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Showing posts with label Star Sessions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Sessions. Show all posts

Friday, January 2, 2026

Star Sessions #5 James Taylor-Linda Ronstadt-Paul Simon

Star Sessions #5
Taylor-Ronstadt-Simon
air date: July 3, 1982

Paul Simon
recorded at:
Tower Theater
Upper Darby, PA ("Philadelphia")
October 7, 1980

Linda Ronstadt
recorded at:
Universal Amphitheatre
Universal City, CA ("Los Angeles")
November 3, 1976

James Taylor
recorded at:
Carnegie Hall
New York City, NY
May 27, 1974

00 NO ARTIST - 1 kHz Tone
01 Bill Ayers - SS Intro
02 Commercial - Toyota
03 Bill Ayers - Segment Intro
04 Paul Simon - Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
05 Paul Simon - Ace In The Hole
06 Paul Simon - Something So Right
07 Paul Simon - One Trick Pony
08 Bill Ayers - Break
09 Commercial - AT&T
10 Commercial - Firefox
11 Bill Ayers - Segment Intro
12 Paul Simon - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
13 Paul Simon - Late In The Evening
14 Bill Ayers - Break
15 Commercial - AT&T
16 Bill Ayers - Segment Intro
17 Linda Ronstadt - That'll Be The Day
18 Linda Ronstadt - Love Has No Pride
19 Linda Ronstadt - Silver Threads and Golden Needles
20 Bill Ayers - Break
21 Commercial - U.S. Army
22 Bill Ayers - Segment Intro
23 Linda Ronstadt - When Will I Be Loved
24 Linda Ronstadt - Hasten Down The Wind
25 Linda Ronstadt - You're No Good
26 Linda Ronstadt - Heat Wave
27 Bill Ayers - Break
28 Commercial - Toyota
29 Commercial - Firefox
30 Bill Ayers - Segment Intro
31 James Taylor - Long Ago And Far Away
32 James Taylor - You've Got A Friend
33 James Taylor - Brighten Your Night with My Day
34 James Taylor - Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
35 Bill Ayers - Break
36 Commercial - AT&T
37 Commercial - U.S. Army
38 Commercial - A&W Root Beer
39 Bill Ayers - Segment Intro
40 James Taylor - Riding On A Railroad
41 James Taylor - You Can Close Your Eyes
42 James Taylor - Fire and Rain
43 James Taylor - Rockabye Sweet Baby James
44 Bill Ayers - Break
45 Commercial - AT&T
46 Commercial - Firefox
47 Commercial - U.S. Army
48 Commercial - Toyota
49 Bill Ayers - Outro

Runout grooves:
SS-5A   MCR Joe
SS-5B   MCR Joe
SS-5C   MCR Joe
SS-5D   MCR Joe
SS-5E   MCR Joe
( blank side, no etchings)

Brought to you by the Collective For Live Music
300 dpi scans of the disc labels, missing the cue sheet.

The premise of the Star Sessions show was "a concert performed in a recording studio before a live audience and an interview with the artist about how his songs are written and recorded."  The shows I've already found (Don McLean (1st show), Leo Sayer (2nd show) and Chicago (4th show)) all follow this format. I haven't tracked down the Hall & Oates show yet, but it's likely it was from a recording studio.  But for the fifth show, things went sideways.

Carole King was originally scheduled for the July 3rd broadcast.  The Cashbox issue of July 3rd mentioned "Another ABC event that is not happening is the FM web's Star Sessions music and interview show July 3 that would have spotlighted Atlantic recording artist Carole King.  The show would have aired over 200 nationwide stations.  No explanations for the abrupt cancellation were given."




As these shows are recorded and pressed up in advance of the broadcast date, publishing the cancellation at the literal last minute (Cashbox issue of July 3, broadcast date of July 3) means something went wrong very late in the process.  So late that D.I.R. didn't have another show in the pipeline to take its place.  As a stopgap they dipped into the archives and pulled out concerts from 1974, 1976, and 1980 from James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and Paul Simon.  No intimate previously unreleased recordings from a studio, and no interviews by host Bill Ayers, just concerts from their archives. The shows weren't fresh, either; they ranged from two to eight years old.

The Ronstadt and Taylor concerts are on Concert Vault with more songs.  Concert Vault also has the Simon show, but it's the same number of songs as on Star Sessions.  

All three segments are sourced from previous King Biscuit Flower Hour shows.  The Paul Simon KBFH show had one more song on it ("Jonah") that is not on the Star Sessions show, and also not on the streaming audio at Concert Vault.



