MOG

Bill Graham was foresighted enough to tape every concert that he promoted, all the way back to 1966. Now it's online. Wolfgang's Vault is three things - a 'radio station', a concert archive, and a shop selling original Fillmore posters. The events aren't restricted to just Graham's concerts; there's all sorts of stuff and the quality is by and large exceellent. A quick scan of the 360 shows pulls up Bowie (1985), Miles Davis (1970), Elvis Costello (78 and 84), The Who (68 and 69) and nearly all the Haight-Asbury bands including 1966 Grateful Dead. It's a great way to hear some of the best bands on the planet playing live.

The Vault Radio Playlist is a good place to start as it pulls individual songs from various concerts and gives you a quick overview of both what's available and whether you want to investigate further. The current playlist has Steppenwolf, Bob Marley, The Band, Maria Muldaur, The Clash, Cream, Motley Crue, JD Souther, and Razzy Bailey -- a pretty eclectic list! BTW, Vault Radio is a streaming channel of the playlist.

The three discoveries that have knocked me out are Emmylou Harris in 1973 (with James Burton on guitar), which has her demolishing several Gram Parson songs; Crowded House from a radio show in 1988 which is just a pleasure to listen to, the band are so tight; and Creedence Clearwater Revival playing on July 4, 1971 at the closing of the original Fillmore. It's probably one of their last gigs as well. I've never been a big CCR fan but this show is stunning, with John Fogerty playing crazed rock and roll guitar. At the time they were the biggest band in the world and from this distance it's easy to see why - the songs are great rock n roll singles: - clever lyrics, tight arrangements with no fat, and a cracking rhythm section. Any guitar band in search of inspiration should check out 'It Came Out Of The Sky' and 'Commotion'.