#54 ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ROOTS - Brooklyn, New York 2013 (Flac)

Elvis Costello and The Roots
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY, USA
16 September 2013

"At the very end of Elvis Costello and the Roots' show at Brooklyn Bowl on Monday night, Questlove thanked the crowd for supporting the "strange experiment" that is their just-released collaborative album, Wise Up Ghost. What's actually most surprising about that experiment is that it actually works.

On paper, the marriage of Costello's singer-songwritery, professorial erudition and the Roots' greasy grooves seems like a well-intended but painfully incongruous marriage. But Costello and Questlove are kindred spirits, two genius-level music geeks who not only have a deep knowledge of and appreciation for multiple genres of music, they're both restless musicians with Olympian work ethics who revel in challenging themselves. Over his 35-odd-year career, Costello has worked with everyone from Tony Bennett to Bajofondo, from Brian Eno to Burt Bacharach, from Billie Joe Armstrong to the Brodsky String Quartet (and those are just the "B"s); the Roots have backed a staggeringly diverse collection of performers nearly every weeknight during their four years as the house band on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

On the album and in this apparently one-off show (apart from two appearances on Fallon this week), the unlikely alliance — the Questello Show, if you will — finds its main common ground in the '60s and '70s soul and funk that both acts often reference in their music: Motown, Stax, the Meters, Philly Soul. And rather than using his more familiar reedy singing voice, Costello inhabits a smoky lower register that often slips into a sinewy sneer, and occasionally a polysyllabic chant that's not worlds away from rapping. The most dramatic example of the latter comes in "Stick Your Tongue Out," a supple reinvention of Costello's 30-year-old anti-Thatcherite broadside "Pills and Soap" that meshes that song's bitter lyrics with a sensuous midtempo groove, making for some deliciously cognitive dissonance. At different points in the set, Marisol Hernandez (of La Santa Cecilia) and Diane Birch harmonized with him, bringing some welcome diversity to the vocal palette.

The group did not phone this gig in: On Monday afternoon Twitter hummed with reports about unnamed chestnuts the group was banging into shape during a rigorous rehearsal, and the evening's 16-song set was tight and supple, leaning heavily on the album but also featuring several Costello hits ("Watching the Detectives," "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Pump It Up"), deep cuts ("Shabby Doll," "Spooky Girlfriend," an extended "I Want You"), and two startling covers: "Ghost Town," the 1981 chart topping single from the Specials, the legendary British ska band whose debut LP was Costello's first major outside production job; and John Lennon's "I Found Out," which closed the night on a dark but raucous note.

Through it all, Costello coaxed funky chords and howling feedback out of his vintage Fender Jazzmaster — the one with his name written in abalone across the fretboard — trading spiky licks with guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas. And the Roots were the Roots, which is to say just about the greatest band in the entire world. As they've proven time and time again on Fallon, the group has the ability unobtrusively to take an artist out of his or her element, get them out of their own way, enhance strengths the performer may not have realized they had — and have so much fun doing it they forget their usual, more serious selves. And by taking the time to let this collaboration marinate, with Wise Up Ghost the Roots have helped Costello sound more vital than he has in years." source 'Spin' - Jem Aswad

Disc One:
01. Intro (0:46)
02. Wake Me Up (10:43)
03. Refuse To Be Saved (4:49)
04. Stick Out Your Tongue (6:24)
05. Watching The Detectives (5:58)
06. Shabby Doll (5:09)
07. Sugar Won't Work (4:25)
08. Tripwire (with Diane Birch) (5:27)
09. Spooky Girlfriend (with La Marisoul) (5:15)

Disc Two:
01. Cinco Minutos Con Vos (with La Marisoul) (7:12)
02. Ghost Town (with La Marisoul) (5:07)
03. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea (4:26)
04. Walk Us Uptown (3:53)
05. I Want You (13:17)
06. Wise Up Ghost (6:55)
07. Pump It Up (4:46)
08. I Found Out (4:41)

LINK 

#53 THE BAND - Complete King Biscuit Flower Hour 1976 (Flac)

The Band's performance broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour was one of the first bootlegs I downloaded from the internet. Since those days a pre-FM edition has circulated in superb audio quality. This is the best version available and if you already have this show, check to make sure it's the pre-fm source offered here.