Monday, October 6, 2025

Little River Band - Star Session #12 - The Summit, Houston, Oct. 7, 1981

Little River Band
Star Session #12
air date of 11/13/82

Recorded at:
The Summit
Houston, TX
Oct. 7, 1981

INCORRECTLY attributed to
Seattle, WA
September 15, 1981


00 NO ARTIST - 1kc tone for level setting and balance
01 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Intro
02 Commercial - Levi's
03 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Intro
04 Little River Band - Man On Your Mind
05 Little River Band - The Rumour
06 Little River Band - Don't Let The Needle Win
07 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Break
08 Commercial - AT&T (Commodores)
09 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Intro
10 Little River Band - Help Is On Its Way
11 Little River Band - Lonesome Loser
12 Little River Band - The Night Owls
13 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Break
14 Commercial - Levi's
15 Commercial - Fostex
16 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Intro
17 Little River Band - I Don't Worry No More
18 Little River Band - Let's Dance
19 Little River Band - Man On The Run
20 Little River Band - It's Not A Wonder
21 Little River Band - Sweet Old Fashioned Man
22 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Break
24 Commercial - AT&T (Tanya Tucker)
23 Commercial - Levi's
25 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Intro
26 Little River Band - Mistress Of Mine
27 Little River Band - Too Lonely Too Long
28 Little River Band - Red Shoes
29 Little River Band - Hard Life
30 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Break
31 Commercial - Levi's
32 Commercial - Fostex
33 Commercial - AT&T (Pointer Sisters)
34 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Intro
35 Little River Band - It's A Long Way There
36 Little River Band - Reminiscing
37 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Segment Break
38 Commercial - Levi's
39 Commercial - AT&T (Roger Miller)
40 Bill Ayers - Star Session SS-12 Outro

Runout grooves:
SS-12 A  MCR JOE
SS-12 B  MCR JOE
SS-12•C  MCR JOE
SS-12•D  MCR JOE
SS-12 E  MCR JOE
blank side, no etching

Brought to you by the Collective For Live Music!


Here's how we figured out that this was Houston, and not Seattle:

The cue sheet is marked "Seattle, Wash."  No venue is listed.

I checked Concert Vault, as the Star Session shows were produced by DIR, the folks behind the King Biscuit Flower Hour.  And sure enough, Concert Vault has a show labeled "Arena (Seattle, WA) Date: Sep 15, 1981"  It also says, "recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour during the Little River Band's 1981 U.S. tour"

I cross referenced the tracks with the Concert Vault streaming audio, and they're from the same source as Star Session.  However, this Star Session show has three additional tracks not on the Concert Vault version. The additional tracks are "I Don't Want To Worry," "It's A Long Way There," and "Reminiscing." 

We know that Concert Vault occasionally lists incorrect recording dates by mixing up the broadcast and concert dates. I confirmed the Seattle show took place on September 15, 1981 at the Seattle Center Arena. Their date and venue are correct. I've included a print ad as proof that the basic underlying information is true: there  was a Seattle show on September 15, 1981.

However, I also looked at the original King Biscuit broadcast.  Discogs lists a KFBH broadcast on November 15, 1981 (split with Mink DeVille) The cue sheet for this show says it was "recorded in concert in Houston."  They played the Summit in Houston on Oct. 7, 1981.  

The songs on the King Biscuit show are all duplicates of the Star Sessions songs, as follows:
Man On Your Mind
The Rumor 
Don’t Let The Needle Win
Help Is On The Way
Lonesome Loser
Night Owl

So... how do we decide if this is Houston or Seattle?

We let the band settle it.

The Collective For Live Music had a copy of the King Biscuit show. I did an A/B comparison of Star Sessions with the King Biscuit show, and here's what I hear:

Man On Your Mind
On the KBFH version they introduce this song with "this is Houston, baby...greetings from Australia, we are the Little River Band, we hope you enjoy yourselves, we aim to..." On Star Sessions, it's "...we are the Little River Band, we hope you enjoy yourselves, we aim to.."  It's the same introduction, though, and the same music...the Star Session edits out the reference to Houston.

The Rumor 
On both versions, there's an adlibbed "thank you" at the start.  The versions are the same.

Don’t Let The Needle Win
On both versions, there's a distinctive whistle from the audience.  Same.

Help Is On The Way
Again, whistling in both versions at the same place.

Lonesome Loser - Same versions

Night Owl
On the KBFH version they say, "All right Houston, are you ready for a little rock and roll here... it goes like this." Star Sessions cuts out the "all right Houston..." but it's the same track.


CONCLUSION:
The Star Sessions cue sheet and Concert Vault say it's Seattle, but all of the tracks are the same, and the KBFH version has the band reference Houston twice.

