The Clash- 5 Go Mad In The Roundhouse

 

 

This past week would have been Joe Strummer's 68th birthday had he not passed away in 2002, when the world lost a great musical talent. The band Strummer co-fronted with Mick Jones, The Clash have been referred to as the definitive British punk rockers and their use of incorporating genres of rockabilly, reggae, dub and R & B has influenced a whole generation of future punk rockers. According to Strummer, manager Bernie Rhodes would say, "An issue, an issue. Don't write about love, write about what's affecting you, what's important." Politics often entered in the band's lyrics and ideals that set the band apart. I didn't know this (until i read it on wiki) but, the band's political principles extended to the resistance of the music industries profit motivation and fought to keep ticket prices and merchandise reasonably priced. The band informed CBS they wanted their double album (London Calling) and triple album (Sandinista!) sold for the price of a single album. London Calling was and as a compromise for Sandinista! the band gave up performance royalties for the first 200,000 sales. This meant the band was in debt most of the time or barely breaking even with CBS.

 

I don't often post known bootlegs, but the historical significance of these recordings are hard to pass up. The first half of the disc is a very early show in their career live from the Roundhouse and it is a rare recording that features the Clash with five band members. As noted in the review below, guitarist, Keith Levene was still in the band in early September 1976, but is gone from the band by the October gig in Birmingham. I hadn't listened to this disc in a while, but had a listen last week and the sound quality isn't as bad as I remembered and what sold me was the number of unreleased songs and how energetic these early shows were. You are hearing the Clash in their formative stage, working it out in clubs opening or playing alongside bands such as the Sex Pistols and Buzzcocks and developing a following (not through "social media" or hype) through hard work and solid live performances. If you're a fan of the Clash, especially their early work, these recordings are a must-hear! 

Enjoy!

#14yearsoftrouble

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The Clash
5 Go Mad In The Roundhouse (1996)

Tracks 1 - 15 live at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London, 5th September, 1976.
Tracks 16 - 28 live at Barbarella's, Birmingham, 26th October, 1976.

Track listing
01. Deny
02. 1-2 Crush On You
03. I Know What I Think About You
04. I Never Did It
05. How Can I Understand The Flies
06. Protex Blue
07. Janie Jones
08. Mark Me Absent
09. Deadly Serious
10. 48 Hours
11. I'm So Bored With You
12. Sitting At My Party
13. London's Burning
14. What's My Name
15. 1977

16. White Riot
17. Birmingham's Burning
18. I'm So Bored With The U.S.A.
19. How Can I Understand The Flies
20. Protex Blue
21. Deadly Serious
22. Deny
23. Career Opportunities
24. 48 Hours
25. What's My Name
26. Janie Jones
27. 1977
28. 1-2 Crush On You

Track 03 is labeled "Know What You Do".
Track 04 is labeled "I Don't Want Your Money".
Tracks 05 & 19 are labeled "I Can't Understand The Flies".
Tracks 09 & 21 are labeled "Going To The Disco".
Track 11 is an early version of "I'm So Bored With The USA".
Track 12 is labeled "Work".
Track 17 is an alternate version of "London's Burning".

Review:
This is a very 'historic' bootleg you could say. The Clash lineup for the Roundhouse gig is the five man outfit - Joe on vocals, Paul on bass, Keith Levene and Mick on guitars, and Terry Chimes on drums. The band is rough 'n' ready, and very energetic. The sound quality is pretty good. It's a tiny bit muffled
throughout, the first two tracks more than most, but after those it improves significantly.

There are lots of songs that you won't find anywhere else, as you can see from the songlist. These unreleased ones are pretty good, and the band is very energetic. There are a fair number of breaks in the show during which Joe addresses a less than friendly audience. My favourite moment being when Joe says "So you got five A-Levels, what do I care? That's just a dirty trick!" during a long break in the set. What's admirable is the strength of the performance when the crowd obviously didn't 'dig' The Clash that much. The applause after some of the songs comes across as a bit half-hearted, and quite a few morons in the crowd recommend the band get off the stage.

The Birmingham gig is much the same. Rough and fast performances of early songs, this time with Mick on lead guitar and Joe on rhythm since Keith had left by this stage. (Birmingham's Burning, as you probably guessed, is just London's Burning with the altered lyric.) This is an essential CD to have, being one of the earliest shows, it has the rare tracks and Keith 'The Phantom Guitar Player' Levene features on it (he's only on the Roundhouse gig). A blistering two shows. The performance this early on shows how great they were, and it's interesting to hear early versions of the songs before they got put down in the studio and probably while they were still being worked on.

Rated: 8 / 10

 

THE CLASH- 5 Go Mad At The Roundhouse FLAC. rar

So It Goes- Nick Lowe- 1975 Stiff Demos

 

Photo by Dick Wingate

 

A New York Daily News article from 2007 quoted Nick Lowe as saying his greatest fear in recent years was "sticking with what you did when you were famous." "I didn't want to become one of those thinning-haired, jowly old geezers who still does the same shtick they did when they were young, slim and beautiful," he said. "That's revolting and rather tragic." 

 

For many musicians and bands this is the formula they stick with to keep the old fans happy and let the new fans enjoy what they are famous for. Nick Lowe has had a long and interesting career. His first stab at success was with Brinsley Schwarz (the band) from the 1969 to the mid-70's. They produced a whopping six full length albums (not counting compilations) and when the band split Bob Andrews and Brinsley Schwarz (the guitar player) joined Graham Parker and the Rumour, while Ian Gomm and Lowe began solo careers. Around this time, Lowe joined up with Dave Edmonds, who produced New Favorites Of...Brinsley Schwarz, to form Rockpile with Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. This unit produced albums under Edmonds name (Tracks On Wax 4 and Repeat When Necessary) and Nick Lowe's second solo record, Labour Of Lust, along with Seconds Of Pleasure from 1980. For me, I first became aware of Nick Lowe through his biggest hit, Cruel To Be Kind which got radio play at the time and though I didn't realize it at the time, this song would later rank high in my favourite song list. I would go as far to say it's the perfect pop song (or power-pop?) and Labour Of Lust still gets lots of love on my turntable and iPod. Lowe remained steadily active through the 80's and I own all his albums up until 1988's, Pinker and Prouder. He also served double duty at times as a highly respected producer and was involved with some ground breaking releases from Graham Parker, The Damned and Elvis Costello. I honestly haven't followed Lowe through his releases in the 90's and 2000's when he moved away from power pop to a more balladeer, singer-songwriter mode.

In this decade, Nick Lowe has experienced a bit of revival of sorts. In 2011, Yep Roc re-released, Labour Of Lust and Wilco covered the song, I Love My Label which led to a joint tour, that exposed Lowe to a younger, hip audience. More recently, the mexican wrestling mask wearing surf-guitar band, Los Straitjackets became Lowe's backing band and toured together providing a very interesting dynamic both visually and musically. I've listened to some of those shows and they are fantastic, sparking with genuine energy that comes across in the music and performances. I've always been a reader of good music biographies and one that I am considering next is Cruel To Be Kind: The Life And Times Of Nick Lowe that came out about a year ago. I am curious about some the behind the scenes stories and his interaction within the bands he was in and the musicians he produced. Sounds like an interesting read. So, why hasn't Rockpile reunited? How about Brinsley Schwarz? Don't know if he touches on those subjects or if he wants to revisit that "same shtick when he was young..."

