Scruffy The Cat- TT The Bear's Place August 8, 1987

My prized autographed Tiny Days album cover

Here's another fine Scruffy the Cat live recording I've been meaning to share for a while. This recording boasts excellent sound and this show (not necessarily this actual recording?) was recorded for the Boom Boom Boom Bingo EP. The versions of Shadow Boy, Runaway and Happiness To Go from this show appear on the EP. I received this in a trade and take note this is the late show and not to be confused with the early all-ages show from the same date that was posted on the old Scruffy the Cat page mp3 section (check it here through archive.org Wayback Machine) which believe it or not are still active!

For all you Scruffy the Cat fans this is a must "listen to" live recording! A classic!
Enjoy!

SCRUFFY THE CAT
TT The Bear's Place
Cambridge, MA
August 8, 1987
Late Show
soundboard

01. hello
02. Betty Drops In
03. banter #1
04. Thomas Doubter
05. banter #2
06. Shadow Boy
07. Blue Russian
08. introduce guest: Burns Stanfield- keys
09. Time Never Forgets
10. You Dirty Rat
11. banter #3
12. You Are My Sunshine
13. My Friend Ringo
14. Moons Of Jupiter
15. Places
16. 2Day 2morrow 4Ever
17. Beg, Borrow And Steal
18. Buy A Car
19. Runaway
20. Never, Never
21. Nova SS 1968
22. My Baby She's Alright
23. My Fate Was Sealed With A Kiss
24. Matchbox
25. Upside Down
26. Happiness To Go
encore
27. Little Bit O' Soul
28. Life Is Fun
29. Tiny Days

SCRUFFY THE CAT- 1987-08-08 (late show) TT The Bears, Cambridge, MA FLAC. rar

Charlie Chesterman- TT The Bears April 30, 1986

Here's a rare Charlie Chesterman solo acoustic show when he was in Scruffy the Cat from 1986. He performs some STC songs along with lots of new material I don't even know the titles of. If you can help out with some titles of the songs with question marks (?), let me know. Without a band, the performance is a cool up-close and personal show and though he has trouble remembering songs and having difficulty choosing songs to play, this show is special because I'm not sure if Charlie did a lot of solo shows when he was still in Scruffy? (maybe you fans from MA might have better insight on this?)

I got this disc in a trade many years ago and I thought it would be of interest because I haven't seen this posted online. The last show I posted (WERS 1984) along with several other Scruffy The Cat live recordings have recently been re-seeded and posted on Dime, but if you want me to post any of those shows here (especially if you aren't a Dimeadozen member), I can. Regardless, I'll post some more Chesterman/Scruffy The Cat shows that haven't been shared yet to continue my week long tribute to Charlie.
Enjoy!

CHARLIE CHESTERMAN
TT The Bears
Cambridge, MA
April 30, 1986
AUD

01. Time Never Forgets
02. My Fate Was Sealed With A Kiss
03. The Late Risers Club
04. Big Fat Monkeys Hat
05. ? / Lovers Day
06. ?
07. Tiger Tiger
08. ? / New Home Of The Blues
09. Hole In My Heart
10. The Boy Scout Song / Thomas Doubter
11. 2day 2morrow 4ever
12. ?
13. xx (silence)
14. ?
15. Beer Please, Not Politics
16. ?
17. ?
18. outro

?= title unknown

CHARLIE CHESTERMAN- 1986-04-30 TT The Bears, Cambridge, MA FLAC. rar

Scruffy The Cat- WERS, May 20, 1984

 Sad news as I found out earlier today that Charlie Chesterman, frontman for the band, Scruffy The Cat lost his battle with cancer. If you've been following this blog for the past many years, you'll know how much this band meant to me and how influential their music has been in my life. They sit firmly in place in my personal top 5 alongside bands such as YFF, The Replacements, The Kinks, Velvet Underground and Wilco. Though their recorded input was small and consisted of only 2 full length albums and a couple of EP's (plus a split with YFF), their live shows and the live recordings (that I've heard) were outstanding. Charlie Chesterman's output post-Scruffy led to further fine recordings either solo or with his band, Chaz and the Motorbikes. If you have a chance to grab some of his solo recordings, you won't be disappointed. From The Book Of Flames, Studabakersfield and Dynamite Music Machine are highly underrated and Hit This & Kick That is a cool comp of the first three. Recently released (last week) is a collection of hard to find compilation tracks and previously unreleased rarities from Charlie between 1992-2012 called, Solid Gold Electric Chestnut Despenser. This is available for download now at charliechesterman.bandcamp.com. Proceeds go directly to the Friends of Charlie Chesterman Fund.

As a tribute to Charlie, I have some Charlie Chesterman/STC-related live shows to share. I've been collecting Scruffy The Cat live recording since the days of tape/CD trading and I've been downloading any shows I see posted on Dime. I've previously posted a couple of the better Scruffy recordings already and I'll dig around the hard-drive and my multiple "orange boxes" of CD's and see what I have of interest. Stay tuned.

Previous posts:
WERS- July 27,1986
Live at the Ritz- 02-04-1989
Spit and Paulish #9- live compilation (mp3)

This WERS recording is an interesting early Scruffy in-studio with a track from the first EP, High Octane Revival (Happiness), some early compilation tracks (Oldest Fire, Monkey's Hat), some unreleased and early versions of Moons Of Jupiter and Everything.
Enjoy!

SCRUFFY THE CAT
WERS Studio - Emerson College
Boston, MA
May 20, 1984
2nd Gen Cass>Sony Stand Alone>EAC>FLAC 08

01. Oldest Fire In The World
02. Little Mister Blues
03. Watusi Weekend
04. Everything
05. Happiness To Go
06. Burning Cross
07. Graveyard Of Love
08. Change In Life
09. Momma Killed Hate
10. Swearing Off The Women And Swearing On The Booze
11. I Feel Like A Spy
12. The Ghost Song
13. ??
14. Moons Of Jupiter
15. Big Fat Monkey's Hat
16. DJ
17. Lullaby
18. DJ outro


SCRUFFY THE CAT- 1984-05-20, WERS Studio, FLAC. rar

Velvet Underground- Original 1966 Acetate

As a tribute for the late Lou Reed, I thought it would be appropriate to re post tracks from the 1966 acetate from the first Velvet Underground album. I wrote extensively about this rare disc when it was posted on eBay in 2006 after being discovered by Warren Hill at a Chelsea, New York street sale in 2002. You can read about this incredible story on my blog posting from December 2006, along with descriptions of the track differences from the released album. I also posted the tracks to listen to, but only mp3 files. Below are the uncompressed FLAC files from the acetate and not ripped from the more recently released vinyl version or the 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe edition.
Enjoy!

VELVET UNDERGROUND
Norman Dolph Acetate
4 Scepter Studios
1966
FLAC

1. European Son (alternate version)- Completely different version. Guitar solo is much bluesier. Less noisy and experimental. Longer by 2 minutes or so.

2. The Black Angel's Death Song (alternate mix)- Same take as released version. Different mix.

3. All Tomorrow's Parties (alternate version)- Same take as released version. Different mix.

4. I'll Be Your Mirror (alternate version)- Same take as released version. Radically different mix. No echo in Nico's vocals. Background vocals on end of song are more subdued.

5. Heroin (alternate version)- Completely different take than released version. Guitar line is different. Vocal inflections different and a few different lyrics. Drumming is more primitive & off kilter. There is a tambourine dragging throughout the song.

