LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL : SUMMER OF SORCERY LIVE! AT THE BEACON THEATRE

 

Disc One

  1. Intro: Wavy Gravy
  2. Communion
  3. Camouflage Of Righteousness
  4. Party Mambo!
  5. Love Again
  6. Education
  7. On Sir Francis Drake
  8. I Visit The Blues
  9. Gravity
  10. Los Desaparecidos
  11. Little Girl So Fine
  12. Trapped Again
  13. Love On The Wrong Side Of Town
  14. A World Of Our Own

Disc Two

  1. Suddenly You
  2. Vortex
  3. I Am A Patriot
  4. Superfly Terraplane
  5. Bitter Fruit
  6. Forever
  7. Summer of Sorcery
  8. Tucson Train
  9. Freeze Frame (Peter Wolf)
  10. Sun City (with Peter Wolf)
  11. Soul Power Twist
  12. Out Of The Darkness

Disc Three (Bonus Tracks)

  1. Bristol Stomp
  2. Club A-Go-Go
  3. Groovin' Is Easy (with Nick Gravenites)
  4. (Ain't Nothin' But A) Houseparty (with Peter Wolf)
  5. Ride The Night Away (with Jimmy Barnes)
  6. Moon Tears (with Nils Lofgren)
  7. Sun City (with Jimmy Barnes, Peter Garrett, Sam Fender, Courtney Hadwin, Jake Clemons, Garland Jeffreys, and Bruce Springsteen)

Label : Wicked Cool Records

Release Date : July 9, 2021

Venue : The Beacon Theatre, New York City, New York, USA

Recording Date : November 6, 2019

Review (At The Barrier) : In what could pass for an extract from the New Testament, we begin with some words from our glorious leader: "And so, the troubadour missionaries and part-time exorcists known as the Disciples Of Soul sprinkled enlightenment to a dark world from May 27, 2017 to November 6, 2019. First, as the Soulfire was lit in the overture and finally as the Summer Of Sorcery played out its magical denouement. Herein embodies the still sparkling evidence of the latter, that which began as stranger's prayers imagined and ended as a family's promise fulfilled." Hallelujah and Amen to that! We saw the tour. Nay, make that witnessed and reveled in the magnificence. And it was indeed a most righteous occasion. Packed with a spectacle of joyful rock and soul and brimming with the sort of passionate zeal rarely experienced in any walk of life these days. An inspirational and life-affirming experience. While his mate Bruce does an intimate acoustic show on Broadway (surely Springsteen should cover Summer Of SorceryLittle Steven has taken up the baton of taking the message to the people. Thankfully, we have a record of the events of the Summer Of Sorcery that brought the live extravaganza rolling into New York City's historic Beacon Theatre on November 6, 2019. The album, mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig, both career-long collaborators, includes thrilling performances of every song from Summer Of Sorcery alongside tracks from throughout Van Zandt's solo career. Al the way back to the debut Disciples album, there's the stax-fuelled Forever and then into the bolder rock on Voice Of America and Freedom No Compromise. It's a real career-defining set. It's all delivered by a band who provide a musical tour de force via a fizzing organ, lashings of brass and a sequinned swagger. And don't forget that snarling sneer that Johnny Rotten would give his right arm for. The opening of Communion with the band parading the stage carnival-style amidst the glitter and sparkling musical kaleidoscope leads into a Party Mambo and the knowledge you're deep into a soul revue par excellence. Yes, there's a concession to some of the politics and social comment that comes as part of the Little Steven package. However, and more potently, namechecks and acknowledgment of the likes of Phil Spector and some of those "groovy groups" that empowered women as Steve takes us back to the days when the musical world was changing and guides us expertly through a history of rock and roll. And there's more as if the irresistible onslaught of an evening with Steven and the Disciples isn't enough. We're treated to seven previously bonus performances recorded throughout 2017-2019, including with such superstar special guests as Australian music legends Jimmy Barnes and Peter Garrett, longtime friend and E Street Band bandmate Nils Lofgren, and the legendary Nick Gravenites, who joins for a spectacular rendition of the Electric Flag's Groovin' Is Easy. In addition, Peter Wolf returns for an explosive cover of The Showstoppers' hit, (Ain't Nothin' But A) Houseparty, recorded during the Soulfire Tour but, according to Van Zandt, "too good to leave on the shelf." The Summer Of Sorcery has provided a bookmark in a career that over the last few years has suddenly taken off again. Albums and tours occurring with a heartwarming frequency after years when you wondered if he'd settled for an alternative coda. What comes through strong and clear is that Little Stevie Van Zandt, colourful and extravagant, is the keeper of the flame. It's a genuine pleasure that he's remained among the believers, revived the Disciples and returned to what he genuinely loves. You'd best do as you're told when Little Stevie Van Zandt implores you to "Enjoy it at as much as we did, at whatever volume is required to force your neighbors to call the cops."

