Grin
1972-11-11 ::: Radnor Township, the Main Line, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA
Villanova University ::: Villanova Field House ::: 800 East Lancaster Avenue ::: M?-AUD

~*~ Mk2 version, carefully remastered fixing various issues, WITH differential EQ & lite NR ~*~

"Outta sight!", it's ALL OUT time, baby... flip your wig on this one...

01. I Had Too Much (Miss Dazi)
02. ==applause&talk==
03. Ain't Love Nice
04. Love Or Else
05. ==applause&talk==
06. Don't Be Long
07. ==talk&tuning==
08. Moon Tears
09. ==applause&talk==
10. Slippery Fingers
11. ==applause&talk==
12. Love Again
13. ==applause&tuning==
14. Heart On Fire
15. Sad Letter
16. ==applause&talk&tuning==
17. Heavy Chevy
18. ==applause&talk==
19. ? (intro/unknown classical piece) ->
20. It's Better To Know You ->
21. Like Rain
22. ==applause&talk==
23. End Unkind

Encore :::
24. All Out//

Total Time ::: 55:14

::: VG/+ steady listenable AUD (this a much better listen than the Mk1). Check samples for answer to the existential question, "To Grin or not to Grin?"
::: Warts: Repaired dullspots & dropouts but surely missed a few. Taper cut off deck 'tween most songs (smoothed out here). #03 had 8sec gap at 00:15 but now a seamless splice patched from later in song. #19 some neighborly discord taper comments (removed/lowered). #24 cuts after 1min (a shame!). Mk1 somewhat muffled. Mk2 fixes muffling but has a tad o' hiss.
::: CONTRAST CLAUSE: This is the tastier Mk2 WITH EQ+NR version. The more muffled Mk1 NO EQorNR version is available elsewhere.
::: 7:30pm showtime. Grin opened for Livingston Taylor, and Mark-Almond headlined.
::: Concert newspaper ad (page 5): https://digital.library.villanova.edu/files/vudl:187587/MASTER?download=true
::: Taper had a great location, seems possible it was taped from the front of a balcony.
::::Grin's previous album was released as Nils Lofgren-Grin "1+1", recorded '71 & released Jan.'72.
::: Grin had likely just recorded their next LP, "All Out" - finished in '72 but not released 'til Feb.'73.
::: PLAYED HERE: Paul Dowell&The Dolphin 45 (20), 2 from S/T 1st (1,21), 3 from"1+1" (8,10,23), 8of10 from "All Out"! (3,4,6,12,14,15,17,24).
::: Between 8of10 then-unissued"All Out"LP trax"+rare '69 Dolphin 45 song, most of AUD was unfamiliar w/2/3rds of the songs played.
::: This show is a cool way to hear almost the entire "All Out" album without female vocals, in a live setting.
::: "Love Again"intro'd as"a new song we got" which is a bit funny as 2/3rds of the set is new material for most of AUD.
::: Rippin' version of "Heart On Fire" & the only other Grin live version to surface aside from 1972-12-01 DC.
::: ONLY live Grin "All Out"LP title track & it f'ing cuts after 1/3rd of song. Do YOU have an UNCUT copy or another live version?
::: Likely FULL set but"All Out"cuts+maybe closer like"Celebration"(which,tho' oft played,would've been ANOTHER unissued song).
::: In Grin years, "Like Rain": A) sometimes had no intro (except Nils solo song beginning) // B) segued from Nils solo electric rock guitar intro (sometimes VERY heavy) // C) segued from a classical piano piece // D) segued from a solo piano version of the song Nils wrote for his pre-Grin band, Paul Dowell&The Dolphin, "It's Better To Know You"(1969 Sire 45 A-side) // E) in the final Grin year sometimes segued from "Believe" // F) segued from both C&D (like this show & 1973-04-06).
::: This one's for Amanda G, my Main Line love interest only a few years after this gig & only a few miles from Villanova U. Mamas took their kids outta the pool at the country club when this long hair hit the water & I ain't kiddin'!
::: "So long as Grin keeps recording, there will be reason to smile." (source unknown '71 1st LP review).
::: Astonishing/sadly, Grin still doesn't even have their own Wikipedia page, nor gets more than a single paragraph in Nils' entry. WTF?
::: WATCH THIS & GRIN - complete with trampoline flip! www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS26vzLjhrk
::: There are later Nils live solo/band versions of some of these songs, but I believe there are still no '69-74 GRIN era LIVE renditions of S/T 1st "Grin" album songs: "Everybody's Missing The Sun"+"Take You To The Movies Tonight"+"Direction"+"Pioneer Mary" /// "All Out" songs: "Rusty Gun" (+only a partial live version of "All Out" title track) /// "1+1" album songs: "Sometimes"+"Lost A Number"+"Just A Poem"+"Soft Fun" /// "Gone Crazy" album songs: "Boy & Girl"+"What About Me"+"One More Time"+"True Thrill"+"Ain't For Free". Does anyone know of circulating live Grin versions of these songs?

