#149 Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Chicago 1976 (Flac)

Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Chicago Auditorium, Chicago, IL.
November 15, 1976
Late Show

Soundboard Upgrade via JEMS

Lineage: 

Lowest-generation origin cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 2.0 (24/96 capture to .wav) > iZotope RX6 and Ozone 6 mastering > iZotope MBIT+ resample and dither to 16/44.1 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01. Heart of Gold
02. The Old Laughing Lady
03. Journey Through the Past
04. Too Far Gone
05. Give Me Strength
06. The Needle and the Damage Done
07. A Man Needs a Maid
08. Tell Me Why
09. Sugar Mountain
10. Country Home
11. Don't Cry No Tears
12. Peace of Mind
13. Lotta Love
14. Like a Hurricane
15. After the Gold Rush
16. Are You Ready for the Country?

Band:

Neil Young - vocals, guitar, keyboards, banjo, harmonica
Frank Sampedro - guitar, keyboards, vocals
Billy Talbot - bass, vocals
Ralph Molina - drums, vocals

Original notes below:

About this recording. I’m sure this is one of those Neil Young recordings that all of you are familiar with, but this marks the first time this specific source has been shared. During all those years there has always been the same underlying version of this concert, but always from a bootleg release, never a version with known generation, let alone a source with known lineage to the master.

But that changes now. BK of JEMS explains:

“This cassette comes from the collection of our longtime friend and ally SS, and given everything we know about the provenance of this famous and fabulous recording and the person from which SS received it, we strongly believe this cassette is the point of origin for every known version of the show. Meaning, all copies in circulation go back to this tape. It is ground zero. What we do not know for sure is if it is THE actual soundboard master. My assumption is that this is a first-generation tape made off either a cassette or reel master. Regardless, I believe it to be the best known version of the recording and the first with a lineage back to analog source with no digital tape or CD generation in-between.”

Firstly, this version, although it had several of the noises and minor sonic defects also present in the bootleg releases, unlike those, in this version they are barely perceptible, able to be heard only if you pay full attention or if you are fully interested in those details, either because you are someone interested in those type of issues or because you're planning to fix them yourself.

In my opinion, sonically this transfer sounds much warmer, with more clarity both in the vocals as much as in the sound of the guitar. It feels more natural, unlike the bootleg releases that surely, at some point, had some kind of noise reduction. Here the mastering has no residue of such a process.

I am very happy to know that this recording is finally getting a release worthy of its quality. As always, I thank the JEMS team for their eternal confidence in me (and those who support me) in releasing recordings to the public. Huge thanks as well to SS for loaning BK his cassette source and blessing its dissemination.

If you, like me, are grateful to this, do not hesitate to show your gratitude in the comments, I know that this recording will be appreciated by all of you. (frogster)

LINK

                                               Above cover is of the now obsolete silver bootleg

 

#148 UNDERWORLD - Bootleg Babies (Flac)

A Live Compilation (1996-99)

The selections for this 16-track, 2-disc set were chosen from 8 different shows, mostly festivals.

I'd been running an Underworld site called "Ride The Sainted Rhythms" for about a year, at that stage with lists of all the material I'd collected via trades. The site was designed to help anyone else out there who might also be collecting. It generated a lot of emails from around the world; people who wanted to trade, people who just found it very hard to find any live recordings of the group.

So it seemed like a logical progression to gather all these people together, have everyone in contact. So i started a little mailing list as part of "Ride The Sainted Rhythms". RTSR-trade was born.

We've collected over sixty seperate live gigs, hundreds of rare and promo tracks, strange recordings and material nobody ever knew existed (besides Underworld of course). - Graham Cooke

"Bootleg Babies" was a project the fans of Underworld on the RTSR-trade mailing list did last year (2000). We wanted to make a mix with the best tracks from Underworld bootlegs we had gathered over the years, a bit like Underworld did with Everything, Everything. 

It kept the list busy for a while since all the tracks where chosen with extensive polls on the list. The members chose the tracks that would be included, from which source, the name of the CD and the artwork. 

