THE DRUGSTORE TAPES HAMBURG 1997 SOUNDCHECK & REHEARSALS

Disc One: 1. Tuning, 2. Down In The Bottom, 3. Interlude, 4. Motorvatin Mama, 5. Interlude, 6. Melody, 7. Interlude, 8. Green River, 9. Interlude, 10. Walking On My Own, 11. Interlude, 12. Stuff, 13. Interlude, 14. Mojo Boogie, 15. Mojo Boogie (Extracts and Interlude), 16. Anyway The Wind Blows, 17. Anyway The Wind Blows (Extracts and Interlude), 18. Hole In My Soul, 19. Interlude.

Disc Two: 1. Land Of 1000 Dances, 2. Interlude, 3. Don t You Just Know It, 4. Interlude, 5. Peace In The Valley, 6. Guitar, Keyboards and Horns Warm Up, 7. Down In The Bottom, 8. Motorvatin Mama, 9. Melody, 10. Green River, 11. Walking On My Own, 12. Stuff, 13. Mojo Boogie, 14. Mojo Boogie (Extracts and Interlude), 15. A Guitar Sequence As Intro, 16. Anyway The Wind Blows, 17. Anyway The Wind Blows (Extracts and Interlude), 18. Hole In My Soul, 19. A Horns Intro, 20. Land Of 1000 Dances, 21. Don t You Just Know It, 22. Don t You Just Know It (Intro), 23. Peace In The Valley.

This release presents Bill Wyman s Rhythm Kings soundcheck and rehearsals for their 1997 Hamburg concert. The line up featured Bill Wyman on bass and vocals, Gary Brooker on keyboards and vocals, Georgie Fame on keyboards and vocals. Terry Taylor on guitar Peter Frampton on guitar, vocals and bass, Albert Lee on guitar and vocals, Graham Broad on drums, Beverley Skeete on vocals, Frank Mead on sax, flute and harmonica, Nick Payn on sax, flute and harmonica, Melanie Redmond and Keeley Smith on back vocals. Hamburg was the opening date of Rhythm Kings week long European Tour to promote Strutting Our Stuff. Walking On My Own is a new Wyman composition which may as well have been autobiographical; it seems however that the person leading the band or at least choosing the songs to rehearse was Gary Brooker.

On Disc One there is the complete soundcheck & rehearsals that continue at the beginning of Disc Two: here the entire recording was kept, but the different sequences have been separated.
On the second part of Disc Two there is the remaining part of the rehearsals and highlights (selection and reconstructed sequences) that have been kept: in particular songs and intros plus some sequences (many of these pieces having been reworked). This recording is quite neat offering food sounding songs and tests, even if at times there is some people talking too close to the taper s microphone; the songs selection is interesting since these songs will be played at the concerts although they will also play some that have not been rehearsed, or at least not recorded (I m Mad, Mystery Train, Bad To Be Alone. Tobacco Road, Jitterbug Boogie, What d I Say and Stagger Lee in the 2^nd show). The final rehearsal tracks is Gary Brooker solo song Peace In The Valley.