1979 was a great year for music, and live albums were right in vogue back then, including this one from Mother’s Finest.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Mother’s Finest
ALBUM: Mother’s Finest Live
LABEL: Epic
SERIAL: JE 35976
YEAR: 1979
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Joyce ‘Baby Jean’ Kennedy – lead vocals * Glenn ‘Doc’ Murdock – lead vocals * Moses Mo (Gary Moore) – guitars * Michael Keck – keyboards * Jerry (Wyzard) Seay – bass * Barry Borden (B.B Queen) – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Somebody To Love * 02 Fire * 03 Mickey’s Monkey * 04 Give You All The Love * 05 Baby Love * 06 Magic Carpet Ride * 07 Love Changes * 08 Watch My Stylin’ * 09 Don’t Wanna Come Back
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
1979 was a great year for music, and live albums were right in vogue back then. Many bands that were favourites with Glory Daze readers back then released albums during the 1976-1979 era, Mother’s Finest being one of those.
The Atlanta band were a hard working unit, travelling the length and breadth of the North American continent, plus they were a popular draw in Holland and Germany based on gigs during 1978. At some point along the MF highway an official live album would’ve been the natural result considering they were a decent live band plus every other major artist/act at the time was doing it too.
The Songs
This live set was not a lengthy album by any means, just nine tracks and a touch on 40 minutes. It was recorded at shows between January and February 1979, the band supporting many of the top draw rock bands of the day.
Opening with ‘Somebody To Love’, this track is a cover of the Jefferson Airplane hit from a few years earlier, but understandably sounding nothing like the original. ‘Fire’ is one of MF’s best known tracks, taken from their 1976 s/t album. We can assign a whole bunch of F words like funky, flashy, and it’s as fiery as the song title and as we remember it from back then.
Glenn Murdock takes the lead on ‘Mickey’s Monkey’, sourced from 1977’s ‘Another Mother Further’. It’s one of their signature tracks, I’ve heard this version played from different eras of the bands history, but I believe the 1977-1981 period is probably their best. ‘Give You All The Love’, also from the 1976 s/t album, takes the foot off the pedal for a moment, this one is more about a soul, R&B and funk mixture. Yet another MF trademark tune.
‘Baby Love’ is another from MF’s career compilation list bring track #2 from ‘Another Mother Further’. It really is 70’s funk rock to a tee and one of the finest live interpretations of the song ever recorded. ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ is the second cover song on the album, the track originally a Steppenwolf track from their 1968 sophomore LP ‘The Second’. It doesn’t quite flow as the rest of the album unfortunately.
‘Love Changes’ plus the other two tracks which follow (Watch My Stylin and Don’t Wanna Come Back) are all sourced from MF’s 1978 LP ‘Mother Factor’ which at the time of this live recording was their current studio album. This track is a laid back affair where Joyce asks the audience for vocal assistance.
The band rip back into it with the revved up ‘Watch My Stylin’, with Glenn back in front. Love it. Glenn and Jean combine for the bubble funk of ‘Don’t Wanna Come Back’. It’s a combination of those previously mentioned sub-genre but also has a quasi disco feel to it. Understandable, considering we were all living through the disco era in 1979. Kiss anyone.
In Summary
Definitely a fun set though relatively short, much like Blue Oyster Cult‘s live LP ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ from the year before. The album went gold, and after this, MF would take a break from Epic Records and sign with Atlantic for 1981’s monster ‘Iron Age’ album.
Mother’s Finest on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