During the period between the breakup of Brinsley Schwarz and the formation of Rockpile, Nick Lowe recorded some demos for Stiff Records in 1975. Some of these songs were recorded later and appeared on later albums (Tonight on Jesus of Cool/PPFNP, Here She Comes- sounds like an early version of Deborah from Tracks On Wax 4) and Little Darlin' was recorded by Dave Edmonds. I'm sort of surprised, the demo for So It Goes isn't here. The song was Stiff Records' first single and Lowe was their first artist and he became the label's in-house producer. Though he was already a seasoned musician, recording artist and performer, these demos are a very important document from Lowe's early solo career.

Enjoy!

#14yearsoftrouble

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NICK LOWE

Stiff Demos (1975)

(Some solo, some band)

soundboard

01. Here She Comes Again
02. Tonight
03. Living In The 70's
04. Time And Time Again
05. She's My Baby
06. I Respect You for That
07. Little Darlin'
08. So Heavy (original version)

Bonus tracks
09. Halfway To Paradise (alternate version)
10. Is It You (live)
11. Lonely Just Like Me (live w/Imp. Birds)
12. Juju Man

 ***NEW link!!***

NICK LOWE- 1975 Stiff Demos FLAC. rar 

Kathleen Edwards Album Release Concert- Live At Quitters Coffee 2020

Welcome back Kathleen Edwards!

It's been eight long years since Edwards released her last album, Voyageur and though she took a break from music, both performing and recording, things have seem to come full circle. Quitting music to open her own coffee shop called (fittingly), Quitters, Kathleen presented her new album, Total Freedom in it's entirety (almost) at Quitters on the date of it's official release. How appropriate! The new album is excellent, I received the limited gold vinyl version earlier in the week and like I did with her last record I opted for a signed copy. 

The album release show was performed inside Quitters Coffee without an audience (a crowd watched on screens in the parking lot of the cafe), but was live streamed through a variety of platforms including Facebook, Amazon, Twitch and YouTube. It pays off sometimes being a "stay at home" artist-type so I can take in live events that are broadcast during the day, similarly to NHL playoff games. I made the mistake of trusting YouTube to watch from and was horrified to find there was no sound when the show started. I quickly switched to the World Cafe's stream on FB and missed half the first song. When the show ended I re-watched the whole thing again to record the audio. The concert is a great watch, the audio and video is perfect and seeing the band perform up close and personal makes it feel like you're there in person. YouTube finally got their shit together and the video of the show was back online. Edit: it was, now it's not. hmmm...? (I will update this if the video becomes available again!)

The album release setlist is pretty straightforward, perform side 1 in order, then an interview with the World Cafe's, Raina Douris, then side 2 (except for the last song on the album). As a bonus Kathleen and her band round out the set with Goodnight California (from Asking For Flowers), Six O'clock News (from Failer) and a Neil Young cover, Comes A Time. Kathleen performs solo for the closer, Sweet Little Duck (Failer). It's always a treat to have a Kathleen Edwards concert to help celebrate anniversary month on TDIT. Last year, if you're keeping track, I posted an Edward's small venue show from 2010 originally posted on the hater-high live music blog. Good news, Jason is back online with new posts and is in the process of getting some of his archives back up and re-posted for download. Welcome back!

Get this while you can, in case it disappears! And buy the album!

Enjoy!

 

 

#14yearsoftrouble

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KATHLEEN EDWARDS
Quitters Coffee
Stittsville, ON
August 14, 2020
Live Stream Master

Acer laptop> Tascam DR-07> 16 bit wav> tracksplitter> FLAC> rar

Hosted by World Cafe's Raina Douris

01. Intro
02. Glenfern
03. Hard On Everyone
04. Birds On A Feeder
05. Simple Math
06. Options Open
07. Interview
08. Feelings Fade
09. Fools Ride
10. Ashes to Ashes
11. Who Rescued Who
12. Goodnight California
13. Six O'Clock News
14. Comes A Time
15. Sweet Little Duck

KATHLEEN EDWARDS- 2020-08-14 Quitters Coffee, Stittsville, ON FLAC Master. rar

WOW! It's Been 14 Years!! Day One: Nova Mob- Live At The Royal Albert Arms 1992, Winnipeg

 

 

Well well well, time does seem to fly by! This month marks the 14th year the Teenage Dogs In Trouble music blog has been online. I have to admit, it's been a struggle at times to find the energy and enthusiasm to write posts, but so far in 2020 with this post, I've already equaled the number of posts in 2018 and 2014 (yes, I've been slacking the last few years). I am excited to be still doing this and as I've said previously it's not about the money or the fame, because there are none, but as a way to contribute in some way for fans that like to listen to live concert recordings, like I do. For the past four months or so, live music performances have been almost non-existent with online concerts a poor (but adequate) substitute for the real thing. There is nothing quite as exciting as hearing and feeling the thumping bass of a live band with sweaty hyper bodies pressed up against you on an overcrowded floor at a concert venue or club. That scenario may become a rare sight, but live music is already starting to comeback. More shows will be performed and tour dates will soon be booked. When we are back to full capacity in concert halls, arenas, music festivals and clubs is anyone's guess. 

To celebrate the 14th anniversary, now is as good a time as ever to look back at concerts that have significance either historically or personal to me in some way. I was browsing through boxes of live discs looking for ideas to post and I selected a bunch of random shows that are interesting and/or cool. I'll be jumping between decades and style of music in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

 

 Last September, I wrote a post about Husker Du playing a show at the Royal Albert Arms in Winnipeg back in 1984. I recalled attending another show at the same venue with Grant Hart's (then) band, Nova Mob in my pre-taping days and wished I had a live recording of the show. Well, guess what? As luck would have it someone did tape the show and the live recording was posted on Dime by Loughney, not sure who actually recorded it. This rarely happens, when a concert I actually attended is recorded (besides myself), especially in the 90's. There are definitely more people that record concerts in the city now, but this is a true find and it sounds better than I expected. I personally think Nova Mob was a high point of Grant's post-Husker Du projects and the album, The Last Days Of Pompeii was his best record. If you're a fan of Huskers or Grant Hart this is a good one!

Enjoy!

#14yearsoftrouble

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Nova Mob 

Royal Albert Arms,

Winnipeg MB

November 21, 1992

Sony WM-D3 Master > TDK SA 90 > Onkyo TA-RW311 > Headset Jack > Sound Blaster external Sound Card > CDWAV > Audicity for fades, normalization, noise reduction, light editing of dropouts

01. Puzzles

02. Old Empire
03. Oh! To Behold
04. Evergreen Memorial Drive
05. Ballad #19
06. Admiral Of The Sea
07. Come, Come
08. Anything
09. Where You Gonna Land?

