Sundays - Brockport, NY 1990 + Leicester, UK 1992

Hartwell Hall Ballroom
S.U.N.Y. Brockport (university) 
Brockport, N.Y.
September 23, 1990

audience recording (sound quality: VG+)

The Sundays: mesmerizing the crowd in NYC

01 Can't Be Sure
02 I Won
03 I Kicked a Boy
04 A Certain Someone
05 Joy
06 What Do You Think? 
07 On Earth
08 Skin and Bones
09 Something Wrong +
10 My Finest Hour
11 Hideous Towns
     encore:
12 Turkish
13 Here's Where 
     the Story Ends

+ SHARER'S NOTE ON TRACK 09: According to some info I found at syadnuseht.tripod.com/suntrivia,
"Something Wrong" was performed live from 1989 to 1992, but never released as a studio recording. The song has also been referred to in the past as "Now", "All I Ever Wanted", and "I Wish". In a recently discovered recording from a 1990 performance in Amsterdam, Harriet clearly introduces the song as "Something Wrong" (as she does here).
 
Leicester Polytechnic Arena
City of Leicester Polytechnic 
Leicester, UK
Dec. 3, 1992

audience recording (sound quality: VG; there's some crowd noise & vocals are a bit distant; but this one's still fine)

01 I Won
02 Can't Be Sure
03 On Earth
04 Medicine
05 My Finest Hour
06 What Do You Think?
07 More
08 Joy
09 God Made Me
10 A Certain Someone
11 Here's Where the Story Ends
12. Goodbye
13 I Kicked A Boy
14 Love
15 Turkish
16 Hideous Towns

Harriet Wheeler: the voice & face of The Sundays

ROB SEZ: Ahh — The Sundays. They were an exquisite breath of musical fresh air in the late 1980s and most of the 1990s. They had a unique-but-accessible sound with a strong pair of leaders in vocalist Harriet Wheeler and her romantic/musical partner, guitarist David Gavurin. After three albums and a clutch of popular singles, they grew weary of the pop music grind and bid farewell in order to raise a family — without dissolving the band. Fans like me harbored fleeting hopes of a return. It became more than a passing fancy a few years ago when the pair revealed they continue to write & record music in their home studio. But we'll have to keep dreaming unless (and until ?) Wheeler & Gavurin actually grace us with new music or live performances. MEGA THANKS to the tapers & sharers, especially Mike, Zeb & Tom for the 1990 recording and nashspacerocket (via darkcircleroom and TJB) for the 1992 recording. OF COURSE there's a mystery bonus share...

FLAC

MP3@320

Sundays - Black Session 1992 + Atlanta, GA 1997

Black Session no. 17 
Radio Inter
Paris, France
Dec. 15, 1992

FM recording (sound quality: VG+) 

01 I Won

02 Can't Be Sure
03 What Do You Think? 
04 Joy
05 On Earth
06 Medicine
07 My Finest Hour
08 Here's Where the Story Ends
09 More
10 Hideous Towns

Note: an additional song, A Certain Someone, ended the set. A recording of it doesn’t seem to circulate widely, and thus is missing from this post.

Variety Playhouse
Atlanta, GA
Dec. 5, 1997 

Dream Remaster (mega thanks to Colin!)

Custom covers by Tim Barron

audience recording (sound quality: VG to VG+)

01 intro [theme from "Hawaii Five-O"] 
02 banter 1
03 Can't Be Sure
04 What Do You Think?
05 Cry
06 I Kicked A Boy
07 Medicine
08 banter 2
09 Another Flavour
10 banter 3
11 When I'm Thinking About You
12 Homeward
13 banter 4
14 Monochrome
15 banter 5
16 My Finest Hour
17 Goodbye
18 encore break 1
19 She
20 Here's Where the Story Ends 
21 encore break 2
22 Joy
23 crowd / banter 6
24 Summertime
25 encore break 3
26 Turkish
27 Hideous Towns

ROB SEZ: Coupla new things here: a Sundays post and a collaboration with Colin from the fab Dream Remaster blog. For some years, Colin has been posting excellent ROIOS by artists we love — and I recommend you check out his blog if you haven't already (he's got many more Sundays goodies). I obtained a CD-R copy of the Atlanta show, but it was well beyond my meager talents to improve. Knowing Colin's superior skills & appreciation for The Sundays, I pitched the idea to him and he ran with it. Thanks to him, this relatively rare recording is now quite an enjoyable listen. Thank you, kind sir.

FLAC (Atlanta gig in lossless; Black Session in MP3)

MP3@320

Close Lobsters - Rarities & Live BLOWOUT

Rarities 1984-1990

CLOSE LOBSTERS: then (above) & live in 2012 (below)

soundboard recordings
(sound quality: VG to VG+)

01 From This Day On (demo c. 1984)

02 Don't Worry (early version 1985)

03 I Grow So Young

     (aka Van Morrisons Trousers) 

04 Deep House

05 Head Above Water

     (live CBGB, NYC 1989)

06 Chicago (live in USA 1989 or '90)

07 Settle Down

     (live King Tuts, Glasgow 1990)

08 Nitwit (live King Tuts, 
     Glasgow 1990)

09 Steel Love (non-LP single 1989)

10 Float On (non-LP compilation 
     track 1990)

SPECIAL THANKS to Close Lobsters for sharing these rare tracks. 

