Friday, July 31

Continental Drifters - 1994 + 2000

Mountain Stage 1994 + 2000
& ‘Songs of the Century’ Dec. 2000

FM recordings (quality range Ex- to VG; ‘Songs of the Century’ segment was not the best-sounding capture, but I eq’d the version I received to remove excess sibilance and it’s much more listenable now)

SAMPLE: "Desperate Love"


Mountain Stage
Charleston, WV
Oct. 30, 1994
01 Get Over It
02 Desperate Love       
03 Mezzanine
04 Mixed Messages      
05 Daddy Just Wants It
     to Rain
06 A Little More Time
07 Who We Are, 
     Where We Live^ 

Mountain Stage
Charleston, WV
Oct. 29, 2000
08 Don't Do What I Did
09 Watermark
10 I'm a Dreamer  
     (Sandy Denny cover)
11 Daddy Just Wants It 
     to Rain
12 You're Going to 
     Need Somebody 
     (R. Thompson cover)

‘Songs of the Century’
Fresh Air w/Terry Gross
WHYY-FM
Philadelphia, PA
December 2000
01 Be My Baby (Ronettes cover)
02 chat 1
03 Dedicated to the One I Love
artwork incl., but it doesn't match all trax
      (Mamas & the Papas cover)
04 chat 2
05 Watermark
06 chat 3
07 chat 4
08 End of the World
     (Skeeter Davis cover)
09 chat 5
   
10 chat 6*
11 Brother Can You 
     Spare a Dime?*
12 chat 7*
13 Town Without Pity
     (Gene Pitney cover)
14 chat 8*

^In the original 1994 broadcast, "Turn Back the Hands of Time" was the last song played. But it appears on the newly-released archival compilation (see below), so is not included here.

*Tracks 10-14 = Marshall Crenshaw live in-studio performances and interview with Terry Gross

REPERCUSSION: Peter Holsapple joined the Continental Drifters in the early 1990s after The dB's were kaput, and he stayed with the group until it disbanded circa 2003. While they were active, the Drifters recorded several of Peter's songs, so if you enjoy his singing and songwriting, these albums are definitely worth seeking out. Peter told the LA Times recently, “I believe that this was a band who were the very illustration of a shattering live experience, the embodiment of a force majeure, a family-style drinking society of impavid* proportions, and purveyors of some of the sweetest harmony songs of its decade.” *(“impavid” = fearless, adventurous, daring -- say, Peter, did you get out your thesaurus for that one?!?)

MP3@320

SPECIAL THANKS to Dierk, Jefft and all the tapers & sharers

Time to enjoy the new 
Continental Drifters retrospective
2-disc compilation set from Omnivore Recordings

It's chock-full of rare & previously unreleased stuff
YOU NEED THIS - go get it!  




Tuesday, July 28

Paul Collins' Beat - Untold Story (rarities comp)

'The Untold Story'
1978 to 1981
demos, outtakes, rough mixes & live

sources & sound quality: various, varied

MP3@320

This is ASH Tuesday post #5
All thanks & praise to the late, great ASH music blog 
and Don, its leading light 

DETAILED TRACK LISTING:

1.  Do You Wanna Love Me 2:50 (rehearsal)
2.  You Won't Be Happy 2:46 (demo)
3.  Workaday World 2:57 (demo)
4.  Let Me Into Your Life 2:30 (demo - P. Collins, E. Money)
5.  I Don't Fit In 2:40 (demo)
6.  Rock And Roll Girl 2:52 (live in S.F., CA)
7.  Little Susie 2:46 (live in S.F., CA)
8.  Crying Won't Help 3:42 (outtake from The Beat - P.Collins, P.Stengl
9.  I Met Her Yesterday 3:20 (outtake from The Beat
10. There She Goes 2:46 (outtake from The Beat
11. Will You Listen 2:48 (rough mix from 2nd album - Michael Ruiz: drums
12. Hey DJ 3:13 (rough mix from 2nd album)

13. Callin' On You 3:31 (rough mix from 2nd album)
14. Stay With Your Girl 2:55 (demo)

15. It's Too Bad You're Leaving 3:16 (demo)
16. The Kids Are The Same 3:31 (Andy Johns mix - "Prairie" Prince: Drums) 
17. Let's Go 2:19 (previously unreleased)
18. Baby Don't Go 3:47 (previously unreleased)
19. Gloria 3:22 (previously unreleased) 
20. Runaround 3:13 (previously unreleased - P. Collins, S. Huff) 
21. That's What Life Is All About 2:37 (demo - P. Collins, S. Huff)
22. Give Me The Drugs 3:25 (demo - P. Collins, S. Huff)

