2.Rockpalast Rocknight 4.-5. March 1978

  This page in german !
Translation: Rachel Holznienkemper and Family

[Michael Chapman]      [Mothers Finest]      [Dickey Betts]      [Spirit]

MICHAEL CHAPMAN

In memory of Michael Chapman 24 January 1941 – 10 September 2021

Not broadcasted live! (only radio)

WDR Text 1978: Michael Chapman is one of the best guitarists that England has brought forth in recent years. He's an excellent technician not only with acoustic, but also with the electric guitar. His voice is unmistakably raw and wilful and has a mind of ist own. In his melancholic songs, he describes his observations of life in the country, in the big city, etc. (Official Text)

Michael Chapman was born in Leeds on January 24th, 1941, and studied art and photography. His trademarks are his experimental style of playing, his melancholic ballads that are gladly done in minor chords and his biting, sarcastic lyrics. At the taping of 'Fully Qualified Survivor', he brought a band into the studio and thereby discovered the guitarist Mick Ronson (see Hunter-Ronson 6.Rocknight). His first US tour in 1972 was only fair since Americans didn't know how to take Chapman's black humor.
Michael Chapman never tried to conform to the market and trends of defiance; he always let the same smooth-flowing blues, folk, jazz and country music flow in his songs. He had contacts with the Hamburg scene for a long time, played with Achim Reichel and translated Udo Lindenberg songs into English. Since 1981, he has kept himself far removed from the business and lives on a farm in Cumberland but publishs CDs and is sometimes on the road.

Setlist:

01  Scholarly Man
02  Fallin' Apart
03  Northern Lights
04  I'm Sober Now
05  Sea Of Wine,
06  Ballad In Plain D
                        

Discography:

Rainmaker                                (1969)  Harvest SHVL 755 (CD 1997 4679-WY)
Window                                   (1970)  Harvest SHVL 786
Fully Qualified Survivor                 (1970)  Harvest SHVL 764 (CD 1997 4687-WY)
Wrecked Again                            (1971)  Harvest SHVL 798
Millstone Grit                           (1973)  Deram SML11-5
Deal Gone Down                           (1974)  Deram SML 1114
Pleasures Of The Street                  (1975)  Nova 622321
Savage Amusement                         (1976)  Deram
Man Who Hated Mornings                   (1978)  Decca SKL-R 5290
Playing Guitar the easy way              (1978)  Criminal Records Steal
Life On The Ceiling                      (1979)  EDSEL ED495
Looking For Eleven                       (1980)  Criminal Records
Almost Alone                             (1981)  Black Crow Records
Michael Chapman Lived Here From 1968-72  (1982)  Cube GNAT 1
Original Owners                          (1984)  Konexion
Heartbeat                                (1987)  Coda
The Best Of Michael Chapman 1969-1971    (1988)  See For Miles SEE CD 230
Still Making Rain                        (1993)  Making Waves SPINCD143
Navigation                               (1995)  Planet Records PLAN CD007
Dreaming Out Loud                        (1997)  Demon 2773 796 2
BBC Sessions 1969-75                     (1999)  Strange Fruit Records
Growing Pains                            (2000)  Mooncrest/Zomba 37380462
Growing Pains 2                          (2001)  Zomba 37380642
Americana                                (2001)  Blueprint
Live And Unhinged                        (2001)  Rural Retreat Records
Kule 2 B Blue with Alamo Leal            (2001)  Rural Retreat Records
Dogs Got More Sense                      (2004)  Secret Records
Journeyman Live DVD                      (2004)  Secret Records
27 06 05 Live In Brighton                (2005)  Rural Retreat Records
Plaindealer                              (2005)  Rural Retreat Records
Lost                                     (2005)  Rural Retreat Records
Words Fail Me                            (2007)
Vanity and Pride                         (2008)  self release - limited edition - and Ursa
Sweet Powder                             (2008)  Rural Retreat Records
Time Past & Time Passing                 (2008)  Electric Ragtime
And Then There Were Three Live           (2010)  Market Square Records
Wrytree Drift                            (2010)  Rural Retreat Records			
Pachyderm                                (2012)  Blastfirst Petite
The Polar Bear                           (2014)  Blastfirst Petite
Fish                                     (2015)  Tompkins Square Records
Live At Rockpalast                       (2015)  Repertoire
50                                       (2016)  Cargo
True North                               (2019)  Paradise of Bachelors
Party Pieces "Live In Bremen 1975"       (2024)  MIG/Indigo
            