Geoff mixed the whole thing so well, it's hard to believe this is coming from 7-8 different bootlegs, ranging in various quality. We distributed the CD from fan to fan around the world. I think a good 150 copies were made of it, so for all you who couldn't get it last year you can now enjoy it. I hope you will enjoy these files -Yannick Joubert

Disc-1
01. Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love, 1996-07-19 Cologne, Germany (21:41)     
02. Rowla, 1999-05-13 Koln, Germany (6:16)     
03. Bruce Lee, 1999-03-20, Tilburg, Holland (5:19)     
04. Kittens, 1999-06-26 Glastonbury, UK. (6:26)    
05. Dark Train, 1999-01-01 London, UK. (11:10)     
06. Born Slippy, 1996-07-19 Move Club, Cologne, Germany. (13:50)     
07. Born Slippy Nuxx, 1999-01-01 London, UK. (9:49)     
08. outro, 1999-05-13 Koln, Germany. (0:38)

LINK 1     

Disc-2
01. intro, 1998-11-14 Gent, Belgium. (1:25)     
02. Mmm... Skyscraper, I Love You, 1999-01-01 London, UK. (8:25)     
03. Push Upstairs, 1999-01-01 London, UK. (11:15)     
04. Confusion the Waitress, 1996-05-27 Pinkpop Festival, Holland     (8:32)     
05. King of Snake, 1999-05-13 Koln, Germany (9:54)     
06. Jumbo, 1999-03-20 Tilburg, Holland (10:14)     
07. Moaner, 1999-03-20 Tilburg, Holland (10:39)     
08. Rez/Cowgirl, 1996-08-25 Reading Festival, UK. (17:12)

LINK 2

Lineage is not specifically known, except that these are all the best available versions. This is from the CDR tree issue, which has significantly better sound.

                                                     --------------------

Alexandra Palace, London, England - 31 Dec, 1998    New Order, Underworld
Written by Mark Reed   

(Hi Mark. I did credit you and hope you downloaded and listened to this bootleg. Sorry I can't reply via the comment box below, gremlins! If you prefer to have your excellent review removed, please contact me and I will do so. I thought it went together with this boot just like hand & glove).

After queuing for ages at the bar I run off to catch Underworld amidst their opening number, a sleek graceful and mental "Mmm Skyscraper." Tonight they are on top form - offering a totally different set and feel to the previous Manchester show - which reveals just how tight they have become. "Skyscraper" is stunning - the band are surrounded by Tomato projections and the trio seems in unnaturally close telepathic contact throughout the whole set - and as it melds into a snippet of "Thing In A Book" before turning again into the astonishing "CowGirl" - I know I'm not just having the best New Year's Eve of my life but also watching two of the best bands in the world.

Karl is on immaculate form, improvising and altering lyrics as they tumble from his mouth and wearing a big fat grin. Darren and Rick welded to their consoles are also dancing their tits off. As 'Beaucoup Fish' and the "Push Upstairs/Downstairs" medley take off, I am further convinced of Underworld power.

Even though at least half the set is all new, you wouldn't have a clue from the estatic reaction. Inevitably, about 50 minutes in, it's the astonishing 10 minute "King of Snake" (this will be Born Slippy II) that stuns me. The bassline is unrepentantly huge, and the songs dips, twist and turns in the uncompromisingly pounding manner that made "Born Slippy" so huge. Song of the year already. Karl is dancing and giving it some, wandering behind the back projections as he emotes the relentless "Moaner" to present an enormous shadow that towers over the arena. "Moaner," which tonight sounds phenomenal (yet being barely known amongst the crowd) is eagerly lapped up and effortlessly turns into "Relentless Legs." Into the silence, "Dark+Long" melds into the ace "Dark Train" which gathers a wonderful reception for a song that originally tucked away on the b side of a non charting 12". Must be something to do with that film. 'Trainspotting'... Karl loses himself in the song, endlessly yelling "likeatrainlikeatrainlikeatrain" as Darren and Karl dance like fools.

