Friday, February 26

Bluetones - London 1996 (sbd)

Camden Roadhouse
London, UK
December 11, 1996

soundboard recording (quality Ex-) 

SAMPLE: "Carnt Be Trusted" (Camden 1996)


01 Don't Stand Me Down
The Bluetones: Down in the tube station at midnight
02 Bluetonic
03 The Devil Behind 
     My Smile
04 The Simple Things
05 Putting Out Fires
06 Carnt Be Trusted
07 Vampire
08 Slight Return
09 Sleazy Bed Track
10 Marblehead Johnson 
11 Driftwood
12 Time and Again
13 Are You Blue or 
     Are You Blind?
14 Cut Some Rug
15 Things Change


TT: 69 mins.

BIG THANKS to titiemon2 for sharing

ROB SEZ: The Bluetones might be handily summarized as second-tier Britpop. But if you give them a chance, they might just move into your top tier. Song for song, their musical excellence exceeds that of Oasis. Hit the sample and listen for yourself. Thanks to the ASH crew for the inspiration. 






The Bluetones:
Mark Morriss - vocals
Adam Devlin - guitar
Scott Morriss - bass
Eds Chesters - drums 






Learn more about the music of The Bluetones at their official site, FB and Wikipedia
   

Tuesday, February 23

David Sylvian - Promise (rarities)

fan-made compilation of DS rarities
various sources + recording info

soundboard + vinyl rips (quality VG+ to 
                                       Ex-)

DISC 1
01 Promise
02 Some Small Hope 
03 Goodnight
04 Bamboo Houses
05 Bamboo Music
06 Forbidden Colours
07 How Safe Is Deep?
08 To a Reason
09 Victim of Stars
10 Heartbeat (promo mix)
11 Preparations for a Journey
12 The Women at the Well
13 Taking the Veil (Mendelssohn Mix)
14 Weathered Wall (instrum.)
15 Epiphany

DISC 2
01 Pop Song
02 Blue of Noon
03 Buoy (remix)
04 Come Morning
05 The Golden Way
06 Maya
07 Ti Ho Aspettato (I Have Waited) 
08 I Drink to Forget
09 When Love Walks In
10 Cloud 9
11 Tallow Moon
12 Le Pollen
13 Earthbound (Snowblind)
14 Endgame

ROB SEZ: The former front man for Japan has had one of the most fascinating and distinguished musical careers of all the "New Wave" progenitors. Perhaps only David Bowie had a more storied and musically engrossing path. I've got more DS and Japan rarities, but will need some comments to encourage me to share...
ALL PRAISES to the original compiler & sharer 
and to Don at the old ASH blog for sharing with me.
ASH Tuesday post #35.

Learn more about the music of David  Sylvian at his web site, FB page, Wikipedia and this impressive fan site
   

Friday, February 19

Teardrop Explodes - Demos & Outtakes

First album photo shoot, Brian Griffin photo
'The Curate's Egg'
Demos & Studio Outtakes 
various recording dates & sources
c. 1978 - 1982

sound quality range: VG- to VG
Due to the condition of the source tapes, there's some distortion, hiss, etc. But I tidied them up a bit using light noise reduction, channel re-balancing, and modest eq'ing. 
Not pristine by any means, but listenable.

01 Count to Ten (demo)
02 The Challenger (demo)
03 Not My Only Friend (demo)
04 Serious Danger (demo - instrm.)
05 Pussyface (demo - instrm.)
06 The Great Dominions (demo)
07 The Culture Bunker (demo)
08 Flipped Out On LSD (demo - shorter, instrum.)
09 Flipped Out On LSD (demo - long version)
10 The Butcher's Tale (outtake - shorter - instrum.)
11 The Butcher's Tale (outtake - long version - instrum.)  
12 Blaze Star (outtake - brief instrum.)
13 Tiny Children (outtake)
14 Suffocate (outtake)
15 Log Cabin (outtake)
  

TT: 60 mins.
ROB SEZ: Above are selected tracks from the “Screaming Secrets” vinyl boot + “Demos & Curios” set. To the best of my knowledge, none has ever been officially released. Some sound like demos, others sound like studio outtakes from album sessions. I have reason to believe the last 3 or 4 tracks are from early recording sessions for the projected (but later aborted) third Teardrop Explodes album. 
A “curate's egg”:
noun - something that has both good and bad parts
Derived from a cartoon in Punch (November, 1895) in which a meek curate, who has been served a bad egg while breakfasting with his bishop, replies, Oh no, my Lord, I assure you that parts of it are excellent!

ROB SEZ (AGAIN): for my money, the better parts of this egg are found starting with track 6, in which David Balfe's over-done keyboard parts are balanced out by Cope's voice and other instruments. Have fun being your own curate / curator...

Learn more about the music of TTE 
at Wikipedia and AllMusic


Tuesday, February 16

Teardrop Explodes - Two BBC Shows, 1981

Guildford Civic Hall
Guildford, Surrey
June 18, 1981

FM broadcast for the BBC 
(sound quality VG+)

01 Read It In Books
02 Thief of Baghdad
03 Sleeping Gas
04 Passionate Friend
05 Like Leila Khaled Said 
06 Suffocate
07 Poppies In the Field
08 The Culture Bunker
09 Reward
10 Went Crazy
11 Screaming Secrets
12 When I Dream
13 The Great Dominions
14 Treason

Flip Martian, my source for this share, writes: "A show from the UK tour at the height of their popularity — with their debut album released the previous year and two hit singles in 1981. Including tracks from that album and their second, due to be released a few months later, including “Passionate Friend”, which would be their next hit single. This was an FM radio broadcast and has responded well to remastering — plenty of punch to this show."

