Boz Scaggs
Retro Rock #RR-82-11
for broadcast week of 3/8/82
Recorded at:
Paramount Theatre
Oakland, CA
March 10, 1974
00 NO ARTIST - 1 kHz Tone
01 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Intro
02 Boz Scaggs - Runnin' Blue
03 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Break
04 Commercial - Budweiser
05 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Segment Intro
06 Boz Scaggs - Dinah Flo
07 Boz Scaggs - Let It Happen
08 Boz Scaggs - Hercules
09 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Break
10 Commercial - Lee Jeans
11 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Segment Intro
12 Boz Scaggs - Monkey Time
13 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Break
14 Commercial - Budweiser (Bus Boys)
15 Commercial - Lee Jeans
16 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Promo
17 Boz Scaggs - Slow Dancer
18 Boz Scaggs - Near You
19 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Break
20 Commercial - Budweiser (Peter Criss)
21 Boz Scaggs - You Make It So Hard (To Say No)
22 Boz Scaggs - Angel Lady (Come Just In Time)
23 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Break
24 Commercial - Lee Jeans
25 Boz Scaggs - I'll Be Long Gone
26 Boz Scaggs - I'm Easy
27 Meg Griffin - Retro Rock 82-11 Outro
Runout grooves:
TS-82-193 RR 82-11
TS-82-194 RR 82-11
Another vintage radio transcription disc from the Sam Eliot's Mustache Collection
Brought to you by the Collective For Live Music
The vinyl wasn't mint but I removed almost all of the surface noise. The start of "Slow Dancer" before Meg Griffin's segment introduction has some audible noise.
Here is the link for the Retro Rock show:
The March 10th show was originally broadcast live by San Francisco's KSAN-FM. A version of this is up at T.U.B.E.
Here is the link for T.U.B.E. version:
(I downloaded the file and reposted it, I'm not using their link)
A recording was also made of the March 9 show and is available in streaming audio on Moshpit.com as of Aug. 2026. Our pal Sam Eliot's Mustache recorded the stream and I chaptered it, removing the one second gaps.
The Retro Rock show is edited down from twenty songs originally broadcast by KSAN to eleven songs.
Missing are "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely," "Sail On White Moon," "Painted Bells," "There Is Someone Else," "Moments," "Pain of Love," "Take It For Granted," "Downright Woman" and "Might Have To Cry."
Retro Rock also ran the songs in a different order than the concert.
The original order was:
Set 1:
Near You
Just Don't Want To Be Lonely (not on Retro Rock)
Runnin' Blue
Painted Bells (not on Retro Rock)
Moments (not on Retro Rock)
Monkey Time
Downright Women (not on Retro Rock)
Might Have To Cry (not on Retro Rock)
Dinah Flo
Set 2:
You Make It So Hard (To Say No)
Sail On White Moon (not on Retro Rock)
Angel Lady (Come Just in Time)
There Is Someone Else (not on Retro Rock)
Pain of Love (not on Retro Rock)
Take It For Granted (not on Retro Rock)
Let It Happen
Hercules
Slow Dancer
I'll Be Long Gone
I'm Easy
Our sharp-eyed readers will note the original full March 10th show was designed with the first set featuring old songs, and the second set highlighting most of the songs from his new (at the time) LP Slow Dancer, leaving out "I Got Your Number" and "Take It For Granted." Two songs from his 1969 debut LP wrapped up the show, and Steve Miller guested on guitar on the finale "I'm Easy."
While Retro Rock keeps the 50/50 split between the old and the new songs, they mix them up into a different order.
Boz Scaggs played three nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) as the first rock act to play the Paramount Theater after an extensive refurbishing of the venue.
Columbia Records issued a 2-LP promotional album of the concert that's very rare. Yes, I'm looking for a copy.
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| See? I'm not makin' this stuff up... |
There's also a Japanese bootleg named "Palamount Theatre." No, that's not an ethnic accent joke. I had a copy at one time but haven't been able to find it. I recall it had a lot of surface noise, so it was likely sourced from the promo record.
