AFGHAN WHIGS - Pinkpop Festival 1994 (Flac) *Special Post* #12

Special Post #12

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) *Special Post* #11

Special Post #11

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.

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) *Special Post* #10

Special Post #10

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

DAVID BOWIE - Mark & Lard BBC Session 1999 (Flac) *Special Post* #9

SPECIAL POST #9

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)

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* #8

SPECIAL POST #8

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

WOMAD UK - 2017 (Flac) *Special Post* #7

SPECIAL POST #7

World On 3 from the Womad Festival
Charlton Park, Malmesbury, England
Friday 28 July - Sunday 30 July 2017

BBC Radio 3 lossless stream   

01. Toots & The Maytals - Funky Kingston (6:32)
02. Alsara - Albahr (3:21)
03. Afro Celt Sound System - The Magnificent Seven (4:23)
04. Trad.Attack! - Ysan’Kene (4:56)                 
05. King Ayisoba - Brother They Can See You (3:47)
06. Xaos - Pontos Blues (6:31)
07. Lamomali - C'et Air (4:49)
08. Las Cafeteras - Tiempos De Amour (3:42)
09. Grupo Canalón de Timbiquí - Lolita (5:56)
10. Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Homeless (3:59)
11. Bonga - Mona Ki Ngui Xiça (4:11)
12. Ska Vengers - Frank Brazil (4:02)
13. Oumou Sangaré - Kounadia (7:37)

Lineage:
Recorded from the BBC Radio 3 Lossless FLAC stream > Audacity > editing, tracking and fades > WAV > TLH > FLAC (8)

This was assembled from recordings I made of the BBC Radio 3 broadcast lossless streams from the UK Womad Festival 2017. Eleven hours of music, over four programmes, were broadcast during the last weekend in July. This disc compiles over an hour's worth of those broadcasts to give a sampler of some of the 95 acts that took the stage. (thebasement67, August 2017)

                           
01. Toots & the Maytals
Toots Hibbert is among the pantheon of Jamaican reggae greats. It’s almost half a century since the Maytals’ 1968 single “Do the Reggay”, was the first song to use the word ‘reggae’ as ska and rocksteady morphed into a new beat. Toots and his band have been doing it ever since and Bob Marley even name-checked the Maytals alongside the Wailers in his 1977 hit “Punky Reggae Party”. Expect a righteous roots set featuring such timeless Toots classics as “54-46 Was My Number”,  “Funky Kingston”,  “Monkey Man”, “Pressure Drop” and “Reggae Got Soul”.

02. Alsarah & the Nubatones
The Sudanese singer Alsarah was a child when her family were forced to flee the country following a coup. She was eventually given political asylum in America where, after taking a degree in ethnomusicology she formed the Nubatones in 2010 with percussionist Rami el Aasser.
With a line-up that includes her sister Nahid on backing vocals, bassist Mawuena Kodjovi, and oud player Haig Manoukian, the ensemble released their debut album Silt in 2014.
Alsarah’s mesmerising blend of ancient tradition and East African pop has since entranced audiences wherever they’ve played – including a memorable appearance at the first music festival to be held in Somalia in 20 years.

03. Afro Celt Sound System
When the Afro-Celts re-emerged last year with The Source, their first new album in more than a decade, nobody knew quite what to expect. Would the group’s trademark global dance fusion that had sounded so thrillingly cutting-edge when they first appeared at WOMAD in 1996, now sound out-dated?  We need not have worried, for it transpired that the long hiatus had reinvigorated the band.
With their swirling mix of African rhythms and Celtic melodicism augmented by thundering bhangra drumming, the critics hailed their return as an unqualified triumph in which the Afro-Celts were sounding “bigger, better and bolder than ever.”

04. Trad.Attack!
Trad.Attack! have turned Estonian folk music on its head since releasing their 2014 debut album AH! Combining the bagpipe playing and vocals of Sandra Vabarna, virtuoso guitar of Jalmar Vabarna and inventive percussion of  Tõnu Tubli, the trio take their inspiration from old archive recordings of Estonian traditional songs.
But folk music is merely their starting point and not their boundary as they reconcile past, present and future in a dynamic postmodern furnace of folklore, beats and rock’n’roll.
The trio’s second album Shimmer Gold is due for release in May 2017, neatly timed for this year’s round of summer festivals.

05. King Ayisoba
Apozora Ayisoba has built a huge following in West Africa with his unique update of traditional styles played on the two-string lute known as a kologo and sung in an intense, hard-edged voice.
His current album, 1000 Can Die is a thrilling mix of traditional Ghanaian rhythms and contemporary beats with echoes of hiplife, the local hybrid of traditional African highlife and hip-hop.
Listen out, too, for his definitive hit ‘I Want to See You, My Father’, which announced his arrival a decade ago when it won him song of the year, and is certain to feature prominently in his regal set.