As the crowd yells, a brief snippet of Jumbo - all vocoded and funky - is overtaken by the original "Born Slippy." Unfortunately, this is the one bit of any Underworld gig I hate the most. Their melancholy classic "Born Slippy" - about the worlds worst hangover - has been hijacked by barechested E tripping cockney largeboys who like fighting and past it fat housewives who pretend they've still got it and look at me funny when I know all the words of this ace no.52 hit from 95. Anyway, "Nuxx" is a masterpiece, Karl covers Darrens eyes whilst he's mixing and then steals Darrens headphones to laughter from everyone close enough to see. As "Nuxx" pounds to the end, the crowd think it's all over. Slowly a plinky plonkly noise steams out of the speakers as the immaculate "Rez" lifts the roof off. Again, this is wonderfully recieved for a 12" from 1993 that hasn't made any UW album. As "Rez" comes to a crashing close, everyone exchanges big hugs and kisses on stage

UNDERWORLD LIVE 1996-99

1996
----
Lakota, Bristol - Feb 28, 1996
Portsmouth Pyramids Centre, Portsmouth - Feb 29, 1996
Newcastle University, Newcastle - Mar 14, 1996
Barrowland, Glasgow - Mar 15, 1996
The Refectory, University of Leeds, Leeds - Mar 16, 1996
Manchester Academy 1, University of Manchester, Manchester - Mar 23, 1996
Tribal Gathering 1996 - May 4, 1996
Essential Festival 1996 - May 25, 1996
Pinkpop 1996 - May 27, 1996
Organic 1996 - Jun 22, 1996
Roskilde Festival 1996 - Jun 28, 1996
Roskilde Festival 1996 - Jun 29, 1996
Roskilde Festival 1996 - Jun 30, 1996
Teltet i Tresse, Kristiansand - Jul 3, 1996
Rock Werchter 1996 - Jul 6, 1996
Doctor Music Festival 1996 - Jul 13, 1996
Move Club, Cologne - Jul 19, 1996
Markthalle, Hamburg - Jul 20, 1996
Lollipop 1996 - Jul 26, 1996
Unknown Venue, Leysin - Aug 24, 1996
Reading Festival 1996 - Aug 25, 1996
Point Theatre, Dublin - Aug 30, 1996
Irvine Beach Festival 1996 - Sep 1, 1996
Otmoor Park, Beckley - Sep 28, 1996
---
1997
10 Days Off, Star Building, Ghent, Belgium. - Jul 24, 1997
Man With No Name, De Groene Ster, Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Aug 20, 2017
----
1998
Red Box, Dublin - Jun 5, 1998
Glastonbury Festival 1998 - Jun 27, 1998
Rock Torhout 1998 - Jul 3, 1998
Rock Werchter 1998 - Jul 4, 1998
Eurockéennes de Belfort 1998 - Jul 5, 1998
V Festival 1998 - Aug 22, 1998
V Festival 1998 - Aug 23, 1998
Ahoy, Rotterdam - Oct 31, 1998
Mojo Club, Hamburg - Nov 2, 1998
Le Bataclan, Paris - Nov 9, 1998
I LOVE TECHNO 1998 - Nov 14, 1998
Metropolis, Montreal, QC - Nov 20, 1998
House of Blues, Chicago, IL - Nov 21, 1998
Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles, CA - Nov 23, 1998
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY - Nov 25, 1998
Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester - Dec 29, 1998
Alexandra Palace, London - Dec 31, 1998
----
1999
Big Day Out Sydney 1999 - Jan 23, 1999
Big Day Out Melbourne 1999 - Jan 26, 1999
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton - Mar 2, 1999
Northumbria University, Newcastle - Mar 3, 1999
Barrowland, Glasgow - Mar 4, 1999
Manchester Apollo, Manchester - Mar 5, 1999
Newport Centre, Newport - Mar 6, 1999
Astoria Theatre, London - Mar 9, 1999
London Astoria, 157 Charing Cross Road, London, London - Mar 10, 1999
Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth - Mar 11, 1999
The LCR, UEA, Norwich - Mar 12, 1999
Brixton Academy, London - Mar 13, 1999
Arenan/Fryshuset, Stockholm - Mar 16, 1999
Ancienne Belgique, Brussels - Mar 19, 1999
Poppodium 013, Tilburg - Mar 20, 1999
Akasaka BLITZ, Tokyo - Apr 4, 1999
9:30 Club, Washington, DC - Apr 20, 1999
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY - Apr 21, 1999
Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA - Apr 22, 1999
Saint Andrew's Hall, Detroit, MI - Apr 24, 1999
The Guvernment, Toronto, ON - Apr 25, 1999
Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL - Apr 26, 1999
Showbox Comedy and Supper Club, Seattle, WA - Apr 28, 1999
The Warfield, San Francisco, CA - Apr 29, 1999
House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV - Apr 30, 1999
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA - May 1, 1999
Electronic Beats Festival Cologne 1999 - May 13, 1999
Babylon, Munich - May 14, 1999
Megaland, Landgraaf - May 18, 1999
Vorst Nationaal / Forest National, Vorst / Forest - May 22, 1999
Pinkpop 1999 - May 23, 1999
Homelands 1999 - May 29, 1999
Glastonbury Festival 1999 - Jun 26, 1999
Axion Beach Festival 1999 - Jul 17, 1999
Week-End à Saint-Nolff 1999 - Jul 24, 1999
Fuji Rock Festival 1999 - Jul 30, 1999
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA - Oct 8, 1999
Coachella Festival 1999 - Oct 9, 1999
MTV Europe Music Awards 1999 - Nov 11, 1999
Tyne Tees Television Studios, Newcastle - Nov 20, 1999