6. Femme Fatale (alternate mix)- Same take as released version. Radically different mix. Percussion more prominent. Alternative take on background vocals. Much more "poppy".

7. Venus In Furs (alternate version)- Different take than released version. Vocal inflections completely
different. Instrumentation more based around Cale's violin than the guitar as in the released version.

8. Waiting For The Man (alternate version)- Different take than released version. Guitar line is
guitar solo.

9. Run Run Run (alternate mix)- Same take as released version. Different mix.
completely different. Vocal inflections different and a few different lyrics. No drums, just tambourine. Bluesy

VELVET UNDERGROUND- Norman Dolph Acetate FLAC. rar

Plumtree- Winter Formal 2000

When bands break up usually it's for good, bad, stupid and financial reasons. Personality clashes, musical differences, martial breakup, going broke and just plain, "run the course" are just some of the reasons. Sometimes members of a band want to explore something else either on their own or with other people. That's why lead singers/songwriters of bands seem to control the destiny of the band and will go solo if they think the rest of the band is dragging him/her down or they want to explore other musical directions or sooth their ego with more attention and accolades to themselves.

None of the above reasons are why Halifax's, Plumtree called it quits in June 2000. Their split was amicable, after a lengthy spring tour across Canada and the U.S. they decided to go their separate ways with Amanda Braden moving to Toronto, Catriona Sturton to Japan, Lynette Gillis to New York, leaving singer/songwriter Carla Gillis in Halifax to embark on a solo career. No rock star tantrums or nasty breakup stories, it was them moving forward with their lives and academic aspirations (while in school the band toured during their school breaks), Carla and Lynette have continued collaborating on many music projects and Catriona is doing the solo thing.

When they broke up: Plumtree's last show was June 30, 2000 at the Marquee Club in Halifax, NS.

Why They Split: (See above) Basically they wanted to discover a world outside of Halifax. Touring with a band is a good way to see the world, but you always seem to end up at home.

Post Breakup: Lynette and Carla have relocated and played in bands in Vancouver (Bontempi) and Toronto (Sister). Amanda lives in Vancouver, while Catriona is in Ottawa pursuing a solo career.

Odds of a reunion: I think pretty good! I wouldn't be surprised if they get together musically for a one-off, but a tour is a long shot, but definitely not out of the question. They are still young and three quarters of them are still active recording and performing. Those three (Carla, Lynette and Cat) did play one song together during a Sister set for the Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6 launch party (the graphic novel, not the movie) in July 2010. The whole band did reunite at the movie premiere in August (see photo), but they didn't perform. Hey, if the Replacements can play three shows, anything is possible!

Reunited...to watch a movie only.

In 2000, I had the opportunity to see Plumtree four times. I really wish I saw them on their earlier tours because three of the shows they toured their new record (at the time), This Day Won't Last At All (kind of appropriate now!) the setlists didn't vary too much. The show I'm posting is the first of the four and was before the release of the new record so many of these songs hadn't been heard by many yet. A decent sounding recording on my trusty cassette recorder with the usual crowd chatter, captures the band as an opener for local band, B'ehl's CD release party. It was billed as a Winter Formal because of the large ballroom setting and most people dressed formal (not me, who knew?) and as a bonus the girls in Plumtree wore skirts. I think Carla mentions it's really a rare occasion they dress up, Amanda says it's only the second time they've done it. Plumtree were and remain one of my favourite bands...Very cool show!
Enjoy!

PLUMTREE
Ramada Marborough Skyview Ballroom
Winnipeg, MB
January 27, 2000

Audience Master
Sony mic> Sony Cassette recorder> Maxell XLII cassette>
audio CDR> FreeRip> WAV> FLAC> rar

01.  One-Stop
02.  Scott Pilgrim
03.  Racing Gloves
04.  My My
05.  Thrilled To Be Here
06.  Hello Again
07.  Latitude
08.  Regret
09.  I'm Not Moving
10.  Was That All
11.  You Just Don't Exist

PLUMTREE- 2000-01-27 Ramada Ballroom, Winnipeg, MB, FLAC. rar

Replacements- Riot Fest, Toronto, August 25, 2013

I know it's old news and you've probably already read the reviews, seen the videos and heard the recordings from the Replacements "reunion" show at Riot Fest a few weeks back, but I thought I would give an opportunity for those that missed out to still listen to this amazing concert. As far as I know, there are three live audience recordings circulating (yup, I downloaded all three), two that were posted on Dime in lossless and all three at the Replacements Live Archive Project on Facebook in mp3 and on the blog version.

On the weekend of August 24-25, I was on the West Coast attending a family reunion while across the country in Toronto, Tommy Stinson and Paul Westerberg reunited on stage together (along with Dave Minehan and Josh Freese) for a smoking set of Replacements classics. While many refuse to acknowledge this to be a real Replacements reunion without half the original band, it was a treat to hear Paul Westerberg perform a full set of Replacements songs instead of a small sampling during his solo shows. I'm such a huge fan of Westerberg and Stinson I would see them with or without each other, but to hear the Mats songs, especially the early material is a bonus. Wish I could attend Chicago next week or Denver later in the month, but I'm holding out hope they play a Minneapolis concert in the near future, I guarantee I'll be there!

3 versions at the Live Archive Project (mp3) (links within)

1. Mechanical Forest Sound (MFS) source (also check out MFS's great blog!)
2. Scudder source
3. NAC source

Since sound quality is subjective, especially for audience recordings I can't tell you which one to download. They all have their charms and highs and lows.

Versions 1 and 2 were also posted on Dime in FLAC format. If you don't have an account and would prefer to download the lossless version, I've posted the MFS sourced show below.
Enjoy!

The Replacements
Riot Fest - Day 2
2013-08-25
Garrison Common
Toronto, ON Canada

00. [crowd + banter]
01. Takin' a Ride
02. I'm in Trouble
03. Favourite Thing
04. Hangin' Downtown
05. Color Me Impressed
06. Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out > Third Stone From The Sun [Jimi Hendrix cover]
07. Kiss Me on the Bus
08. Androgynous
09. Achin' to Be
10. I Will Dare
11. Love You Till Friday > Maybellene [Chuck Berry cover]
12. Merry-Go-Round
13. Wake Up
14. Borstal Breakout [Sham 69 cover]
15. Little Mascara >
16. Left of the Dial
17. Alex Chilton
18. Swingin' Party
19. Can't Hardly Wait
20. Bastards of Young
21. [encore break]
22. Everything's Coming Up Roses [Bette Midler cover]
23. I.O.U.
24. [crowd]

set time = 1:16:10

REPLACEMENTS- 2013-08-25, Toronto FLAC. rar

Uncle Tupelo- Denmark 1993

Video still from Uncle Tupelo's last ever concert.

 With all the hoopla on this blog about the upcoming Replacements shows in Toronto, Chicago and Denver, it had me fantasizing about what other bands I would like to see reunite for a concert or tour. I started compiling a list of bands I would love to see reform and I would try to be there to witness this event. This list is by no means official in any way and the chances of any of these bands getting back together are remote at best, it's just a personal dream list in no particular order. Please feel free to add your two cents and suggestions.

• Uncle Tupelo
• The Kinks
• The Jam
• Plumtree
• Rockpile
• Brinsley Schwarz
• Modern Lovers (original line-up)
• Husker Du
• Mr. T Experience (classic lineup with Jon Von)
• Whiskeytown
• Bum

In the coming posts (or weeks), I'll explore some of these bands in more detail and hopefully I can find a show or two to post.

