R.E.M. 40th Anniversary of Murmur: Maxwell's 1983

 

(Image credit: Laura Levine/Corbis via Getty Images)

 

Earlier this week, was the 40th anniversary of Murmur, R.E.M.'s full-length debut album. It was released April 12, 1983 and it helped launch the career of one of the greatest bands to emerge from Athens, Georgia. Personally, the album was an important and "life-changing" record that really got me hooked on their sound and the whole alternative college rock scene. I actually purchased their second album, Reckoning first, right after it's release a year later and I loved it so much I returned to the record store to buy Murmur. Peter Buck's jangly guitar sound and Michael Stipes mumbled vocal delivery was so unique to me, I realized there was more to music than what was on commercial radio. In my city, there was no alternative radio station options along with no college (we call it university up here in Canada) stations, so I looked to my record store for guidance and recommendations. A whole different sound was emerging which led me to other like-minded bands, Replacements, Husker Du, Minutemen, Mission of Burma, Dream Syndicate etc... what a great time for music and this is music that has stuck with me even today. Though R.E.M. became too big and popular to my liking, their first 4 or 5 albums are essential listening and I'm happy to see/hear Buck and Mike Mills continuing to record and perform with their many collaborations with Scott McCaughey.

 

This is an early-ish R.E.M. show a couple weeks after the release of Murmur. They had been performing since 1980, but they really became a solid live band around the release of EP, Chronic Town in mid-1982. The live sets were divided between songs from Chronic Town, songs to appear on Murmur and Reckoning, as well as some cool covers. The show at Maxwell's in April of 1983 was their last appearance at that venue, as their growing fan base forced them to play larger venues in the future. It's nice to imagine them playing at such a small intimate bar, so this set is amazing. If you're seeking more R.E.M. live shows, I found this set at the internet archive (archive.org), a great resource for live music.

Enjoy!

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

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

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R.E.M.
Maxwell's
Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

April 28, 1983

Original lineage: Audience Cassette Master >>> WAV SoundForge >>> Flac >>> Dime
2020 eckythump remaster: All tracks speed corrected in Audacity (+3%), normalized

Originally uploaded to Dime on 17 May 2009 by Guy_R_E. Remastered version uploaded to Dime by eckythump 5 January 2020.

01 - Moral Kiosk
02 - Catapult
03 - Sitting Still
04 - Pilgrimage
05 - Talk About The Passion
06 - Shaking Through
07 - Harborcoat
08 - Wolves, Lower
09 - Romance
10 - Pretty Persuasion
11 - Gardening At Night
12 - 9-9
13 - Windout
14 - 1,000,000 (w/ Fascists Eat Donuts snippet by Pop-O-Pies)
15 - West Of The Fields
16 - Radio Free Europe

Encore
17 - White Tornado
18 - Last Date (Floyd Cramer cover)
19 - Secret Agent Man (Johnny Rivers cover)
20 - There She Goes Again (The Velvet Underground cover)
21 - So You Want To Be A Rock'n'Roll Star (The Byrds cover)
22 - I Can't Control Myself (The Troggs cover)
23 - We Walk
24 - 7 Chinese Bros. (incomplete, fades out)

Michael Stipe - Vocals
Peter Buck - Guitar
Mike Mills - Bass, vocals
Bill Berry - Drums, vocals

 

R.E.M. 1983-04-28 Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ, FLAC rar

 

Tammy & The Amps- Maxwell's July 1, 1995

 

 

In 1995, after Kim Deal put her band, The Breeders on hiatus, she formed a new band, Tammy & The Amps. They played some shows and recorded and released an album, Pacer in October 1995. The band featured Kim on lead vocals and guitar, Luis Lerma on bass; Nate Farley on lead guitar; and Jim Macpherson of the Breeders on drums. The band was named when Kim began calling herself Kim Ampersand, so they became Tammy and the Amps, though the name was shortened to just The Amps. The band's sound wasn't dissimilar from the Breeders, with a more lo-fi, unpretentious, sloppy sound, a fun project to keep Deal busy and engaged in performing live that seemed to energize her. The Amps were a one-off side project that eventually evolved themselves to become the Breeders again a short time later in 1996. Their only album, Pacer is an underrated and sometimes brilliant record that fits nicely in the Kim Deal/The Breeders discography. Personally, it's one of my favourite Deal-related albums.

