The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Native American guitarist Jesse Ed Davis was the "go-to" sideman for a remarkable group of musicians. Starting in the mid-'Sixties, he toured with Conway Twitty, then become a key part of Taj Mahal's band, playing on several albums and tours including an appearance on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus and his historic pairing with Leon Russell to play on Bob Dylan's "Watching the River Flow" at the Concert for Bangla Desh (after which he accompanied George Harrison). By now, he'd caught the eye of ATCO Records, which released his debut LP Jesse Davis in 1971 featuring Russell, Eric Clapton, Gram Parsons, Merry Clayton, Ben Sidran, John Simon (producer of The Band), Alan White (of Yes), and many others including Delaney Bramlett behind the mixing desk.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Native American guitarist Jesse Ed Davis was the "go-to" sideman for a remarkable group of musicians. Starting in the mid-'Sixties, he toured with Conway Twitty, then become a key part of Taj Mahal's band, playing on several albums and tours including an appearance on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus and his historic pairing with Leon Russell to play on Bob Dylan's "Watching the River Flow" at the Concert for Bangla Desh (after which he accompanied George Harrison). By now, he'd caught the eye of ATCO Records, which released his debut LP Jesse Davis in 1971 featuring Russell, Eric Clapton, Gram Parsons, Merry Clayton, Ben Sidran, John Simon (producer of The Band), Alan White (of Yes), and many others including Delaney Bramlett behind the mixing desk.

The Who's 1979 movie documentary, The Kids Are Alright, is widely regarded as one of the best documentaries of a rock group ever released. And with good reason – at 99 minutes in length, it features the perfect blend of songs, interviews, and interesting non-music clips from the early '60s, up until Keith Moon's untimely death in 1978. But what really holds the viewer's interest for the duration are the band's continuously fiery performances – The Who was long-considered "the world's greatest live act" for good reason. The opening out-of-control clip, "My Generation" from The Smothers Brothers TV show, was shocking stuff for the time (the mid-'60s), while live takes of "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" from Shepperton Film Studios in '78 are among the finest and most energetic live rock performances ever captured on tape. Also included is footage of the band's show-stopping set at Woodstock, early European TV appearances, "A Quick One" from The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, and a hilarious early-'70s band interview where Keith Moon and Pete Townshend trade witty banter. The Kids Are Alright is a thoroughly entertaining must-see for fans of The Who and rock & rollers everywhere.

Record Store Day 2024. Native American guitarist Jesse Ed Davis was the “go-to” guy for a remarkable group of musicians. Starting in the mid-‘60s, he toured with Conway Twitty, then became a key part of Taj Mahal’s band, playing on several albums and tours including an appearance in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, and, perhaps most famously, accompanied George Harrison during the Concert for Bangladesh, followed by work on various solo albums by John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Gene Clark, Leonard Cohen, and Jackson Browne (that’s Jesse taking the solo on his 1972 breakout hit “Doctor My Eyes”).

Perhaps the most interesting and insightful of the individual films to come out of Murray Lerner's footage shot at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, Nothing Is Easy is also the most ambitious. Jumping between the 1970 events and a rather droll-humored Ian Anderson recalling the events from 2004, the film gives a lot more than an excellent account of the band's music and stage presentation of that era. We also get a close-up look at the threats of violence and hooliganism that lay beneath the peace-and-love rhetoric of the later-'60s counterculture, as the band finds itself caught in the midst of a confrontation between festival organizers trying to retake control of one sliver of the venue, and attendees – most of whom crashed the gate – refusing to cooperate and threatening mayhem.

For long-time fans of the The Who acquainted with the less-than-stellar audio quality of bootlegs that have circulated over the years, this two-CD (and three-vinyl LP )fiftieth-anniversary set Live at the Fillmore East 1968 will no doubt be a revelation. Those more casual followers who may only know of the iconic British group as of their widespread commercial breakthrough in the form of Tommy (MCA, 1969) will quite possibly be more astonished-and on multiple fronts-hearing the quartet's stage show before the rock-opera became its focal point.