D a w e s - Live Sessions 2015 & 2016

'Morning Becomes Eclectic'
KCRW-FM

D a w e s - what a difference a year makes

Santa Monica, CA
June 3, 2015 
+ Oct. 18, 2016

web stream (sound quality Ex-)

01 Don't Send Me Away
02 All Your Favorite Bands
03 When My Time Comes
04 Somewhere Along the Way

05 A Little Bit of Everything
06 Things Happen
07 Right On Time (fades out)
 
08 One of Us
09 Roll With the Punches
10 We're All Gonna Die
11 When the T*quila Runs Out
12 Quitter
13 Things Happen
14 Roll Tide
15 Desperados Under the Eaves (W. Zevon cover)

01 - 07 = June 3, 2015 live session

08 - 15 = Oct. 18, 2016 live session

Iridium Jazz Club

New York, N.Y.

Aug. 17, 2016

audio rip from DVD (sound quality Ex-; ripped from Kigonjiro's DVD of the "Front and Center" live broadcast)

01 If I Wanted Someone
02 I Can't Think About It Now 

03 When the T*quila Runs Out 

04 From a Window Seat 

05 Things Happen 

06 One of Us 

07 A Little Bit of Everything 

08 Roll With the Punches 

09 When My Time Comes 

10 All Your Favorite Bands

ROB SEZ: What a difference a year can make — at least in the sound of a band. At first, D a w e s seemed content with its Sound of Laurel Canyon tag. As late as the 2015 Morning Becomes Eclectic live set, you can still hear the vestiges of Joni M, Jackson B, and Warren Z — with a dollop of the Band thrown in for good measure. Sometimes, it sounds pretty groovy. But other times, it strikes my ears as dated and unoriginal. Fast forward to last year's impressive We're All Gonna Die album. The band chucked most of the warmed-over-So-Cal elements, kept the strong vocal harmonies and great rock foundation, and added some just-right 21st century flourishes. ALL PRAISES to KCRW and Kigonjiro for sharing these live sets with the world.
               

MP3@320

The band's amazing recent album 
We're All Gonna Die is available HERE

Learn more about the music of D a w e s at the band's official site, FB page and AllMusic

Chris Von Sneidern - Unreleased, Covers & Demos

Unreleased Songs, Covers & Demos
various recording locales & dates

soundboard recordings (quality range VG+ to Ex-)

01 Little Guy
02 House Horse
03 Where Is the World Tonight?
04 I Disclaim the World
05 I Could Love Her Again
06 Judy
07 Shake Some Rice
08 Want You (demo)
09 One Side In Heaven (demo)
10 Gemini (demo)
11 Open Wide (demo)
12 Dream Away (demo)
13 Somedays (demo)
14 The Ballad (demo 1)
15 The Ballad (demo 2)
16 Too Much to Do (demo)
17 She Doesn't Get Made Up (demo)
18 Watch Them Ride Away (demo)
19 Ballad of El Goodo
20 Thirteen
21 Unkind (Japan-7 Inch)
22 Without a Prayer (Japan 7-Inch)
23 Chin Ho's Lament
24 Go to Bed
        
ROB SEZ: My friends at the old ASH music blog helped me discover the joy of Chris Von Sneidern's music back in 2014, which prompted THIS post featuring rare and unreleased CvS tracks. Now, thanks to Don, I bring you another helping. No time to post a sample for this one, but I'm pretty sure you won't regret taking a risk on it. Do check out Chris' music if you're not already familiar with it.
       
MP3@320 

This is ASH Tuesday post #60

Died Pretty - Live in Italy & NYC 1986

Q-BO Club

Bologna, Italy

Dec. 22, 1986

audience recording (sound quality VG to VG+; transferred from a multi-generation tape source, but the sound is full & well-balanced) 

 

01 stage entrance, tuning

02 Landsakes (Life to Go)

03 Round and Round

04 Stoneage Cinderella

05 Blue Sky Day

06 Wig-Out

07 World Without

08 Towers of Strength

09 Everybody Moves

10 Just Skin

11 Winterland

12 Heroin (Velvet Underground cover)

13 Mirror Blues

14 Final Twist

   
CBGB

New York, NY

November 1, 1986

audience recording (sound quality VG++; master tape source; the sound is impressive for an audience recording in a club; no intrusive crowd noise; this is the entire set played that night)

