The Dead Milkmen- Death Rides A Pale Cow

Since I've been kind of stuck in the 80's lately, here's a gem for all you Dead Milkmen fans. There must be still some interest in the Dead Milkmen because I've noticed people are still downloading my blog post from February 2009, when I posted one of their early pre-Big Lizard tapes, Funky Farm. All these tapes are hard to find, but with the wonders of the internet they can be tracked down and spread to the masses. Their early stuff is so worth a listen, because even the early versions and unreleased songs are so much better than their later albums. For my taste, the band hit a creative peak with Beelzebubba and rightfully they don't perform a lot of material from their Hollywood Records period (Soul Rotation and Not Richard, But Dick), as they seemed to run out of ideas and a sense of humour.

Death Rides A Pale Horse was one of those self-released tapes the band distributed in 1984. Don't confuse this with their compilation "best of" CD (The Ultimate Collection Album) released by Restless in 1997 with the same title. This recording is very low-fi and low budget, so don't expect a clear crisp sounding mp3, this tape was probably meant to be sold at shows for friends and fans. Death Rides is notable for an early version of their classic, Bitchin Camero as well as a couple songs from their first two proper albums. I noticed the song Labor Day is on this tape again as well as on two more of their self-released cassettes, which means they must have thought highly of the song, but it never made it on any of their official albums...hmmm...did Jerry Lewis threaten to sue or what? Have a listen!

DEAD MILKMEN
Death Rides A Pale Horse
Self released cassette (1984)

1. Labor Day
2. I Don’t Wanna, I Don’t Wanna
3. Veterans Of A Fucked Up World
4. Bitchin’ Camaro
5. Plumb Dumb
6. Laundromat Song
7. Land Of The Shakers
8. Dance With Me
9. Rastabilly
10. I Hate Myself
11. Ich Bin Ein Junkie, Was?
12. Beach Party Vietnam
13. Milkmen Stomp

DEAD MILKMEN- Death Rides A Pale Horse. rar

Husker Du- The Complete Spin Radio Concert

A great sounding show from Husker Du's hometown at the First Avenue on August 28, 1985, (exactly 25 years ago today) recorded for the Spin radio show. This concert was recorded at the height of their career (at least in my option), to launch the release of the album, Flip Your Wig and included several songs from their next album, Candy Apple Grey. This show is probably one of the most frequently bootlegged Husker Du recordings and it is available in different versions (including the one pictured on the left), which I own on vinyl, but many of them are incomplete. The version I have posted is the complete show. It also includes some interview segments with Bob and Grant, and the set list is amazing! The songs draw from their best albums, New Day, Flip and Candy Apple and of course, Husker Du was a great live band. Enjoy! HUSKER DU The Complete Spin Radio Concert First Avenue Minneapolis, MN August 28, 1985 (uncut soundboard) 1-5. Interview segments 6. Flip Your Wig 7. Every Everything 8. Makes No Sense At All 9. The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill 10. I Apologize 11. If I Told You 12. Folklore 13. Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely 14. I Don't Know For Sure 15. Terms Of Psychic Warfare 16. Powerline 17. Books About UFO's 18. Hardly Getting Over It 19. Sorry Somehow 20. You're So Square/The Wit & Wisdom 21. Green Eyes 22. Divide & Conquer 23. Celebrated Summer 24. All Work, No Play HUSKER DU- First Avenue, Mpls, 8-28-1985. rar

Arcade Fire- 2001 Demos!

Last week, tickets to Arcade Fire went on sale for their concert in town on September 23rd. I opted for the pre-sale (you can always find the passwords on-line!) that was held on Wednesday August 18, instead of waiting for the public sale on Friday. I've been ultra-paranoid about getting crappy seats if I wait for the regular public sale since the Pixies show years ago when it sold out in record time and I had to settle for second balcony top corner seats despite searching for tickets only minutes after they went on sale. Most concerts nowadays have some kind of pre-sale, either the band's fan club, website or the sponsor of the concert, such as a radio station or Livenation. Anyways, I scored some floor seats, actually floor space, as the floor will be general admission which means standing for many many hours. I don't mind, I would prefer to be straight on with the stage so I can get a more balanced audio recording of the show...keep your fingers crossed.