A reunion that would be near the top of my list is Uncle Tupelo. It's no secret Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar don't like each other and neither has any interest in playing together again, but it would be sure nice!

When they broke up (last show): Uncle Tupelo's last concert was May 1, 1994 at Mississippi Nights in St. Louis.

Why They Split: Egos, jealousy. Jay might have felt threatened by Jeff taking a more active role in the band. Also Jeff stroking Jay's girlfriend's hair caused further tension to an already disintegrating relationship.

Post Breakup: Tweedy and the rest of Tupelo formed Wilco, while Farrar started a new band, Son Volt. Wilco has gone on to be quite successful both commercially and artistically. They have taken their sound beyond the genre of No Depression alt-country to creative heights that make Wilco one of the most interesting American bands now. Jay Farrar has stayed closer to his roots with a sound steeped in Americana.

Odds of a Reunion: Doesn't look good right now, but you never know. I honestly believe this will happen eventually, maybe if Wilco takes a long break or if the right opportunity or a common cause brings them together. Many bands have buried the hatchet for a one-off or two if the money is right, but I don't believe this would be about money. I don't think Farrar wants to be upstaged by Tweedy and it would probably have to be an even split setlist (similar to their last show).

This is a great sounding recording that is sourced from a FM broadcast. This show features many tracks from the forthcoming album, Anodyne that was released later in the year. Tweedy and Farrar were still on speaking terms at this time.
Enjoy!

UNCLE TUPELO
Roskilde Festival
Denmark
July 3, 1993
SBD

01. Grindstone
02. Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down
03. True To Life
04. Chickamauga
05. Watch Me Fall
06. Anodyne
07. The Long Cut
08. Slate
09. Atomic Power (Louvin/Louvin/Bains)
10. New Madrid
11. Sandusky
12. Acuff-Rose
13. Steal The Crumbs
14. Looking For A Way Out
15. Nothing
16. Fifteen Keys
17. We've Been Had
18. Give Back The Key To My Heart (Sahm)
19. No Depression

UNCLE TUPELO- 1993- 07-03, Roskilde Festival, Denmark, FLAC. rar

Perfect- Pachyderm Studios, July 7, 1996

Tommy Stinson's next band after Bash & Pop was Perfect, who formed in 1995. Their only official release during their brief existence was the near-perfect, when Squirrels Play Chicken EP, that (in my option) is the best collection of songs Stinson has recorded. A close second would be the follow-up full length the band recorded, but was shelved before it was release, Seven Days A Week. I received a "leaked" copy in a trade many years ago and it was a head shaker to why it didn't get released. Advance copies had been sent out (hence the leak), but because their label was bought out by another. Eventually, a remixed and re sequenced version of Seven Days A Week was released as, Once, Twice, Three Times A Maybe in 2004.

The recording below was recorded exactly 17 years ago at Pachyderm Studios in rural Minnesota. The recording has perfect sound as it was broadcast on the radio complete with a studio audience (contest winners?) and a live performance. The songs and performance are great with Tommy in good spirits and the band tight and crisp. An amazing cover of Elton John's, Crocodile Rock conclude this essential set.
Enjoy!

PERFECT
Pachyderm Studios
Cannon Falls, MN
July 7, 1996
FM Broadcast

01. Introduction
02. Makes Me Happy
03. Little Drum
04. Sometimes
05. talk
06. Don't Need To Know Where
07. Thing I Call My Life
08. Me
09. Yap Yap
10. talk/Negative Feedback
11. Alternative Monkey
12. Crocodile Rock
13. conclusion

PERFECT- 1996-07-07, Pachyderm Falls, MN FLAC. rar

Bash & Pop- Live In Vermillion 1993

After the Replacements disbanded in 1991, Tommy Stinson formed his first post-Replacements band, Bash & Pop in 1992. Tommy switched to guitar, took lead vocals and wrote the songs, but the band was short lived and disbanded in 1994. The band recorded and released just one album (and a track to the Clerks soundtrack), Friday Night Is Killing Me and I thought it held it's own up against the other ex-Replacement's first projects as it showed flashes of brilliance that makes Stinson a legitimate frontman. The songs were catchy, poppy and sometimes rocked hard, but I thought the slower tracks (Friday Night (Is Killing Me) and Nothing) had a sensitivity I didn't think Stinson had.

There aren't a lot of live recordings of Bash & Pop (they only lasted 2 years) and the setlists are similar since they only had an album's worth of material. This concert from the University of South Dakota has excellent sound (soundboard quality) and though the performance was loose with a mid-song stop and a false start, this is well worth the listen for any Mats fan. For the story behind the recording, read about it here.
Enjoy!

BASH & POP
Vermillion, SD
May 1, 1993

soundboard DAT recording

01. Never Aim To Please
02. Satellite
03. Situation
04. Hang ups
05. Tickled To Tears
06. Any Other Way
07. He Means It
08. Loose Ends
09. Tiny Pieces
10. Keep On Knockin'
11. All Tied Up
12. Friday Night Is Killing Me
13. Don't Shake It
14. Easy Action
15. One More Time
16. Cat Scratch Fever
17. Raise Your Window
18. Fast And Hard
19. Nothing
20. First Steps

BASH & POP- 1993-05-01, Sioux Falls, SD FLAC. rar

Replacements- Live At The Lingerie 1984

 Here's a good one! 1984 was a big year for the Replacements, the album, Let It Be was released and the band toured extensively through the states, the mid-West, East coast and the West Coast. Multiple appearances in New York City attracted much attention including the attention of major label reps hoping to sign the band. A couple of the shows at CBGB's have been well documented on this blog (here and here) and if you're a fan of live recordings from the Replacements, 1984 produced some good ones.

One of the better sounding shows of 1984 was a show at Club Lingerie in Hollywood. Not only is sound outstanding (for an earlier show), but the performance is tight, coherent and energized. Considering this is a couple of weeks before the infamous, "Shit Hits The Fans" show and just over a month before the classic drunken CBGB's show, they play it fairly straight with less drunken covers or foolishness and the setlist documents the era perfectly. Yes, this is a good one, get it!
Enjoy!

REPLACEMENTS
Club Lingerie
Hollywood, CA
October 26, 1984

01. Hayday
02. Color Me Impressed
03. Baby Strange
04. Unsatisfied
05. Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
06. Can't Hardly Wait
07. I Will Dare
08. Black Diamond
09. Goddamn Job
10. Take Me Down To The Hospital
11. Johnny's Gonna Die
12. Yeah!
13. Never Been To College
14. Gary's Got A Boner
15. ...
16. Kid's Don't Follow
17. Hitchin' A Ride
18. Answering Machine
19. Run It
20. We're Coming Out
21. Customer

REPLACEMENTS- 1984-10-26, Club Lingerie, CA FLAC. rar

Replacements Last Show...So Far, In Lossless!

Not much more to report on the Replacements reunion shows at Riot Fest or if there are any additional dates added or announcements about who the other band members will be besides Westerberg and Stinson. If I hear anything, I'll share the info and post links on the TDIT Facebook page.

Last post, I re-posted a link for the last Replacements show from July 4, 1991. In my original post (a few years ago), I posted the mp3 version because at the time I wasn't posting FLAC or lossless mainly because of long upload times and storage space limitations. I had some requests to post the FLAC version and I'm more than happy to share this historic concert for the die-hards that want to hear it in lossless.

