Electric Flag 04/??/1968
Set I
Uptight Outta Sight >
Day Tripper >
Drivin' Wheel
The Theme
Goin' Down Slow
Big Boss Man
Dr. Feelgood
I Heard It Through The Grapevine >
Mercy >
Tell Mama >
Chain of Fools
Piece of my Heart
Hold On I'm Coming
Everyday I Have The Blues
Killing Floor
Day Tripper >
Drivin' Wheel
The Theme
Goin' Down Slow
Big Boss Man
Dr. Feelgood
I Heard It Through The Grapevine >
Mercy >
Tell Mama >
Chain of Fools
Piece of my Heart
Hold On I'm Coming
Everyday I Have The Blues
Killing Floor
Set II
Set III
Comment
Some crucial info on this great set from a member of the westcoastacidandpsychedelia Yahoo group
Here is my current hypothesis: Erma Franklin was playing the weekend with her own band,
but used the Electric Flag horn section. One of the three nights (4.19-20-21.68), the entire band
showed up to play a guest set, and that is what is immortalized here. There are no stage
announcements or other identifiers, so I have to go on what I can hear.
CD1 and CD2 are quite different although the sound quality is identical,
leading me to assume they are different sets from the same show.
CD1
1-UPTIGHT OUTA SIGHT >
2-DAY TRIPPER >
3-DRIVIN' WHEEL
4-DRIVIN' WHEEL Cont.
5-INSTRUMENTAL (For the record:
Track #5 (on the EF set) is The Theme,
a Miles Davis tune that he often ended his sets with.)
6-GOING DOWN SLOW
7-BIG BOSS MAN
This is definitely the Electric Flag. Not only is Mike Bloomfield's guitar recognizable,
he can be heard talking off mike at the end of track 4.
I believe the lineup is
Mike Bloomfield-lead guitar
Terry Clements-tenor sax
Virgil Gonsalves-baritone sax, flute
Stemsy Hunter-alto sax
Marcus Doubleday-trumpet
Herbie Rich-organ (possibly some baritone sax on 5)
Harvey Brooks-bass
Buddy Miles-drums, lead vocals (tracks 1,2,3)
Nick Gravenites-lead vocals (tracks 6,7).
Although this is all over the map, like every Electric Flag recording or performance,
the sound is better than any other Flag live tape that I have heard, and its a great
sampler of the broad range of sounds that the band could cover, from blues to jazz to soul.
Track 5 is a long jazzy instrumental with a familiar refrain. There is no organ for some of it,
so I have assumed that Herbie Rich has switched to baritone. I am assuming that the above
was the Flag horn lineup, but the horn section has always been hard to nail down for certain.
CD2
1-DR. FEELGOOD (Erma Franklin)
2-I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE > MERCY > TELL MAMA > CHAIN OF FOOLS (Erma Franklin)
3-PIECE OF MY HEART(Erma Franklin)
4-HOLD ON I'M COMING (Erma Franklin)
These four tracks feature Erma, a small backing group and a horn section. The guitar player is
definitely not Bloomfield, and the rhythm section does not sound like Miles and Brooks.
There is a little bit of organ, so perhaps Herbie Rich is sitting in. The musicians know the tunes
but seem underrehearsed. The horns are playing pretty conventional charts.
In the introduction to track 1, Erma says "this song is for Mike and Kathy, who helped us while
we got it together on the houseboat." The Marin/WestPole/Ron Polte crowd (Quicksilver, The Flag, etc)
often used houseboats as cheap housing, so it makes sense that Erma and her band may have been
based there prior to the shows.
I have no way of saying that the Flag horns were part of her group. Maybe they weren't, and the Flag
just played anyway. Still, Erma was only playing periodic gigs at the time, so while I can see her bringing
out a band, or hiring players she had worked with before, it seems plausible that you would hire local horn players.
Right before Piece of My Heart, Erma says "this is for the woman who's making it all happen with this song"
or words to that effect, which I take to be a reference to Janis Joplin. Of course, Big Brother had not released
Cheap Thrills at this time, but they were already playing it in concert, so the buzz was probably around.
5-EVERYDAY I HAVE THE BLUES>
6-KILLING FLOOR//
These last two tracks are neither Erma nor the Flag. This sounds like a Carousel post-show jam session.
The lineup for track 5 is guitar/organ/bass/drums. It may be the same band that backed Erma,
but the guitarist sounds bluesier. More likely (based on the sound) the same rhythm section and a different
guitarist. The vocalist is quite familiar, but not particularly exceptional. He definitely sounds a like an SF
White Boy, although a fairly adequate one (I don't think its Steve Miller). Perhaps members of Frumious
Bandersnatch or Santana (the other acts on the bill) were part of this.
Other musicians join in for track 6. There is a second vocalist, mostly going "oh yeah oh yeah" etc,
and I believe I detect Buddy Miles inimitable stylings, but it could be just someone who sounds like him.
