This run of It's a Beautiful Day shows is somewhat of a holy grail for fans of the band, as it captures them several months before they recorded their highly revered first album and also features the original lineup. On this Fillmore run, they were opening for the Yardbirds, featuring Jimmy Page.
The band had already created a distinctive sound, quite unlike other bands of that era. David LaFlamme and Patti Santos' vocal blend and the band's orchestral approach to arrangements, including using the violin as a primary lead instrument, gained them a large following among people…entire summary
David LaFlamme - violin, vocals
Linda LaFlamme - keyboards
Patti Santos - vocals, percussion
Hal Wagenet - guitar
Mitchell Holman - bass
Val Fuentes - drums
This run of It's a Beautiful Day shows is somewhat of a holy grail for fans of the band, as it captures them several months before they recorded their highly revered first album and also features the original lineup. On this Fillmore run, they were opening for the Yardbirds, featuring Jimmy Page.
The band had already created a distinctive sound, quite unlike other bands of that era. David LaFlamme and Patti Santos' vocal blend and the band's orchestral approach to arrangements, including using the violin as a primary lead instrument, gained them a large following among people looking for something outside the scope of jam bands in the Bay Area.
This second night opens with a full bore attack on "Wasted Union Blues," one of their heaviest numbers. Perhaps after hearing Jimmy Page and the Yardbirds the previous night, they decided to increase the "hard rock" quotient a bit on this second night. The ethereal "White Bird" follows, an early embryonic arrangement much less developed than the version so familiar to many.
"Hot Summer Day" is another fantastic early version, again featuring a slightly different arrangement. There are about 20 seconds of this song missing due to a reel change. We also get another take of "Take That Ride By My Side," an unreleased song that has never surfaced beyond this run of shows.
They end this set with a radically different early arrangement of "Bombay Calling," one of the most adventurous numbers on their first album. Again, it is fascinating to hear the group experimenting on these classic first album songs months before they were recorded.
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