There are three Budweiser commercials. One of 'em is the Bus Boys (and it's different than the other two Budweiser ads we have in our archives). The other two are a mystery. As usual, they SOUND like I oughta know 'em, but I'm lost. If you can identify them, please leave a comment!
UPDATE: Our pal Anonymous says, "One of the Bud commercials is Peter Criss (KISS)."
THANK YOU!!
List of band members:
Members of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Fred Mergy
Gene Santini (bass)
Les Dudek (guitar)
Rick Shlosser (drums)
Bill Atwood (flugelhorn, trumpet)
Jack Schroer (flute, saxophone)
Chris Michie (guest guitarist)
Steve Miller guests on guitar on "I'm Easy."
The Oakland Tribune review published March 10 reviewing the first show on March 8th reports Joachim Young on electric piano and Mark Jordan on keyboards. The Examiner review published March 9 mentions pianist Jymm Young. I'm guessing Joachim and Jymm are the same piano player.
Singers:
Carolyn Willis
Julia Tillman
Myrna Matthews
Background singers are often overlooked. I didn't recognize their names but I have heard every member of this high-powered trio many times over the years:
Carolyn Willis was in the Honey Cone from 1968 to 1973, hitting #1 on Billboard Hot 100 with "Want Ads" in 1971, #11 with "Stick Up," #15 with "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show," and #23 with "The Day I Found Myself." Over on the R&B charts all of those songs charted even higher, with "Stick Up" a #1 R&B hit.
Julia Tillman (also known by her maiden name as Julia Waters), had at the time of this show sung on albums by Al Kooper, Charles Wright, Larry Carlton, Dave Mason, and on Carole King's Tapestry, plus the background voices (with her sister Maxine) for Diana Ross's hit "Someday We'll Be Together." She went on to a long career with artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Twisted Sister, Jon Anderson, the Bee Gees, Stanley Clarke, Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole, Rita Coolidge, George Duke, Dan Fogelberg, John Fogerty, The Gap Band, Don Henley, Whitney Houston, Phyllis Hyman, Julio Iglesias, Michael Jackson, Rick James, Patti LaBelle, Michael McDonald, Eddie Money, Willie Nelson, Oingo Boingo, Billy Preston, Reef, Sherrick, Paul Simon, Donna Summer, Gino Vannelli, Syreeta Wright, and Weird Al Yankovic.
Myrna Matthews at the time had performed on records by Billy Preston, Dusty Springfield, Tim Buckley, and Steely Dan. You probably heard her on the Baby's 1978 hit "Every Time I Think Of You" and on the Lion King soundtrack on "Circle Of Life." Oh, yeah...and also background vocals on Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."
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| The original "Slow Dancer" album cover |
There's conflicting reporting on the number of players in the orchestra. One of reviews mentions a 19 member orchestra, but the consensus is 35 members.
The show was also the first of a short Spring tour by Boz and the band (but not the orchestra)
The audience was invited to dress up for the "black tie optional" event. As was befitting the old movie palace, an arc light "spun a circle in the sky."
There was a poster printed for the show, done in an Art Deco style. It was designed by Tony Lane. The photo by Ethan Russell features Boz in a tux dancing with his wife Carmella wearing a flowing white dress.
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| The second cover for "Slow Dancer" |
When the Slow Dancer album was first released the cover had an image of Boz walking on a beach in a Speedo bathing suit. In 1976, the album was rereleased with the cover changed to the image from the 1974 Paramount poster.
The poster is AOR 4.67 on page 356 in the Art of Rock book.
Paramount History
Timothy L. Pflueger (b. 1898 - d. 1946) put a giant stamp on Bay Area architecture that lasted to this day. Rock, pop & R&B shows are playing at the Fox and the Paramount in Oakland. Movies still run at San Francisco's Castro and the Alameda Theatre... all were designed by Phlueger.
The building was purchased by the Board of Directors of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra Association in 1972. A restoration was finished in 1973. The theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 14, 1973.
