#21 NIRVANA - Live at U4, Vienna 1989 (Flac)

Nirvana’s first European tour began in October 1989. The “Heavier Than Heaven” tour as it was subsequently named was a reference to the power of the music and also the weight of front man Tad Doyle of co-headliners Tad.

The intense tour schedule consisted of thirty-seven shows in forty-two days in nine countries leaving no option but to drive overnight to the next venue.

This show from U4 in Vienna is remarkable not just for the performance but the crowd reaction generously titled as crowd banter on a few tracks. There is one member of the audience who in his desperation to hear “About A Girl” is reduced to screaming and shrieking so much he sounds as if he’s having a mental breakdown. His use of ‘Anglo-Saxon’ (swearing) is quite phenomenal for a foreigner. It’s incredible that he wasn’t removed by the security.

This is from a pre-fm source bar the first two tracks and the best quality early live Nirvana show.

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NIRVANA
November 22, 1989
U4
Vienna, Austria
(JWB REMASTER)
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01 (Intro)
02 School
03 Scoff
04 Love Buzz
05 Floyd The Barber
06 Dive
07 (Crowd Banter)
08 About A Girl
09 Spank Thru
10 Big Cheese
11 Sappy
12 Breed
13 (More Crowd Banter)
14 Been A Son
15 Negative Creep
16 Blew
17 (Encore Break)
18 Help Me I'm Hungry

SOURCE: A+ Stereo Soundboard
TOTAL TIME: 61:47

ORIGINAL LINEAGES:
Track 01 (beginning): FM>CDR2>WAV
Track 01-02: DAT>CDR2>WAV (possibly FM)
Tracks 03-18: "Play The Fucking Guitar Man" CD>EAC>WAV (Pre-FM)

REMASTER LINEAGE:
WAV>COOLEDIT>CDWAVE>FLAC

REMASTERING NOTES:
Sources combined to form a complete show
Re-equalizing
Volume fluctuations smoothed over
A few clicks removed
There was no noise reduction, compression, or any other funny business
REMASTERED BY JWB.

#20 CAT POWER - Peel Sessions (Flac)

Standing in a queue waiting to pay for the latest selection of cds I’d chosen. I overheard the girl in front asking what was playing over the shop speakers. When told it was Cat Power’s new album she replied, “I’ll take it too.”

Cat Power at that time was just a name to me despite the Covers Record being her fifth release. Some months later I heard her music for the first time on the John Peel show - the famous long running late night show on BBC radio one.

The session included a selection of songs that had been recorded but not included on the Covers Record. That covers session included here features just Chan’s vocal and acoustic guitar or keyboards. I remember the DJ John Peel being particularly taken by “Freebird,” a minimalist cover lasting barely forty seconds and so completely different from its original incarnation, that it sounds quite bizarre in comparison.

The covers session was recorded on June 18, 2000 at Maida Vale’s studio 4 in London. It was broadcast in two parts, part one on July 20, 2000 including tracks 1 to 4 and track 9. The second part was broadcast on August 31, 2000 and included tracks 5 to 8 with a repeat of “Freebird.” Both parts of the session were broadcast later in the year a few weeks before Christmas.

The second session tracks 10 to 13 date from three years later, recorded on January 23, 2003 as promotion for the follow up release “You Are Free.” It was broadcast on 12 February, 2003. Chan performs another sparse stripped down session emphasizing the haunting soulful beauty of her voice.

This is the complete Maida Vale sessions but not the complete Cat Power Peel sessions. A live session was recorded at John’s home “Peel Acres” on August 23, 2001; the three tracks performed were Untitled, Baby Doll and Come On In My Kitchen.

After posting three classic bootleg recordings in a row, now seems an opportune moment to upload something relatively newer. Cat Power releases her new album “Sun” in a few days time.

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Cat Power
Peel Sessions

Maida Vale Studio
London, England
Broadcast July 20, & August 2000*

FM > ? > CDR > EAC > FLAC

01 Sophisticated Lady
02 Hard Times In New York City
03 Wonderwall
04 He Was A Friend Of Mine
05 Deep Inside / Come Up In My Kitchen
06 Werewolf
07 Up & Gone
08 Sister / Knocking On Heaven's Door
09 Freebird

Maida Vale Studio

London, England
Broadcast February 12, 2003*

FM > ? > CDR > EAC > FLAC

10 Names
11 Funny Things
12 Evolution
13 I Don't Blame You

*BBC recording dates for sessions given in main text.

An updated version of this is now available see here:
complete peel sessions