10. Over My Head

NOVA MOB- 1992-11-21 RAA, Winnipeg, MB FLAC. rar

Scruffy The Cat- Live On WBCN, Boston, MA 1989

It's been a while, over a month since my last post. In fact, I missed all of July due to being employed full time+ working in the film industry as a set buyer. I'm all done (for now) and it's back to normal life without the 10-12 hour days with little or no weekends off. It's been only a couple of days since this job ended, but it's a relief I can sit back and enjoy the rest of my summer and just in time to take in some serious NHL playoff action. I can also get back to browsing for and listening to music and having a beer or two without worrying about getting to bed early because I have to get up at an obscene hour. The job had it's good points, I did a lot of shopping and browsing in thrift stores, rented a lot of cool and unique items and I spend a majority of time driving to source products or get them to set on time. I also did listen to a lot of music while driving and though this might sound relaxing, it wasn't. Unfortunately, I spent way too much time inside of Walmarts and dollar stores than anyone should, so wearing a face covering mask was wise choice. It was an interesting 5 weeks, even for the experience (and the money was good!) and I would probably do it again if something like this becomes available again. For now, back to what I do best in semi-retirement, making art, playing music and watching hockey!

Most importantly I can get back to posting on this blog again which remains one of my passions along with the other things I previously mentioned. I really haven't had the time or energy to write for the past month, but I have some ideas of some future posts that I will make time to pursue. One of the shows I had uploaded before the break is this short radio broadcast featuring a TDIT favourite, Scruffy The Cat live in studio in Boston from 1989. This was recorded in the last year of Scruffy's career including some songs the band never released. As noted below, an early version of Love Song #9, listed here as, Talking To Myself was the last official recording the band released (split 7" with the Young Fresh Fellows). A great sounding recording that I don't think has been shared before (?) is a must-hear for any Scruffy The Cat fans. Great memories, great band!

Enjoy!

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SCRUFFY THE CAT

WBCN
Boston Emissions From Newbury Sound
Boston, MA
April 23, 1989

pre-FM? sbd> analog (master)> computer> cdr>
FreeRip> FLAC> rar

01. Introduction by Bill Abbott
02. Moons Of Jupiter
03. Talking To Myself
04. I Love The Way You Dance
05. The Doctor Song
06. Red Light
07. Kissing Galaxy
08. Carol
09. credits

Charlie Chesterman- guitar, vocal
Stephen Fredette- guitar, vocal
MacPaul Stanfield- bass
Burns Stanfield- keyboards
Randall Lee Gibson IV- drums

Note: from Charlie- "Talking to Myself" is in fact, an early version of "Love Song #9".

SCRUFFY THE CAT- 1989-04-23, WBCN, Boston, MA FLAC. rar

Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet- Studio and Live Stuff...

In Canada, we are known for many things. Mounties, beavers, hockey, beer, very cold weather (in some parts), lower COVID rates (than the US!!) and our sense of humour. Maybe it's our dry-wit humour or make that dry cold humour where we spend too many cold winters staying inside being creative (yes, we have a good music and art scene too!) with nothing better to do. We have had a history of funny people from Canada, from the top of my head; Jim Carrey, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, John Candy, Norm MacDonald, Martin Short, Seth Rogan, Phil Hartman...you get the picture. This is what we excel in, making people laugh! Shows like Saturday Night Live had several key Canadian cast members (including creator Lorne Michaels) and the Second City in Toronto and Chicago were a great training ground for young comics.

In the mid-80's a sketch comedy troupe, The Kids In the Hall formed and performed in clubs in Toronto. The troupe consisted of Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. They went on to star in their own TV series on CBC in Canada and CBS, HBO and Comedy Central in the U.S. from 1989-1995. Then they made a movie in 1996, then a eight-part miniseries in 2010. They toured the country a couple of times and I had the pleasure of seeing the group live in 1994 when the series was still on air. In some ways they were the Canadian version of Monty Python with each performer bringing their own characters and personality that worked wonderfully as a group. The latest news announced in March 2020 is another reunion in the form of another eight episode TV series on Amazon Prime. Very exciting news!

As good as the Kids In The Hall were, the music during the show (going to commercials, coming back from commercials), the musical interludes really gave the show a cool hip sound that definitely enhanced the ambiance and look of the show. In some ways, the Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet were an unofficial sixth member that were a part of the show from start to finish in their TV shows and they were a very important aspect of the show. I noticed in the later seasons, they put a face to the music with appearances of the band playing in those grainy B & W segue clips. The song, Having An Average Weekend was used as the theme song for the show and this song is probably what they're best known for. On their own, the band was prolific and released many singles, eps and 3 full length records, though one of them, Saavy Show Stoppers compiled the early singles/eps. They've toured numerous times and were most active from the mid-80's to the mid-90's. More recently, beginning in 2012, the band reunited for a couple shows and have since played occasionally with Dallas Good (from the Sadies) on bass for Reid Diamond who passed away in 2001. If you're interested in hearing all of the Shadowy Men music, I recommend seeking out the vinyl box-set, Oh, I Guess We Were a Fucking Surf Band After All, if you can find it.

The Shadowy Men post below I downloaded from Dime many years ago. It interested me because there isn't a lot of their live recordings around and that the band must have taped their shows. Such a cool find and an intriguing story, back when fans communicated with bands before social media and before the internet took off. I've corresponded with bands in the past, via letter writing and it's refreshing when they respond back, sometimes sending music and merch. Please read the note from the original poster, it explains what this is all about and thanks to that person and the friend for making this possible. I recently had a listen to this, it's interesting, but sometimes frustrating because some songs cut off and the sound quality at times is so-so. Sorry, I don't have a track-listing. A highlight is the CBC broadcast and I remember actually listening to this when it aired in the 90's. Oh, so long ago!

Enjoy!

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SHADOWY MEN ON A SHADOWY PLANET

"Studio and Live Stuff That Will Never See the Light of Day"

Note from the original poster:

Some years ago, a friend of mine sent a fan letter to Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. He didn't think of it, until a few months later when a package arrived for him, full of Shadowy Men stuff--signed poster, matches, a bunch of other stuff, and a cassette labelled "Studio and Live Stuff that Will Never See the Light of Day".  No set list, no more info, just that.  This is from my copy of that cassette.  Lineage is unknown, but as it came from the band, it shouldn't be too high.  There is no setlist.  I filled in what I could, but with most of it being strictly instrumental, it's really hard to guess.  The studio stuff seems to be pre-FM of a CBC "Brave New Waves" broadcast, as it includes longish gaps and false starts.  I haven't edited this at all--this is the tape as received.

