Roger Miller, Spencer Davis, Phil Ochs & Chuck E. Weiss
The Troubadour
West Hollywood, California
August 31, 1975
JF Archive Series Vol. 29 via JEMS

01 talk & introduction
02 Stephen Foster (Roger Miller)
03 talk
04 Somewhere There's a Lady (Roger Miller)
05 talk & introduction to Spencer Davis
06 The Day I Jumped From Uncle Harvey’s Plane (Roger Miller)
07 I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water (The Spencer Davis Group)
08 Careless Love (Joan Baez)
09 I Can't Help It (Hank Williams)
10 Your Cheatin Heart (Hank Williams)
11 Fraulein (Bobby Helms)

THE JF BACKSTORY

JEMS loves a vintage taper series and we are pleased to resume this one from the archive of our friend JF, who taped in and around Southern California in the '70s and Boston in the '80s. He frequented smaller venues, like the Troubadour and the Roxy, leaving arenas to others with rare exceptions and leaning more towards the folksier, jazzier and eclectic sides of rock.

Most of his '70s tapes were made on what I would describe as the kind of large, rectangular, portable, C-cell powered cassette recorder that my family and surely many others had in the '70s, either a Panasonic or a Sony. While I used ours to record myself, my friends and my sister around the house, the teenage JF figured: Why not try taking it into concerts?

I only learned what recorder JF used after I had heard some of his tapes and I have to say I was mildly shocked. Given the gear, his tapes are surprisingly clear. And make no mistake, this was an early era for audience recording, part of the first wave spurred on by of the vinyl bootleg revolution.

For further details and backstory on JF, his tapes and the extraordinary lost Van Morrison performances from 1975 that started the series, please refer to the notes in Vol. Three:

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=524853

Vol. 29 of our series is another fun find from the reel-to-reel tapes in the JF Archive. It's a short, spontaneous set from an open mic night at Doug Weston's legendary Troubadour. Weston pulls frequent patron Roger Miller to the stage, where, according to JF's notes, he is backed by Spencer Davis on guitar, Phil Ochs on piano, Chuck E. Weiss on drums and an unknown guitar player. The Los Angeles Free Press confirms Miller, Ochs and Davis did perform, mentioning Ochs getting upset once someone in the audience calls Tom Hayden a "commie."

The half-hour performance captures the spirit of these nights well, with Miller talking to the audience as much as playing, moving in and out of songs informally and charmingly. Miller's act has the same kind of jokey, humorous style as Tom Waits, with plenty of laughs and silliness. As for the recording, JF, using his low-end but seemingly Troubadour friendly gear, once again beats expectations with a clear, you-are-there capture. Samples provided.

Special thanks to Professor Goody checking pitch on this one and to frogster, who returns to the JEMS fold after a long absence to handle post production and posting. Welcome back.

Last but not least, our heartfelt thanks goes to JF, who reached out on DIME (you could be next!) and offered us his archive, which had been sitting in boxes, 6000 miles away from where he lives today, for 20+ years. Like so many early tapers, he had great stories to tell and the memories flooded back as we sorted through tapes. We are pleased to be able to bring his work to all of you. Please let him know through your comments that you are, too.

BK for JEMS

FROGSTER NOTES

Straight out of the JF Archives, JEMS has given me the honor to release this really sweet piece of, not only music history, but American history. Keep reading to learn why.

Installment number 29 gives us insight into the folk scene of the mid-'70s, with a super bill of Roger Miller, Spencer Davis, Phil Ochs and Charles "Chuck E." Weiss.

This impromptu band, which Spencer Davis jokes, "has been formed since high school," is in fine spirits in this short set, laughing and just having fun, giving us a "you are there" vibe. You can listen to people laugh, drink and just be part of the show rather than just mere spectators.

The set offers little gems such as an acoustic rendition of Miller's "Somewhere There's a Lady," from his classic album Supersongs, which I don't think I've heard before in any other ROIO recording. Miller also introduces "Stephen Foster" as a brand new song, which was released on his Off the Wall album that same year.

In regards to Spencer Davis, while just one song of his is performed, he is there for the full set, which includes covers from ol' Hank Williams and Bobby Helms.

So, now you may ask yourself, why is this an important piece of American History?

If you have heard anyone claim to be a folk enthusiast, you've heard them mention Phil Ochs, and his tragic story. Phil Ochs was one of the greatest folk singers in American history. Along with contemporary Bob Dylan, with whom he first found a friend and later an adversary in ideology.

From the infamous story where Bob kicked Phil out of his limousine, telling him "you're not a folk singer, you're a journalist," to the decline of his mental health after the '68 riots, Phil ultimately, succumbed to his own demons in 1976.

This recording, surprisingly, comes to shed a tiny light into the later years of his life. Phil only sings a bit with Roger on the last two songs of this set, "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "Fraulein," and otherwise offers light piano accompaniment. But any late period performance with Ochs, especially with one-night-only lineup, is a special discovery indeed.

Give this a listen, enjoy, share in a memory of gray and wander on his words.

frogster