I'm curious about Ticketmaster and their "paper-free" ticket for the general admission floor. Anyone know how this works exactly? Ticketmaster won't send me my physical ticket in the mail, so instead I have to print off the confirmation page (...on paper!) that they emailed me and present it to the will-call window with ID, credit card and all the people I'm taking to the show, only immediately before the concert. I assume they have to give me a ticket or a piece of paper with a bar-code that will be scanned before I enter the arena. If that's the case, is it truly "paper-free"? It seems to me there has to be some paper involved. I do realize this is a way to help prevent scalping of the floor tickets, but why am I paying a $12.75 Ticketmaster service/convenience fee to save them the cost of printing and mailing my ticket? It inconveniences me by making me stand in more line-ups the night of the show...am I wrong? Besides, I'm one of those concert/music purists that likes to keep all their ticket stubs from the concerts I've attended...I have quite the collection! Oh well, I guess we'll see.

Since there has been so much attention about Arcade Fire and they've hit a peak in popularity these past weeks, I thought it would be interesting to post early demos from the band. These demos are from 2001 and will really open your eyes to their sound before Funeral and how they have evolved to present day. Their sound is much sparser and less produced, without their distinct layering of sound and it sounds nothing like their later albums. They sound like a typical indie band with acoustic and twangy electric guitars, bass and drums, without horns, strings and extra percussion. Not the grandiose, over the top sound they have become known for, but I quite like these songs and many of them stand up to their later work. It provides of frame work of things to come and really exposes how a band's sound can evolve and incorporate ideas and input from the band members that will join the band later (who are not on this recording). Other than what I've read on-line, I don't know too much history about these recordings and according to their Wikipedia page, the band formed in 2003, so I'm sure who exactly performed on these songs, but I'm guessing it was a least Win, Regine and maybe two other guys.

If you're a fan of Arcade Fire, you must hear this! Let me know what you think.

ARCADE FIRE
2001 Demos

01. Winter For A Year
02. My Mind Is A Freeway
03. Accidents
04. Goodnight Boy
05. Asleep At The Wheel
06. In The Attic
07. Can't Let Go Of You
08. You Tried To Turn Away My Fears
09. Instrumental
10. The Great Arcade Fire

ARCADE FIRE- 2001 demos. rar

Elvis Costello- Heatwave 1980 (Part 3)

The set from Elvis Costello and the Attractions was the second last act for Heatwave, as Canadian band, The Kings came on after midnight to close the show. This Heatwave appearance was the only 1980 live concert for Elvis Costello and the Attractions in North American. A spectacular 23 song, double encore set must surely have been the highlight for the day, as Elvis was touring to support his album, Get Happy!! An amazing show!

ELVIS COSTELLO
Heatwave Festival
Mosport Park
Bowmanville, Ontario
August 23, 1980

01. Shot With His Own Gun
02. Accidents Will Happen
03. The Beat
04. Temptation
05. Green Shirt
06. You'll Never Be A Man
07. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
08. Secondary Modern
09. Lovers Walk
10. Less Than Zero
11. Big Tears
12. High Fidelity
13. Alison
14. Lipstick Vogue
15. Clubland
16. Oliver's Army
17. Watching The Detectives
18. You Belong To Me
19. Radio, Radio
Encore 1
20. Pump It Up
Encore 2
21. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
22. Mystery Dance
23. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down

ELVIS COSTELLO- Heatwave 1980. rar

Talking Heads- Heatwave 1980 (Part 2)

The Talking Heads took the Heatwave Festival stage just as the sun was going down. The band began their set with the four original members and as the set progressed they added musicians and vocalists. This show was a turning point for the Talking Heads, as it was the first time the band performed with an extended live band and the first time songs from the Remain In Light album were performed live.

