Real Gone Music has announced the release of two classic live performances — one a gig by the multi-faceted guitarist Richard Thompson, and the other the vinyl debut of Jefferson Airplane’s Woodstock set.

Richard Thompson is one of the great guitarists of his generation and an accomplished singer-songwriter who has remained vital for over fifty years, starting with his genre-bending work as part of Fairport Convention.  Over the course of his solo career, Thompson released several acclaimed studio recordings, but it’s onstage where he’s at his most incendiary.  Recorded on a stop in Ontario, Across A Crowded Room: Live At Barrymore’s 1985 sees Thompson and his fine backing group  (including Any Trouble leader Clive Gregson and his creative partner Christine Collister, alongside Fotheringay/Pentangle/Cat Stevens drummer Gerry Conway, and bassist Rory McFarlane) performing in support of the studio album of the same name.  The 2-CD set will be available on August 2.

Much of the performance was released decades ago on LaserDisc with a total of 18 songs, but Real Gone’s new collection features all 20 songs performed at the gig – a fitting presentation for its first official CD release!  The set was produced by Bill Levenson, with music mastered by Tom Lewis at Studio 1093 in Athens, GA.  It’s supplemented by liner notes from Scott Schinder and a wealth of contemporaneous photos that contextualize the magical performance.

Speaking of magical performances, there was something in the air at Woodstock that contributed to some of the most powerful concert recordings of the era.  Performances from the entire weekend will be made available on the upcoming 36-CD Back To The Garden mega-set and the slimmed-down 10-LP collection, but fans of Jefferson Airplane will be pleased to hear that the band’s set will be made available in a stand-alone vinyl collection.

“It’s a new dawn!” So exclaimed Grace Slick as Jefferson Airplane began their set at Woodstock nearly 50 years ago.  The band was supposed to hit the stage for a headlining spot at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night, but delays meant they didn’t begin until the following morning.  Despite Paul Kantner’s recollections that “everybody was pretty much burned out,” Jefferson Airplane and special guest Nicky Hopkins delivered a fiery two-hour set of “morning maniac music.”

Jefferson Airplane didn’t make it into the Woodstock film, and only one track appeared on the original Woodstock album.  But on August 9, Real Gone Music will bring the band’s complete performance to vinyl for the first time ever with a 3-LP set, Woodstock: Sunday August 17,1969.  It will be pressed on “new dawn” blue vinyl.  The discs will be housed in a tri-fold gatefold sleeve adorned with photographs by Woodstock’s official photographer, Henry Diltz, and supplemented by liner notes by folk-rock authority Richie Unterberger.

So mark your calendars for this pair of classic concert recordings!  You can find full track listings for both albums below, along with Amazon pre-order links.

Richard Thompson, Across A Crowded Room: Live At Barrymore’s 1985 (Real Gone Music, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Disc 1:

1. Fire In The Engine Room
2. She Twists The Knife Again
3. Shoot Out The Lights
4. You Don’t Say
5. Warm Love Gone Cold
6. Wall of Death
7. How I Wanted To
8. Little Blue Number
9. When The Spell Is Broken
10. Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed
11. The Wrong Heartbeat
12. Band Introductions

Disc 2:

1. Summer Rain
2. For Shame of Doing Wrong
3. I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
4. Nearly In Love
5. Love In A Faithless Country
6. I Ain’t Going To Drag My Feet No More
7. Tear-Stained Letter
8. Withered And Died
9. Skull and Cross Bones

Jefferson Airplane, Woodstock: Sunday August 17, 1969 (originally released on The Woodstock Experience, RCA/Legacy CD 88697 48240 2, 2009; reissued Real Gone Music, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Side 1:

1. Introduction
2. The Other Side of This Life
3. Somebody To Love
4. 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds

Side 2:

1. Won’t You Try / Saturday Afternoon
2. Eskimo Blue Day
3. Plastic Fantastic Lover

Side 3:

1. Wooden Ships

Side 4:

1. Uncle Sam Blues
2. Volunteers

Side 5:

1. The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil

Side 6:

1. Come Back Baby
2. White Rabbit
3. The House at Pooneil Corners