Three Dog Night - Captured Live at the Forum

Recorded live in front of over 18,000 fans September 12, 1969 in Los Angeles the album captures the band as they run through some of their earlier hits, and a number of covers ... they're all covers, but man the band would make the songs their own. I found this quite a while ago, and was in better shape than it first appeared. From what I've read this is an original pressing, which was cool.

At this stage in their career the band had only released two albums, and to come out with a live album so soon must have seemed a little weird. Apparently Steppenwolf was recording a number of their shows for a potential live album, and Three Dog Night was opening for them the night this was recorded. As both bands were Dunhill and they were recording the show anyway they just got extra tape and captured the opening act as well. Turns out that was a pretty smart move as the album was a hit and would go gold.

What makes this so cool is that it really is a performance captured live, and you can hear the audience and some back and forth. There are some warts and wobbles and imperfections and there are gaps between the songs as the band resets. It's a reminder that there was a time when it was about the music and a band had stage presence or they didn't.

What I really found interesting was how prominent the three vocalists are on the front cover, and on the inside of the gatefold were more pictures of the frontmen, and then in the bottom right were four small pictures of the band. However, on the left side of the gatefold it was a simple credit page listing the songs, the producer and engineer. When it listed the band it was just the band, the vocalists the "three dogs" weren't named.

Mike Allsup on guitar
Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards
Joe Schermie on bass
Floyd Sneed on drums

Since they're on the cover and sang the songs, I may as well give them some credit. Cory Wells, Chuck Negron, and Danny Hutton. Each on a front man in their own right and together it was magic vocal alchemy that spun out pop god.

The two big songs here are "One" and "Eli's Coming" that were pretty impressive. I also really got a kick out of their version of The Band's "Chest Fever" which must be a favourite for keyboard players. The band was killing it, and what I found really impressive was how well the three singers worked together. Sometimes acting as a counter or harmony and then stepping forward as required. I'm sure there were egos at play, but man it seemed like they really had each other's backs.

It's a little sad that Three Dog Night doesn't get the credit they deserve. Much of this is due to the fact that the band didn't write any of their own material. They were the masters of taking songs and making them their own. Apparently it's okay for a vocalist to cover material and get the accolades, but when a band does it, they're just a cover band. I'm just as guilty of this kind of thinking and I dismissed the band for a long, long time. I know that for years I remember thinking, what kind of band has seven members and three lead singers?

The live album came out just before the band really hit their commercial peak, and it's a great testament to a band who killed it live. It must have been a sight to see and hear.

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Old Enough to Forget

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