 

#147 ASWAD - Live at the BBC 1984-88 (Flac)

THE DISTANT THUNDER OF CONQUERING LIONS

Few reggae bands or artists can truly claim to have released a classic live reggae album. Bob Marley & The Wailers, Peter Tosh and Misty In Roots spring to mind. Aswad, with their live recording from the Notting Hill Carnival in 1983, ‘Live And Direct’ are also members of that select body. 

For those that want more than an official release, these three recordings, dating from 1984 to 1988 have been exquisitely recorded. This is high-class roots reggae, inna inglan stylee! If you are a reggae fan, any recording that crops up with notes by ‘alimac’ is an essential download. His FM recordings from the BBC broadcasts are terrific. This post includes a 1984 live performance, a 1988 radio session (unreleased) and a rowdy 1988 live performance.

With the current rise of the reggae roots revival in Jamaica and around the world, it’s a great pity that BBC Radio 1 FM no longer show any interest in this music. David Rodigan’s reggae show every Sunday on the digital station BBC 1Xtra was for a time (November 2017 to August 2019) re-broadcast over the BBC Radio 1 FM airwaves, albeit at the ridiculous time of 4 to 6am.

-------------

In 1988 Aswad had departed for a 6-date mini tour to the USA in support of their new album ‘Distant Thunder’. The trio, Brinsley Forde (lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar), Angus ‘Drummie Zeb’ Gaye (lead vocals and drums) and Tony ‘Gad’ Robinson (vocals, bass guitar) were interviewed by Amy Wachtel for ‘Reggae & African Beat magazine and the band talked extensively of the resurgence in the reggae scene.

‘Drummie’ explains, “In London & Europe the reggae scene’s exploding again like us with a #1 single in England. With the emergence of Ziggy Marley, and also people like Freddie McGregor, Maxi Priest – they’re in the charts regular – it’s like reggae’s here again. I mean since the death of Bob Marley, there was a big lull; there was a calm, and now there’s a storm, a distant thunder on the forefront.”

Tony follows on the subject by saying, “ Fourteen years after the beginning of Aswad we’ve had a national hit in the British charts, which for us is very nice because we’ve just finished touring England, Europe, many places, and people have said to us, “It’s nice to see that reggae’s starting to lift up again.” After Bob Marley many people especially in Europe, they’ve taken that reggae has died just because they haven’t had, the media hasn’t been able to pick up the reggae like how when Bob Marley was around; when Bob was around you had that face to be able to see, you had that image to be able to get to know. He was marketed in a way where the whole world could see Bob Marley and he would speak about reggae. After that happened, after Bob went away, it was like reggae wasn’t there

But reggae’s always been there. We’ve gone on to see reggae influence actually most of pop music. When we say influence we mean in the attitude of how the actual music is made, how it’s mixed by engineers, how it sounds. I mean echoes, dubwise….When we say dubwise, we mean drum and bass. You don’t have the whole flavour, a whole heap of instruments or anything, the main influence is the dance which has to be taken from reggae. Even hip-hop right now – it is the next stage of what reggae has taken, what the actual music, song music, has taken from reggae and went to hip-hop.”

