''Live 'n' Kickin is a live album by the

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...

West, Bruce and Laing West, Bruce & Laing (WBL) were a Scottish–American blues rock power trio super-group formed in 1972 by Leslie West (guitar and vocals; formerly of Mountain (band), Mountain), Jack Bruce (bass, harp, keyboards and vocals; ex-Cream (band), Cream) ...

, released in 1974. It was the band's third and final album, as their disbanding was announced shortly before its release. The album is noteworthy in that three of its four songs were not released in studio versions by the band. Specifically: * " Play with Fire" is a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of a song originally written and performed by

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

, although West, Bruce and Laing's rendition uses the music for "Love is Worth the Blues," a song they previously wrote and recorded for their 1972 ''

Why Dontcha ''Why Dontcha'' is the first studio album by power trio West, Bruce and Laing. The album features "The Doctor", which received heavy FM radio airplay upon the album's release and became a signature song in live performance for the band. Other ...

'' debut album. * "Politician" is a cover of a song

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disbande ...

originally wrote and performed with his previous band

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

. * "Powerhouse Sod" is a previously unreleased song featuring a bass guitar solo by Bruce. While credited to West, Bruce and Laing, Jack Bruce is probably the song's primary author, as the song had been played by Bruce with other bands prior to West, Bruce and Laing (for example, a live recording of it from 1971 is included on Jack Bruce's ''Spirit (Live at the BBC 1971–1978)'' boxed set). ''Live 'n' Kickin peaked at No. 165 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

U.S. album chart.

Track listing

# " Play with Fire" (

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

Charlie Watts Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 – 24 August 2021) was an English musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021. Originally trained as a graphic artist, Watts developed an i ...

Bill Wyman William George Wyman (né Perks; born 24 October 1936) is an English musician who achieved international fame as the bassist for the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1993. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member ...

) – 13:26 # "The Doctor" (

Leslie West Leslie West (born Leslie Abel Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. Life and career Early years: 1 ...

Corky Laing Laurence Gordon "Corky" Laing (born January 26, 1948) is a Canadian rock drummer, best known as a longtime member of pioneering American hard rock band Mountain. 20th century A native of Montreal, Quebec, Laing was the youngest in a family of fi ...

, Sue Palmer) – 7:43 # "Politician" (Bruce,

Pete Brown Peter Ronald Brown (born 25 December 1940) is an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce.Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), , p. 80 Bro ...

) – 5:41 # "Powerhouse Sod" (West, Bruce, Laing) – 10:39

Personnel

– guitar, vocals *

– bass, synthesizer, harmonica, vocals *

– drums

References

{{reflist

External links

West, Bruce & Laing – ''Live 'n' Kickin (1974) album rating, credits & releases
at

AllMusic.com AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

West, Bruce & Laing – ''Live 'n' Kickin (1974) album releases & credits
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

.com West, Bruce and Laing albums 1974 live albums Columbia Records live albums