PAT BENATAR – Greatest Hits Live [King Biscuit Flower Hour Archive Series] 2003, MP3+FLAC

The King Biscuit Flower Hour syndicated radio show is legendary, having aired quality live recordings from the greatest ’70s & ’80s bands. Many Classic Rock aficionados didn’t noticed that in the mid-Nineties the King Biscuit Flower Hour Records, Inc. label was founded, and officially released on CD several of their recorded concerts, previously only heard on radio broadcast.

One of these is this PAT BENATAR “Greatest Hits Live [King Biscuit Flower Hour Archive Series]” CD, captured live 1981. While the title ‘Greatest Hits’ seems too much comprehensive – Benatar had many other hits after 1981 – the set list packs her best songs until that year.
By the early ’80s, PAT BENATAR and his band were a rocking machine live, and it shows here. Her shows were selling out faster than her management could book them, and her red-hot romance with guitarist Neil Geraldo was steaming up the stage. At 28, she’d just earned her first Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Female.
This Austin, TX, concert was one stop on a string of packed shows Benatar and her band were playing in support of their third record, ‘Precious Time’. Luckily, King Biscuit was there to capture what would prove to be Benatar’s definitive set, with songs pulled from three smoking albums.
Sound quality is really good – multi-track recording – and has been remastered for this King Biscuit Flower Records CD release.

Stacked with vintage classics like “You Better Run,” “Treat Me Right” and “Heartbreaker,” and newly spun power-rockers from ‘Precious Time’, this broadcast proved Benatar was indeed at the top of her game. “Promises In The Dark” and the album’s title song were quickly becoming crowd favorites, but it was the mid-set barn-burner “Fire and Ice” that had the fans on their feet salivating over the spandex-clad titan who embodied the ’80s aesthetic.
Her assertive, raspy voice projects wildly through the recording, and it’s easy to envision her strutting across the stage. Benatar embraces the confident energy of the Eighties, and the crowd loves her; the dynamic relationship between performer and audience is fully apparent here.

Benatar led the way for girls in rock in 1981. Popsters Sheena Easton, Kim Carnes, Diana Ross and Olivia Newton-John all had hit number ones on the singles charts, while Pat Benatar’s ‘Precious Time’ was locked into the number one position on the album charts. “Fire and Ice” won a second Grammy for the singer by year’s end.

Pat Benatar’s career waned for a couple years in the mid-’80s when she stepped out of the limelight to devote time to motherhood with newly married husband and bandmate, Neil Geraldo. She has since continued to record high caliber music ranging from blues to gutsy rock – all of it showcasing her vocal dexterity and astounding singing technique.
Highly Recommended

 

01 – You Better Run
02 – Treat Me Right
03 – Fire & Ice
04 – Out Of Touch
05 – I Need A Lover
06 – Promises In The Dark
07 – Hit Me With Your Best Shot
08 – Hell Is For Children
09 – Heartbreaker
10 – Precious Time
11 – In The Heat Of The Night
12 – We Live For Love
13 – Helter Skelter

Pat Benatar – vocals
Neil Geraldo – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Scott Sheets – guitar
Roger Capps – bass
Myron Grombacher – drums, percussion
Cindy O’Connor – keyboards

MP3 FLAC