Drummie also mentioned that lead singer, Brinsley was actually the first ever black child actor in Britain. “Brinsley was in James Bond, which was major and he did two series called ‘Double Deckers’ and ‘Georgian House.’ I mean before I knew Brinsley I had to run home from school to watch him on television.”

Tracklist:

01. Introduction (0:32)
02. Not Satisfied (5:11)
03. Love Fire (3:21)
04. Not Guilty (4:51)
05. Ina Your Rights (4:37)
06. Your Recipe (4:10)
07. Roots Rockin' (4:27)
08. Chasing For The Breeze (5:02)
09. Drum & Bass Line (3:17)
10. African Children (2:54)

11. Your Recipe (ft. Trevor Walters) (3:13)
12. Bubbling (ft. Janet Kay) (2:38)
13. Breezin' (ft. Ciyo) (3:18)
14. Roots Rockin' (ft. Adrian De'Allie) (2:25)

15. Roots Rockin' (4:18)
16. Warrior Charge (3:57)
17. Unknown (3:46)
18. Set Them Free (7:23)
19. Can't Afford To Lose That Feeling (3:05)
20. My Baby Just Cares For Me (1:53)
21. Don't Turn Around (4:53)
[79:10]

t1-10: Marcus Garvey Centre, Nottingham, England (BBC R1 FM broadcast 25 February, 1984 - Sight And Sound) 38:22
 

t11-14: Ranking Miss P Session - 2 January, 1988 (BBC R1 FM re-broadcast 19 June, 1988 - The Ranking Miss P) 11:34
 

t15-21: International Two, Manchester, England - 23 March, 1988 (BBC R1 FM broadcast 23 April, 1988 - The Stereo Sequence, presented by Johnny Walker) 29:14

Link 1

Link 2

 

 

 

#146 THE POLICE - Hatfield Polytechnic 1979 (Flac)

From the presentation notes of BBC Transcription Services

No. 196 In Concert featuring Police

"The Police once described as a 'potent force', are now among the best of the newer bands to hit the headlines in Britain in 1979. They have already made a big impact in America with their first album, 'Outlandos d'Amour', and a top forty single entitled 'Roxanne'.

The trio formed in London during 1977, by expatriate American drummer Stewart Copeland, who had already played with one successful band, Curved Air. Front-man and fretless bassist Sting was playing part-time in a jazz combo in Newcastle in the north of England, while working full-time as a teacher, and guitarist Andy Summers was persuaded to leave the lunatic world of Kevin Coyne and Kevin Ayers to 'go straight' and bring his ex-music college background and rock guitar experience to the band.

The Police first went on the road, around the club circuit at the height of the Punk rock movement in Britain, so it was inevitable that they were labelled 'New Wave'. In fact, they play main-stream rock with an occasional touch of reggae - "because Sting likes it".

Sting is the centre-piece of a Police set; aside from writing all the songs, he performs them with a stage presence of a seasoned campaigner, dominating the stage in a manner reminiscent of Daltry or Plant.

This is In Concert recorded before a student audience at Hatfield Polytechnic and includes songs from their debut album, their debut single and forthcoming single release 'Message in a Bottle' being performed for the first time."
 
The Police
Hatfield Polytechnic, Hertfordshire, England.
21 February 1979

BBC Rock Hour
Pre- FM source

01. Can't Stand Losing You (5:23)
02. So Lonely (6:07)
03. Fall Out (2:45)
04. Hole In My Life (4:13)
05. Truth Hits Everybody (2:34)
06. Message In A Bottle (4:28)
07. Peanuts (3:49)
08. Roxanne (7:05)
09. Next To You (3:19)
10. Can't Stand Losing You (reprise) (6:46)

Lineage: Original mint- Radio Station BBC Vinyl > REGA Planar2 turntable, SME series III arm, Grado m-2 stylus > StAudio 24/96 card >Wavelab (No processing) >.shn

Live radio broadcast in audiophile quality. This is a really tight and focused performance. The Hatfield Polytechnic show has been booted often and appeared as an early vinyl boot titled 'Vinyl Villians' by the bootleggers, who I assume meant the title to be 'Vinyl Villains'

Rock Goes to College (RGTC) was a BBC series that ran between 1978 and 1981 on British television. A variety of up-coming rock oriented bands were showcased live from small venues and broadcast simultaneously on television and radio during a 40-50 minute live performance.