The Band
Complete King Biscuit Flower Hour
Carter Baron Amphitheatre, Washington DC
July 17, 1976

Soundboard pre - FM from King Biscuit discs and reels
Length 71:13 mins    
originally broadcast on August 29, 1976

01 Don't Do It 5:10
02 The Shape I'm In 4:08
03 It Makes No Difference 7:23
04 The Weight 4:44
05 King Harvest 3:45
06 Twilight 3:29
07 Ophelia 3:36
08 Tears Of Rage 5:58
09 Forbidden Fruit 6:11
10 This Wheel's On Fire 3:51
11 The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 4:04
12 The Genetic Method 3:57
13 Chest Fever 4:23
14 Up On Cripple Creek 5:59
15 W.S. Walcott Medicine Show 4:03

notes:

William Keats wrote:
The new Last Waltz booklet indicates the DC show date was actually 16 August 1976 (see page 1 of the booklet). The PreFM copy that I have has this setlist, which is not the entire show, but everything that King Biscuit broadcast (from PreFM sources including reels, which is how the Biscuit used to get sent out)
I write: However this date is known to be incorrect, the recording was most likely made on 17 July 1976

Personnel:
Robbie Robertson Guitars, Vocals
Rick Danko Bass, Vocals, Violin
Richard Manuel Drums, Keyboards, Vocals
Levon Helm Vocals, Guitars
Garth Hudson Keyboards, Sax

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

original shn files > wav > flac (using dbPoweramp)
by thebasement67 (September, 2014)
for 100greatestbootlegs blog

#52 RADIOHEAD - In Rainbows: Live from the Basement (2008)

This audio is from the HD broadcast of In Rainbows – From the Basement. The programme was filmed in 2008 by David Barnard at The Hospital Club's TV Studio in London's Covent Garden for Nigel Godrich's television programme ‘From the Basement’.

VH-1 premiered In Rainbows - From the Basement on Saturday, 3 May 2008. As well as songs from the new album In Rainbows the band also performed "Myxomatosis", "Where I End and You Begin", and "The Gloaming" from the previous album ‘Hail To The Thief’

It’s an excellent set with sound quality to match and is easily amongst the best of Radiohead’s latter-day performances.

The second appearance on From The Basement featured tracks from the current album ‘King Of Limbs’ and was released on DVD, this set should have been made available too.

01 Weird Fishes-Arpeggi
02 15 Step
03 Bodysnatchers
04 Nude
05 The Gloaming
06 Myxomatosis
07 House of Cards
08 Bangers & Mash
09 Optimistic
10 Reckoner
11 Videotape
12 Where I End and You Begin
13 All I Need
14 Go Slowly

Radiohead - In Rainbows: Live From The Basement
[Flac] by SideSkroll
Source: Uncompressed LPCM audio track from "From The Basement" DVD HDTV rip

#51 PRINCE - Small Club 1988 (Flac)

Het Paard Van Troje, The Hague, Rotterdam
August 18th 1988

This is the bootleg that sets the bar. When this began to appear at record shows, first released on vinyl in 1988 (CD, 1991) it became the talk of the Prince fanatic community. The sound quality is better than most official live releases.
The set list is slick with long improvised jams, some blues/jazz covers, and a couple of his classics. Standout tracks are the opening jam, People Without, the cover of Just My Imagination and an epic rendition of Forever in My Life. And, during Still Would Stand All Time, you get to hear him trying to subtly admonish a back-up singer for singing "Still Will Stand All Time"... After a few pointed, yet calm corrections...he shouts, "Who's the fool who singing 'will'?? It's 'would'! Time WOULD stand still!"

Original notes:

It is no secret that this is arguably the most essential bootleg recording in circulation for Prince fans. This is a perfect recording of a coveted aftershow.
The sound quality is to my ears identical to the original release of Small Club 2nd Show That Night by X records in 1989. This is the first time I've said this about any reissue of this show. Although many have tried before this is the first Small Club recording to actually match the original in sound quality. There have been no less than a couple dozen of reissues over the past 6 years. In a blind test with both sources playing simultaneously I could not tell them apart. If there is a difference in sound it's not discernible to me.

The show itself is a true aftershow classic, with everything we could ask for in a performance: killer guitar solos (Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic & Just My Imagination), great vocals (Still Would Stand All Time), lots of Boni Boyer, and a couple of unreleased songs (People Without, etc..). This is Prince at his physical and performing prime. Looking back I would have to say that 1987-88 featured him at his best more consistently that any other time of his career. His aftershows during this time period are just legendary including the incredible Camden Palace show in London on July 25th, the Hamburg show in late August and one of the first, the Quasimodo gig on the Sign O the Times tour. Never has his ferocity been so evident at shows such as these. His effortless ability to mix stunning cover versions and unreleased tracks along with completely new renditions of his classics is remarkable. It also has a lot to do with his look. Watch the clips of the Camden Palace gig and you can see a stronger, firmer Prince that we've seen in the recent years. Not one as frail and weightless as we're becoming accustomed to now. What is also noticeable in those aftershow clips is that Prince KNEW he had just hit his prime. His relaxed mood with the European fans, his musicianship, and his first truly great backing band had reached a peak at this time unmatched to that point in his career. His confidence and showmanship have never been so apparent.