Band Members:
David Byrne – vocals, Chris Frantz – drums, Tina Weymouth – synthesizer, bass, Jerry Harrison – guitar, synthesizer
Additional Musicians:
Adrian Belew – guitar, Dolette MacDonald – percussion, vocals, Busta Jones – bass, Bernie Worrell – keyboards, Steve Scales – percussion

TALKING HEADS
Heatwave Festival
Mosport Park
Bowmanville, Ontario
August 23, 1980

01. Psycho Killer
02. Warning Sign
03. Stay Hungry
04. Cities
05. I Zimbra
06. Once In A Lifetime
07. Houses In Motion
08. Born Under Punches
09. Crosseyed and Painless
10. Life During Wartime
11. Take Me To The River
12. Take Me To the River (continued)

Note: With this source, the soundboard master cuts out (track 11). The remander of TMTTR (track 12) is from an audience source.

TALKING HEADS- Heatwave 1980. rar

The Pretenders- Heatwave Festival 1980

Wow! Where I live right now we're in the middle of a heatwave, +30 degrees temperatures with extremely humid conditions. I'm sitting in my non-air conditioned house sweating as I write this and it reminded me I should post something from the Heatwave Festival, 30 years ago today.

I don't know where you were 30 years ago, but I definitely was not near Toronto where the festival took place. Instead I was clearing tables at a restaurant for my summer job (I was in high school around this time). I vaguely remember this festival, there was a lot of pre-event hype as it was promoted as the "New Wave Woodstock" and "1980 Big Beat Rock and Roll Party". The festival was plagued by the cancellation of one of it's headliners (The Clash) and the money accusations between the backers and the park management. The event reportedly lost millions of dollars. Over 100,000 people attended the event which was noteworthy because of the importance of the bands that did play, as you can see from the poster, there was some great talent.

I have some recordings by some of the bands from that day, appropriately I'll post them all today to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Heatwave Festival. First up, The Pretenders with the great original line-up of Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon and Martin Chambers. The band had released their debut album earlier in the year, so their performance was highly anticipated...and it was excellent!

THE PRETENDERS
Heatwave Festival
Mosport Park
Bowmanville, Ontario
August 23, 1980

01 Precious
02 The Adultress
03 Kid
04 Space Invader
05 Private Life
06 Brass In Pocket
07 Stop Your Sobbing
08 The Wait
09 Louie Louie
10 Porcelain
11 Tattooed Love Boys
12 Up The Neck
13 Audience
14 Mystery Achievement

PRETENDERS- Heatwave Festival 1980. rar

Husker Du- Cassette Demos

Since in the last post I focused on Husker Du towards the end of their career, today I have some music from very early in their career. These are demos circa 1980 and are taken from a couple of recording sessions. Other than that, I don't know too much about these songs, but they sound pretty good, a much improved from the Land Speed Record and a good preview of things to come. Let me know if you can shed more information about these sessions.

HUSKER DU
Cassette Demos (1980)

1. Picture Of You
2. Can't See You Anymore
3. The Truth Hurts
4. Do You Remember
5. Sore Eyes
6. Writers Cramp
7. Let's Go Die

Tracks 1-5 from "Northern Lights" Demos
Tracks 6-7 from "Statues" Outtakes
HUSKER DU- Cassette Demos. rar

Husker Du- Warehouse Reheasals

I know there are a lot of Husker Du fans that wouldn't consider Warehouse: Songs and Stories their best album, but you gotta admire a band that has enough good (great!) material to release two double albums in 3 years with 3 full-length albums squeezed between them. Many fans felt the band was moving further away from their punk sound, while others would say their growth as a band enabled them to play more than one speed, as Husker Du was a key link of bridging hardcore punk with melodic diverse music of college rock.