This is Mats week on TDIT with more Replacements (and related) shows to come. Stay tuned!
Enjoy!

REPLACEMENTS
Live at the Petrillo Music Shell,
Grant Park, Chicago, IL. USA.
July 4th, 1991.
(final show)

"It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Roadies Play"
Bootleg CD>Flac>rar
Soundboard

01 I will dare
02 Bent outta shape
03 Achin' to be
04 Merry go round
05 Happy town
06 Swingin party
07 One wink at a time
08 Waitress in the sky
09 When it began
10 Someone take the wheel
11 Talent show
12 Nobody
13 Another girl, another planet
14 Hey good lookin
15 I'll be you
16 I don't know
17 Within your reach
18 Can't hardly wait
19 Hootenany (roadies playing)

bonus:
20 sonic reducer
21 kiss me on the bus

tracks 20 & 21 recorded live at Tipitanas in New Orleans, USA Jan. 28th, 1991.

THE REPLACEMENTS- 1991-07-04 (last show) FLAC. rar

Replacements To Return To The Stage 22 Years Later

 

Even before the announcement this week that the Replacements would play their first show in 22 years, I was compiling a list for this blog of bands I would like to see reunite. These would be bands on my personal favourite list that I would travel almost anywhere to see this special event. I'll post this list in upcoming posts, but it's probably no secret that the band that topped my list was the Replacements.

I first got acquainted with the Mats in the mid-eighties when a friend gave me a mix tape of various bands and included on the tape was several songs from Tim. From that moment on, the Replacements have had a place in my heart and my record collection along with an extensive collection of live concerts that I cherish to this day. To me, they are what a band should be. Their "I don't give shit attitude" and their unpredictable shows that ranged from tight, loose, drunken and hilarious. When they played it straight, not too many bands rocked out like they did and when they were drunk, their setlist was tossed off and they played whatever they felt like playing. They never got the mainstream success they deserved, but in a way that was a good thing because when they did gain a wider audience through their "hit", I'll Be You and the Petty opening tour, I thought this was the chink in the armour and the beginning of the end of the band. Maybe they weren't indie enough anymore or maybe there was too much pressure for the band to succeed commercially. Whatever the case, their last two albums never lived up to the masterpieces that preceded them.

I never had an opportunity to see the Replacements, they never toured to my city and I regret not making the drive to the Twin Cities. I have travelled to the Twin Cities to see Westerberg on two occasions, but my dream and faint hope was to see Paul Westerberg with at least Tommy Stinson to play Replacements songs together. The dream is now a reality with the Replacements booked to headline 3 Riot Fest shows in Toronto, Chicago and Denver. Toronto is the most accessible, but I'm scheduled (and flight booked) to be in Vancouver on that very same weekend for a family reunion. Chicago is close in distance, but I might be in Toronto around that time for a meeting...damn the timing! If I can't see the Mats in those cities, I'm holding out hope they play a hometown show before or after Riot Fest or who knows, maybe they'll do an expanded tour? Whatever happens I won't be disappointed, the Replacements are back together (not quite, but close enough) and I thought I would never see this happen and I'm more than thrilled and excited! I'm sure the tapers will be out in full force with a recording of the festivities (fingers crossed!) and if there are, it will be posted on this blog to share.

For a reminder of their last show from 1991, I'm re-posting the link from a previous post. It's in mp3 format, but I do have the lossless version I can also post if you'd prefer. If you want access to more downloads of Replacements shows (in mp3 format), check out this fine page,  Color Me Impressed: The Replacements Live Archive Project. Their goal is to archive and share every know Replacements recording. So far it's a great collection and I'm sure there are a lot more to come. Great to download to your iPod or blasting in the car in the months leading up to the big shows. I'll try to share some shows that aren't on their site yet in lossless if I get around to transferring some tapes...stay tuned!

THE REPLACEMENTS- 1991-07-04. rar

The Odds- RealTime 1996

The Odds are a Canadian band that I somehow overlooked back in the 90's. I always liked the band, I saw their music videos on TV and heard their "hits" on the radio, but never dug deeper and bought any of their full length albums until a couple of weeks ago. The Odds are a band I should have listened to more, they have a great power pop sound with plenty of guitar, a sound that is kind of edgy, but poppy and melodic enough to get mainstream radio play in Canada. The band went on a hiatus from 1999 to 2007, when Craig Northey left the band to pursue other projects. One of Northey's projects was a collaboration with the Gin Blossom's, Jesse Valenzuela to co-write and perform the theme song, Not A Lot Goin On for the hugely popular CTV show, Corner Gas. Ironically enough, this song might be the most recognizable Odds-related song in their career. More recently, the Odds could be seen (or at least heard) at Vancouver Canuck playoff games as their "house band" performing high above the ice in a private box. Unfortunately, for Canucks and Odds fans their appearance has been limited due to the Canucks lame early exit from the playoffs the last two years.

I dug through my tapes to find this rare little gem that was recorded from my big blaster tape deck onto cassette from a live CBC broadcast in 1996. This was a live in-studio performance in the CBC studios for a program called, RealTime that was heard on Saturday nights on the national network up here in Canada. The Odds performed songs from their latest album, Nest that featured the song, Someone Who's Cool, their biggest hit and arguably the best song they ever wrote. At this time the band was at the height of their career and have yet to match that success. This live session is a good listen, the band is playing their instruments through mini battery-powered amps so the sound is raw and they were obviously have a fun time in the studio. I honestly haven't listened to this tape since I recorded it, but I'm glad I can share it now. On the flip-side of the tape is a Sloan show from 1996 that might have been aired on the same night and I probably recorded the Odds session since I was recording anyways. The sound is okay, but be forewarned there is some static on the first two tracks (I seem to have a lot of radio reception problems on my stereo).
Enjoy!

THE ODDS
CBC "RealTime"
CBC Studio
Vancouver, BC
December 7, 1996

FM Master (cassette)

01. Someone Who's Cool
02. interview
03. Heard You Wrong
04. Nothing Beautiful
05. talk
06. Say You Mean It Wondergirl
07. interview


THE ODDS- 1996-12-07, CBC RealTime, Vancouver, BC, FLAC .rar

Big Star- Rehearsals 1993

Though they only released three studio albums in the early 70's, the interest in Big Star has continued even 40 years later. The band's influence is evident in many bands today and though the band never reached huge mainstream success, they have (arguably) been widely regarded as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt You is a full length documentary film that will coming to theatres across the country this summer. The film features never seen before footage of the band as well as in depth interviews. It's unfortunate that 3 of the 4 members of the band had passed away (Chris Bell 1978, Alex Chilton 2010, Andy Hummel 2010) before the completion of the film. I'll definitely have an interest trying to catch a screening of the film, as I admittedly am not an expert about the band's history and legacy.


I first became aware of Big Star from listening to Replacements bootlegs with the band covering songs like, September Gurls and I'm In Love With A Girl. Hey, if my favourite band, the Replacements love Big Star, I better see what the fuss was. From that I bought a CD compiling both #1 Record and Radio City and also their third album, Sister Lovers/Third, definitely one of my wisest music decisions ever. I never had a chance to see Big Star live (I was too young during their original inception and the reunited version of the band never toured close enough) and the closest that I've come to Big Star-related live shows was the Posies and Golden Smog with Jody Stephens on drums, both shows (in different years) at the 400 bar in Minneapolis in the 2000's.