Disc one
1-1    Instrumental Jam     12:54
1-2    D.M.S.R.     8:47
1-3    Just My Imagination     7:45
1-4    People Without     10:28
1-5    Housequake     4:32
1-6    Down Home Blues     8:47

Disc two
2-1    Cold Sweat     9:35
2-2    Forever In My Life     11:28
2-3    Still Would Stand All Time     10:47
2-4    I'll Take You There     15:58
2-5    It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night     2:40
2-6    Rave To The Joy Fantastic     2:11

the band:
Bass: Levi Seacer Jr.
Drums, Percussion: Sheila E.
Guitar: Mico Weaver
Keyboards: Dr. Fink
Trumpet: Atlanta Bliss
Vocals: Boni Boyer, Cat*
Vocals, Guitar: Prince 

‘Abierman 2004’ commented on the Prince forum: http://prince.org/

“I had seen the regular show (Lovesexy, my 3rd show, after Parade ‘86 & Sign Of The Times ‘87) in the arena (De Kuip, Rotterdam) the night before and it was summertime, which meant: no school. A good friend of mine lived in The Hague (I'm from Amsterdam) and we had planned this night long before. So after having dinner with his parents, we were allowed (I was staying the night at their place) to 'hit' the town (hey, I was only 17!). The club, 'Het Paard', was back then a cool hangout. Not too small, certainly not too big. We arrived around 11:30 PM and not much was going on, we were happy to be there, released of 'the wrath' of parents. Dirk, my buddy, was not really into Prince and was getting tired of me talking about the concert-experience I had had the night before. However, at some point, around 1:00 AM there was this vibe going on, people were doing stuff on the small stage. I believe some 200 people were in the club, and nothing was announced. We heard this rumor that nobody was being let in anymore, don't know whether that was true.
At some point we saw people climbing the stage. It was dark but I saw clearly a woman stepping behind the drums. This is when 'Jam' started. we still didn't know what was going on, no announcements whatsoever. This band was jamming and once the beat kicks in some light was turned on and I freaked! Shortly after that I heard this typical guitar sound, the one that had been pounding in my ears for the last 24 hours. Yes, it was Prince and his band!
I couldn't believe it! I started to recognize the members: Dr Think, Sheila E, Miko, Levi, Atlanta and Prince! Later Boni Boyer joined as well! No Eric Leeds (I believe he wasn't feeling to well, Anotherwontdare) and Cat to be seen. Dirk, a guitar-lover, was like: what the fuck is this? Convinced in a minute! Big smile on his face. I was just stunned, couldn't say a word! Was this happening? Yes it was.
After the 13-minute jam, he kicked in DMSR (well, this beat's going to sleep, don't it?), the funk was phat! People were freaking out, although there weren't to many fans there, there would be afterwards.
Housequake (a hit back then) had the people go wild. Then Just My Imagination, the solo. This was P's and Sheila's show. Just listen to the two of them go together amazing! This is the quintessential Prince-moment! There are stories (maybe even urban-legends) about P having tears in his eyes during this. I don't remember seeing this, but I had almost tears in MY eyes. This man was amazing, what a treat to be here! The Man was happy and in rare form that night! It was so obvious that he was enjoying himself, and no religious BS as well.
People Without was freaky, lights off. What a fucking great song. Dr Think going wild on the synths.
Kansas City Here I come Boni Boyer, ain't nobody can mess with that girl (is it true that she died?)! P's blues solo at the end, what the fuck?
It was great to see a band having fun after a 2 1/2 hour 'regular' show, this is why they're in music. This was their thing, not ours, we were just witnesses.
Forever In My Live was a great jam, the audience participating, I hear myself everytime! I Don't Care, Boni baby! Sheila was rapping!  Rave was great, his official recording 10 years later sucked! Prince: 'Miko, gimme some of that funk!' Miko: 'Sure Prince, you want it high or low?' It stopped around 4 AM.
An amazing night that I will never forget, it took me 8 years to get me a copy of the bootleg, I still listen to it regularly and think back of that night! I believe it was Prince's first aftershow in Holland, and it's definitely the best bootleg-recording I know of (sound-quality wise)! Great it's out there, it almost captures the vibe that was there that night, it will never be there again!”

 

Note: I don't remember which version of this so can the first downloader let me know and I can add it to the info. I'm short of time at the moment.

 

LINK 

 

#50 TOM WAITS - Live in Austin (1978)

Austin City Limits
Austin, Texas
December 5, 1978

01. Burma Shave (11.17)                                                

02. Annie's Back In Town / I Wish I Was In New Orleans (7.28)                       

03. A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun (7.55)  

04. On The Nickel (6.11)                                                   

05. Romeo Is Bleeding (5.04)                                                            

06. Silent Night / Xmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis / Silent Night reprise (5.51)

07. Small Change (9.39)       

Lineage: Wolf HQR remasters vol. 2

An absolute classic from Tom Waits, this superb high quality performance was included among the Wolf HQR remaster series. It has a clutch of new songs that appeared on the latest album ‘Blue Valentine’. Of the two non album tracks Annie’s Back In Town appeared on the 'Paradise Valley' soundtrack, also released in 1978. On the Nickel would finally appear in 1980, finding a place on ‘Heartattack and Vine.’ The set-list is vastly changed from the Bremen 1977 performance (included in the 100) only Small Change is common to both. 

