#134 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Max's Kansas City Night 1973 (Flac)

Springsteen fans may be feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the sheer amount of official release bootlegs available via the BruceSpringsteen.net site. These shows has certainly made inroads into the amount of downloads each torrent receives on the specialist Jungleland tracker, with many now failing to get anywhere near 100 downloads.

So far the earliest official recording available has been the Roxy show from 18 October 1975. Nothing has yet been released prior to Roy Bittan & Max Weinberg joining the band.

This early show from 1973 is somewhat more intimate and  understated in comparison to many of the official releases. Even if you think you can't manage another Springsteen show, try this one, it really is superb and an excellent example of how the early band sounded.

Max's Kansas City Night (Crystal Cat - CC 874)

Max's Kansas City, New York City, New York
31st January 1973 
Soundboard

Time: 75:02

Lineage: Transfer/Trade and Generation Info: Original Silvers -> Eac (Secure) -> Flac

Max’s Kansas City Night 1973 is from Bruce Springsteen’s January 31st show, sourced from the recent (then) posting on Wolfgang’s Vault.  It includes Micky Ruskin’s introduction and a short tune up at the beginning of the set.

Springsteen had a six-night, twelve show run at the venue in support of Biff Rose and this show was recorded by the King Biscuit Flower Hour with only one song, “Bishop Danced,” being broadcast.  Earlier releases of this show include Live At Max’s Kansas City (The Swingin’ Pig) with “Song To Orphans” cut, and The Unsurpassed Springsteen Vol. 1 with the complete track.  These early versions of the show contained “Thundercrack” edited down to 6:50, with the “comedy break” eliminated, since it was distributed by Springsteen’s management to select industry people for promotional purposes.  But these latter releases have the entire eleven-minute rendition.

Crystal Cat also include the three surviving songs from the last show “Song To The Orphans” is complete, taken from Unsurpassed Springsteen Volume 2 (Yellow Dog), and ”Rosalita” is the song’s debut.  The final track is the studio recording “Phantoms” dating from the May 1973 Phase 1 sessions.  This song would be retitled “Zero & Blind Terry” later on in the year. 

01. Introduction By Mickey Ruskin (0:50)
02. Mary Queen Of Arkansas (7:41)
03. Bishop Dance (6:29)
04. Circus Song (Intro Heat Wave) (5:37)
05. Spirit In The Night (5:26)
06. Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street (7:18)
07. Thundercrack (13:17)
08. Saga Of The Architect Angel (5:34)
09. Song To The Orphans (8:38)
10. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (8:35)
11. Phantoms (Outtake) (5:37)


LINK

#133 THE STROKES - Vienna 2002 (Flac)

The Strokes

Pepsi Music Club, Vienna, Austria.

9 March, 2002

FM broadcast

In April 2002, the N.M.E. (New Musical Express) declared The Strokes as “undoubtedly the most exciting – and most hyped – band of the last two years.” (mmm…what about The White Stripes? I guess they forgot about them.) The weekly music paper certainly played a major role in hyping and promoting them. After hearing ‘The Modern Age’ EP in December 2000 it became a regular on the office stereo system being played virtually non-stop. It was decided that they should be added to the annual NME show along with …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Rocket From The Crypt and Peaches on 3^rd February 2001.

They featured in the paper at the end of January, to coincide with their appearance a week later at the Astoria in London. Like the White Stripes (July 2001) it took them a week to break in the UK. They appeared on the front cover in June and a month later were on the UK TV show ‘Top of the Pops’. The debut album ‘Is This It’ had gone platinum by the end of the year. Weekly music papers like NME, at that time were essential in spotting and promoting new bands such as the Strokes, leading to massive sales in their own country just like Nirvana, Pixies and countless other American bands before them.

A reader of the 100 Greatest Bootlegs blog emailed me recently to comment on the lack of availability of bootlegs by the band. After a search I had to agree that apart from those streaming on Youtube, locating files to download was hard going. Searching the largest torrent tracker for recordings from the early years 2001-03, turned up a 12-minute FM broadcast of four tracks from the Reading Festival 2002. There were three other FM broadcasts from 2002, the Paradiso in Amsterdam, Birmingham Academy and Pepsi Club in Vienna. This posted show has the best sound quality and performance although Birmingham was comparable but this just had the edge. The Paradiso show was a rather subdued recording lacking in clarity.

It was a different story seventeen to nineteen years ago when the following were readily available:

•           Live at Arlene's Grocery (2000)
•           Live at Brownie's (2000)
•           Live at WFMU Radio Station (2000)
•           The Peel Sessions (2001)
•           Live on KCRW (2001 Radio Session)
•           Live on Osaka on Air (2002)
•           Live at Zepp (2002 live bootleg)
•           Live in Reykjavik (2002 live bootleg)
•          This Is Legal Radio Sessions (2002 radio compilation) 

Some of these can be heard on Youtube as previously mentioned but until they re-appear into circulation enjoy 'Is This It' live from Vienna.