The track cuts off in mid-jam.
The week before at the Carousel (4.14.68), there had been an unscheduled Sunday show and jam session
featuring Quicksilver and numerous other musicians. The tape circulates, and since Gary Duncan jokes
about Easter Sunday, it makes it easy to reliably date the show. All this points to another Sunday jam
session, so if I had to guess I would pick Sunday, 4.21.68 for the date of this show.
Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Here is my current hypothesis: Erma Franklin was playing the weekend with her own band,
but used the Electric Flag horn section. One of the three nights (4.19-20-21.68), the entire band
showed up to play a guest set, and that is what is immortalized here. There are no stage
announcements or other identifiers, so I have to go on what I can hear.
CD1 and CD2 are quite different although the sound quality is identical,
leading me to assume they are different sets from the same show.
CD1
1-UPTIGHT OUTA SIGHT >
2-DAY TRIPPER >
3-DRIVIN' WHEEL
4-DRIVIN' WHEEL Cont.
5-INSTRUMENTAL (For the record:
Track #5 (on the EF set) is The Theme,
a Miles Davis tune that he often ended his sets with.)
6-GOING DOWN SLOW
7-BIG BOSS MAN
This is definitely the Electric Flag. Not only is Mike Bloomfield's guitar recognizable,
he can be heard talking off mike at the end of track 4.
I believe the lineup is
Mike Bloomfield-lead guitar
Terry Clements-tenor sax
Virgil Gonsalves-baritone sax, flute
Stemsy Hunter-alto sax
Marcus Doubleday-trumpet
Herbie Rich-organ (possibly some baritone sax on 5)
Harvey Brooks-bass
Buddy Miles-drums, lead vocals (tracks 1,2,3)
Nick Gravenites-lead vocals (tracks 6,7).
Although this is all over the map, like every Electric Flag recording or performance,
the sound is better than any other Flag live tape that I have heard, and its a great
sampler of the broad range of sounds that the band could cover, from blues to jazz to soul.
Track 5 is a long jazzy instrumental with a familiar refrain. There is no organ for some of it,
so I have assumed that Herbie Rich has switched to baritone. I am assuming that the above
was the Flag horn lineup, but the horn section has always been hard to nail down for certain.
CD2
1-DR. FEELGOOD (Erma Franklin)
2-I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE > MERCY > TELL MAMA > CHAIN OF FOOLS (Erma Franklin)
3-PIECE OF MY HEART(Erma Franklin)
4-HOLD ON I'M COMING (Erma Franklin)
These four tracks feature Erma, a small backing group and a horn section. The guitar player is
definitely not Bloomfield, and the rhythm section does not sound like Miles and Brooks.
There is a little bit of organ, so perhaps Herbie Rich is sitting in. The musicians know the tunes
but seem underrehearsed. The horns are playing pretty conventional charts.
In the introduction to track 1, Erma says "this song is for Mike and Kathy, who helped us while
we got it together on the houseboat." The Marin/WestPole/Ron Polte crowd (Quicksilver, The Flag, etc)
often used houseboats as cheap housing, so it makes sense that Erma and her band may have been
based there prior to the shows.
I have no way of saying that the Flag horns were part of her group. Maybe they weren't, and the Flag
just played anyway. Still, Erma was only playing periodic gigs at the time, so while I can see her bringing
out a band, or hiring players she had worked with before, it seems plausible that you would hire local horn players.
Right before Piece of My Heart, Erma says "this is for the woman who's making it all happen with this song"
or words to that effect, which I take to be a reference to Janis Joplin. Of course, Big Brother had not released
Cheap Thrills at this time, but they were already playing it in concert, so the buzz was probably around.
5-EVERYDAY I HAVE THE BLUES>
6-KILLING FLOOR//
These last two tracks are neither Erma nor the Flag. This sounds like a Carousel post-show jam session.
The lineup for track 5 is guitar/organ/bass/drums. It may be the same band that backed Erma,
but the guitarist sounds bluesier. More likely (based on the sound) the same rhythm section and a different
guitarist. The vocalist is quite familiar, but not particularly exceptional. He definitely sounds a like an SF
White Boy, although a fairly adequate one (I don't think its Steve Miller). Perhaps members of Frumious
Bandersnatch or Santana (the other acts on the bill) were part of this.
Other musicians join in for track 6. There is a second vocalist, mostly going "oh yeah oh yeah" etc,
and I believe I detect Buddy Miles inimitable stylings, but it could be just someone who sounds like him.
The track cuts off in mid-jam.
The week before at the Carousel (4.14.68), there had been an unscheduled Sunday show and jam session
featuring Quicksilver and numerous other musicians. The tape circulates, and since Gary Duncan jokes
about Easter Sunday, it makes it easy to reliably date the show. All this points to another Sunday jam
session, so if I had to guess I would pick Sunday, 4.21.68 for the date of this show.
Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Collectors With This Show
| User (active/rating) | Media / # | Show | Sound | Details | DB Source | User Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CJ | CDR / 2 | View | ||||
| Joe | FLAC / 0 | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||
| Rick Martin | Flac / 2 | A- | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | ||
| Notes: | Complete? | |||||
| MyLibbyDog | CDR / 2 | B+ | A++ | View | ||
| Notes: | Superb Stereo Soundboard Recording. Track 5, A Jazzy Trumpet Instrumental And Buddy Guy's "every Day I Have The Blues Are Two Of The Better Tracks. My Set List Does Not Match This, | |||||
| collector007 | FLAC / | A | A | View | SBD | |
| Gary K | cdr / 2 | A | A | View | SBD | |
| Brian | flac/cdr / 1 | View | ||||
| Notes: | with Erma Franklin | |||||
| Steve K | FLAC / 2 | A- | View | SBD | ||
| Chris M. | CDR / 2 | View | ||||
| Notes: | w/ Erma Franklin | |||||
| Michael Shilling | CDR/Flac / 1 | A- | View | |||
| Notes: | Outstanding Show > Confirmed to be 4-21-1968 by Multiple Bootleg Releases. Think I read somewhere that this is SBD. | |||||
| Scott Albrecht | cdr/flac / 2 | A | A- | View | SDB>MR | |
| Notes: | w/Erme Franklin | |||||
| Zionpower | / 0 | View | ||||
| Zionpower | / 0 | View | ||||
| zowie | cd / 1 | a- | View | sdb | ||
| Richard Warren | flac / 1 | View | ||||
| Wave Milor | CDR / 2 | View | ||||
| Uwe Z. | FLAC / 2 | A- | View | sbd master reels > audio cd > eac > flac | ||
| Robbie Kellman | flac / 1 | View | ||||
| Notes: | dvd Wt Blues | |||||
| hugh | cd / 2 | B+ | View | |||
| Mia724 | CDR / 1 | View | SBD | |||
| Notes: | 1) Uptight, Outa Sight. 2) Day Tripper. 3) Drivin Wheel. 4) The Theme. 5) Goin Down Slow (incomplete). My copy says 4/21/68. Possible MP3 format (not 100% sure). | |||||
| JMB | flac / 1 | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||
| RM's Giant Live Music Archive | FLAC / 0 | View | soundboard source (GG108) | |||
| Notes: | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||||
| slslbs | FLAC / 1 | View | ||||
| Greg Peters | cdr / 2 | A | View | SBD | ||
| Notes: | w Erma Franklin | |||||
| Peggy | cd / 2 | View | ||||
| Notes: | EXCELLENT!!!! Disc 2 is Erma Franklin only - no Bloomfield | |||||
| AAA Audio | flac / 1 | View | ||||
| quimbo | FLAC / 0 | View | ||||
| Phil | CD/R / 2 | View | ||||
| mike | Flac / 1 | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||
| Hanf | Flac / 0 | View | ||||
| Notes: | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||||
| Warren | CD / 2 | View | ||||
| Brian C | FLAC / 1 | A | A | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |
| Notes: | w/gd 11/7/87 | |||||
| Curtis Ensler | CDR / 2 | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||
| Notes: | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||||
| arthur | flac / 1 | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||
| Notes: | backing band for Irma Franklin | |||||
| Danny Smack | CDR / 2 | A- | View | no specifics | ||
| BluesFan | CDR / 2 | A- | A- | View | SBD | |
| Notes: | There is no doubt in my mind that Bloomfield does not appear on any of the second disc tracks (which includes the Erma Franklin tracks). The first disc is definitely the Flag with Bloomers but as to the date and venue, who knows. I also have this as FLAC files. | |||||
| Dana L | cdr / 2 | View | ||||
| harold smith | CDR / 2 | B+ | B+ | View | ||
| Notes: | Sound board~The balance is a little off is spots but what a musically historic show~and funky as all get out! | |||||
| Tom Bashara/Eric Linstrom | FLAC / 1 | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||
| Notes: | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||||
| Jim Vogt | CD-R / 2 | View | SBD MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||
| Notes: | SBD master reels | |||||
| Chris Ryan | cdr / 2 | View | ||||
| Calvin | / 0 | View | ||||
| Alessandro | / 0 | View | ||||
| Notes: | with Erma Franklin (Aretha's sister) | |||||
| ChiefBud | cdr / 2 | View | ||||
| Adam | / 0 | View | ||||
| Bill Tripp | FLAC / 1 | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||
| Notes: | On Sixties compilation - 1 FLAC / 2 CDR | |||||
| Alexander Schulze | / 0 | View | sbd | |||
| Notes: | 090'/complete | |||||
| ccrocker | / 0 | View | ||||
| WBaetz | FLAC / 2 | View | SB MASTER REELS > AUDIO CD > EAC > FLAC | |||
| Notes: | with Erma Franklin | |||||
Add Show
List Collectors
Wanted By
History