the set. Due out in December.

Pete Atkin  at Durham Folk Festival.

My first ever PA gig,  after decades as a fan.
His set was all too short,  but a delight.  

Wednesday night - Bruno Mars at the Alamodome in San Antonio! My granddaughter has been looking forward to this since I bought the tickets in the spring. This is on par with seeing Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber - tickets were hard to come by and the crowd is going to be huge and wild. Also, it’s on a school night and 100 miles away. It’s guaranteed to be an ordeal, but I’m hoping to make some lasting memories for us both.

Thursday - Allison Krauss and Union Station cancelled. She’s on vocal rest and I hope and pray she’s okay. She’s a fabulous singer.

Saturday and Sunday - Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival. I bought tickets for both days last spring, when Pete Townshend was on the bill. Last month, Pete dropped out due to recovery from hip replacement surgery. For that reason, I listed my Sunday tickets for resale, but I’m not optimistic given the availability of tickets at face value. I may just have to see Eric two days in a row, which would be okay with me. The Wayback Machine tells me I’ve seen Eric Clapton eight times since February 1983 (“Money and Cigarettes” Tour). But I also know I saw the ARMS Concert in Dallas later that same year (Eric, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck), so this will be our tenth time to breathe the same air. EC is a complicated individual, but he has been an idol of mine since I first heard “Cocaine” on the FM radio in 1978.