I first heard it on cassette during a trip across Europe in 1972. I believe one of my older brothers purchased it there along with Zep IV (which was on an orange cassette). I don't own a copy myself but most of the tunes can be found on Past Masters Vol. II. It's also available on vinyl. To my knowledge it has never been released on CD. Perhaps someday.

They do. I know someone mentioned Tourfilm but that was from the Green World Tour in '89. Last time I heard 'em play it was when they headlined the Austin City Limits Music Festival back in '03. For a comprehensive database of setlists check here: http://www.remtimeline.com My favorite album from the Warner Brothers years would have to be New Adventure in Hi Fi, their last truly great album to my ears. They have suffered greatly from Bill Berry's departure but still managed a very decent album with Up. They haven't fared as well with Reveal and Around the Sun yet I am still able to find some songs to love from those records as well, I just think they're capable of much better. Still, I believe they're one of the best live bands on the planet and the material from the last three records sounds much better in that setting as they're free of the constraints of the studio and are forced to play them as a "rock" band. I'm surprised nothing has been said of the upcoming new record, Accelerate, due on April 1st. Anyone that heard any of the "working rehearsals" from Dublin over the summer knows this album will find R.E.M. returning to more of a rocking sound for the first time since the days of Hi Fi and Monster (not that the new songs have much in common with either of those records). A special website has been set up as a bit of a teaser for the release of the album with a new clip being added everyday: http://www.ninetynights.com

Since I first heard Laughing on WQDR out of Raleigh, NC back in the early 80s. I like it all to varying degrees but prefer the I.R.S. years. Not sure how many times I've seen them live at this point but I've attended each tour (some more than once) since Pagentry in '86. Not the original pressing of Radio Free Europe I'm afraid. Otherwise I have quite a few rare b-sides on both vinyl and CD, some flexi-discs, all the fanclub singles and a few live recordings. I'm not sure what the rarest out of those would be but I understand the fanclub singles go for quite a bit on eBay. It's always hard to narrow it down to just one but presently I'd say the live version of Gardening at Night that's a bonus track on the import version of Murmur. Reconstruction of the Fables of the Reconstruction Can't say that I have one, I'm a fan of the entire band.

I kinda lost interest in the stuff I heard after When I Awoke as it seemed to be missing some of the key ingredients that endeared that album to me to start with such as the heavy percussion. I also caught them years later on one of the HORDE tours and they hardly seemed like the same band at all (that may have also had something to do with the first of the lineup changes). Still, I never rule out a return to form, even this far down the line.

I became a fan back when they were touring with Page and Plant during the Unledded tour. On the way to the Omni in Atlanta from NC I kept hearing their first single Send Me On My Way on the radio. Knowing they were doing the opening honors, I was very intrigued by that song and picked up When I Awoke after the show when passing through Athens, GA. According to Billboard they have a new album coming out soon, their first since 2002: Rusted Root Recharges For First Album Since '02

Speaking of Keef, I highly recommend his work with the reggae band the Wingless Angels if you haven't heard it already.

I'm a fan of Dickey Betts and Great Southern myself but you'd be doing yourself a tremendous disservice if you passed on seeing the current incarnation of the ABB just because Dickey is no longer in the group. Derek Truck and Warren are helping to propel that band to heights I'm sure they never thought were imaginable, especially after Duane Allmans death and the departure of Dickey Betts. As for Chuck Leavell, who was mentioned earlier in the thread, his commentary during the Allmans' XM's Then Again...Live performance of Eat A Peach is priceless as he describes what was going on during several very intricate musical passages during the making of that record. He also has some very moving things to say about Duane and Berry Oakley, Jr. during what had to be a very, very hard time during the Allmans much storied history.

That "guy" is none other than Jake Shimabukuro, a very talented artist who can often be found touring in Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band (as well as opening some of his shows). He also contributes a spellbounding version of Stars & Stripes Forever to the very excellent Song of America compilation that was released last year which also includes the Black Crowes, Marah, Old Crow Medicine Show, the Del McCoury Band, Bettye Lavette and tons of others. More info here: http://www.jakeshimabukuro.com http://www.myspace.com/songofamerica

I'm not sure when you saw Dickey but since being booted from the Allman Brothers he hasn't exactly been playing the type of venues he was once accustomed to. In other words, he's pretty much been delegated to the bar circuit.

As is the current incarnation of the ABB. While so many of their peers continue to tour and bank on nostaglia the ABB sounds just as fresh now as they ever have.

