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

The Stems - Live Across 33 Years (1986 + 2019)

unknown venue & city  
Australia
Dec. 1986
  
soundboard recording (quality: VG; ripped from vinyl bootleg "Can't Turn the Clock Back"; exact date unknown)

R.I.P. Richard Lane (guitarist & keyboard player)

01 Sad Girl
02 Stomping All Over the World
03 Running Around
04 Man with the Golden Heart
05 She's a Monster
06 Zero Hour
07 Psychotic Reaction
08 She's Fine
09 Does It Turn You On
10 You Can't Turn the Clock Back 
11 All You Want Me For
12 No Heart
13 Can't Resist
14 Make You Mine
15 Tears Me In Two
   
Croxton Bandroom
Melbourne, Australia
Nov. 4, 2019
  
audience recording (sound quality: VG+)

The Stems - Thirty-some Years On

01 She Sees Everything
02 Just Ain't Enough
03 Move Me
04 For Always
05 Jumping to Conclusions
06 Feel a Whole Lot Better 
     (The Byrds cover)
07 Mr. Misery
08 Get to Know Me
09 Undying Love
10 Surround Me
11 At First Sight
12 Make You Mine


Los Conciertos
    de Radio3
(venue & date unknown)
late 2019 (broadcast Dec. 18, 2019)
  
audio rip from video (soundboard recording - quality: Ex-)

01 She Sees Everything 
02 Just Ain't Enough
03 For Always
04 Undying Love
05 Surround Me
06 At First Sight
07 Make you Mine
  
ROB SEZ: The Stems!! If you have a hankering for garage rock with a pop sensibility, there's no finer group today than Australia's The Stems. Dom Mariani and co. got their act together in the 1980s, then broke up after recording only one proper album. Luckily, time healed some wounds, and The Stems reformed for an album and tour 20 years later. When Mariani is not fronting one of several other bands, he will cycle back to The Stems, which he did again in 2019. HUGE THANKS to pete2020 for sharing the 1986 recording, Angelo for the Radio3 set, and crankingamps for recording & sharing the Melbourne set. There's a bonus goodie baked into this one. You'll find it after you open the download folder. Please enjoy.

FLAC

MP3@320

The dB's - New York, N.Y. April 1982 (sbd)

LOSSLESS REPOST

The dB's

(venue unknown; possibly The Ritz)

New York, N.Y.

April 1982 (exact date unknown)

   

probably Chris Stamey’s last live show with The dB’s, mk. 1 

   
soundboard (sound quality VG++; sounds like it’s from a 1st-generation tape; the rhythm guitar is/was kinda loud compared to other instruments, so I reduced its volume; on a few songs, there's some distortion in the vocals)
   

You can hypnotize yourself if you stare
into their eyes for at least 3 minutes…

photo illustration by Magnet magazine

01 (I Thought) You Wanted to Know

The dB's, with Chris on his way out

Winston-Salem Journal photo

02 Living a Lie

03 Happenstance

04 Storm Warning

05 Dynamite

06 Tomorrow Never Knows 

07 Amplifier

08 pH Factor

09 I Feel Good (Today)

10 Excitement

11 Walking the Ceiling
     (It's Good to Be Alive)

12 Bad Reputation

13 Neverland

ROB SEZ: First, let me thank the taper and especially Scott R for sharing this rare recording with me. Obviously, this is not the usual length for a dB’s headlining set. It's just 13 songs because the guys were playing on a multi-act bill. At the end of the last song, Peter says, “Pylon’s up next.” It’s possible this was a show on April 22 at The Ritz for which The Teardrop Explodes was scheduled to headline, but never performed due to an intra-band blowup backstage. The dB's set features what may be the briefest version of “Tomorrow Never Knows” the band ever played onstage. Performance-wise, there's a chaotic energy that gives the recording an edginess I find appealing. Is this because Chris had already told the band he was leaving to focus on his own music? We may never know. I'm pretty sure this is the last known live performance before Chris departed The dB's. The whole thing is very enjoyable, but the last half of the show really cooks. TURN IT UP!