To get you in the right spirit, I'm posting the "reunited" version of Big Star (Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens, Jon Auer, Ken Stringfellow) rehearsing a run through of their set before the first reunion show that was immortalized on the live recording, Columbia: Live At Missouri University. Recordings like this are cool because they offer a fly-on-the wall listen to the band working through the songs, with some discussion about details of the songs. A solid sounding set, though the vocals are low in parts, this should interest any fans of the band and it's yet another rare document of a great band we don't know enough about and apparently can't get enough of.

BIG STAR
"set run through"
unknown location
Seattle, WA
April 13, 1993

01 In the Street
02 Don't Lie To Me
03 I Am the Cosmos
04 Oh My Soul
05 Ballad of El Goodo
06 Back of a Car
07 Way Out West
08 Daisy Glaze
09 Thirteen
10 Baby Strange
11 For You
12 Feel
13 September Gurls
14 Thank You Friends
15 Slut
16 When My Baby's Beside Me

BIG STAR- 1993-04-13, Seattle, WA FLAC. rar

The Grapes Of Wrath Are Back!

I can't remember the exact date, but I'm pretty sure it was in 1989 (I actually can't find the ticket stub), as they toured in support of their album, Now And Again when I last saw The Grapes Of Wrath at Le Rendezvous. The Rendezvous wasn't a great place to see a band, it had this cavernous, warehouse feel to it, like a social hall or large bar that never had great sound, but it hosted some good shows. The size of the venue was larger than a bar (The Albert, Spectrum), but smaller than a theatre or concert hall, a middle-size venue that featured mid-range popular bands or bigger-name alternative bands. I saw some good stuff there, Mojo Nixon, Guadalcanal Diary, Scruffy The Cat (opening for 54-40, who I didn't care for), Wilco and the last band I ever saw there, The Weakerthans.

When I went to the Grapes Of Wrath I arrived in time to catch the opener, since I'm always interested to see who the headliner brought along on tour. To be honest in those days (in my pre-taping days), I didn't make a huge effort to arrive early as I didn't care how close I sat/stood to the front. Once I started to tape concerts it was crucial to stake out the venue before the show or during the opener to find that sweet spot that combined a balanced mix, close enough to the front to see the band clearly and enough volume to partially drown out the chitter chatter around me (usually the music doesn't drown out the chatter). Anyways, the opener for this Grapes Of Wrath show was emerging singer/songwriter, (and soon to be superstar) Sarah McLaughlan who didn't impress me in the slightest and continues to not impress me not even a little bit. McLaughlan went on to surpass the Grapes in popularity, record sales and probably disposable cash flow. McLaughlan has continued to milk her success through the strength of a couple of huge selling records, Lilith Fair and has become somewhat of a musical icon here in the Great White North...kudos for her...

The Grapes Of Wrath released another album after that tour, These Days in 1991, then broke up when Kevin Kane left the band to go solo. In 1999, Kane and Tom Hooper (vocalist/bass) reunited to play some shows and release an album, Field Trip under the Grapes Of Wrath name (without original drummer, Chris Hooper). They sporadically played together during the 2000's, but a reunion that included Chris Hooper didn't happen until July 2010, the first time the trio played together since 1992. The love continued on to include recording new tracks for a compilation album and a brand new album of all new material, High Road released in March 2013. Hopefully this new record will lead to more live dates this summer and maybe, just maybe they'll head back to Winnipeg, but not at the Le Rendezvous, which is long gone and replaced by condos.

Enjoy!

Heres's a CBC music stream of a concert with the reunited Grapes Of Wrath from the Mod Club in Toronto on October 30, 2012 with guests.

As a bonus, I dug up a recording I taped off the radio in 2001 (?) from the Kevin Kane/Tom Hooper reunited Grapes. Excellent sound with some songs from Field Trip along with some classic tracks. It's almost worth the listen alone for the Replacements cover!

GRAPES OF WRATH
Railway Club
Vancouver, BC
March 4, 2000
CBC "Just Concerts" Broadcast

FM> Audio CD> FreeRip> FLAC> rar
FM Master

01. Intro
02. You May Be Right
03. Do You Want To Tell Me
04. Hitchhiker
05. Black Eye
06. Peace Of Mind
07. All The Things I Wasn't
08. I Am Here
09. Unsatisfied (Replacements)

(thanks to LeonD for the proper date!)

GRAPES OF WRATH- 2001 Railway Club, Vancouver, BC FLAC. rar

Note: the previous link expired (sorry!) This is a new link that should work! (Oct. 1, 2022)

Links Are Back!

Just randomly tested some posts and it appears that the links work again! I Haven't received a explanation yet as to why they were unavailable, but for now I'm relieved and just happy things appear back to normal. Of course, this could be short-lived, so enjoy (and download!) it while you can. I've looked and found a couple (free) alternative file-sharing hosts that I may trial as a safe guard and because my Adrive is close to capacity. I need Adrive for all the archive file on the blog, but bear with me while I experiment and try out some other hosts. For smaller files 200 mbs and under, I'll try Zippyshare and for larger files, I'm trying out Netkups. I need your input and opinion before I commit financially, so if you have any problems downloading, please let me know. If the links blackout again, I'll take requests and try to get you an alternative link.

Enjoy!

Can't Download? Don't Worry....Yet.

If you're having problems downloading any of the files, I'll explain why. Yesterday, I received a notice from Adrive, my file-sharing storage, that my sharing privileges have been revoked. They received a takedown notice as required under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") that a certain file (4) that I'm sharing constitutes copyright infringement. I searched through my uploaded files and judging by the now unshared files, I suspect the "offending files" are two Golden Smog and two Wilco live recordings.
Golden Smog- First Avenue 1992
Golden Smog- In Chicago 2006
Wilco- Live On Letterman
 Wilco- July 4th, 1996

I sent a response to Adrive asking who requested the take down notice because I don't believe these files violate the terms of copyright infringement. These are live recordings that are not commercially available or officially released by any record label or the band. Wilco has stated on their website their policy of allowing live taping and the sharing of their live concert recordings. Jeff Tweedy is also in Golden Smog along with members of the Jayhawks and Soul Asylum who have never voiced concerns with the sharing of their live shows. I have my suspicions about this complaint, one show is a soundboard, two shows were broadcast on WXRT...did the radio station complain? The Wilco Letterman show was a webcast, is NBC the complainant? Until I find out what the offending files actually are and who complained there isn't much I can do on my end. Right now all the links on the blog are unavailable and unsharable and there is a chance I will be unable to share these files through my Adrive account. I've begun searching for other file hosting options and in my upcoming posts I'll be experimenting with some other file sharing hosts. I've already uploaded some files to Zippyshare and I may try Netkups as a recommendation from another music blog. Anyone have any other recommendation or good/bad experiences with other hosts?

Please be patient, if I resolve the problem with Adrive the links will be back up soon, if not I'll begin the task of re-upping past links on a different host. The good news is that Blogger hasn't taken any action and the blog is still active. Check for updates here or on the TDIT Facebook page.
Thanks!