Lineage: FM - Sony Dat TCD-D7 - HDD - WAV – FLAC

01. Meet Me In The Bathroom

02. The Modern Age

03. Someday

04. Ze Newie (aka early version of "Between Love And Hate")

05. NYC Cops

06. Soma

07. Hard To Explain

08. Is This It

09. When It Started

10. Barely Legal

11. Alone Together

12. Trying Your Luck

13. Last Nite

14. Take It Or Leave It

LINK

#132 OASIS - Cabaret Metro, Chicago - 1994 (Flac)

25 years ago Oasis released their debut album 'Definitely Maybe.' To be exact on the 29th of August, 1994. Prior to this they had released three singles, all in 1994, Supersonic, Shakermaker and Live Forever, which was the first to break into the top ten of the UK singles chart. 

With the music press on board from the beginning, significantly the NME, who had interviewed them in April, just a week before the release of debut single, Supersonic. The band along with rivals Suede and Blur re-ignited a revival of interest in British guitar-based groups, after the dominance of US bands in the early 90's.

This show highlights a blistering performance taken from their first US tour, just before Tony McCarroll left the band. As was usual for Oasis it was a tour that would not run smoothly, Noel stormed off the tour in California forcing the cancellation of dates in Austin, Kansas, Dallas and Missouri. He finally re-joined the band in Las Vegas and after the show in Los Angeles, Ringo Starr declared that he was "Well impressed".

This is a perfect live complement of how the band sounded on their ascent to world-wide fame. The complete debut album track-list is performed live, less than two months after its release.  

Some classic brotherly rivalry is evident as Liam says “This one’s called Up In The Sky!” and Noel retorts “No it’s not, it’s called Bring It On Down!”

‘Definitely Maybe' frequently appears in high placings, on the many listings of greatest ever debut releases, which music magazines and web sites are fond of publishing.

The band:

Noel Gallagher - Guitar, Vocals

Liam Gallagher - Vocals, Tambourine

Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs - Guitar

Paul 'Guigsy' McGuigan - Bass

Tony McCarroll - Drums

 

Original notes

Oasis

The Cabaret Metro

Chicago, Illinois, USA

October 15, 1994

SBD / Audio courtesy of JBTV / ESK 6805

Source:  Label Promo > EAC v0.95 beta04 > WAV > mkwACT v0.97b1 > shn > River Past Audio Converter Pro 7.7.1 > FLAC

01  Rock 'n' Roll Star

02  Columbia

03  Fade Away

04  Digsy's Dinner

05  Shakermaker

06  Live Forever

07  Bring it on Down

08  Up in the Sky

09  Slide Away

10  Cigarettes & Alcohol

11  Married with Children

12  Supersonic

13  I Am the Walrus

Notes:

This is from an 'Oasis Live' promo disc that we received here at the radio station in probably late '94 or '95, show is also on boots called 'Ode to the Walrus' , 'Supersonic' and 'Climbing The Sky'.  It's excellent sound from a promo sent from Sony.  Included are scans of the CD itself.  By all accounts it's a complete show

alternative artwork

LINK

JOHNNY MARR - KCRW FM Session 2013 (Flac)

#12 Special Post

I posted a series of special posts in July (see here) and this should have been included. I finally discovered it on a hard drive and make it available now. It was recorded by the esteemed 'Nibbler' - a Dime regular and provider of many high quality KCRW sessions.

Original Notes:
Legendary guitarist for The Smiths, Johnny Marr recently performed several classics plus some of his new songs in the intimate setting of Apogee Studio. KCRW FM broadcast highlights from the evening on Morning Becomes Eclectic.

JOHNNY MARR
KCRW FM Radio Session
Broadcast on Monday November 18, 2013  

Session recorded at the Apogee Studio, Los Angeles Ca. 
Monday November 4, 2013

01. Intro
02. Upstarts
03. Sun And Moon
04. New Town Velocity
05. Lockdown
06. Interview
07. The Messenger
08. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths)
09. Bigmouth Strikes Again (The Smiths)
10. How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths)

Lineage: FM > Onkyo HT-R520 > Analog Out (RCA Plugs) > Phone Jacks In >
Zoom H4n @ 16bit - 44.1 KHz > USB-2 > CD WAVE Tracking > TLH Checksums Flac.8)

 Notes:
A pre-recorded and edited session, the band is in great form

Johnny Marr - Vocals / Guitar 
James Doviak - Guitar / Keys 
Iwan Gronow - Bass
Jack Mitchell - Drums

LINK

There are some brilliant photos from the show with an interview here:
http://blogs.kcrw.com/musicnews/2013/11/photos-johnny-marr-live-on-kcrw/

#132 will follow soon, a live show from a band on their first tour of the US, playing tracks from a classic debut album that was released 25 years ago.

#131 DAVID BOWIE - BBC 50th Birthday Broadcast 1997 (Flac)

David Bowie celebrates his half century, an unlikely looking event after he had hit rock bottom in the mid 70's, barely coherent, stick thin and lost in a haze of drug addiction. Yet the spark of creativity would burn bright as he released a searing series of albums, Station to Station (1976), Low (1977), Heroes (1977), Lodger (1979), Scary Monsters (1980) and the massive selling Let's Dance (1983), hitting another commercial peak ten years after becoming one of the biggest UK rock stars on the planet. 

