Cotton Mather - In the USSR + Back In the USA (Live 2017 + 2019)

St. Petersburg, Russia  
July 2, 2017
(opening for The Aquarium)

audience recording (sound quality VG; taper was near the stage and, judging by the results, must have used high-quality equipment)

 

Cotton Mather opened for Russia's legendary Aquarium

01 Wheels

02 Robert speaks

03 High Society

04 It's Better Not to 

     Be the King

05 Life of a Liar

06 Never Be It

07 Spin My Wheels

08 My Before and After

09 The Cotton Mather Pledge

10 Fighting Through

11 Candy Lilac

12 Close to the Sun

13 Girl With a Blue Guitar

14 The Book of 

     Too Late Changes

15 Life of a Liar

        (live on Nevsky Ave. July 4th)

Cotton Mather, on the streets of St. Petersburg,
Russia, playing on borrowed equipment

  
Guero's
Austin, TX
April 10, 2019
'Texas Radio Live' broadcast

preFM source (sound quality: VG++; this was a webstream capture, so the FLAC version offered below is a lossless recording of a lossy source)
  

01 High Society

02 Better Than a Hit

03 California

04 Mighty Girl

Gotta love Robert's willingness to attack his guitar

05 Girl with a Blue Guitar 

06 Homefront Cameo

07 Candy Lilac

08 Close to the Sun

09 band intros

10 It's Better Not to 

     Be the King

11 Never Be It

12 RH speaks, song intro

13 Vegetable Row

14 Sun Radio outro

15 Sun Radio interview

ROB SEZ: I'm taking a break from re-posts this week to bring you the ab fab Cotton Mather. In case you're not familiar, Robert Harrison's band plays his rock-pop confections, influenced by artists we love: Beatles, Kinks, Who, Squeeze, Elvis Costello — but certainly not the "slavish imitation" variety no ones needs. Harrison's songs are inventive, tuneful, lyrically thoughtful, and engagingly performed. Between these two performances, I prefer the first — even though the second has better sound quality. Must've been something about Cotton Mather opening for Russia's legendary The Aquarium in front of many hundreds that brought out an extra spark. The very recent hometown show in Austin inspired a solid, but at times workman-like performance. MEGA THANKS to Andre Minaev for the St. Petersburg recording and to Sun Radio for broadcasting the Austin show, which I streamed and recorded in real time. The blog will take an Easter break next Friday and be back the following. 

Happy Holidays / Happy Spring / happy vacation time to all
  

Young Life & Other Mysteries, Cotton Mather's latest collection, can only be had via the band's Patreon monthly subscription service. But it's well worth the modest amount of money to obtain exclusive songs, videos and posts by Robert Harrison (the above is an actual CD in a cardboard sleeve) There might also still be a few copies of the band's early, rare Crafty Flower Arranger mini album left, also available only through Patreon. 

CHECK IT OUT HERE & here:

FLAC (Austin show in lossless; St. Pete show = MP3@320)

MP3@320

The dB's - Chapel Hill, N.C. 1985 (FM)

LOSSLESS RE-POST

Cat's Cradle
Chapel Hill, N.C.
March 26, 1985
  
FM recording (sound quality VG+; transfer from master recording, with some brief cuts due to transmission problems as noted below)
  

Recording and artwork by the same talented soul

  
01  Rendezvous
02  Not Cool
03  Molly Says
04  Big Brown Eyes
05  Amplifier
06  I Lie
07  pH Factor
08  Big Black Truck
09  Nothing Is Wrong
10  White Train
11  She Got Soul
12  Neverland
13  Spitting In the Wind
14  Love Is For Lovers
15  Black & White*
16  See No Evil*
17  Spy In the House of Love
18  Suspicious Minds
19  Louie, Louie*

*Three songs featuring the guitar talents of Mr. Mitch Easter — the “Fifth dB”. Chuck Dale Smith (from Mitch's old high school band, Sacred Irony) also contributes on "Louie Louie."

TT: 73 mins.
  
MEGA THANKS TO a certain someone for recording and sharing
  
WAV lossless files
  
MP3@320

In his original share, the taper said: “This show was broadcast live over the UNC student radio station WXYC. I debated on going to the show and staying home and taping, the staying home and taping won out. There were sound problems with the live feed from the club so the first few songs of the set are not included. Not sure exactly how many songs are missing but as I recall it couldn't be more than one or two. There are a few cut-outs in the first 3 songs or so, but they are very brief and don't detract from the show. Mitch Easter makes a guest appearance on three songs. When making the cover years ago I failed to note that Mitch Easter also played on the finale 'Louie, Louie'.”

The dB’s:

Peter Holsapple — guitar, vocals, keyboards

Will Rigby – drums, backing vocals

Gene Holder — lead guitar

Rick Wagner — bass

Alex Chilton - Two 1977 NYC shows

LOSSLESS RE-POST
EARLY, classic Alex Chilton live shows

          

Fab photos of LX in NYC by Stephanie Chernikowski

Alex Chilton
Max's Kansas City
New York, N.Y.
March 1977
   
audience recording (sound quality: GD+; not bad for a tape source of this vintage)
Note: first set only; second was either lost or not recorded

ROB SEZ: This is among the first LX solo shows (and earliest-known recordings thereof).  
Dig the punked-up version of "The Letter" included in this set.