Grant Hart- Live @ Valentines 2001

A couple of nights ago (an hour before the deadline), I pledged money to help fund another Kickstarter project. The film, Every Everything, The Music, Life & Times of Grant Hart has already been filmed and edited and is in the last stages of sound mixing before it's film festival premiere this summer. It looks like a very interesting film about an interesting (and troubled) life led by the former Husker Du drummer. I first heard about this project soon after director, Gorman Bechard released a previous project, Color Me Obsessed (film about the The Replacements) through Kickstarter (that I also donated to) and since Husker Du was my number 2 fav Minneapolis band of the 80's I was curious about this project. I've always been more of a "Grant" guy and preferred Hart's song's to Bob Mould's during their time with Husker Du. I have seen Grant perform solo (in the 2000's) and with his band Nova Mob (in the 90's) and though he's not the best performer, he is passionate about his music and after watching the mini-trailer about the film, I had to be involved or at least have a copy of the film before it becomes commercially available. It's now too late to pledge to the project, but keep your eyes open for it this summer at a film festival near you or on dvd sometime in the near future.

I'm presenting a fantastic solo show that Grant did in 2001 in Albany, NY. The setlist is killer with a nice mixture of Husker Du, Nova Mob and solo songs. I acquired this show through a trade over ten years ago and I also have a recording of the show I went to when he was in town in the mid-2000's. I posted the Valentines concert because the sound is excellent and superior to my recording. The show I went to he had lots of issues with the sound and it was disgraceful that only a handful of fans attended the show at the West End Cultural Centre...but, this one's a keeper!
Enjoy!

GRANT HART
Valentine’s,
Albany, NY,
March 22, 2001

01 - flexible flyer (cut)
02 - green eyes
03 - sorry somehow
04 - you don't have to tell me
05 - evergreen memorial drive
06 -little miss information
07 - pink turns to blue
08 - admiral of the sea
09 - back from somewhere
10 - she floated away
11 - terms of psychic warfare
12 - don't want to know if you're lonely
13 - books about ufo's
14 - girl who lives on heaven hill
15 - it's not funny anymore
16 - never talking to you again
17 -standing by the sea
18 - turn on the news
19 - letter from ann marie
20 - where you gonna land..
21 - over my head
22 -you're the victim
23 - last days of pompei
24 -run run run to the center pompidou
25 - charity, chastity, prudence and hope
26 - she's a woman and now he is a man
27- outro

GRANT HART- 2001-03-22, Valentines, Albany, NY FLAC. rar

Soul Asylum- Grave Dancers Union Demos

This year makes the 20th anniversary of my first ever live concert recording that I actually recorded. It was November of 1993, Soul Asylum at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre in Winnipeg. My seats were in the middle about midway on the floor. I used my dad's micro cassette recorder with a crappy built-in mic that I placed in my crest pocket in a jean jacket (mic peaking out the top). I can remember the anxious, yet excited rush it gave me knowing I would have a souvenir of the concert and that I could play this for my friends that couldn't attend. This show was just as Soul Asylum was riding the crest of mainstream sucess for music fans that now regarded Nirvana and Kurt Cobain as God! The Grave Dancers Union tour elevated Soul Asylum's status from playing clubs and bars to concert halls and hockey arenas which brought them near celebrity status and uncomfortable fame. As half-expected my recording was flawed by shrieks of screaming girls who must have heard about Soul Asylum on MTV with their radio friendly hit, Runaway Train. This recording is probably the worst sounding show in my collection, but it only fueled my obsession to acquire better equipment and capture clearer sounds. After transferring the show from micro-cassette to a regular Maxell cassette, I knew there must be a better way. I used the micro cassette recorder for only one more concert then received a good quality Sony tape recorder (gift from my wife) that I used throughout the rest of the 90's. I have since used a mini disc recorder and more recently a digital recorder that (thank god!!) eliminates the ol' tape/disc flip during the show. I rarely go to a concert without a recorder, but I have to admit I can't let loose and enjoy the show the way some people do because I'm more concerned about the affecting the recording. That's the sacrifice a taper must endure to capture this piece of history and it's their duty to get the best sound quality possible.

In the past few years, I have posted some of the shows I've been to. If I can find time, I'll look back at the last 20 years and post some select shows that might be of interest. As I mentioned many of these recordings are on cassette and mini disc that I will need to transfer to digital. In an effort of self-preservation this should be done regardless as many of these cassettes haven't been played in years and I'm not sure how durable the tapes are. Stay tuned, I've got some good stuff that has never been traded or circulated and if you're from Winnipeg, maybe you went to some of these shows. Except for my recordings, I have rarely come across any recordings of concerts I've attended, hmm...strange?

I'm posting another set of Soul Asylum demos from their big commercial breakthrough album, Grave Dancers Union. Not their best album, but the one that got them an appearance on SNL a couple of times and for Pirner, Winona Ryder. Hey, I'm off to the Twin Cities this week to watch a pair of hockey games and buy a lot of records (and CDs). I have my regular stores I like to visit, but if anyone has any recommendations or suggestions, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
Enjoy!

SOUL ASYLUM
Grave Dancers Union Demos

1. Get On Out
2. Runaway Train
3. Growing Into You
4. Easy To Avoid
5. 99%
6. Black Gold
7. Some Obsession
8. Straight Up
9. Thick And Thin
10. New World 2

SOUL ASYLUM- Grave Dancers Union Demos FLAC. rar

Soul Asylum- Hang Time Demos

About a month ago, I downloaded a recording of a Soul Asylum show that took place near the end of 2012 at the First Avenue in Minneapolis. I looked at the lineup and as expected there was Dave Pirner and drummer Michael Bland, but what I didn't expect was the absence of guitarist, Dan Murphy and bass player, Tommy Stinson, as they have been replaced by Justin Sharbono and Winston Roye. Apparently, this lineup change took place in October with a statement from Dan on the band's (forum) website. Tommy had been filling in for Karl Mueller, so his departure isn't a surprise, but Dan Murphy is a co-founding member of Soul Asylum and he helped shape the sound and direction of the band with Pirner. Personally, I have been a solid fan of the band since I first heard Made To Be Broken and I stood by the band (though much less enthusiastically) when they broke into the mainstream and back again. They really haven't released anything that compares with MTBB, And The Horse They Rode In On and Hang Time on their latest albums and i can see why Murphy has lost some of his fire and passion. I saw them live when they toured Grave Dancers Union and around 2001 (?) (when they weren't touring any new album). They have always been known as a great live band and my only regret I didn't see them in the late 80's when their live shows were amazing (at least on the recordings I have). For me, Soul Asylum won't be the same without Murphy and it'll be more like Dave Pirner and his band, playing the songs of Soul Asylum. Imagine Paul Westerberg touring under the Mats name without Stinson or the Stones without Richards or the Feelies without Million or Husker Du without Hart...etc. Hopefully, Dan Murphy's departure from Soul Asylum won't mean he's quitting music completely because I'm still holding out hope for another Golden Smog album and more live shows.

Hang Time was Soul Asylum's major label debut released in 1988. Dan Murphy contributed the song, Cartoon to the record and it remains my favourite Murphy penned tunes. The demos don't differ too much from the versions released, but it's always interesting to hear the rawer, less produced versions of a major label record. The sessions also include 4 songs that would be released on the delightful, Clam Dip & Other Delights EP.
Enjoy!

SOUL ASYLUM
Hang Time Demos 

1. Sometime To Return
2. Ode
3. Secret No More
4. Twiddly Dee
5. Standing In The Doorway
6. Endless Farewell
7. Down On Up To Me
8. P9
9. Artificial Heart
10. My Saving Grace
11. Forever In A Day
12. Just Plain Evil
13. Jack Of All Trades

SOUL ASYLUM- Hang Time Demos FLAC. rar

Camper Van Beethoven KCRW 1989

Here's part two of the CVB KCRW live in-studio broadcasts. Similarly to the 1987 session, the band plays songs live along with interview segments. This time Morgan Fichter replaces Jonathan Segel on violin and she adds a female voice to the band's sound with additional harmony vocals. A very nice listen, the sound is stellar, they play some rarities and the band is in good spirits. A nice companion (they fit together perfectly on disc) to the 1987 show for another trip through the 80's.
Enjoy!