BBC Radio 1 FM marked Bowie's 50th birthday with 'Changesnowbowie' an hour-long special that featured exclusive acoustic performances of classic tracks and the man himself answering questions from those he has influenced over the years. Broadcast at 9pm on Wednesday 8th January 1997.

BBC DJ Mary Ann Hobbs, begins the interview discussing his age and he declares it as an "English thing, this pre-occupation with age." He admits a sense of satisfaction with his life and discusses the alternatives on how it could have turned out.  

The interview also includes questions and contributions from:
Robert Smith (The Cure), Ian McCulloch (Echo & the Bunnymen), Brett Anderson (Suede), Bono (U2), Scott Walker, Mick Hucknall (Simply Red), Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys), Damon Albarn (Blur), Sean Ryder (Happy Mondays / Black Grape) & Brian Molko (Placebo). Bowie is genuinely overcome by the tribute from Scott Walker (see track 7).

The session was recorded on Tuesday 7th January 1997 at Studio Instrumental Rentals Studios, 520 West 25th Street, New York, during rehearsals for the 50th Birthday show that took place at Madison Square Gardens on Thursday 9th January.

BBC Radio>wav>GoldeWave Edit>CDR>EAC>FLAC

01. Interview
02. The Man Who Sold The World (1970)
03. The Supermen (1970)
04. Interview
05. Andy Warhol (1971)
06. Repetition (1979)
07. Interview
08. Lady Stardust (1972)
09. White Light White Heat (1968, VU cover)
10. Interview
11. Shopping For Girls (1991)
12. Interview
13. Quicksand (1971)
14. Aladdin Sane (1973)
15. Interview
16. BBC Promo Clip

'I Can't Read' was performed but omitted from the broadcast. It was aired later on the Mark Goodier show.

Band:
David Bowie: Vocals
Reeves Gabrels: Guitar
Gail Ann Dorsey: Bass, Vocals
Mike Garson: Piano
Zachary Alford: Drums

LINK 

#130 ARCADE FIRE - Capitol Studios, LA. 2013 (flac)

Capitol Studios
Los Angeles, CA
October 28, 2013

The surrounding area of Capitol Records was coned off and managed by traffic officers all while lines built up, leading into the iconic building’s parking lot. At first glance, it was just a swarm of anxious-looking 20-40 year olds waiting for…something, but only one thing could justify closing the streets of Hollywood during rush hour on a Tuesday evening: Arcade Fire. 

One of the most talked about bands of the year, on the day their new album was released, performing live in the Capitol Records building. The crowd wore glitter, sequins, and tin foil; true fans didn’t take the album name Reflektor lightly, and the LP being released that day only reinforced enthusiasm to dress up. 

A few minutes after 6:30pm, a spotlight beamed to the top of the Capitol Records building, well above the stage area, and as people noticed waving hands moving towards the ledge, the members of Arcade Fire each appeared under giant paper mache heads. This got the growing audience excited for the full performance.

Moving down a few dozen storeys, Arcade Fire took their positions and their instruments and drove straight into “Reflektor.” With a setlist rife with tracks from the new album, the band didn’t hold back on expressing their appreciation for the opportunity to play this special show. Whether it was dancing to the music or getting out of a camera man’s way, everyone was moving or at least nodding to the beat, of this captivating band. Towards the end of the set, confetti shot into the sky, glitter scraps filled the air, creating a temporary curtain that veiled the band before they completed their set after thanking the audience once again.

An encore was an unexpected surprise for this unique show in such an unprecedented location. The band returned to the stage, even playing “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” from The Suburbs. The confetti, the lights, and the slightly dangerous mirrors taped onto t-shirts and tuxedos all sparkled in the stage lights, but nothing could outshine Arcade Fire’s explosive performance. (Review by Angelica Coron, October 31st, 2013)

01. Intro
02. Reflektor
03. Flashbulb Eyes
04. Afterlife
05. Supersymmetry (with Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day' intro & 'Satellite Of Love' outro)
06. It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus)
07. We Exist
08. You Already Know
09. Normal Person >
10. Here Comes The Night Time
Encore:
11. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

Lineage:
Source: FM > Sony XDR-F1HD > Sony M10 (16/44)
Transfer: microSD > Sound Studio > xACT > flac
Run Time: 63 minutes

LINK

IGGY POP - KCRW FM Session 2016 (Flac)

#11 Special Post
This is the final post in this sequence, #12 Johnny Marr will appear at a later date.


Iggy Pop is back! 'Post Pop Depression' finds the iconic rocker returning to his Berlin-era swagger,
with the help of Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age and an all-star group of musicians.
If you are a fan of QotSA & 'Humbug' era Arctic Monkeys, you will enjoy this.

IGGY POP
KCRW Radio Session
FM Broadcast
Santa Monica, California.

