The BAND – LIVE IN CALIFORNIA #2 (WCF copy 34/35 & REAL OLD TIME BAND

WCF’s first version came with dark blue/purple labels with silver print and in a gatefold sleeve. Compare this with the reissue in the copied Rubber Dubber folder-style cover – last entry below).

USA: 1971

The Band’s performance at Hollywood Bowl on July 10th, 1970, a VG to EX capture originally released by Rubber Dubber in two different versions under 70-006.

A deluxe one:

And a simple b & w cover version:

Finally, around 1974, with Rubber Dubber long out of business, WCF reissued this title and copied their original deluxe cover design with the following differences:

• While the front cover remained the same, the two circles on the back cover (“Rubber Dubber”and “$6”) were removed:

• the label designed reversed back to the WCF original label design stating “Band” and “Rubber” but these were now turquoise:

• Instead of a gatefold sleeve, the usual folder type outer sleeve construction was used:

This much later version is the one listed in HOTWACKS, giving the impression of listing a Rubber Dubber title with a WCF matrix.

***

THE BAND ‘LIVE BAND (# ONE)’ (LS-1 / WCF)

First stamp (I am not sure which came first at this point):

 

2nd stamp:

 

3rd stamp:

 

plus slip sheet:

I have only seen this with a red insert.

Plus with the WCF-typical title label:

 

 

USA, California, ca. 1970

Matrix: LS-1 or: Microgroove / A Jeff Charles Production LS-1 or: Contraband LS1

I am not sure if this was the first release WCF ever did but it must have been one of the first. HOTWACKS alluded that this was from their famous Hollywood Bowl performance in July of 1970 by way of the CBM title/clone What’Cha want Mama! (see below) but this was recorded in Pasadena, CA, probably at the Civic Auditorium in July of 1969.

About the recording – notes by Doinker:

“The Band – Mega-rare restored vinyl “Live Band” Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena CA 1969

This is a great show! But hey…

Let’s get one thing straight here: The recording isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be. For one thing, the moment the tape starts you know you’re listening to a good recording rig. This wasn’t recorded with cheap equipment, and it shows. It isn’t distorted, just a bit distant. Also the pressing (in this case a first pressing) is almost immaculate and runs very quiet. Correcting the speed slightly has also helped quite a bit. Believe me, you’ve heard far worse.

The performance is simply great. And, that’s where it counts.”

Setlist (Runtime about 40 minutes 36 seconds):

This Wheel’s On Fire
Baby, Don’t You Do It
I Shall Be Released
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
Don’t You Tell Henry
Rockin’ Chair
Organ Solo
Chest Fever
Jemima Surrender
Slippin’And Slidin’

 

CBM on the East Coast also released this recording under the following title:

 

Also a very early Contraband title, one of only a handful of stamped titles they did.

I will stick my neck out and bet that this pressing sounds worse than the one done by WCF and that WCF’s came first.

Does the matrix “Contraband LS1” mentioned above, which I got from the http://theband.hiof.no/albums/bootlegs.html really come from a WCF copy and it was just a coincidence? I have never found a matrix # for the CBM release).

 

Speaking of this type of GLC label – in defense of Heylin’s dating of a rare Dylan/The Band 1974 tour bootleg

The title given on bobsboots.com is We Didn’t Really Get It On.. (Dylan & The Band 1974)

A (rare) release sporting the same kind of GLC label(s) is this one, missed by Hot Wacks as well. It apparently exists with Dragonfly labels as well:

2LP DYLAN, BOB DYLAN & THE BAND 1974 DRAGONFLY RECORDS 4-11-ABCD Oakland, CA 2/11/74 black [from a list offered on iorr.org in 2010]

bobsboots.com believes that this album was made in 1974: “A very rare and misunderstood LP from 1974 from the folks that would become TMOQ-2. The confusion lies both with the relative unavailability of the LP, and with misinformation of earlier chronologies. The earlier guides, Cable and Hot Wacks, failed to list it altogether. As it doesn’t have an actual title, it has been referred to by several. “1974” and “Oakland” among them. Great White Answers gives it the title “We Didn’t Really Get It On Until Oackland” from a misspelling of a quote on the back insert. It also states that the cover is full printed. Most likely it never was. GWA also reports a blank label. While there might have been one or two blank, the labels were actually full printed with a “Great Live Concerts” label. More confusion set in with the publication of Raging Glory. It titles the set “Dylan & The Band 1974”. While it correctly lists the package features of two inserts and blue and yellow labels, it states that the set is a 1985 reissue of the original 1974 release. There was no reissue. “

While Heylin has placed it in in 1977 and seen in context with the other Vicki Vinyl releases – especially The Stones’ rock out – cock out * – and* the fact that this was also quoted to exist with Dragonfly labels leads me to believe that Heylin got it right and bobsboots is wrong here.

