Customer Reviews

Live at the Knite June 8th 1972

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

 

 

What an amazing document of this legendary alt-country band, live in action during its faint, glimmering, short-lived first incarnation. These recordings were apparently made in front of an audience of less than a dozen people, the sum total of the patrons of a teensy Texas watering hole known as the Knite... You'd never know it was a near-empty room, though, from the intensity with which the threesome tackled each and every song. They were clearly a powerful, powerfully earnest band, covering oldies and adding new tunes to the hard country canon... These soundcheck recordings are remarkable for a variety of reasons... First off, songwriter Butch Hancock doesn't sing at all, while Jimmie Dale Gilmore was the main vocalist, surprising in itself, but made even more remarkable when you hear Joe Ely's vocals cut through on a couple of tunes -- Ely, the growling, grizzled road-warrior-to-be, singing with a high, youthful, almost nervous voice, singing beautifully, with a sincerity that matched the music. Although the studio album that came out of this group's first year was a bit on the reserved side, these live recordings are passionate and compelling: this is what a real 'billy band sounded like, back in the earliest days of the "outlaw" era. And it was mighty fine. Highly recommended!

The Amazon.com reviewer who called this a drab recording must not appreciate REAL music. Maybe he likes the slick commercial stuff. Well, he has plenty of that to choose from. Those of us that like to hear people sing and play from their heart and talent WITHOUT screwing it up for some bar code rating find recordings like this few and far enough between!!

It's true that Jimmie was kind of the leader of the band back then -- and it IS amazing that Butch has NO lead songs on this CD. I'm a HUGE fan of Butch Hancock and I have at least 5 or 6 CDs of his solo work, so it does not bother me that he is not singing on this one, since I'm a fan of Jimmie's too. Joe Ely is great too, he has his own CDs aplenty now too, no problem.

I LOVE this CD. I'm slow to buy CDs so this is my first Flatlanders CD, even though I saw them play live June 2009. I SHALL get more, but hey, first things first, and this baby is not to be missed if you like "country rock." I think what I love MOST about this CD is that I can close my eyes and feel I am THERE at the nightclub back in 1972 -- and it is magic.

This is a treaure, no doubt about it. For the fans, that is. If you've never heard the Flatlanders before, I would recomend that you start with their one and only studio recording (released as More A Legend Than A Band). The sound on this recording is closer to a bootleg than a professional live recording. It doesn't sound at all bad, considering the circumstances under which it was recorded. Jimmie Dale Gilmore's voice could cut through anything and he sounds great here, especially on the outstanding take on Townes van Zandt's classic Tecumsah Valley. Only three songs on this record appeared on their studio album, so if you like that one, this is a great follow-up.

I cannot believe my good fortune to get a copy of the vintage Flatlanders and playing LIVE at that! The liner notes indicate this is almost a bootleg of a live performance at a small Texas roadhouse. The Flatlanders are almost a mystical group to begin with. Who else would use a musical saw along with the traditional Tex-Mex mix? Joe, Jimmy and Butch show off their amazing individual talents and really bring it home, as this group effort will attest. It was a long time from this effort in '72 to their most recent releases, but if you are a Flatlanders fan you should give this a listen. It gives you a very nice musical perspective on where they came from and where they are going. If you are reading this you are probably a Flatlanders fan already...I'm preaching to the choir!

~ Captured live in 1972 in a now-extinct Austin bar before a small but enthusiastic crowd, this recording was made a few months after they recorded they debut studio album now titled More a Legend Than a Band in Nashville. The Flatlanders only managed to make about 15 live performances before going their separate ways. The live recording is, as other reviewers have noted, amateur - the quality is not great by professional standards, but it is very good by amateur standards. The key measure of the sound quality is that the voices are clear and penetrating. Above all, the recording captures the excitement of the evening and the love the singers and musicians put into the music. If you are looking for twenty first century digital quality recording, look elsewhere. If you are looking for a very good recording of an excellent live performance of historical significance, this recording is for you.
~ The sixteen tracks span the range from pure country to country-blues, including some Cajun and some Tejano. To give an idea of the range of material, the songs are penned by Bob Dylan, Butch Hancock, Hank Williams, Jesse Fuller, Tex Ritter, Al Strehli, Sam Cooke, Harry Choates, and Austin's resident poet laureate Townes van Zandt.
~ The lead singing is split between Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Joe Ely - for some reason Butch Hancock does not sing lead on this CD or on the studio album, not even on the songs he composed. It is interesting to note that Jimmie's voice has not changed a great deal in the intervening 40 years, while forty years of traveling gravel roads has added considerable grit to Joe's voice.
~ The joy and enthusiasm of this recording can transport you back to a honky-tonk bar circa 1972. Enjoy.

If you love The Flatlanders buy this.As a historical recording it cant be beat.Dont mind the naysayers complaining about the ropey quality,this is the real deal.I only wish some of my other favorite bands were recorded in a small honky tonk.great stuff.

I know the technolgy was not that gereat in 1972 but the quality of the recording is simply dreadful!