01 Mercedes Benz (tease) 

02 Out of the Unknown

03 Stoneage Cinderella

04 Everybody Moves

05 Towers of Strength

06 Desperate Hours

07 Mirror Blues

08 Final Solution (Pere Ubu cover)
   

ROB SEZ: Died Pretty are from Sydney, Australia by way of Brisbane. Kinda hard to describe their sound, but it’s an impressive mix of Iggy & the Stooges, Velvet Underground / Lou Reed, New York Dolls, Pere Ubu and ... I’m not sure what else. You get the feeling they want to be the best possible fusion of alt. rock, indie, progressive, “art music” and psychedelica. The amazing thing is, they actually pull it off most of the time. Massive thanks to the tapers & sharers: whoever taped the Bologna show plus SEETHEFUZZ7 and Stacheleber for sharing it; to THE KING OF ROCK for recording the CBGB show and to Realomind for sharing. (My apologies for the lossy share, but then again I don't think anyone's going to mistake this for your lossless versions!) Died Pretty have posted some freebies and low-cost rarities on their Bandcamp pages. Grab ‘em while you can.

DIED PRETTY -  still playing live shows today, like this one in 2016

MP3@320

Learn more about Died Pretty's music at

the band's site (rather minimal), Wikipedia and AllMusic  

Cotton Mather - Live On the Radio

Live Sessions

1999 and 2002

GLR - BBC, London, UK

Jan. 3, 1999

+

Los Conciertos de Radio 3, Spain

March 28, 2002

FM recordings (sound quality VG to VG++; UK recordings are probably FM captures; 2002 set could be from a web stream) 

01 She's Only Cool

02 Camp Hill Operator

03 Password

04 Lost My Motto

05 Homefront Cameo

06 Spin My Wheels

07 Church of Wilson

Robert Harrison is Cotton Mather's main dude (seen here in 2012)

08 band interview
     (with 3 live songs)*

09 The Last of
     the Mohicans

10 40 Watt Solution

11 She's Only Cool

12 Panama Slides

13 Camp Hill Rail Operator
14 Monterrey Honey

15 AMPs of Sugarland

16 My Before and After

17 Pine Box Builder

18 Robert Harrison
     interview

NOTES:

01-07 = GLR - BBC 1999 set
09-18 = Los Conciertos de Radio 3 (2002)
*08 = band interview with BBC's Gary Crowley after the release of The Big Picture, c. 2002. The three live songs are Baby Freeze Queen, 40 Watt Solution & Panama Slides. There’s a signal drift problem that crops up about halfway through, but you can ignore it if you try.
For those who pay attention to such things, the two UK live tracks from the Kontiki-era singles are not included herein. Haper compiled those and other Cotton Mather goodies over at Popfair (HERE & HERE).

SAMPLE: "40 Watt Solution" (live 2002)


ROB SEZ: Regular readers of this blog know we love to celebrate lesser-known groups worth hearing, especially those with a Beatlesque bent. Cotton Mather is right in line, sporting inventive melodies, sharp lyrics & frontman Robert Harrison's uncanny Lennon-esque vocal style. Cotton Mather went by the boards in 2003 so Harrison could regroup and re-think his musical direction. He emerged in 2007 with the Future Clouds & Radar collaborative. But Cotton Mather reunited occasionally for live shows and, just last year, released Death of the Cool, an album of all-new studio material. The band even played a couple of times this week at SxSW. Check the sample & enjoy. THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO NICK, who kindly supplied the rare stuff you're about to enjoy. If you can find it, there's also a bonus mystery share somewhere around here...
         

Ironic title for the band's 2016 studio album — this album is very cool!
Buy it in all formats (except cassette) HERE

MP3

1999 set = MP3@320 kbps (band interview @192)
2002 set = MP3@VBR (med. bit rate)

   

Learn more about Cotton Mather's music at 
the band's web page, FB page & Wikipedia

     

Lilac Time - Brighton Beach & Glasgow 1990

Brighton Beach
East Sussex, UK
June 10, 1990

FM recording (sound quality VG+; sounds like it's from a 2nd- or 3rd-generation tape source) 

01 Black Velvet
02 talk
03 The Girl Who Waves at Trains
04 talk
05 You've Got to Love
06 talk
07 I Went to the Dance
08 The Ship Sails On
09 talk
10 Reunion Ball
11 talk
12 American Eyes
13 Julie Written On the Fence
14 talk
15 If the Stars Shine Tonight

King Tut's

Glasgow, Scotland 

Oct. 3, 1990

audience recording (sound quality VG- to VG; no warts to speak of; just not a pristine recording) 