“The fact is, there were only a few copies manufactured in 1974 (Heylin suggests a 1977 date, although that would negate the theory of the piece being produced during the TMOQ changeover). They have inserts and full printed labels. GWA reported “Rolling Stones” LPs issued in the covers as well, but this is doubtful [Definitely with those labels, not sure how the “covers” comment is meant]. […] ”

8 stars      NMP250

gwa95
Matrix: # 411 A/B/C/D

Quality: More than decent, apparently.

http://www.bobsboots.com/boots/bt-w015.html

Source: Complete evening show at The Forum, Inglewood, CA, 11 February, 1974 states bobsboots.com but they played in Oakland that day. Evening show is correct though. The show was recorded and is up on wolfgangsvault:

http://www.concertvault.com/bob-dylan-and-the-band/oakland-coliseum-stadium-february-11-1974-late.html

“Wolfgang’s Vault posted the entire show on their site and it remains one of the nicest surprises in their Bob Dylan collection.
The setlist is virtually identical to New York two weeks before.  But the performance is much tighter. ”

Side 1: Most Likely You Go Your Way / Lay Lady Lay / Just like Tom Thumb’s Blues / Rainy Day Women No. 12 and 35 / It Ain’t Me, Babe / Ballad of a Thin Man / Stage Fright+                               Side two: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down+ / King Harvest+ / When You Awake +/ Up On Cripple Creek+ / All Along The Watchtower / Ballad of Hollis Brown / Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Side three: The Times / Just Like a Woman / Gates of Eden / Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright / It’s Alright Ma (I’m only bleeding) / Rag Mama Rag+ / This wheel’s on fire+                                             Side four: The Weight+ / Forever Young / Highway 61 / Like A Rolling Stone / Maggie’s Farm / Blowin’ In The Wind

+ = performed by The Band

 

The Forum, three days after the recording discussed here.

4010: BOB DYLAN/THE BAND / the band ‘down south’ :5050

 

Matrix: BD 4010 A,B,C,D

From an internet seller, who hopes to sell their copy for $160+:

“Charlotte, North Carolina, Thursday Evening, January 17, 1974 on original Contraband Records (pirate w eyepatch & knife in his teeth logos on labels and back cover INSERT). Front and back cover INSERTS are pasted, the back cover one is in red ink. Rare because it contains one song by THE BAND (“Stage Fright”) without BOB DYLAN. Also rare because this label only “copied” other releases from rival outfits, this concert however is unique & found only on this double album. The records (VG++) are VERY thick and very heavy! “

Song order on insert:

Side 1: Most likely you go your way and i’ll go mine/ Lay lady lay/ Tom thumb blues/ Rainy day women #12 & #35/ It ain’t me babe
Side 2: Ballad of a thin man/ Stage fright/ All along the watchtower/ Hollis brown/ Knockin’ on heaven’s door
Side 3:  The times they are a changing/ Don’t think twice/ Gates of Eden/ Just like a woman/ It’s all right ma
Side 4:  Forever young/ Something there is about you/ Like a rolling stone/ Encore: Most likely you go your way and i’ll go mine

Actual song order on the 2LP set:

Side 1:  The times they are a changing/ Don’t think twice/ Gates of Eden/ Just like a woman/ It’s all right ma                                                                                                                                                                Side 2: Most likely you go your way and i’ll go mine/ Lay lady lay/ Just like Tom thumb’s blues/ Rainy day women #12 & #35/ It ain’t me babe
Side 3: Ballad of a thin man/ Stage fright/ All along the watchtower/ Hollis brown/ Knockin’ on heaven’s door
Side 4:  Forever young/ Something there is about you/ Like a rolling stone/ Encore: Most likely you go your way and i’ll go mine

Hot Wacks rating: “Gm”

Actual song order at the show:

