Al Kooper
1984-11-02 Northampton, Massachusetts Iron Horse Early Show (M-AUD)

01. Just One Smile
02. My Days Are Numbered
03. --dialogue--
04. The Modern Adventures Of Plato, Diogenes & Freud (*)
05. Drown In My Own Tears
06. House In The Country
07. I Want You
08. Caress Me Baby
09. Hit The Road Jack
10. --dialogue--
11. I Bought You The Shoes
12. I Love You More Than Words Can Say -> Long Gone Lonesome Blues
13. A New Fashioned Love Song// (**)
14. --plays taped strange telephone call to parents--

Total Time ::: 1:14:05

::: Very fine audience recprding in a small club but some problems as noted below. Check samples for eartestation or earanticipation.
::: Warts: Microphone bumps at times due to stealth taping as I was too in the open... Al switched to electric guitar on track 8 & there were definite volume problems after that as the levels were all over the map (so there are a few bursts of distortion). Track 13 has real problems.
::: (*) Al forgets words after 3 minutes of track 4 & stops playing.
::: (**) cuts/spliced - probably changing batteries...

Recording Information ::: Sony WM-D6 portable cassette deck with a Sony ECM-929LT stereo microphone (courtesy of Lochner) -> master Maxell XLII-90 stereo audience cassette, Dolby B on.

Playback circa 2000 ::: master Maxell XLII-90 stereo audience cassette on Nakamichi BX-300 cassette deck or some Onkyo I gforget the number for, Dolby B on, azimuth & pitch adjusted, heads cleaned & demagnatized -> HHB CDR-800 recorder. Playback 2012 ::: CD-R into computer with EAC -> Audacity (fades &/or glitches, dropouts, volume adjustments, no EQ) -> CD Wave (track splits) -> Trader's Little Helper -> yer ears. First uploaded week of 2012-08-25.

Line-up ::: Al Kooper - piano, electric guitar, vocals.

Nothing here ever commercially released to my knowledge. If I'm wrong, please advise & I'll take the offending trax offline.

CoolSonics 182 ::: Corrections welcome ::: Very surprising how few tapes of Al we have altogether considering what an important figure he has been over the years. Thanks to Davmar for keeping the small treasure trove that exists alive. We still have relatively few Blues Project tapes, only 1 live BST with Al & almost no early "Al Kooper" shows at all, the late 60s & 70s when he had so many solo albums a virtually dustbowl except for Upsala & the Recod Plant. I got to see some great Blues Project reunions & cruised down for Al's 50th birthday events at the Bottom Line, but these Iron Horse gigs were pretty special, as they are the only times I have seen him solo live for more than a few songs. Too bad this Early Show, which was the more inspired of the two that night, had more taping issues than the Late Show, but that's life. A master at work & no mistake. Enjoy (and sorry 'bout the mike bumps but Al was lookin' at our table & the mike kept havin' to take nose dives under it!). Late Show to follow.

Kudos to Zongo for life support, Lochner for mikes&more & Fast Freddie for runnin' Video Dick's Record Emporium with the bathroom office full of tape decks. Thanks to Hanwaker (few among us can keep his pace). Mountains of gratitude to Davmar, D.White, Sanchez, Elliot, The Florida Kid, Kloiber, Zingg, JTW, Bershaw, Boston Gold, Weeks, Dixon, Moore, Gough & SO many more for all that collecting & sharing... Royal thanks to The Man In The Palace, Doc Tinker, Brinkhoffs, Barely Eatin', Reel Master Gaule, Parrish & all the traders who housed me thru my music acquisition & travel years. Hats off to Brother Kent, Uncle Jake, Little Queenie (& her neighbor Frank) & his honor Ptomaine Thomas. Glasses raised to Byron for musical horizon expansion & much obliged to J & Thurston for keepin' my concert fires burnin' since my continental shift. Thanks to the Mods for keepin' DIME alive. Enjoy, share, give, spread peace. Yers truly, Knees

Support the artists! www.alkooper.com

Do whatever you want with it except sell it, 'cause that ain't cool!