John Klingberg, American Bassist, 1945-1985

LISTEN

  • Third World Rasberry 1968
  • Moondance 1970
  • His Band and the Street Choir 1970
  • Live at the Fillmore West 1970
  • NY Pop Festival 1970
  • Live at the Fillmore East 1970
  • Martha Veléz Hypnotized 1972 1970
  • The Philospher's Stone 1998
  • Moondance Deluxe 2013
  • Moondance Expanded 2013
  • His Band and the Street Choir Expanded and Various Outtakes 2015
  • The Alternative Moondance 2018
  • The Lost Tapes 1968-1971
  • The Moondance Sessions at A&R Studios 1969
  • Gypsy Soul: Unreleased Demos 1968-1971
  • Rarities from Albums That Should Exist 1969-1970


      Third World Raspberry

      Amazingly, Paul Lovell, whose website extensively details the Boston music scene of the 1960s, has two recordings of Third World Raspberry from a 1968 session at Columbia Studios. Drummer Don Renfro, who provided the tracks, recalls:

      We recorded in Columbia Studios in NYC. The vice president was there and was talking about hit songs and whatnot. We couldn't finish all the songs because SJ and Herbie (they did the singing) couldn't sing because they kept laughing. They had smoked something on a break and couldn't stop laughing during the singing recording. We came back to Boston to return and finish everything at another date. I do have two songs recorded at Columbia that were finished with the singing complete. One song is titled "Public Gardens", but I don't know what the other song title is. I guess I'm lucky to have those.

      > listen to "Public Garden" (.mp3)

      > listen to "Untitled" (.mp3)


      Moondance 1970

      Although Van Morrison had moved to Woodstock, New York, along with Klingberg and several other band members, he was dissatisfied with the local recording facilities. On Friday evenings, the musicians traveled in five limousines to New York City to record Moondance at A&R Studios in August and September 1969. The album was released on January 27, 1970.


      His Band and the Street Choir 1970

      Originally titled Virgo's Fool, Warner Bros. renamed the album with informing Morrison. Recording began in early 1970 in a small church in Woodstock, but was ultimately recorded at A&R Studios in New York City. The albuum was released in November 1970.


      Live at the Fillmore West - April 23-26, 1970

      Van Morrison shared the bill with Joe Cocker and the Stonemans at the legendary San Francisco venue.


      NY Pop Festival, Randall's Island, New York City - July 19, 1970

      Van Morrison played on the third day of the festival, billed with Joe Cocker, Dr. John, and Mountain. Footage of "Come Running" is part of 1977 documentary The Day the Music Died (the festival was a mess with 30,000 gate crashers). You can see Klingberg's distinctinctive style at the 1:30 mark.


      Live at the Fillmore East - September 23, 1970

      This ensemble concert included the Byrds, the Allman Brothers, Albert King, and others. It was recorded for a television broadcast, and the footage is available online.


      Martha Veléz Hypnotized 1972

      Martha Veléz had an impressive debut in 1969 with her first album, Fiends and Angels featuring backing musicians Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Mitch Mitchell, and other luminaries. In 1970, she sang backing vocals on Street Choir; she was then married to saxophonist Keith Johnson (one of several wives, including Janet Morrison and Ellen Schroer, who sang in the Street Choir). Hypnotized is her second album, and Klingberg's last recording. The playlist is missing three tracks, "Byrdcliffe Summer," "Black Rose," and "Lay It On The Line."


      The Philospher's Stone 1998

      This is a compilation album released in July 1996, and John Klingberg played based on one Track, "Really Don't Know," recorded in 1969.


      Moondance Deluxe 2013

      Released as a 5-disc set, this includes the remastered version of the original album, in both standard and Blu-Ray, plus unreleased session material with alternates, mono mixes, and outtakes.


      Moondance Expanded 2013

      Released as a two-disc set: the original album and a second disc of unreleased session material with alternates and outtakes.


      His Band and the Street Choir Expanded and Various Outtakes 2015

      The remastered album includes four bonus tracks of alternate takes and versions. Towards the end of the playlist is an unreleased outtake from the album sessions, "Coming Down to Joy," and at the very end, "Caledonia Soul Music," an unreleased 18-minute, mostly instrumental jam.


      The Alternative Moondance 2018

      This expanded edition includes the album and a second disc of unreleased session material with alternates and outtakes.


      Van Morrison Unplugged: The Lost Tapes 1968-1971

      This is a well-circulated bootleg of acoustic demos for albums and unreleased songs. Klingberg plays upright bass on many tracks.


      The Moondance Sessions 1969

      A bootleg of the Moondance sessions at A&R studios, many of which were released by Warner Bros. on the Deluxe, Expanded, and Alternative Moondance.


      Gypsy Soul: Unreleased Demos 1968-1971

      This bootleg contains unreleased demos, some of which sound quite different from the officially released versions.


      Rarities from Albums That Should Exist 1969-1970

      Blogger Paul has an impressive collection of rare and unreleased recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, including many Van Morrison tracks, on his Albums That Should Exist website. Below is a playlist as well as mp3s of the tracks on which Klingberg played.