Here we
have another version of the Stones L.A. July 10, 1975 recording which has been rephased
& level corrected with new equalization. From the original JEMS info: Known
Faults: Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker): end slightly cut
“With the
Rolling Stones on the road and interest in their live recordings piqued, it
seemed a good time to release this previously uncirculated source recording for
the Stones' second LA show in 1975, which also happens to be the one Mike
Millard did not record. Stones '75 aficionado LetItBleed tells us there were
previously two extant recordings of this show. A handful of songs, including Doo
Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) circulate and are sourced from old vinyl
bootlegs. A complete but poor and barely listenable audience recording also
circulates from a tape source and can be found on the Japanese bootleg 1975
Nervous Breakdown (VGP 302).
LetItBleed
says: ‘This source recording has definitely not been in wide circulation before
and it is a huge upgrade compared to what we had; there is no comparison really
to the distant and muffled Japanese bootleg source which sounds way inferior. This
is well balanced, all instruments are clear, not much crowd interference and
close to the stage; great band performance, too. I checked some markers for
this date and compared against the two alternate sources--this is definitely
July 10. The short improvised jam before Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) is
the definitive indicator for this date.’
EdF
recorded all five of the Stones' shows at the The Forum in 1975 and got
remarkably consistent results. For sure he wasn't recording with
Millard-quality gear, but his tapes capture the atmosphere of the occasion quite
appealingly and offer good, perhaps even very good sound for the era and
equipment.
His
recorder was an inexpensive portable (believed to be a Panasonic) that Ed
recalls ran on six AA batteries, likely giving it long battery life and perhaps
even improved performance compared to most cheap decks. He paired the recorder
with what he calls a cheap Radio Shack microphone that he would stick to the
armrest of his seat with tape. The results have little immediate-vicinity
audience noise, relatively up-close sound, and while not as sharp or clear as
Millard's efforts, are potent just the same. Ed was also good about his tape
flips and didn't miss much of the show.
The appeal
of Night Two is not only how elusive a good recording of it proven to be until
now, but the show itself. Adds Let it Bleed: ‘This is an excellent band
performance; some of the raggedness typical of this tour is apparent, but here
it makes perfect sense. The set is well-paced, full of energy throughout and
Keith is sharp and focused. Happy and Tumbling Dice groove along nicely and the
soloing during Star Star and Fingerprint File is fluid, always good signs in
1975.’
In my
humble opinion, this performance of It´s Only Rock n´Roll is one of the best
they have ever played, in a sleazy and dirty kind of way. Many have tried to
match that style, but only the Stones can truly deliver with Keith playing
razor-sharp licks, Charlie laying down a perfect groove and Mick´s growl, which
some find distracting on this tour in particular, but totally fits here. It is
amazing that the next night was such a lackluster, train wreck of a performance
(officially released, unfortunately) or maybe not, hearing that they are really
giving it all here. I hope everyone will enjoy listening to this tape as much
as I did.
Massive
thanks to Ed F for lending us his master tapes. Those old Memorex cassettes are
glued into their cases and most squeak like a mofo these days, but they hold up
otherwise and with careful restoration, good transfers are possible. LetItBleed
provided enormous assistance in comparing Ed's recordings to existing official
and unofficial sources, which will help guide future releases. It was a
pleasure collaborating with him. Professor Goody was of course on hand as well
to adjust the pitch and mjk5510 handled post-production and encouraged me to
get this project into the queue.”
In fact,
this is a very nice recording, too bad in mono, this show appeared first on
tape as L.A. Thursday and Ain’t Too Proud To Beg For A Second L.A. Show, then
on Tour of the Americas 1975 LA Thursday 10 July 1975 and as part 2 of Five
Nights at L.A. Forum. On vinyl 3 songs are on 1975 Nervous Breakdown (Slipped
Discs-IMP 1103) and 2 on Part 2 (Idol Mind Impat 2-1) that appeared in 1975 in
stereo; in 1977 6 tracks came out on Tour of the Americas 75 3 LP (Ruthless Rhymes)
as well as on 1975 Tour of the Americas Special Bicentennial Collector’s
Edition (IMP 1101-03) 3 LP box, 1 on Who Went To Church This Sunday? (Ruthless
Rhymes IMP 1101), 6 on 1975 Tour of the Americas (Dragonfly Rec. Impat 1-5); 1 song
can be found on 1985 Tour of the Americas Pt. One (Idol Mind Pr. Impat 2-1), 2
on If You Can’t Rock Me (Flat 8231), 3 on 1975 Tour of the Americas 2LP
(Moonstone Rec. N61004) from 1976, 2 on American Compendium (An Aftermath
Record 6) released in 1979 as well as on Shure, We Are The Stones (7/8) that
came out in 1986 and 2 also on Starfuckers Flashback Worldproduction 04.90.0119-33)
released in 1990.
On silver
it appeared as 1975 Tour of the Americas (VGP 284) featuring 7 songs, then on 1975
Nervous Breakdown (VGP 302) and as part of complete L.A. Friday Tapes
(Dandelion 036-39).
2 songs are
on Starfuckers (Flashback Worldproduction 04.90.0119), 1 track on 1975 Tour of
the Americas Pt.1 (Dragoman Sunbird 003) and 2 onPart 2 (Dragoman Sunbird 007)
both in stereo, this same recording was released on a 2 cdr set called Complete
Second Night at the Forum 1975 (Jems Archives) in 2021 and the following year
as L.A. Forum 1975 2nd Night 2 cd (no label).
This is a
very nice work unfortunately marred by wrong covers, if someone follows the
setlist as shown on back cover to burn it on cdr he/she will have to rearrange
it, since placing Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) on Disc Two won’t work,
due to the disc length, that track shall be placed on Disc One. Apart from that
this is a great opportunity to dig one hell of a show, unfortunately not
officially released.
