Dave Mason - Mississippi Riverbank Club, Minneapolis, MN, 7-25-1986 | Albums That Should Exist

 Dave Mason - Mississippi Riverbank Club, Minneapolis, MN, 7-25-1986

Paul says: Recently, a commenter named nytvf pointed out a Dave Mason concert on YouTube, and suggested I post that on my blog. I checked out the link, and I was impressed by the concert. It's an acoustic concert with great sound quality, but somehow it seems to only exist as that one YouTube. Well, until now, that is. Here it is converted by me into mp3s. Thanks to nytvf for the suggestion. (I'm always open to suggestions.)

Mason had commercial and critical success, highlighted by two big hits, "Only You Know and I Know" in 1970, and "We Just Disagree" in 1977. But his commercial fortunes went way down in the 1980s. He didn't even release a new studio album between 1980 and 1987. This concert happened near the end of that time. Pretty much all the songs he performed were songs he wrote in the 1960s or 1970s, or covers of classic songs. But while he didn't seem to be very creative with new songs during this time period, his performing skills were still a good as ever.

Mason played guitar, and was backed up by only one other person, Jim Krueger, also on guitar (and backing vocals). That's worth noting because Kreuger also wrote a couple of the songs performed here, "The Word" and "We Just Disagree." Kreuger was a member of Mason's band since the mid-1970s.

The one thing that surprises me here is that it seems Mason didn't play "Only You Know and I Know," which I would guess is the second best known song he's written, behind "Feelin' Alright." (Perhaps there was more to this concert that what's on the recording, I don't know.) 

Anyway, this previously obscure recording is one of the best live recordings of his music, in my opinion. The music is unreleased. The sound quality is excellent. I would guess it either has to be a soundboard or an FM radio broadcast.  

This album is an hour and 17 minutes long.

01 Feelin' Alright
02 World in Changes 
03 talk
04 Every Woman 
05 talk
06 Sad and Deep as You
07 That's Alright Mama [Instrumental Version] 
08 talk 
09 The Words 
10 Not Fade Away 
11 talk
12 Let It Go, Let It Flow 
13 talk
14 Shouldn't Have Took More than You Gave - Dear Prudence
15 talk
16 Bird on the Wind 
17 talk
18 We Just Disagree
19 talk
20 Maybe
21 talk 
22 Dust My Blues
23 talk 
24 All Shook Up
25 Bring It on Home to Me 
26 Dear Mr. Fantasy 
27 talk
28 All Along the Watchtower 
29 talk 
30 Take It to the Limit 

(all tracks Dave Mason)