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14 March 2010

It's A Blues Thing (1968)

  1. Eleanor Rigby
  2. Let's Go Get Stoned
  3. Crying Time
  4. You Are My Sunshine
  5. Esther Phillips guest medley: Monolog / You Must Be Crazy / Long John Blues / Jelly Jelly Jelly 
  6. A Girl I Used To Know
  7. Ode To Billy Joe (With Clydie King)
  8. I Won't Leave
Album Live CD: Monad B000003J7X, 1968 (1995).

The liner notes of this semi-bootleg from 1995 don't offer any information on the location or date of the concert.
Looking at the setlist, and - most notably - listening to Billy Preston's organ playing, this live concert was probably recorded in 1967 or 1968*. Ode To Billy Joe is an excellent track, with Clydie King, who also put it on a single.
The 15:29 medley by Esther Phillips is a pain in the ear. I doubt if this actually was even taped at one of Ray's shows.

The very similar contents of the Bakersfield concert, make (the Summer of) 1968 the most probable year for the Blues Thing show.

And this review of the Schaefer Music Festival concert on July 7, 1968 confirms the year and the season once more:
from Cashbox, Jul. 20. 


#7 (Ode To Billie Joe) was also released as part of Clydie King's compilation album The Imperial & Minit Years, Stateside EMI 5099950958122, 2007.
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3 comments:

  1. Hal01 December, 2012 22:03

    I've been to quite a number of Ray's concerts and the only time I heard him sing a live performance of "A Girl I Used To Know" was at a concert at a fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in California. I believe it was in the mid '80s. He was in extremely good voice, the acoustics were excellent, and that song was my favorite of the concert. Note that 1968 article doesn't mention this song.

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  2. Bob Stumpel02 December, 2012 00:20

    @Hal - That San Diego concert was on January 19, 1983. Cf. http://raycharlesvideomuseum.blogspot.nl/2010/08/ray-charles-is-in-town-chronology-1983.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hal06 December, 2012 09:13

    Thanks for the date.

    ReplyDelete