VA - The Old Grey Whistle Test: Live (2012)

The legendary Old Grey Whistle Test returns with the third in the series - this album delivers what the fans have been asking for. All Live tracks, CD1 and CD2 feature tracks from the original classic show including Van Morrison, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elton John and the mighty Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. All original and all live - CD3 features tracks from the Old Grey Whistle Test's 40th anniversary BBC Radio 2 show as produced and presented by Bob Harris himself in 2011. All the artists featured on CD3 performed on the original show at some point.

The revitalised Old Grey Whistle Test brand’s latest compilation taps the archives for a spread of live recordings. Amongst the cuts are quite splendid renditions of familiar favourites, barnstorming bursts of fevered rock’n’roll, and a whole disc of new sessions recorded in 2011. It all adds up to a package well deserving of the OGWT seal of approval.

Disc one’s first standout is a wonderfully understated Tiny Dancer, finding Elton John alone with his piano and a bucket-load of emotion. Sure, the tracks been wheeled out for dozens of comparable compilations before this one; but this recording resonates with a tenderness less apparent on the studio version. Suzanne Vega’s Luka and Van Morrison’s Into the Mystic are fine takes, and Hall & Oates’ swaggering She’s Gone is a smile-inducing cut that leads the contemporary listener into imagining Flight of the Conchords giving it the pastiche treatment.

Best of all on disc one is Tom Waits’ Burma Shave, as uniquely dishevelled and as singularly menacing as any song one will ever hear. To this day Waits is a true original, and here he’s as raw as his reputation dictates, stealing the show from the ‘friendlier’ sounds of Lindisfarne, George Benson and the in-beautiful-voice Bill Withers.

Disc two kicks off with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s (likely) immortal Sweet Home Alabama, but the song sounds as if it was recorded from the other side of an aircraft hangar. Argent’s God Gave Rock and Roll to You resets the quality control, its sing-along chorus as glorious in 2012 as it was in 1973 – although these ears will forever be more receptive to the boisterous 1991 cover of the track by KISS. Captain Beefheart is maniacally mischievous on Upon the My-O-My, and Ramones thunder through an awesome medley of Don’t Come Close, She’s the One and Go Mental; but perhaps the most thrilling track on the second disc is Rory Gallagher’s Bullfrog Blues. Simply breathless, it’s a bracing nine minutes that regularly bursts into a brilliant racket, piano and guitar duelling until both are sweaty messes.

The newer sessions are primarily reserved for old hands, artists whose careers stretch back to the days of OGWT on the telly. Chuck Prophet is a notable exception, with his Summertime Thing. Overall, this release is a journey both of nostalgia and discovery – experienced ears will appreciate the rougher-edged versions, and fresh ones can explore superb talents for the first time.

–Al Fox

Tracklist:
Disc 1 (58:03)
1. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – American Girl (04:13)
2. Elton John – Tiny Dancer (06:04)
3. Hall & Oates – She's Gone (05:26)
4. Van Morrison – Into the Mystic (02:26)
5. Gary "U.S." Bonds – This Little Girl (04:28)
6. Rita Coolidge – Help Me Make It Through the Night (02:31)
7. Graham Nash – Another Sleep Song (03:22)
8. David Gates – Baby I'm a Want You (02:25)
9. Suzanne Vega – Luka (03:03)
10. Lindisfarne – Meet Me on the Corner (02:37)
11. Tom Waits – Burma Shave (04:41)
12. Poco – Just You & Me (03:36)
13. Humble Pie – Black Coffee (03:38)
14. Brinsley Schwarz – Hooked on Love (02:51)
15. George Benson – Breezin' (04:34)
16. Bill Withers – Ain't No Sunshine (02:08)

Disc 2 (01:11:12)
1. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama (05:24)
2. Argent – God Gave Rock and Roll to You (06:21)
3. The Doobie Brothers – Rockin' Down the Highway (03:23)
4. Rory Gallagher – Bullfrog Blues (09:07)
5. Captain Beefheart – Upon the My o My (03:15)
6. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Delilah (04:56)
7. The Waterboys – This Is the Sea (06:31)
8. Ramones – Don't Come Close/She's the One/Go Mental (06:03)
9. The Cult – Love Removal Machine (04:15)
10. The Undertones – Jimmy Jimmy (02:31)
11. Aztec Camera – Walk Out to Winter (03:23)
12. Tubeway Army – Are "Friends" Electric? (05:28)
13. Television – Fox Hole (04:09)
14. Blondie – Heart of Glass (05:47)
15. Nine Below Zero – Stone Fox Chase (Theme From the OGWT) (00:39)

Disc 3 (01:14:00)
1. Paul Weller – English Rose (03:05)
2. Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak (04:03)
3. Ian Anderson – Mother Goose (04:00)
4. Loudon Wainwright III – Swimming Song (02:12)
5. Gordon Giltrap – Heartsong (02:59)
6. Gregg Allman – I Can't Be Satisfied (03:12)
7. Nils Lofgren – Long May You Run (03:10)
8. Julian Lennon – Stand by Me (03:16)
9. Joan Armatrading – Empty Highway (04:32)
10. Judie Tzuke – Stay with Me till Dawn (03:44)
11. Kiki Dee – Running up That Hill (05:27)
12. Nick Lowe – Sensitive Man (02:42)
13. Steve Harley – Friend for Life (04:44)
14. Ralph McTell – Zimmerman Blues (05:25)
15. Thomas Dolby – I Scare Myself (05:23)
16. Chuck Prophet – Summertime Thing (03:45)
17. Gang of Four – Not Great Men (03:13)
18. Billy Bragg – A13 (03:42)
19. John Otway – Cor Baby (That's Really Free) (02:37)
20. Yusuf Islam – Trouble (02:49)