Delayed Recording (date unknown)
Session Recorded at The Village Studio - West Los Angeles CA.
Aired: March 30, 2016

Lineage: FM > Onkyo HT-R520 > Analog Out (RCA Plugs) > Phone Jacks In >
Zoom H4n @ 16bit - 44.1 KHz > USB-2 > CD WAVE Tracking > TLH Checksums Flac.8)

01. Intro
02. Break Into Your Heart
03. Gardenia
04. American Valhalla
05. Sunday
06. German Days
07. Fall In Love With Me
08. Repo Man

The Band:
Iggy Pop: Lead Vocals
Josh Homme: Guitar, Vocals
Dean Fertita: Keys
Matt Helders: Drums
Matt Sweeney: Guitar/Bass
Troy Van Leeuwen: Multi-Instrumentalist

Notes:
The DJ announces they pre-recorded the session at The Village Studio, but some sources have said it was Apogee Studios. Clarification welcomed! (Uploaded to Dime by Nibbler 2016)

LINK

Fate has a way of putting things into an interesting context. When it was announced that Iggy Pop would be collaborating with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, the music press buzzed with anticipation about the project. What would the proto-punk icon and the snarky hard rock smart guy come up with? The surprise answer is, in many respects, 2016's Post Pop Depression, an unwitting but loving tribute to Pop's friend and collaborator David Bowie. Post Pop Depression arrived two months after Bowie's death, and was completed before his health problems became common knowledge. More than anything, though, this music evokes the sound and feel of Pop's first two solo albums. 1977's The Idiot and Lust for Life were cut with Bowie in Germany as Pop struggled to make sense of his life and career after the Stooges collapsed. With the reunited Stooges gone following the deaths of Ron and Scott Asheton.

Post Pop Depression finds Iggy returning to the work he made in 1977, in ways that count the most. It is smart and thoughtful, intelligent without being pretentious, and full of bold but introspective thinking. While Josh Homme is certainly no David Bowie, he's a skilled musician who challenges Pop in a way many of his previous producers have not.

The sound of Post Pop Depression occasionally gestures to Bowie's work, with and without Pop, but Homme has given this music a personality of its own. Dark and richly textured, Post Pop Depression puts Pop's craggy but authoritative voice and intelligent tirades front and center. Homme and his rhythm section of Dean Fertita (QotSA & The Dead Weather) and Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys) have created strong, muscular backdrops for Pop's lyrics that add to their power. They counter his thoughtful anger with sounds that are rich, cleanly designed, and a successful compliment for the star's work.

Pop has suggested that this may be his last album, and if that's true, it wraps up his career with a strong and atypical work. It tips its hat to Bowie, but also to the freedom and creative possibilities Pop discovered in their collaborative work. It confirms that Pop has never lost the ability to surprise and upend expectations. In the bitter rant that closes "Paraguay," Pop declares he wants to run away and live as "your basic clod." It's an ironic thought, closing an album that once again proves Pop never was and never will be an ordinary guy.

AFGHAN WHIGS - Pinkpop Festival 1994 (Flac)

#10 Special Post

THE AFGHAN WHIGS
25th Pinkpop festival
Draf- en Renbaan Limburg, Landgraaf, The Netherlands
May 23, 1994

As mentioned in Bootlegs of the Year, pre-reformation recordings are limited, this short 28-minute portion of the Pinkpop set in 1994 is a rarity and despite its brevity is essential listening. The radio mix is stunning and these tracks could easily be used as extras for a re-issued deluxe set.
.

00. Turn On The Water (end only) (0:20)
01. Be Sweet (4:03)
02. My World Is Empty Without You [Supremes cover] (5:54)
03. Debonair (4:47)
04. What Jail Is Like (3:46)
05. Who Do You Love? (0:44)
06. Fountain And Fairfax (3:37)
07. Rebirth Of The Cool (a.k.a. Miles Iz Ded) (5:37)

from the Dutch VARA/VPRO/NPS FM radio broadcast, May 23, 1994.

This recording was aired in two parts (tracks 1-3 live on the air, tracks 4-7 later the same day). The two parts have been mixed together as nice as possible.

Source and lineage (taped and transferred by Magnix): FM > Tape > WAV > FLAC level 8

Please note that this is a real FM capture, no cable, but straight from the airwaves. Also, this comes from a tape that was almost 15 years old at the time of transferring. This means that some FM and/or tape anomalies or degeneration may be present. Most has been fixed to the best of my abilities and most of this stuff is of very good quality. In this case, most of this is of excellent quality I think. (Magnix, March 2009)

Re-uploaded to DIME on April 19, 2017. Another tape from the Magnix Live Archive.

LINK

SONIC YOUTH - Berkeley 1995 (Flac)

#9 Special Post

This was part of a compilation that I had put together titled 'Analog Soul' (1985-1995) basically an alternate to 'Walls Have Ears'. It gathered together three of the best short broadcasts by the band in circulation and included the following tracks:

01. Brave Men Run (4:04) 02. Brother James (3:28) 03. Flower (3:15) from the VPRO Frontline, Radio Hilversum FM b/cast, Holland on April 1, 1985

04. Come And Smash Me Said The Boy With The Magic Penis* (3:12)  05. Magic Wand* (2:58)
06. Hallowed Be Thy Name (2:28)  07. Expressway To Yr Skull (4:53)
from the first John Peel session at BBC Maida Vale Studio, London, England on May 19, 1986.
                       