BIG THANKS to Flip for prepping & sharing this one. Check out his Live & Loud blog for more cool radio shows. (I probably also need to thank Thull for posting this years ago; not sure who exactly originated it.)

The Apollo
Manchester, England
June 11, 1981

FM broadcast for the BBC 
(sound quality VG+)

01 Read It In Books
02 Thief of Baghdad
03 Sleeping Gas
04 Passionate Friend
05 Like Leila Khaled Said 
06 Suffocate
07 Poppies In the Field
08 The Culture Bunker
09 Reward
10 Went Crazy
11 Screaming Secrets
12 When I Dream
13 The Great Dominions
14 Treason

Rumor says this one was slated for official release, 
but subsequently scrapped.
MP3@320 (Manchester set = VBR@high quality)

ROB SEZ: Not technically an ASH share, since these shows came from elsewhere. But in honor of my compadres at the late, great ASH blog, I'm still calling this one...
ASH Tuesday post #34.

Friday, February 12

Supernaturals - Soundcloud Rarities Collection

demos, live sessions, rarities
various dates, venues & sources

FM & soundboard sources (quality range VG to VG++) 
      
The earlier, goofier days of The Supernaturals. Hearing the grass grow in 1994.

01 Bird Has Flown (Jump The Q, 1995)
02 Sitting In The Sun (Jump The Q, 1995)
03 Love Has Passed Away (Jump The Q, 1996)
They went to VENEZUELA to snap this one.
(OK, not really....)
04 Magnet (Jump The Q, 1996)
05 I Wasn't Built To Get Up
     (GLR Robert Elms Show, Oct. 1997)
06 Motorcycle Parts
     (GLR Robert Elms Show, Oct. 1997) 
07 Trees (Evening Session 97)
08 Glimpse of the Light (Evening Session 97)
09 Let Me Know (Evening Session 97)
10 Love Has Passed Away
     (Evening Session 97)
11 Prepare to Land (Astoria 97)
12 Smile (Astoria 97)
13 Lazy Lover (Astoria 97)
14 Love Has Passed Away (Astoria 97)
15 Day Before Yesterday's Man (Astoria 97)
16 Can't Get Back to Normal
17 Deep In My Heart    
18 Dark Star (instrumental)    
19 Sheffield Song (demo)
20 Motorcycle Parts (piano demo)
21 Please Be Gentle With Me (Phil Vinall version, rough mix)

ROB SEZ: A musical cynic might say Scotland's Supernaturals are a poor man's Teenage Fanclub. But that would be an unfair dismissal of the band's considerable pop charms. Check the sample & decide for yourself. MUCHOS GRACIAS to the band for sharing these.

THE SUPERNATURALS TODAY: still making catchy pop music that's worth hearing.
The Supernaturals:
Derek McManus, James McColl, Gavin Crawford & Mark Guthrie.

The album 360 was released in 2015

Learn more about the music of The Supernaturals at the band's official site, Wikipedia and AllMusic.


Tuesday, February 9

The 88 - KCRW 2005 + 2008

'Morning Becomes Eclectic'
KCRW-FM
Santa Monica, CA
Sept. 22, 1005 + Oct. 31, 2008

FM (or possibly web stream) captures (sound quality Ex-)



ALL PRAISES to Mick, who compiled these and made the artwork, and to Don, who posted it all at the old ASH blog. Check out Don's new pop music reflection & discussion blog, Anything Should Happen Again.

MP3@320
        
NEVER HEARD OF The 88? AllMusic describes the group as "a pop band from southern California that blends British Invasion melodies with a subtle but potent instrumental approach that recalls David Bowie and other '70s rock icons."
Learn more about the music of The 88 
at Wikipedia, the band's own site & FB.
ASH Tuesday post #33.

  

Tuesday, February 2

Tim Finn - Before & After Sessions + Live '83

'Before & After' aborted album sessions
Studio Demos & Outtakes
circa 1992
location unknown

soundboard recordings (sound quality Ex-) 

01 Funny Way
02 Don't Break Down
03 He's In Love
04 Secret Heart
05 Things I Never Said
06 Try Something
07 Walk You Home
08 Hardly Here at All
09 Persuasion
10 Hit the Ground Running 
11 One Side Only


Melbourne, Australia
unknown venue
October 1983

   
FM recording (sound quality VG to VG+)

First known live recording of Tim as a solo artist

01 Through the Years
02 Below the Belt
03 Grand Adventure
04 Growing Pains
05 Not For Nothing
06 Shape I'm In (Joe Camilleri)
07 I Only Want to Know
08 Dock of the Bay
09 Fraction Too Much Friction
10 In a Minor Key
11 Ain't That New (Venetta Fields)
12 Staring at the Embers
13 Made My Day

ROB SEZ: Gotta like Tim Finn. I know the guys at the old ASH blog join me in saying he's a nice guy who makes listenable, engaging pop. (I didn't ask 'em, exactly, but they posted these sets at ASH, so I think I'm on pretty solid ground.) Thanks, Don!

ASH Tuesday post #32.