Wednesday, 18 March 2009

Midnight Oil - Wembley Arena, London, 1990.

This is the second Midnight Oil live recording presented on 'Beehive Candy', this one a 'full on electric gig' that captures the band live in concert at The Wembley Arena, London, back in 1990.

Source: FM stereo recording from the Westwood One Show, broadcast on WHFS Annapolis, MD, USA, in 1990.

Sound Quality: Very good FM stereo, this is first generation from the TDK Cassette SA76 Dolby C recording (WMA 9.1 Rip CBR @ 96kps).

Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock.

Set: Majority of live concert.

Set List:

01 King Of The Mountain
02 Dream World
03 River Runs Red
04 Warakurna
05 Read About It
06 Read About It Cont.
07 The Dead Heart
08 Best Of Both Worlds
09 Kosciusko
10 Power and The Passion
11 Beds Are Burning
12 Bedlam Bridge, Forgotten Years
13 What's So Funny About Peace Love And Understanding
14 Hercules
15 Know Your Product
16 Blue Sky Mine

Links: The official (record label) site HERE.

Comments: Keeping it up to date in 2009:

By ROD McGUIRK, Associated Press Writer – Thursday March 12th 2009.

CANBERRA, Australia – Australia's environment minister swapped the political stage Thursday for one he trod in a former incarnation — as the country's loudest anti establishment rock star.

Peter Garrett, the front man for Midnight Oil, broke up the band in 2002 and pursued a career in politics that brought him into government just under two years ago.

But band members have come together to perform at a concert to raise funds for victims of Australia's worst wildfires, which killed more than 210 and destroyed thousands of homes in southern Victoria state last month.

Once known as champions of Aboriginal rights and the environment, Midnight Oil has not played a gig since their singer became a minister. Garrett has toed his Labor Party's center-left policy line, and tries to avoid questions about his former views.

Now, Garrett may have a dilemma on his hands because lyrics in some of the band's most popular songs do not fit comfortably within the political mainstream.

"Can Midnight Oil field 20 whole minutes of material that wouldn't get Mr. Garrett sacked if he were to read it out in Parliament rather than shrieking it while twitching violently to guitar music?" Sydney Morning Herald columnist Annabel Crabb wrote recently.

The band's 1987 breakthrough album "Diesel and Dust" called for Australia to be handed back to the Aborigines. U.S. and British imperialism were also favorite targets during the band's 26 years together.

They famously played an impromptu concert on a flatbed truck outside the Manhattan headquarters of Exxon Mobil Corp. in 1990 to protest the company's response to the ecological disasters caused by one of its tankers in Prince William Sound.

Standing six foot four inches (193 centimeters) tall and with a head shaved bald as it was throughout his music career, Garrett still stands out from his government colleagues even when in a gray suit and tie.

Garrett has insisted there will be no compromise on the play list.

"We won't be choosing songs on the basis of whether or not they're considered by political commentators to be political songs or not, we'll play songs for the fans," he told Australian Associated Press Wednesday.

Gary Morris, a longtime manager associate of the band, said Thursday there will be no satisfying some fans who contend the songs will have been picked specifically to keep the government happy.

The band opened a warm-up concert Thursday with the uncontroversial "Redneck Wonderland" from the 1998 album of the same name and Garrett played harmonica for a rendition of "Blue Sky Mine," a song about asbestos miners suffering lung disease.

Midnight Oil will perform another warm-up Friday. Two big concerts take place Saturday — one in Sydney, with Coldplay headlining, and the other in the Victorian capital of Melbourne, featuring Garrett's band.

Garrett's new career has created some friction with the band. Instead of rehearsing in Canberra on Wednesday, Garrett was representing Australia at coral conservation talks in Papua New Guinea.

Morris said that when he had recently protested about the double-booking, Garrett had replied: "I don't work for the Oils anymore. I work for the Australian government."

"I used to be able to persuade him after about an hour of discussion to do various things that he was reluctant to do, but when he pulled that line on me, I couldn't beat that one," Morris laughed.

Garrett flew into Canberra on Thursday morning and attended the final session of Parliament for the week before making the short journey to the theater.

Thursday's concert was the first time he has sung in public since 2005 when the band performed at a fund raiser for victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami.

Download link in comments below or click the picture.

Buy DRM free mp3's at Amazon.co.uk - Midnight Oil

Tuesday, 17 March 2009

Texas - Paradiso, Amsterdam, 1989.

Considering Texas only formed in 1986, and made their live debut in March 1988, by the time of this concert in June 1989, they sounded very polished and professional, having already scored a top ten hit in the UK and parts of Europe.

Was it really twenty years ago ?

This concert was performed at The Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland on the 12th June 1989.

Many of their tour dates were bootlegged at this time, this concert circulated as 'First Dive' on CD, but did not include the full set.

Source: The concert was recorded by Dutch radio and broadcast at a later date.

Sound Quality: Very good FM Stereo rip @ 320kbps.

Genre: Indie Pop to Indie Rock.

Set: Majority of live concert (last track fades out).

