When in 1978, Pat Travers and bass player Peter “Mars” Cowling were joined by rising star guitarist, Pat Thrall and former Black Oak Arkansas drummer Tommy Aldridge it seemed like the blues rock planets had aligned. The resulting, Heat In The Street album would see the Pat Travers Band enter their most successful period, culminating in their biggest seller, 1980 gold record (later platinum when released on CD) Crash And Burn and put them on a winning streak which also included one of the best live releases of the late 70’s, Live! Go For What You Now, recorded during January and February 1979 on the Heat In The Street Tour in Miami, Austin and Gainesville. Following on from April’s Baltimore 1982 release, Purple Pyramid Records will release Heat In The Street Tour 1978, which will be released on CD and yellow vinyl LP at the end of May.
So! If it was recorded on the same tour as the platinum selling, Live! Go For What You Know, why do you need this latest album? Recorded at the Agora Theatre, Cleveland, just a few months earlier, on the evening of November 27th 1978, instead of featuring a patchwork of tracks taken from different venues, here on the CD version at least (the vinyl omits ‘Evie’ and ‘Make No Difference’ due to space restraints), you get the full unadulterated, 54 minute,10 track set from one show in its entirety. Okay, on the night in question there was no ‘Stevie’ (not one of his finest) or ‘Makin’ Magic’ (definitely one of his finest) which did appear at some shows on the tour, as well as on Live! Go For What You Now, but in all honesty anybody buying this new CD is going to have the original official live album anyway. All of the things that make L!GFWYN so special are still present. The “from the streets of Toronto, to the streets of London, now to kick your asses. The Pat Travers Band” intro is still very much in place but now leads straight into the timeless boogie of ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Susie’. In my opinion a much stronger opener. Not that there is anything wrong with ‘Hooked On Music’ from Makin’ Magic which continues to display its powerful, pumping bass line before Putting It Straight’s ‘Gettin’ Betta’, which still has the crowd exiting the hall singing its repeated brassy vocal tag, the titular track from Heat In The Street continues to rock like a mutha and how much funk can Cowling hold down on ‘Go All Night’ from that same album. On top of all of that you are also treated to a Tommy Aldridge masterclass shuffle on ‘Need Love’, and the twin guitar power chord assault of the ‘Life In London’, and Lynottesqe ‘Evie’ double whammy before his debut album’s (Pat Travers) ‘Makes No Difference’ batters its way out of the stacks for the finale. All this and I haven’t even mentioned the highpoint of the show yet, but do not fear, Stan Lewis’s ‘Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)’ (the only cover in the set) resumes its place, front and centre, and is at its sing-along, partying best… Boom! Boom! This recording may not have the absolute crispness in production values and enhanced audience response of Live! Go For What You Now, but that slight raw edge gives Heat In The Street Tour 1978 a warming, true to life feel, sometimes lacking on “LIVE” recordings and certainly makes it a worthy companion piece. Travers said that “this band was vicious and by the time we hit the Agora Theatre in November of 1978 we were jaw dropping live!”. He was not wrong.
Next month sees a further release in the Purple Pyramid Pat Travers live series, this time Going Down To Jacksonville 1983 from the Black Pearl era of the band and it wouldn’t surprise this reviewer if this is just the beginning of a larger live release program. However Heat In The Street Tour 1978 showcases the Pat Travers (Band) at the top of their game with the dual guitars of Travers and Thrall dominating, and showing that they were an unbeatable combination. If you want to catch Travers live in the 21st century, he continues to tour across the US and will be appearing at On The Blue Cruise in August 2025. There are no signs of any UK/European dates though, so these archive live gems will have to act as a welcome reminder of just how great he is.
- Reviewed By Peter Brockwell.
- Heat In The Street is released via Cleopatra Records/Purple Pyramid on 30th May 2025.
- Official Website | Facebook
Track List:
CD Version:
1. Rock ‘N’ Roll Susie
2. Hooked On Music
3. Need Love
4. Gettin’ Betta
5. Heat In The Street
6. Go All Night
7. Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)
8. Life In London
9. Evie [CD ONLY]
10. Makes No Difference [CD ONLY]
Vinyl Splits:
Side A:
1. Rock ‘N’ Roll Susie
2. Hooked On Music
3. Need Love
4. Gettin’ Betta
Side B:
1. Heat In The Street
2. Go All Night
3. Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)
4. Life In London
