Friday, December 16

Dentists - Mega Rarities Collection 1983-1994

Rehearsals, Demos & Alts + Live Versions
1983-1994

various sources, variable sound quality (range = GD to VG++)

The Dentists as young men, pondering their musical futures...
Rehearsals, Demos, Alt. Versions
01 First Ever Rehearsal (1983 montage)
02 I'm Not the Devil (demo)
03 You Make Me Say It Somehow (demo)
DENTISTS:  UK contenders in 1980s & '90s
04 A Fine Day (rehearsal)
05 Excellent Dream (rehearsal)
06 Purple Haze (rehearsal)
07 Something That Will Never 
     Happen (early rehearsal)
08 Black Magic (rehearsal)
09 Reading the News (rehearsal)
10 What the Fat Controller Said 
       (rehearsal) 
11 She Dazzled Me With Basil 
       (rehearsal)
12 Ugly (rehearsal)
13 She Dazzled Me With Basil (demo)
14 Peppermint Dreams (demo)
15 What the Fat Controller Said 
       (demo)
16 You Took Me By Surprise (demo)
17 Dawn Overdone (demo)
18 Ugly (demo)
19 Reading the News (demo)
20 Crimson Skies (demo)
21 She Dazzled Me With Basil
      (rough mix)
22 Daffodil Scare (rehearsal)
23 (We Thought We'd Got to) Heaven
       (rehearsal)
24 Kebab House Crawl (rehearsal)
25 Ugly (1987 version)
26 Box of Sun (early version)
27 Outside Your Inside (demo)
28 Ace of Spades (rehearsal)
29 I Believe In Father Christmas (rehearsal)

The Dentists: lounging around at the War Memorial, 1986
Live Versions 1984-1994
01 Crime of the Century (live 1984)
Photo shoot for 1st album, 1985
02 The Sun In the Sands (live 1984)
03 Doreen (live 1984)
04 Everything In the Garden (live 1985)
05 Tony Bastable vs. John Noakes 
       (live 1985)
06 Watcha Gonna Do About It (live 1985)
07 The Little Engineers Set (live 1985)
08 You Took Me By Surprise (live 1985)
09 Crimson Skies (live 1985)
10 Wheel's On Fire (live 1985)
11 I Tripped Across the Skyline
        (live 1986)
12 Writhing On the Shagpile (live 1986)
13 Punk Rock (live 1986)
14 Both Sides Now (live Feb. 1987)
15 Both Sides Now (live March 1987)
16 We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together (live 1987)
17 The Dentists on WFMU
18 Writhing on the Shagpile (live 1994)
19 This is Not My Flag & chat (live)

MP3@320

Alt. link (Filefactory)

ROB SEZ: For UK music fans in the mid-1980s to mid-90s, the Dentists were a viable alternative if more popular New Wave / Alternative / Indie acts weren't floating your boat — if, say, Morrissey wasn't your cup of morose tea. The Dentists had enough jangle, tunefulness and all-around smarts to propel them to "next big thing" status in the early 1990s — just before they broke up, of course! ALL SORTS OF LAVISH PRAISE goes to Dentists guitarist Bob Collins as well as Nicholson Burr for opening up their musical archives for the fans. If you're new to the band and want to check them out, don't start here. For beginners, I recommend either 1985's Some People Are On the Pitch or 1994's Behind the Door I Keep the Universe. A note of caution: my ears tell me there's been no attempt to clean up the sound in these archival tracks. So keep your expectations sufficiently low, and you'll likely find much to enjoy. I've sequenced them in chronological order. (Detailed source info for all tracks are in the Comments tags.)
   
