The Specials - USA 1980

This is The Specials live in concert back in January 1980 at Hurrah's, NYC.

The Specials began at the same time as Rock Against Racism which first gathered in 1978. According to Jerry Dammers, anti-racism was intrinsic to the formation of The Specials, in that the band was formed with the goal of integrating black and white people.

2009 has seen the band undertake a 30th anniversary tour (minus Jerry Dammers, however Terry Hall has stated 'the door remains open to him'). The tour has been very well received, their performance on BBC's 'Later With Jools Holland' can be seen on You Tube HERE.

This concert takes us back three decades to a much younger band.

Source: FM Broadcast

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@256kbps.

Genre: 2 Tone, Ska, New Wave.

Set: Majority of set

Track List:

01 Monkey Man
02 Rat Race
03 Blank Expression
04 Rude Boys Outa Jail
05 Too Hot
06 Doesn't Make It Alright
07 Stupid Marriage
08 Too Much Too Young
09 A Message To You Rudy
10 Gangsters

Band Line Up:

* Terry Hall - vocals
* Jerry Dammers - keyboards
* Lynval Golding - rhythm guitar, vocals
* Neville Staple - toasting, backing vocals, percussion
* Roddy Byers - lead guitar
* Horace Panter bass guitar
* John Bradbury - drums
* Rico Rodriguez - trombone
* Dick Cuthell - flugel horn

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments:

The Specials undertook a three week tour of the USA back in January 1980. On some of the gigs they opened for The Police and whipped the crowds up so much they just had to steal the show.

Jerry Dammers was keen for the band not to travel in Limos or stay in flashy hotels, I have read elsewhere that the tour manager was sent ahead on some occasions to ensure their accommodation was not too good !

Download link in comments below or click on the picture.

Buy: Mp3's at Amazon.co.uk - The Specials

The Breeders - Double Trouble 1993

Double Trouble is a collection of live performances recorded during The Breeders 1993 tour.

Formed in 1988 their first album, Pod (1990), received critical acclaim but was not commercially successful. The Breeders' most successful album, 1993's Last Splash, produced the hit single "Cannonball", and this material is from the tour that promoted the Last Splash album.

The Breeders' history began when Kim Deal, then bassist of the Pixies, began writing new material while the band were on a post-Surfer Rosa tour of Europe with Throwing Muses. As neither band had plans for the short term, Kim Deal discussed possible side-projects with Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donelly. After rejecting the idea of creating a dance album together the pair decided to form a new band.

Source: Soundboard

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps.

Genre: Alternative Rock.

Set: Compilation from various gigs.

Track List:

01. Iris
02. Cannonball
03. Saints
04. Hag
05. Fortunately Gone
06. When I Was A Painter
07. Doe
08. Limehouse
09. Glorious
10. Doe
11. Hellbound
12. Safari
13. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
14. Glorious
15. Do You Love Me Now?
16. Don't Call Home
17. Fortunately Gone
18. I Just Wanna Get Along
19. When I Was A Painter
20. Limehouse
21. Iris
22. Opened

Links: MySpace HERE. Official 4AD site HERE.

Comments:
Double Trouble was yet another release by Kiss The Stone (KTS) records (as previously mentioned the company was based in San Marino, where the law allowed the company to market bootlegs as long as it placed royalties for the artists in an escrow account).

One upside of this is the audio quality and packaging of the original silver discs was often very good. This is the case here, and this mp3 version is is a must for any fan of The Breeders.

Download links (two) in comments below.

Buy: Mp3's at Amazon.co.uk - The Breeders

2010FM - New Idea Society

Some email promo's have me yawning from about the second line onwards this one started as follows and kind of gained my attention.

'After an arduous recovery from a touring accident on the Autobahn while on tour in Germany (singer and main creative force Mike Law broke seven bones on the left side of his body) Brooklyn's New Idea Society has finally regained the momentum that was brewing on their previous album, "The World Is Bright and Lonely" (2007)'.

Now I will be upfront and say I had not previously registered New Idea Society however having gained my attention I gave the two songs from the forthcoming album a listen and reckon they deserve at the very least a fairly decent plug from the Beehive.

Listen:
'Thorns'



Website: Official. MySpace.
Buy: New album release TBC.

