Disc 1
The first disc kicks off with a short version of “Six Days On The Road,” just a tease of the song really. The applause fades out before the next track, so again, I’m not sure if this is the complete show. But the music is great. “Six Days On The Road” is followed by “The Image Of Me,” a song the band included on the 1970 LP Burrito Deluxe. This version features some good work on fiddle and pedal steel. “This is a song from the last album,” Rick Roberts says in introducing “Four Days Of Rain,” a song that he wrote and which was included on the 1971 record The Flying Burrito Bros. This beautiful track eases in, with some nice stuff on banjo, and features one of the disc’s best vocal performances. “Well, I’m feelin' good, and I knew I would/Whatever I do/I feel so high and I don't know why/But that's all right too/Well, I’m walkin' around in a good old town/Just thinkin' of you/And I hope you think of me too.”
“My Uncle” was written by Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, and included on the band’s debut LP, 1969’s The Gilded Palace Of Sin. Ah yes, it’s great to hear a country number about leaving the country to avoid the draft. “So I’m heading for the nearest foreign border/Vancouver may be just my kind of town/‘Cause they don't need the kind of law and order/That tends to keep a good man underground.” This is such a good song, and this live version features some wonderful work on pedal steel. Then the band tells the audience: “We’re going to do a little bluegrass. And we’re hoping that everybody here in Amsterdam likes bluegrass.” The crowd doesn’t immediately respond, leading to the question, “Do you?” The crowd responds then with applause. “Ah, good, that’ll make it a lot easier.” And the band tears into “Bugle Call Rag,” an instrumental number that features some delicious work from everybody. I particularly love the bass line. And that banjo work is also a lot of fun. They follow that with another bluegrass instrumental, “Shenandoah Valley Breakdown,” the first of four breakdowns on this two-disc set. Check out that fiddle.
“Sing Me Back Home” is a gorgeous, heart-rending song written by Merle Haggard. But the first version I ever heard was by the Grateful Dead, who also toured Europe in 1972. Coincidentally, the Dead played “Sing Me Back Home” at the same Amsterdam venue that year, and I have to imagine many of the same folks were at both concerts. The Flying Burrito Brothers do a good job with it here. It seems to move just a bit faster than the version by the Grateful Dead. That’s followed by “I Already Know,” introduced as a new song “that I guess it was just written about four days ago.” On the Live In Amsterdam album, this song was listed as “Hands To Dedication,” though on “Sin City Amsterdam,” it has the correct title. It’s another moving and effective song, its first lines being “I already know I have to leave you/They’ve already told me the day/I already know when I have to go/But I don’t want to walk away.” This track features a passionate vocal performance. They then go back to Merle Haggard material, covering “White Line Fever,” a song they included on The Flying Burrito Bros. This is also a slower, stirring number, featuring some good harmonies, the vocals supported just by guitar, the rest of the band sitting this track out. It’s certainly a highlight of the first disc.
“Why Are You Crying” is an excellent song written by Rick Roberts and included on that 1971 album. “Why are you crying and what can I do/Well, it’s not so easy just watching you cry alone/Can you tell me what’s wrong/And if you think it might help/I could bring my guitar and sing you a song.” At one point, Rick Roberts ask the crowd to “clap along with us and help us with the rhythm.” They oblige, and that’s during a nice instrumental section toward the end. That’s followed by a fun rendition of “Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” featuring some strong work on banjo. This, for me, is another of the disc’s highlights. And the band follows it with another delightful, fairly fast-paced bluegrass number, “The Salty Dog Blues,” featuring some great stuff on fiddle.
Disc 2
The second disc opens with a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses,” the folks in the audience clapping as soon as they recognize it. This is a really nice rendition, featuring excellent vocal work supported by just acoustic guitar. This is a song that the Flying Burrito Brothers included on Burrito Deluxe. They follow that with a cover of “She Thinks I Still Care,” a song that was a hit for George Jones. This rendition includes some good work on fiddle, especially during the instrumental section in the middle. I like the playful introduction to “The Wild Side Of Life”: “This is an old country song you’ve probably all heard. Or else you haven’t. But we’re going to do it now. It’s called ‘The Wild Side Of Life’ or else ‘I Didn’t Know God Made Honky Tonk Angels.’” The band delivers a wonderful rendition, featuring good work on pedal steel.
