The last time we ran one of these Wolfgang’s Vault-related contests, no one won, which given the rules of the game makes me think that no one may have even bothered to enter!
While that original contest is still open for anyone brave enough to listen to and report back to the Halls of Rock on a 1984 Billy Idol show, I thought you might be game for a more perverse show: The Kiki Dee Band live at Robertson Gym, in Santa Barbara, CA, in 1974! Here’s an excerpt of the concert description:
It was during the American tour promoting the release of her I’ve Got The Music In Me album that this recording was made. Opening for Steely Dan at Robertson Gym on the campus of UCSB in Santa Barbara, this set captures the Kiki Dee Band in their prime. Dee had assembled a remarkable band for this tour which featured Toby “Bias” Boshell, a veteran of the British folk-rock band Trees as her musical director on keyboards. The group also featured ex-Joan Armatrading guitarist Jo Partridge, veteran Liverpool drummer Pete Clarke, bassist Mike Wedgewood, and B.J. Cole, one of the greatest and most widely respected British session musicians on pedal steel guitar.
Who even knew Kiki Dee had her own Band? I know I’m not British and aware of a fraction of that nation’s minor pop stars, but I never considered that Kiki Dee existed beyond singing with Elton John on the charming “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. Am I forgetting an appearance on AbFab or a single with Pet Shop Boys?*
The rules are simple: Be the first Townsperson to listen to this archived concert and report your impressions back to the list. The winner will receive a choice between the Gap Mangione album of his or her choice or the patented RTH No-Prize!
I dare you, Rock Town Hall!
*What do you know–I just checked the clip that kicks off this post, and I totally forgot about the title track from the album she was touring behind in 1974!
I don’t have time to listen to the show right now, but I will drop a slightly germane factoid that I saw the Replacements at this same venue in 1989. Good show, terrible acoustics. Seriously, I don’t know know what your high school gym was like, but mine was like this place.
Okay, I didn’t mean to threadjack.
A fine audio store around here where I’ve dropped a pretty fair amount of money over the years had all kinds of different things to listen to when auditioning amps, speakers and turntables or cd players. I always brought my own stuff in, but sometimes the salesman I used to deal with would put something on of his choice to show off some kind of feature.
I can’t remember what he was trying to prove to me when he had I Got the Music In Me rattling the windows on a stereo I could never afford. I can distinctly remember this guy in a tie with the biggest smile on his face, dancing around to Kiki Dee and yelling about “that Macintosh sound, man!” It was pretty funny.
Mr. Man reminisces:
“that Macintosh sound, man!”
I remember:
Going to the large, almost barren McMansion of a guy I knew in high school who was an oral surgeon now, and who had all the latest doo-das in his house, granite counters, the huge stainless fridge “beers in the fridge!” We go over and open the fridge, which was empty – not so much as a stick of margarine, and the two drawers at the bottom were filled with cans of Coors Light. I was kind of taken aback, and could even glance at my What Would Nietsche Do? bracelet.
Then he takes us into the “living room” where there is a Steinway baby grand, and a Macintosh stereo, each component of which costs, what, five grand or more? And the speakers were shoved out of the way at right angles to each other (that is almost as pince nez is I get audiophile-wise, but the speakers should be placed at least somewhat correctly if you’ve dropped 25 Gs on your system.) He flips through his CDs and puts on Toto. Toto. I said he put on Toto. So we all just stand there, stunned, listening to the most decibels of the biggest poo at more dollars per decibel than any of us could process.
Hey now! Is this contest a ruse to get us to register at WV?! I mean, I’ve outed myself as possibly, actually listening to this (the tracklist does not look promising), but jumping through hoops for pre-“fame” Kiki Dee is just not something I’m prepared to do. Right now. Let’s see what happens after I finish my coffee.
That said, I think there are 1 1/2 references above to what I call “Expensive music”. Chiefly the realm of major labels, only the most promoted artists get to make Expensive Music, because all of that studio time has to be balanced by dreams of big sales. Steely Dan is possibly the originator of Expensive Music, though Frank Zappa had been pursuing it underground for some years previous. Once these two lines converged, possibly at 10cc in the mid/late 70s, EM became the cherry to which all Pop artists aspired, working for the day in which they could thank Teletronix, Pultec and/or Fairchild on the back of their album.
Now, I don’t blame a stereo salesman for playing an album with the priciest signal path EVAR, but come on. Ya gotta know your customer.
Mod and others: you’ll be interested/not very surprised, I bet to learn that the new go-to album for
a.) studios testing their kick-ass, $20,000 monitors
b.) hi-fi assholes testing their kick-ass, $5,000 speakers
… is “Spilt Milk” by Jellyfish. It’s the new “Aja.”
‘Course, it’s not really new anymore, I guess. But studio/stereo assholes aren’t really ever in the now anyhow.
“Spilt Milk” by Jellyfish. It’s the new “Aja.”
I laughed my ass off. Every time somebody shows off their new stereo they play Jellyfish (ok, among my 3-4 favorite bands of the 1990’s)
I go for Hollywood Town Hall by The Jayhawks or Moon Safari by AIR
I would imagine that Hollywood Town Hall would be a great hi-fi testing record!