You Know Who... Is Still Dry

Steve Cropper, 1967
Photo by Jason Kempin

Still in the middle of “Sober ‘Tober.” Is it bad that I fear I am boring when I have no chemical enhancement? Perhaps I am just being neurotic, or perhaps I don’t feel like I can free-associate with the same ease. I’m probably overthinking.
In any event, once again, the first segment of the show was pretty much one long “in memoriam” segment. I was divided as to how, or if, to pay tribute to Ace Frehley of Kiss. On one hand, when he passed I saw, both in the news and on my social media feed, how many friends and musicians that I respect and admire were fans of his and how many were actually inspired to pick up the guitar because of him. On the other hand, he was a member of Kiss, which, if you have ever spoken to me, or read my blog, or listened to this show, you would know are one of the bands that I detest the most. Still, in the end, I decided to give him a bit of love, while avoiding featuring his more pretentious, less talented, and more irritating band-mates.
I also paid tribute to D’Angelo and bass virtuoso Anthony Jackson, both of whom passed in the last week. I was not able to pull anything together for the German saxophonist Klaus Doldinger. Apologies to anyone offended by this omission.
Some nice and eclectic tunes from this day in music history. The more up-tempo and groove-based performance of Van Morrison’s “Warm Love” was definitely a highlight there. The man of the hour, however, was without a doubt Steve Cropper, whose 84th birthday gave me a good excuse to end the show with some good cuts by Otis Redding and Booker T. & The MG’s, with some Blues Brothers thrown into the mix.
 
Click here to check it out:
LIC Radio 10/21/2025
 
 
Gary Burton / Chick Corea
“La Fiesta”
(Chick Corea)
Staatsoper, Hamburg, DE, 10/21/83
Burton and Corea’s studio version released on Duet  (ECM, 1979)
Originally recorded by Corea and released on Return to Forever  (ECM, 1972)
 
 
The Church
“Reptile”
(Marty Willson-Piper, Peter Koppes, Richard Ploog, Steve Kilbey)
The Ritz, New York, NY, 6/9/88
Studio version released on Starfish  (Arista, 1988)
 
 
D'Angelo
“Send It On”
(Michael Archer, Luther Archer, Angie Stone)
Cirkus, Stockholm, SE, 7/8/00
Studio version released on Voodoo  (Virgin, 2000)
 
 
The O’Jays

Anthony Jackson
Photo by Paul Bergen

“For the Love of Money”
(Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Anthony Jackson)
From the album Ship Ahoy  (Philadelphia International, 1973)
 
 
Frehley's Comet
“New York Groove”
(Russ Ballard)
The Limelight, New York, NY, 6/26/88
Frehley’s studio version released on Ace Frehley  (Casablanca, 1978)
Originally recorded by Hello and released on Keeps Us Off the Streets  (Bell, 1976)
 
The first time I ever talked to Walker (for those new to the show, he was the guy who started this whole LIC Radio thing), was at Dom’s when I was writing a lengthy screed about how shitty Kiss is and how they should never get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Sadly, not everybody agreed with me. Walker was basically looking over my shoulder and clearly took issue with what I was writing. What ensued was a lively debate that never turned nasty, and became the first of many such discussions that we had over the years.
 
Here is the article in question:
Kiss them Goodbye: A Campaign to Keep Kiss Out of theRock and Roll Hall of Fame
 
 
Santana
“Evil Ways”
(Clarence "Sonny" Henry)
Ludlow Garage, Cincinnati, OH, 10/21/69
Studio version released on Santana  (Columbia, 1969)
Originally recorded by Willie Bobo and released on his album, Bobo Motion  (Verve, 1967)
 
 
Van Morrison

Van Morrison, 1978
Phto by Gus Stewart

“Warm Love”
(Van Morrison)
Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, CA, 10/21/79
Studio version released on Hard Nose the Highway  (Warner Bros., 1973)
 
 
Joe Jackson
“Home Town”
(Joe Jackson)
Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, JP, 10/21/86
Studio version released on Big World  (A&M, 1986)
 
 
Jimmy Page
“Wasting My Time”
(Jimmy Page, John Miles)
Hara Arena, Dayton, OH, 10/21/88
Studio version released on Outrider  (Geffen, 1988)
 
 
Dixie Dregs
“The Bash”
(Steve Morse, Rod Morgenstein, Mark Parrish, Allan Sloan, Andy West)
Russell House Student Union, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 10/21/78
Official version released on Night of the Living Dregs (Capricorn, 1979)
 
 
Son Volt
“Drown”
(Jay Farrar)
The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI, 10/21/95
Studio version released on Trace  (Warner Bros., 1995)
 
 
The Flaming Lips
“Lightning Strikes the Postman”
(Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, Michael Ivins, Ronald Jones)
Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavík, Iceland, IS, 10/21/00
Studio version released on Clouds Taste Metallic  (Warner Bros., 1995)
 
 
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
“Mighty Quinn”
(Bob Dylan)
BBC In Concert, Golders Green Hippodrome, London, UK, 11/20/73
Studio version released on Mighty Garvey!  (Fontana, 1968)
 
 
Otis Redding
“Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)”
(Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
Konserthuset, Stockholm, SE, 4/6/67
Studio version released on Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul  (Volt/Atco, 1966)
 
 
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
“Hip Hug-Her”
(Steve Cropper, Donald Dunn, Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones)
The Concert Hall, Toronto, ON, 5/23/93

Booker T. & The MG's

Studio version released on Hip Hug-Her  (Stax/Atlantic, 1967)
 
 
Dave Edmunds' All Star Rock n' Roll Revue
“(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay”
(Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
Warfield Theater, San Francisco, CA, 4/7/90
Originally recorded by Otis Redding and released on The Dock of the Bay  (Volt/Atco, 1968)
 
 
The Blues Brothers
“Soul Man”
(Isaac Hayes, David Porter)
Winterland, San Francisco, 12/31/78
Originally recorded by Sam & Dave and released on Soul Men  (Stax/Atlantic, 1967)
 
 
Al Di Meola
“Race with Devil on Spanish Highway”
(Al Di Meola)
The Warfield Theater, San Francisco, CA, 1/23/82
Studio version released on Elegant Gypsy  (Columbia, 1977)