Lineage: unknown gen, sent to fan by band member>one gen from that>M audio sound card>wav>flac  editing with CDWav

Track Listing:
01. (live)
02. Woman Shake (live)
03. (live)
04. (live)
05. (live)
06. (live)
07. (live)
08. (live)
09. (live)
10. (studio)
11. (studio)
12. (studio)
13. (studio)
14. (studio)
15. (studio)
16. (studio)
17. (studio)
18. false start (studio)
19. (studio)
20. We Like You (studio)
21. (studio)
22. (studio)
23. (studio)
24. (studio)
25. (studio) (cuts)
26. (studio)
27. (live)
28. (live)
29. (live)
30. (live)
31. Having an Average Weekend(live)
32. (live)
33. (live)
34. Shadowy Countdown (live)
35. (live)
36. (live)
37. (live)
38. (live)
39. (live)
40. (live)
41. We Like You (live)
42. Batman (live)
43. (live)
44. (live)
45. (live)
46. Jackpot (live)
47. Case of the Missing Lady Fingers (live)
48. (live)
49. (live)
50. (live) (cuts)

SHADOWY MEN ON A SHADOWY PLANET- Studio And Live Stuff... FLAC. rar

Minus 5- Livin' It Up At The Hotel California 2013

Back on March 24, 2020, the music world lost another great musician, drummer Bill Rieflin who died of cancer at the age of 59. Caught up in the confusion and panic of the COVI-19 epidemic during that time, I didn't properly give tribute to Rieflin who played on many recordings I own and was a member of some pretty fabulous bands. He is best known for his work with Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, Swans, KMFDM, King Crimson and as a auxiliary member of REM. His connection with Scott McCaughey began when McCaughey (on short notice) needed a drummer to play a Minus 5 show in January 2000. This led Riefkin to play alongside McCaughey and Peter Buck (from REM) in many projects including (and maybe more?) the Minus 5, Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3, Peter Buck (the band) and Filthy Friends. In a touching piece, Our Musical Friend from Scott on the Minus 5 website he wrote, "I've gotta say Bill would be amused by all the kind and glowing things being said about him right now.  Don't get me wrong -- they are all deserved -- but those of us who knew him, would know also that he saw himself as a cantankerous, not-suffering-fools type of guy.  And it's true; Bill could seem difficult, off-putting at first, though he was also weirdly exceptionally polite.  He was an ambiguous combination of iconoclast on one hand, and a mannered, considerate gentile on the other."

Thanks to the combined efforts of Peter Buck and his wife and Journal Del Pacifico, they launched the Todos Santos Music Festival in January 2012. Many of the bands that performed for the first couple years were bands closely associated with Buck including many, the Baseball Project, Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 and the Minus 5 he was a member of. This sounds like the perfect way to spend a chilly cold winter in January up in Canada watching great music in sunny hot Mexico. This Minus 5 set was recorded during the second annual edition of the festival and other bands (other than the bands mentioned earlier) that performed during the 2013 festival included, the Posies, Chuck Prophet,  Alejandro Escovedo, Joseph Arthur and others. The Minus 5 set is a fun mix of M5 "hits" and some very cool covers (I Can't Explain!) and they never disappoint. Fantastic sound, I don't have the source information, I'm sure I downloaded it on Dime, but I deleted the files and fortunately I had burned a disc years so this is ripped from that disc. This is a good one!

Enjoy!

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MINUS 5

Hotel California
Todos Santos, Mexico
January 10, 2013

01. With A Gun
02. Lies Of The Living Dead
03. Where will You Go?
04. Courage Is the Smallest Bird
05. You Don't Mean It
06. Fetus industry
07. Got You
08. Don't Look Back
09. Dear My Inspiration
10. Adios Half Soldier
11. The Town That Lost Its Groove Supply
12. Hotel Senator
13. I Can't Explain
14. Time Bomb High School
15. Revolution Blues

16. Over The Sea

Minus 5-

Scott McCaughey- vocals, guitar

Peter Buck- bass

John Ramberg- guitar, vocals

Bill Rieflin- drums

MINUS 5- 2013-01-10 Hotel California, Todos Santos, Mexico FLAC. rar

Blue Rodeo- CFNY Live Broadcast, Toronto 1987

When I think of quality prolific bands from Canada, you have to consider Blue Rodeo as one of the best. Since they formed in 1984, with their first album, Outskirts released in 1987, they have officially released 20 records (including live and greatest hits) right up to their most recent album, 1000 Arms (2016). Though they are thought of as a country rock band, they have mixed in genres such as folk, blues and rock, but have maintained a consistent sound with founding members, Greg Keeler, Jim Cuddy and bassist Basil Donovan. I have only seen the band at least 3 times live and they have never failed to impress. The most memorable show I saw Blue Rodeo was for the grand re-opening (after renovating from a movie theatre) of the Walker Theatre (later renamed Burton Cummings Theatre) in 1991 during the Casino tour. It might even be one of the best shows I've seen at the Walker/Burt, it was loud, fast, energetic and Blue Rodeo was amazing. I believe we sat in the first couple rows of the balcony so we had a good view, but unfortunately this was in my pre-taper days so I didn't record it. The other times I've seen Blue Rodeo was outdoor shows and I feel the outdoor big stage concerts never have the same feel or intensity as bars, theatres, concert halls or even arenas.

Blue Rodeo live at the Diamond Club was captured early in their career about 8 months after the release of their debut, Outskirts. This partial show was released on the promo only, The Outskirts Special & The CFNY Live Broadcast. This two record set features the Outskirts special and an interview with the band on the first LP, with the CFNY Live Concert Broadcast on the second LP. While the live recording includes songs from Outskirts, it's worth noting there are at least a couple songs that are not on the first album (unreleased?). The sound is excellent because it was professionally recorded and the band is tight, young and eager to impress, they definitely do!
Enjoy!

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Blue Rodeo
The Diamond Club
Toronto, Canada
November 15, 1987
(CFNY FM Broadcast)

Transfer: Low Gen Tape > Nakamichi DR-01 (azimuth adjusted) > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity > Peak Pro 6 (Pre-production) > iZotope RX / ozone 5 (mastered) > Peak Pro 6 (Post Production) > xACT 2.39 > FLAC

01 Joker's Wild
02 Fire
03 One Day
04 Rebel
05 Just Like A Vacation
06 Pissin' On A Fuse That's Burning
07 Outskirts
08 Try
09 Heart Like Mine

BLUE RODEO- 1987-11-15 Diamond Club, Toronto, (FM) FLAC. rar

Liz Phair- Sessions At West 54th

Everyone has those moments, not quite a "life changing" moment, but a realization moment when you discover something, in this case an artist, something so good you can't believe you almost missed out on. Liz Phair was one of those artists I heard about before even listening to her music. Her debut record, Exile In Guyville was getting a lot of attention and buzz (I hate that word!) and for a guy that actually didn't have a lot of female artists in his collection (shamefully), I was curious. I dubbed a cassette copy from a friend and nearly wore out the tape because I played it so much. The songs were fresh, intelligent and oh, so interesting. The blunt, honest sexually open lyrics and Phair's low almost mono-tone vocal style had me hooked. It didn't hurt that she was cute with a tomboy-ish, "one of the guys" look and attitude. I can watch her early (pre-2000) interviews all night, she's that charming. For me, Exile In Guyville is one of the best records from the 90's and Fuck And Run and 6' 1" from the album can be on any of my playlists. In 2018, Liz revisited this album on the 25th anniversary of the original release with a repackaged boxset edition of Guyville called, Girly-Sound To Guyville which included re-mastered versions of the three Girly-Sound tapes. I posted mp3 versions from the original tapes back in 2012 and those unremastered versions are still posted here.

Sorry, for the poor quality. These are screenshots from a video on YouTube.

