Date
Venue
City
State
Add
Sources
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Comment
Fillmore West
San Francisco
CA
Sweet Talkin' Woman
She Should Have Just
Messin' With The Kid
24 Hours
The Night Time Is The Right Time
I've Been Lovin' You Too Long
Hold On I'm Comin'
You Just Don't Realize
Medley
Over Lovin' You
Carousel Ballroom
San Francisco
CA
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
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.
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
Santa Clara
CA
Soul Searchin'
Groovin' Is Easy
Hey Joe
Sweet Home Chicago
Killin' Floor
Texas
Another Country
Wine
instrumental
instrumental
Texas
Hey Joe
It Takes Time
I've Been Loving You
Another Country
Ain't No Doctor
Don't Lie To Me
Soul Searchin'
The Carousel Ballroom
San Francisco
CA
Soul Searchin'
Milk Cow Blues
I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water
Groovin' is Easy
Intro/Introductory Theme
Blues for the Westside
Texas
Hey Joe
It Takes Time
I've Been Lovin' You Too Long
Another Country
Ain't No Doctor
Don't You Lie to Me
Soul Searchin'
Mike Bloomfield: guitars
Nick Gravenites: vocals
Buddy Miles: drums, vocals
Barry Goldberg: keyboards
Harvey Brooks: bass guitar
Kerbie Rich: baritone sax
Marcus Doubleday: trumpet, flugelhorn
Peter Strazza: tenor sax
This three day run at The Carousel Ballroom was a feast for horn section fans, featuring Pacific Gas & Electric, Electric Flag and Don Ellis and His Orchestra. Due to popular demand, a matinee show was added. Although Electric Flag was the headliner for these shows, they opted to go on second to allow Don Ellis and His Orchestra to close the shows.
These sets feature the original lineup, toward the end of founder, Michael Bloomfield's, involvement. He would depart shortly thereafter, leaving the band to struggle onward for several months before disbanding. However, at this point the band was full of fire and highly influential. Their unique blend of soul, rock and blues, punctuated by horns, didn't go unnoticed. Later that year, Al Kooper would create a similar band, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Chicago Transit Authority would also use this formula, both achieving far greater commercial success. However, it was Electric Flag that created the template and who were the most diverse musically. The incendiary guitar playing by Bloomfield during this time period set a level that few (if any) other white guitar players could match.
The afternoon show was a relatively short affair with Electric Flag relegated to a half hour set. Apparently, Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites were late to arrive and surprisingly, the rest of the group begins. The group uses this number to warm up their chops, while waiting for their frontmen to arrive. Due to Bloomfield's absence, this is a unique version that features extended sax solos and extra improvisation. This is a mix in progress until close to the third minute, and there are also some pitch problems evident as the tape speed varies throughout the song. Bloomfield arrives onstage during the last two minutes, but sits out until the next number.
After several minutes of getting Bloomfield tuned up and situated, they tear into the old traditional, "Milk Cow Blues." Nick Gravenites takes lead vocals and with no warm-up necessary, Bloomfield immediately tears it up on this funky blues tune.
Giving Bloomfield another chance to display his extraordinary technique, they next ease into a slow smoldering rendition of B.B. King's "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water," a song they never released themselves. Following a two minute guitar solo intro section, Buddy Miles takes over on vocals. Following the verses, the group eases the dynamics way down low, letting Bloomfield solo in an unusually delicate and tasteful manner, before building it back up.
They close the set with their first single, "Groovin' Is Easy," Gravenites again taking over on lead vocals. The big horn section sound, swirling organ and Miles' fatback drumming kick this into high gear. In this mix the separation is very audible and one can clearly hear the nuances that Bloomfield is adding as a support player. As a bonus, Bloomfield lets it rip by adding a demented psychedelic guitar solo near the end.
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
San Jose
CA
Soul Survivor
Groovin Is Easy
Hey Joe
Sweet Home Chicago
Killin' Floor
Texas
Another Country
Wine
"north California Folk-rock Festival"
Mike Bloomfield - Guitar
Nick Gravenites - Vocals
Buddy Miles - Drums
Barry Goldberg - Keyboards
Harvey Brooks - Bass
Peter Strazza - Horn
Marcus Doubleday - Horn
Herbie Rich - Guitar
Roger Troy - Bass
Carousel Ballroom
San Francisco
CA
Instrumental
Instrumental
Texas
Hey Joe
?
I've Been Loving You Too Long
Another Country
?
Don't You Lie To Me
Soul Searching
Eagles Auditorium
Seattle
WA
Groovin' Is Easy
Texas
Sunny
See Your Neighbor
(Sittin' On The) Dock Of The Bay
Wine
Prelude >
Soul Searchin' >
I Thank You
Over-Lovin' You
Mystery
It's My Own Fault Baby
Hey Little Girl
Peter Strazza - tenor saxophone
Nick Gravenites - guitar, vocals,
Buddy Miles - drums, vocals
Harvey Brooks - bass
Marcus Doubleday - trumpet
Herbie Rich - keyboards, baritone saxophone
Electric Factory
Philadelphia
PA
Hey Joe
Drivin? Wheel
Higher and Higher