The original broadcasts were transmitted on television as well as Sight and Sound in Concert; a BBC initiative to provide simultaneous pictures on BBC2 and stereo radio broadcasts on BBC Radio 1, as stereo television broadcasts and receivers did not exist at the time. It allowed rock enthusiasts to enjoy the event with an improved sound quality.

This Hatfield, Polytechnic show on February 21st 1979, was first broadcast on BBC2's "Rock Goes to College" on April 6, 1979 (11.40pm). There was no simultaneous FM broadcast for this show.

 LINK

#145 REM - Hollywood, CA. 2003 (Flac)

Avalon Hollywood Theatre
Hollywood, CA
October 29, 2003

This show was used to promote the 'In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003' album. It was the first time that the band's later work was featured on a compilation and was released by Warners to try and boost the band's sales profile.

This show as the original notes mention was pressed on CD and distributed to radio stations. It has never been available to buy and is now difficult to acquire.
 
The release of 'In Time' falls between the release of studio albums Reveal (2001) and Around The Sun (2004). This performance has quite an unusual set list. It doesn't indulge or gratify the most recent studio album or the tracks compiled on the new Best Of.


Source:
WB Promo 2CDR-set sent out to radiostations
Excellent soundboard recording
*This is NOT the widely spread FM sourced recording*

CD-R -> EAC -> CDWAVE -> FLAC Frontend 1.7.1 -> FLAC

Encoded by Matthijs

Disc 1:
01. Finest Worksong
02. These Days
03. The Wake-Up Bomb
04. So Fast, So Numb
05. Exhuming McCarthy
06. Animal
07. Sweetness Follows
08. Bad Day
09. World Leader Pretend
10. Strange Currencies
11. Losing My Religion

Disc 2:
01. At My Most Beautiful
02. She Just Wants To Be
03. Walk Unafraid
04. Man On The Moon
05. Life And How To Live It
06. Welcome To The Occupation
07. Nightswimming
08. Final Straw
09. Permanent Vacation
10. Imitation Of Life

LINK 1 

LINK 2 

#144 THE LOW ANTHEM - Gebaude9, Cologne - 2009 (Flac)

The New Wave of Americana

If you are familiar with the music of their contemporaries, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver & the Felice Brothers then you should enjoy this spectacular sounding set by the Low Anthem recorded on tour in Germany during 2009. 

The 'Oh My God Charlie Darwin' album saw limited release in 2008 and was taken up by the Nonesuch label. After a remix by sound master Bob Ludwig it was re-released in 2009.

The show was reviewed in the German press with impressive headlines of endorsement.


Tragic that of all places I have to play the horn

The Low Anthem lamented the loss of silence with ever new instruments: a sublime concert in Cologne. You will tell your grandchildren about it.

"In Kolner Building 9 it is so quiet on Saturday evening that you can hear your own swallowing and the click of the cameras seems like a grotesquely loud noise, causing uncomprehending headshakes from those standing at the front of the stage.

Like a human installation of timidity, the musician Jocie Adams plays a rarely seen instrument called crotales, an arrangement of brass disks that are made to sound with a bow.

The two other musicians from Low Anthem, the singer and the all-rounder, look like scrapped supporting characters from a Freak Brothers comic, and show similar symptoms of immersion. There is collective astonishment down in the hall. After the piece, the cheer of the perhaps one hundred listeners sounds like there were several hundred more present. 

The Americana genre, is much loved in this country. Bands like Fleet Foxes, the Felice Brothers and Bon Iver; are musicians who manage to approach ancient American music varieties with a great sense of tradition without appearing as conservative purists.