DVD:

           
Live At Rockpalast                       (2015)  Repertoire
            

Internet:

MICHAEL CHAPMAN - Rockpalast WDR Studio-L Köln 01.04.1975
Michael Chapman's Home Page
Michael Chapman myspace.com
Michael Chapman Wikipedia EN
Michael Chapman Wikipedia DE

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Michael Chapman - Live At Rockpalast
DVD+CD  - Michael Chapman - Live At Rockpalast order now at Amazon!        DVD Info

WDR Text 1978: This group comes from the USA; to be more exact, Atlanta, Georgia. They especially well represent what outstanding qualities black music in the USA can have. Black rhythm and blues, which the musicians in big cities like Chicago or Detroit played as their own expressed style, nevertheless made possible the first white rock'n' roll. Until today, the original music of African-Americans is not represented enough. Mothers Finest is the group that plays the best synthesis of black funk and white rock'n'roll. The group has two mixtures: The first, black and white musicians play together; the second, the lead singers are a man and a woman. This way, Mothers Finest can dish out the whole spectrum of good rock music and does that generously. The group was formed about three years ago, and when performing, offers not only straight, unadorned music, but also lots for the eyes to feast on. The common arrangement is best described in a headline by Mothers Finest: I don't know why I've been told niggers can't sing rock'n'roll. They can, and how! (Official Text).

Mothers Finest opened the live broadcast of the 2nd Rocknacht with an absolutel Power concert. It was a pulsating mixture of (hard) rock, funk and soul. The center of attention was singer Joyce Kennedy. One of the high points was Wizzard's bass solo. After the Rockpalast concert, Mothers Finest was well-known throughout all of Europe.
The band was formed in Chicago in 1975 by the singing duo Joyce Kennedy and Glenn Murdock. They developed a style of music which appealed to rock, soul, and funk audiences. Mothers Finest was undoubdtedly a live band; the proof is the 1979 live album. Their studio LPs didn't impress very well. In 1984, the band split up; Joyce Kennedy became a solo singer and was able to place in the US charts with Jeffry Osborne. Wizzard became a term for funk and slap bass. Since 2000 the band is back again.

Musicians:

Barry B.B.Bordan - dr/perc
Michael Keck - keyb
Joyce 'Baby Jean' Kennedy - voc
Gary 'Moses Mo'Moore - g
Glenn Murdock - voc
Jerry 'Wizzard'Seay - b/voc

Setlist:

01  Dis Go Dis Way, Dis Go Dat Way             (4'34'')
02  Fly With Me / Rain                         (4'20'')
03  Truth'll Set You Free                      (4'12'')
04  I'm Gonna Give You All The Love           (12'42'')
05  Mickey's Monkey                            (6'34'')
06  Baby Love                                  (7'56'')
07  Bass Solo                                  (3'25'')
08  Fire                                       (3'44'')
09  Give It Up                                 (8'47'')
                        

Discography:

Mothers Finest                     (1976)  Epic 81595
Another Mother Further             (1978)  Epic 82037
Mother Factor                      (1978)  Epic 83011
Live                               (1979)  Epic 83693
Iron Age                           (1981)  Epic 25363
One Mother To Another              (1983)  Epic 25363
Looks Could Kill                   (1989)
Subluxation                        (1990)  RCA
Black radio wont play this record  (1992)  Scotti
Definitive Collection              (1997)  2 CDs
Not your Mother's Funk 76-79       (1997)  Razor
The Very Best of MF 76-86          (1997)  CBS
Not A Bootleg                      (1998)
Umeuswe                            (2000)
Meta-Funk'n-Physical               (2003)  CNR Records/Edel
Live at Villa Berg                 (2006)  MTM/SPV 2CDs
Mothers Finest live at Rockpalast  (2012)  MIG Music DoCD
Goody 2 Shoes & The Filthy Beast   (2015)  SPV/Steamhammer
Love Changes - The Anthology 72-83 (2017)  H'Art            
                                                                                                

DVD:

Mothers Finest live at Rockpalast  (2012)  MIG Music DVD
            

Internet:

Mother's Finest Rockpalast - Kantine Köln 04.09.2016
Mother's Finest Rockpalast - Burg Satzvey, Bourbonensaal 20.07.2003
Mothers Finest official
Mothers Finest (Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy) facebook.com
Mothers Finest Fanatics facebook.com
Wyzard facebook.com
Moses Mo myspace.com
Mothers Finest Fotos Burg Herzberg Festival 2009
Mothers Finest Wikipedia EN
Mothers Finest Wikipedia DE

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Mothers Finest - At Rockpalast DVD - order now at Amazon !   -   DVD Info

MOTHERS FINEST - Neu aufgelegt von M.I.G. April 2012!
Mothers Finest - At Rockpalast DVD - order now at Amazon !
Mothers Finest - At Rockpalast 2CDs - order now at Amazon !

WDR Text 1978: Dickey Betts and Great Southern are the third attraction at the Rockpalast Festival on March 4th and 5th. On those evenings, they were to be the second American band debuting in Europe before an audience of millions in the Gruga-Halle, along with Mother's Finest. Dickey Betts is not an unknown to those who know about American rock music; he was one of the original members of the 'Allman Brothers Band'. Critics found the name 'Southern Rock' because of the way he, as second solo guitarist, harmonizes with the melodious and rounded solos and improvisations that mark the music style of this group. What's meant by this is the music made by white rock musicians which came out of the southern states of the USA and also has found many friends in Europe.

After the early death of his guitarist brother Duane Allman, Dickey became the soloist and singer until the group 'Allmann Brothers Band' dissolved. His 'Ramblin' Man', which he then also sang, was the only Nr. 1 song of the group in the USA ; it is surely still in the ears of many here. In 1976, Dickey Betts formed his own group, Great Southern, with whom he continued leading and developing his own music style, as the name already implies, and accomplished it in a positive way. Nowadays, Dickey Betts and Great Southern are one of the most important, and the first representative, of rock from the southern states. (Official Text)

The finest in southern rock and blues, the old Allman Brother hits are played with much pleasure.
In the '10 Jahre Rockpalast' book, you can read: "Dickey Betts could also have played the whole night, Jessica brought everything together. The morning after the Rockpalast Nacht, he sat in the breakfast room with his acoustic guitar and entertained the somewhat irritated on-looking business travelers."

The name Richard 'Dickey' Betts is inseparable from the Allman Brothers Band, grounded in 1969. He used the hard slide guitar riffs from Duane Allman and developed their own sound, just like the two drummers. In their line of business (blues-country-southern), the Allmans were the most successful band in the USA and many of their records went platinum. In spite of the accidental deaths of Duane Allman, in 1971, and of Berry Oakley, in 1972, the Allmans continued. The more country oriented single cut, 'Ramblin' Man', from the LP, 'Brothers and Sisters', was a giant hit. In 1976, the band fell apart and Dickey Betts formed 'Great Southern'. He made a pair of successful tours and two albums. In 1978, the Allmans re-formed themselves with musicians from Great Southern. Musically, they were still brilliant, but they were no longer as successful.