If you're not a Waits fan or familiar with his music, give this one a chance, especially the 11-minute opener. Only two minutes in and Tom casually rips a joke, much to the delight of the television studio audience. Immediately he has the audience in his grasp with evocative story telling, humour and the exquisite musicianship of his supporting band. Burma Shave is undoubtedly one of the great ‘small-town escape’ songs, applicable to any young person growing up in a small town or village throughout the world. His genius is not just in the music and lyrics but the way he draws you in to his characters and makes their lives and points of view feel like reality.

Tom’s appearance on the Austin City Limits TV show is one of the most requested shows in their 40-year archive. It was recorded three months after the release of ‘Blue Valentine’ and embodies a transitional stage in his career from beat poet evolving towards the more experimental work of the classic 80’s trilogy of ‘Swordfishtrombones,’ ‘Raindogs’ and ‘Frank’s Wild Years.’

Tom's band:

 

Herbert Hardesty - sax, flugelhorn, trumpet

Arthur Richardson - guitar

John Thomassie - drums

Greg Cohen – bass

            

#49 BOB DYLAN - A Nightly Ritual (Live 1966) (Flac)

Bob Dylan & the Hawks
A Nightly Ritual - Live 1966

Disc One - Odeon Theatre, Liverpool, England - 14 May 1966
01  Tell Me, Momma 4:07
02  I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) 5:11
03  Baby Let Me Follow You Down 3:38
04  Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues 5:34
05  Crowd 1:55
06  Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat 3:19
07  One Too Many Mornings 4:03
08  Ballad Of A Thin Man 7:00
09  Like A Rolling Stone 7:29
10  God Save the Queen 0:46

The Hotel Room recordings track 11-12 have been removed from this post as they will be released shortly on the Bootleg Series Vol. 12

Disc Two - Gaumont Theatre, Sheffield, England - 16 May 1966
01  She Belongs To Me  4:02
02  Fourth Time Around  4:42
03  Visions Of Johanna  8:27
04  It's All Over Now, Baby Blue 5:51
05  Desolation Row  11:25
06  Just Like A Woman  7:51
07  Mr. Tambourine Man 10:30
08  Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat  4:26
09  One Too Many Mornings  3:27

10  Ballad Of A Thin Man  7:14           
track 10 from Odeon Theatre, Birmingham, England - 12 May 1966

 

Lineage: Silvers > FLAC (ripped with XLD v20110611, using FLAC 1.2.1 - level 8)
from Bob Dylan  - Genuine Live 1966 (Scorpio CD Box Set GBS66-1/10)

The superb review below is from:

DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 84 Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000

 “Hats off to Messrs. Hudson, Jones, Manuel & Danko also. Individually stunning, collectively sublime”.

Liverpool:          
The '66 shows were frenetic, chaotic, rhythmic, melodic, sharp, cutting, primal rock and roll with heart, the likes of which had never been heard before. It was old and new and ahead of it's time, it was rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, soul, beat, garage, it was psychedelic before psychedelic even existed.
The '66 electric sets were all that this Liverpool has it all in spades. Previously uncirculating in its entirety prior to GL66, the first three cuts blow the roof off the place slightly harsh in sound yet still terrific, dominated by Dylan's bold vocals and the razor edge guitar fills of Robbie (check out the leads and fills on "I Don't Believe You" and "Follow You Down," for example), this is stunning stuff. Better than others?  Who cares, it's all subjective anyway, so just enjoy them all as singular performances.
A different source kicks in for the legendary "Tom Thumb Blues" and the sound is fleshed out with a bit more natural bottom a magnificent version - Bob & Robbie supposedly considered it the best also, as it became a b-side, eh! For the first time, we hear rumblings of dissatisfaction from the crowd, with folks yelling at the stage and Dylan taking a long break between "JLTTB" and a marvelous, rockabilly-like rave-up version of "Pillbox Hat" that finds Robbie at the top of his game and Richard's rollicking piano fills a treat to hear. Robbie lifts off again at 2:43 until the song closes half a minute later and into a "One Too Many Mornings" which further evidences how divinely the Hawks played for Dylan, whether loud and raucous or pulling back the reins a bit, as they do here once again, Robbie's guitar is front and center and he seems to step out and stretch it more on this show than on any others in my opinion, his greatest performance from beginning to end.

Similarly, when you focus in on, say, Garth or Danko or any of the Hawks individually, well, they all are over the top. A unique sound, for sure, and never duplicated since. Hats off to Messrs. Hudson, Jones, Manuel & Danko also. Individually stunning, collectively sublime.

More bliss ensues with the psych-freakout of "Thin Man," so full of tension and apparent doom thanks to the incredible dual sound of the organ and bass and Dylan's funhouse screaming vocals such a dark and forbidding sound and feel to the performance that it leaves you feeling spooked and thinking something terrible is about to happen.  It's like watching the classic 30's movie "Freaks," of which "Thin Man" could be the theme song. "Like A Rolling Stone" ends it all to thunderous, pulsating applause as Dylan thanks the crowd (not a boo or stray comment to be heard), then "God Save the Queen" closes the curtain on this most wondrous of shows.

