Chain - Live (1969-70 aussie, extraordinary blues rock with experimental mood, 2010 Aztec remaster)

If there is one Australian band that deserves the oft-overused adjective "legendary", then that band would be Chain. As has been stated many times, the name Chain is synonymous with blues of the highest order and integrity. Originally formed in 1968, and except for a gap between 1974 and 1982, the band has continued in one form or another to this day. 

The five key figures in the saga of Chain are Warren Morgan, Phil Manning, Matt Taylor, the late Barry 'Big Goose' Sullivan and Barry 'Little Goose' Harvey but there have been numerous musicians who have passed through the ranks. Morgan, Manning and Taylor each assumed leadership at one lime or another, with the two Gooses comprising the best rhythm section the band has ever known. Inevitably, at any given time the fundamental nature of Chain has been shaped by the particular musicians present. Still, with all the comings and goings, there is one thing of which we can be sure: Chain "the whole" will always be greater than the sum of its parts. 

This portion of the story covers the years 1968 up to the end of 1970, the period preceding the release of thc landmark Australian blues album Toward The Blues and thc enduring hit single 'Black and Blue”. Specifically, we'll focus on the Live Chain version of the band, headed by Morgan and Manning. This is thc first reissue of the album since its original release (Festival SFL-933926) in October 1970. With three bonus tracks added for good measure it makes for compelling listening.

Tracks
1. The World is Wailing (Morgan, Manning, Sullivan, Harvey) -12:11
2. Black and White (Warren Morgan) -12:30
3. Pilgrimage (Harvey, Sullivan, Mason, Morgan, Manning) - 8:40
4. Gen rude Street Blues (Phil Manning) - 6:01
5. Chaser (Sullivan, Mason, Harvey, Morgan, Manning) - 7:13
6. On The Road Again (Glyn Mason) - 4:34
7. Show Me Home (Phil Manning) - 3:27
8. Mr. Time (Warren Morgan) - 4:55
Tracks 1-6 recorded  live at Caesar's Palace, Sydney. July 1970
Tracks 7 and 8 Single Festival FK-3331, October 1969

Chain
*Phil Manning - Guitar, Vocals
*Warren Morgan - Electric, Acoustic Piano, Vocals
*Glyn Mason - Guitar, Vocals
*Barry 'Big Goose' Sullivan - Bass
*Barry 'Little Goose' Harvey - Drums
*Tim Piper - Bass (Tracks 7 and 8)
*Claude Papesch - Organ (Tracks 7 and 8)
*Ace Follington - Drums (Tracks 7 and 8)

more Chain
1971  Toward The Blues
1973  Two Of A Kind

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The Yardbirds - Five Live Yardbirds (1964 uk, clasic live, blues 'n' roll, 2007 Repertoire digi pack with extra tracks release)

Five Live Yardbirds was the first important -- indeed, essential -- live album to come out of the 1960s British rock & roll boom. In terms of the performance captured and the recording quality, it was also the best such live record of the entire middle of the decade. 

Cut at a Marquee Club show in 1964 , Five Live Yardbirds was a popular album, especially once Eric Clapton's fame began to spread after leaving the band. Although the album didn't appear officially in the United States until its CD release by Rhino in the late 1980s, four of its tracks -- "Smokestack Lightning," "Respectable," "I'm a Man," and "Here 'Tis" -- made up one side of their classic U.S. album Having a Rave Up, and the British EMI LP became a very popular import during the early 1970s as a showcase for both the band and the playing of Eric Clapton. 

That album had astonishingly good sound, which was not the case with any of the reissues that followed, on vinyl or CD -- even Rhino's compact disc suffered from blurry textures and noise, though it was an improvement over any release since the original EMI LP. The 1999 Repertoire Records reissue is the first CD that matches the clarity and sharpness of the original LP, and along with that improvement, their original concert has been very sensibly expanded with a half-dozen live cuts from roughly the same period, recorded at the Crawdaddy Club. 

Among them is a killer live version of the Billy Boy Arnold classic "I Wish You Would."There's also a pair of live tracks from German television in 1967 -- "I'm a Man" and "Shapes of Things"; the two, in a flash, make up for what they lack in perfect fidelity. 

by Bruce Eder

Tracks
1.Too Much Monkey Business (C. Berry) - 3.52
2. I Got Love If You Want It (Moore) - 2.40
3. Smokestack Lightning (C. Burnett) - 5.35
4. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Demarais) - 2.44
5. Respectable (Isley, Isley, Isley) - 5.35
6. Five Long Years (E. Boyd) - 5.21
7. Pretty Girl (E. McDaniels) - 3.00
8. Louise (John Lee Hooker) - 3.43
9. I'm A Man (E. McDaniels) - 4.33
10. Here'tis(E. McDaniels) - 5.10
11. Smokestack Lightning (C. Burnett) - 6.47
12. You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover (W. Dixon) - 2.55
13. Let It Rock (C. Berry) - 2.17
14. I Wish You Would (B. Arnold) - 5.53
15. Who Do You Love (E. McDaniels) - 2.17
16. Honey In Your Hips (K. Relf) - 5.53
17. I'm A Man (E. McDaniels) - 4.13
18. Shapes Of Things (Samwell-Smith , Relf , McCarty) - 2.27

The Yardbirds
*Eric Clapton – Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Chris Dreja – Rhythm Guitar
*Jim McCarty – Drums
*Keith Relf – Lead Vocals Harmonica, Maracas
*Paul "Sam" Samwell-Smith – Bass Guitar, Vocals

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