My Fathers' Place Review

 

 
Keeper Of The Keys fan review
This 1979 concert is one of the last concerts that Brewer & Shipley performed before splitting up to pursue their separate interests. The banter between songs demonstrates that they were obviously in a very good mood that night, and they certainly gave this crowd their money's worth by performing a generous 20 song set. Introducing "One Toke Over The Line" Michael exclaims "Waylon Jennings eat your heart out", and
 
  then Brewer & Shipley proceed to make fun of their biggest hit by changing the words on the first verse to "One toot over the line." They were having a lot of fun, and using this concert as a celebration of the end of what was, at the time, a 12 year musical partnership.

I much prefer the 1971 "Lost Live Album" bootleg for hearing Brewer & Shipley covering their key songs in their performing prime, but this live bootleg has a couple of things to make it a distinctive Brewer & Shipley live album: (1) they were obviously celebrating the end of their musical partnership that night, and the audience was treated to a lot of humorous banter between songs, and a 20 song set, including songs that they hadn't written or recorded when they performed the 1971 live show ("Black Sky", "Crested Butte", "How Are You", "Brain Damage", "Yankee Lady", "Tied To The Wings of An Angel", & "On The Road in Kansas"); and, (2) it has two wonderful B&S original songs and a cover song that have never been released.  I assume these songs were being crafted for a never materialized Brewer & Shipley album in the making. It has a cover of Lonnie Mack's "What Ya Doin' Tonight" that isn't found on any other Brewer & Shipley recordings.  It also includes a very funny unreleased original song titled "Eugene" about a character whose excessive living is about to catch up with him.  But what I treasure the most about this bootleg is an unreleased original song titled "Bringin' 'Em Back Alive," presumably about veterans coming home from the Vietnam war.  It has hauntingly poignant lyrics that could have just as easily been written for soldiers coming back from the current war, or it could even have been written as analogy to Brewer & Shipley's coming home from the excesses of ten years living on the road.  Whatever the intended connotations, it is a great "missing" song from Brewer & Shipley.

At the close of the show, Brewer and Shipley thank the fans for their support at what they think is the end of their musical partnership: "It has been our pleasure playing for all you people for the last 11 years.  We love you.  Goodnight!"   Luckily for all of us, Brewer & Shipley reformed that musical partnership in 1987 and are still adding to their musical legacy. 

 
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My Fathers Place Bootleg

     
        Email: KeeperOfTheKeys@BrewerandShipley.com
        Last modified: 08/23/2008