Not gone, not forgotten: band & friends, rehearsing for a reunion show in 2015
fab photo by Phil Dillon
Learn more about the music of The Dentists at 


Thursday, December 15

Bruce Cockburn & Friends - 'Xmas With Cockburn' 1991 + '93

Columbia Records Radio Hour
'Christmas With Cockburn'
1991 + 1993

Bearsville Theatre 
Woodstock, N.Y.
December 15, 1991

FM recordings (sound quality: VG+) 

01 intro + Lovers 
     In a Dangerous Time
02 Silent Night*
03 Dream Like Mine
04 God Rest Ye 
     Merry Gentlemen
05 It Came Upon a 
     Midnight Clear*
06 If a Trees Falls
07 Cry of a Tiny Babe**
08 Waiting for a Miracle*

* w/ Sam Phillips (lead vocal on 05)
** w/ Sam Phillips & T-Bone Burnett

Musicians: David Mansfield, Richard Bell, Miche Pouliot, Colin Linden, John Dymond

Sony Music Studio
New York, N.Y.
December 12, 1993

09 intro
10 Wondering Where 
     the Lions Are 
11 I Saw Three Ships
12 Lament for the Last Days
13 Crystal Ball+
14 All I Want for Christmas+
15 Les Anges Dans 
     Nos Campagnes+
16 God Rest Ye 
     Merry Gentlemen
17 Incandescent Blue
18 Rebel Jesus+
19 Away In a Manger+

+ w/ Jackson Browne (lead vocal on 13 + 18)

MP3@320

ROB SEZ: Took me a while to get into the spirit of the season, but it finally hit me the other day. This year especially, I want to hear holiday tunes sung by someone with a conscience, so I thought of Bruce Cockburn. (Many thanks to the original tapers & sharers.) I really dig his Christmas album. I think it's a classic.

It's not too late; buy now!

Friday, December 9

Max Indian - Pinhook, Durham, N.C. 2009 + bonus

The Pinhook
Durham, N.C.
Troika Music Fest 
Nov. 5, 2009
  
audience recording (sound quality VG; club show, so you know what to expect)
  
01 - intro
Groovy photos of Max Indian in 2010 by Elizabeth Lemon via Flickr
02 - Together at Last
03 - Never and Always
04 - Faster Than Light
05 - Free as the Wind
06 - Oughtaghetacamra 
07 - Lookout
08 - Now I Know
09 - Perfect Square
10 - Easy to Imagine
11 - Heaven Help Us
12 - Great Big World
13 - outro
 
14 - Lookout (Local 506, 
        Chapel Hill, N.C. 2009-07-24)
15 - Now I Know (Local 506, 
        Chapel Hill, N.C. 2009-07-24)
16 - Free as the Wind (Fifth Season 
        Gardening, Carrboro, NC 2009-05-09)
17 - Together at Last (Fifth Season Gardening, Carrboro, N.C. 2009-05-09)
18 - Whatever Goes Up (Local 506, Chapel Hill, N.C. 2010-03-26)
19 - The Man In Me (Dylan cover, FestiFall, Chapel Hill, N.C. 2009)
20 - Policy of Truth (Depeche Mode cover, Duke Gardens, Durham, N.C. 2010)

NOTES: Tracks 14-20 = assorted live tracks (audience recordings); LOTS O' THANKS to the following for recording and sharing: cotafloata, Alex Howard, Indyscanvideos




ROB SEZ: Max Indian was a short-lived band from Carrboro, N.C. I wouldn't have had a clue, except for Peter Holsapple ranting & raving about them. I checked out their debut album, and it's simply stunning. Taper cotafloata says, “Thanks to Max Indian for being one of the greatest bands of all time. Please show your support for them by buying the album at www.cdbaby.com/cd/maxindian or by checking out their related bands: The Dead Tongues, The Human Eyes, Mandolin Orange, and more.” To which I say: What he said. 
(Go have a look at cotafloata’s [Eric Chen’s] Soundcloud collection)


MP3@320 (assorted live tracks @256 kbps)


 
The debut album: a must!
Just how good is Max Indian's debut album?
Go to CDBaby & check a sample or two.
I predict you'll buy it immediately.