I'm posting a fantastic live recording from Liz Phair when she appeared on PBS's, Sessions At West 54th. The program aired for three seasons from 1997-2000 and featured live performances from a range of artists from various musical genres. This was performances from good quality, mainly critically acclaimed musicians, so no teeny-pop rubbish or trendy American-Idol wannabees. Liz Phair appeared on the second season to coincide with the release of her third album, Whitechocolatespaceegg and I would say she was at the height of her career (at least musically) at this time. To appear on a program like this confirmed she was a legit talent with much acclaimed credibility. This album had some great songs on it, a few still from her Girlysound recordings, but the consistency of her material was showing cracks. The original version of the record (I posted in 2012) was rejected by the record label, so it was re-recorded and remixed and more (commercially appealing) material was added. Despite it's flaws, it was her last "good" record before she abandoned much of the qualities her original fans came to appreciate about her to seek a more mainstream audience that wasn't there. This sounds really critical (I don't mean it to be), but reflecting back maybe she had bad advice or some of the decisions that were made for her were wrong.

Getting back to Sessions at West 54th, I saw the original broadcast on PBS-TV back in the day. The show is an hour long and Liz's slot was split with John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards, so the televised portion for each artist was half an hour. I VCR-ed the broadcast as well as audio recorded (jacked into the back of the TV) it onto cassette. The sound quality was good and I listened to it a lot, but it broadcast only 5 songs from her set. As luck would have it, I eventually found the complete live audio recording of the performance and that's what's posted below. The sound quality is excellent and Liz's performance is outstanding. There is some dispute of the actually date because on my file it's listed as October 5, 1998 (change the text file if need be), but according to other sources it should be October 15th. (setlists.com lists Oct. 5, she was in Washington)
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy formats (except for personal use)
Please share!

Video broadcast (televised portion)- YouTube


Liz Phair
October 15th, 1998
New York, NY.
Sessions at West 54th

CDr(trade)->WAV->Flac FrontEnd(level 6)->Flac->You

01 Intro (David Byrne) 00:19
02 Mesmerizing 05:00
03 Johnny Feel Good 04:11
04 Never Said 03:36
05 Support System 03:29
06 WhiteChocolateSpaceEgg 05:31
07 Uncle Alvarez 04:20
08 6' 1" 03:22
09 Dance Of The Seven Veils 04:15
10 Polyester Bride 03:54
11 Supernova 03:31
12 Divorce Song 04:07
13 Perfect Life 05:53
14 Fuck And Run 05:08
15 What Makes You Happy 04:45

LIZ PHAIR- Sessions At West 54th FLAC. rar

Yo La Tengo- Request-A Thon 2020 (25th Anniversary!)

Every spring for the past 25 years, Yo La Tengo has been on the airways at WFMU-FM in Jersey City, New Jersey taking and performing requests during their annual Request-A-Thon. This incredible feat is the highlight of the station's fundraising marathon where listeners can pledge money to help support the operations of the radio station. WFMU is a listener-supported independent community radio station and is committed to unstructured-format broadcasting. Yo La Tengo has lent their talent and generosity to the station with an annual 3 hour slot performing live requests from listeners that pledge $100 or more. For the band, almost nothing is off-limits, there are songs that regularly get requested and songs they don't know, sometimes performing them for the first time. Through it all, they are good sports and are game to try any weird and obscure requests, and this year is no exception.

Fortunately, this year's show took place about a week before COVID started shutting down gatherings and live performances, otherwise Yo La Tengo might not have played live in studio. Though I don't live anywhere near New Jersey, listening to this show is a highlight of my year and one of these years I'll listen live and pledge. I promise I will find out the date for 2021's program and participate in the fundraiser. In fact, it's never too late to pledge and donations to the station can be made here: https://pledge.wfmu.org/donate?step=landing 
Thanks to beatpop on Dime for once again recording and sharing the show. I look forward to next year!
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy formats (except for personal use)
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Yo La Tengo
25TH Annual Yo La Tengo Requestathon!
Live on Todd-o-phonic Todd's show
with Gaylord Fields and Evan Funk Davies
WFMU-FM's Monty Hall
Jersey City, NJ USA 
March 07, 2020
7 sets from 3-6pm

Broadcast live over 91.1 WFMU-FM, Jersey City, NJ USA.

Lineage:
WFMU-FM > Sony XDR-F1HD > Edirol R-09HR (44.1/16) >
Sony Soundforge 10 > FLAC level 6 aligned on SB

Set 1:
01 - The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana) (1:45)
02 - Making Time (1:51)
03 - I'll Come Running (3:27)
04 - Death of a Clown (2:40)
05 - Meet on the Ledge (2:59)

Set 2:
06 - Moscow Nights (2:11)
07 - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (2:41)
08 - Morgus the Magnificent (2:26)
09 - She's Like Heroin to Me (2:16)
10 - If and When (2:39)

Set 3:
11 - It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl (3:10)
12 - Heart Of Glass (2:53)
13 - Here Comes the Sun (2:28)
14 - Our Lips Are Sealed  (2:47)

Set 4:
15 - Green Onions (2:58)
16 - Last Days of Disco (5:50)
17 - Werewolves of London (4:51)
18 - Who Loves the Sun (2:10)
19 - Love Is the Drug (2:38)
20 - I'm Down (2:26)

Set 5:
21 - Corona (2:17)
22 - Ice Cream Man (2:56)
23 - Psycho Killer (4:07)
24 - Rebel Rebel (3:13)
25 - I Wanna Be Sedated (2:15)

Set 6:
26 - Outdoor Miner (2:31)
27 - Henry (1:05)
28 - Hey Joe (3:44)
29 - Gates of Steel (3:08)

Set 7:
30 - Baby's on Fire (2:00)
31 - Wild Honey (2:53)
32 - Peter Gunn/Annette's Got the Hits (8:48)

With references to:
Annette's Got the Hits - Redd Cross
Skin Deep - Nick Lowe
Cold Rain and Snow - Grateful Dead
Melody Nelson - Serge Gainsbourg
No More Pushing Joe Around - Daniel Johnston
Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone
Senses Working Overtime - XTC
Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass
Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
Speed Racer Theme
Annette's Got the Hits - Redd Cross

Total Running Time: 1hr 36min 16sec

Personnel:
Georgia Hubley - drums, vocals
Ira Kaplan - guitar, keyboards, vocals
James McNew - bass

YO LA TENGO- 2020-03-07 Monty Hall, WFMU-FM Jersey City, NJ FLAC. rar

The Replacements- Live At the First Avenue 1986

For the final installment of the mini-tribute to the First Avenue in Minneapolis, we have a band that helped bring national attention to Minneapolis during the 80's (besides Prince). At least in the alternative/indie rock genre, when I think of Minneapolis, I think of the Replacements. They were a semi-regular performer at the First Avenue/7th St. Entry during most of their career since about 1981 and their shows were always much talked about. Fortunately, there are many documented live recordings from these shows that have been shared among fans for years. I never turn down an opportunity to download and listen to a Replacements show because they are never the same, the setlists are always different and depending on the mood (drunkenness) of the band the choice of cover songs could get pretty wild. Of all the bands I collect, I definitely enjoy the Replacements shows the most and though some disappoint, they are never boring or uneventful.

