Sunday, May 7

Frank Bango
Mary Wing’s '100% Whatever' show 
WFMU Live Session
East Orange, N.J.
October 2011

preFM recording (sound quality Ex-) 

01 Defenseless
02 Bunny In a Bunnysuit
03 We Say Things
04 Too Lazy to Love You
05 Couldn’t Possibly
06 Worm Was Wood
07 International Sign for Sorry
08 Bitter Moon
09 interview
10 Does the Bitter Moon Really
     Care How Dark It Gets?*

*Trk 10 = bonus track, from an undated live session

ROB SEZ: Although this is not from the old ASH blog, I thank Don & co. for helping me discover the joys of Frank Bango’s music. (Like Elvis Costello — even a bit? Then you should check out Frank B.) Cheers to the Free Music Archive and WFMU for its undying willingness to support & promote lesser-known artists like Frank.

MP3@256

Learn more about Frank Bango’s music at AllMusic, Frank's Sincere Recording web site, and FB page
   

Friday, May 5

S m i t h s - Troy Tate + Pablo Cuckoo best versions

Troy Tate Sessions
summer 1983
East London, UK
'Soundsville Paul' source
Analog Loyalist remaster

soundboard recordings (sound quality Ex-) 

01 What Difference Does It Make? #1
02 Accept Yourself #1
03 The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
04 You've Got Everything Now
05 These Things Take Time

06 What Difference Does It Make? #2
07 Hand In Glove
08 Handsome Devil
09 Accept Yourself #2
10 Wonderful Woman
11 I Don't Owe You Anything
12 Jeane
13 Suffer Little Children
14 Miserable Lie

15 Reel Around the Fountain

ROB SEZ: I "blame" this post on the new-old single from this group that I bought at this year's Record Store Day. Something about the music of the band always brings me back, in spite of my ambivalence. After reading Johnny Marr's bio, I realized the appeal for me is 90% his personality/talent/guitar, 5% the loony, over-the-top singer, and 5% inexplicable mystery. These two ROIO sets are nothing new to collectors. But in case someone out there hasn't heard them (especially in these superior versions), the post will not be in vain. MEGA THANKS to Steve, Drew, CrazyCol and everyone else who brought this music to the masses.

SAMPLE: "Accept Yourself #2" (Troy Tate Sessions 1983)

 
The duo that conquered indie music in the 1980s
Pablo Cuckoo Tape
May 1983
Manchester, UK

ambient mic recording
     (sound quality VG-)

01 You've Got 
     Everything Now 
02 Accept Yourself 
03 What Difference 
     Does It Make?  
04 Reel Around the Fountain 
05 These Things Take Time 
06 I Don't Owe You Anything 
07 Hand In Glove 
08 Handsome Devil 
09 Miserable Lie

MP3@320 
One other S m i t h s - related post is HERE
      
Learn more about this band's music at Wikipedia and the fabulous fan site Passions Just Like Mine
 

Tuesday, May 2

Jon Auer + Ken Stringfellow - Mid-1990s Demos

Jon Auer
1994 demos
 
soundboard recordings (quality VG++) 

The Posies' main men: Jon Auer (left) & Ken Stringfellow
01 Hate Song (revisited)
02 Fight It You Want
03 Throwaway
04 Somehow Everything
05 World
06 Elena Aria
07 Broken Record
08 Will You Ever Ease 
     Your Mind?
09 Grow
10 Placebo
11 Sad to Be Aware
12 Every Bitter Drop
13 Daily Mutilation

Ken Stringfellow
Mid-1990s demos
  
soundboard recordings (quality VG++)

01 The Certainty
02 Everybody Is a F*&%ing Liar
03 Please Return It
04 Precious Moments
05 Who to Blame
06 You're the Beautiful One
07 Song #1
08 Terrorized
09 Friendship of the Future
10 Grant Hart
11 Pay You Back In Time
12 Oh Michael
13 Limitless Expressions

ROB SEZ: Fun experiment: listen to both sets of demos on random play with your eyes closed and try to figure out whether Jon or Ken is the one singing. Makes me wonder: did they always have similar-sounding voices, or was it all those years of singing together in The Posies? Many of these songs appeared in fully developed form on The Posies' Amazing Disgrace album, released in 1996. A handful of others appeared on the subsequent Success, released in 1998. EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS to Don at the old ASH blog for the Ken S. demos and spavid at Wilfully Obscure for the Jon A. demos (an "Auer of Power" indeed!). Enjoy these — and the mystery bonus share, if you can find it.