08. Washing Machine (10:00) 09. The Diamond Sea (14:03)       
from Live 105 Green X-Mas: Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA. on December 15, 1995 (KITS Radio FM b/cast)
               
To complete it I needed a live or studio session from around 1992 or 1993. I later discovered that tracks 4 & 5 of the Peel session* had been released on the Various Artists compilation 'Nothing Short Of Total War (Part One)' LP & CD (1989). Those were the reasons for it not being finished.

Nevertheless the stunning performance from Berkeley, the penultimate show on the North American 'Washing Machine' tour, deserves to be heard and is now made available on this special post.

Information on the previously mentioned bootleg 'Walls Have Ears' is here and further details on locating it are available in Bootlegs of the Year



Sonic Youth - Live 105 Green X-Mas
Berkeley Community Theatre, 
Berkeley, CA.
15 December, 1995

 

01. Washing Machine (10:00)
02. The Diamond Sea (14:03)
03. KITS radio interview (6:34)

No EQ, normalization or processing.  Tracks/labels created in Audacity. 
The interview took place prior to their set, with Thurston.

 Source:  FM  > Sony STR-D711 > Sony DTC-690 (LP Mode) > DAT Master (LP)
Transfer: DAT Master (LP) > Tascam DA-20 > Pioneer PDR-509 > CDR > Audacity > FLAC8

LINK

Sonic Youth began releasing recordings of old shows as part of an ongoing live archival program in  the closing months of 2018. Drummer Steven Shelley said

“Through the years and as the times changed we recorded our live shows as often as we could, on cassettes, DATs, CD-Rs and later on multi-track recorders. We now maintain an archive of hundreds of hours of Sonic Youth oncerts and we’d like to share some of our favorites.”

These are available on the Sonic Youth official site via the Concert Archive tab. 12 shows are currently available dating from 1987 to 2011.

Elvis Costello & The Roots - World Cafe 2013 (Flac)

#8 Special Post

Today two guys who take their music seriously, tell all about the new Elvis Costello / Roots collaboration 'Wise Up Ghost'. Elvis Costello and The Roots drummer Ahmir Questlove Thompson talk about making a non hip-hop album using hip-hop techniques and Ahmir admits to a little Elvis stalking leading to their working together.

We’ll hear live performances from the rehearsals for Elvis and The Roots live show at The Brooklyn Bowl, their only live show to be announced. Further information about the collaboration and live show can be found here: Brooklyn Bowl

See the document Bootlegs of the Year for information on locating the bootleg. The link for this stunning WXPN radio session & interview is below:

Elvis Costello & The Roots
The World Café
Philadelphia, PA.
September 24, 2013 (broadcast date)

Source: WXPN-FM Broadcast
Sound Quality: A+

01. intro (1:02)
02. You Bowed Down (from an earlier World Café appearance) (4:49)
03. interview (10:19)
04. Stick Out Your Tongue* (5:08)
05. interview (4:31)
06. Tripwire* (2:18)
07. interview (4:36)
08. Walk Us UpTown* (3:34)
09. interview (4:02)
10. Wake Me Up* (6:33)
11. closing (0:59)

*recorded live during rehearsals for the 'Brooklyn Bowl' concert.
Total running time 47:51

Lineage: Sony ST-S730ES AM/FM Stereo Tuner > ESI Juli@ soundcard > Sound Forge v10.0c > CDwav v1.98 > FLAC level 5

Recorded by rockcat
Originally seeded to DIME on 2013-09-27

LINK

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - BBC Session 1995 (Flac)

As promised earlier this is the second sequence of six special posts. Up first is the last studio session that Siouxsie & the Banshees recorded for the BBC. The band released their final album 'Rapture' in 1995 before being dropped by their record company. In 1996 they split after more than twenty years together.

This is a stunning quality recording and performance.

#7 Special Post

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES
Mark Radcliffe Session
BBC Radio One FM
Jnauary 18, 1995

01. Studio Banter
02. O Baby
03. The Double Life
04. Studio Banter
05. Falling Down
06. B Side Ourselves

The Band:
Siouxsie Sioux (Vocals)
Budgie (Drums)
Steven Severin (Bass)
Knox Chandler (Guitar) ex Pyschedelic Furs
Martin McCarrick (Cello)

Lineage:
Memorex dBSI 90 > JVC TD-WE91 > Realtek AC97 Audio > MAGIX music studio generation 6 deLuxe > WAV > Flac 8 > rp61hawk > DIME

"Unlike other Radio 1 programs which played pre-recorded sessions, Mark Radcliffe sessions were actually played live on the spot throughout the programme. Which also meant that we could hear any mistakes, cock-ups or the true brilliance of bands which were sometimes covered up in the production room.

But not only did we get to hear some great bands do what they did best, we got to hear some studio banter by the way of questions being fired at the band. Which at times led to some unimaginable hilarious moments.

To get an idea of how that may sound, I've included all the studio banter I had alongside the tracks.
This recording as with my other BBC Broadcast torrents has come from my own personal collection of old cassettes." (rp61hawk)

LINK

#129 PORTISHEAD - Bizarre Festival 1998 (Flac)

Elysium
Bizarre Festival 1998 at Butzweilerhof, Cologne, Germany
August 21, 1998

The Bizarre Festival took place over three days in August 1998 from Friday 21st through to Sunday 23rd.