Camper Van Beethoven
September 14, 1989
Snap, KCRW
Santa Monica, CA

FM radio broadcast

01. Opening Theme
02. Sweethearts
03. That Was Before I Met You
04. Introductions
05. When I Win the Lottery
06. Staying at Home with the Girls in the Morning
07. O Death
08. All Her Favorite Fruit
09. Loser
10. One of the These Days
11. Lincoln Shrine
12. Closing Comments, outro

CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN- 1989-09-14 KCRW FLAC. rar

Camper Van Beethoven- KCRW 1987

Sometimes second chances can be a good thing and in the case of Camper Van Beethoven, the second time around has led to a longer than originally expected career. When Camper Van Beethoven broke up in the Spring of 1990, they had recorded five full length albums and were together for seven years. The band reformed in 1999 (and played they're first live shows again in 2002) and have been together ever since. They have now been together longer the second time than the first time they were together. Last month, CVB released the followup to New Roman Times, La Costa Perdida, their third album since their reformation and their eighth full length total.

I was heavily into CVB in the mid/late 80's and bought all their vinyl and owned a cool  band t-shirt that has since been thrown out (?)  because I wore it until is was riddled with holes. I have yet to see the band live and I guess the closest I came was when they were scheduled to play the WFF in July 1990, but they broke up in April. They have since played the fest in the mid-2000's, but for whatever insane reason, I didn't attend that year. With a new album to tour behind I'm hoping they'll come slightly close to home and this time "I promise" I might even take a (day's) drive to see them live...crossing my fingers!

The live in-studio radio broadcast I'm posting is a show I received in a trade many years ago. I was preparing to transfer my cassette copy to my hd when I decided to check archive.org to see if they had this show. If you've never checked out archive.org, I highly recommend it! They have literally thousands of shows by known and unknown artists that are cool with allowing fans to post their shows and most of these musicians are also taper friendly who allow their fans to record their shows. CVB presently has 289 shows to listen to and download and for fans of Cracker there are over 380 shows. Anyways, I found this show at the archive, and to save time I decided not to transfer my tape, but to post that version. A short set of "traditional" Camper Van Beethoven songs performed acoustically, a nice contrast to the studio album versions. I really like this recording! Stay tuned, the next post will be their session on KCRW from 1989.
Enjoy!

Camper Van Beethoven
August 10, 1987
KCRW Snap Session
Santa Monica, CA
FM Broadcast

1. Ambiguity Song
2. Six More Miles To The Graveyard
3. Medley: Payed Vacation: Greece - Processional
4. Sad Lover's Waltz
5. One Of These Days
6. Crossing Over
7. Take The Skinheads Bowling 

Performing artists: David Lowery, Jonathan Segel, Victor Krummenacher, Chris Molla
- Acoustic performance



CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN- 1987-08-10 KCRW FLAC. rar
   

Blake Babies- Live On WERS 1989

Another hotbed for talented bands in the 80's was in and around the Boston area. If you've frequented this blog you'll know I have a keen interest in many bands from this region. I should also clarify I don't live in this area, nor do I even live in this country. It's just that there is a lot of bands for whatever reason I enjoy and still follow from the state of Massachusetts. Some favourite bands that I have (or haven't yet) featured on TDIT from include: Pixies, Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr, Buffalo Tom, Belly, Big Dipper, Scruffy The Cat, Mission Of Burma, The Breeders, Volcano Suns and Juliana Hatfield. Juliana's first band was the Blake Babies who formed in 1986 and gathered a modest following during the late 80's and early 90's and like many of the previously mentioned bands didn't receive much in the way of mainstream radio play, but instead relied primarily on college radio stations to spread the music. And speaking of comebacks, pretty much all the bands I listed have reunited or reformed in recent years and the interest in their earlier works has introduced their music to wider audiences that may have missed them the first time or have only heard them now for the first time.

After disbanding in 1991, the Blake Babies reunited in late 1999 (New Years Eve?) and they toured the U.S. in 2001. I still regret not travelling to Minneapolis in June of 01' to see the Babies (for the last time ever?), but I hope to see Juliana Hatfield again sometime in the future. The show I've posted is the earliest Blake Babies (or Juliana Hatfield) I have and it's a gem of a recording! The band was just hitting their stride with the release of  Earwig and they were still a couple years from their breakthrough album, Sunburn. I received this in a trade over 10 years ago and I've been hoarding it ever since, but I want to share it because it's one of my personal favourites. I don't recall seeing this available anywhere else online, but I'm sure there must be others that have heard or own this recording. This is an in-studio live radio session followed by an interview with the band. The sound quality is excellent and it's another in a series of recordings from Metrowave on WERS at Emerson College that I have previously posted. This is a must listen for any Blake Babies/Juliana Hatfield fans!.
Enjoy!

BLAKE BABIES
WERS "Metrowave"
Emerson College
Boston, MA
May 9, 1989
FM Broadcast

01. Outta My Head
02. Lament
03. Look Away
04. Your Way Or The Highway
05. Dead & Gone
06. From Here To Burma
07. Grateful
08. Alright
09. You Don't Give Up
10. Don't Suck My Breath
11. Tom & Bob
12. interview

(note: the date in the info file incorrectly lists the date as May 5, oops sorry)

BLAKE BABIES- 1989-05-09, WERS, Boston, MA FLAC. rar

Guadalcanal Diary- Live At The Catalyst 1988

 

 I always thought the 80's got a bad rap when people joke about music from that decade. Personally, some of my favourite music and bands formed and produced their best work during the 80's, but unfortunately the mainstream perception of the decade is of Madonna, U2, Bon Jovi, Live Aid, Boy George, George Michael, Michael Jackson's glove, baggy pants, bad hairstyles, leg warmers...you get the picture! In my last post, I celebrated band reunions and a good many of the groups I mentioned originated from the 80's. This past week, three of the members of the Replacements collaborated on a project that has been put up for auction. This is their first musical collaboration (Songs For Slim) since their breakup in 1991 (I know, but their heyday was in the 80's) with much anticipation of a possible reunion show or something further in the future with Stinson and Westerberg (don't hold your breath).

The 80's also saw the rise of some regional music scenes getting much deserved attention with some great bands coming from those cities. In Minneapolis, the Replacements and Husker Du spawned many bands that captured the attention of the alt-music scene at the time. Soul Asylum, the Suburbs, the Jayhawks, Gear Daddies, Trip Shakespere, Run Westy Run, Babes in Toyland are just some of the Twin Cities bands I remember in my university days. Around this same time, Athens, Georgia garnished much interest with the rise of a band called R.E.M. and many like-sounding jangly-guitar bands that caused a stir from music journalists and music fans flocking to see what the big deal was in Athens. There was a few decent bands that rode on the coattails of R.E.M., but the only one that I gave serious attention to was a band from nearby Marietta, Georgia, Guadalcanal Diary. They formed in 1981 and disbanded in 1989, but reformed and reunited a few times in 1997 (see below for download!) and in 2011 to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Guadalcanal Diary had a similar sound to R.E.M. and many mistakenly billed them as part of the Athens scene, but their sound and songs were distinctly unique and definitely not a R.E.M. soundalike. Murray Attaway described their music, "It was great fun to be able to take a line from a revered blues song, a drum pattern from Africa, and a guitar or bass riff from The Stooges, and squeeze it all into some loud, tongue-in-cheek mush". and since I suck at describing a band's sound (according to Wikipedia), "This under appreciated Georgia quartet distinguished itself from any number of smart, tuneful American guitar combos by combining accessible songcraft with provocatively twisted lyrics. Singer/guitarist Murray Attaway's songs reflect a bizarre variety of far-flung interests, from a preoccupation with the supernatural to a fascination with American cultural imperialism; the band delivers them all with rootsy irony".