01 Fields

02 All For Love

03 Paperboat

04 The Girl Who Waves 

     at Trains

05 American Eyes

06 I Went to the Dance

07 The Road to Happiness

08 Black Velvet

09 The Weed Generation (chat)

10 Return to Yesterday

11 You've Got to Love

12 And the Ship Sails On

13 If the Stars Shine Tonight

14 Icing on the Cake

15 Lost Girl In the Midnight Sun

16 She Still Loves You

17 Kiss Me -- Raspberry Beret

ROB SEZ: If you don't know the band's music, think of the Lilac Time as what might've happened to Nick Drake's music if he'd survived his melancholia, recruited a couple of bandmates, and found some contentment. This is rustic, folk-based, England-centric, classy pop music. The Lilac Time is still making music as a trio (above photo), and currently working on a new studio album. A strange-but-true fact about main dude Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy: he was a founding member of Duran Duran. MASSIVE THANKS to John (R.I.P.) for recording & to Don for sharing. This Lilac Time two-fer is courtesy of the old ASH blog (may it rest in musical peace!).
        

ASH Tuesday post #59

MP3@320

 

Learn more about the music of Lilac Time at 
the band's official site, FB page & AllMusic

   

Blood Oranges - Demo Collection c. 1988-1994

Studio Demo Collection

c. 1988 to 1994

various locales & personnel (details in info file) 

soundboard recordings (quality range VG to VG++; 
Vol. 1 is transferred from a master tape source; Vol. 2 source is 2nd-generation)

Volume 1

artwork by Rob-in-Brevard (included in DL, of course!)

First recording session, home demos

01 White Freight Line

02 Shout

03 Little Maggie

04 Shady Grove

  

Fort Apache, Boston, MA 

05 Sally

06 Dig a Hole

07 Shady Grove #2

08 Shout #2

09 Face Up

10 Racehorse

11 Miss It All

12 Fire Escape

13 Incinerator
  

Mark's home studio 

14 Heart of Mud

15 Baby Down

16 Time Takes Away

17 Western Man

18 House Boat

19 This Old Town

Volume 2

Lone Green Valley outtake

01 White Freight Line #2

  

1992 demos

02 How Could You?

03 Hinges

04 Handles

05 Face Up #2

06 Miss It All #2

07 Titanic

08 Here’s to You

09 This Old Town #2

10 Lonesome Too

  

Crying Tree pre-production

11 Shine

12 [untitled Cheri tune]

  

UNRELEASED Christmas single 

13 Spellbound

  

Winter '94 demos

14 Spellbound #2

15 Sweet Lies

16 Everybody Knew (aka Sweetheart)

17 Throwback Bitch

18 Local One

19 Bed of Clowns

ROB SEZ: In the mood for some some excellent alt-country / Americana? If so, check out the late, great Blood Oranges. In its various incarnations, the band sported some talented musicians, including Jimmy Ryan and Cheri Knight. I'd heard these demos existed, but had no access until Realomind (the man of the hour) helped me out. Humongous thanks to him. Please honor Realomind’s request: do not sell these recordings or convert to lossy, except for personal use.

Blood Oranges: (members at one time or another) 
Jimmy Ryan - vocals, mandolin
Mark Spencer - guitar, vocals
Andy Churchill - guitar
Cheri Knight - bass, vocals
Ron Ward - drums
Bob Kendall - bass, vocals
Keith Levreault - drums

NOTE: Others who played with Blood Oranges over the years included Matt Elmes and Lys Wood. BONUS! Andy C. got in touch and sent some demo tape covers from 1988 & '89, which you can find HERE. Thank you kindly, Andy.

WAV lossless files

Learn more about the music of Blood Oranges at Trouser Press & AllMusic
     

We 💙 NYC Taper

Love Note to NYC Taper

💜

Dear NYC Taper,

How the heck do you do it?

How do you and your team get to so many NYC-area concerts by amazing musical artists, record the shows with the permission of the bands/artists, capture great soundboard-matrix or ambient recordings, give them away at your site — only to turn around and do it again a week later? You are indeed New York's live music archivist.

As someone who merely dabbles part-time in the whole music-web-fandom nexus, it's clear to me you're the real deal. Please allow a brief moment of immodest gushing:

I'm amazed.

I'm in awe.

I'm your fan.

If anyone's reading this and not familiar with NYC Taper, they really should check out this listing of the hundreds of recordings available at your site — in lossless as well as lossy formats. Looks like there's about 100 of 'em in 2016 alone. My awe grows when I realize the recordings now reach back at least a decade.

