JAMES BROWN - Zaire, Africa 1974

Looks like this legendary show, in which Soul Bro #1 played warm-up act to The Rumble in the Jungle, will finally being seeing the light of day soon in some form, courtesy of an upcoming doc entitled Soul Power, sort of a belated musical twin to the Oscar-winning Ali doc When We Were Kings.

Here's to that! It's most bizarre that this professionally recorded and filmed super-show has remained a bootleg for almost 35 years. Here we have JB and his juilant JB's in peak power. Dig or die, sisters and misters!

JAMES BROWN "Zaire '74"
Stade 20 Mai - Zaire, Africa - September 24, 1974 (SBD)
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ZZ TOP - Passaic, NJ 1980

Driving up north tomorrow for Saturday's 22nd Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert. Not too excited, I must say...ticket prices have doubled in the past few years, yet the lineup is absolute ass. Case in point: the only band I was really goosed to see was ZZ Top, who I only like okay, but who I've never seen before...and who cancelled. For no good reason.

So, oh well...bless Brother Neil for still doing it, and I guess a show's a show. But a six-hour drive is a six-hour drive...

Despite that, here's this. It's a "King Biscuit Flower Hour" broadcast, so 'nuff said. Except, be warned, there's no "La Grange". I guess they were sick of doing it even 28 years ago.

ZZ TOP "Fuego A El Paso"
Capitol Theatre - Passaic, NJ - June 15, 1980 (FMB)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND - New York City 1971

If you digs you some hot, sticky, licky, stanky-ass A-Bros., then git to downloadin' right quick. The sonic qualitation of this here slab...well, it flat gits it!

On the reals, there are some who rate them Allmans above not only them Skynyrds but also them good ole Grateful Deads. I can hang with the former opinion (Skynyrd's always been a mite too dumbass-redneck-shitkicky for me), but I jes' cain't feature nobody preferencin' Duane & Co. over Jerry & Co. That dog simply refuses to hunt in this neck o' the woods.

Sure, the grooves and the tight playing are there, the feeling is there and all -- but not the songs. The Allmans simply never came close to the Dead in the songwriting department. The Allmans are just a really, really, really great blooze band. The Dead were far more than that.

Still, if you hadda have only one A-Bros. boot in your life, 't'might as well be this one. It's only about an hour long, but sweet as a Georgia peach, FM stereophonic and super-duper-sonic. Plus, it happens to be among Brother Duane's last recorded performances (he would eat his own personal peach just two months later).

But hey now: as Mama done said, "Half o' somethin' is twice as good as nothin'."

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
A&R Studios - New York, NY - August 26, 1971 (FMB)
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JACKSON BROWNE & WARREN ZEVON - Holland 1976 (NEW LINK!)

It's only five minutes until The Brother, my man, finishes off The Mummy in tonight's final presidential debate.

Herewith, another epic face-off for the ages, between Mr. Browne and his late compadre Mr. Zevon at a Holland radio station long about 1976, about a month after the election that year, when my father's former boss Jimmy Carter was elected...one of only three Democrats elected in the past 44 years.

So quit whining, Republicans. Once in a blue (or green) moon, the other team gets to take the field for a while and clean up. It's the American way...or so I have read.

Thanks to Archive.org for this beauty; use the direct download link you'll find there.

JACKSON BROWNE & WARREN ZEVON "The Offender Meets The Pretender"
VPRO Radio Studio - Hilversum, Holland - December 8, 1976 (FMB)
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JACKSON BROWNE - Nashville, TN 1978

Another week, another awesome Amoeba Music in-store show and signing with a Rock 'n' Roll Hall o' Famer. Living in greater Hollywood has its perks, lemme tell ya. Makes enduring all the loonies with tinfoil hats and pit bulls worthwhile...

At the moment, it happens to be Running on Empty -- Mr. Jackson Browne's album released in the last few weeks of 1977, and by far his most popular -- that I'm spinning regularly. Here's a fantastic show from that tour, taped two months after the album's release.

But the song that's really blasting my head is the great "Fountain of Sorrow", off 1974's Late for the Sky. Proceed directly to track 3 of this boot to hear the kind of tune they just...do not...write anymore.

JACKSON BROWNE
Municipal Auditorium - Nashville, TN - February 22, 1978 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

BLACK SABBATH - Asbury Park, NJ 1975 (REPOST)

I'm 99.666% sure I've posted this show before, seeing as it's the greatest Ozzy-era Sabbath boot ever made, by wide consensus. Really, ask anyone.

But it's been awhile, and my man Chris Goes Rock recently put up this luxe new version, which comes in the swanky 320 bitrate and includes new and very nifty, official-looking artwork.

For the ever-so-discerning Sabbath fanatic, it truly gets no better than this: the Rolls-Royce of Black booties, state o' the art and top o' the line. It is...so choice.

We here at Green Alien Chick certainly hope you enjoy it for all it's worth, and that you have a devilishly nice weekend.

"Are you high? Are you high?!? Well so am I!"

BLACK SABBATH
Convention Hall - Asbury Park, NJ - August 5, 1975 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3