Here’s a thick slab of irony. These kings of the lo-fi aesthetic have released a myriad collection of studio and live discs, and their general approach to recording betrays an interest in getting it down on tape and moving on. Oft-compared to The Who, GbV is one of those groups about whom it is said that it’s tough to pin down their sound on record; you gotta see them live (the Voices went silent with the dissolution of the band in December 2004, but in 2012 they’re baaaaack).

So how odd to spin a CDR of a bootleg soundboard from the group’s show at CWSU in 2002 and find excellent fidelity and thoughtful mixing! Lead singer/guitarist Bob Pollard rattles off the songs with the same on-to-the-next-one approach he’s brought to his whole career, but the songs hold up even under that assault. The set list is jam-packed full of songs from throughout the GbV canon. A few covers are even thrown in, including one from the aforementioned Who. Every song is played as if it were a hit. Which, in some fair and just alternate universe, it would be.

Difficulty to Locate: 6 out of 10
General Listenability: 9 out of 10

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

 

Kirsty MacColl was famous for a few things. One, her dad was famed folksinger Ewan MacColl. Two, she wrote and recorded the original version of the girl-group pastiche “They Don’t Know”, later covered by Tracey Ullman. Three, she was a writer and vocalist of some stylistic range, having worked with Johnny Marr, Shane McGowan, Evan Dando and many others. Four, she died tragically in the Gulf of Mexico.

But despite her fame (especially in the UK) there aren’t a lot of Kirsty MacColl bootlegs out there to begin with, so finding this one is a real prize. It’s a soundboard from the Glastonbury Festival. The band is tight and Kirsty sings the hits (some of ‘em, anyway), plus some unexpected covers. A short disc (under 40 min.) but worth it no matter what if you’re a fan.

Difficulty to Locate: 8 out of 10
General Listenability: 10 out of 10

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

Having paid his debt to society, convicted felon Arthur Lee surprised all interested parties by returning to the music scene in the 90s more musically focused than he’d ever been. Having led the critical darlings Love in mid 60s Los Angeles, Lee had established a mystique around the band. Their music ran the gamut from punky anthems to airy psychedelia. “7 and 7 Is” was an assault on the senses, yet the tracks on the legendary Forever Changes LP evoked the sound of Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass tour bus colliding with a Buffalo Springfield. Yet the mercurial Lee refused to tour, even to play outside of L.A. in the group’s heyday. His erratic personality, coupled with the unbending “three-strikes and you’re out” laws meant a prison sentence for him, and most onlookers figured that would be that.

But Lee discovered LA popsters Baby Lemonade, a group with two parallels to Love: the group was multiracial, and they played muscular hooky pop with an arty bent. The BL duo signed on as, essentially, the new Love, thus assuming a role quite similar to another 90s LA pop group backing another troubled 60s legend from LA (Wondermints, Brian Wilson respectively). This collaboration has endured into the 21st century: the reinvigorated Love has toured Europe and the USA, performing Forever Changes in its entirety (the parallels continue: Brian Wilson wheeled out the complete Pet Sounds LP, and more recently the great lost 60s masterwork, SMiLE). But this set, a good-to-very-good audience recording from 1993, shows what can only be called an embryonic version of the new Love, running through their material. There’s a good selection from the first four Love albums (the ones that matter) plus a bit of new material that fits in well. The band is in top form, albeit without the later embellishments of strings and horns; this North Hampton show is more of a “club date” sort of gig. Well worth checking out.

Difficulty to Locate: 7 out of 10
General Listenability: 8 out of 10

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

By 2006, everything seemed to get recorded. From every single date of David Gilmour‘s solo tour, to a Peter Tork set with his blues group in a Dallas bar, tapers are there, and generally with ace equipment to capture the night for posterity.

So it was that an intrepid taper captured this set, days before the temporary suspension of the tour (due to guitarist Elliot Easton‘s broken clavicle). And while some true believers took issue with the Todd-Rundgren-fronted version of the New Cars (founder Ric Ocasek was not involved in the project) viewed on their own merits, the New Cars could deliver the goods, and help listeners relive the 80s for an hour or two.

The set list offers up most of the expected vintage material, along with a few surprises from Todd that work well recast in a Cars mold (especially Todd’s “Black Maria”). The new New Cars track “Not Tonight” blends in seamlessly, and is among Rundgren’s more memorable compositions of late.

Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes (the man arguably most responsible for the distinctive Cars sound) are joined by Rundgren and two of his pals, bassist/vocalist Kasim Sulton (Utopia) and drummer Prairie Prince (Tubes, several Todd projects). The players get their parts right, and seem to be having a great time to boot. Other shows on the tour — at least two others have been booted — sometimes included Nazz‘s minor hit “Open My Eyes,” but the Wolf Trap curfew kept the band from playing that encore number.

The audience recording is of average overall quality. The sound is clear, but guitars are bit distant, keyboards sometimes disappear in the mix, and vocals are a bit on the boomy side.

Difficulty to Locate: 3 out of 10
General Listenability: 7 out of 10

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

The most soulful of the so-called “progressive” groups, Procol Harum is best known for the mega-hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” Yet fans know that the group produced many songs that equaled (or arguably surpassed) the quality of that song. Most of the few live Procol Harum bootlegs are either of abysmal audio quality, or FM broadcasts (great quality) of their later years, which aren’t as compelling as the early stuff.

Now comes this disc, a compendium of two shows from their Spring 1969 USA tour. Five tracks from LA’s Troubadour plus eight tracks from the Fillmore West (San Francisco) that same month. Soundboards both. Now one can hear “Conquistador” in its original form, and the majestic instrumental “Repent Walpurgis” in all its glory. This lineup of the group featured the contrasting keyboard sounds of leader Gary Brooker (piano) with the classical touches of Matthew Fisher (gospel-inflected organ), topped off with the fretwork of Robin Trower (heard here in his pre-Hendrix-fixation stage).

Sources report that this disc is NOT a copy of the relatively well-traveled Easter Island bootleg disc, but rather sourced from the master tapes. Apparently somebody knows somebody.

Difficulty to Locate: 8 out of 10
General Listenability: 9 out of 10

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

The Long Ryders were twenty years ahead of their time. With their defiantly countrified rock and roll, they embodied the alt-country ethos long before that term would be coined. At the peak of their powers, they released their 1985 LP The State of Our Union.

That album’s populist political messages were in sharp contrast to the prevailing winds. The Long Ryders’ songs dealt with themes at once personal and universal. The lyrics could look back one moment (“WDIA,”) and offer a glimmer of hope the next (“Good Times Tomorrow, Hard Times Today”). Yet most of the songs dealt with the here-and-now. There was melodrama, wistfulness and optimism within the album’s forty-odd minutes.

In advance of the album sessions, demos were cut in June 1985. Those demos comprise the bulk of the State of Our Union Demos bootleg disc. These versions offer valuable insight into the development of the songs’ arrangements. Of even greater interest are the two songs left in the can, “Southside of the Story” and “Child Bride.”

Bonus materials flesh out the disc’s running time. Two demos for the group’s “10-5-60″ LP are included, as is an ultra-rare cut by The Unclaimed, Sid Griffin‘s pre-Long Ryders group. In addition, two excellent demos are lifted from bassist Tom Stevens‘ legit solo demo compilation, “Points Revisited.”

For country aficionados, both the legit b-side and a hissy demo of “If I Was a Bramble And You Were a Rose” are included. The demo version features scenesters Debbie Peterson and Will Glenn.

Sound quality is good-not-great, suggesting that this collection made its way through the hardcore collector circuit of tape traders in the pre-CDR days, finding new life — as are the populist messages of “State of Our Union” — in the 21st century. It’s not a moment too soon for either.

Difficulty to Locate: 7 out of 10
General Listenability: 8 out of 10

 Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

Here’s a little gem that has been tucked away in my collection for more than two decades. About ten years ago or so, I was cleaning out some old files when I came across a long-forgotten cassette tape. I received it from my kid sister circa 1988; she got it from a friend who — as the story went – worked in a recording studio. The actual tape is of unknown generation, but I can safely assume it’s no more than two or three generations from the studio master. Most of the hiss present was, I believe, due to the fact that my tape was a Type I with no Dolby® noise reduction applied.

But what to say of the music? It is definitely for fans of the incredibly strange. If you like Hasil Adkins, Jandek, Skip Spence’s Oar or perhaps the brief mid-70s Syd Barrett session(!) then you may find this recording of an anonymous singer/guitarist (both terms used in their loosest sense) compelling. If not, you will in all likelihood find it excruciatingly awful. You have been warned.

There’s some degree of technical proficiency here, though filtered through a warped sensibility beyond description. The slide guitar work is especially, um, interesting. The lyrical subject matter may offer some clue to the subject’s state of mind (especially tracks #4 and 5) but then again, perhaps not. He certainly has a good memory for the words to these songs.