The Low Anthem out of Providence, Rhodes Island are such a band too. Their second album "Oh My God, Charlie Darwin!" has just been released, a lesson in progressive maintenance of published tradition. But just when you're sure, the Low Anthem are more than pessimistic keepers of culture, Ben Knox Miller announces the next piece as a lament for days past when the world was still a quieter place. Maybe only American musicians can afford to make such announcements.

In addition, The Low Anthem are not humorless. Before the actual concert, the musicians were there, strengthened by their roadies, as their own opening act Snake Wagon - a rumbling parody of drunk folk rock varieties. "Sorry this is our first show in public", Prystowsky had apologized in between. 

The effect is great: in contrast to this moody pastiche, the Low Anthem pieces then look even more sublime and cathedral-like. The first lines that Ben Knox Miller sings in the concert ultimately explain the band perfectly: "To them ghosts who write history books, to them ghosts who write songs / Everyone asks: Would you write one about me?" The band reflects America, its (musical) history: continent and soul measurement in one.

The instruments are exchanged again and again, but never in the sense of displaying instrumental virtuosity: everything remains reduced, nothing steps forward, it is the interplay in the song that defines the almost sacred grandeur of the music. 

The Low Anthem are the kind of band where one suddenly has a horn, the other a clarinet in his hand and plays on it as if no one had ever done it before. But even their three-part harmony singing alone could carry these pieces.

The Low Anthem are as traditional and conservative as American organic apple cultivation. And as modern and now, as electronic music from Cologne: 
"It is something special for us to play our music in the hometown of minimalism," says Ben Knox Miller in between. 

As an encore they play the incredible "Don't Tremble" - which says: "If your clarinet should break / please don't cry a million lakes."

And again you hear yourself swallowing. Will the grandchildren still understand that? (Eric Pfeil)

 

The Low Anthem
Cologne, Germany
Gebäude 9
19 September, 2009

01. To The Ghosts That Write History Books
02. Charlie Darwin
03. Vines
04. Don´t Let Nobody Turn You ´Round
05. Sally Where´d You Get Your Liquer From
06. "Ben talks about Snake Wagon"
07. This God Damned House
08. Ticket Taker
09. To Ohio
10. Home I´ll Never Be (Tom Waits/ Jack Kerouac)
11. Cheatin´
12. band introduction
13. Smart Flesh
14. Cage The Songbird
15. Dreams
16. Cigarettes And Whiskey
17. encore break
18. Don´t Tremble
19. True Love Will Find You In The End (Daniel Johnston)
75:00

The Low Anthem:
Ben Knox Miller
Jeff Prystowsky
Jocie Adams
with
Dan Lefkowitz (Track 15 & 16)
Graham Smith (Track 16)

Lineage:
Sound Engineer: Nick Hannan
Soundboard>XLR>Tascam DP-1>Marantz DR-6000
CDR>EAC>Audacity 1.3.5 (normalize, levels)>nero
by pavemalk
special thanx to Olaf from the Gebäude 9

LINK 

#143 BJORK - Red White (Flac)

Orchard Hall, Tokyo, Japan
5 December 2001

My initial exposure to Bjork's music was through the Sugarcubes 'Birthday' single released in 1987. BBC Radio DJ John Peel was a fan and played the single often, followed by a session and tracks from the 'Life's Too Good' debut album in 1988.
 
Five years later Bjork would release her debut solo album which I bought on CD and the two subsequent albums, Post & Homogenic. This show was downloaded some 12-years ago and became an essential live boot in the absence of 'Vespertine.'

During the 35-date world tour, Bjork accumulated recordings of the live performances and compiled them to create the official disc 'Vespertine Live.' It mixed her vocals from various different performances together to achieve seamless, near-perfect versions of some of the live Vespertine songs. 

It was critically acclaimed and a box set including the Vespertine disc, as well as a live DVD of the performance from the Royal Opera House in London was also released.

You may be forgiven for thinking, well what does the bootleg do, that the official releases don't? 

This is sourced from a live Japanese broadcast that was bootlegged and is a more representative example of the tour and set list. It's the actual live audio without any studio or technological 'enhancements.' The broadcast set has five tracks from the latest album* and a varied tracklist drawn from the previous three albums with a 'Selmasong' and the unreleased 'It's In Our Hands' (eventually issued on the greatest hits compilation.)

