Best known for his sardonic recordings such as “City of New Orleans” and “Go Cubs Go”, singer-songwriter Steve Goodman is captured here as an aspiring artist at a concert with Bob Hoban on bass and violin at the University of Illinois Auditorium during a stint in 1969. All of the ingredients that simmered together for a strong flavor are here in their early form, with a sense of urgency and fun on material ranging from Willie Dixon’s “You Can’t Tell A Book By It’s Cover” and the tongue twisting “The Auctioneer”. Traditional sounds from the Isles, complete with accent, are delivered on “Byker Hill” and “John Barleycorn” with an American protest delivered by Goodman with Hoban on violin on “Country Pie.” Sardonic wit is in abundance on “Ballad of Spiro Agnew’ and he pleases the crowd with a medley of boomer hits including “Eleanor Rigby”. The roots are hear, and eventually the full fruit bloomed.