X- Whisky a Go Go, West Hollywood, CA, April 11, 1980

 

Sometimes the story behind a recording is more significant and interesting than the recording itself. The debut album from X, Los Angeles, was released at the beginning of April 1980 and the show at the Whisky on April 11th was purportedly the record release party. Tragically, the show was also the same night Exene's sister, Mirielle was killed on a Hollywood side street by a drunk driver. The band went on stage just before they heard the news, so it was truly a difficult horrible circumstance and the band continued to perform with many in the crowd oblivious of the situation, while others had already heard to awful news. 

Listening to this recording, there doesn't seem to be any evidence about the circumstances mentioned above, so it's possible the band played two sets and the live recording (below) was from the first set. I haven't seen a recording of the second set, so I don't want to jump to any conclusions. The recording quality isn't great, but it is listenable and definitely worth the listen. Ray Manzarek (from the Doors) produced the debut album and sits in and plays keyboards with the band. A nice version of the Roadhouse Blues is even more cooler with Manzarek's keys and the fact he was involved with X blows my mind! I love X, especially their early albums (the first 3 are essential!) and they're terrific live, at least that's what I've heard!

Enjoy!

 

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share!

 

 

X

WHISKY A GO GO

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA
April 11, 1980

Cassette Master -> Untracked Aiff File -> Soundforge -> FLAC

01. Year One
02. Los Angeles
03. Sex And Dying In High Society
04. Your Phone's Off The Hook, But You're Not
05. Sugarlight
06. The Unheard Music
07. When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch
08. Lotta Loving
09. Lotta Loving (again!)
10. Bad Boy
11. Soul Kitchen
12. Johny Hit And Run Paulene
13. We're Desperate
14. Nausea
15. The World's A Mess, It's In My Kiss
16. -intro-
17. Universal Corner
18. Roadhouse Blues (with Top Jimmy)
19. Good Rockin' Tonight (with Top Jimmy)

with Ray Manzarek on keyboards 

X- 1980-04-11, Whisky A Go Go FLAC. rar

 

X- Live At The Whisky A Go-Go 1978

Photo by Frank Gargani

When I think of the definitive band of the L.A. punk scene of the late 70's /early 80's I immediately think of the band X. X formed in L.A. in 1977 and quickly established itself the front-runner of the local scene with it's punk sound rooted in a rockabilly style with the off kilter harmony vocals of Exene Cervenka and bassist-singer, John Doe. The band's first two albums are punk classics, Los Angeles (1980) and Wild Gift (1981). The songs are short and fast, on record they don't come across especially punk, but live the band performs with a punk energy with their furious shows set behind poetry, that set them apart from other bands from that era. Once the band signed to a major label their sound on later albums mixed rockabilly with country, folk rock and Americana influences, but still maintained their signature sound. This is another band I would have love to have seen in their prime and heyday, but even after over 40 years the band is going strong. This year, the band celebrated it's 40th year since their debut record with it's first studio album in 27 years, Alphabetland. A mighty fine comeback with the original lineup, this release caught me by surprise and it doesn't sound out of place in the X catalog, in fact, it's a really good album! The album has garnished a lot of positive reviews, I highly recommend a listen.

Unlike the Go Go's when they played the Whisky A Go Go in 1978, X wasn't in search of a sound, they already had material in their setlist that would appear on their first two albums when they played the Whisky in the same year. This set was two years before their debut album, Los Angeles would be released honing their skills in front of frantic crowds still early in their career. This is an audience recording that has decent sound considering it's age and the taper probably dodging reckless bodies bashing around the dance floor in front of the stage. Yet another 'historic" document from the early punk scene in L.A., this live recording should be shared and heard by fans of X and curious fans of early American punk...! I present: X, live at the Whisky A Go Go! *

Enjoy!

 

* (not to be confused with the live album from 1988)

#14yearsoftrouble

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats (except for personal use)

Please share!

