Yesterday I heard on the radio "Fingertips" by Little Stevie Wonder, from the early '60's. I was reminded of what a fantastic live recording it is. He was so young his voice hadn't even changed yet! His harmonica playing was over the top, displaying a skill well beyond his years. Plus, the excitement of the corwd, his back-up band, the announcer, it all added up to make for an incredible recording, equaled by few of his subsequent studio efforts. At the end of the song, he is called back for more, and you can hear one of the musicians yelling, "What key, what key?" as the band went back into the song. In today's world, everything in concert performances is so "polished" and choreographed that such spontaneity could never happen. Yeah, we have nice shows, where the music and the visuals are carefully matched, but there is no room for the unexpected.

It also reminded me of the excitement felt on "Got Live it You Want It". It was an era where live rock concerts were in their infancy, and they generated an unparalleled excitement. It was all new. What a great era that was and I'm glad we can at least still hear the recordings from back then.

I miss the off the cuff moments at shows (especially the Stones). The sloppiness/drunkeness had a lot of charm!