The first Husker Du album I bought was Metal Circus at a record store in Moorhead, MN and I have to admit at the time it kind of scared me, but when I later bought New Day Rising (as an import album) at my University bookstore (circa 1985), I was sold. This was soon followed by (in order of purchases), Flip Your Wig, Zen Arcade, Everything Falls Apart, Land Speed Record (on cassette), Candy Apple Grey (taped a friend's LP) and finally Warehouse. I remember when I bought the double vinyl (at Record Baron?), I bolted home and played the two discs back to back in it's entirety. It is extra special listening to an album by a band when you have the complete back catalog of their material without any gaps in the trail leading up to the most recent sampling. I remember thinking at the time, this was their best and definitely most accessible record to date, but thinking about it later when I was ranking the Husker Du discography, I came to the conclusion it was a good double album, but could have been a great single record. There was a lot of really good songs on it, but much like Zen Arcade, there was some filler on it. I'd have to say New Day Rising is my favourite Husker Du album followed by Candy Apple, then Zen. They're all solid, but I must admit I don't particularly care for the hardcore, Land Speed Record, a little too abrasive for my tastes. I don't know if I've actually listened to the whole thing in one listening, since the first time.

The title, Warehouse: Songs And Stories comes from the fact the band rented a warehouse to write and rehearse before going into the studio to record. This rehearsal was recorded by the band before entering the studio as they worked on new songs. The rehearsal was cut short when the police show up due to an excessive noise complaint as the police say a couple of times, "You can't believe how loud it is outside". Bob ends the tape saying, "We better leave that on the tape"...classic!

HUSKER DU
Warehouse Rehearsals
Minneapolis, MN
August 5, 1986 (?)

01 These Important Years
02 Charity, Chastity, Prudence And Hope
03 Standing In The Rain
04 Tell You Why Tomorrow
05 Ice Cold Ice
06 You're A Soldier
07 Could You Be The One?
08 Actual Condition
09 It's Not Peculiar
10 Too Much Spice
11 Visionary
12 She Floated Away
13 Friend, You've Got To Fall
14 Back From Somewhere
15 Bed Of Nails
16 You Can Live At Home
17 Turn It Around
18 "Police pull the plug due to excessive noise"

HUSKER DU- Warehouse Rehearsals. rar

Now Surpassed 20,000 Visits- Boink!!

I'm kind of shocked, I passed the 10,000 hit mark back last November and I've been visited as many times since then. I started this blog back in the summer of 2006 and it took me over 3 years for 10,000, so this proves someones reading this blog. Thank you for visiting!! If you want to be a follower of this blog, click the "follow" box in the right column, I'm not sure what the benefit is exactly, but it will improve my status of 9 followers. Who knows, if I come into some money or make any money from this blog (not gonna happen!...sponsors?), I might make some TDIT t-shirts or something...stay tuned!

To celebrate, I feel like doing a mini-Minneapolis series, maybe some Husker Du, Jayhawks and Replacements to start, I'll dig around and see what I can come up with. Today, I present a boot-version of Boink!!, not to be confused by the official mini-LP UK release back in 1986 with the same title and cover art. This extended bootleg is a compilation of studio outtakes, alternative versions and b-sides covering the period from 1980-1986. Some of this material is now available on the re-mastered re-releases as bonus tracks issued last year, but there are still some hard-to-find exclusive tracks. This is an interesting listen and a must for die-hard Mats fans. I already have most of these versions on cassette from my tape trading days, but a digital upgrade in sound quality (due to cassette generation degradation) is appreciated. Just a warning, the sound quality does vary from session to session, some tracks are official CD quality, while some tracks originate from vinyl and tapes sources, but still sound pretty good.
Enjoy!

THE REPLACEMENTS
Boink!! (Anthology "Bootleg" Version)

01-Careless (Alternate Version)

02-More Cigarettes (Alternate Version)

03-Otto (Alternate Version)

04-I Hate Music (Alternate Version)

05-Shutup (Alternate Version)

06-If Only You Were Lonely (B-Side Of "I'm In Trouble")

07-20th Century Boy (Let It Be Outtake)

08-Hey, Good Lookin' (Live 1983, B-Side Of "I Will Dare")

09-Sixteen Blue (Let It Be Outtake)

10-Who's Gonna Take Us Alive (Let It Be Outtake)

11-Temptation Eyes (Let It Be Outtake)

12-Street Girl (Version 1) (Let It Be Outtake)

13-Street Girl (Version 2) (Let It Be Outtake)

14-Seen Your Video (Let It Be Outtake)