MP3@320 (Auer demos = MP3@VBR, med. quality)

ASH Tuesday post #64
   

Friday, April 28

Flamin' Groovies - Stuttgart 1987 + Paris 2015

Maxim
Stuttgart, Germany
Oct. 12, 1987


audience recording (sound quality VG to VG+; there's some occasional vocal distortion & early sound adjustment issues)


SAMPLE: "Baby Please Don't Go" (live 1987)


01 Teenage Head
Flamin' Groovies rock the house today & yesterday (below)
02 Call Me Lightning (The Who)
03 Feel a Whole Lot Better
     (The Byrds) 
04 I Can't Hide
05 A Million Miles Away
     (The Plimsouls) 
06 Step Up
07 Can't Stay Away from You*
08 Shakin'
09 Milkcow Blues
     (John Estes via The Kinks)
10 Shake Some Action (fades out)
11 Slow Death — In the U.S.A.
12 Baby Please Don’t Go (Them)
13 Jumpin’ In the Night
14 Slow Down
15 Almost Grown
16 Bittersweet (Hoodoo Gurus)

*trk 7 — brief tape glitch at 0:20


The Flamin’ Groovies (1987 lineup):
Cyril Jordan - guitars, vocals
George Alexander - bass
Jack Johnson - guitar, vocals
Paul Zahl - drums

Le Trabendo
Paris, France
June 18, 2015

audience recording (quality VG to VG+; there’s a slight metallic after-taste here, but overall a very good capture)

00 intro, stage entrance tuning
01 Feel a Whole Lot Better (The Byrds)
02 You Tore Me Down
03 I Can't Hide
04 I Want You Bad (NRBQ)
05 Yes I Am 
06 Tallahassee Lassie (Freddy Cannon) 
07 St. Louis Blues (W. C. Handy)
08 Don't You Lie to Me (Chuck Berry)
09 She Said Yeah (Larry Williams) 
10 Married Woman (Frankie Lee Simms)
11 Between the Lines
12 Slow Death
13 Shake Some Action
14 Teenage Head
15 Let Me Rock (new version, old tune) 
16 Jumpin' Jack Flash (Rolling Stones)


ROB SEZ: These live shows demonstrate what Groovies fans have known for a long time: the group started out as a cover band, and never stopped loving & covering classic rock & pop tunes. Along the way, they recorded some pretty good songs of their own. BIG THANKS to spurensicherung.blogspot for sharing the 1987 set and to Patrick for sharing the 2015 Paris show. This marks the end of the Flamin' Groovies mini series. ENJOY!

MP3@320 (1987 set = 256kbps)

Learn more about The Flamin' Groovies' music at Trouser Press and AllMusic
     

Tuesday, April 25

Flamin' Groovies - Live 1980 + 1981

The Old Waldorf
San Francisco, CA
Dec. 24, 1980

FM recording (sound quality VG to VG+) 

01 tuning up, intro
02 They Have Never Been In Love
03 Dizzy Miss Lizzy
04 Back In the U.S.S.R
05 Do I Love You?
06 River Deep, Mountain High
07 Let It Rock
08 A Hard Day's Night
09 Feel a Whole Lot Better
10 Baby, Please Don't Go
11 Fall On You
12 Shake Some Action
13 Ju Ju Man

'Under the Covers' liberated boot
Demos + Live in San Francisco 1980-1981

FM & soundboard recordings (sound quality VG)

ROB SEZ: More groovy Groovies boots, the first of which is courtesy of Don from the old ASH blog, and the second from some kind soul whose identity is lost to me. (If you're the one & stumble upon this post, thanks a bunch!) Look for at least 1 more post in this series soon.