 

X
Whisky A Go Go
Hollywood, CA
September 14, 1978 

AUD recording

01. Soul Kitchen
02. Back 2 The Base
03. Year 1
04. Los Angeles
05. Adult Books
06. ???
07. When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch
08. Johnny Hit And Run Pauline
09. We're Desperate
10. Nausea
11. Soul Kitchen
12. I'm Coming Over

36:39

 

X- 1978-09-14 Whisky A Go Go, Hollywood, CA FLAC. rar

The Go Go's- Live At The Whiskey A Go-Go 1978

 

 

If you're like me you listened to a lot of music on the radio when you were younger. There was definitely music that stuck with me from high school to the present that I listen to today. Pre-high school I listened to the safe bets at the time, Elton John, Paul McCartney/the Beatles, that sort of thing. High school expanded to the popular groups at the time, Boston, Foreigner, Supertramp, Cheap Trick and Van Halen (the last 3 groups I saw in concert in the late 70's), as well as bands that were already considered "classic rock", Rolling Stones, CCR, the Kinks, Hendrix, the Who. As the 80's arrived, my musical tastes expanded further to included new wave, mod and punk bands through more progressive radio stations and the emergence of MTV (MuchMusic, for you Canadians) that also offered some alternative to mainstream commercial radio. The new music of the early 80's on mainstream radio introduced more female-based music, as music videos on MTV that marketed the look and image of the performers that led to to the popularity of Madonna, Bananarama and the Go Go's. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing the annoying ear-worms of Like A Virgin, Venus (note: the original version from Shocking Blue is a great song!) and the Go Go's, We Got the Beat and Vacation. My opinion at the time of the Go Go's was that they were too pre-packaged and slick, thanks to MTV! How judgemental can I be! I must admit, songs from the Go Go's (and the Bangles) became guilty pleasures, they are upbeat songs, great to dance to (which I avoid) and fun! When the compilation record, Return to the Valley Of The Go Go's was released I became aware this band had roots in the punk/new wave scene in the L.A. area in the late 70's with recordings that pre-dated, Beauty and the Beat that were raw and hungry. It's true when the band signed a deal with I.R.S. records, the band's sound smoothed out to a more pop-oriented sound that was ideal for radio, but the fact they are the first all-female band to write their own songs and play their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts proves they were a talented deserving band.

 

There has been recent attention and interest about the Go Go's because of a new documentary film, The Go Go's that was released on Showtime in August (and can be streamed here). From the film's PR: "As the first multi-platinum-selling, all-female band to play their own instruments, write their own songs and soar to No. 1 on the album charts, the Go-Go's are the most successful female rock band of all time. Underpinned by candid testimonies from The Go-Go's past and present, this documentary chronicles the meteoric rise to fame of a band born of the LA punk scene that not only captured but created a zeitgeist". It might be worth checking out, I tend to enjoy music documentaries and I'm sure I would learn a lot that I don't know.

Speaking of the Go Go's rising to fame from the LA punk scene, I have an early live recording from the band from 1978. According to the Go Go's concerts wiki, this was their 5th ever show (opening for the Dickies). Yes, this is another historic recording! I'm not sure if any of the earlier shows were recorded, regardless this is one of the earliest live recordings from the band. The band is raw and sloppy (when the sound isn't great it always sounds rough), so not for the faint of heart. Lots of rare and unreleased songs with only a couple appearing on Return To The Valley. An interesting recording that really shows how quickly the band progressed to what they soon became. I respect that they played clubs like this in the early days and their first two albums are good, so I shouldn't feel too guilty for liking the band...a bit more.

Enjoy!

#14yearsoftrouble

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats (except for personal use)

Please share!

 

The Go-Go's
Whiskey-A-Go-Go, 

Los Angeles. CA
October 4, 1978
 

Lineage: CDR Trade > EAC (verified lossless) > WAV > FlacFrontend (Level 8) > FLAC > Dime

01. We're Here Now
02. B-Movie
03. London Boys
04. Robert Hilburn
05. Remember (Walking In the Sand)
06. Don't Hang Up
07. Fashion Seekers
08. Screaming
09. Party Pose
10. Over Run
11. Just A Number
12. Luxury Living

GO GO'S- 1978-10-04 Whiskey A Go Go 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