BIG OL' THANKS to the taper and to 38f for sharing.

1. All the Time

2. My Rival
3. Can't Seem to Make You Mine

4. Way Out West

5. September Gurls
6. Shakin' the World

7. Night Time

8. The Letter
9. Windows Hotel

10. Back of a Car

    
Alex Chilton

CBGB

New York, N.Y.
Sept. 14, 1977

audience recording (sound quality: GNARLY)
"Gnarly" = more or less "Good," but that's it. "Listenable" (if you add air quotes), but sounding pretty much like a 40 year-old, multi-generation tape source with distortion and other issues much of the time. MY ADVICE: keep your expectations low, and you might actually enjoy the performance...

     

MUCHAS GRACIAS to The Big A for taping and to Lone Taper for sharing

11. Take Me Home and Make Me Like It 
12. O My Soul

13. Bangkok
14. Contact High (1st public perf.)
15. My Rival 
16. Night Time
17. Back of a Car

18. All the Time
19. A Little Fishy
20. September Gurls
21. Holocaust 

22. The Summer Sun (Chris Stamey cover)

23. The Letter
24. Wouldn’t It Be Nice?

25. Do You Wanna Dance?

Alex and "The Cosssacks," including Chris Stamey

TT: 1:16:24
  
FLAC
  

MP3@320

Musicians

Alex Chilton - vocals, guitar

Chris Stamey - bass

Lloyd Fonoroff - drums
Fran Kowalski - keys (Sept. show)

    2 other early LX shows are HERE.
Info about the LX-dB's connection is HERE.
    

R. E. M. - NYC 1982 - rare show!

LOSSLESS RE-POST

Peppermint Lounge
New York, NY
November 25, 1982
  
audience recording (sound quality VG to VG+; all-around excellent transfer from a probable first-generation tape source in 2-channel mono; almost no distracting audience chatter, but there are three brief cuts here & there for tape flip, etc.)

EFFUSIVE THANKS to George, Rich, and kingrue. This is Stonecutter Collection, Vol. 55. (See George's comment below; thanks also to EdA for encouraging me to post it.)

REPERCUSSION: Peter Holsapple (solo, acoustic) was an opening act on this leg of R.E.M.'s 1982 tour. He guests here on two encores. Explore the other connections between The dB's, Mitch Easter and R.E.M. here. (And — I swear — I think I hear another member of The dB's in the audience, yelling "How 'bout them Dogs?!?" at one point during the show...)

Couldn't post this one without making some cover art

01 stage entrance, tuning
02 Gardening at Night
03 9-9
04 Moral Kiosk
05 Pilgrimage
06 Shaking Through
07 Seven Chinese Bros 
08 Wolves, Lower
09 Romance
10 Sitting Still
11 Catapult
12 1,000,000
13 West of the Fields
14 Radio Free Europe 
15 White Tornado 

In the early 1980s, there was no finer band.

     (instrum.)
16 Last Date
     (Floyd Cramer cover)
17 We Walk
18 Judy*
19 Neverland*
20 Carnival of Sorts
     (Box Cars) 

TT = 66:22 mins.

*Peter Holsapple, guest vocals
   on #18 & 19
  
FLAC
  
MP3@320

    

Let's Active - Chicago & Detroit 1984

LOSSLESS RE-POST

Cabaret Metro

Chicago, IL
Nov. 23, 1984
WXRT-FM broadcast

    
FM capture (sound quality: VG; source sounds like a multi-generation tape; this is a very listenable show, but does not boast pristine quality)
       

Love, LOVE this one of Faye and Mitch — at MTV Studios in NYC

ROB SEZ: I thought of calling this post "Two Shows In 96 Hours." By whatever name, it's a rare opportunity to hear our heroes in back-to-back concerts. The setlists are different enough to keep it interesting for the listener, and both shows feature strong performances by the band.

01 In Between

One of the late greats: Faye Hunter

02 Back of a Car

03 Ring True

04 Co-star

05 Crows On a Phone Line

06 Prey

07 Easy Does

08 Flags for Everything

09 Room With a View

10 Lowdown

11 Every Word Means No

12 Grey Scale

13 Blue Line

14 Waters Part

   

DJ intro (I always delete these, but it’s included here for the completists…)

St. Andrew's Hall

Detroit, MI

Nov. 20, 1984

    
audience recording (sound quality VG; some audience chatter between songs, but not overly intrusive during the music — it’s from JEMS, which means it’s the best possible source with the best available sound)

