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The Police – 1979-04-05 – Fat Cats Club, Miami, FL [SBD]

The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977.  For the majority of their history, they were comprised of Sting (bass), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums). The Police are regarded as one of the first new wave bands to achieve mainstream success.  Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d’Amour,  reached No. 6 in the UK, and their second album, Regatta de Blanc, became the first of five consecutive UK No. 1 albums.  Synchronicity,  from 1983 was No. 1 in both the UK and U.S., and sold over 8 million copies in the U.S. alone.  They disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a world tour that ended in August 2008.  They were the world’s highest-earning musicians in 2008, thanks to their reunion tour.  In early 1979, The Police went on tour in North America in support of their debut album, Outlandos d’Amour.  The tour kicked off at the legendary Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles and ran until May 25, with the band criss-crossing the US and Canada.  They often played 2 shows a night, and rarely took a night off.  Check out this broadcast to hear the Police at their first show on 5 Apr 1979, in their first US tour.

Dire Straits – 1979-03-06 – Tower Theater, Philadelphia, PA [SBD]

Dire Straits were a British band that was formed in 1977 by Mark and David Knopfler (lead and rhythm guitars, respectively), John Illsley (bass), and Pick Withers (drums).  Their career spanned a total of 15 years.  They broke up in 1988, but reformed in 1991.  They broke up for good in 1995, when Mark Knopfler pursued his solo career full-time.  In reviews of Sultans of Swing, Dire Straits‘ first big hit, often cited Mark Knopfler’s vocals as sounding like Bob Dylan.  When he saw Dire Straits for the first time in 1978, Dylan was so impressed that he invited Knopfler and drummer Pick Withers to play on his next album, Slow Train Coming.  Knopfler also played on the Dylan albums Infidels and Down In The Groove.  When Dire Straits launched the 2nd leg of their fall tour in October 1978, it marked their first extended run of shows outside of the UK.  The band visited France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, promoting both their self-titled debut album and the single, Sultans of Swing.  A couple weeks ago, we heard a concert from that debut tour, but this week, we will catch a great soundboard recording from their tour in support of their second album, Communique. This was recorded at Tower Theater, Philadelphia, PA on 6 Mar 1979.

Yes – 1979-04-18 – Colisee Pepsi Quebec City, Canada [SBD]

Yes is an English band formed in 1968 by bassist Chris Squire and vocalist Jon Anderson.  Chris Squire took a hiatus from Yes in May of 2015, when he was diagnosed with acute erythoid leukemia.  Squire, unfortunately, passed away on 27 Jun 2015.  This is the last segment here on CRAB honoring Chris Squire, and we hope that you’ve enjoyed these concerts.  This concert, once again, features the original classic Yes lineup, comprised of Jon Anderson (vocals), Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass), Rick Wakeman (keyboards), and Alan White (drums).  This soundboard recording was captured on 18 Apr 1979 in Quebec City, Canada.  This performance is as good as the sound quality, which makes for a real treat.  This bootleg has had some TLC in the remastering department, and is probably the best version of this you will hear.   This tour was in support of the Tormato album.  It should do fine to wet your appetite for next week’s final installment of CRAB‘s Yes tribute.  Next week, I shall be playing a bootleg from the second classic Yes lineup, with Trevor Rabin replacing Steve Howe, and Tony Kaye in place of Rick Wakeman.