  
  

Friday, December 2

Revelers - Final Gig, Columbus, OH 1999 (sbd)

Springfest, Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
April 1999


This was the band’s final gig, opening for Guided By Voices. There were a few reunion shows in 2006 and 2007.
   


soundboard recording (quality: VG++)
Final gig at OSU in Columbus, OH 1999

01 There's a Way
02 Silver Ship
03 Detroit Bridge
04 Radiator Girl
05 Happy Hunting Gentlemen
06 Where Are You?
07 Fortunate Son
08 Yeah Yeah Yeah
09 Good Things
10 Stop It, Baby
11 So Chemical


12 We Can Almost Do Anything*

*Live at Mather Courtyard, Case Western University, Cleveland, OH July 21, 1990 (thanks to clevelandlivemusic for sharing)

ROB SEZ: Once again, I have my pals at the defunct ASH blog to thank for my hearing about this great little band from Ohio. Give the sample a listen, then go find their 2 albums on SpinArt records (I'm afraid the other releases are as hard to find as hen's teeth).

The Revelers:
Andrej Cuturic - guitar, vocals
Joel Kaufman - guitar, vocals
George Frank - bass
Tommy Fox - drums


The Revelers: yet another talent-packed band that never made it out of its regional scene

HEARTY THANKS to band member Tommy Fox for sharing this recording with the world
    
MP3@320
Learn more about the Revelers' music at 
the band's FB page and Discogs

Tuesday, November 29

Zeus - 'Busting Visions' Live (sbd) + More

'Busting Visions' Live
Ill Eagle recording studio 
Toronto, CN
March 2012


soundboard recording (quality VG++; would have rated this one Ex- except for a slight hiss you can hear occasionally between songs...)




01 Are You Gonna Waste My Time?
custom artwork, included in DL
02 Love / Pain
03 Anything You Want Dear
04 Let It Go, Don't Let It Go
05 Strong Mind
06 Bright Brown Opus / Love In a Game 
07 With Eyes Closed
08 Hello, Tender Love
09 Messenger's Way
10 Proud and Beautiful
11 Stop the Train
12 Cool Blue (and the things you do)
13 Now That I've Got You

MEGA THANKS to the band for recording and sharing this live version of the album Busting Visions (which I recommend checking out if you haven't already).

MP3@320

ROB SEZ: Although the above is not from the ASH guys, I'm still posting it under the ASH Tuesday banner. I would never have heard of this Canadian band without Don and Mick, who originally collected and shared the live sessions that appear below. All thanks to them.

Zeus - Live Sessions (2010-2014)

DON SEZ: Mick's collated a two-disc set of live sessions

DISC 1
01 A Strong Mind - CBC
02 Anything You Want Dear - CBC
03 Are You Gonna Waste My Time? - CBC
04 Love In a Game - CBC
05 Fever of the Time - CBC
06 The Sound of You - CBC
07 Airplane - Virgin Red Room
08 Now That I've Got You - Virgin Red Room
09 Are You Gonna Waste My Time? - Virgin 

      Red Room 
10 Love / Pain - The Verge
11 Are You Gonna Waste My Time? - The Verge
12 The Darkness - The Verge
13 Strong Mind - The Verge
14 Are You Gonna Waste My Time? - SXSW Austin, 
      March 14, 2012 
15 The River By the Garden - SXSW Austin, 

      March 14, 2012
16 Love / Pain - SXSW Austin, March 14, 2012
17 The Renegade - SXSW Austin, March 14, 2012


DISC 2
18 Heavy On Me - Soundscape
19 How Does It Feel? - Soundscape
20 I Know - Soundscape
21 Kindergarten - Soundscape
22 Marching Through Your Head - Soundscape 
23 The Renegade - Soundscape
24 Airplane - Exploremusic
25 Strong Mind - Exploremusic
26 How Does It Feel? - Q TV
27 Marching Through Your Head - Q TV
28 Anything You Want Dear - WFUV Studio A 

      in New York
29 Are You Gonna Waste My Time? - WFUV Studio 

      A in New York 
30 How Does It Feel? - Hillside Festival 2010
32 Strong Mind - Hillside Festival 2010

33 Fever of the Time - Acoustic on Backstage Pass

ASH Tuesday post #53

Learn more about the music of Zeus at the band's official site, Wikipedia and FB