SINCERE THANKS to JEMS for taping and Mike Z for the transfer

01 Prey (cuts in)

Only slightly spooky: original lineup, 1983 tour

02 Easy Does

03 Flags For Everything

04 Room With A View

05 Lowdown

06 Every Word 
     Means No

07 Grey Scale

08 Blue Line

09 Whispered News

10 Waters Part

11 I Won't Let It ‘appen
     Agen (Slade cover)

12 Edge of the World
     (cuts out)

WAV lossless files

MP3@320

LET'S ACTIVE:
Mitch Easter - guitar, vocals
Faye Hunter - bass, vocals
Jay Peck - drums
Tim Lee - keyboards

Lloyd Cole - Madrid, Spain 1990 (FM) + bonus

LOSSLESS RE-POST

Madrid, Spain

March 21, 1990
  
plus bonus radio session

   

FM capture (sound quality VG+; a radio broadcast from Spain, there were issues with chatty DJs talking too much. This explains the multiple fade-ins and fade-outs and, unfortunately, the less-than-complete songs. After a lot of editing work, only a few brief DJ voiceovers remain.)

  

Portrait of the artist as a 1990s hipster: Lloyd Cole.
In the 21st century, he continues to make music worth hearing.

01 Big Snake

Too cool for school: Lloyd Cole
photo by Francine Winham

02 No Blue Skies

03 What Do You Know About Love?

04 Downtown

05 Mr. Malcontent

06 Don't Look Back

07 Mainstream

08 Why I Love Country Music

09 Brand New Friend

10 I Hate to See You Baby 
     Doing That Stuff*

11 Sweetheart

12 Little Sister (Elvis cover)

13 A Gift (Lou Reed cover)

14 band intros

15 Jennifer She Said

16 She Belongs to Me (Dylan cover)

17 Four Flights Up

18 Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?

    

19 Honest I Do (Jimmy Reed)

20 She Belongs to Me

21 A Gift

    *In track 10, there's a jump cut at 0:14

Tracks 19-21 = Radio Clyde live session with Billy Sloan, Glasgow, Scotland in 1990 (LC with Robert Quine).

    
FLAC
  

MP3@320
   

BIG-TIME THANKS to the tapers and to LC himself for sharing these.

Musicians:

Lloyd Cole – acoustic guitar, vocals

Robert Quine – lead guitar

Matthew Sweet – rhythm guitar, vocals

Blair Cowan - keyboards

Dan McCarroll – drums

David Ball - bass

A NEW STUDIO ALBUM IS COMING JULY 2019

Lloyd's official web site says Guesswork is coming July 26.
The album features frequent collaborator Fred Maher
and former Commotions cohorts Neil Clark & Blair Cowan.
A UK tour begins in October. 

Learn more about the music of Lloyd Cole at 
his official site and/or AllMusic
         

Let's Active - Reunion Show 2014

Sara Romweber memorial & tribute

LOSSLESS RE-POST

    
  
'Be Loud Sophie' benefit
Cat’s Cradle

Carrboro, N.C.

August 9, 2014 

30 YEARS LATER: original members Mitch & Sara onstage together.
all these amazing photos were shot by Jonathan Drake for the Be Loud Sophie Foundation

REUNION SHOW (benefit for the Be Loud Sophie Foundation)

Read an obituary for Sara Romweber at Slicing Up Eyeballs 
and this remembrance

soundboard-audience matrix recording (quality Ex-; Batchain did a great job on this one, as usual...)

      

VERY SINCERE THANKS to Batchain for recording & sharing, and to Mr. Ersatz himself for the thumbs up

Suzi Ziegler (ex-Game Theory) played bass for the show

     

01 In Between

02 Easy Does

03 Waters Part

04 Fell

05 band intros

06 Every Word Means No

07 Badger

08 Edge of the World

09 Ornamental

10 In Little Ways

11 Leader of Men
12 Blue Line (encore)
    

FLAC
   
MP3@320   
   

ROB SEZ: Who would've imagined we'd see a Let's Active reunion show in 2014? For a long time, Mitch Easter himself didn't believe it would ever take place. But recently, someone asked — and original L.A. drummer Sara Romweber said yes — and it actually happened, 30 years after the original line-up last played together. Sadly, the late and much-lamented Faye Hunter could only be present in spirit. There were a few musical glitches here and there, and Mitch had a little trouble hitting some of the high notes. But for all that, this show is the best kind of "blast from the past."

GREAT BIG THANKS to Mitch and Sara for saying "Let's do this."
   

Sara Romweber, the band's first drummer, died this month

Let’s Active:

Sara Romweber (R.I.P.) – drums 

Mitch Easter – guitar, vocals

Suzi Ziegler – bass, b. vocals

Chris Stamey – additional guitar

Missy Thangs – keyboard, backing vocals
Lynn Blakey – backing vocals + lead vocal on “Blue Line”
Dr. David Vandermast – acoustic guitar on “Badger”

artwork from Bigozine included in download

Watch every single song played at the show, courtesy of Larry Tucker and his HD cam-corder    

Learn more about the  Be Loud Sophie Foundation  at their web site