Set List:

1.Fool for love.
2.Everyday now.
3.I don't want a lover.
4.Nowhere left to hide.
5.Fight the feeling.
6.Future is promises.
7.Tell me why ?
8.Livin' for the city.
9.A prayer for you.
10.I can't get next to you.
11.Dimples.
12.It hurts me too. (edited fade out).

Links: Official UK site HERE. The more comprehensive 'Texas In Demand' site HERE.

Comments: This is a really good recording of a very good performance. Texas went on to well deserved popularity and success, and a large part of that is down to just how good they are live in concert.

I have no details regarding the actual FM broadcast of this show, the sound quality does however, suggest it was captured on excellent audio equipment.

Download links in comments below.

Purchase: Albums through the Texas site HERE. Amazon MP3's - Texas.

Sunday, 15 March 2009

Boz Scaggs - Expo 1985 - Live in Japan

This is Boz Scaggs live in concert at The Budokan, Tokyo, Japan, on March 15th, 1985, part of Expo 1985.

I do not intend to go on about Boz Scaggs in detail here, when his 'official' fan site has a mass of information that would keep the most ardent fan amused and interested for hours.

All I will say is, if you remain unfamiliar with Boz's music and you like a quality singer - song writer, who plays the guitar superbly, and enjoy anything from Rock to Soul, Blues to Pop, take a listen to this recording.

Source: Originally circulated on CD bootlegger's 'Fire Power' (FP9045), who used silver discs rather than CDR's, the original was recorded from an FM radio broadcast.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo FM (mp3 @ 192kbps).

Genre: Wikipedia reckons -Blue-eyed soul, Disco, Rock, Blues Rock, oh just listen and make your own decision if it's that crucial!

Set: Full live concert

Set List:

01 Dinah Flo - 3.37
02 Jojo - 5.54
03 I Got Your Number - 3.49
04 Isn't It Time - 5.26
05 Hercules - 5.47
06 Breakdown Dead Ahead - 5.24
07 Look What You've Done To Me - 6.02
08 Georgia - 4.35
09 We're All Alone - 4.41
10 Miss Sun - 3.07
11 Lido Shuffle - 5.23
12 Middle Man - 6.00
13 Lowdown - 6.47
14 Angel You - 5.20

Total 1 hour 12 minutes.

Band:

Boz Scaggs - Guitar (and the main man singing wise).
Kevin Dukes - Guitar
Carlos Vega - Drums
Scott Plunkett - Synthesizer
Tom Keane - Piano
John Madrid - Trumpet
Venetta Fields - Backing Vocals
Lorna Willard - Backing Vocals

Links: Official Site HERE, much better official fan site HERE.

Comments: Some CD cover art suggests the original source of this recording was soundboard, however it's from the radio broadcast, that just happened to be captured through a quality stereo receiver on to an excellent tape deck.

Download link in comments below - or better still, just click on the picture above.

Purchase: There's a fine selection of DRM free MP3's available worldwide - Boz Scaggs

Thursday, 12 March 2009

The Tubes - Darted In My Own Armchair - 1976

My first memories of The Tubes, was hearing Radio Caroline play 'Don't Touch Me There' back in 1976, at a time when BBC Radio & the UK's fledgling commercial stations bent over backwards to ban anything that was remotely risque, or questionable... well anything!

A number of The Tubes band members were students at the same high school in Phoenix, Arizona, as Alice Cooper, what were they putting in the water back there and then?

This recording was made at a time when The Tubes were arguably moving towards their first creative peak, which was both visual and musical.

This then is The Tubes live at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, USA, on the 26th June 1976.

Source: Tricky one this. I thought it was definitely an expanded version of a King Biscuit Flower Hour recording, however their site partly contradicts this, any how it's a professionally mixed recording.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo soundboard quality @ 192kbps.

Genre: Rock, from Pop Rock to New Wave.

Set: Fifty minutes - predominately the latter part of the concert.

Set List:

1a. Young and Rich - Grandiose Instrumental Overture
1b. What do you Want From Life.
2. Tubes World Tour.
3. Love will Keep us Together.
4. Pimp.
5a. Mondo Bondage
5b. Don't Touch me There.
6. Boy Crazy.
7. Stand up and Shout.

Band:

Rick Anderson - bass
Michael Cotton - synthesizers
Prairie Prince - drums
Bill Spooner - guitar, vocals
Roger Steen - guitar, harmonica, vocals
Re Styles - vocals
Fee Waybill - lead vocals
Vince Welnick - keyboards

Links: Official Site HERE.

Comments: This bootleg recording originally circulated on a vinyl album entitled 'Darted In My Own Armchair' it was subsequently released on CD in Italy in 1991 as 'The Tubes In Concert 1976'.

The Intro to 'Love Will Keep Us Together' is the Captain Beefheart tune 'Gimme Dat Harp' featuring Roger on blues harp.

The band released their second album 'Young and Rich' in 1976, and following a one month residency at Bimbos, San Francisco, continued with 'The Tubes World Tour 1976'.

Download link in comments below - or just click on the picture above.

Purchase: MP3's - The Tubes

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