Willie Nelson - "Willie and Family Live" (1978)

Willie once said, “The biggest killer on this planet is stress" which might explain why he only really does two things, play music and golf. Well that and smoke a lot of pot. This laid back credo has kept the American Icon sharp witted and out there recording and touring for nearly half a century. His career has spanned numerous record labels, even more music genres, he's played with everyone from Johnny Cash to Snoop Dogg and on top of being a musician he's also a author, poet, outlaw, actor and activist. Here in 1978 Willie finds himself in beautiful Lake Tahoe with his extended touring family band bringing rowdy Texas barroom fun to the larger concert setting. Stream some of the highlights below and get out there on the road and see him live yourself! -- Chris Baginski

Disc 1

1. "Whiskey River" 3:39
2. "Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer)" 3:25
3. "Funny How Time Slips Away" 2:44
4. "Crazy" 1:48
5. "Night Life" 4:07
6. "If You've Got the Money (I've Got the Time)" 1:31
7. "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys" 3:34
8. "I Can Get Off on You" 2:09
9. "If You Could Touch Her at All" 2:59
10. "Good Hearted Woman" 2:59
11. "Redheaded Stranger Melody"
12. "Under the Double Eagle"

Disc 2

1. "Till I Gain Control Again" 5:58
2. "Bloody Mary Morning" 3:33
3. "I'm a Memory" 1:49
4. "Mr. Record Man" 2:02
5. "Hello Walls" 1:29
6. "One Day at a Time" 2:01
7. "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" 2:09
8. "Amazing Grace" 5:13
9. "Take This Job and Shove It" 3:09
10. "Uncloudy Day" 3:41
11. "The Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" 1:28
12. "A Song for You" 2:42
13. "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms" 1:57
14. "Georgia on My Mind" 4:08
15. "I Gotta Get Drunk" 1:22

See Willie On Tour

Waylon Jennings - "Waylon Live" (1976)

When country music started become too sugarcoated in the late 60's and early 70's, Waylon Jennings was among the first musicians to push for a rawer, back-roads style that became known as Outlaw Country. The gritty, answer-to-no-one back bone of the outlaw movement is personified by Jennings, along with other giants like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Merle Haggard. This recently remastered and expanded live album jumps from 9 tracks to 42, and captures Jennings and his band at the top of their collective game during the course of three Texas concerts in 1974. -- Chris Baginski

Disc One

1. "T For Texas (Blue Yodel #1)"
2. "Stop The World (And Let Me Off)"
3. "Lonesome On'ry And Mean"
4. "You Ask Me To"
5. "Louisiana Women"
6. "I'm A Ramblin' Man"
7. "Me An Paul"
8. "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way"
9. "Slow Rollin' Low"
10. "Rainy Day Woman"
11. "Good Hearted Woman"
12. "Mental Revenge"
13. "Amanda"
14. "This Time"
15. "Laid Back Country Picker"
16. "The Last Letter"
17. "Honky Tonk Heroes"
18. "Willie The Wandering Gypsy And Me"
19. "Donna On My Mind"
20. "We Had It All"

Disc Two

1. "Ladies Love Outlaws"
2. "Big Ball In Cowtown"
3. "Just To Satisfy You"
4. "Anita You're Dreaming"
5. "Big Big Love"
6. "Me And Bobby McGee"
7. "If You Could Touch Her At All"
8. "Bob Wills Is Still The King"
9. "Look Into My Teardrops"
10. "Long Way From Home"
11. "The Taker"
12. "Mississippi Woman"
13. "Mona"
14. "Never Been To Spain"
15. "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line"
16. "Freedom To Stay"
17. "Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)"
18. "Pick Up The Tempo"
19. "Ain't No God In Mexico"
20. "House Of The Rising Sun"
21. "Band Intros"
22. "You Can Have Her"

Luckenback, Texas Video

Brother Jack McDuff "Live!" (1963)

Master of the Hammond B3 Organ, Brother Jack McDuff helped make the blues infused "soul jazz" the bridge between the hard-bop of the 50's and the jazz funk of the 70's. If some of the grooves sound familiar, it's because McDuff's style beacame a major influence on the B3 players that followed him. Look no further than the tribute album "Boogaloo To Jack McDuff" where modern day players pay homage to the man himself. But "Live!" brings you back to the beginning of all it with some of Jack's earliest material being preformed in a club setting. -- Chris Baginski