I can only speculate as to the circumstances leading up to this recording session. My memory fails me; I don’t now recall if the story that comes to mind was of my own imagining, or if the story came (verbally) with the tape. But such as it is, our hero had a few bucks, and booked time at a local (Atlanta) studio. The engineer set up mics and levels, and let the tape roll. That sounds about right to me; this does not sound like a mid-80s home recording job. Sadly, there’s no real interaction between artist and engineer, so the circumstances will never be proven one way or another.

As far as changes to the source recording, I set the noise floor at 8dB and rolled off some tape hiss; this did not appreciably reduce the high end. Also the source tape’s balance was off (likely a result of the tape dub) so I boosted the right channel approximately 200%. Then I boosted the entire signal an additional 300% and trimmed one or two millisecond-long sections of oversaturation. There are a couple places on the tape where one channel seems to drop out completely; my best guess is that the engineer was amusing himself.

The entire session (or what circulates of it) is a mere 11:30 in duration; I’ve divided it into tracks and identified the songs where I could. This gent (whom I’ve nicknamed “Spooky” for reasons that will be become clear upon listening) covers Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Doors and more. I defy anyone to correctly name the last track*.

* Late update: My friend Jerry says it’s Cream‘s “White Room.” Me, I don’t hear it.

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

Disclosure of Material Connection:

 

Simply unbelievable. Pat Fish (aka the Jazz Butcher) and his partner in musical crime Max Eider were somehow convinced to play a September 19, 1997 wedding reception. They did so with aplomb (any dues-paying musician can testify that wedding reception crowds aren’t the most, um, “receptive”) and put on a superb show full of wit, humor and wonderful playing. And someone (of course) made a fine recording of the show. This is a full band (complete with bass and drums), and kazoos fill in for trombones and such as needed. If you’re at all a fan of the Jazz Butcher, this recording is Not To Be Missed. If you’re not among the converted, become so and check back. Enough said. By the way, they’re not jazz, and they don’t butcher the music. They’re clever English poppers, sort of a Robyn Hitchcock with a sense of humor instead of just plain weirdness.

More info (including photos) here.

Difficulty to Locate: 9 out of 10
General Listenability: 7 out of 10

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection:

I recently interviewed Bill Wyman; that feature is coming soon. In my research for the piece, I’m reading Wyman’s autobiography/history Stone Alone. That got me thinking about this collection of unreleased material. — bk

---

Arguably all the unreleased Rolling Stones you’d ever need. Nearly all studio material, spanning the era from the beginning through “It’s Only Rock and Roll.” For my money they totally sucked after that. Sloppy? Of course; this is the Rolling Stones we’re talking about here. But there’s a lot of great material, providing insight into the genesis of some great music. If the Rolling Stones ever issued their own counterpart to the Beatles Anthology, well, this is pretty much what you’d get. And you’d likely be satisfied.

Difficulty to Locate: 4 out of 10
General Listenability: 8 out of 10

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection:

Here’s a recipe for success. Take an American 70s cult icon, one notorious for erratic performances, and add a healthy dose of one Scottish revivalist pop band that mixes equal parts noise, distortion and ethereal harmonies. What do you get? Well, you could get a trainwreck. But in this case you get Alex Chilton, former frontman of 60s poppers The Box Tops, and (more importantly) leader of mega-influential-but-didn’t sell 70s legends Big Star, onstage this night with Teenage Fanclub. Recorded and broadcast for the Scottish BBC, this 1993 set is really a Chilton showcase. The Fannies know their Big Star, and run through great tracks like “September Gurls” and Chilton’s “Free Again” with relish. In doing so they make a good case for serving as the new Big Star, but in the end Chilton chose another group of 60s pop fanatics (The Posies) for that role.

Chilton (who sadly passed away in 2010) is at the peak of his powers this night, and actually seems to be enjoying himself (not a given when speaking of Chilton performances, it must be noted). Ad the guys in TFC seem about to bust for all the fun they’re having, freed for the evening from purveying their own ace tunes.

The set is all over the map stylewise — covering everything from the Joe Meek production “Telstar” to early Frank Zappa — and that’s a good thing. Meanwhile, as a neat bonus, “The Alex Chilton Trio” comes back onstage and plays a half-dozen cocktail-jazz and retropop numbers in the style of Chilton’s then-current release, Clichés. An eclectic set from an artist known far and wide for his eclecticism. All in all, a transcendent set. Note: there circulates a wonderful set of unreleased studio sessions with Alex and TFC that is well worthwhile, but it’s impossibly rare. This live set, however, can be found fairly easily if one knows where to look.

  Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified

when new features, reviews and essays are published.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: