''Five Man Acoustical Jam'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

recorded at the

Trocadero Theatre The Trocadero Theatre (opened as the Arch Street Opera House) is a historic theater located in Chinatown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It offered musical comedies, vaudeville, opera, and burlesque. The Trocadero Theatre was refurbished for use a ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and released in 1990 by the band Tesla, using

acoustic guitars An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

instead of the

electric guitars An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

for which

pop-metal Pop metal (sometimes conflated with or used interchangeably with glam metal) is an umbrella term for commercial heavy metal and hard rock styles which feature prominent pop music elements such as catchy hooks and anthemic choruses. It became ...

bands such as Tesla are traditionally known. The biggest hit from the album was the song "Signs", a cover version originally from the band

Five Man Electrical Band The Five Man Electrical Band (known as The Staccatos from 1963 to 1968) is a Canadian rock band from Ottawa, Ontario. They had many hits in Canada, including the top 10 entries "Half Past Midnight" (1967) (as The Staccatos), "Absolutely Right ...

, who also had a hit with the song. Other songs included "Love Song" and "The Way It Is" (hits from their previous album ''

The Great Radio Controversy ''The Great Radio Controversy'' is the second studio album by American hard rock band Tesla, released in 1989. The album's sound has been described as "glam metal to play inside the cab of a tractor-blusey denim and downright wholesome". The hi ...

'') and covers of The Rolling Stones' "

Mother's Little Helper "Mother's Little Helper" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it is a folk rock song with Eastern influences. Its lyrics deal with the popularity of pre ...

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's " Lodi", and The Beatles' "

We Can Work It Out "We Can Work It Out" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was first issued as a double A-side single with "Day Tripper" in December 1965. It also appeared on the 1966 US release '' Yesterd ...

Background and recording

Tesla was originally reticent to perform an all-acoustic show. They had performed an acoustic version of their hit "

Love Song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

" at the 1990 Bammy Awards, a local music awards show in the

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sponsored by the indie music publication '' BAM''. The performance was so well received, that the band's co-manager

Peter Mensch Peter Mensch (born March 28, 1953) is an American music manager. He started his career in music management at the age of 26, managing AC/DC. In 1982, Mensch formed the management company Q Prime with Cliff Burnstein. Their first client was Def L ...

tried to get the band to perform an all-acoustic set during a lull in their touring schedule, while they were opening for

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...

on their 1990 '' Dr. Feelgood'' tour. When Mensch brought up the idea, bassist Brian Wheat replied "Fuck no! We’re a hard rock band, man!", though Mensch goaded them into developing a fully acoustic set by challenging their musical skill, claiming they were unable to pull it off. The band developed a 90-minute set entirely performed on acoustic instruments, and after three days of rehearsal, debuted the set over two shows at

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just before the launch of the

tour. Given the strength of the two shows, four additional dates were booked during gaps in the tour, and the July 2 show at the

, was selected for recording for a potential live album, at Wheat's suggestion. The tapes from the show sat unused for two months, until a live performance of " Signs", recorded at

WAAF WAAF may refer to: * w3af, (short for web application attack and audit framework), an open-source web application security scanner * Women's Auxiliary Air Force, a British military service in World War II ** Waaf, a member of the service * WAAF (AM ...

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, had become a big hit at that station The other co-manager Cliff Burnstein convinced

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

to release the live recordings from the Trocadero show. Initially envisioned as an EP, the band convinced Geffen to release it as a full LP. In reviewing the tapes, Wheat's acoustic bass playing did not record well, so he re-recorded his parts in the studio, the only overdub work done on the original live recordings. It was decided to title the album ''Five Man Acoustical Jam'' in honor of the

, who had original performed the song "Signs" that Tesla covered on the album. The album was released on November 9, 1990.

Track listing

Personnel

Tesla * Jeff Keith – vocals, tambourine * Tommy Skeoch – 6 & 12-string guitars, backing vocals * Frank Hannon – 6-string & electric guitar, bottleneck guitar, blues harp, piano, organ, backing vocals * Brian Wheat – hofner bass, piano, backing vocals * Troy Luccketta – drums, percussion Production * Dan McClendon - engineer, producer * Mike Beyer - engineer * David Hewitt - engineer

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Tesla (band) albums 1990 live albums Geffen Records live albums