I'm a fan but went from the early 90s (Shades of Two Worlds Tour) to this past summer without seeing them. That wasn't by design, it's just how things worked out. The last time I'd seen Derek Trucks he was but a wee lad giving Dickey Betts a run for his money on One Way Out. This summer I saw a newly revitalized Allmans, much the way they were when Warren Haynes helped breath new life into the old beast circa Seven Turns only this time Derek had his own twists to add to the Allman Brothers sound. By the way, they were also my first concert way back in '75 when I saw them in Savannah, GA. That night the ABB roadies opened the show and Gregg was catching hell from some audience members because of his then relationship with Cher. I hated that we had to leave early but when we did (around midnight) they were still playing Whippin' Post.

To each their own, I don't go to movies based on the poster. In fact, I don't think I'd even seen that one until I Googled it for this thread. As for sales figures, I never have given a shit about those either. Like music, there's plenty of very good movies out there that didn't necessarily do well at the box office. Just because they didn't break records doesn't mean they sucked. Look at what sells in music these days for a prime example. If Britney Spears (or whoever) sells 10 million albums that doesn't somehow guarantee the music will be good. I went to Walk Hard expecting a parody of practically every music bio ever filmed and that's pretty much what I got. I enjoyed it myself.

Actually, a belated listing of Christmas gifts (followed by two purchases): Two very excellent finds from Yep Roc Records recent $5 sale:

I guess it depends on how you define "nobody" bands. From your posts you don't seem to be too knowledgable of anyone outside the mainstream so I'm not sure how you define it. You also have to factor in an ailing music industry which just so happens to trickle down to the concert industry in general, then you have to figure in inflation. The days of $17 concert tix are well over and have been for quite sometime. On the flipside you have artists such as Pearl Jam who have actually made an effort to fight the industry and continue to do all they can to keep ticket prices down but they're very clearly in the minority.

You need to do a much better job of reading my posts before replying because you have a very bad habit of saying things I never once stated in them. For instance, I never said they weren't "big" or that they didn't have "hits". I merely stated why I personally don't care for the majority of their work and called Henley on his hypocrisy. No, they may not have had any trouble moving tix but that doesn't justify the high price. The whole idea was that the Hell Freezes Over Tour would be your last chance to seem. Well, as we all know Henley continued to milk that premise for all it was worth and toured for the next ten fucking years. They should have at least lowered ticket prices when they decided they were actually going to stick around for a while. Even Page & Plant made a point of keeping ticket prices down during the Unledded Tour as a direct response to the Eagles charging too fucking much when they very well could have charged just as much (if not more). That's artistic intergrity, what the Eagles were doing (and continue to do) is corporate greed, the very kind Henley himself used to rail against, that's why I have no problem whatsoever calling him a hypocrite. I still don't mind some of their music but when they made it safe for any band under the sun to reunite and charge $100 and up for it, that's when my opinion of Henley changed. He always struck me as a bit of a pompous asshole but that proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Actually saw this over the holidays and enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. I don't recall hearing of this one before but it was good for a few laughs.

Yes, it is, especially considering Henley's past stance on corporate behemoths. Then again, you have to remember this is the same band that paved the way for $100 tickets for your last chance to see them (for which they then proceeded to tour for the next 11 years). Just how many times can Hell freeze over? Apparently not enough for Mr. Henley and his cohorts.

Can't say I ever liked any of those songs other than maybe Desperado but they've all since worn out their welcome due to overplay on Classic Rock radio. Of course that isn't The Eagles' fault but most of their material was never anything more than MOR to start with, at least to my ears.

The Eagles "wimped out" long ago. Releasing an album exclusively through Wal-Mart is only the latest example.

Despite the public perception of MySpace it's not just emo type bands aimed at teens, pretty much every artist out there (even the biggest and most well known) have a MySpace site. It's just the way of things in this day and age. I don't have a MySpace site myself (nor do I ever intend to) but it is an easy way of checking out bands.

I have no Deep Purple or Rainbow on CD but I do have Made In Japan, On Stage and Long Live Rock n' Roll on vinyl (and maybe more, my vinyl has been in storage for far too long). In any case, my Deep Purple collection could proably use some expanding. I remember Machine Head and Burn on 8-track (and vinyl) being some of the first stuff I ever heard by them way back in the 70s.

I haven't followed Deep Purple all that much in recent years but I have liked what I've heard of the current incarnation whenever I hear them on XM.

I realize they're far from everyone's favorites but Green Day did an entire album that spoke out against the war called American Idiot. There have also been other performers (both old and new) that have cut anti-war songs but in today's musical climate it's hard to get those songs on the radio but they're definitely out there.

Glad to hear you're lovin' it. That was one I wanted to purchase last year but never got around to it. Bettye's also up for a Grammy for it for best Blues album.