Live from Agora

Last updated
Live from Agora
Livefromagora.jpg
Live album by Dwight Twilley Band
Released 2009
Recorded 1976
Genre Rock
Label Gigatone (U.S.)
Producer Mitchell Koulouris
Dwight Twilley
Dwight Twilley Band chronology
The Great Lost Twilley Album
(1993)
Live from Agora
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]

Live from Agora was the fourth and final album from the Dwight Twilley Band, recorded live in October 1976 and released in 2009 on Gigatone Records. The album consists of a recording of a live performance of the band at the Agora Theatre and Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio, which had been taped for broadcast on Cleveland radio station WMMS.

Dwight Twilley is an American pop/rock singer and songwriter, best known for the Top 20 hit singles "I'm on Fire" (1975) and "Girls" (1984). His music is associated with the power pop style. Twilley and Phil Seymour performed as the Dwight Twilley Band through 1978, and Twilley has performed as a solo act since then.

Agora Theatre and Ballroom music venue in Cleveland, Ohio

The Agora Theatre and Ballroom is a music venue located in Cleveland, Ohio, founded by Henry "Hank" LoConti Sr. The Agora name was previously used by two other Cleveland venues in succession, the latter of which was damaged by fire in 1984. The current Agora venue, known as such since 1986, first opened in 1913 as the Metropolitan Theatre.

Cleveland City in Ohio

Cleveland is a major city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. The city proper has a population of 385,525, making it the 51st-largest city in the United States, and the second-largest city in Ohio. Greater Cleveland is ranked as the 32nd-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with 2,055,612 people in 2016. The city anchors the Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, which had a population of 3,515,646 in 2010 and is ranked 15th in the United States.

Contents

History

In late 1976, the Dwight Twilley Band was sent on a midwestern promotional tour by Shelter Records and its new distribution partner Arista Records, in an effort to gain exposure for the band, which had been idled by the collapse of Shelter. At the time, the Cleveland Agora was located underneath Agency Recording Studios, and professional-quality recordings were made of many of the live concerts, using Agency's equipment, for radio rebroadcast. The tape of this concert was later edited for national broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour, but it was not released commercially for over three decades.

Shelter Records American record label

Shelter Records was a U.S. record label started by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell that operated from 1969 to 1981. The company established offices in both Los Angeles and Tulsa, Russell's home town, where the label sought to promote a "workshop atmosphere" with a recording studio in a converted church, adjoining houses for artists working at the studio, and other facilities. The Tulsa recording studio was housed in the historic The Church Studio. Russell remained with Shelter until 1976, when he and Cordell fell out. In a settlement, Cordell then became sole owner of the label, while Russell left to start his own label, Paradise Records.

Arista Records, Inc. is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment and previously handled by Bertelsmann Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for Columbia Records. Until its demise in 2011, it was a major distributor and promoter of albums throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. Today, the label's reissues and catalogue releases are handled by RCA Records and Legacy Recordings.

<i>King Biscuit Flower Hour</i> an American syndicated radio show

The King Biscuit Flower Hour was an American syndicated radio show presented by the D.I.R. Radio Network that featured concert performances by various rock music recording artists.

The band on this tour consisted of Dwight Twilley (guitar, keyboards, lead and harmony vocals), Phil Seymour (drums, percussion, lead and harmony vocals) and Bill Pitcock IV (lead guitar), with backing musicians including Bingo Sloan (bass) and Rob Armstrong (drums). The band performed five songs from its debut album Sincerely , five songs from the upcoming second album Twilley Don't Mind , two songs that ultimately appeared on The Great Lost Twilley Album and one song ("Betsy Sue") that had only been released in a Dwight Twilley solo version, even though Twilley wrote it during his teens.

Phil Seymour American musician

Phil Seymour was an American drummer, singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known for the singles "I'm On Fire", his own solo hit "Precious to Me" and for being the second voice on Tom Petty's hits "American Girl" and "Breakdown." His solo work is revered among fans of power pop.

<i>Sincerely</i> (Dwight Twilley Band album) 1976 studio album by Dwight Twilley Band

Sincerely is the debut album from the Dwight Twilley Band, released in 1976 on Shelter Records. The band consisted solely of Dwight Twilley and Phil Seymour, although touring band member Bill Pitcock IV played lead guitar on every song except for "Sincerely" itself. The album credited production to Oister, which was the original name of the Dwight Twilley Band; later reissues have credited production directly to Twilley and Seymour.

<i>Twilley Dont Mind</i> 1977 studio album by Dwight Twilley Band

Twilley Don't Mind is the second album from the Dwight Twilley Band, recorded and released in 1977 on Shelter Records, distributed at the time by Arista Records. The band consisted of Dwight Twilley, Phil Seymour, and Bill Pitcock IV. The original album credited production to Oister, which was the original name of the Dwight Twilley Band, and Bob Schaper; later reissues have credited production directly to Twilley, Seymour and Schaper.

Track listing

All songs written by Dwight Twilley

  1. "Shakin' in the Brown Grass"
  2. "Just Like the Sun"
  3. "Chance to Get Away"
  4. "Could Be Love"
  5. "Trying to Find My Baby"
  6. "Betsy Sue"
  7. "I'm on Fire"
  8. "Twilley Don't Mind"
  9. "Here She Comes"
  10. "Sky Writer"
  11. "TV"
  12. "Rock and Roll 47"
  13. "England"

Personnel

Musicians

Notes

  1. Allmusic review

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