When I saw the set-list of this unoffical/bootleg Chuck Ragan live album I knew I had to get a copy. I honestly don't think I could write a better set-list myself (save a few newer songs) - all of my favourite Chuck and Rumbleseat songs make an appearance along with some excellent covers. There are so many great songs I don't know where to start.
I arguably ended up paying too much for this record, but I don't regret a penny of it. I bought mine (238/300) on eBay near the start of my PhD and half a year after getting the Live in Zurich record. I normally don't get on board with bootlegs, but the songs here convinced me. Luckily the sound quality is excellent and the balance between vocals, guitar and crowd noise is perfect. I mention the last because the crowd add so much to these 23 songs and are clearly having a great time. On top of that, their cries of "more" keep Chuck playing for a whole extra side of vinyl, despite him claiming he'll only play "one last song" (luckily for everyone involved, these words have little meaning to Chuck). The two records have blank labels, a scratched out etching in the run-out grooves and the only way to tell the difference between sides A and B is to put the needle down. It's also worth noting that Coal Tattoo is mistakenly listed as Dream of a Miner's Child.
So where do I begin with the music? More than half of the songs on Feast or Famine appear which, given how much I love that album, is a good start. On top of that, my three favourite songs from the Rumbleseat album get played (Cursing Concrete, Saturn in Crosshairs and California Burritos, although I tend to consider the last of those three to be a Feast or Famine song). I haven't written about Rumbleseat on here yet, but when I do, expect a long rant about how great Cursing Concrete and Saturn in Crosshairs are. The crowd here provide some excellent backing vocals to Cursing Concrete. There's also another live version of Open Up and Wail, my personal highlight of the Los Feliz live album, and a scattering of other songs and covers. The closer Will the Circle be Unbroken is worth mentioning too.
One of nicest moments of the album however, is the cover of Bleeder by Alkaline Trio. When I saw Chuck in TJ's he played this after a few requests from the audience and everyone went mad for it. I've never been a huge Alkaline Trio fan and only knew the song from the Hot Water Music collection 'Til the Wheels Fall Off, but enjoyed it nonetheless. Here I see why everyone was so keen to hear it. There's woman in the crowd on this record whose voice you can hear throughout, but near the end she shouts out something about Bleeder and then screams in excitement when he starts playing it. I've always liked that you can hear how pleased she was that Chuck played her request because it really makes you feel like you're there in that venue in Germany.
So yes, I paid a lot for this unoffical record but I love it. I love that any time I want to feel like I'm in the crowd at a Chuck Ragan show I can just put on this album and be there, which is lucky, because I often wish I was at a Chuck Ragan show.
Format: double 12"
Tracks: 23
Cost: £51.51 new
Bought: eBay
When: 11/03/10
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