15-Nowhere Is My Home (From British Boink) (Early '85 Alex Chilton Sessions)

16-Can't Hardly Wait (Electric) (Early '85 Alex Chilton Sessions)

17-Can't Hardly Wait (Acoustic) (Early '85 Alex Chilton Sessions)

18-Valentine (Aug 86 - Last Session With Bob Stinson)

19-Birthday Girl (Aug 86 - Last Session With Bob Stinson)

20-Bundle Up ("Jungle Rock") (Aug 86 - Last Session With Bob Stinson)

21-Red Red Wine (Aug 86 - Last Session With Bob Stinson)

22-PO Box (aka Empty As Your Heart) (Aug 86 - Last Session With Bob Stinson)

23-Time Is Killing Us (Aug 86 - Last Session With Bob Stinson)

24-IOU (May 86 - In Studio Of Dutch Radio Station VPRO)

25-Bastards Of Young (May 86 - In Studio Of Dutch Radio Station VPRO)

THE REPLACEMENTS- Boink!! (part 1). rar
THE REPLACEMENTS- Boink!! (part 2). rar

Mini Plumtree Reunion!!!

This is an awesome moment for Plumtree fans who have waited almost 10 years to hear the band (almost, Amanda didn't wasn't there) perform together again. This little reunion (one song?) was during the Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6 launch party (the latest volume of the graphic novel series) in Toronto, on July 19th. In case you don't know the connection with the movie, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World and Plumtree, Scott Pilgrim was the name of a Plumtree song (the one they perform on this video) and then comic artist, Bryan Lee O'Malley created a graphic novel and named his hero, Scott Pilgrim after the song. Plumtree's song is on the movie soundtrack.

Seeing this immediately makes me think Plumtree reunion!! But through email a few months ago, I asked Carla if there were any plans for a reunion based on this renewed interest in the band because of the Scott Pilgrim Vs the World movie and she replied it would be difficult because Amanda was a new mom and it wouldn't be so easy to get the band together to tour. Carla Gillis and her sister Lynette have been recording and performing together as, Sister and judging by the huge smile on bass player Catriona Sturton's face, she looks thrilled to be there. For the movie premiere on August 5, Amanda did fly into Toronto from Vancouver, so the band, at least in person did reunite. If they reunited for a mini-tour or even a few shows, I would so be there, I promise!

The Slushpuppies- Blacklisted

Before we leave Superchunk for now, here's a "before they was famous" posting featuring music from one of Mac McCaughan's pre-Superchunk bands, The Slushpuppies. The band's punk-pop sound was somewhat reminicant of early Superchunk and it's a worthy prequal of things to come. This double 7" set was recorded around 1987-88, but was released in 1990 on Meat Records. I don't have much more information about the three member Slushpuppies other than they had earlier recorded a eleven song cassette called, Big What?, as well as a couple more singles.

Band members:
Jonathan Newman - Drums
Mac McCaughan - Guitar, vocals
David Whisnant - Bass

THE SLUSHPUPPIES
Blacklisted EP (double seven-inch set) (1990)

01. Blacklisted

02. Calendar

03. This Long

04. Sleep

05. Lost at Ten

THE SLUSHPUPPIES- Blacklisted 2x7". rar

Superchunk- Live!

As a bonus (to the last post), here's a show from this past June that previews some new material from Superchunk's new album, Majesty Shredding. With the release of the new album I'm hoping Chunk extensively tours, maybe even venturing up north to Canada (?). I saw the band on their only visit to Winnipeg (October 20, 1997) and it would be amazing to see Superchunk again! I recorded that show on cassette and if there is an interest I'll transfer and post that show, I believe they were touring in support of Indoor Living.

SUPERCHUNK
Main Stage
Westword Music Showcase
Denver, CO
June 19, 2010

1. intro
2. Cool
3. Detroit Has a Skyline
4. Digging for Something
5. Seed Toss
6. Hello Hawk
7. Punch Me Harder
8. Art Class (Song for Yayoi Kusama)
9. Like a Fool
10. Iron On
11. Nu Bruises
12. Learned to Surf
13. Driveway to Driveway
14. The First Part
15. Slack Motherfucker
16. Precision Auto

SUPERCHUNK- live 2010-06-19. rar

This show is available in lossless FLAC at dimeadozen.org and originates from a great live show blog, the Flat Response, which features lots of shows from Colorado, Georgia and other parts of the U.S. from known and not so known bands and artists.

