In late 1971, Mason began recording Headkeeper. He envisioned a double album with one disk containing new studio recordings and the other live recordings with his new band. The live tracks had been recorded at some highly regarded dates at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles.[4]
Mason thought that since he was Blue Thumb's most successful artist, they should renegotiate his contract. When they refused, he slipped into the studio and took the master tapes of the recordings made to date.[5]
Producer Tommy LiPuma then assembled an album from two-track safety masters that Mason did not take which Blue Thumb released. Mason publicly denounced the release as a "bootleg".
Mason eventually signed a deal with Columbia Records who bought out his Blue Thumb contract.
Blue Thumb issued Dave Mason Is Alive in 1973 with remaining tracks from the Troubadour set.
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