The guys get back into fun bluegrass material with “Reuben’s Train,” a fast-paced instrumental number featuring great stuff on the banjo. There are two banjos on that tune. That’s followed by “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” the second of the two-disc set’s breakdowns, and in the introduction it is mentioned that there will be three banjos on this one. If you love the banjo, then you’re going to love this rendition. If you don’t, well, I wonder just went wrong in your life. Both “Reuben’s Train” and “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” are short tracks, not much more than a minute each. “This is a song where the banjo player starts it off, and he does some things that are just out-of-sight,” Rick Roberts says while introducing “Dixie Breakdown.” “This is a big show-off tune, is all it is.” And, yes, this instrumental track features some phenomenal playing by the whole band. And don’t worry, there is still one breakdown left.
“Colorado” is a song written by Rick Roberts and included on the 1971 album The Flying Burrito Bros. This is a pretty song. Why is it that going home always sounds so right in song? “And I think I know my place/Colorado, I want to come home.” Beautiful. The energy then increases on “She Made Me Lose My Blues,” everything moving and sounding so good. There is even some yodeling near the end. They then slow things down with “Sin City,” a song written by Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons, and included on the band’s first album. This track features some wonderful harmonies. “This old earthquake’s going to leave me in the poor house/It seems like this whole town’s insane.” That’s followed by another original song from the band’s debut, “Christine’s Tune” (which is also known as “Devil In Disguise,” and it is under that title that the song is listed on the earlier Live In Amsterdam release). The moment they start it, you can hear someone say, “Yeah.” And, yeah, this song is certainly another of the disc’s highlights, with a delightful energy and featuring some great work on fiddle as well as a good lead on electric guitar. The band is rocking here, and it makes complete sense to follow this song with a Chuck Berry cover, to keep that energy going. These guys deliver a good rendition of “Roll Over Beethoven.” And it being rock and roll doesn’t mean it is without some great stuff on fiddle and pedal steel. That’s followed by “Six Days On The Road,” which is the encore (the disc includes the crowd calling out for more), and it is here we get the full song. This is a fantastic rendition of the song.
The vinyl release ends there, just as the earlier double album did, but the CD contains five more tracks. Were there five more encores, or did these songs fit in somewhere else? My guess is the latter, since before “Six Days On The Road,” they tell the audience how they like to end their shows with that song. Anyway, the first of these tracks is the bluegrass gem “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down,” and these guys do a great job on it. I especially love the fiddle work. That’s followed by the disc’s final breakdown, “Oklahoma Breakdown,” a banjo-led instrumental that features some seriously cool work on bass. It’s another short one, approximately a minute long. The fiddle work then stands out on “Listen To The Mocking Bird.” On this track, they get playful, imitating different birds. That’s followed by the classic Bill Monroe number “Uncle Pen,” which is here listed as “Uncle Penn.” The band delivers a good rendition. The disc then concludes with another bluegrass favorite, “Orange Blossom Special,” which, as you’d expect, features some impressive work on fiddle. Well, these tracks make me happy that I have the CD version rather than the vinyl version.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Six Days On The Road
- The Image Of Me
- Four Days Of Rain
- My Uncle
- Bugle Call Rag
- Shenandoah Valley Breakdown
- Sing Me Back Home
- I Already Know
- White Line Fever
- Why Are You Crying
- Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms
- The Salty Dog Blues
Disc 2
- Wild Horses
- She Thinks I Still Care
- The Wild Side Of Life
- Reuben’s Train
- Foggy Mountain Breakdown
- Dixie Breakdown
- Colorado
- She Made Me Lose My Blues
- Sin City
- Christine’s Tune
- Roll Over Beethoven
- Six Days On The Road
- Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down
- Oklahoma Breakdown
- Listen To The Mocking Bird
- Uncle Penn
- Orange Blossom Special
Live In Amsterdam
1972 is scheduled to be released on CD on April 19, 2024, and on vinyl the
next day as part of Record Store Day.
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