I recently purchased a copy of the Joe Richardson Express (JRE) - Live off CD Baby.  Live is a long awaited live CD by JRE that thunders from the first track to the last and features a strong set list off all 4 studio CD's and is recored at various venues - the venues are not listed in the liner notes however.

Tracks breakdown this way:
Track List:
1. Longview Texas - Non Stop
2. Blacksheep of the Blues - Somhelgisfel
3. Souls in Ruins - Non Stop
4. Midnight Fever - Non Stop
5. Trouble, Trouble, Trouble - Somhelgisfel
6. The Gospel - part 1
7. The Gospel - part 2 Somhelgisfel
8. Come Home Baby - Way Beyond the Blues
9. Cry - Somhelgisfel
10. Kill Me Quickly - Way Beyond the Blues
11. Greyhound Bus - Way Beyond the Blues
12. Killin' Ground - Somhelgisfel/Stripped Down
13. Train

Longview Texas, Souls in Ruin, Midnight Fever, The Gospel - part 2 are presented here on Live in a looser, less militaristic fashion than there studio counterparts.  Joe really gets the wah, wah pedal on The Gospel.  I would have preferred that 'Damn That Guitar' would have been played in lieu of Gospel - part 1, that song has a bit of a drum solo and could have lead into The Gospel.

Blacksheep of the Blues is presented in a looser, bluesier fashion here than on Somhelgisfel (pronounced some hell jus' fell) w/a harp solo.  Blacksheep.. isn't one of my more favorite songs but I really do like this version 

I really do like the volume control on Come Home Baby, I just wish John Wolfe, bass, would have eased off the volume as well, it's just a little too much volume for the mood of the song.  Joe's vocals are better on the live version of Come Home Baby than on Way Beyond the Blues and it finishes the way Mother Rain ends which is very moody.

Kill Me Quickly has a nice harp solo and gives a nice change to the studio version.  Nice volume control and the bass is matched.

Train is a new song and could be a left over from the Non Stop sessions, I don't know for sure.  This song thunders as though a train is coming through the sound system.

Overall, this is a great release and highly recommended.  This lineup of the Joe Richardson Express is the tightest group I think Joe has assembled.  Richard Lamb is great on drums through out and John Wolfe - wow, what a great find he is.  I wonder if Wolfe plays w/mesa boogie because he sure is thunderous!  

Sure, I would have liked to have seen Golden Idol, Medicine Man, Lonely Times, and Front Porch Blues #2 but what is presented here in this live set the strength of JRE.  

Being that this was recorded at various times and locations the sound is a bit uneven from 1 track to the next meaning some tracks are louder than others.  The liner notes, well they just don't exist.  There is mention of the band members, some thank yous and that's about it.

david
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