Thank you – yes you are correct concerning when “Rattlesnake Shake” was recorded (April 15, 1969) so it is possible that this was one of the first times they had performed the number – they had performed a number of songs that would end up on “Then Play On” before recording them in the studio, such as “Before the Beginning” and “Coming Your Way” –
However, the earliest live performances available of “Coming Your Way” find the band taking the number at a break-neck pace – then, after the Royal Albert Hall performance, (April 22nd) it settles into something closer to the studio recording’s tempo
It is the inclusion of “Oh Well” that really throws me – it is a bit rougher than later versions, as if they have not quite locked down the riff, though they could be experimenting; “Homework”, which opens this show, is also quite different from their other performances of the song –
You mentioned that the recording that you have does not include “Man of the World” – is the one that you have nine tracks? Beginning with “If You Let Me Love You”?
The show with “Man of the World” runs to thirteen tracks and seems complete unto itself – the nine track disc was listed as the second disc to that show – but I am beginning to believe that the two were recorded at different times - so it does seem possible that the nine numbers were recorded in April of 1969...
