Rob's Pages

Friday, November 30

The dB's - Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ 1982

LOSSLESS RE-POST
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ
February 26, 1982
  
audience recording (from master cassette; sound quality range: VG to VG+)
 
I've always loved this shot of the guys; it's time to let everyone else enjoy it, too...
If it looks familiar, that's because this photo was used for the cover of the "Judy" single.
Taken on the roof of the band's UK record label's office in London.

























 
CD 1 (First Set)
1. (I Thought) You Wanted to Know 
2. Judy 
3. Ups And Downs 
4. Oh Yeah! 
5. pH Factor 
6. The Summer Sun 
7. In Spain 
8. Molly Says 
9. Jerkin’ the Tears 
10. Up Around the Bend (John Fogerty / CCR cover) 
11. If & When
   
CD 2 (Second Set)
1. Living a Lie
2. We Were Happy There
3. Happenstance
4. Bad Reputation
5. Ask for Jill
6. Amplifier
7. Storm Warning
8. Walking the Ceiling (It’s Good To Be Alive)
9. Black and White 
10. I Feel Good (Today)
11. Walk By Your House (Individuals cover)*
12. Soul Kiss
13. Excitement
14. The Fight
15. Neverland
16. Rendezvous
17. What’s the Matter with Me?
18. Venus (T. Verlaine / Television cover)
    
*Chris says they decided to play a brief version of “Walk By Your House” by The Individuals (from Hoboken) “since they couldn’t be here tonight.”
   
ROB SEZ: This is one of the most enjoyable full-length shows of the classic lineup. I love the energy of the band, the enthusiasm of the crowd, and the little moments such as a few snatches of the “Sweet Home Alabama” riff just before launching into another killer song. BIG THANKS to Guy E for the recording, original upload & artwork; ALL PRAISES to edarthur for the re-up.
  
WAV lossless files
   
Disc 1 (MP3@320)
Disc 2 (MP3@320)

The dB’s:
Chris Stamey – guitar & vocals
Peter Holsapple – guitar, organ & vocals
Gene Holder – bass
Will Rigby – drums
  
Note: as received, this show sounded a little “off” to me in a draggy kinda way, so I did a slight pitch correction and Chris and Peter are now hitting all those higher notes on key…
  
CD artwork - front
CD artwork - back
click for full-size versions

 

7 comments:

  1. So... here I was bumming out because of a new car problem. Then... it hit me "yeah, it's Friday." I visit your page and there's indeed a new db's download. I can't wait to hear this... Thanks!

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    1. Yeah; music is the balm that soothes my soul. Good luck with your car, Dude...

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  2. I DL’d the first disc to make sure this is my recording and it is (I can tell from the wonky beginning of the opening track). I’m happy it’s being shared amongst dB’s cognoscenti. I posted this on Dimeadozen back in May of 2009 and as with all my CDR projects I put together some artwork. The button on the front was copied from The dB’s website, the back photo was taken from the ‘Judy’ pic sleeve and the back panel is adapted from the ‘Neverland’ pic sleeve.

    A few notes about the recording:

    I was a deejay and soundman at Maxwell’s throughout the 1980’s and recorded sporadically. At this juncture I wish I would have become more of a fulltime archivist, but it was something of a chore and I wanted to drink beer and have fun. I used to unplug my Nikko cassette deck from home and lug it over to the club – it happened to have stereo mic-inputs in the front panel. I scavenged a couple of discarded mic’s from the back room - John Klett kindly repaired the grounding problem in one of them. The two microphones capture very different frequencies, which gives my recordings something of an exaggerated faux-stereo effect. I had my deck behind the deejay booth and the mic’s were taped-together to a broken mic-stand in the corner. The stationary mic’s and plug-in deck are a definite plus compared to a battery-operated portable jostling around in the crowd. I always recoded with the Dolby ON, but do digital tape transfers with it OFF, so the recording is brighter.

    I never thought it sounded “pitchy” but now that you mention it… that old Nikko deck is long gone and tape speeds aren’t as reliable as the digital kind.

    Great blog! I may have a Chris Stamey’s Wonderful Life recording squirreled-away somewhere and I also have a Peter Holsapple solo performance that I’ve always enjoyed, although the crowd noise gets annoying. I think I also posted that on Dime. I asked Peter if it was okay and he said, “No problem. It’s all folk music now.”

    Best,

    Guy E

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    Replies
    1. Guy - thanks a bunch for the fascinating background info. I've just updated the post to credit you with the recording. I wouldn't be in business without tapers like you!

      I'd love to hear that Peter solo recording if you ever find it. And -- if you mean a live show -- the Chris recording as well (but I won't be posting that per the artist's request).

      I hope you think my slight adjustments didn't ruin the Maxwell's show. You obviously put a lot into the recording.

      BTW, did you give a listen to the 2012 Maxwell's show??

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  3. Listening on headphones, the intermittent buzz is there in the right channel - that glitchy ungrounded-mic wasn't yet fixed in early-82. Oh well, it's still a listenable tape of a great band firing on all cylinders on my old home turf.

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  4. Hey, I don't thank you enough for the great stuff you post on this site. I remember hearing about the dBs back when they were first going, but their records were hard to find, and imports! Gradually picked them up. Some ace stuff. AND thanks to Guy E. for the background and for making the recording in the first place!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot, Bruce. You're actually one of the few who takes a moment to post a comment now & again. I appreciate it.

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