Recording Information ::: unknown mono tape recorder/microphone -> master tape -> unknown analog-only tape generations -> unknown generation Maxell XLII-90 cassette, Dolby B on.

Playback+Remastering 2020-02-xx+2021-12-xx ::: unknown generation Maxell XLII-90 cassette on Nakamichi 680ZX cassette deck, Dolby B on, azimuth adjusted for individual tape, heads cleaned & demagnetized -> Sony Linear PCM Recorder PCM-M10 (LPCM 44.10kHz/16bit WAV files) -> computer -> Audacity [normalisation to remove DC offset, channel/phase alignment, fades, manual one-at-a-time glitch, bump, pop, click, dropout & dullspot repairs, -0.75% to +3.5% pitch (speed) fixes with single pass per segment after frequency analysis & with CD pitch verification (tape changed speed rather dramatically thru sides), differential equalisation used & lite noise reduction applied]. (NOTE: only used better channel of mono recording after remastering&patches) -> CD Wave (track splits) -> flacs (Trader's Little Helper) -> yr ears. Freed 2021-12-xx.

Line-up ::: Nils Hilmer Lofgren - electric guitar, keyboards, vocals // Tommy Lofgren - electric guitar, vocals // Bob Gordon [†R.I.P. 1996†] - electric bass, vocals // Bob Berberich - drums, percussion, vocals.

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

DimeTravel 594 ::: Thanks to the original taper & traders! Thanks to the original taper & traders! THANKS to DIMERS elegymart, Syrinx, AlexPhoenix, TheBigA for their GRIN input in various ways. Thanks to DIMER gv0000 for his ever-helpful research assistance. ::: Corrections welcome ::: You have to think that the band essentially had to give up worrying about the relation of playing songs live to what they had out on album releases, from the early days of waiting 1 to 1&1/2 years for their debut to appear, on up thru subesequent Grin albums, released months after recording, with some songs going back years. Nils was writing a lot of songs, some never to be released, or not by Grin, some to appear in his solo work many years later. I've done almost nothing but Grin for more than 6 straight weeks. My jaws are tired, my eyes are buggin' out, my ears don't hear so good, I'm sneezing Nils, trampoline dreamin', poppin' gears in my Heavy Chevy, got Moon Tears seepin' outta my pores Like Rain, but it's all good, 'cause I still ain't Had Too Much. 1+1 = I've All Out Gone Crazy with Grin. Good luck to all downloaders. I spent some days on this 2 years ago & then remastered that version all over again for the past 2 entire days. I do wish for more Grin & I'm sure it's out there, can you help? Anyone ever heard the 1971 Jerry Williams version of "Sing For Happiness" 45 with Nils & probably at least one other Grin member on it? Must be a cooker. The flip side is cool & Nils plays some slammin' guitar on Jerry's first solo album, but jeez, I just ain't got the $65-100 for a 45 - not even on YTube for a lossy listen & that's the truth. Very cool "All Out" era show! As much as I dig Kathi McDonald in MANY different settings, on those sessions I think it was a serious mistake to bring her in as she changes the entire atmosphere of the songs she's on - way too strident & in the way for me & it's not really Grin - much better with 3 part harmonies from the guys (or 4 sometimes?!). Very nice piano from Nils on "I Had Too Fucking Much". Check out Nils howling in the opening notes of the show & at the end of "Ain't Love Nice" & then a great howl 2 mins into "Moon Tears" & howling again at the end, in "End Unkind" - He's INTO IT! Too bad there aren't more tapes from this era, probably their peak year. Sometimes elements of Grin remind me of the Grateful Dead, from some keys & other instruments in "I Had Too Much" to some funky, almost "Lovelight" jamming in "Slippery Fingers".... albeit somewhat shorter. Nils & Tommy may be dueling on slides for a bit in "Moon Tears" - at any rate, it's an epic version. Some MAJESTIC lead guitar playin' on "End Unkind" here, should rock most anyone's boat. Keep Grinnin'! Listen, enjoy, show appreciation, share, give, spread peace. Yrs truly, Knees

Support the artists! www.nilslofgren.com -- www.facebook.com/nilslofgrenfans -- https://twitter.com/nilslofgren -- www.facebook.com/BerberichHullandDaughter (Bob Berberich's Vinyl Acres record shop site)

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