Saturday May 24th 1975. Do you remember what you were doing? It's quite a while back now, but a time when labels and tags weren't as important or as gleefully attached to every record that came out. While Led Zeppelin were enjoying a double weekend residency at the cavernous Earls' Court Arena - their fourth sell out night of 5 was underway - the perfectly titled Sensational Alex Harvey Band were concluding their most successful British Tour to date at the dame of London gig venues, Hammersmith Odeon.
18 dates this time around beginning at Newcastle City Hall on May 1st, running through some of the great town hall size venues in the UK. You know 'em - Glasgow Apollo, Sheffield City Hall, Southend Kursaal, Bradford St Georges Hall...... Been to many of them myself, institutions in the history of live music in this country for sure.
So by London the band were honed and ready. And the London show was a triumph. Only Sheffield on May 13th has survived and been circulated as a bootleg tape from this tour apart from London, so it's hard to know if this was a typical or dare I say standard show.
The soundboard tape from Hammersmith has the following track listing -
Intro Fanfare */Faith Healer *, Action Strasse **, Tomahawk Kid *, Give My Complements To The Chef *, Delilah *, Soul In Chains **, Tale Of The Giant Stone Eater **, Gang Bang **, Midnight Moses **, Vambo *, Tomorrow Belongs To Me **, Framed *.
Tracks marked * are from the original 'Live' LP/CD. Those marked ** are bonus tracks included in the new 14 disk box set 'The Last Of The Teenage Idols', which also includes a live version of Sgt Fury, listed as being from this show.
Curiously the box also includes live tracks from the Cardiff Capitol Theatre show, dating it May 20th (it's also been dated as May 22nd and Leicester De Montford Hall as the 20th...)
Curiously the box also includes live tracks from the Cardiff Capitol Theatre show, dating it May 20th (it's also been dated as May 22nd and Leicester De Montford Hall as the 20th...)
Anyway, as an elpee it is stunning. Faith Healer was always a wonderful opener, and widescreen evocative songs like Tomahawk Kid (love the 'grab my hairy hand and we'll skip across the sand' line) and Give My Complements to the Chef are brilliant, timeless and impossible to classify songs.
The original LP is getting hard to find in good condition now, with up to £20-25 the going price for a nice condition A1-2/B1-2 pressing. It came out on Samurai on CD with 5 bonus tracks, but they're from the 'Penthouse Tapes' studio elpee. In 2002 Universal/Mercury packaged together the back catalogue into 4 slimcase 2CD sets with card slip case outer sleeves. Live was paired with Penthouse Tapes. A good way to get the 8 elpees, though sadly without bonus tracks or curios.
With the huge (and hugely expensive) new box set out now, the time seems right to remaster and get the original elpees out there, in particular on vinyl...
For me it's such a shame that despite the fame and (possible) fortune their wonderful take on 'Delilah' gave them, the price was too high. I've met many music fans from the era that sadly see them as a joke, comedy band because of it. We know better, but the stigma remains. Sad.
The original LP is getting hard to find in good condition now, with up to £20-25 the going price for a nice condition A1-2/B1-2 pressing. It came out on Samurai on CD with 5 bonus tracks, but they're from the 'Penthouse Tapes' studio elpee. In 2002 Universal/Mercury packaged together the back catalogue into 4 slimcase 2CD sets with card slip case outer sleeves. Live was paired with Penthouse Tapes. A good way to get the 8 elpees, though sadly without bonus tracks or curios.
With the huge (and hugely expensive) new box set out now, the time seems right to remaster and get the original elpees out there, in particular on vinyl...
For me it's such a shame that despite the fame and (possible) fortune their wonderful take on 'Delilah' gave them, the price was too high. I've met many music fans from the era that sadly see them as a joke, comedy band because of it. We know better, but the stigma remains. Sad.
For me, SAHB live is a triumph and a fitting tribute to one of our finest bands.
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