1986 was a pivotal year for the Replacements, they began the year preparing to tour the U.S. East Coast in support of Tim that was released in September 1985. Tim was probably their most critically acclaimed album of their career and the last with Bob Stinson as a member. They were at their peak with the original lineup and playing some of their best shows in 1985 and early 1986. The live recording, Live At Maxwell's recorded on February 4 was released a couple years ago and the sound quality and performance was unbelievably good! Their infamous appearance on Saturday Night Live on January 18th helped secure their legend, but probably prevented the band from gaining more mainstream success. Following their SNL performance, the Replacements returned home to Minneapolis for a pair of shows at the First Avenue. You can find both shows at the Replacements Live Archive Project website (in mp3 format) and I have one of those shows, the second one (January 22) here in lossless format. The recording is a clear, possibly a soundboard, upfront sounding and it's noteworthy because this is Bob Stinson's last show as a Replacement in Minneapolis. As I mentioned earlier, the bands performance is sometimes dictated by the level of alcohol consumption the band partakes in and this is definitely a drunken show. Paul's slurring during between song banter is apparent and the drunken covers dominate the second half of the show. Despite the drunkenness, the set is great and coherently performed and is very entertaining. This does not disappoint!
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
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THE REPLACEMENTS
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
January 22, 1986

Cassette (???)> Sony Standalone Burner> Audacity> FLAC

01. Dose of Thunder
02. Hold My Life
03. Gimme Noise
04. Kick Your Door Down
05. Little Mascara
06. Answering Machine
07. Left of The Dial
08. Johnny's Gonna Die
09. Unsatisfied
10. Waitress In The Sky
11. Kiss Me On The Bus
12. I Will Dare
[tape flip]
13. Rock And Roll All Night (Kiss)
14. Yummy Yummy Yummy (Ohio Express)
15. Color Me Impressed
16. Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
17. Folsom Prison Blues (Cash)
18. Substitute (Who)
19. Take Me Down To The Hospital
20. Jean Genie (Bowie)
21. Yeah Yeah (Revillos)
22. Last Time (Rolling Stones)
23. September Gurls (Big Star)
24. Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Lloyd Price)
25. Easier Said Than Done (Essex)

original notes: It's probably a soundboard tape (kinda a rough one), but I'm not too sure.
The crowd noise is a little distant, so that's what I'm thinking.
[76:44]

THE REPLACEMENTS- 1986-01-22 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN FLAC. rar

The Pinwheel Sessions- An Upgrade (Pre-FOW)

Several years ago I posted the Pinnwheel (or Pinwheel?) demos, recordings from Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger before they formed Fountains of Wayne. Since Adam's untimely death over three weeks ago, I noticed a sudden interest from that posting which led me to have another listen. I was surprised how good the songs are and the sound quality was fairly polished for demos. My only concern was they were sourced from mp3 and I had always hoped I can seek out the lossless version for possibly better sound quality. I must have been thinking out loud because someone posted the FLAC (lossless) version on Dime (it has since mysteriously disappeared from a couple days ago...?). They were converted from WAV files, so consider this an upgrade over the previous version I posted. I'm listening to the files right now and it sounds a bit fresher and slightly less glitchy. Honestly, it probably won't be obvious or you might not hear a real difference, so listen and judge for yourself.
Enjoy!

• (Note: In the text file it says it includes the Loftypop Demos, it does not. If anyone has any information about those, please share.)
• These demos are believed to be recorded as early as 1986 or as late as 1992. Another source says 1993, so take these dates as an "estimate".

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Pinwheel or Pinnwheel? (pre-Fountains of Wayne)
"The Pinwheel Sessions" (1993?)

Source:     ANA (generation unknown) > CDR
Transfer:     CDR (generation unknown) > WAV (Exact Audio Copy)
flac:        WAV > flac 1.1.0
Transfer by:    Pete Rosenblum (pmppk)

1.  I Will Never Let You Down
2.  Sinking Fast
3.  Some Girls Tell Lies
4.  Loveland
5.  Bluer Than Blue
6.  Silvertown
7.  Pollen Street
8.  Troubled Times
9.  I Know You Well
10. Slave to Your Misery
11. Cry One Tear
12. Imperia
13. Half a Woman

Note: There is a skip in track 12 that is present in all known circulated copies.
Total Running Time: Once Disc (61:09)

PINWHEEL- Pinwheel Sessions FLAC. rar 

Hoodoo Gurus- First Avenue, Minneapolis 1991

Two of my favourite concerts I attended both were headlined by the Hoodoo Gurus. The first time I saw the Gurus was October 31, 1989 at the (currently closed) Playhouse Theatre on tour for Magnum Cum Louder. Yes, it was on Halloween night, we had first row balcony seats and the venue was a grand old theatre, not unlike the Burton Cummings Theatre (formerly the Walker) in downtown Winnipeg, which is similar, but smaller. Anyways, it was the perfect venue for this night as the Hoodoo Gurus took to the stage in the pitch dark, then blasted through their first bunch of songs at breakneck speed, clad in little black masks (kind of like Robin or the Green Hornet), with eerie light illuminating from the small orange pumpkin lights draping the drum kit. It was awesome! This show is definitely in my top 10 concerts I attended in my hometown. I know I've seen a "bootleg" live recording of the show on cassette at a record show in the 90's, but haven't been able to find a copy.

The other time I saw the Hoodoo Gurus was at the University of Manitoba during their "Frosh Week" in early September 1991. The band was on tour to promote their latest album, Kinky and though I saw them only two years prior, the main reason I went to the concert was because the Young Fresh Fellows were the opening band. I was already a hardcore Fellows fan at this point, but I had never seen them live and I have to tell you, this show changed my life. The Fellows were amazing, Tad's extra long swinging cymbal, Kurt bouncing uncontrollably around the stage and all the songs sounded even better live. I can't remember what songs they played or for how long they played, but I was in awe from start to finish during their set. I remember during their set, the Smugglers (who were suppose to be the first opening band and were on tour with the Fellows)) took to the stage to play a couple of their songs with the Fellows equipment and I thought, WOW, who does that? Apparently, (according to Grant Lawrence's book, Dirty Windshields: The Best And The Worst of the Smugglers Tour Diaries) when the Hoodoo Gurus road manager saw the gig poster advertising three bands, he demanded one of the openers be dropped because the fine print of the Hoodoo Gurus contract stated only one opener. Lawrence acknowledged that the Fellows offered the kind gesture of inviting them on stage during their set, a classy act. There's a great part in the book about the huge, expansive rider (food, booze) the Gurus had in their dressing room and how a couple of the Fellows completely trashed the room to teach them a lesson for their "egotism". By the time the Hoodoo Gurus played it seemed anti-climatic after the Fellows set and kinda wish the Smugglers played their own set because the energy level of the Gurus couldn't compare to what we had seen already. There was nothing wrong with the Hoodoo Gurus, I'm sure it was great, but it got me itching to see the Young Fresh Fellows again, hopefully as the headliner. Another highlight of the evening was having an impromptu conversation with Scott McCaughey of the Fellows after their set, thus elevating this show to my personal top 10.