So, it's Houston, in spite of the Star Sessions cue sheet and the Concert Vault listing.


We also get four musical commercials featuring the Commodores, Tanya Tucker, the Pointer Sisters, and Roger Miller.

....and I put the link ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE at the bottom of the post to make Our Beloved Audience wade through Đ®åⒻṬëŕṽøï's endless blather...which is NOT generated by some chip sitting in a server farm.  

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Don McLean, Star Sessions SS-1

Don McLean
Star Sessions SS-1
Air date of March 20, 1982

Recording Dates:
January 25, 1982 RCA Studios, New York
*November 16, 1980 Dominion Theatre, London, England

00 NO ARTIST - 1 KC Tone
01 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-1 Intro
02 Commercial - Curtiss Candy (Butterfinger)
03 Bill Ayres - Segment Intro
04 Don McLean - Castles In The Air
05 Don McLean - Crying
06 Don McLean - Since I Don't Have You
07 Bill Ayres & Don McClean - Interview
08 Commercial - AT&T
09 Commercial - U.S. Army
10 Bill Ayres - Promo
11 Bill Ayres & Don McClean - Interview
12 Don McLean - He's Got You
13 Don McLean - Orphans of Wealth
14 Don McLean - Believers
15 Bill Ayres - Break
16 Commercial - Campbell's V-8
17 Commercial - AT&T (Ella Fitzgerald)
18 Commercial - U.S. Army
19 Bill Ayres - Segment Intro
20 Don McLean - It Doesn't Matter Anymore
21 Don McLean - Under The Double Eagle, Salt Creek
22 Don McLean - Building My Body
23 Don McLean - Wonderful Baby
24 Bill Ayres - Break
25 Commercial - Curtiss Candy (Baby Ruth)
26 Bill Ayres - Segment Intro
27 Don McLean - Vincent
28 Don McLean - Banjo Song
29 Bill Ayres & Don McClean - Interview
30 Don McLean - Jerusalem
31 Bill Ayres - Break
32 Commercial - Campbell's V-8
33 Commercial - AT&T (Roger Miller)
34 Bill Ayres & Don McClean - Interview
35 Don McLean - The Very Thought Of You*
36 Don McLean - Prime Time*
37 Don McLean - American Pie*
38 Bill Ayres - Break
39 Commercial - AT&T (Commodores)
40 Commercial - U.S. Army
41 Commercial - Curtiss Candy (Butterfinger)
42 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-1 Outro

Runout grooves:
Side A: SS-1A-R    MCR Joe
Side B: SS-1B      MCR Joe
Side C: SS-1C      MCR Joe
Side D: SS-1D      MCR Joe
Side E: SS-1E      MCR Joe
Side F:  blank side, no run out grooves

Note: the "Joe" is a cursive script squiggle, also interpreted as Bre, gre, 8re, Jre, SRE or Joe.
MCR stands for "Master Cutting Room," and the squiggle for Joe Brescio, the mastering engineer. As his first name is "Joe" and last name starts with "Bre" it's possible he intended it to be both Joe and Bre.


Here's the very first "Star Sessions" show.  The premise was "a unique series of 90-minute specials tapes live in the intimacy of a recording studio."

Star Sessions didn't last very long; I've only found shows running monthly until the end of 1982.  

The concept doesn't appear to have worked, either, as the Elton John show is (apparently) just live tracks from a recent tour and not an intimate studio show.   I haven't tracked down a copy yet, but I'm on the case.


Known Star Sessions shows:

Don McLean (broadcast March 20, 1982)
Leo Sayer (broadcast April 17, 1982
Hall & Oates (broadcast May 22, 1982)
Chicago (broadcast June 5, 1982)
There was a Carole King (July 3, 1982) scheduled, but it was cancelled and replace with: 
James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Paul Simon (broadcast July 3, 1982) this replacement show was compiled from earlier KBFH broadcasts.
Doobie Brothers (July 17, 1982)
Dr. Hook (August 7, 1982)
Elton John (September 4, 1982)
Air Supply (October 16, 1982)
Little River Band (November 13, 1982)



---------------

On an unrelated note, I recently discovered some of my recent vinyl digitizations were output in MONO, not in stereo.  I'm working my way through recent posts and knocking down the mono posts.  I will have to re-digitize all of 'em, and will repost them in the near future.  

