Customer Reviews

Back It Up!: Live... An Authorized Bootleg

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Six stars! In 1975 the vinyl version of the album (rare as hen's teeth even then) was my introduction to Nils Lofgren, and has remained one of my top ten albums of all time ever since.

Odd tracks from this have filtered out on compilations, but finally we have the full show (or at least the original radio broadcast - no bonus tracks, so I assume there was nothing else in the can). No matter. This is rock'n'roll perfection, the version of "Like Rain" here being arguably Nils' finest recorded moment.

Can't wait to get my hands on this.

I've had this bootleg for 30 years and the cd's sound is improved.

the bands performance is excellent. BUT, this is not the complete show.

the band performed "rock n roll crook" that night.I can understand

the lp not having it, due to time limitations. there is no excuse for

the cd not having it. come on nils. the show was filmed also. where's the

dvd.

I waited with great anticipation for this cd which was not available to the loyal fan until recently. The title cut has always been one of the best rock songs ever recorded. When I received the cd, I was quite surprised to see that there were only 7 cuts and one of the cuts I expected to see was missing: Moontears. This song was played with Back it Up and Beggar's Day on the King Biscuit Flour Hour on WNEW-FM years ago. In addition, WRNW, played the authorized bootleg on an early Saturday morning Nils focus. What happened A&M? Are we to wait for the sequel? I feel that this was not the right way to release the cd with any song missing! Has A&M done Nils wrong, again?

I finally found a vinyl version of this on eBay, only to learn that it's on Nils' web site and available for purchase here. One other thing I found out is that Wolfgang's Vault (or Concert Vault as it's known) has the entire show, including Rock and Roll Crook, for sale and as a free (with registration) stream. It's $9.98, and non-DRM to boot!

This show sounds just as good as it did 33 years ago, and even though digital versions exist, it was immensely satisfying to score the LP - I've been searching forever....

I recorded this performance from a live KSAN radio broadcast in San Francisco in 1975 (on my 8-track tape deck!!!). I wore the tape out over the next 3 - 4 years. (Also recorded early Tom Petty from the same KSAN broadcast series... wore that one out too.) It's great to be able to hear this again. It's stood up well to the test of time and is probably one of Lofgren's best recordings.

I remember when this show was recorded. I had a friend who worked for KSAN in the SF Bay Area and I used to get tickets for these live shows at the Record Plant in Sausalito, CA. Two of the shows I attended stood out as being, as one reviewer put it, "Holy Grail" type shows. First is this one...Nils Lofgren in 1975. What a show! The other is Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in 1977 (if you can find the full show of that one...yeehaw!) I remember sitting there thinking how good this band was and then remembering that Nils had played piano on After The Gold Rush. Anyway, I ended up with the show on cassette and played it on a constant loop for years. Then a party one night destroyed a bunch of my tapes and with it...a treasure lost...or so I thought.

Then one day with the advent of the Internet, I found a download of this show. I have the full show which includes one song that this omits...Rock 'n Roll Crook. This show has always been and will continue to be one of the best live performances ever. Goin' Back and the finale Beggar's Day, especially the jam toward the end of the song, are nothing short of spectacular! Download this true masterpiece & enjoy some great rock & roll from a great artist. This is as good as it gets!

I've had the original A&M vinyl LP (Back It Up!! Nils Lofgren Live An Authorized Bootleg, with the paper label glued to a plain white LP jacket) since finding it in a Boston record store in 1978. The songs on this CD (and the CD that's available directly from Nils' website) match the LP, note for note. If I'm remembering my musical history correctly, the Back It Up!! album was released to radio stations in late '75/early '76, shortly after A&M released Nils' self-titled, debut solo album. The songs here are mostly from that debut, give or take a Grin song or two. It would seem that A&M didn't include, "Rock and Roll Crook", on the original LP because, if included, Side 2 would be more than 27 minutes long. In those days an LP side was not longer than 15-22 minutes or so. Or perhaps it could have been the pre-song banter and Al Kooper introduction that kept that song off the LP, but we'll probably never know the real reason for the omission. The one thing you really need to know is that this is a classic high energy performance from Nils and it's an amazing album that no fan of Nils Lofgren should be without. You'll be glad you got it here, or direct from Nils. Either way, Back It Up!!, is a must have and a welcome addition to any music collection. And, by the way, if you want the whole show that includes the missing, "Rock and Roll Crook", Wolfgang's got it.

This concert was one of my all-time favorite vinyl discs which got tons of play and inspired my guitar playing style back in the day. Note that a slightly more complete version is available as a download from Wolfgang's Concert Vault, which includes Rock N Roll Crook from the original broadcast. The live performances exude a casual, cool but driving vibe, and present arguably the best versions of Back It Up and Keith Don't Go. Beggar's Day is a killer song, too. WNPR's Fresh Air has a recent feature on Nils' career to check out.

Fabulous live set by Nils. "Back it Up" is a rock and roll classic. If you can find the studio version, snag it. Out of print. (Live version here.)