06. XÀOS
If WOMAD had a long-service medal, Nick Page – sometimes known as Dubulah – would be one of its first recipients. Over the years he’s been a key force behind such global fusionist festival favourites as Transglobal Underground, Temple Of Sound, Dub Colossus and Syriana. His latest project XÀOS, finds him exploring the musical heritage of his Greek mother in partnership with the electronic composer Ahetas Jimi and a supporting cast of traditional Greek musicians.
The epic album they made together took a decade to complete, its electronic pulses and traditional shadings uncannily echoing the tensions and struggles which Greece itself has been undergoing in an uncertain world.

07. Lamomali
The French singer-songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Matthieu Chedid, alias -M- has been collaborating with musicians from Mali for 20 years, including Amadou and Mariam and kora legend Toumani Diabate. His latest project teams him once more with Toumani and his son Sidike Diabate, who in addition to playing the kora is a key mover in Bamako’s vibrant hip-hop scene.
 “With Lamomali I planted the seed and I watched it grow so that a multi-coloured African universe can be born,” says Chedid, who is of partly Lebanese-Egyptian origin. “It must be my African side in me because I felt like I had finally returned home.”

08. Las Cafeteras
Emerging from an ethnically diverse and politically active working-class neighbourhood of East Los Angeles in 2005, this Chicano band have built an enviable reputation with their radical and socially-conscious mix of Mexican folk styles, hip-hop and much else besides, using their songs to tell stories about the streets where they were raised, the communities in which they live and their dreams for a better world. Their second album, Tastes Like LA, has just been released and includes a song titled “If I Was President”.  As singer Denise Carlos puts it: “The President says he wants to build a wall. Las Cafeteras want to build bridges”. Their WOMAD performance will be a UK and European debut.

09. Grupo Canalón de Timbiquí
Nidia Góngora blends felicitously with the African-style chanting of a female chorus.
Hailing from the town of Timbiquí on the Pacific coast of Colombia, Grupo Canalón met in school, where their music teacher taught them the traditional folk songs typical of the coastal region, sung for generations by the women of the town while washing clothes in the river and praising their patron saints. The voice of lead singer Nidia Góngora blends felicitously with the African-style chanting of a female chorus, backed by marimba and folkloric percussion, and between touring and recording, several of the group’s members still dig for gold in the mines around Timbiquí.

10. Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Founded in the early 1960s by Joseph Shabalala, then a young farm boy turned factory worker, the joyous harmonies of South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mabazo have been uplifting audiences for more than half a century.  The a cappella Zulu male choir emerged on to the world stage in the 1980s when they were given a starring role on Paul Simon’s landmark “Graceland” album. Simon returned the compliment by producing the group’s first worldwide release, “Shaka Zulu”, which won a Grammy.  Since then they’ve toured the world endlessly, winning countless further awards and recording with a vast array of guest vocalists ranging from Stevie Wonder to Dolly Parton.

11. Bonga
For veteran and much-loved godfather of Angolan music, 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of Bonga’s seminal debut album Angola 72.
The record became the soundtrack for Angola’s battle for independence from Portuguese colonial rule and was banned, forcing him into exile as a wanted man. Since independence he has divided his time between Europe and his homeland, recording a prolific string of peerless albums characterised by his rasping, powerful voice and the rippling Angolan rhythms of semba.
At 74, he remains a potent and charismatic force-of-nature on stage and insists that he has absolutely no plans to retire any time soon.

12. The Ska Vengers
The name tells only part of the story. The Ska Vengers hail from the Indian capital of New Delhi and their musical palette encompasses not only the irresistible  chk-chk’ rhythms of Jamaican ‘ska’ but  elements of dub, punk, jazz, rap, psychedelia and Latin music.
Formed in 2009, their debut album appeared three years later and has come to be regarded as a landmark on the contemporary Indian music scene. Live their energy is palpable and their first UK tour in 2016, which included a performance at the Notting Hill Carnival, was a revelation that brought them to a new and appreciative audience.

13. Oumou Sangaré
Stylish, elegant, feisty and charismatic, Oumou Sangaré is not only one of  the most powerful female voices in African music but a striking role model who has used her music to campaign fearlessly to improve the position of women in Mali’s male-dominated society, singing against such injustices as polygamy and child marriage. Following an eight year absence from the recording studio she returned to the fray in 2017 with her fifth album Mogoya.  While the record remains rooted deep in Malian culture and tradition, the more contemporary arrangements break new ground on the funkiest set of her career to date.

