LIVE IN-HOUSE RECORDING FROM CLOVER STUDIOS 1976. In 1976, Bonnie Raitt made an appearance on Warren Zevon's eponymous album alongside Jackson Browne, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. She also performed the set included on this CD at the The Clover Studios in Hollywood on 29th February before a tiny invited audience. And while the recording - a little hissy in places but clear as a bell nevertheless - is a marvelous indication of where she was at this time in her career, it reveals too one of the most informal, laid back but warm and intimate shows of this nature yet made available.
The dog barking at the start and on occasion between tracks (polite or what?) is the first clue to such an ambiance, but the casual remark from Bonnie between tracks four and five “I just saw Tom Waits stumblin’ through the studio. Hi Tom, how’s it going?” - a Waitsesque growl in response reveals this to be a real life scenario - is the icing on the cake.
What this live set reveals most importantly however is that Bonnie Raitt in 1976 was still a superb performer, a wonderful blues singer, an incredible musician, and could still interpret the finest compositions, both contemporary and vintage alike, in the most unique way that often put the originals in the shade. It also proves that any reviews from the time suggesting otherwise came from quarters in which fashion was more important than substance.