“a brilliant performance in astounding sound quality”

Sheffield:      
The voice from on high. Absolutely gorgeous recording, so full and richly toned it will leave you stunned. Easily the smoothest, unflawed gem from a boxful of 'em. And, in a stroke of good fortune for us listeners, Dylan's performance goes from ridiculously phenomenal to sublime. Each and every tune holds you rapt as if a mystical figure is delivering the gospel through a shroud of fog but the sound is so clear when it hits you ethereal & mysterious describes it well, heavenly perhaps a little less so.

Dylan nails every tune and his harp playing is brilliant.  I can't help thinking that Dylan's wild, wooly and wonderful harp excursions are just as exciting as some of the improvisational gems of Miles and Coltrane. The most telling example is "Mr. Tambourine Man," a wonderfully rich version that ends with almost two minutes of Dylan playing himself into a harp maze from which there appears to be no escape you can hear him searching and ultimately extricating himself at 9:57 with one sustained note. Then, as if to say "hah, you thought I'd never get out of that, eh?"he wraps it all up less than 15 seconds later. The crowd sure appreciated it, judging by the applause and cheering.

To sum up, a brilliant performance in astounding sound quality. As if that was not enough, filling out the disk are improved versions of Sheffield electric "Pillbox Hat" and "One Too Many Mornings," and the Birmingham "Thin Man." A fantastic listen.

If the above review by "Deep Beneath The Waves" doesn't encourage you to download this one, then there is nothing I can say that would.

The official Bootleg Series Vol. 11 was originally planned to be the Blood On The Tracks sessions, hence their omission from this blog. The alternate Blood On The Tracks and it's companion would have made a worthy number one but it seemed pointless to put in all the work, only for it to be hit with a takedown notice.

This live '66 set, especially the acoustic Sheffield performance is a superb audio document and together with the official Manchester release you have some of the greatest live recorded music ever put to tape. As for that official Bootleg series by Sony/Columbia, all 12 volumes are featured and reviewed in a 52 page booklet, given away with the new issue of the music magazine "Mojo"

#48 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Passaic Night (1978) (Flac)

Capitol Theatre, 
Passaic, New Jersey
September 19, 1978

Passaic Night (Crystal Cat CC 476-78)
Lineage: Silver CDs -> EAC -> WAV -> FLAC -> YOU
Artwork included.

 

It’s highly likely that the ‘Live Bruce Springsteen Archive Series’ will release this. If I had any input to record company releases I would accord it the deluxe treatment, and include the discs inside a hardback book package telling the story of the Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour.

Any of the big five ’78 recordings (seven if you include the more recent Passaic JEMS releases) could have appeared here. Tracks from the Roxy appear on the official live ’75-’85 box set released in the eighties, so that one was ruled out. The Fox is a great show but doesn’t have the sufficient gravitas of the other ’78 recordings. The Agora has been released as part of the above-mentioned Live Bruce series, which leaves a straight shoot out between Winterland & Passaic. Years ago, before I had any interest or knowledge of bootlegs I remember reading Dave Marsh’s book Born To Run, His enthusiasm for live recordings and unreleased songs was infectious and a tape copy of Passaic became a prized possession. This just nudges ahead of Winterland as my favourite ’78 Darkness tour recording. An astute reader of the blog previously remarked how many legendary tours there were in the seventies, this is another example to add to your collection. Those coming to this recording from the official releases will note how prominent in the mix the guitars are.

I’ve included a near 4,300-word review of this bootleg release in the notes, see disc three of your download. It gives you a comprehensive history of this recording and it’s importance. Worth reading before you listen. I've used some edited comments for the tracklist. The more compact notes that accompany this Crystal Cat bootleg follow on from the tracklist notes:

The first of a three-night stand at the 3,200-seat Capitol Theatre, and one of five Darkness Tour concerts to be broadcast on FM radio

First Set:

1-02. Badlands (5:00)
 The show begins with an astonishingly furious rendition of the new album’s opener. 
1-03. Streets Of Fire (4:47)
 Slows the pace and is characterized by Springsteen’s impassioned vocal performance and what Guterman refers to as his “loud, nasty guitar.”  
1-04. Spirit In The Night (6:50)
 An exuberant performance follows with this track from Springsteen’s debut album. Danny Federici’s organ and Clarence Clemons saxophone create an atmosphere that is both frivolous and utterly sordid.  In keeping with the gritty tone established by the Darkness songs, it concerns drunken sex in the dirt rather than romance.  
1-05. Darkness On The Edge Of Town (4:14)
 Is a passionate performance that perfectly conveys, as Christopher Sandford puts it in Springsteen: Point Blank, “a raw, harrowing awareness that we can never escape our fate.” The Chicago Tribune reviewer called, “the music almost frighteningly brutal,” particularly “the sheer feral snarl of the vocals.”
1-06. Independence Day (5:29)
 A Darkness outtake that came close to making the album. Springsteen had narrowed the album down to thirteen songs. Independence Day, along with The Promise and Don’t Look Back, failed to make the cut. The version played here, is tremendously poignant and superior to the studio take on the follow up album ‘The River’  
1-07. The Promised Land (5:23)
 Follows with a vigorous rendition continuing the Darkness theme and regarded by Schumer, as a definitive live version.
1-08. Prove It All Night (9:30)
 Is played, as Guterman writes, in “an elongated [version]…which built from a soft piano intro through a screaming guitar solo into an unruly version of the song as it appeared on the album, followed by another wicked guitar solo.”  Roy Bittan, who regards the song as, “the most exciting song of the show,” is again impressive here, and this is a fine version.
1-09. Racing In The Street (8:09)
1-10. Thunder Road (5:28)
 Roy  Bittan is arguably the star of the rest of the first set.  He contributes some beautiful playing to this exquisite and moving song on which, Springsteen sings the defining lyrics of the whole album. Bittan also plays, as Guterman says, “a crowning coda,” which Springsteen overlaid with a spoken introduction to Thunder Road. Schumer calls these the finest live versions of both Racing In The Street and Thunder Road, and the piano coda and the spoken introduction contribute immeasurably to the brilliance of these performances.  Despite the optimistic ending, there is a streak of realism here which chimes with the Darkness songs. Springsteen and the band receive a tremendous and well-deserved ovation at the end of Thunder Road.
1-11. Meeting Across The River (3:17)
 Is a beautifully measured performance, which effectively conveys the song’s melancholy mood. 
1-12. Jungleland (9:39)
 An excellent version of this epic Born To Run track follows, featuring a powerful sax solo from Clarence Clemons and a fine guitar solo from Steve Van Zandt. Again, despite the overtly romantic qualities of the song, it ends in grubby street violence as the Magic Rat is gunned down.

Second Set:

2-01. Kitty’s Back (12:49)
 Opens the second set with, a superb, thirteen-minute version. The song comes across a a little harder-edged than earlier versions, in keeping with the heavier sound of the Darkness Tour, but Federici and Bittan keep the song swinging nicely and Clemons contributes effective rasping sax.
2-02. Fire (2:54)
 Is splendidly sultry
2-03. Candy’s Room (3:03)
 Follows performed at breakneck pace.
2-04. Because The Night (6:39)
 Like Prove It All Night, begins with a scintillating interplay between Bittan’s piano and Springsteen’s guitar, and features a searing solo from Springsteen later in the song.  Despite its qualities, the Winterland rendition is even more exciting.
2-05. Point Blank (6:36)
 Is another true highlight of this set, and it is an even more intense performance than the Winterland version.  The lyrics differed slightly at different concerts, and here, in keeping with Springsteen’s explanation before the song’s debut at the Roxy in July that (in part, at least) it concerned a couple he knew who had to work two jobs a day to avoid having their house repossessed, he sings the lines, “Day shift turns to night shift/And the night shift turns to day/ And all of your hopes and your promises/Somehow they just fade away.”
2-06. Not Fade Away (4:59)
2-07. She’s The One (6:32)
 Not Fade Away rather than Mona, serves as the introduction to She’s The One but we still get the rhythmic drumming and animal calls at the start.  It segues even more smoothly than Mona manages to do into She’s The One, which receives a hugely energetic performance.
2-08. Backstreets (11:32)
 Follows, complete with the spoken “Sad Eyes” interlude, which includes the reference to driving all night to buy shoes, which of course later grew into a whole new song.  Although this is a terrific performance of the song, the spoken interlude on the Winterland version is more structured and possessed of a more coherent narrative structure.
2-09. Rosalita (11:05)
 Concludes the second set with a barnstorming version, complete with band introductions.

Encore:

2-10. 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (6:44)
 Unfortunately, unlike Great Dane, Crystal Cat concludes the second disc with the first song of the encore, a warm, wistful rendition.  Presumably this was done to create as much room as possible for bonus tracks on the third CD, but it would have been preferable to have a more natural disc break.
3-01. Born To Run (4:29)
 After the gentle start to the encore, Springsteen and the band bring the house down with the uproarious mayhem of this thunderous version
3-02. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (3:56)
 Follows with an effervescent performance
3-03. Devil With The Blue Dress Medley (7:22)
 Is a barnstorming medley
3-04. Raise Your Hand (4:25)
 A spirited version ends the concert with some spoken interaction between Springsteen and the audience.

The bonus tracks have been excluded because the Passaic tracks were upgraded and circulated by the JEMS team..

This release features what many consider a peak of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s incredible 1978 Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour; a three show stand in an intimate theatre on home ground in New Jersey.

