Live In Dallas

On December 1st, 1982, Randy recorded a live concert at Nick’s Uptown Theater in Dallas, Texas. The recording was aired on the radio in May 1983, then portions of it were released as an album in Japan, simply called Dallas. The recording would be MIA for the next twenty years until it was released on CD in 2002.

“It was a live performance which was done with some of my favorite musicians and songs.”
– Randy Meisner ¹

The concert at Nick’s Uptown was not advertised and was recorded using a mobile recording unit provided by Omega Audio, a recording studio in Dallas. The audio was then mixed and edited, first at Omega, then at Rudy Records in Los Angeles, which was owned by Graham Nash. Randy co-produced the project along with Robert Joyce and Buford Jones, who was also the engineer. Jones had worked with James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and Jackson Browne. He recalled staying with Randy for a week while they worked on the album in L.A. “We had a wonderful time,” he recalled. Following Randy’s death last July, Jones said of him: “I love his music but his personality stood out even further! I miss him dearly and will always remember his amazing talent.” ²

_{Randy and Buford Jones at Omega Audio in Dallas.}

Captured Live!

In May 1983, the Dallas recording was aired on the syndicated RKO Radio program Captured Live. In those days, radio stations received a vinyl copy of the radio program to use on the air. The program included intros, outros, and station breaks, which were pre-recorded by radio personality Perry Stone. The recording also came with a two-page cue sheet, which provided times and cues for the DJs. In order to prevent bootlegging of these live recordings, radio stations were required to return the program albums shortly after the broadcast. Of course, this didn’t always happen.

The Captured Live! 3-LP set for Randy’s concert that was sent to radio stations in 1983:

Captured Live! cue sheets:

Listen to the radio program in full below. The setlist featured tracks from all three of Randy’s solo albums, as well as three of his Eagles songs: “Too Many Hands,” “Try & Love Again,” and “Take It To The Limit.”

Randy Meisner: Captured Live!
(recorded at Nick’s Uptown Theater in Dallas, TX, December 1st, 1982)

Randy’s band included:
John Corey – guitar
Tom Erak – bass
Dixon House – keyboards
Stan Kipper – drums
Sterling Smith – piano

Dallas LP

In the Spring of 1983, Epic released ten tracks from the above recording as a live album called Dallas that was issued only in Japan. Randy told the Scottsbluff Star-Herald in June 1983 that CBS was negotiating for a U.S. release of the album. Despite this, a U.S. release never materialized. ³

Front and back of the Dallas LP.

Front of Dallas LP insert, which folded out to include liner notes and lyrics (in Japanese and English)

Promo shots for the album featured Randy in a purple Dallas shirt (also seen in the photo with Buford Jones above) and his red 1957 Corvette. Randy purchased the Corvette from Val Garay, who produced his 1980 solo release, One More Song.

_{Dallas poster, signed by Randy}

Promo photo

Below: an alternate take from Randy’s personal collection of photos, shared here for the first time.
_{Courtesy of The Estate Of Randy Meisner.}

CD Reissue

The Dallas LP was re-released on CD twenty years later by Sonic Past Music, a label owned by Randy’s longtime friend, Joey Stec. The CD issue was called Live In Dallas. Stec also licensed the album to Japanese and European labels, such as Dreamsville and Cherry Red. These issues were called Dallas.

Front and back of Live In Dallas CD (Sonic Past Music issue)

The CD issue included an alternate mix of the “Take It To The Limit” performance as a bonus track.

Hear it below:

The 1983 release of the Dallas LP would be Randy’s final solo venture. Two years later, he would reemerge as a member of the band, Black Tie, along with Jimmy Griffin and Billy Swan. Read more here.

Notes

1. Live In Dallas CD liner notes, Sonic Past Music ↩︎
2. Buford Jones, public Facebook post, July 29, 2023 ↩︎
3. Scottsbluff Star-Herald, June 26. 1983 ↩︎