The fifth volume of
Can
's archival live series dates from 1977, during the brief period when former
Traffic
member
Rosko Gee
was playing bass and occasionally singing for the band. (Former
percussionist
Rebop Kwaku Baah
was also part of
during this period, but he doesn't appear on this concert recording.) The show took place in Aston, Birmingham, England during the same month the band released
Saw Delight
, an Afro-Latin funk excursion generally considered one of
's least successful efforts, though some fans regard it as being misunderstood and still worth a listen. The full concert lasted for nearly an hour and a half and included a performance of one song from the album, "Sunshine Day and Night." However, most bootlegs of the concert that have circulated only include the first four songs, and those are what appear on this official release. The first track, a non-album piece listed on
Box
as "Fizz," is a steady, loping rhythm with deep, dubby bass, incandescent organ, and wild guitar licks.
Holger Czukay
, no longer playing bass with the band, pipes in taped voices and electronics from time to time. The rest of the selections on the release are all based on tracks from earlier
albums, starting with a solid if straightforward reading of "Vitamin C." The third track has been referred to as a version of "Pinch," but it's faster and less funky than on
Ege Bamyasi
, and without
Damo Suzuki
's electrifying presence, it hardly counts as the same song. Still, it's an adventurous performance that really heats up during the middle and changes directions towards the end. The final track is a faster take on the wobbly groove of
Soon Over Babaluma
's "Dizzy Dizzy," building it up to an organ-heavy garage-psych overload. While it would've been nice to hear where the rest of the show went from there,
Live in Aston, 1977
ends on an exhilarating high note. ~ Paul Simpson