“Raw & Alive – The Seeds In Concert” may just possibly be the greatest “live” album that never was. Released in 1968 towards the end of the original quartet’s career, the album was an attempt to deliver on vinyl the live frenzy that these garage legends were notorious for in person.
The album is highly regarded by Seeds aficionados, containing as it does exciting versions of band classics like ‘No Escape’ and ‘Up In Her Room’, as well as superlative new originals such as the punkoid ‘Satisfy You’, the latter a clear return to form after the flowery “Future” long-player. But most are unaware that the performances were actually cut live in the studio, with applause added afterward for release.
The original premise was for a Seeds show to be taped in front of an audience. Attended by the bands fan club, a live studio performance was recorded in February 1968, only to be scrapped at the last minute. The second disc of our deluxe vinyl reissue features this planned album in the form in which it was prepared for release, direct from the assembled master tape which has not been heard until now. The early version included the rare ‘Hubbly Bubbly Love’, which would not be re-recorded for “Raw & Alive”.
The new 2LP “Raw & Alive” is the fourth in the series of Seeds expanded editions and comes with a 8-page booklet, with notes from compiler Alec Palao that detail the history of the swansong of the original Seeds personnel, illustrated with unseen photos of the quartet on stage in their mid-60s heyday.
