Three O'Clock - 1st Reunion Show, Pomona, CA 2013 (aud)

The Glass House 
Pomona, CA
April 6, 2013
  
audience recording (sound quality: VG; from the master recording; everything sounds really good, but the vocals are low-ish in the mix)

01 stage entrance
02 Simon In the Park
03 With a Cantaloupe
     Girlfriend
04 When Lightning Starts
05 I Go Wild
06 Lucifer Sam (Pink Floyd cover)

07 Upside Down 
08 As Real As Real
09 Fall to the Ground
10 On My Own
11 Knowing When You Smile
12 Marjorie Tells Me
13 Stupid Einstein
14 In My Own Times
15 Sorry
16 Going Home
17 Jet Fighter
18 Her Head's Revolving
19 pre-encore applause
20 And So We Run
21 Feel a Whole Lot Better
      (The Byrds cover)
22 Mind Gardens

  

                                         

Michael Quercio at Coachella 2013 by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

(more photos from Coachella are in the download)

ROB SEZ: Here's a story: Michael Quercio had been steadfastly resisting requests for a Three O'Clock reunion until Coachella offered them a slot for the 2013 festival — and that did it. In the run-up to Coachella, the band played some additional gigs, including this one — the first in 23 years, since the 1990 show posted here last week. Four days after this, the band played live on Conan O'Brien (see below). ALL PRAISES to Milocampo who recorded and shared this one.

  

The Three O'Clock plays "With a Cantaloupe Girlfriend" on Conan in 2013

FLAC

MP3@320

        

Three O'Clock - Live 1985 + 1990

Dingwall's
London, UK
Sept. 4, 1985 
   
audience recording (sound quality: VG-)
   
01 stage entrance, tuning
02 Her Head's Revolving

"Jet Fighter" video shoot — so very groovy

03 Each and Every 
     Lonely Heart
04 When Lightning Starts
05 In My Own Time
06 Mrs. Green
07 Underwater
08 talking 
09 I Go Wild
10 Knowing When You Smile 
11 Half the Way There
12 Hand In Hand
13 The Girl With a Guitar
14 Stupid Einstein 
15 Spun Gold 
16 Sorry
17 Jet Fighter
18 Going Home
19 pre-encore applause
20 It's All Too Much
21 No Matter What
22 pre-encore applause
23 With a Cantaloupe Girlfriend

24 Paperback Writer (The Beatles)
   
Club Lingerie
Los Angeles, CA
March 13, 1990
    
soundboard recording (quality: Ex-; sourced from master tape)
  
* the band's final show before announcing their split; with Jason Falkner on guitar & backing vocals *

The Three O'Clock at Paisley Park: beginning of the end

   

01 With a Cantaloupe Girlfriend+
02 When Lightning Starts*
03 I Go Wild+
04 Stupid Einstein*
05 In My Own Time*
06 Sorry+
07 Jet Fighter
08 Mind Gardens^
09 Desdemona
      (John’s Children / Marc Bolan cover)

Note: symbols indicate the album on which each song originally appeared —
+Baroque Hoedown
*16 Tambourines
^Salvation Army (pre-Three O’Clock band & album of same name)
“Jet Fighter” was a stand alone single

ROB SEZ: You can't avoid The Three O'Clock if, like me, you enjoy a variety of alternative music from the 1980s. This is especially true if you appreciate the so-called "Paisley Underground" bands from that era. Liking The Three O'Clock, however, is a different matter. Frontman Michael Quercio's singing voice is one that creates strongly divided opinions. I heard about the group decades ago, sampled their music, and concluded "Um ... I don't think so." Recently re-visiting the band's music convinced me I should give the guys another chance. I'm glad I did. HUGE THANKS to the tapers, Stachelbar for sharing the 1985 recording, and to Milocampo for sharing the 1990 show. Recommended reading: Mick Dillingham's excellent "The Story of the Three O'Clock."

  

   
The Three O'Clock:
Michael Quercio - lead vocals, bass
Louis Gutierrez - guitar, vocals (1985 performance)
Mike Mariano - keyboards, vocals

Danny Benair - drums, vocals

Jason Falkner - guitar, vocals (1990 performance)

FLAC

MP3@320

   

Let's Active - Rutger's Univ., N.J. 1986 (aud)

LOSSLESS REPOST

The Rose Room

Rutger's University

New Brunswick, NJ

March 4, 1986

     

audience recording (sound quality: VG; transfer from first-generation tape)

   

He had a hunch that, eventually, I would use

the watermelon photo. Sorry about that, Mitch…
Creem magazine photo

ROB SEZ:  I got an unexpected surprise when I was digitizing dBF’s tape and heard Mitch welcome Gene Holder as part of the show’s live ensemble. I’m guessing the band at this point didn’t have a permanent bassist. Since Gene was living in Hoboken, Mitch called up his old friend to play the gig. Nice little coincidence. Mitch & Co. put the emphasis on tunes from the about-to-be-released Big Plans for Everybody (my favorite Let's Active album). Gotta love those encores, with 3 killer covers in a row! THANK YOU KINDLY to the taper and the usual HUGE THANKS to dB’s Fan for the share.

01 Waters Part

02 Ornamental

The band, circa 1986
Y'all remember "Thing" from The Munsters?
I'm getting a flashback due to this photo...

03 Writing the Book of Last Pages  

04 Leader of Men

05 Talking to Myself

06 Still Dark Out

07 Crows On a Phone Line

08 In Between

09 Every Word Means No

10 Reflecting Pool

11 In Little Ways

12 Won't Go Wrong

13 Last Chance Town

14 Prey

15 Hush (Deep Purple cover)

16 Back of a Car (Big Star cover)

17 He's a Whore (Cheap Trick cover)

TT: 65:37 mins.

FLAC
     
MP3@320

Let's Active:

Mitch Easter – guitars & vocals

Angie Carlson – keyboard & vocals

Eric Marshall – drums

Gene Holder – bass

The dB's - St. Louis, MO 1985 (FM)

LOSSLESS RE-POST

Mississippi Nights

St. Louis, MO

Feb. 26, 1985

FM recording (sound quality: VG+; only potential distraction is some recurring vocal distortion)
   

The dB's made a strategic decision in the 1980s 
to save money on haircuts & buy leather

01 Spitting In the Wind

Bottom one is for a dB’s show at Miss. Nights in '88
 

02 Rendezvous

03 Big Brown Eyes

04 Not Cool

05 I Lie

06 See No Evil
     (Television cover)

07 pH Factor

08 She Got Soul

09 Amplifier

10 I Am the Cosmos

     (Chris Bell cover)

11 band intros + Neverland

12 Love Is for Lovers

13 She'll Be Coming 'Round 

     the Mountain

14 Black and White

15 A Spy In the House of Love

16 Suspicious Minds

17 Money (That's What I Want)

ROB SEZ: If you snag this one and give a listen, you'll not only hear an energetic club show with good sound quality, you'll also enjoy some rare gems — most notably the cover of "I Am the Cosmos", Big  Star founder Chris Bell's only solo single. HUGE THANKS to the taper and Glenn S for sharing.

WAV lossless files 

MP3@320

The dB’s:

Gene Holder – lead guitar
Will Rigby - drums, vocals
Peter Holsapple - vocals, guitar
Jeff Beninato - bass, vocals

Above, one of

Peter's favorite

touring band

line-ups, with

Gene on lead guitar

and Jeff on bass

and backing vocals