As well as Portishead's appearance on the first day, festival goers were treated to sets from Cornershop, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Green Day, Iggy Pop, PJ Harvey, Tindersticks and The Jesus & Mary Chain. Saturday featured Deftones, Goldie, Placebo, Afghan Whigs and the Cure. Sunday's hard rocking final day included Danzig, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, Queens of the Stone Age, Rancid & Therapy.


"The Bristol trio of Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow, and Adrian Utley have been making albums that dramatize the paradox of staying new yet original. It was easy, or at least easier, in the beginning:

1994’s Dummy swims in the sea of possibilities that emerge from self-discovery in a private context. Nothing like them had been heard before, and they seemed to know it. 

Barrow was a sound engineer and producer barely out of his teens: Inspired by hip-hop, and by Public Enemy especially, his percussion tracks strove for turbulence, precision, and density. Utley, a seasoned jazz guitarist 14 years his elder, had studied classical composers closely: his melodic gravity anchored the sonics in a higher register. Finally, there was Gibbons, a self-trained vocalist whose lyrics, while retaining the simplicity natural to song, were closer to poetry in their free-standing, serious tone. 

A word that frequently recurs on her Dummy lyrics is side: pretending inside, being doubled up inside, realizing why this side belongs to you, taking a look from our side. Her songs about love never overlooked its difficulty, how the barriers of selfishness and silence kept people apart: “But the thoughts we try to deny / Take a toll upon our lives / Struggle on in depths of pride / Tangled up in single lives.”

Emotionally speaking, Dummy was an ordeal. Musically, however, it was soothing even in its moments of menace. Hearing a beautiful voice over tasteful production, easy listeners delved no further; their interest was enough to turn Portishead into a band, and eventually a brand. Posh dinner parties and boutiques played Portishead. The new attention came as a shock, and perhaps a bit of an insult, to the band members. 

Like a plant releasing noxious chemicals to ward off pests, their second, self-titled 1997 album pushed forward harsher facets of their sound submerged during the first. Gibbons’s lyrics had always been covertly political, but now they were confrontational as well. The melodies went angular and somber. Utley and Barrow performed odd rituals in the pursuit of authenticity: They recorded their compositions on wax, subjected the records to wear and tear, and only then did they sample them. The efforts succeeded, but only to a point. They preserved their integrity, but only at the cost of flexibility; they had refitted their old style instead of arriving at a new one. 

Their touring culminated in a monumental live album, 1998’s Roseland NYC Live, but it also wore the band members down. Barrow and Utley got divorces; Gibbons fell ill. Everyone was drinking heavily. The only honorable choice remaining was to part ways for a time, and they took it." (Frank Guan, Vulture - May 2018)

This silver disc bootleg by Roach Records (UK, 1998) features eight tracks from their Bizarre festival set and a further six tracks comprising, three rehearsals and three live tracks from their 1998 UK appearances (possibly Glastonbury but unconfirmed.)

The Setlists FM site has twelve tracks listed, with these following 'Sour Times' - Humming, Cowboys, All Mine & Mysterons.



01. Half Day Closing
02. Over
03. Elysium
04. Glory Box
05. Roads
06. Western Eyes
07. Strangers
08. Sour Times
09. Wandering Star (Rehearsal 1)
10. Wandering Star (Rehearsal 2)
11. Mysterons (Rehearsal)
12. Sour Times
13. Roads
14. Strangers

tracks 1-8: Bizarre Festival 1998
tracks 9-11: Studio rehearsals
tracks 12-14: Live UK 1998 (possibly Glastonbury but not confirmed)

Musicians:
Beth Gibbons - Vocals
Geoff Barrow - Decks
Adrian Utley - Guitar
Dave McDonald - Engineer in band
Clive Deamer - Drums
Jim Barr - Bass
John Baggott - Keyboards
Andy Smith - DJ

LINK

#128 NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Bizarre Festival 1996 (Flac)

'Ring Of Wild Roses'
Bizarre Festival, Cologne
17 August 1996

01. Brother, My Cup is Empty
02. Loverman
03. Mercy
04. Your Funeral, My Trial
05. Where the Wild Roses Grow
06. The Weeping Song
07. The Mercy Seat
08. Nobody's Baby Now
09. Jack The Ripper

10. Stagger Lee (The White Room, 24/02/96)
11. Henry Lee (The White Room, 24/02/96, w. PJ. Harvey)

12. Do You Love Me? (London 14/08/96)
13. Into My Arms (London 14/08/96)
14. Where The Wild Roses Grow (London 14/08/96, with Kylie Minogue)

In 1996 Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds released ‘Murder Ballads’ their ninth studio album in February -  it became their best-selling record, aided in no small part by Nick Cave’s duet with Kylie Minogue on ‘Where the Wild Roses Grow.’ The video received repeated airplay on MTV throughout the world. The Bad Seeds toured Europe, Asia and South America in support of the album, and their performance at the Bizarre Festival on August 17, 1996 is posted here.