1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay Lady Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35
5. It Ain’t Me Babe
6. Ballad Of A Thin Man
7. Stage Fright (the Band)
8. The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down (the Band)
9. King Harvest (has surely come)(the Band)
10. This Wheel’s on Fire (the Band)
11. I shall be released (the Band)
12. Up on Cripple Creek (the Band)
13. All Along The Watchtower
14. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
15. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
16. The Times They Are A-Changin’ – (solo)
17. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – (solo)
18. Gates Of Eden – (solo)
19. Just Like A Woman – (solo)
20. It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) – (solo)
21. Rag Mama Rag (the Band)
22. When you Awake (the Band)
23. The Shape I’m in (the Band)
24. The Weight (the Band)
25. Forever Young
26. Something There Is About You
27. Like A Rolling Stone

28. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)

***

From bobsboots.com: “This 2 LP set was released in 1974 by CBM.
The front is a black & white insert photo from Chcago 1974 on a plain white or brown jacket.
Some early copies [as the King Kong version shown below proves, not just early copies] also include a red & white insert that has a 1974 interview, and track listings.

There is also a ‘deluxe’ red, generic CBM cartoon cover version of this release that includes the insert as well.

Black vinyl with various labels including: blank white, blank blue,Comet, Pirate, King Kong, or Godzilla. 

Complete show from Charlotte N.C. January 17, 1974.  Stage fright sung by the band. The song order is wrong on the insert. 5 stars (out of 10)”

“Most likely you go your way”, “Lay Lady lay”,  “Forever young”,  “Knockin’ on heaven’s door”, “The Times”,  “Don’t think twice” and “Just like a woman” were also released on the R.S. Records/Pig’s Eye release Aspects.

****

More from The Band’s set was released on a separate title, ca. 1974/5:

Finally an LP sighted on the Comet label.

Source: Charlotte, NC, Thursday Evening, January 17, 1974

Side 1: Stage Fright/ The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down/ King Harvest/ This Wheel’s on Fire

Side 2: I Shall Be Released/ Rag Mama Rag/ When You Awake/ The Shape I’m in/ The Weight

An eBay seller wrote “Excellent sound quality” but that just can’t be true. HW rating: “Satisfactory mono”.

***

From BOB DYLAN / THE BAND – a collectors guide to the 74 Tour:

“Tapes: There is NO tape of the Dylan set that circulates. The circulating tape is made from the bootleg Bob Dylan / The Band. The Band sets come from a different tape [is this really the case?].

 

LP: Bob Dylan / The Band  (1-6, 13-20, 25-28)

 

Aspects  (1-2, 15-17, 19, 25)

 

Deep South [sic] (The Band) (7-12, 21-24)”

THE BAND ‘WHAT’CHA WANT MAMA!’ : CBM / ‘LIVE Band # 2’ [34 / 35]

 

While the taped track list was certainly home-made, the rubber stamp title was probably not. So far, I have not seen this cover style before on a CBM release, definitely one of the early Contraband releases. Dated probably late 1970/1971. HOTWACKS claims this is from the Hollywood Bowl in 1970 but this is incorrect.

Source: Probably recorded at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in 1969. “Poor quality, pretty distant.”

Side 1: This Wheels On Fire / Baby Don’t Do It / I Shall Be Released / King Harvest / Don’t You Tell Henry                                                                                                                       Side 2: Rocking Chair / Chest Fever / Jemima Surrender / Slipping And Sliding

**

This material was also released by White Cover Folks (early Berkeley label) as LIVE BAND (# 1) – this release has been reviewed in detail in this post

“Various versions exist, at least three [I am actually aware of four] under two titles. All carry the number LS-1, also “Contraband LS1” and “Microgroove / A Jeff Charles Production LS-1” “

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1962: bob dylan the band royal albert hall

This was made from the plates of the classic TMOQ release GWW “ROYAL ALBERT HALL” (1966), which was released in 1971 (identified by the stamper as TMQ/RAH-115; later re-issued in 1973 as TMOQ 71017) . 

bobsboots claims this came out in 1974 but I would say that it was later. This printed b&w cover version came out around 1978.

Source: Free Trade Hall, Manchester on May 17th 1966 & London, May 26th. Taken from a CBS acetate of a planned live album.

Side 1: 
Tell me Mama 
I don’t believe you 
Baby let me follow you down 
Just like Tom thumb’s blues 

---

Side 2: 
Leopard skin pill box hat 
One too many mornings 
Ballad of a thin man 
Like a rolling stone