1. "Rock Candy" (6:39)
2. "It Ain't Necessarily So" (6:37)
3. "Sanctified Samba" (4:48)
4. "Whistle While You Work" (5:11)
5. "A Real Goodun'" (7:42)
6. "Undecided" (8:15)
7. "Blues 1 And 8" (7:06)
8. "Passing Through" (2:39)
9. "Dink's Blues" (6:19)
10. "Grease Monkey" (2:31)
11. "Vas Dis" (8:09)
12. "Somewhere In The Night" (3:55)
13. "Jive Samba" (6:50)

Grooveshark Stream

Wes Montgomery - "Smokin' At the Half Note" (1965)

Smokin' at the Half Note is essential listening for anyone who wants to hear why Montgomery's dynamic live shows were considered the pinnacle of his brilliant and incredibly influential guitar playing. Pat Metheny calls this "the absolute greatest jazz guitar album ever made," and with performances of this caliber ("Unit 7" boasts one of the greatest guitar solos ever recorded) his statement is easily validated. Montgomery never played with more drive and confidence, and he's supported every step of the way by a genuinely smokin' Wynton Kelly Trio. -- Jim Smith

1. "No Blues" 13:00
2. "If You Could See Me Now" 6:45
3. "Unit 7" 7:30
4. "Four on Six" 6:45
5. "What's New" 6:00

The New Mastersounds - "Live at La Cova" (2006)

This funky dance party was recorded over two nights during the Summer of 2005 in Menorca, Spain inside the intimate La Cova, a club situated inside a cave overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. UK favorites The New Mastersounds serve up a heavy dose of original funk and soul jazz numbers from each of their prior albums as well as some of the band’s favorite cover tunes, including Grant Green's "Jan Jan," the Meter's "Funky Miracle," and other jazz funk classics like "Spooky," "FireEater," and "Duffin' 'Round" with plenty of Hammond B3 grooves. Led by guitar virtuoso Eddie Roberts, this telepathically tight quintet stretches out plenty. Featuring frequent guest Sam Bell on percussion, the album highlights their broad spectrum of pure vintage sounds and the energy they bring to their live shows, no matter what corner of the globe their danceable grooves take them. -- One Note Records

1. "Miracles" 2:30
2. "Duffin Around" 5:55
3. "You Got it All" 5:03
4. "3 on the B" 6:50
5. "Funky Miracle" 3:41
6. "Land of Nod" 8:03
7. "The Tin Drum" 6:03
8. "La Cova" 2:08
9. "The Minx" 5:12
10. "Spooky" 7:07
11. "Fire Eater" 4:45
12. "Jan Jan" 4:30
13. "One Note Brown" 3:42

Bob Dylan - "Live 1966" (1998)

The most famous bootleg in rock history, with the possible exception of Dylan's own Basement Tapes, finally makes its official appearance 32 years after the event. Although often identified as a Royal Albert Hall show, this May 17, 1966 concert, in which Dylan played electric material in front of a British audience, was actually recorded in Manchester (hence the unwieldy title with quotes around "Royal Albert Hall"). It captures the point at which Dylan was at his most controversial and hard rocking as he blazes through mid-'60s classics such as "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Ballad of a Thin Man," radical electric arrangements of songs that had originally been recorded acoustically ("One Too Many Mornings," "I Don't Believe You"), and the hard rocker "Tell Me, Momma," which Dylan never recorded in the studio. It's not just an interesting adjunct to Dylan's '60s discography; it's as worthy of attention as anything else he recorded during that decade. -- Richie Unterberger

Disc 1 - solo acoustic

1. "She Belongs to Me" 3:27
2. "4th Time Around" 4:37
3. "Visions of Johanna" 8:08
4. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" 5:45
5. "Desolation Row" 11:31
6. "Just Like a Woman" 5:52
7. "Mr. Tambourine Man" 8:52

Disc 2 - electric band

1. "Tell Me, Momma" 5:10
2. "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" 6:07
3. "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" 3:46
4. "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" 6:50
5. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" 4:50
6. "One Too Many Mornings" 4:22
7. "Ballad of a Thin Man" 7:55
8. "Like a Rolling Stone" 8:01