Since I couldn't find the recording for the first show (1989), I do have a Hoodoo Gurus show shortly after their show in Winnipeg on the same tour (1991) and so happens to be at the First Avenue in Minneapolis, a short 7 hour drive south of the Peg. Apparently, this live recording has been in circulation, (yes, and you can purchase this on Amazon, but don't!) and the sound quality is from a FM broadcast and captures the live sound of the Hoodoo Gurus well. A nice sounding show from the Kinky tour, as they play a good mix of newer material along with Guru classics. The Hoodoo Gurus are scheduled to tour the U.S. in October and November and it would be very cool to see them live again. No dates in Minneapolis and during these troubling times, who knows if the tour will go ahead as planned. Fingers crossed!
Enjoy!

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HOODOO GURUS
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
October 9, 1991
Radio Broadcast

01. Intro
02. A Place In the Sun
03. Arthur
04. Another World
05. Brainscan
06. Too Much Fun
07. Dig It Up
08. Desiree
09. Death In The Afternoon
10. Death Defying
11. Come Anytime
12. Middle Of The Land
13. 1000 Miles Away
14. Miss Freelove '69
15. Axegrinder
16. Leilani
17. SOS
18. Stomp The Tumbarumba
19. Highway Star
20. Today Your Love Tomorrow The World
21. Bittersweet
22. What's My Scene
23. I Was A Kamikaze Pilot
24. Like Wow-Wipeout
25. I Think You know
26. The Generation Gap

HOODOO GURUS- 1991-10-09 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN FLAC. rar 

The Jayhawks- Live At The First Avenue 1994

According to the Jayhawks official Facebook page, the Jayhawks have played 70 times on the mainstage at the First Avenue and the 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis. Their first ever show at the venue was at the Entry opening for Alex Chilton on February 21, 1985. Through the years, the band has made it a regular habit to grace the stage of the First Avenue almost every year often for multi-night runs. To say they're a regular or like family at the First Avenue, would be an understatement. The Jayhawks are a very important band in the Twin Cities scene and they have continued to release new material with or without Mark Olson in the band. Gary Louris has kept the Jayhawks active continuing to constantly tour and like most bands have had to postpone tour dates to the fall and the new year (2021). It was announced today their latest album, XOXO will be released on July 10th.

When the Jayhawks played at the First Avenue in November of 1994, they were performing new material that would appear on their next and arguably their best album, Tomorrow The Green Grass which was released on February 14, 1995. This show has an excellent setlist if you're a fan of their earlier material, featuring songs from Hollywood Town Hall (or is this their best?), Blue Earth and even a song from the first album (King of Kings). There was already a buzz about the band at this point and they were on the edge of even wider exposure potential with this "new" material. This era of the band (classic Olson/Louris era) helped give the band it's lasting legacy and helped reinforce the "No Depression", alt-country-rock Americana sound that I enjoyed a lot in the 90's. This is a great concert and the live recording is near perfect, a good sounding board tape for sure!
Enjoy!

For more live Jayhawks live recordings, check the Jayhawks Live Music Archive

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THE JAYHAWKS
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
November 6, 1994

source:
SBD> DAT> CDR
FreeRip> FLAC> rar

01. King Of Kings
02. Settled Down
03. Crowded In The Wings
04. Real Light
05. Take Me With you
06. Clouds
07. Leave No Gold
08. Two Hearts
09. Reason To Believe
10. Pray For Me
11. Red's song
12. band intro by Mark
13. Waiting For The Sun
14. See Him On The Street
15. I'd Run Away
16. Ten Little Kids
17. Two Angels
18. Blue
19. Miss Williams Guitar
20. Sioux City
21. Witchita

JAYHAWKS- 1994-11-06 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN FLAC. rar 

Golden Smog- Live At The First Avenue, MPLS 2000

Back in February, the First Avenue announced the line-up for their 50th anniversary kick off weekend to be held between April 2-5. The mainroom headliners were Heart Bones (collaboration between Sabrina Ellis and Minnesota's, Har Mar Superstar), The Hold Steady, Neko Case and Golden Smog. Golden Smog was to headline the Saturday night show (April 4), but the whole event was cancelled as well as all shows at the First Avenue due to the Coronavirus outbreak. As an alternative, the venue celebrated the anniversary with an online party on April 3rd, so no Neko Case or no Golden Smog.

It would have been fascinating because Golden Smog doesn't perform much anymore, they haven't toured in years so it would have been interesting to see who was in the band still. Jeff Tweedy would have been a NO for sure, because Wilco would have been on tour in Las Vegas if the tour wasn't postponed/cancelled. The core lineup of Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Kraig Johnson and Dan Murphy would have been there along with maybe Jody Stephens or Tim O'Reagan from the Jayhawks on drums. An interesting fact I discovered when I was looking at the names on the "star wall" on the exterior of the First Avenue building, every member of the Golden Smog (past and present) has a star on the wall with the other band they are a member of, as well Golden Smog has it's own star. The Jayhawks (Louris, Perlman), Soul Asylum (Murphy and Dave Pirner), Run Westy Run (Johnson), Wilco (Tweedy) and even the drummers, Big Star (Stephens), Honeydogs (Noah Levy), Zuzu's Petals (Linda Pitman) and Replacements (Chris Mars). Seems appropriate since these musicians have contributed heavily and have been very influential to the Twin Cities music scene. Golden Smog truly has an all-star line-up from a who's who of the Twin Cities' best known bands.

Since Golden Smog is more or less based in Minneapolis it makes sense they have played many great shows on their home turf. I saw the band at the 400 Bar in 2003 and it was one of the most memorable shows I have seen in Minneapolis. Tweedy surprisingly joined the band for this show, which I heard was less frequent (and would become more so) and it was a special evening with some great moments and the interaction between the band was genuine and emotional at times. I did record the show, it was a bit distorted, but very listenable (Stay tuned, I will post in the future). I would say it was the last "great" Golden Smog with that lineup, either that or their concert from December 20, 2000 at the First Avenue. I received this show in a trade many years ago and as far as performance and sound quality goes this ranks high. It features a great setlist of songs from their two albums, as well as some cool covers. Very nice sounding, not sure if it's a soundboard, I think it's just a really good audience recording (anyone have any further info?), classic show!
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy (except for personal use)
Do NOT trade a lossy version
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GOLDEN SMOG
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
December 20, 2000
Audience Recording (?)

01. Looking Forward To Seeing You
02. Ill Fated
03. V
04. White Shell Road
05. Lost Love
06. If I Only Had A Car
07. Easy To Be Hard
08. Yesterday Cried
09. Glad & Sorry
10. Won't Be Coming Home
11. Walk Where He Walked
12. Making Waves
13. All The Same to Me
14. Jane
15. Can't Keep From Talking
16. Redheaded Stepchild
17. Pecan Pie
18. Fooled Around and Fell In Love
19. Call My Own
20. Until You Came Along
encore
21. Radio King
22. Please Tell My Brother
23. Revolution Blues
24. Spooky
25. Stairway To Heaven
26. What I Like About you
27. I Don't Care About This Girl

GOLDEN SMOG- 2000-12-20 First Avenue, Mpls, MN FLAC. rar

Arcade Fire- Live At The First Avenue, Minneapolis 2005

 The First Avenue club in Minneapolis has played host to many great shows through the years and in 2012, City Pages (entertainment newspaper/website in the Twin Cities) listed their Best 20 concerts from the First Avenue. As expected there are many concerts from well known bands and musicians both local and international that may have been playing down to the "smaller" venue (see Prince #2) or well on their way to bigger successes. One band in particular that was definitely on it's way up to bigger things that impressed their growing allegiance of fans, critics of indie music and caught the attention of mainstream media was Arcade Fire, who made number 20 for their show in 2005.  