It was an electrifying set with Cave bonding with his German fan base after his three-year residency in Berlin, despite him admitting that he had learned none of the language. Broadcast on FM radio, the performance captured the dark, brooding nature of’ Murder Ballads’ and the set also included the classic tracks ‘The Mercy Seat’ & ‘The Weeping Song’ from the extensive back catalogue. The two bonus tracks were taken from their ‘White Session’ appearance and fit well here, the latter three audience recordings from the Brixton Academy are in inferior quality.


This show was released on the KTS label in Italy. Short for Kiss The Stone, the bootleg label was synonymous at the time for releasing high quality shows.

Lineage:  KTS 622 (Kiss The Stone, Italy) > Silver Boot CD > Flac
           
'Murder Ballads' European tour - summer 1996
28 June  Roskilde Festival, Orange Stage
30 June  Milano, Italy, Sonoria Festival
04 July   Kristiansand, Norway, Quart Festival
06 July   Belfort, France, Eurockeennes Festival
20 July   Bern, Switzerland, Gurten Festival
26 July   Stockholm, Sweden, Lollipop Festival
27 July   Wiesen, Austria, Forestglade Festival
14 Aug   London, Brixton Academy
15 Aug   London, Brixton Academy
-------------------------------------------
17 Aug   Koln, Bizarre Festival
------------------------------------------
24 Aug   Pukkelpop Festival, Hasselt

Further details on the live shows performed by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds can be found here:
http://home.iae.nl/users/maes/cave/

15 songs were performed, these were omitted from the FM broadcast:

Stagger Lee                   
From Her To Eternity          
Do You Love Me?
Red Right Hand
Black Betty                     
Are You The One...  

LINK                      

#127 BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS - Paul's Mall, Boston 1975 (Flac)

The greatest bootlegs listing continues after the recent break for the special posts sequence (most had been previously available, albeit briefly.)
I have another sequence that includes radio sessions and live shows from Elvis Costello & The Roots, Johnny Marr, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Sonic Youth and the Afghan Whigs that have not been available on the blog before. These will appear in the coming summer months.


Bob Marley & The Wailers
Paul's Mall, Boston, MA
June 25, 1975

The 'legendary' Lyceum show in July dominates the 1975 tour, recordings of both dates are now available on official release. In bootleg circles the recordings from the Quiet Knight club in Chicago and the Boarding House in San Francisco provide an unofficial perfect representation of the tour. This upgraded source from Paul's Mall can now be added to those two shows.

A consequence of the Wailer's growing popularity and fame enabled the quantity of live recordings to increase markedly for each subsequent tour. More in-depth information about the tour dates and set lists became available.

After a warm up show in Miami, the tour began with a trip over the border to Massey Hall, Toronto in Ontario, Canada; early dates in June then covered the north eastern states of the USA. After a seven day consecutive run at Paul's Mall in Boston, the tour broke for a few days with some much needed rest and the inevitable travelling time for the remaining dates on the west coast.
Ten consecutive days in California followed, beginning on July 4 with a four-night stand at the Boarding House in San Francisco. One night at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland followed before finishing this North American leg with a five night run at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles.  Only four days later, the group were in London for the previously mentioned Lyceum shows. One show followed in Birmingham before finishing this short visit to England in Manchester on July 20.

Paul’s Mall and the Jazz Workshop, located on Boylston Street, was a popular venue from it’s opening in 1963 until it closed in 1978. Bob Marley and the Wailers played there for 7 consecutive nights, from June 23-29, 1975.  Each show had 350 people in attendance and tickets were priced at $7.00.

I've heard a few versions of this in the past and prior to hearing this, the best was the 24-bit Dubwise source. This is an upgrade to that, despite a few small flaws; a tiny cut after a minute and an area of tape damage during "Get Up Stand Up" but only for a few seconds.

Set list:
01. Trench Town Rock
02. Concrete Jungle
03. Rebel Music
04. No Woman No Cry
05. Natty Dread
06. Get Up Stand Up
07. Kinky Reggae
08. Stir It Up
09. I Shot The Sheriff

Total Time: 61:22 min

Source : WBCN-FM > Cassette Master (Maxell UD C120 w/Dolby B on)
Transfer : Sony TC-WE 475 (w/Dolby B off) > Tascam DR-40 Linear PCM Recorder 16/44.1 kHz) 
Editing : Soundforge (tracking) > Wave > TLH (SB's aligned) Flac level 8
Originally uploaded to Traders Den - 1/12/19
Transferred, Tracked & Pitched Corrected by kingrue upload 1767 (grateful thanks to him)

Band members:
Bob Marley : guitar, lead vocals
Al Anderson : guitar
Aston Barrett : bass
Carlton Barrett : drums, percussion
Alvin Patterson : percussion
Tyrone Downie : keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
Lee Jaffe : harmonica - Manager of the Wailers

The I-Threes : backing vocals
Rita Marley
Judy Mowatt

Marcia Griffiths was absent because of her pregnancy

LINK

DAVID BOWIE - Mark & Lard BBC Session 1999 (Flac)

SPECIAL POST #6

David Bowie session - BBC Radio 1 Mark & Lard show
Mark Radcliffe (& Marc Riley)

Recorded and Broadcast Live from Maida Vale Studio 4, Delaware Road, London
on Monday 25 October 1999 / 2-4pm

Pre-FM source
Lineage: original BBC in-house CD-Rs > XLD v20130720 (XLD Secure Ripper) > FLAC > xACT v2.23 (no SBEs, add tags, create checksums)

This is the last of the special post series, and makes its first appearance on the blog. A pre-FM BBC session by the legendary David Bowie. It's sourced from an in-house disc, this edited version keeps all the music together and places the 'interview' at the end. After much joking David comes clean and admits there will be no touring work for the album 'Hours' released a month earlier.