Rarities 2009-2018

(instrumental experiments & remixes)

soundboard recordings (sound quality: VG++)

01 Cosmic War (Melancholy Soul Mix)

02 Cosmic War (Anti-Orestes Mix)

03 Cosmic War (Radical & Absolute)

04 Chaosmos

05 Melancholy Soul
06 Disegno 23

07 Disegno 24

08 La Speranza 8

09 Wander Elektro 2018 

NOTE: All but a few of these are beat-heavy instrumentals & remixes, presumably by Close Lobsters front man Andrew Burnett. Many are variations on the same melodic theme.

Raffles

Port Talbot, Wales

May 21, 1987

soundboard recording (sound quality: VG+)

01 Going to Heaven to See If It Rains

02 Sewer Pipe Dream

03 Pimps

04 Pathetique
05 Just Too Bloody Stupid

06 Promise Me Back

07 I Kiss the Flower In Bloom 

08 Never Seen Before

09 I Take Bribes

10 Prophecy

11 Firestation Towers

12 Mother of God
 

MEGA THANKS to the taper and to lucky for the unexpected share!

Radio Sessions 1986-1989
 
FM & soundboard recordings
(sound quality: VG to VG+)

 
01 Nothing Really Matters

02 Going to Heaven to See If It Rains 

03 Pathetic Trivia

04 Never Seen Before

05 Loopholes

06 From This Day On

07 What Is There to Smile About?

08 Mirror Breaks (The Mob cover)

09 Lovely Little Swan

10 Knee Trembler

11 Nature Thing

12 Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
      (Soft Cell cover)

• 01-04 = Janice Long BBC Radio 1 show. Rec. 29 June 1986. Broadcast 15 July 1986.
• 05-08 = John Peel Session, BBC London. Rec. 15 Dec. 1987. Broadcast 4 Jan. 1988.
• 09-12 = Radio Clyde Session 1989.

ROB SEZ: When I shared two CL live shows last Friday, I had very little left in the barrel to share later. Then, ASH-connected music hero lucky showed up with this radio session and the Wales live gig. ALL THANKS & PRAISE to lucky! Mystery bonus shares are hiding in plain sight...

FLAC + MP3@320 (Wales live set in flac; all else lossy)

MP3@320

ASH Tuesday post #89

  

Close Lobsters - Live 1987 + 1989

Clarendon Ballroom
Hammersmith, London, UK 
Feb. 28, 1987

opening set, supporting The Wedding Present

audience recording (sound quality: VG; transfer from master tape)

01 Sewer Pipe
02 Pimps
03 Pathetic Trivia
04 I Take Bribes
05 Wide Waterways
06 Never Seen Before
07 In Spite of These Times
08 Going to Heaven to 
     See If It Rains 
09 A Prophecy
10 Get What They Deserve

TT: 34:21 mins.

ROB SEZ: Close Lobsters were / are an indie band from Paisley, Scotland that caught an early break by landing a track on NME's well-received C86 compilation. The usual problems conspired to prevent wider acclaim, but Close Lobsters released a fine clutch of singles and two long-players in the late 1980s — all of them included in the 2015 Firestation Towers compilation. AllMusic refers to the band's sound as "neo-psychedelic jangle pop", which works for me. The group reunited in 2012 and thereafter released two EPs and mounted sporadic live gigs. SPECIAL THANKS to chrispoor for sharing the 1987 live set and extra thanks to the Stonecutter Archives & elegymart for the 1989 show. Sound quality is poorer than I prefer, but there's precious little rare stuff by this band to share. Look for more here soon...

Cabaret Metro
Chicago, Illinois
Nov. 3, 1989

audience recording
(sound quality: VG-)

01  audience
02  Nature Thing 
03  Arthur
04  I Kiss the Flower In Bloom 
05  Lovely Little Swan 
06  Gunpowderkeg
07  Never Seen Before
08  Pathetique  
09  Got Apprehension
10  Hey Hey, My My
      (Into the Black) 
11  Just Too Bloody Stupid  
12  Loopholes
13  Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
14  Knee Trembler  
15  Foxheads
16  In Spite of These Times

TT: 56:11 mins.


Close Lobsters:
Andrew Burnett - vocals
Graeme Wilmington - guitar, backing vocals
Tom Donnelly - guitar
Bob Burnett - bass 
Stewart McFayden - drums, backing vocals

FLAC

MP3@320

Learn more about Close Lobsters' music at 
the band's FB page, Trouser Press & AllMusic