The first stage of the tour was coming to a close in September 1978 (though Bruce and the band would regroup to play for another two months at the end of the year) and the popularity that Bruce now enjoyed, especially in the north eastern strongholds where his music had first been appreciated en masse meant he generally was playing huge sports arenas like Madison Square Gardens and the Philadelphia Spectrum, but the real climax of the summer tour was planned to take place in consumer friendly theatre venues in both New York and New Jersey (Though there were a few more make up shows, mainly in the south east, that followed at the end of the month).

Three nights at the Palladium in Manhattan saw some major changes in the set lists prior to the shows in August and September, so that when Bruce and the band hit the stage at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey on September 19, 1978, they were presenting not only the lucky people in the auditorium with a few surprises, but also a large amount of radio listeners, as the show was being broadcast live on the New York station WNEW, which is the excellent source recording for the main body of this release.

The performance throughout this show was exceptional, as Bruce and the E Street Band always managed to raise their game when it really mattered, and in addition to some powerful readings of most of the Darkness On The Edge Of Town material there were quite a few performances of note. Such as a full band arrangement of Independence Day (which had only reappeared in the set during the Palladium shows after it’s one solo performance at the Roxy in LA back in July; an atmospheric rendition of Meeting Across the River, making one of it’s very fleeting 1978 showings; Kitty’s Back opened the second set, another song that would make it’s only 1978 appearances at the Palladium/Capitol Theatre shows, while Point Blank was another then unreleased song reintroduced into the set list after it’s solitary airing earlier in the tour at the Roxy. The encores at these shows were also restructured from earlier in the summer; with Tenth Avenue Freeze Out and the ever-popular Devil With The Blue Dress medley both back in favour.

Reviewers comments:

“To this day I have yet to hear any Darkness performance that can hold a candle to this Capitol Theatre show, song for song, note for note.  It’s perfect.  It’s Bruce’s de facto live album. At least five songs stand out as definitive live versions, not only from the Darkness tour, but from Bruce’s career: ‘Promised Land,’ ‘Prove It All Night,’the extended ‘Backstreets’ with the ‘Sad Eyes’ interlude, ‘Because The Night,’ and ‘She’s The One’ with the ‘Not Fade away’ prelude.” 
Arlen Schumer (Art Director of the first Springsteen magazine, Thunder Road (1978-82))

“There is little chance the performance here will ever be topped,”
Lynn Elder (Author of the bootleg guide Bruce Springsteen: You Better Not Touch)

“This is one of the best shows Springsteen ever did in his life and stands as one of the monumental nights of his career.”  “Dynamic…a classic three-hour show,”
Clinton Heylin (author of Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry, 1996)

 “Probably one of the best all-time concert recordings. Great versions of ‘Because The Night’ and ‘Fire,’ and also includes what many consider to be the best examples of ‘Racing In The Street’ and ‘Thunder Road’ ever! – Essential.” Brucebase (website)

“In my opinion, this wonderful show contains the best live versions of Racing In The Street, Thunder Road and Point Blank, reason enough to own this set.” 
Dave Marsh (author of  Born To Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story, 1979)

This show is now officially released and can be found at the official store on the Bruce Springsteen website:

LINK HERE 

#47 MOGWAI - Opposition Commissions: BBC Sessions 1996-2003 (Flac)

“Bear in mind that if you’ve not heard or seen Mogwai before, some of their stuff is very quiet and then goes suddenly terrifically loud.”                                                             John Peel, February 1998

“This is a John Peel band, Mogwai.” 
          Steve Lamacq, March 1999

 

Earlier this year in June, Mogwai celebrated their 20^th anniversary together as a band; they scheduled gigs in Glasgow and London to mark the important event. 

I made the long drive to Glasgow, to see the second show on Sunday night at the famous Barrowlands. I had always wanted to see Mogwai in front of their home crowd and this was an opportunity too good to miss. As well as dedicating this post to the memory of John Peel on whose show I first heard Mogwai back in 1996. I would also like to dedicate it to the young woman that was standing next to me with her boyfriend. She started dancing frantically while everyone else near the front stood stock-still. I’m not sure whether it was my look of disbelief or the fact that she banged into me at one point, that caused her to stop. I can’t say I ever thought I would see anyone dancing to Mogwai’s music live, so respect to her. As for the show; an epic two hour incredible performance that pummelled my eardrums into submission.

On August 27, 2007, ‘Einzack’ announced on the Mogwai discussion forum "ithica45.proboards" that he’d posted to the Dimeadozen tracker, a torrent entitled ‘Opposition Commissions’, collecting the Mogwai BBC sessions that were left off the official release CD: ‘Government Commissions.’ His compilation is comprised of tracks from nine different BBC sessions, recorded between 1996 and 2003. Five sessions were recorded for the John Peel show, the last two live from Maida Vale. The remainder were split between Mary Ann Hobbs ‘Breezeblock’ show and the ‘Evening Session’ hosted by Steve Lamacq. Excluding the ten tracks released on the official release and the Mary Ann Hobbs session track ‘R U Still In 2 It?’ that was released on the deluxe edition of the debut album, the remaining 28 session tracks broadcast between 1997 and 2003 are compiled here over three discs. The only minor downside is that this set could do with some editing and fades for a more professional finish.

