Robin Batteau - guitar, mandolin, violin, vocals; David Buskin - organ, synths, guitar, piano, vocals; Bobby Chouinard- drums; Werner Fritzching - guitar, mandolin, vocals; Steve Rubin - keyboards, vocals; Doug Lubahn - bass
Pierce Arrow never lived up to the hype, and certainly never broke any sales records, but they made some pretty solid music in the two-year run the band enjoyed in the late 1970s. This show, the second of two recorded at the Bottom Line in New York City for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, featured mostly material from the band's debut album. "Take This Heart," "You Got To Believe," and "Crazy 'Bout That Music" features loads of impressive musicianship but fail to deliver the radio hook that was needed to make them chart toppers.
"Ain't The Sky Just Like A River," a ballad performed in the middle of the set, shines as brightly as any Eagles' ballad from that same era. The band also offers up another power ballad with "If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)" before closing the show with two rockers: "Robber" and "Hot Summer Night."
Pierce Arrow should have been a massive U.S. band during their brief two-year run in 1977 and 1978. Consisting of top NY and LA studio musicians, the group made two exceptional records for Columbia and toured the States, but the band failed to find a substantial audience that would make it a household name.
Featuring top session players Robin Batteau Jeff Kent, and David Buskin, along with former Cactus guitarist Werner Fritzching, former Robert Gordon drummer Bobby Chouinard, and former Doors bassist Doug Lubahn, Pierce Arrow had both the songs and the musical chops to be an important American band. Keyboardist Steve Rubin is heard in the band filling in for Jeff Kent, who had to leave the tour briefly due to illness.