20. Arcade Fire/ Wolf Parade/ Bell Orchestre, First Avenue, 9/29/05 
Arcade Fire were well on their way to indie-rock success story when they rolled into this sold-out Mainroom show, but even the local skeptics became full-blown believers. The band played nearly all of their utterly brilliant debut LP, Funeral, as well as three tracks from their self-titled EP, but it was their stellar cover of David Bowie's "Five Years" -- the band had just performed it with him earlier that month at a Fashion Rocks event -- that truly made this show magical. By the time openers Wolf Parade came out to join the band for a euphoric version of "Wake Up" that closed out the show, the Canadian collective had alerted each and every one of us that a new day was indeed dawning in rock 'n' roll. --Erik Thompson

The following night, Arcade Fire performed in Winnipeg and it was the first time I saw the band live. Up to that point I didn't know a lot about the band, though I did have a copy of their debut full length album, Funeral and I enjoyed their full orchestral sound. This did not prepare me for what I saw, on September 30 at the Burton Cummings Theatre. Even though, Funeral made many critics top album lists for 2004 and the 2000's, it still does not do justice to their live show that blew me away with the stunning visuals and sonic power of their stunning live performance. This was unlike any concert I had been to with the constant movement of the performers that were packed on stage with the fury and intensity of a confident band. I was physically drained just from watching the concert I can only imagine the feeling of exhaustion on the stage. We had in my opinion perfect seats, first row, dead centre in the first balcony with an excellent view of the stage in a classic old theatre that was the ideal ambience for this concert. The setlist for this show was similar to the night before in Minneapolis, heavy on Funeral material, of course, but they switched up some covers for the Winnipeg show. Their dedication to Bowie was shown by playing a different Bowie cover (Queen Bitch) than at the First Avenue as well as a Springsteen cover (State Trooper).

The live recording from the First Avenue has amazing sound as it was recorded for broadcast on 89.3 The Current. Fair warning, if you are listening to the concert loudly (especially with headphones), beware for DJ interruptions throughout the show and though I love Mary Lucia, her voice comes on a little loudly compared to the sound level of the concert. I chose to post this show instead of the Winnipeg concert mainly because of the better sound quality. Though the Winnipeg recording is solid (maybe I'll post later?), you can't compete with soundboard radio broadcast quality. An incredible performance and a monumental live show from Arcade Fire at the First Avenue!
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy format (except for personal use)
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ARCADE FIRE
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
September 29, 2005

Source: Soundboard> FM
Transfer: FM> PC> CDWave> wav> FLAC> rar
Complete concert recorded by KCMP 89.3 FM
The Current- St. Paul, MN
Broadcast on 12/4/05
DJ- Mary Lucia

01. DJ
02. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
03. Crown of Love
04. DJ
05. Headlights Look Like Diamonds
06. No Cars Go
07. DJ
08. Haiti
09. intro> Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
10. DJ
11. I'm Sleeping In A Submarine
12. Five Years [David Bowie]
13. DJ
14. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
15. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
16. Rebellion (Lies)
17. DJ
18. Wake Up
19. DJ

ARCADE FIRE- 2005-09-29 First Avenue, Mpls, MN FLAC. rar

First Avenue Turns 50! Paul Westerberg- Minneapolis, MN: The Craft 2007

Last Friday April 3, marked the 50th anniversary of the legendary club, The First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. The club opened in April 1970 when it was known as the Depot because previously the building actually was a Greyhound bus station depot. Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen launched the venue with the first ever show at the Depot, as the club become a popular live venue for local and International musicians. The history of the club is a long and sometimes complicated story with several financial disputes, bankruptcy, closure, format/theme changes and name changes. For an informative history of the club, watch the excellent documentary, First Avenue: Closer To the Stars. In 1972, the club changed it's image and the Depot evolved to become Uncle Sam's (Uncle Sam's was a part of a national franchise of the American Events Company) with DJ dance nights and it literally became a massive disco.

It wasn't until 1981 when the club changed it's name to the First Avenue and a year prior they opened the 7th St. Entry side room that the club gained momentum to become something special. The amount of great shows and bands that have played at the First Avenue in the past thirty years is eye popping. The stars painted on the side of the building are just some of the names that have helped propel the First Avenue through the years. There's no doubt that Prince was very responsible for giving the club national recognition and it became a tourist attraction, but the rise of the Minneapolis music scene nationally in the 1980's can be traced to many incredible shows at the corner of First Avenue and 7th St. Besides Prince, there were other great bands that frequently played the club such as the Replacements, Husker Du, Soul Asylum, Suburbs, Trip Shakespeare and the Jayhawks to name only a few. I've had the pleasure of seeing several good shows at the First Avenue, I think the first was in 1997 with Dinosaur Jr and I haven't been back since 2007 when I saw Fountains of Wayne, with lots of cool shows between. Presently, as well as the The First Avenue and 7th St. Entry, the owners also operate the Turf Club and the Palace Theatre in St. Paul and also own the Fine Line in Minneapolis. First Avenue is one of the longest running independently owned and operated clubs in the United States. It appears the club has been doing well except now with COVID-19 the reality of the situation is in jeopardy with mass postponement of concerts in their calendar of events. The hope is that the club (and all clubs!), as well as the music industry will bounce back strong whenever things get back to a near normal in the near future (we can only hope).

For the next few posts as a tribute to the First Avenue, I'll be posting shows from this venue with a range of artists from the Twin Cities and beyond. I probably won't share shows I attended/taped at the clubs mainly because the sound quality isn't great, but there are many must-hear shows at the First Avenue that were recorded.

First up is a show from 2007 from Twin Cities resident, Paul Westerberg who participated in an installment of "The Craft" a Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame interview/performance series. Hosted by writer/musician, Warren Zanes, (formerly of the band, Del Fuegos) he talked to Westerberg about various topics and gave some rare insight into his personal life, music and recording and performing with the Replacements. Between interview segments, Westerberg picked up his guitar and performed ten songs from his solo career and the Replacements. A truly unique concept and concert experience and fortunately Zanes is a knowledgeable fan and interviewer to make a potentially dry event into a memorable evening with one of the most talented singer songwriters of his generation.
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy format (except for personal use)
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PAUL WESTERBERG
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
September 23, 2007

The Craft Interview/Performance

Lineage: (Master audience recording)
Coresound Binaurals> M-Audio Microtrack>
Goldwave> CD WAV Editor> FLAC
Recorded by: Rob

01. Warren Zanes Intro
02. Let The Bad Times Roll
03. Interview Part One
04. It's A Wonderful Lie
05. Interview Part Two
06. Everyone's Stupid
07. Lush And Green
08. Interview Part Three
09. Make The Best Of Me
10. Interview Part Four
11. What A Day For A Night
12. Interview Part Five
13. World Class Fad
14. Dyslexic Heart
15. Can't Hardly Wait
16. Skyway

PAUL WESTERBERG- 2007-09-23 First Avenue, Mpls, MN The Craft FLAC. rar