Friday, December 15, 2023

Chicago / Star Sessions SS-4, Wally Heider Studios, Los Angeles 1982

Chicago
Star Sessions SS-4
broadcast date of June 5, 1982
"recorded in Los Angeles with Chicago"
"Wally Heider Studios in Los Angeles"
recorded May 14, 1982 according to Setlist.fm


00 NO ARTIST - 1kc tone for level setting and balance
01 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Intro
02 Commercial - AT&T (Commodores)
03 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Segment Intro
04 Chicago - Alive Again
05 Bill Ayres & Chicago - Interview
06 Chicago - Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is
07 Bill Ayres & Chicago - Interview
08 Chicago - Bad Advice
09 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Break
10 Commercial - U.S. Army
11 Commercial - Atari
12 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Segment Intro
13 Chicago - What You're Missing
14 Chicago - If You Leave Me Now 
15 Bill Ayres & Chicago - Interview
16 Chicago - Chains
17 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Break
18 Commercial - AT&T
19 Commercial - JC Penny
20 Bill Ayres - Promo
21 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Segment Intro
22 Chicago - Hard To Say I'm Sorry, Get Away
23 Chicago - Band Intros, interview
24 Chicago - Just You 'n' Me
25 Chicago - Saturday In The Park
26 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Break
27 Commercial - U.S. Army
28 Commercial - Atari
29 Commercial - Oxy
30 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Segment Intro and Interview
31 Chicago - Follow Me
32 Bill Ayres & Chicago - Interview
33 Chicago - Satisfaction
34 Chicago - 25 or 6 To 4
35 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Break
36 Commercial - AT&T (Tanya Tucker)
37 Commercial - JC Penny
38 Commercial - Annie
39 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Segment Intro and Interview
40 Chicago - Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon
41 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-4 Break
42 Commercial - U.S. Army
43 Commercial - Atari
44 Commercial - Oxy
45 Bill Ayres & Chicago - Interview and Star Sessions SS-4 Outro

Runout grooves:
Side A: SS-4A    MCR Bre
Side B: SS-4B    MCR Bre
Side C: SS-4C    MCR Bre
Side D: SS-4D    MCR Bre
Side E: SS-4E    MCR Bre
Side F: blank side, no run out grooves

https://mega.nz/file/aAAjTD4Z#c7NJpwKJ-pkpx0bCsrz6e5x26ZfXK3VXoPoVisSQnE0

There is a longer version of this up at Wolfgang's Concert Vault.  The headline there attributes the show to Wally Heider in San Francisco, but the body of the text below lists it correctly as Los Angeles.  Yes, there had been a Wally Heider in S.F., but this was not recorded there.

This show was an exciting preview of live versions of tracks that would be released two days after the original broadcast date of this show on Chicago 16. Chicago 16 is considered a "comeback" album for the band.  They added Bill Champlin, formerly of Bay Area band "The Sons of Champlin," and he sings "Satisfaction" his 1981 solo LP, Runaway.

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Leo Sayer Star Sessions SS-2 - Sierra Nevada Recording Studios, Verdi, NV ("Reno") early in 1982

Leo Sayer
Star Sessions
Broadcast April 17, 1982
No Cue Sheet
Recorded at Sierra Nevada Recording Studios, Verdi, NV ("Reno") early in 1982

00 NO ARTIST - 1kc tone for level setting and balance
01 Bill Ayres - Star Session SS-2 Intro
02 Commercial - Butterfinger
03 Leo Sayer - In My Life
04 Leo Sayer - Thunder In My Heart
05 Leo Sayer - Interview
06 Leo Sayer - One Man Band
07 Commercial - AT&T
08 Commercial - U.S. Army Reserve
09 Leo Sayer - When I Need You
10 Leo Sayer - band introduction
11 Leo Sayer - Train
12 Leo Sayer - Interview
13 Leo Sayer - Long Tall Glasses
14 Commercial - AT&T
15 Commercial - U.S. Army Reserve
16 Leo Sayer - Interview
17 Leo Sayer - World Radio
18 Leo Sayer - Have You Ever Been In Love
19 Leo Sayer - Raining In My Heart
20 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-2 Break
21 Commercial - Baby Ruth
22 Commercial - AT&T
23 Leo Sayer - Interview
24 Leo Sayer - Giving It All Away
25 Leo Sayer - I Feel Like Dancin'
26 Leo Sayer - How Much Love
27 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-2 Break
28 Commercial - Nestlé $100,000 Bar
29 Commercial - U.S. Army Reserve
30 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-2 Promo
31 Leo Sayer - Rumours
32 Leo Sayer - Heroes
33 Leo Sayer - Interview
34 Leo Sayer - More Than I Can Say
35 Leo Sayer - The Show Must Go On
36 Commercial - AT&T
37 Commercial - U.S. Army Reserve
38 Commercial - Butterfinger
39 Bill Ayres - Star Sessions SS-2 Outro

Run out grooves:
Side A: SS-2•A     MCR Bre
Side B: SS-2•B     MCR Bre
Side C: SS-2•C     MCR Bre
Side D: SS-2•D     MCR Bre
Side E:  SS-2•E     MCR Bre
Side F:  blank side, no run out grooves

You get: flac files of wavs digitized from the five-sided 3-LP set in May 2023.  The records have more surface noise than I like to share but the rarity outweighs the average quality (trust me, this isn't BAD, it's just not really good).  No cue sheet.  You get scans of all six disc labels.