Review (UK Music Reviews) : Summer Of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre is nearly three and a half hours of nostalgic and new rock and roll by Stevie Van Zandt (also known as Little Steven) and the Disciples Of Soul, recorded on the final night of their Summer Of Sorcery tour on 6th November 2019 at The Beacon Theatre in New York City. The live album is mixed by Bob Clearmountain, and mastered by Bob Ludwig who are both long time collaborators, and their experience shows. The three CD's and five vinyl albums include thrilling performances of every song from Summer Of Sorcery alongside tracks from Van Zandt's solo career especially 2017's acclaimed solo return, Soulfire, as well as songs he wrote for Southside Johnny and Asbury Jukes together with some previously unreleased songs. Disc one kicks off with a very special introduction from counter culture icon Wavy Gravy and then it is a matter of just sitting back and immersing yourself in the music. Opening track is Communion with its richly bombastic arrangement which is followed by Camouflage Of Righteousness from his 1999 solo album Born Again Savage. Songs from the Summer Of Sorcery are not delivered as per the track listing but are transversed across disc one and two, which makes the track listing a smorgasbord of music. Disc one sees the inclusion of Party Mambo! Love Again, I Visit The Blues, Gravity, and final track, A World Of Our Own. Suddenly You, an outtake from the Lilyhammer score which Van Zandt composed opens disc two, and other Summer Of Sorcery tracks include Vortex, Superfly Terraplaner, the high powered performance of Soul Power Twist and of course the epic eight minute floor shaking version of the title track. There is a reimagining of Education which was first recorded for his 1989 solo electronic album Revolution on disc one, as is Love On The Wrong Side Of Town from 2017's Soulfire. There is Los Desaparecidos from the bands Voice Of America along with Little Girl So Fine. There is the Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes Trapped Again which serves to give completeness to this disc. Disc two sees a surprise appearance by Peter Wolf, who lends his inimitable vocals to powerhouse versions of J. Geils Band's Freeze Frame and Artists United Against Apartheid's 1985 landmark protest anthem, Sun City. Other tracks Include I'm A Patriot, Bitter Fruit, Forever and disc closer, Out Of The Darkness. Further highlights include spectacular covers of The Youngbloods On Sir Francis Drake, The Dovells' Bristol Of Stomp, The Animals Club-A-Go-Go and Bruce Springsteen's Tuscan Train and with disc three seeing everybody getting into their stride, it is an undoubted exciting end to the concert. Electric Flag's Nick Gravenites joins Van Zandt for a spectacular rendition of Groovin' Is Easy, and Peter Wolf is back for an explosive cover of The Showstoppers hit (Ain't Nothin' But A) Houseparty. Ride The Night Away with Jimmy Barnes keeps the party going and Zandt's version of Moon Tears performed with the very talented Nils Lofgren would bring any house down. The festivities come to a rousing conclusion with a star studded version of Sun City which edits together performances with Jimmy Barnes, Sam Fender, Peter Garrett, Clarence Clemons' nephew Jake, Courtney Hadwin, Garland Jeffreys and Bruce Springsteen. This three disc album has expertly captured Little Steven bringing the house down with his immensely talented Disciples Of Soul and after a mammoth live concert brought to an end with the crowd singing along, this is a delightful selection of great rock music that is worthy of any collection.