A series of promotional appearances were scheduled to publicise the new album. David also recorded an interview with Billy Bragg and a further two session tracks on this day for the BBC programme 'Saturday Music Mix'.


Setlist:
01. Survive
02. Drive-in Saturday
03. Something in the Air
04. Can't Help Thinking About Me > Repetition
05. Interview

Musicians:
David Bowie - vocals
Mike Garson - keyboards
Gail Ann Dorsey - bass, vocals
Page Hamilton - lead guitar
Mark Plati - rhythm guitar
Sterling Campbell - drums
Emm Gryner - backing vocals
Holly Palmer - backing vocals

LINK

ELBOW - St. Paul's Cathedral 2011 (Flac)

SPECIAL POST #5

St. Paul's Cathedral Crypt
London, England
Thursday, 26 May 2011

I bought Elbow's debut CD not long after its release in 2001, inspired specifically by the track Scattered Black and Whites, which I had heard on a cover mounted 'Uncut' compilation. Since then over the last fifteen years they have written a catalogue of songs that have few rivals amongst their peers.

Certain live recordings just stand out, even after hearing only a few minutes, this one impressed me and eight years on those initial thoughts that this was a special show, that would be worth passing on down the years have been vindicated. I listened to this during last Christmas holiday period and marked it down for a blog post. It's a bootleg of sheer class with perfect sound quality, and a sublime performance in which you can hear and feel the ambience of such an unusual venue.

Absolute Radio recorded and streamed Elbow in FLAC technology (Fully Lossless Audio Codec) for a superior audio experience for fans.

Lineage: Soundboard > PC > Magix Music Editor to track, name & burn to cdr > Accurate rip to Flac level 8. (from the first broadcast on Absolute Radio on 5 June, 2011 between 7 and 8pm)

******

"It was when Guy Garvey was forced to hush his girlfriend because her off-stage chatter was disturbing him during one of his songs that you truly realised this was no ordinary occasion. Elbow have always appeared the most intimate of bands. Recent success may have propelled them into the arenas but last night, amid the low, vaulted ceiling of the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral, the Bury band found a stage to deliver an intense and personal concert.

It was the first time a band had ever played here. With its historic tombs - Nelson, Wellington and Sir Christopher Wren are all buried here - the venue could have felt sepulchral, crowded with dead souls. Instead, buoyed by the warmth and goodwill that poured out from the 300-strong audience towards them, the five piece - a rag tag collection of old suits, paunches, beards and baldness - gave them an experience bordering on the religious. Careful not to overpower such a small space, the band took the opportunity to jettison some of their more rousing material and instead show off some of their subtler songs. The resulting 90 minutes were a triumph.

Opener Mirrorball set the scene, as gorgeous and thrilling as when first heard. Open Arms was transformed from a stadium sing-along anthem into a pared-back hymn to the healing power of friends and family. The finely tuned dynamics of the performance centred, as ever, on Garvey's extraordinary voice in all its careworn perfection. But the unplugged style also lent greater weight than normal to Mark Potter's finely picked acoustic guitar and his brother Craig's inventive, lilting interventions on the piano. Backed by strings and Richard Jupp's shuffling drums, the band mixed old favourites - Great Expectations, One Day Like This - with unexpected selections from their back catalogue, with the epic, swelling romance of Switching Off a particular stand-out. Songs from their latest album seemed written with this gig in mind. Highlights included a bass-heavy Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl, Lippy Kids, their paean to golden youth and an unexpected outing for Dear Friends, the soaring, dreamy coda to the record.

Garvey's Northern charm and self-deprecating humour - "I've got bluster enough for the sails of a clipper" - combined with the optimism and hope that suffuse his bittersweet lyrics, invited each member of the tiny audience to believe every song was being sung just for them. This was never truer than on the final number, the little-played Scattered Black and Whites from their 2001 album Asleep in the Back, a moving and beautiful recollection of early memories, soaring and tender in its loveliness. His rich voice bolstered by aloe vera juice, Garvey at times looked overcome by the intimacy of the occasion - organised by Absolute Radio for a special high definition broadcast - and appeared to wipe away tears from his eyes several times. Towards the close, Garvey glanced up at the ceiling towards the cathedral above and remarked that he and the band felt humbled. "And in our rightful place in the basement," he teased. Such modesty, after an evening like this, was hardly necessary."   Review by Matthew Bayley, 27 May 2011

Tracklisting:

01. Introduction & preamble

02. Mirrorball

03. Open Arms

04. The Night Will Always Win

05. Great Expectations

06. Jesus Is a Rochdale Girl

07. Grounds For Divorce

08. Switching Off

09. The River

10. One Day Like This

11. Lippy Kids

12. Dear Friends

13. Scattered Black & Whites

LINK