I had the pleasure of seeing Guadalcanal Diary live here in my hometown in 1989 touring their final album, Flip-Flop and it was a an amazing, memorable show. I would love to see them again and I guess with their frequent reunions, there's always the possibility I'll have a chance. Today's post is a recording I pulled from Dime many years back. I have a few of their live shows (including their pair of 1989 "farewell" shows), but this one has the best sound and the setlist (circa, 2x4) is great. The original poster found this tape with other master tapes from The Catalyst stored in a box in the basement. The sound is sweet because it's a matrix mix of the soundboard feed and various microphones in the room.
Enjoy!

Bonus: Guadalcanal Diary- Live From Your Birthday (1997 reunion)

GUADALCANAL DIARY
The Catalyst
Santa Cruz, CA
February 3, 1988

Soundboard with microphones- live matrix mix from cassette master

01. Trail Of Tears
02. Michael Rockefeller
03. Things Fall Apart
04. Ghost On The Road
05. Newborn
06. Say Please
07. Please Stop Me
08. Gilbert Takes The Wheel
09. Get Over It
10. Little Birds
11. Litany (Life Goes On)
12. Under The Yoke
13. Let The Big Wheel Roll
14. T.R.O.U.B.L.E.
15. unidentified intro
16. Country Club Gun
17. Lips Of Steel
18. Watsui Rodeo
19  Encore break
20. Immigrant Song
21. Cattle Prod
22. Encore break
23. Dead Eyes
24. Kumbayah
25. Murray talking
26. Staying Alive
27. Kumbayah
28. End- outro

GUADALCANAL DIARY- 1988-02-03, The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA FLAC. rar

Mark Olson and Friends (Jayhawks)- New Years Eve 2004

Happy New Year!
Last year, I meant to post my favourite albums of 2011, but unfortunately it didn't happen. I won't even attempt to pretend I have the time or the energy to recall all the new music I heard this past year. As usual, I listened to a lot of music, but not necessary "new music" as I was in a "reflective" mood re-listening and rediscovering a lot of bands from my youthful days (80's and 90's). In the last few years there seems to be a large amount of reissues and special edition anniversary collections being released to reignite interest (and sales?) of "classic" or overlooked albums.

Another continued trend is the reformation of original or classic lineups of bands that had either been broken up or have been inactive for a prolonged period of time. A recent example would be Dinosaur Jr, Guided By Voices, Graham Parker (and the Rumour), and the Jayhawks who have reformed classic lineups to record and tour. Off the top of my head, other favourite groups of mine that have reformed and stayed to together (maybe only temporarily or maybe for longer than originally) include: The Pixies, The Feelies, Descendents, Dead Milkmen, The Posies, Del Lords, Camper Van Beethoven, Pavement, Fastbacks, Ben Folds Five, Rolling Stones (?), Mission of Burma...just to name a few. (Any other bands you were excited when they reunited?)

Some interesting reunions I'm looking forward to in 2013 include Ben Deily, co-founder and ex-Lemonhead reuniting with Evan Dando, along with Juliana Hatfield and Ryan Adams (!) for a new Lemonheads album. Deily hasn't recorded or performed with the band since 1989, hopefully a tour will follow. It would be nice to hear more pre-It's A Shame About Ray songs performed live.

A semi-reunion of the Replacements (at least on vinyl) will see Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson release a 4-song, 10" EP, Songs for Slim limited to 250 copies with proceeds going to benefit the ex-Replacements guitarist, Slim Dunlop who suffered a stroke last February. Founding member/drummer, Chris Mars is not performing on the tracks, but does the cover artwork. Mars recorded his own benefit song for Slim that can be purchased at Chris's website.

Speaking of Minneapolis, reunions and New Year's (eve), I have a cool show from 2004, Mark Olson's first show with members of the Jayhawks since he left the band in 1995. This impromptu set was recorded at the small intimate 400 Bar in Minneapolis and was advertised as Mark Olson and Friends, opening with Mark's solo material followed by Jayhawks songs as he was joined by Gary Louris, Marc Perlman and Tim O'Reagan. This concert with Olson back in the fold was proceeded by a joint tour and album with Louris, then a full Jayhawks reunion with the Tomorrow The Green Grass-era "classic" line-up in 2008, in Spain. This was followed by a extended tour and an album of new material. The sound on this recording is good and clear and the performances as expected were a little rusty, but the enthusiasm of the crowd and the band are evident. Mark Olson's solo material doesn't excite me, but the Jayhawks songs with this lineup and the familiar Mark/Gary vocal harmonies are worth a listen. Sounds like a fun time!
Enjoy!

Mark Olson and Friends
400 Bar
Minneapolis, MN
December 31, 2004
Audience DAT recording
source: SP-CMC-8 premium stereo cardioids > SP-SPSB-1 > Sony PCM-M1 (@44.1) >
7 pin to coax > Audiophile2496 > SoundForge > CDWav > FLAC Frontend > FLAC

Disc One (first set)
01. Poor GW
02. Say You'll Be Mine
03. Walking Through Nevada
04. Blue*
05. Will I Be Married*
06. George Bush Industriale
07. King Of Kings*
08. Image Of Me*  [Harlan Howard]
09. I Still Miss Someone*  [Johnny Cash]
10. Waiting For the Sun*
11. Walk With Them
12. Portrait Of a Sick America > Crowded In the Wings > Linda Lee

Disc Two (second set)
01. December's Child
02. One Eyed Black Dog Moses
03. Pray For Me
04. Sing Me Back Home  [Merle Haggard]
05. Over My Shoulder*
06. Clouds*
07. If You Really Want Me To, I'll Go*  [Delbert McClinton; recorded by the Sir Douglas
       Quintet on their classic album, "Mendocino"]
08. Two Angels*
09. End Of the Highway, Rumsfeld
10. Ain't No End*
11. Martin's Song*
12. Reason To Believe*  [Tim Hardin]
13. Six Pack On the Dashboard*
14. My Own Jo Ellen*
15. Take Me With You (When You Go)*
16. Still We Have a Friend In You*
17. -encore break-
18. I Must Be Somebody Else You've Known*   [Merle Haggard; recorded by the
       International Submarine Band on their classic album, "Safe At Home"]
19. Get the Load Out*
20. Crowded In the Wings*

Mark Olson - vocals, electric guitar, bass, dulcimer, keyboards
Gary Louris - vocals, electric guitar
Marc Perlman -  bass on *
Tim O'Reagan - drums, vocals
(Karen Grotberg was listed on the bill, but wasn't there...)

MARK OLSON AND FRIENDS- 2004-12-31 400 Bar, Mpls, MN FLAC disc 1. rar 
MARK OLSON AND FRIENDS- 2004-12-31 400 Bar, Mpls, MN FLAC disc 2. rar