    

The dB’s:

Chris Stamey – guitar, vocals
Peter Holsapple – guitar, keyboard, vocals

Will Rigby – drums & vocals

Gene Holder – bass

FLAC
  
MP3@320

Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Reunion, London 2004 (sbd)

Hammersmith Apollo 
London, UK
Oct. 15, 2004
   
Instant Live limited ed. release
    
soundboard recording (sound quality: Ex; an excellent, flawless recording)

01 Rattlesnakes

02 Why I Love Country Music 

03 Speedboat

04 Charlotte Street

05 From the Hip

06 Cut Me Down

07 Brand New Friend

08 Sweetness

09 2CV

10 My Bag

11 Sean Penn Blues

12 Mainstream

13 Perfect Blue

14 Patience

15 LC banter

16 Lost Weekend

17 Perfect Skin

18 Mr Malcontent

19 Jennifer She Said

20 Four Flights Up

21 Heartbroken

22 Forest Fire

    

live photos courtesy of M.M.Minderhoud 

ROB SEZ: This one's pretty special and it's exclusive to this blog. Did you ever bid on one of those 1-penny eBay auctions? I have, but never won the "a penny plus shipping" deal — until a coupla weeks ago. That's when I bid on this rare, officially sanctioned, Lloyd Cole & The Commotions limited-edition reunion recording. I still can't believe I was the only fan in the world paying attention & bidding. A few days later, this lovely artifact arrived on my doorstep. And of course I'm sharing it with you. LC and the guys reunited to perform a handful of live shows in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Rattlesnakes, an album fully represented here, minus 1 song. You can tell the band spent 2+ weeks rehearsing for a 1-week tour: the performance is impressive for 20 years on. I thought the Instant Live artwork was boring: the CD equivalent of a brown paper wrapper. So I added the pertinent info and a photo from one of the 2004 UK shows to create custom artwork. If you like Lloyd Cole and haven't heard this, it's a must have. One more thing: I thought the straight-from-the-soundboard recording sounded kinda flat. One pass of modest compression did the trick, and now it sounds much more lively. PLEASE ENJOY. 

   

FLAC

MP3@320

   

Lloyd Cole - Live 1990-1993 (FM + sbd)

unknown city/venue 
unknown month/day 
1990 "X Tour" show

TV broadcast source (sound quality: VG+)

01 Why Don't We Do It 
     In the Road?
02 Perfect Skin
03 No Blue Skies
04 Brand New Friend
05 Mister Malcontent
06 Don't Look Back
07 A Long Way Down
08 Mainstream
09 What Do You Know 
     About Love?
10 I Hate to See You 
     Baby Doing That Stuff 
11 Sweetheart
12 Jennifer She Said

ROB SEZ: Gotta love Lloyd Cole. (Well, you don't have to love LC, but I sure do.) He's a class act, going all the way back to the 1980s and "Lloyd Cole & The Commotions." The man offers consistently great tunes, intelligent lyrics, all compellingly played. I'm on a mission to persuade Lloyd's unaware fans from the 1980s that he kept making worthy music, up through today. Were there a few failed experiments and overly-indulgent missteps along the way? Of course. But Lloyd's artistic success-to-failure ratio should be the envy of many wealthier & more popular artists. This is a good time to revisit Mr. Cole's mighty impressive back catalogue. I don't mind suggesting this is a good use of your quarantine time. HUGE THANKS to BBGrant and all the tapers for their generosity.
   

Lloyd Cole's early 1990s live dream team,
including Robert Quine and Matthew Sweet

Cirkus
Stockholm, Sweden
Nov. 4, 1991

FM recording
(sound quality: Ex-)

01 Rattlesnakes
02 Patience
03 Butterfly
04 There For Her
05 Man Enough
06 A Long Way Down
07 She's a Girl and I'm a Man

Black Sessions #39
Studio 106 
Paris, France
Nov. 9, 1993

FM recording (sound quality: VG+)

01 So You'd Like to Save the World
02 Unhappy Song
03 A Long Way Down
04 Undressed
05 Wild Mushrooms
06 Forest Fire
07 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
08 Can't Get Arrested
09 Sold
10 No Blue Skies
11 "Same Old Song" (title uncertain)*
12 Mystic Lady

*Mr. Cole himself could not recall song no. 11 when asked about it many years later. (As far as I can tell, it's not a cover.) If anyone can positively identify it, please leave a message.

   

Anyone out there have LC's 1995 Black Session to share?
If so, please get in touch.

FLAC

MP3@320