Background: The new song is from an upcoming album produced by Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes, Azure Ray). They are a huge departure from the bands previous recordings. Tracked in Brooklyn and Athens, New Idea Society searched out more of their Byrne/Eno, influences, partially a necessity, since Law was unable to play guitar due to injuries and was writing mostly around his working hand on keyboards and vintage synthesizers.

Eventually as injuries healed guitars found their was back into the mix but a precedent had been set for an album centered around the keyboard and piano playing of Chris DeAngelis and the reserved playing of drummer Alan Cage (who was lured back to drumming from semi-retirement from Quicksand/Seaweed by the excitement of the songs). As Law notes, "For the first time New Idea Society became a collaborative band with Alan and Chris being so prominent in the formation of our sound. The tour accident and some important people leaving our lives framed the mood of the album and how we were all feeling in that aftermath".
After tracking 19 songs the band is happy to share the song "Thorns" as it prepares the album for release.

European tour dates coming this January and February. U.S. dates to follow.

The Ditty Bops - California 2008

For those who are not familiar with The Ditty Bops they are an American band from Los Angeles, California. They were previously with Warner Brothers, however they now self produce their material.

They are noted for their tight vocal harmonies and playful style, and are headed by Abby DeWald (vocals and acoustic guitar) and Amanda Barrett (vocals, mandolin and dulcimer). For those of you who are familiar with their wonderful music, then this is an absolute delight!

This is a full concert of the band performing live at The Freight & Salvage Coffee House (The Home of Traditional Music) in Berkeley, California. This concert took place on the 7th March 2008 and the recording includes both sets.

Source: Soundboard (see comments).

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@192kbps.

Genre: Folk, bluegrass, blues, western swing, ragtime.

Set: Full Set

Set List:

Set One:

1. Intro
2. In The Meantime
3. Million Dollars
4. You Made Me Love You
5. Feel From The Outside In
6. Seed Of Wonder
7. Skinny Bones
8. Audience Banter
9. Painted Eyelids
10. Pale Yellow
11. Summer Rains
12. Interlude for Ten Strings

Set Two:

13. Second Set Intro
14. Whens She Comin' Home
15. Fix-It Men
16. Whispering Light
17. Because We Do
18. Angel With An Attitude
19. Always Remember
20. Awake In A Dream
21. Hunting My Dress
22. Crazy People
23. Encore Break Intro
24. E: I Feel Like Singing

Links: Official site HERE. MySpace site HERE. Freight & Salvage Coffee House HERE.

Comments:

A few notes regarding this recording. It would appear to be from two sources as the second set is noticeably louder. The quality of both sets suggest soundboard as the audience levels on both are as would be expected. Whatever - it is a great gig & the encore sets new standards in live performance !

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

Buy: Mp3's at Amazon.co.uk - The Ditty Bops

2010FM - Mighty Tiger

Welcome to 2010FM where Beehive Candy will feature new artists, albums, events and the like, that capture our attention in the coming year.

We kick off a couple of weeks early with Mighty Tiger who have just been signed up to Paper Garden Records and their 'Western Theater' album is scheduled for release on March 9th 2010.

Seattle’s Mighty Tiger are a five-piece Capitol Hill dwelling chamber-pop group and also plan to tour down to SXSW and back with fellow Seattle rockers, 'Grand Hallway'.

Listen:
“33 1/3”



Website: MySpace.
Label/Buy: Paper Garden Records - Release tbc.

Bio: With its members emerging from the Midwest and the Southwest, this particular collection of musicians unified in the dreary Pacific Northwestern Seattle, WA. Drawing from influences as diverse as Harry Nilsson to The Flaming Lips, Mighty Tiger applies vintage pop sensibility to indie rock innovation, creates a sound that is uniquely their own.

Western Theater, Mighty Tiger's full-length debut album, is a testament to the vision of the band: conceptual yet cohesive and relaxed. The spectrum of inspiration is apparent, with nods to the sonic landscapes of Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and Built To Spill’s Perfect from Now On. But while Mighty Tiger shows a refreshing willingness to wear its musical influences on its sleeve, the primary strength of the album is the way the band’s divergent points of reference unite around a sound that is distinct yet often tastefully unpredictable; whimsical chamber pop swirls in a turbulent sea of epic indie rock glory. Mighty Tiger have created an eclectic atmosphere in Western Theater that is as intellectual as it is intelligible and as somber as it is light-hearted. One thing is clear about this record and about this band: Mighty Tiger wants its listeners to have as much fun listening to Western Theater as they had making it.