The Feelies - Maxwell’s, Hoboken, New Jersey, May 9, 1986
Some cool news this week — Rhino is releasing a live Replacements album, recorded in 1986 at the late/lamented Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ. An amazing show, which I actually singled out a few years back in an Invisible Hits column for Pitchfork. So good, and it’ll be nice to have it in cleaned up form.
But what else was happening at Maxwell’s in 1986? The Feelies played there, of course. So check out this solid audience tape of them tearing through the bulk of both The Good Earth (released that month) and Crazy Rhythms, plus several typically fantastic covers. A rarity here is the frantic/furious rendition of the VU’s “Head Held High,” which I don’t think the band played all that often. God bless the Feelies – you’ve picked up their new album, right?
Set 1
Slow Down / On The Roof / Fun To Be Happy / Original Love / The Good Earth / Two Rooms / The Last Roundup / Too Far Gone / Moscow Nights / Forces At Work
Set 2
Let’s Go / Tomorrow Today / The High Road / She Said She Said / Slipping (Into Something) / Head Held High / Loveless Love / The Obedient Atom / Raised Eyebrows / Crazy Rhythms / I’m A Believer / Fa Cé-La / Everybody’s Got Something To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey) / Sedan Delivery
And hey – tangentially related, Yo La Tengo just announced that they’re doing those Hanukkah shows again this year. Traditionally, these happened at Maxwell’s but now they’re happening at the Bowery Ballroom. Will this be the year I finally fly out? Probably not, but in these crazy times, who knows?