Something New Mondays: Superchunk- Digging For Something

Another much anticipated release is Superchunk's first album in 9 years called, Majesty Shredding on September 14. For fans needing a refresher course on why they should care, the band is also re-releasing two of their classic albums next week. Remastered versions of 1991's No Pocky For Kitty and 1993's On the Mouth will hit record stores on Aug. 17 on vinyl and CD (in cardboard, LP-style packaging). I have both of these albums on vinyl already, so I'm not sure if there will be any bonus tracks, but I'm sure there will be an improvement on the sound sound quality.

Here's the lead off single from the new album, which is available already on a multi-coloured vinyl 7" released on July 13th. From the sounds of Digging For Something, Majesty Shredding could be the "must-have" album of the Fall.

SUPERCHUNK-Digging For Something mp3

Arcade Fire: Live Stream on YouTube August 5!

I haven't seen Arcade Fire live and in concert since their Funeral tour (2005) and I'm itching to see if they will return to Winnipeg in the near future. If you would like to see them tonight!...tune into YouTube for a live video stream (global webcast) of their concert at Madison Square Gardens in New York City.

Earlier in June and early July, Arcade Fire played some warm-up shows in Canada and Europe.They finally played some dates in Sweden, Norway and Finland. I found a recording from the Helsinki, Finland concert recorded on June 28th and includes some new songs in their set from the new album, The Suburbs. It sounds pretty good and gives a good sense of a AF show, but without the visuals. When I saw Arcade Fire five years ago, at the time I proclaimed it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. The energy this band puts forth in their live show is hard to top and I highly recommend seeing them if they come to your town...I'm hoping with their new album they'll expand their tour and come back to Winnipeg!

ARCADE FIRE
Senaatintori
Helsinki, Finland
June 28, 2010

01. Wake Up
02. Ready to Start
03. Month of May
04. Tunnels
05. The Suburbs
06. Rococo
07. No Cars Go
08. Haiti
09. Empty Room
10. Modern Man
11. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
12. Rebellion (Lies)
13. [encore break]
14. Intervention
15. We Used to Wait
16. Keep The Car Running

ARCADE FIRE- Live in Helsinki 28-06-2010. rar

Arcade Fire- Live At Fashion Rocks

Just returned from vacation on Monday which explains my lack of posts the last 2 weeks. I took my laptop up north to our cabin, but unfortunately wi-fi and Internet connections are non-existent unless I went into town and paid to use the town's public library computers. Instead I listened to a ton of music and read a lot of books about music. In a future post I'll list my summer reading list, as it's the only time in the year I have enough time to sit back and relax and read, but mainly because I couldn't go online.

If you are a fan of Montreal's, Arcade Fire, you already know yesterday the band released their highly anticipated follow-up to 2007's, Neon Bible. I downloaded the new album, The Suburbs, but only had a chance to listen to the first half of the album while lying in bed last night and from what I heard ( or at least remember), it sounds great! I'll have an opportunity tomorrow at work to really have a more serious listen, and if you don't have this already, be sure to check the web for a site that is still streaming a preview of the album. Here's a link to npr's site which streams, The Suburbs in it's entirety or the tracks individually, be warned this will probably be only for a limited time.

As a teaser, here's the live EP, Live At Fashion Rocks recorded in 2005 with special guest David Bowie. They performed together on September 8, 2005 at Fashion Rocks 2005 in New York. Only 3 songs, but decent renditions of 2 Bowie classics and one Arcade Fire song. This was only available as a download from iTunes.
Enjoy!
ARCADE FIRE
Live At Fashion Rocks (2005)

1. Life on Mars?
2. Wake Up
3. Five Years

ARCADE FIRE- Live At Fashion Rocks. rar