The First Barbarians - Live from Kilburn

iTunes Review

Recorded in advance of Ron Wood’s first solo effort (I’ve Got My Own Album To Do) and unreleased for more than 30 years, this live document captures the most essential Stones side project in its most primal form. The New Barbarians band was put together by Ron Wood, who paired his best friends from the Stones and Faces (Keith Richards, Ian McLagan) with a connoisseur R&B rhythm section (bassist Wilie Weeks and drummer Andy Newmark). Much of this material — recorded at London’s Kilburn Gaumont State Theatre in July 1974 — was soon to appear on Wood’s first two solo albums, though the live versions shown here come slower (“Mystifies Me”), tougher (“Shirley”) and looser (the unreleased “Forever”) than their studio counterparts. While Rod Stewart shows up to duet with Wood on the Faces-like “Take a Look At the Guy,” the main attraction is the chemistry between Wood and Richards. They appear here as brothers in arms, and the highlight of the concert is listening to them howl in mournful harmony on “Cancel Everything.”