All songs by Paul Collins except as noted


Tracks 1 - 5 recorded at 1312 Talmadge Street, East Hollywood, Ca. 1978 

Tracks 6 and 7 recorded live at the Kabuki Theatre, San Francisco, Ca. 1979 
Tracks 8, 9 and 10 recorded at United Western Studios, Hollywood, Ca. 1979 
Tracks 11, 12, 13 and 16 recorded at the Automatt, San Francisco, Ca. 1980 
Tracks 14 and 15 recorded at an 8 track studio, San Francisco, Ca. 1980 
Tracks 17 - 20 recorded at Twentieth Century Fox Studios, Century City, Ca. 1980-81 
Tracks 21 and 22 recorded in a 4 track studio, Hollywood, Ca. 1981

PERSONNEL:

Paul Collins: Guitar, Vocals - Tracks 1 - 22 
Peter Case: Guitar, Vocals - Tracks 1 - 4 
Steven Huff: Bass, Vocals - Tracks 1 - 22 , Guitar – Tracks  2 and 5 
Michael Ruiz : Drums - Tracks 2 and 3 and 6 - 11

Brendon Matheson:  Drums - Tracks 4 and 5
Irv Kramer: Guitar - Track 3 
Larry Whitman: Guitar - Tracks 6 - 14 and 16 - 20, Electric Piano - Track 15

Marci Marx: Vocal - Track 10
Charles “Prairie” Prince: Drums - Tracks 12 - 16 , 
Track 8 Studio Owner:  Electric Piano - Track 14
Dennis Conway: Drums - Tracks 17 - 22
Harlan Hollander: Guitar-Tracks 21 and 22 

Paul Collins: Producer -Tracks 2 thru 5 
Steven Huff: Engineer, Producer -Tracks 1 - 5 
Eddie Money’s Sound Man: Engineer -Tracks 6 and 7 
Bruce Botnick: Producer, Engineer -Tracks 8, 9 and 10 and 17 - 20  
Rik Pekkonen: Engineer -Tracks 8, 9 and 10 
John Jansen: Producer, Engineer -Tracks 11 - 16 
Andy Johns: Re-Mix Engineer -Track 16  
8 Track Studio Owner: Engineer -Tracks 14 and 15 
Larry  Whitman:  Producer -Tracks 21 and 22





Tuesday, July 21

Orange Juice - Live 1982 & 1983

Victoria Park
London, UK
Hiroshima Peace Day Festival
August 6, 1983


audience recording (sound quality VG- to VG; chatty folks near the taper must be endured, but this is otherwise a decent recording)


01 Lovesick
02 Falling and Laughing
03 Dying Day
04 Breakfast Time
05 In a Nutshell
06 Bridge
07 Poor Old Soul
08 Day I Went Down to Texas
09 Tender Object
10 Rip It Up
11 I Can't Help Myself
   
ROB SEZ: After the Josef K post last Friday, I thought the right thing to do would be to feature Orange Juice, fellow Scotsmen and Postcard Records label-mates to Josef K.
 
THANKS TO THE TAPER, to MATB for the original share, and to Zombiwoof for the re-share.

Keele University
Staffordshire, UK
Nov. 24, 1982

audience recording (sound quality VG-; vocals sound distant, but fans will still want to hear this)

01 Lovesick
02 Dying Day
03 Flesh of My Flesh
04 In a Nutshell
05 Falling & Laughing
06 Breakfast Time
07 Poor Old Soul
08 I Can't Help Myself
09 Tender Object
10 Rip It Up
11 Simply Thrilled Honey
12 I'll Take You There
13 Lovesick

EXTRA THANKS to Sniffer and Brandon for sharing.

 


Orange Juice:
Edwyn Collins - guitar, vocals
Malcolm Ross - guitar, keyboards
Dave McLymont - bass
Zeke Manyika - drums



Learn more about the music of Orange Juice
at Wikipedia and/or AllMusic


Friday, July 17

Josef K - Live 1981

Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh, Scotland
June 12, 1981


audience recording (sound quality VG-; lineage unknown, but it sounds like a 2nd-generation tape of a pretty good audience recording without excessive crowd noise)

Josef K - The mysterious, short-lived, fabulous Scottish band lasted about 3 years

MULTIPLE THANKS to the band for sharing these with the fans!

ROB SEZ: Musically a melange of Gang of Four, Joy Division, The Feelies, and early Talking Heads, Josef K were ahead of their time. But it's never too late to enjoy their music. Franz Ferdinand says they wouldn't exist if it hadn't been for Josef K. Check the sample to find out why Trouser Press called Josef K "the definitive Scottish neo-pop masters" of their era.