Despite only playing live shows for only about one calendar year, the Amps played well over 50 shows with dates in North America, Europe and Australia. The only live recording I have might be their first ever show at Maxwell's in Hoboken. A very nice sounding recording, it sounds like a lot of fun and the band has a punk energy that sounds great. I love audience recordings from small venues, there's a raw enthusiasm you don't hear in larger concert halls or theater's and it really gives you the feeling of "being there" in the audience. A rare opportunity to hear Kim Deal outside of the Breeders and the Pixies, definitely a must-hear!

Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

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

Please share!

 

Tammy & The Amps
Maxwell's

Hoboken, NJ (USA)
July 1, 1995

Equipment: Sony 909 mic > Sony D7 DAT
Lineage: Master DAT > First generation cassette > Tascam 202MKV > Edirol R09 (16/44) > Adobe Audition 5.5 (level boost/hiss reduction) > CD Wave Editor (track) > flac8
Taper: Stonecutter15: Stonecutter Archives
Transfer & Tracking: Smores
 
1. Pacer
2. Breaking The Split Screen Barrier
3. She's A Girl
4. Empty Glasses
5. Hoverin
6. Bragging Party
7. Full On Idle
8. Mom's Drunk
9. Tipp City
10. Just Like A Briar [The Tasties]

 

TAMMY & THE AMPS- 1995-07-01 Maxwell's, NJ FLAC. rar 

Kathleen Edwards- Haddon Heights, NJ, August 24, 2022

 

For many performers, the pandemic proved to be difficult to stage live concerts with many artists turning to technology, such as live streaming to perform for their fans...and to make a living. A lot of musicians took the time to write new music and record albums giving us plenty of new music to enjoy this past year. This year, saw a return to more "proper" concerts, live in clubs, concert halls and outdoor music festivals bringing fans back and in some cases, more than ever. Personally, besides an afternoon at an outdoor show in August (Harvest Sun Festival in Kelwood, MB), I haven't been to any concerts at an indoor venue. It's not that I'm avoiding going to shows, it's just that I'm being more selective of what I see and if I want to bothered to record a show or not. We'll see, hopefully something that interests me comes to town soon.

 

One such artist who recorded a new album during the pandemic was Ottawa's, Kathleen Edwards. She released her latest album, Total Freedom in August of 2020 during the lock-down (in some places). The title of the album was unfortunately named, as many people's "freedoms" were compromised at the time, which, of course leads to a whole different conversation. (she jokes in the recording that she has lots of shirts still available) The record release launch was held at her cafe, Quitters Coffee (she no longer owns it) and her performance with her band was live-streamed. She slowly returned to live shows in 2021, mainly outdoor festival-type venues and this year (2022) she has returning to touring and has spent most of the summer and this month playing shows mainly in the States and Ontario. Here's hoping she can make her way across western Canada in the near future!

 

 

Fortunately, some live recordings of Kathleen's shows have surfaced and it's good to hear her live again. Thanks to everyone that takes the time to record and post live recordings! I've posted an amazing sounding show recorded at a show in New Jersey that was recorded/posted on Dime by edtyre. He also posted an excellent, professional looking video of the same performance (the photos are screenshots from the video). The newer songs sound great, as she has a relatively different band than in the past and the guy on steel-pedal is outstanding. Well worth the listen (or watch) and I look forward to hearing more recordings from this tour.

Enjoy!

 

Link to the video on YouTube (thanks Ed!!)

Please do Not sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

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#16yearsoftrouble

 

Kathleen Edwards

Norcross-McLaughlin Memorial Dell
Haddon Heights, NJ, USA
August 24, 2022

Intro
Simple Math
Options Open
Change the Sheets
Hockey Skates
Who Rescued Who
Glenfern
One More Song The Radio Won't Like
Empty Threat
Mercury
Money Talks
A Soft Place to Land
Hard On Everyone
Six O'Clock News
 

Encore:
Asking for Flowers

KATHLEEN EDWARDS- 2022-08-24 Haddon Heights, NJ FLAC. rar