Over the years, the BBC engineers and studio hands have recorded and produced many excellent sessions. This is a perfect example and amongst the absolute best. You won’t find a better Mogwai bootleg; it doesn’t get better than this. Fully deserving of an official release with the complete four-disc box set treatment. If you've never heard Mogwai, you can start here and then go see them live, an experience you will never forget. Trust me!

Disc One: 50:46 
Peel Session, The Hippodrome, Golders Green, London (broadcast 11 January 1997) Lineage: FM > DAT 
xx. Superheroes Of BMX (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’)

1-01. Summer (priority version) (4:10)
1-02. Waltz For Jo (2:54)
xx. R U Still In 2 It? (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’) recorded 22/12/96
listed as ‘Mogwai Salute The Brilliance of Steve Lamacq’ in the Peel Sessions book 

Mary-Anne Hobbs / Breezeblock Session, Maida Vale Studios, London (broadcast 28 October 1997) Lineage: FM > DAT
1-03. Like Herod (12:13)
xx. R U Still In 2 It? (officially released on 'Mogwai Young Team' deluxe edition, 2008)
1-04. Helicon 1 (8:33) 

Peel Session, Maida Vale Studios, London (broadcast 17 February 1998) Lineage: FM > DAT
1-05. Procedure Four (better known as Xmas Steps) (7:06)
1-06. Ex-Cowboy (10:03)
1-07. Don't Cry (Guns n' Roses cover) (5:43)
xx. Helicon 2 (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’) 

Disc Two: 71:38 
Mary-Anne Hobbs / Breezeblock Session, Maida Vale Studios, London (broadcast 18 June 1998) Lineage: FM > cassette
2-01. Xmas Steps (11:17)
2-02. Small Children In The Background (5:19)
2-03. Kappa (5:24) 

Peel Session, Maida Vale Studios, London (broadcast 1 September 1998) Lineage: FM > DAT
2-04. Rollerball (4:27)
xx. Kappa (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’)

2-05. Spoon Test (5:57)
04. Cody (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’)
listed as ‘Country’ in the Peel Sessions book 

Steve Lamacq / Evening Session, Maida Vale Studios, London (broadcast 29 March 1999) Lineage: FM > DAT
xx. Helicon 1 (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’) 
2-06. May Nothing But Happiness Come Through Your Door (8:55)
xx. Like Herod (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’)
2-07. Chocky (6:27) 

Steve Lamacq / Evening Session, Maida Vale Studios, London (broadcast 16 April 2001) Lineage: FM > MD
2-08. Stanley Kubrick (3:56)
2-09. 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong (6:58)
2-10. You Don't Know Jesus (12:55)
xx. Secret Pint (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’) 

Disc Three: 69:44 
Peel Session, Maida Vale Studio 3, London (broadcast live 17 October 2001) Lineage: FM > MD

3-01. John Peel Intro (0:12)
3-02. Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home > Nick Drake (7:29)
3-03. You Don't Know Jesus (6:36)
3-04. Radarmaker > My Father My King (21:18)
3-05. John Peel outro (0:33) 

Peel Session, Maida Vale Studio 4, London (broadcast live 21 May 2003) Lineage: FM > CD-r
xx. John Peel Intro (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’) 
xx. Hunted By A Freak (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’) 
3-06. Kids Will Be Skeletons (3:27)
3-07. Killing All The Flies (4:01)
xx. Stop Coming To My House (officially released on ‘Government Commissions’) 
3-08. Golden Porsche (2:54)
3-09. Ratts Of The Capital (8:07)
3-10. I Know You Are But What Am I? (4:29)
3-11. Helicon 1 > John Peel outro (10:33)

 

Session recording dates:
t1-01 & t1-02, recorded on 22 December 1996
t1-05, t1-06 & t1-07, recorded on 20 January 1998
t2-04 & t2-05, recorded on 23 August 1998
t2-08, t2-09 & t2-10,  recorded on 10 April 2001
t3-01 to t3-05, recorded on 17 October 2001
t3-06 to t3-11, recorded on 21 May 2003 
no information is available for the recording dates of the ‘Breezeblock’ sessions 

Original notes by einzack 
Note 1: This is a compilation of all the BBC session tracks not included on the official 'Government Commissions: BBC Sessions 1996-2003' cd. I have removed all of the tracks included on the official release. 

Note 2: All but one of the sessions is taken from seeds originally uploaded to dime and etree.org by rappard. I have audio cd copies of the same generation and lineage as martin but kept his flac filesets so we did not end up with duplicate filesets in circulation. The one show he did not have was 1998-06-18, so included is a rip from my cd's. 
Note 3: I have left all of the original seeds as originally uploaded, except with the official tracks removed and md5 files added to the two 2001 sessions as per dime regs. So therefore, the removed tracks are still included in the info and md5 files. 
Note 4: The lineages included in this info file are just short abbreviations, but complete lineages are included in the respective info files for each session