Just a few months ago, I learned from you the Long Ryders (a band I love) had reunited to play some live shows. You created and shared a 21-song soundboard-audience matrix recording of the band's gig at the Bowery Ballroom. Of course I snagged it, and loved it. While at your site, I noted you also have live recordings by Wilco, Teenage Fanclub, Sloan, Yo La Tengo and so many others — and those were the ones that caught my eye on your 2016 list. In the past two days, you posted two Robyn Hitchcock solo shows. So much good music; so little time.

The Long Ryders' reunion show, Bowery Ballroom, NYC, Nov. 2016
photo from NYC Taper, shot by PSquared

May I just say, NYC Taper: what you're doing is stunning. It's a lovely, labor-intensive, exquisite thing. Musically speaking, your project is a reflection of your extraordinary city. New York and what you're doing there: both make me glad to be alive in this cruel, crazy, beautiful world.

Please carry on, NYCTaper — as long as you find satisfaction & fulfillment. As a fan, I hope that's for a good, long while. May you and your team prosper, and discover that all you're giving to music and music fans returns to you a hundredfold.

With awe & admiration,

Rob-in-Brevard

Crowded House - Winterthur 1991 (sbd) + bonus

'Stage Time'

Albani Musicclub

Winterthur, Switzerland

Oct. 28, 1991

    

soundboard recording (quality Ex-; ripped from my original silver boot CDs)

SAMPLE: "It's Only Natural" (live 1991)

01 Tall Trees

Crowded House: then there were 4 when Tim joined

02 Something So Strong

03 Weather With You

04 Into Temptation

05 There Goes God

06 World Where You Live 

07 It's Only Natural

08 All I Ask

09 Don't Dream It's Over

10 Mean to Me

11 When You Come

12 Chocolate Cake

13 Fall at Your Feet*

14 Sister Madly (with classical solo)

15 How'm I Gonna Sleep?

16 I See Red (brief)

17 The Weeping Song (brief)

18 Better Be Home Soon

19 Throw Your Arms Around Me

20 Four Seasons In One Day

*The song "The Same Language As Me" follows "Fall at Your Feet" in the original running order. However, that performance is omitted from this share because it was officially released on the recent Together Alone album reissue.

TT: 1 hr. 33 mins.

The House got a little too Crowded when Tim joined

ROB SEZ: Recorded during the brief period in the band's history when Neil's brother Tim joined Crowded House for the Woodface album and tour. Although histories of the group say it was an awkward period for band dynamics, I think it made for some pretty great music, as evidenced in this recording, with superb sound quality. Add a couple of rare songs, and you have an ROIO to treasure.

Crowded House:

Neil Finn - vocals, guitar

Tim Finn - vocals, guitar

Paul Hester (R.I.P.) - drums, 
                   backing vocals 

Nick Seymour - bass, backing vocals

Mark Hart - keyboards, backing vocals

(Mark H. became an official member of the band after the recording of the Woodface album)

MP3@320

The Mullanes

Homestead Hotel

Brisbane, Australia 

May 26, 1985

audience recording (sound quality VG-; vocals somewhat distant & there's plenty of crowd noise — but this is musical history, people!!)

01 Recurring Dream 

02 Can't Carry On 

03 Oblivion 

04 One Step Ahead 

05 Seen You Before 

06 Breaking My Back 

07 Return (The Reels cover) 

08 That's What I Call Love 

09 Left Hand 

10 Hello Sandy Allen (Split Enz cover) 

11 Galfriend 

12 Not Fade Away 

13 improv 

15 Walking On the Spot 

16 Now We're Getting Somewhere 

17 This is Massive

18 The Creek Song*

*Track 18 = bonus track, rarely-played song, live at The Tivoli, Sydney, NSW, AUS 1985-05-29 (aud)

ROB SEZ: After Split Enz and before Crowded House, there was the short-lived Mullanes (Mullane is Neil Finn's middle name). After dismissing guitarist Craig Hooper and refining the band's sound, Crowded House was born in late 1985. In this rare recording, you hear the origins of Neil Finn's most popular musical vehicle. Mega thanks to the taper, Atlasstar and simplewisdom for sharing, and the amazing Janemusic for providing so much rare Enz/Crowdies/Finns music over the years.

MP3@320

Learn more about the music of Crowded House at 
Neil Finn's official site, the Crowded House FB page 
& the amazing Frenz fan site