Sound quality as you would expect from the Japanese sources is superb.

Tracklist:
01. Overture (3:41)
02. All Is Full Of Love (4:11)
03. Harm Of Will (4:34)*
04. Undo (5:43)*
05. An Echo, A Stain (4:17)*
06. Unison (6:47)*
07. Isobel (6:20)
08. Pagan Poetry (5:28)*
09. Hyperballad (4:48)
10. Army Of Me (4:05)
11. Bachelorette (5:27)
12. Human Behaviour (6:23)
13. It's In Our Hands (6:26)

FM recording: Taken from Red White bootleg.

LINK 

                                                                         Flyer from defunct Tower Records

#142 THE BYRDS - Unsurpassed Masters 1965 (Flac)

The sessions for the Byrds first two albums 'Mr. Tambourine Man' & 'Turn, Turn, Turn' took place at Columbia studios in Hollywood throughout 1965.

 

These are top quality out-takes and all date from the early recording sessions, before the numerous line-up changes, apart from: 5D (Fifth Dimension) which was recorded near the end of the third album 'Fifth Dimension' sessions after Gene Clark had quit the band in early 1966. 

 

'Stranger In A Strange Land' was one of three David Crosby songs rejected for the second album. The Dylan cover 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' was intended to be their third single release but the idea was dropped in favour of 'Turn! Turn! Turn!'

 
01. Mr Tambourine Man (vocals only)

02. You Won't Have To Cry (alternate version)

03. We'll Meet Again (alternate version)

04. Mr Tambourine Man (take 1, 2 instrumental)

05. Mr Tambourine Man (take 19, 20 instrumental)

06. I Knew I'd Want You (instrumental)

07. It's No Use (different takes)

08. Bells Of Rhymney (take 1, 2)

09. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (take 1, 2)

10. It's All Over Now Baby Blue (take 2, 3, 4 instrumental)

11. The World Turns All Around Her (take 14, 15  instrumental)

12. It's All Over Now Baby Blue (take 7)

13. It Won't Be Wrong (take 5, 6, 7, 18 instrumental)

14. Satisfied Mind (take 17, 18)

15. Set You Free This Time (take 1, 2, 3, 4, 18)

16. Stranger In A Strange Land (take 1, 2, 9, 10)

17. Wait And See (take 23, 24, 25, 26)

18. 5D (Fifth Dimension) (take 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
19. I Knew I'd Want You (Gene Clark outtake)

This disc can be repetitive and perhaps difficult to focus on especially with many takes not tracked individually. It can also be revelatory for the most enthusiastic of Byrds fans. The instrumental takes do give you an opportunity to hear the glorious ringing chimes of the six and twelve string guitars unfettered by vocals. At the time it was an unique and ground-breaking sound.

On the nine-disc 'Journals' bootleg there are twenty-two takes of Mr. Tambourine Man. Here, we have an a cappella and four instrumental takes. Take one is a little slow and tentative, the second much stronger although producer Terry Melcher isn't happy with the sound on the bass drum. Take 19 is stopped after a minute because he says "It doesn't feel right." Take 20 is much tighter but the producer still isn't convinced. The band go on to take 22 which was finally selected as the backing track on the released version.  (not included on the boot)

The track 5D (Fifth Dimension) needs even more takes, twenty-six are included on the 9-disc set. This sampler single disc includes nine takes but most are incomplete or breakdowns. The producer is Allen Stanton on this song and he stops many of the takes without explanation unlike the more vociferous comments of Terry Melcher. 

It's a disc you need to spend time with and appropriate for these hard times. Your effort in listening will be rewarded.

Band Members: with assistance from session musicians

Jim Mc Guinn: vocals, 12 string guitar

David Crosby: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Gene Clark: Vocals, Tambourine

Chris Hillman: Bass Guitar

Michael Clarke: Drums

Studio Session Outtakes 1965 (except track 18, recorded early 1966)

Recorded at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Running Time: 75: 42

Lineage: Silver disc (Over The Air OTA-008) > PC >You

LINK