LINK

V/A - Exodus 40 - 1Xtra Remake (2017) *Special Post* #6

SPECIAL POST #6

Exodus - 1Xtra Remake
David Rodigan
BBC Radio 1 FM
31 December 2017

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Bob Marley & The Wailers album 'Exodus', 1Xtra has re-created this masterpiece with the likes of Protoje, Chronixx, Kiko Bun, Morgan Heritage, the Marley Brothers and more. It includes an extended interview with Chris Blackwell.  Side One of the album, always the stongest again shines best on this project. Although Jamming & Turn Your Lights Down Low are well conceived versions too.

01. Sly & Robbie & The Taxi Gang - Natural Mystic (1Xtra Exodus Session, 7 Feb 2017) (ft. Noel “Bunny” Brown) (3:29)
02. Cosima - So Much Things To Say (1Xtra Exodus Session, 30th May 2017) (4:27)
03. Chronixx - Guiltiness (1Xtra Exodus Session, 22nd May 2017) (6:29)
04. Protoje - The Heathen (1Xtra Exodus Session, 13th May 2017) (4:14)
05. Dre Island - Exodus (1Xtra Exodus Session, 9th February 2017) (5:49)

06. Kiko Bun - Jamming (1Xtra Exodus Session, 30th May 2017) (4:09)
07. Morgan Heritage - Waiting in Vain (1Xtra Exodus Session, 8th May 2017) (4:33)
08. Christopher Martin - Turn Your Lights Down Low (1Xtra Exodus Session, 8th Feb 2017) (3:54)
09. Angel - Three Little Birds (1Xtra Exodus Session, 7th February 2017) (2:52)
10. Stephen Marley, Damian Marley & Julian Marley - One Love
(1Xtra Exodus Live From Glastonbury, 20th June 2007) (4:10)

11. Chris Blackwell Interview (25:28)

Programme first broadcast on BBC R1Xtra Sunday 4 June, 2017 at 7pm. This repeat is a first time broadcast on FM radio. The first 8 minutes of the Chris Blackwell interview were patched in from the BBC i-player as the beginning of the FM recording missed it.

LINK

BBC Radio 2 FM Sessions 2017 - Fleet Foxes / Beck (Flac) *Special Post* #5

Two exclusives unavailable elsewhere for you, on this special post #5. Both artists presented here have released new albums since I recorded these sessions. The promotional radio performances were for their previous albums released in 2017, 'Crack Up' the third album by Fleet Foxes and 'Colors' by Beck.

Fleet Foxes BBC Radio 2 FM Session 2017

Jo Whiley show - Fleet Foxes session
BBC Radio 2 FM
Maida Vale, London.
Wednesday  12 July, 2017
8pm - 10pm

Jo has Fleet Foxes in session in the run up to their headline slot at Latitude Festival in Suffolk this Sunday. They bring us three live tracks from the legendary Maida Vale studios. 

01. Intro (2:23)
02. Fools Errand (3:19)
03. Interview pt. 1 (1:24)
04. Helplessness Blues (4:55)
05. Interview pt. 2 (4:20)
06. Your Protector (3:55)

Running time: 20:21

Master recording by thebasement67 on Wednesday 12 July, 2017
Lineage: Denon FM tuner > Audacity > WAV 16bit 44kHz > TLH > FLAC 8

This is the third recording I've made in the last two weeks. The first recordings in over 14 years - Minidiscs and CD recorders no more! The first two were made with an indoor FM aerial and after hearing them I decided I needed to upgrade to an outdoor FM aerial. The cable was run but unfortunately the aerial never arrived in time. There is a minor amount of hiss, only really noticeable between songs.

LINK 1
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Beck BBC Radio 2 FM Session 2017

Jo Whiley show - Beck session
BBC Radio 2 FM
Maida Vale, London
Broadcast: Wednesday 11 October 2017
8pm -10pm

Jo has Beck in session from the legendary BBC Maida Vale studios. He'll be performing songs off his new album 'Colours' his first since Grammy 'Album of the Year' winning 'Morning Phase' in 2014. The American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer has twelve albums under his belt and Jo will be talking to him as he prepares to release his thirteenth into the world.

01. Interview pt. 1 (4:45)
02. Up All Night (session) (2:58)
03. Interview pt. 2 (5:43)
04. Dreams (session) (4:42)
05. Interview pt. 3 (7:33)
06. Lost Cause (session) (3:15)
07. Interview pt. 4 (2:57)

Master recording by thebasement67 on Wednesday 11 October, 2017
Lineage: Denon FM tuner > Audacity > WAV 16bit 44kHz > TLH > FLAC 8

Outside FM Aerial this time!!!

These recordings were previously unavailable until this original post dated - November 2020 (thebasement67)

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