Review (American Songwriter) : Didn't catch Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul's dynamic performance promoting their second album before the world suddenly ground to a halt in March 2020? Not to worry. This live set, available on CD, vinyl and Blu-ray fills the bill and then some. It not only captures Steven and Co.'s gig at the titular venue from Nov. 6, 2019, but also adds a third disc of tracks recorded on the group's previous Soulfire tour (there was a full DVD from that as well) that were "too good to leave on the shelf," says Little Steven in the pre-release notes. As the title implies, guitarist/singer/songwriter Steven Van Zandt and his explosive thirteen-piece backing unit recreates each track from the studio recording of Summer of Sorcery (2019) for an effusive New York City audience. The band includes a four-piece horn section and three backing singers, all of whom are featured on nearly every selection. Not surprisingly, everything is played a little hotter, wilder and with more sweat when these songs are rolled out in concert. Songs like "Education" (Van Zandt is a vocal supporter of teachers, often giving them free tickets to his shows) expand from five minutes to nearly twice that when propelled by the live energy and improvisation on this amped up evening. Interspersed with the Summer of Sorcery tracks are covers, older Van Zandt tunes such as this package's first single "Camouflage of Righteousness," a hat trick of songs from Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes (Steven co-penned all three) along with special guests like Peter Wolf ("Centerfold" and "(Ain't Nothing But A) Houseparty") and plenty of between song conversation. While Steven's chatter is interesting on the DVD, perhaps those extended introductions could have been edited out to tighten up the final audio version. Musically this is a potent mix of soul, blues, Latin, psychedelic rock, girl and boy group doo-wop and what can only be called the "Jersey sound" all led by Steven's somewhat surprisingly powerful lead vocals. As a singer he hews closely to Southside Johnny's raspy R&B but when he croons as on Summer of Sorcery's title track, his voice is impressively emotional. He pays tribute to boss and buddy Bruce Springsteen with a horn enhanced version of "Tucson Train" from Western Stars (2019). It's all a ton of fun, especially for summer listening. The outfit is tight and frisky and no one will mind that the swinging "Soul Power Twisting" is just a thin rewrite of Sam Cooke's "Having a Party." The professionally shot video is the recommended medium to get a full dose of the experience. But whichever version you choose, this is a wonderful, eclectic show by a great band, loving what they do and caught on tape for posterity during a particularly hot winter's night.

Review (High-Def Digest) : Professionally filmed and recorded before a sold-out crowd at New York City's historic Beacon Theatre on November 6, 2019, the live concert extravaganza, Summer Of Sorcery Live! At The Beacon Theatre, expertly captures Little Steven, aka Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Van Zandt, bringing the house down with his band the Disciples of Soul as they showcase their acclaimed 2019 album, Summer Of Sorcery: a 12-track record about the first rush of summer and the electric feeling of unlimited possibilities. With summer just around the corner, Van Zandt is pleased to announce the full two-and-a-half-hour concert - the triumphant hometown culmination of the Summer of Sorcery's European and U.S. tours - will be released July 9 via Wicked Cool Records/UMe in a variety of formats including Blu-ray video as well as audio-only versions on 3CD and as a limited edition 5LP 180-gram "Psychedelic Psorcery Pswirl" color vinyl box set, which will be exclusively available via uDiscoverMusic and though Little Steven's official website. The Blu-ray features the entire concert in HD video with the audio offered in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound to provide the next best possible experience to being at the rock 'n' soul revue. The live album, which was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig, both career-long collaborators, includes thrilling performances of every song from Summer of Sorcery alongside tracks from throughout Van Zandt's solo career, songs he wrote for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and some souped-up covers.