Star Sessions:
Billboard Magazine on April 10, 1982 had a full page print ad promoting "The New ABC FM Radio Network," touting their mix of news, sports, and comedy targeting the 18-34 audience, and announcing a new show.  "..."Star Sessions," -a unique series of 90-minute specials taped live in the intimacy of a recording studio and featuring artists like Hall & Oates, Kenny Loggins and Elton John."  

The show does not appear to have been a ratings success, as it was discontinued by the end of 1982.  While the format was "live in a recording studio," pre-recorded tracks were included right from the start, and the Elton John show (supposedly) was "tracks from his 1982 tour" with no actual live studio performance.

I've only seen four of these shows turn up on EBAY, and none are listed on Discogs, so distribution must have been thin.  Other than this one print ad, I haven't seen anything else in the way of advertising or promotion.  There were listings for the shows in the "radio show schedule" columns in both Billboard, and Radio & Records.  Combining all of them together, I come up with the following (possible) list of shows:

Don McLean (broadcast March 20, 1982)
Leo Sayer (broadcast April 17, 1982
Hall & Oates (broadcast May 22, 1982)
Chicago (broadcast June 5, 1982)
Carole King (July 3, 1982) but also a listing for James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Paul Simon July 3, 1982
Doobie Brothers (July 17, 1982)
Dr. Hook (August 7, 1982)
Elton John (September 4, 1982)
Air Supply (October 16, 1982)
Little River Band (November 13, 1982)

The July 3rd show was likely NOT all four artists appearing together in the same studio.  Also, while the print ad mentions Kenny Loggins, I did not find evidence of the show or broadcast date.

Update November 2025: The Carole King show was cancelled, and a show with three separate live concerts from various years with James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Paul Simon replaced it.

The first thing to track down was the location.  The show intro says they're at "...Sierra Nevada Recording Studios nestled in the snow-capped mountains near Reno, Nevada."  Well, yeah, right there I'm suspicious, as the mountains are the Sierra Nevada, and to the west rises Donner Pass.  This winter was exceptional, with 505" inches of cumulative snowfall (42 feet!).  You can see where I'm going with this; there's no way a studio is actually THERE unless you're planning some sort of horror scenario where the band members are trapped by an avalanche. They're down to their last candy bar, and they're getting hungry... As a side note, the Maid of Honor at my mom's wedding was the granddaughter of the last surviving member of the Donner Party. 

My first guess was the studio was IN Reno proper, down there with the slot machines and pawn shops...and most importantly, in the "rain shadow" of the mountains.  Reno gets about 20 inches a year. You can drive to the studio all year long.

There's one LP on Discogs by The Family Portrait listing the studio as being in Reno.  Well, you know me, I kept digging for an actual ADDRESS, because of the "Hello San Francisco" we'd get from bands playing at the Oakland Coliseum.  "Just because they say it doesn't make it true."

A search on Google Books found an ad from SKIING magazine (of all places....) with the owner of Sierra Nevada Recording Studio in it.  Well, that was a start... I went through copies of MIX magazine ("the world's leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry"), and finally found an address:  "395 Hwy 40W, Verdi, NV (7 mi W of Reno, NV)."

That's not IN the snow covered mountains, it's in the high desert and is part of the Reno-Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.  Wiki says, "The name is pronounced by the local population as VUR-dye."

While most of the show is live in the studio, they do play songs from Sayer's then-current album World Radio (released April 1982).  Four songs were from that new album, with the live studio audience applauding over the tracks,  This makes 'em sound "live," but they're not live. "World Radio," "Have You Ever Been In Love," "Rumours," and "Heroes" are all from the LP.

SIDE NOTE:  If you look at the list of engineers for Sierra Nevada Recording Studios, you'll see one "Mark Lindsay."  If you drop the studios phone number "(702) 345-0361" into Google, you get a Discogs for the record label Raider/America, in Reno, Nevada...who have one lone release...a 1982 LP by Paul Revere & the Raiders.  So...yeah...it's THAT Mark Lindsay.

Here's the big mystery that still remains, though...with Sayer recording in Los Angeles at the time, why go all the way to Reno to record?