SAMPLE: "Heart of Song" (Edinburgh 1981)


01 Applebush
02 Fun ’n’ Frenzy
03 Heart of Song
04 Revelation
05 The Angle
06 Sixteen Years
07 It’s Kinda Funny
08 Forever Drone
09 Citizens
10 Sorry for Laughing



Trinity Hall
Bristol, UK
Aug. 2, 1981

 
audience recording (sound quality VG; sound quality waits until 2nd song to improve, but this is a very solid-sounding audie)

Tape case insert courtesy of Clifford S
01 Chance Meeting
02 Fun ’n’ Frenzy
03 Forever Drone
04 Heart of Song
05 The Missionary
06 Sorry for Laughing
07 It’s Kinda Funny
08 Heaven Sent
09 The Angle


10 Adoration

M4A@256

JOSEF K:
Paul Haig - guitar, vocals
Malcom Ross - guitar, vocals,
                       keyboard
David Weddell - bass
Ronnie Torrance - drums

Learn more about the music of Josef K at the band's web site. Read a bio of the band 
at Les Disques du Crepuscule.
 

Tuesday, July 14

Mommyheads - Sweden 2010 (FM)

Cave Theater
Sundbyberg, Sweden
May 22, 2010

FM recording


This is 'ASH Tuesday' post #4

QUITE LARGE THANKS to Mick and the late, great ASH music blog (R.I.P.) for sharing this one years ago (and turning me on to an outstanding band I'd never heard of).

The Mommyheads are awesome!
There will be more Mommyheads posts here in the future.
Meanwhile, go check out their digital releases at Bandcamp.

     

Friday, July 10

Let's Active - Los Angeles 1989

Club Lingerie
Los Angeles, CA
March 24, 1989

Mitch at a Let's Active show, 1989

audience recording (sound quality: VG; a solid audience recording from the master tape with only a modest amount of crowd noise)
 
ROB SEZ: One of the better late-period L.A. shows in my collection, with a good performance & sound quality.

01 stage entrance, tuning
02 Orpheus In Hades Lounge
03 Night Train
04 Fell
05 Sweepstakes Winner
06 Horizon
07 In Little Ways
08 Too Bad
09 I Feel Funny
10 Mr. Fool
11 Badger
12 Every Word Means No
13 Last Chance Town
14 Every Dog Has His Day
15 Ten Layers Down
 
MP3@320

Indianapolis show, 1986

Let’s Active:
Mitch Easter – guitars, vocals
Jon Heames - bass
Eric Marshall – drums
Angie Carlson – keyboards, vocals, additional guitar
 
WORD TO THE WISE: if you poke around a bit, you should find 
a very groovy set of bonus tracks somewhere... 

 

Tuesday, July 7

Plimsouls - Palomino Club 1980

North Hollywood, CA
May 28, 1980

FM recording

Unless they played here on successive nights,
I'm pretty sure this cover is off by one day...

THIS IS 'ASH TUESDAY' POST #3
(new blog feature: details are HERE)


BIG THANKS to Don from the late, great ASH music blog. In the original post, he wrote: Great bootleg, if a tad rough at the edges (the band were anyway). An absolute joy for fellow Plimsouls fans.

This set also appears on this boot
01 How Long Will It Take?
02 Now
03 Last Time
04 I Want What You Got
05 Everyday Things
06 I Want You Back
07 Hush, Hush
08 Great Big World
09 Hypnotized
10 Zero Hour
11 Come On Now
12 Night Train
13 Can't Turn You Loose


MP3@320
 

Friday, July 3

Sleater-Kinney - Barcelona, Spain 2015 (FM)

Primavera Sound Festival
Barcelona, Spain
May 29, 2015


 

WFMU-FM, Jersey City, NJ broadcast
(partial set; complete broadcast)

  
Sleater-Kinney: the sisters really ARE doin' it for themselves...
FM recording (sound quality: VG+)

ROB SEZ: I'm not really a fan, but I think they're doing the reunion thing right, just like The dB's: record some new songs & tour when you have something new to say and play. I've heard a few recent interviews with the band, and I admire them.


01 - Bury Our Friends
02 - Oh!
03 - Surface Envy
04 - Ironclad
05 - What's Mine Is Yours
06 - No Cities to Love
07 - Rollercoaster
08 - A New Wave
09 - One Beat
10 - All Hands On the Bad One
11 - The Fox
12 - Words and Guitar

World Cafe
La Cigale
Paris, France
March 20, 2015


WXPN-FM (Philadelphia, PA)

broadcast, May 13, 2015

FM recording
THESE & OTHER PHOTOS by: Marcus Moxham, sbastin, Clarissa Wolf
(sound quality: VG+)

13 World Cafe intro
14 Fangless
15 Price Tag
16 No Cities to Love
17 World Cafe outro

18 interview

MUCH THANKS to the tapers and sharers


MP3@320
 

Who’s Who:
Carrie Brownstein - 
    guitar, vocals
Conn Tucker - vocals, guitar
Jenet Weiss - drums

Katie Harkin - guitar, keyboards, percussion


SEEN THIS  YET?!?

Learn more about the music of Sleater-Kinney 
at the band's own site.
The album is No Cities to Love.