Bonnie Raitt 14 - Blender Blues

Bonnie Raitt
Sigma Sound Studios
Rainbow Room, WMMR
Philadelphia, PA, US
February 22, 1972

01 [04:03] Mighty Tight Woman
02 [04:23] Rollin' & Tumblin'
03 [03:39] Anyday Woman
04 [03:43] Woman Be Wise
05 [02:57] Thank You
06 [03:38] Bluebird
07 [05:23] Finest Lovin' Man
08 [04:42] Big Road
09 [02:50] Stayed Too Long At The Fair
10 [04:04] Under The Falling Sky
11 [03:59] Walkin' Blues
12 [03:06] Can't Find My Way Home
13 [03:52] Richland Woman Blues
14 [03:32] Blender Blues
15 [01:04] Radio Jingle Promo
16 [02:50] Since I Fell For You
TT [58:11]

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Band Info:

Bonnie Raitt - Guitar, piano, vocals
Dan (Freebo) Freeberg - Bass
T.J. Tindle - Guitar, harp
John Davis - Harp

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NOTE: this is NOT MY story and is only offered for what it's worth. Ralph

The Story:

Like any story passed on with some music this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Here what was told to me and this is what I know.

An intern at WMMR in the 80's recorded this show to an
analog source. Being such a tremendous recording this
individual longed to re-record the master reel straight to
a digital source as they became increasingly popular in the
early 90's. At this point the intern had moved on and no
longer had this type of access. However, he remembered
periodically that the studio or the station allowed access
to the 'records room' for research activity. Posing as a
university affiliate doing research on 70's radio advertising
this individual gained access to the master reels with a
portable Sony DAT deck. The room was laid out with shelves with tables on the far end with cassette decks, reel to reel and 'cart' type recorders. Unplugging the cart recorder and connecting the DAT deck history was then digitized. If you look at the timeline it was more than likely recorded with a Sony TCD D3. This early DAT deck was actually graced with a very nice A to D chip. I believe the same chip found in the Panasonic SV3700. Therefore a very nice digital transcript was made that day.

At this time I was working at a mail order facility selling
DAT tapes. Which at the time were very expensive, $12 or more per tape. The individual with this Bonnie recording told us the story above. Is it true? Who knows but he use to buy DAT tapes from us regularly. He made us a cassette of this famous recording and we bugged him to make us a DAT copy for months. He did not have the means to do DAT to DAT. On a visit to the 'store' in Stamford in 1992 we finally were able to make 1 DAT clone. I subsequently cloned that DAT. Most likely the
clone was made between a Panasonic SV3700 and a Sony 59ES. But, possibly between 2 SV3700's. At the 'shop' we had so many DAT decks with many
configurations. I have no doubt this is direct from the Pre-FM Reels and one listen and you will have no doubt either. Easily one of the finest recordings by any musician at any time.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bonnie
• Raitt
• Live
• Session
• Rainbow
• Room
• Sigma
• Sound
• Studios
• Blues

[ralphsims]

I wonder why she stopped doing this in concert? Embarrassed? As far as I can tell, it's never been re-released and folks say that when asked she won't perform the song.

[h4fungi]

Right, but at the Main Point, not in studio.

[ralphsims]

@h4fungi

Interesting. On the "Radio Promo Jingle" cut, she refers to the location as a studio. On the first cut "Mighty Tight Woman", they refer to being at "Sigma Sound", but not a specific room or studio. Now the album has the show on Feb. 22, 1972 and notes this being performed in the "Rainbow Room". I'd have to go back through the playlist, but I thought I remembered someone saying there were about 60 folks there during the set (plus her dog whose tail kept time with the songs).

[h4fungi]

Actually I believe this was recorded at The Main Point for WMMR. Notice the audience clapping at the end, which wouldn't have occurred in a studio.

[ralphsims]

@h4fungi

It's a live show from WMMR.

[tomgoespop]

Anyone still searching for great new music in a similar vein should check Freebo (bonnies bassplayer) recent albums, just great folk music and he does amazingly intimate live shows around the country all the time. Check his website freebomusic

[ralphsims]

@tomgoespop

I really apologize for this being flagged as spam. I accidentally clicked the button and there you weren't. I'm trying desperately to un-flag it. Ralph

[Eddiesix]

I heard this song on the radio..twice...it was in the mid 70's...it quickly became my favorite Raitt tune...this was waayyy before the days of the net and youtube... I found this song on Napster and had a heart attack...so it is now on my ipod...and it's on Youtube too!!! Ahhh..ya gotta love the technology!

[missinglowell]

i, too, heard this on late night FM radio (ha ha - we thought that was da bomb!) in the early 70's and then never could find it again. think Ronstadt covered it too, but Bonnie owns it! thanks soooo much for posting. 

[Ellen99]

saw her live in St Pete some time in the 80's - a local station (wqsr/wqsa/wmnf)had been playing it and she was horrified that we called for her to sing this song. She kept asking how we had heard it..

[voidmstr]

I produced this concert and broadcast live from Sigma from WMMR back in 1972.

Other notable radio concerts from my WMMR days: Billy Joel at Sigma, Jackson Browne live from the Main Point.

Bonnie hates any mention of this song, to this day. ;-)

[tonbroos]

Of course we can't stand in her shadow, but we tried. At You Tube look for: fingerpain blender blues

Hope you like it.

[shakeymo]

@ralphsims I heard her once say this song reminded her of a very bad time in her life.

She also said she could tell she was in New Haven when she got requests for it.

[ATrifleNippyout]

This was recorded live at Sigma Sound in Philly with an audience in the studio. The Rainbow Room reference Bonnie made at the beginning of the show was just a NYC joke. I was the engineer for the session and Dennis Wilen was the producer. - Jay Mark

[IAMPOPS58]

I was fortunate enough to see her live in the early 70's and this became 1 of my all time favorite songs by any artist of the times.

[h4fungi]

OK, I didn't know all that. I knew she had performed at the Main Point and WMMR had used songs from there. I didn't realize 60 people could cram into a studio. I think "Blender Blues" was probably Bonnie's counterpoint to James Taylor's "Steamroller Blues". The lyrics are delightfully nasty in the best blues tradition and it's a shame she won't do it.