Musicians:

Dickey Betts - g
Dan Toler - g
David Toler - dr,perc
Dani Sharbono - dr,perc
David Godflies - b
Michael Workman - keyb

Setlist:

01  Run Gypsy Run                              (5'09'')
02  You Can Have Her                           (5'44'')
03  Leavin' Me Again                           (5'05'')
04  Back On The Road,                          (5'12'')
05  In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed               (11'26'')
06  Good Time Feelin'                          (6'49'')
07  Dealin' With The Devil                     (3'47'')
08  Jessica                                   (11'20'')
09  High Falls (incl. Drum Solo)              (29'03'')
10  Ramblin' Man                               (5'53'')
                        

Discography:

Dickey Betts (and with Great Southern):
Highway Call                                   (1974)  Capricorn 2429 117
Dickey Betts and Great Southern                (1977)  Arista 801320
Atlanta's Burning Down                         (1978)  Arista 201194
Pattern Disruptive                             (1988)  CBS
Let's Get Together                             (2001)  Navarre
Arista Recordings                              (2005)  Soulfood
Back Where It All Begins                       (2005)  Eagle DoCD
Bougaivillea's Call - Very Best of 1973 - 1988 (2007)  Raven
Let's Get Together/Collectors#1                (2007)  Soulfood
The Official Bootleg                           (2007)  Evangeline/Soulfood
Live at Rockpalast                             (2019)  3CD/2DVD Box MIG/Indigo
Live From The Lonestar Roadhouse NYC 1988      (2024)  RockBeat 2CDs


with the Allman Brothers (selected):
The Allman Brothers Band        (1969)  Capricorn CPN 0196 
Idlewild South                  (1970)  Capricorn
At Filmore East                 (1971)  Capricorn 2659039
Peach                           (1972)  Capricorn (double LP)
Brothers and Sisters            (1973)  Capricorn CP 0111 
Win, Lose, Or Draw              (1975)  Capricorn
The Road goes on forever (S)    (1975)  Capricorn 2637
Reach For The Sky               (1980)  Arista 
Brothers Of The Road            (1980)  Arista
Dreams (anthology)              (1989)  Polygram (4-CD box set)
Ludlow Garage (live)            (1990)  Polygram (2-CD set)
A Decade Of Hits                (1991)  Polygram (anthology)
Seven Turns                     (1990)  Epic  
Shades Of Two Worlds            (1991)  Epic 
An Evening With... (live)       (1992)  Epic 
Where It All Begins             (1994)  Epic 
2nd Set (live)                  (1995)  Epic
Eat A Peach - Deluxe Edition    (2006)  Universal 2CDs
The Allman Brothers Band GOLD   (2006)  Universal 2CDs
                        

DVD:

Dickey Betts & Great Southern         (2005) Eagle Rock DVD
30 Years Of Southern Rock (1978-2008)     (2009) 2 Rockpalast Konzerte
Live at Rockpalast                        (2019)  3CD/2DVD Box MIG/Indigo
                                

Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers) Internet:

Dickey Betts official
DICKEY BETTS AND GREAT SOUTHERN - Bonn, Museumsplatz 19.07.2008
Dickey Betts Pictures Burg Herzberg Festival 2012
Dickey Betts Wikipedia DE
Dickey Betts Wikipedia EN

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Allman Brothers Band same like last!
Wilson & Alroy's Allman Brothers Reviews
Allman Brothers Wikipedia EN
Allman Brothers Wikipedia DE

Dickey Betts & Great Southern at Rockpalast 2 DVD order now at Amazon!   -   DVD Info

Live at Rockpalast 1978 and 2008 Box-Set 3 CD + 2 DVD Box 02/2019

CD - Dickey Betts & Great Southern - order at Amazon !

