Leslie West's Wild West Show - Detroit, MI, Masonic Temple
July 14, 1973
Contrast clause RE torrent #740784 (removed from Dime 2/12/2012): December 1, 2015 re-upload of my original Dec. 2009 torrented show. Pitch correction by -3%; date correction; corrected, adjusted and updated cover artwork and info file.

Lineage: My master gen. CD-R (received in a 2003 trade)>EAC>Audacity, pitch correction by -3%> FLAC (level 8)>Dimeadozen>Youhoo!
Sound quality: 4 (out of 6)/vg++
mp3 sound sample in comments.
Cover artwork included and in comments (PDF files)

Track listing:
1. Never In My Life
2. Love Is Worth The Blues
3. The Doctor /
4. Rock & Roll Machine
5. I Found A Love*
6. Fire And Water
7. Summertime Blues
8. Guitar Solo /
9. Why Dontcha (cut)
10. Mississippi Queen/Roll Over Beethoven/Whole Lotta Shakin� Goin� On
11. Jenny, Jenny
Total Time: 74:26 min.

* Mitch Ryder solo spot

Line-up:
Leslie West � guitar & vocals
Peter Baron � guitar
Mitch Ryder � vocals
Tom Robb (+) � bass
Corky Laing � drums

Corrected, expanded, adjusted and updated info:
After "supergroup" trio West, Bruce & Laing had completed their only European tour with a show at Leeds University on April 26, 1973, they went straight into the studio to record their second album, �Whatever Turns You On�. After its completion, they were booked to tour the US in July 1973 and early August for backing the release. However, Jack Bruce was said to have fallen seriously ill before that tour commenced - which IMO is no wonder regarding that frantic schedule.

Lez & Corky still decided to continue their musical relationship and fulfill the commitments that were already booked for West, Bruce & Laing prior to their break-up. For that, West recruited the late fellow New Yorker Tom Robb ( + March 6, 2006) on bass, ex of Holy Smoke, a band fronted by gospel-rock singer Mylon Lefevre; Lez had contributed slide guitar to Mylon's 1972 album �Over The Influence�. On 2nd guitar, then 17 year-old Peter Baron - also hailing from NYC - was added, plus Mitch Ryder on (occasional) vocals. The whole thing went by the very apt name of �Leslie West�s Wild West Show� though they obviously played some of their shows still being billed as West, Bruce and Laing.

Prior to the tour Bud Prager, Lez' manager, had bought Ryder � whose career at that point seems to have been at an all-time low - out of his existing record deal and tried to re-launch his new recruit's career as support act to the Wild West Show plus giving him a featured spot within Lez' set. Lez obviously returned services: a recording of Mitch Ryder�s encore number �You Gotta Tell Her� from August 6, 1973 at the Schaefer Music Festival in NYC�s Central Park clearly features Lez West on a - long and searing � guitar solo. That was perhaps the last or one of the last Wild West shows as the quasi-reformed Mountain already embarked on their Japanese tour in late August 1973; that tour yielded the rather substandard official double live album "Twin Peaks".

Mitch Ryder once stated in an interview that he felt the Wild West Show were a great band but their management fluffed it completely so they couldn�t but break after their tour and without any recordings. At least, on the long run the break-up made way for the late 1973 to December 1974 Mountain reunion which I like a lot.

The set list here is very interesting, with a batch of not less than four WB&L numbers. That sure was only fair to the audiences as a large part surely were expecting to see that band. Also we get to hear, Lez� Brit tribute with Free�s �Fire & Water� (their only known rendition, and a stunner is it, too), The Who�s (if you will) �Summertime Blues�, and �Jenny, Jenny� which Fleetwood Mac had done on their 1969/1970 US tour. The set shows that Lez always had more than a soft spot for British rockers as numerous cover versions on his subsequent solo albums would confirm.

This show is one of only two known to be circulating recordings of this band - the other is a much shorter set from their July 12 show at the Toronto Varsity Stadium in support of Humble Pie (though Lez' band were not mentioned on the ticket). They also supported Sly and the Family Stone at NYC's Louis Armstrong Stadium on July 8, 1973 (see picture on inner front cover).

The band just smoked and you can clearly hear how enthused the Detroit audience responded. Lez was really taken by that as he told them: �You are FANTASTIC! You should be up here, and we should be out there�!

The reason why I decided to re-up this show is that I just found the ad for the show on the net which finally reveals the correct date for the show (which had always been subject to speculation among Mountainatix; itb is depicted on the back cover. Plus, by listening to the show again on this happy occasion, I noticed it ran fast so I corrected that too by -3% by comparing NEVER IN MY LIFE with Mountain's version on the official (and Lez-sanctioned) 2000 King Biscuit Flower Hour CD release.

NOT FOR SALE. And please do not spread this lovely show in lossy formats.

And as always, my Personal Pillorying Pleasure and ceterum censeo: Screw you Sh*tyoda F*ckords (and likeminded crookleggers), this show is NOT MEANT FOR SALE. I know you give a sh*t but I take my freedom to tell you what I think of you.

Re-uploaded to Dimeadozen by Docdondy on December 1, 2015 for everybody here and out there in Mountainatic collectorland to enjoy - and share!

Lez ahoy!
Th:-)mas