ASH Tuesday post #63

Friday, April 21

Flamin' Groovies - Live 1978 + 1979

Justin Herman Plaza
San Francisco, CA 
Sept. 19, 1979
KSAN broadcast

FM recording (sound quality VG; multi-generation tape source)


SAMPLE: "Shake Some Action" (live 1978)


Sire Records Press Party
Notre Dame Hall
London, UK
July 12, 1978 


audience recording (sound quality VG+; master tape source from Hans de Vente)


01 Feel a Whole Lot Better
02 I’ll Cry Instead
03 19th Nervous Breakdown
04 Paint It Black
05 Shake Some Action
06 Absolutely Sweet Marie
07 Let It Rock
08 Around and Around


ROB SEZ: This marks the start of a Flamin' Groovies mini series here at the Repercussion blog. If you're a regular reader and don't know the Groovies, this might be a good time to check them out. They're a great mix of rock, pop and garage that's hard to beat. Special thanks this time around to Angelo from Power Pop Criminals, my source for the 1979 set, and Hans de Vente, who a few years ago shared a digital transfer of his master recording of the 1978 set.




           
Learn more about The Flamin' Groovies' music at Trouser Press and AllMusic
   

Tuesday, April 18

Nick Lowe - Unplugged Storyteller boot

The Return of the Unplugged Storyteller
liberated boot
acoustic sessions 1971-1998
various venues, dates

FM & soundboard recordings (quality range VG to Ex-)
 


Extra thanks to Don from the old ASH blog for sharing. Enjoy!

MP3@320
ASH Tuesday post #62
  

Friday, April 14

Albion (Country) Band - 1972 + 1983

Albion Country Band
University College
London, UK
Oct. 25, 1972

audience recording (sound quality VG; transferred from a 2nd-generation source tape)

SAMPLE: "Napoleon's Dream" (live 1972)


01 Nobody's Wedding
Richard & Linda Thompson were part of this Albion line-up
02 banter 1
03 Shady Lies
04 banter 2
05 Poor Ditching Boy  
06 Napoleon's Dream
07 He May Call You Up Tonight
08 banter 3
09 Winster Processional, etc.
     (Morris tunes medley)
10 banter 4 + Bonnie Green Garter
11 Has He Got a Friend for Me?
12 banter 5
13 New St. George
14 banter 6
15 Don't Make It 54
16 Break My Mind
17 tuning
18 Morris tune (brief, fades out)

The Albion Country Band:
Ashley Hutchings - bass, vocals
Richard Thompson - guitar, vocals 
Linda Peters (Thompson) - vocals
Simon Nicol - guitar, vocals
Sue Draheim - fiddle
Roger Swallow - drums 

ROB SEZ: Now for something completely different! I have a soft spot for British folk, especially the kind created by just about anyone from early Fairport Convention lineups. Fairport founder Ashley Hutchings was the main man for all the Albion configurations until 2011, when he passed the baton to his son. Richard & Linda Thompson briefly graced the early 1970s edition of the Albion Country Band (this recording features the band playing several selections composed by Richard). MEGA THANKS to UncleBoko for sharing both of these.

UncleBoko says: This is the first gig of this line up as Ashley mentions in the first banter, of what became known as the "caretaker Albion Country Band”.


The Albion Band
Roskilde Festival 
Denmark
October 7, 1983

soundboard recording (quality VG++; transfer from 2nd gen. cassette)

01 The Albions Are In Town
     Again/ Simple Melody
02 Green Mist
03 five dance tunes, 
     five centuries 
04 Tomorrow and Tomorrow 
     and Tomorrow 
05 Pall Mall/ Kensington/ Doing
     the Aldwych   
06 Light Shining
07 Love Is Like a 
     Railway Station
08 three Dance tunes 
09 Time to Ring Some Changes
10 Beware of Blue - 
     Halek Brawl
11 Heart
12 more dance tunes, MC

The Albion Band:
Ashley Hutchings - bass, vocals
Dave Whetstone - squeezeboxes, guitar, vocals
Cathy le Surf - vocals
Jean-Pierre Rasle - bagpipes, etc.
Alan Prosser - guitar
Trevor Foster - drums

UncleBoko says: This gig was part of a tour of Sweden and Denmark undertaken during September and October 1983. Trevor Foster had ably replaced Dave Mattacks on drums, and Alan Prosser was standing in for possibly Doug Morter on guitar.

MP3@320
Learn more about the Albion Band 
at Wikipedia and AllMusic