WDR Text 1978: The appearance of the legendary rock group, Spirit, with guitarist Randy California and drummer Ed Cassidy at the Rockpalast-Festival on March 4th and 5th will be a notable event: is it the group's first concert in Europe after several years. For over ten years, the American group Spirit has been commonly recognized, on the whole, as one of the most influential and important rock groups. Their album 'Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus' is a rock classic. Formed in 1967, Spirit today represents the development of the music of the American west coast in all it's aspects. (Official Text)

Spirit. They made a name for themselves on this "Magic Night". Ed Cassidy's intro on his drums. Rockpalast jam.... electro jam....Randy California, with the sound of his magic guitar (supposedly bought at a department store for $50) , attracted everyone into his path. A high point was the drum solo - Ed drummed with his hands. Production leader Willi Lang couldn't take it anymore with 'Hey Joe' and danced with Randy in front of the camera. The ending was a session with Dickey Betts. A jewel in the Rockpalast history.

Spirit was formed by Randy California in L.A. in 1967. Randy had a group called 'Red Roosters' before, in which his bald-headed step-father, jazz drummer Ed Cassidy, already belonged to. In New York, they played for a short time with 'Jimi James and the Blue Flames'.The man behind this band was no other than Jimi Hendrix. The big Jimi Hendrix influence can always be seen in Randy's guitar playing. Jay Ferguson and Jon Locke played with Spirit for a few years. The fact that their albums never were commercial successes lay presumably on the stylistic jumps and strange fusions. The first LP was inspired more by jazz. The LP 'The family that plays together' offered more compact songs, of which the single 'I got a line on you' managed to land in the Charts and even made it to Nr. 25. Because of it's 'political' content, their song '1984', named after George Orwell, was boycotted by the radio stations in the USA. In 1971, there was a line-up change, and, the end of Spirit seemed to have arrived when Randy California left the band. He devoted himself to his solo project 'Kaptain Kopter and his Fabulous Twirly Birds'.

In 1976, Spirit heralded itself again with the ablum 'Spirit of 76', a somewhat controversial sounc collage. Since 1978, Spirit has appeared mostly as a trio, just as at the Rockpalast concert. Randy California produced some solo records. Spirit regularly made records and went on tours to go along with most of them. In 1984, with the original band members, Spirit released the LP 'The Thirteenth Dream'. In 1989, Randy California toured with the 'Night of Guitars'.
In 1996, the record 'California Blues' appeared, with guest musicians such as Robbie Krieger, Matt Andes and his daughter Rachel, more or less the third generation of Spirit. The record was to be a new beginning and a start in Spirit's fourth decade, but the unexpected death of Randy Craig Wolfe (California) brought Spirit a bitter end.
Randy California died on 2 January, 1997, while trying to rescue his son from drowning (swimming in Molokai, Hawaii); he himself was pulled out to sea and drowned. Once again, a Rockpalast concert has become a document and a piece in the history of rock music.

Musicians:

Randy California - g/voc/Moog Taurus
Ed Cassidy - dr
Larry "Fuzzy" Knight - b

Setlist:

01  Rockpalast Jam                             (6'25'')
02  Mr. Skin                                   (3'25'')
03  Nature's Way                               (3'13'')
04  Like A Rolling Stone                       (7'11'')
05  Hollywood Dream                            (4'39'')
06  1984                                       (3'25'')
07  Looking Down From A Mountain               (4'54'')
08  Hey Joe                                    (5'17'')
09  Animal Zoo                                 (4'38'')
10  Love Charged                               (4'22'')
11  It's All The Same (incl. Drum Solo)       (16'15'')
12  I Got A Line On You                        (2'42'')
13  All Along The Watchtower                   (5'02'')
14  Wild Thing                                 (3'18'')
15  Downer                                     (3'44'')
16  If I Miss This Train/Rockpalast Jam (*)    (4'52'')
(* Jam Session mit Dickey Betts)
                                                

Discography:

Spirit                              (1968)  CBS 63278
The Family That Plays Together      (1969)  CBS 63523
Clear                               (1969)  CBS 63729
Twelve Dreams Of Dr.Sardonicus      (1970)  Epic 26281
Feedback                            (1972)  Epic 64507
Spirit 0f 76                        (1975)  Mercury 6641 323
Son Of Spirit                       (1976)  Mercury 9100 019
Farther Along                       (1977)  Mercury SRM-1-1094
Future Games                        (1978)  Mercury 9100 036
Live                                (1978)  Illegal ILP 001
Made In Germany                     (1979)  Roof Records 172200 (Rockpalast)
The Adventures Of Kaptain Kopter 
and Commander Cassidy In Potatoland (1981)  Line 4.00092
The Thirteenth Dream                (1984)  Mercury 818 514-1 ("Spirit of 84" US)
Rapture in the Chambers             (1989)  IRS Records
Tent of Miracles                    (1990)  Line
Chronicles                          (1991)  Crew
Live at La Paloma                   (1995)  Werc 1040MK-1
California Blues                    (1996)  WERC 2204
Live At The Rainbow                 (1999)  (same as Spirit Live/Live Spirit/Made In Germany)
Cosmic Smile                        (2000)
Sea Dream                           (2002)  Evangeline 2CDs
Blues From The Soul                 (2003)  Evangeline 2CDs
Live From The Coast                 (2004)
Future Games/Spirit Of 84           (2005)  Charly/Soulfood
Son Of America                      (2005)  Blue Rose/Soulfood
The Euro-American Years             (2007)  4 CD Set
Salvation...The Spirit Of '74       (2007)  Acadia/Soulfood 3 CD
The Archive...An Introduction       (2008)  Acadia/Soulfood
At Ebbets Field 1974                (2016)  in-akustik
The Complete Potatoland             (2019)  Esoteric 4CDs
Two Sides Of A Rainbow              (2019)  Esoteric 2CDs Live At The Rainbow
Son Of America                      (2021)  Esoteric 3CDs
Sunrise & Salvation: Mercury Era    (2021)  Esoteric 8CDs
Twelve Dreams Of Dr.Sardonicus      (2022)  Cherry Red Deluxe 2CD



CD repuplishes digital remastered, plus Bonus-Tracks:

Spirit                              (1996)  Epic 64965 (1968)
The Family that plays together      (1996)  Epic 65001 (1968)
Clear Spirit                        (1996)  Epic 65002 (1969)
Twelve Dreams of Dr.Sardonicus      (1996)  Epic 65003 (1970)
The Mercury Years 1975-1977         (1997)  Mercury (Spirit of 76)
It Shell Be - The Ode & Epic Years  (2018)  Esoteric First 6 LPs CD Box


Randy California:

Kaptain Kopter and his Twirly Birds (1972)  Epic 65381
Euro-American                       (1982)  Line 4.00041
Restless                            (1985)  Vertigo 818646-1
Shattered Dreams                    (1987)  Line 4.00197
The Euro Amarican Years 1979-1983   (2020)  Esoteric 6CDs
                        

Spirit Videos:

The Video History Vol. 1            (1992)
The Video History Vol. 2            (1996)
The Ed Cassidy Story                (1993)
                        

Internet:

Randy California & Spirit - Home Page
Randy California / Spirit myspace.com
Spirit Tent of Miracles
Spirit Wikipedia DE
Spirit Wikipedia EN

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Randy California and Spirit 2CD - Blues from the Soul - order at Amazon !

Spirit - Live at Rockpalast 1978 Box-Set, 2CD+DVD - order now at Amazon ! 05/2019

Spirit  at Rockpalast - DVD - order now at Amazon !    -  DVD Info

Order Spirit at Rockpalast CD at Amazon !

Interviews:

Randy California about Jimi Hendrix - Interview

Spirit Interview - U.Begemeier Rockpalast Club (german)

Audio:

Albrecht Metzger introduce Spirit - mp3