Ruts DC 12 Bar Club London 10th February 2014

Here's an updated audio of the full set. A quick word on this recording. It is an audio rip of the streaming video footage. It's notable that the balance of the channels on the original recording is very poor, so to compensate, I did what I could to balance it out and amplified the output. It is what it is, complete, including Ruffy's bad jokes (they're not that bad if truth be known).

MP3: http://we.tl/vQeckVFGaf

Updated rear cover: http://we.tl/DsAXDo5p40

The streaming video can be seen here. There is a short interview with the band and the gig footage starts around 23 minutes in.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/43668268/highlight/467063

Fabrik Hamburg 11th February 2001

Here's a Mk III gig uploaded by request.

WAV: http://we.tl/bBJhAZwCBw

Artwork: http://we.tl/pt9YoERUER

01. Genetix
02. Skin Deep
03. Threatened
04. Coup De Grace
05. Five Minutes
06. Nice 'N' Sleazy
07. Always The Sun
08. Never To Look Back
09. Thrown Away
10. Golden Brown
11. Sinister
12. Goodbye Toulouse

01. Valley Of The Birds
02. Something Better Change
03. Who Wants The World
04. London Lady
05. Money
06. English Towns
07. Curfew
08. Tank
09. All Day And All Of The Night
10. Duchess
11. Hanging Around
12. No More Heroes

The Specials 2014

Roddy Radiation and me

Alexandra Palace 3rd November 2011

It's been a heavy couple of weeks for The Specials news-wise. Recently, guitarist Roddy Radiation announced in the Coventry Evening Telegraph that he was quitting The Specials to concentrate on his own band material (The Skabilly Rebels). His departure has long been in the offing. Cracks in the relationship between Roddy and his fellow musicians became increasingly apparent on stage on their 2011 UK tour when he appeared to be in open revolt with the rest of the band! That's not to say that a little intra-band friction is such a bad thing. On the contrary, its existence if anything enhances creativity... but the question remains what now for the Specials.....

Well this......

At the outset of the reunion gigs, some struggled coming to terms with a Specials without Jerry, then last year, Neville bailed out on the grounds of ill health. Last year, whilst the band played some great gigs without him, something was lost without the vocal contrast of Terry and Neville. And, I have no doubt that the same thing will be true now that they prepare to tour with one less original member. The absence of Roddy Radiation's playing will no doubt punch a big hole into what made The Specials.....well, special I suppose!

Nevertheless, I am drawn like a moth to a flame to the Brighton gig (always loved The Dome, the Prince Regent's stables in a former life).

Still, how much more mileage there is in The Specials is unknown. Rather they disband to pursue other projects than to lose the love and respect of their fanbase. They mean too much to me for that to happen!

Ruts DC 12 Bar Club Denmark Street London 10th February 2014

A note is required about the compilation of this gig. Firstly, it is not complete and secondly, the recording is not continuous. However, as this was something of a landmark gig for the band (an acoustic set no less) what is available should be heard is whatever way, shape or form. So, I have compiled this recording from material that has appeared on Youtube and Facebook.

With the exception of 'Dangerous Minds' which is preceded by a brief interview, the tracks appear in set list order. In addition, a couple of tracks are duplicated where I have found more than one source. Finally, as often is the case with Youtube footage, some of the tracks are cut short. I have tried to edit the tracks so as to make the transitions as easy on the listener's ears as possible.

Thanks to the original footage uploaders and to Andy Miller, a couple of whose photos I purloined for the creation of the artwork!

So over to Segs, Ruffy and Leigh.....

MP3: http://we.tl/AyE972FjCO

Artwork: http://we.tl/1XKruohuXk

I Saw Them On The Cover Of A Magazine...... Vive Le Rock! March/April 2014 Issue

Those wonderful chaps at Vive Le Rock have been good enough to feature the band as cover stars on the front of the last issue. I am lead to believe that this leads in to a 10 page feature article on the band to mark their 40 years as the nation's favourite showbiz beat combo.

Vive Le Rock is available in selected newsagents and online as well:

http://www.vivelerock.net/

Palace Gardens Paris 21st June 1991

An early Mark II European date. Short and sweet, sound not great but listenable certainly.

MP3 (as received): http://we.tl/xOgajFm0Is

01. Laughing At The Rain
02. Heaven Or Hell
03. 96 Tears
04. Brain Box
05. Uptown
06. Wet Afternoon
07. Mr Big
08. Hanging Around
09. Toiler On The Sea

20 From '83 (18) The Au Pairs Frauenklang Festival 5th February 1983?

 

Au Pairs -  Live 83 (Last Concert, could be Germany as Leslie speaks German, could be Holland; before mid-June 1983 - NME writes 06/08/83 that Leslie has taken off
"nearly two months ago". Probable venue: Thursday 03 February 1983 – Saturday 05 February 1983, Frauenklang Festival 1983, The Arena, Vienna, Austria, A Women in Rock Festival
featuring The Raincoats, Au Pairs, Malaria, Vera Kaa, Lilliput, Carambolage, Claudia Robot, The Bleeding Hurts.)

MP3 (as received): http://we.tl/TknQnisBy0

01 America
02 Set-Up
03 I Make You (?)
04 Sex Without Stress
05 This Country (?)
06 Lion Love (?)
07 Communication (?)
08 Beast Of A Machine (?)
09 Get Out Of The Way (?)
10 Fiasco
11 Land With The Seven Suns (?)
12 Obvious

From the Dave Sez archive.

Thanks to http://433rpm.blogspot.com/2010/09/au-pairs-live-1983-tape-1983.html

Hammersmith Odeon 8th February 1982

Just within the boundaries of an anniversary gig, here's one from 'La Folie' second leg.

FLAC: http://we.tl/4ZnBPWw6CW

MP3: http://we.tl/IKpPc1EdEi

Artwork: http://we.tl/N3a9OjVSe7

01. Down In The Sewer
02. Just Like Nothing On Earth
03. Second Coming
04. Non Stop
05. The Man They Love To Hate
06. Who Wants The World
07. Baroque Bordello
08. Golden Brown
09. How To Find True Love And Happiness In The Present Day
10. Duchess
11. Tank
12. Let Me Introduce You To The Family
13. Tramp
14. The Raven
15. Nuclear Device
16. Genetix

20 From '83 (17) The Newtown Neurotics John Peel Session 7th March 1983

A short one this, but very important nevertheless. The band, still going, now under the abbreviated name of the Neurotics, released the brilliant debut 'Beggars Can Be Choosers' in '83. An impassioned album which urged it's listeners to make the most of your life despite the odds and told of the frustration inherent in a newtown existence (the band hail from Harlow in Essex, a town created in 1948 to offer a new way of living for residents of the bombed out Victorian dwellings of London's East End). So offered up here are a few slices of highly intelligent political punk rock.

FLAC: http://we.tl/XcEOvuvNpq

01. Jimmy Jangle
02. Does Anyone Know Where The March Is?
03. Life In Their Hands
04. Wake Up
05. Agony

20 From '83 (16) Cardiff University 1st February 1983

31 years to the day, the Feline tour is out of the blocks and in Wales. This recording has very good sound quality in parts but is muffled in others (people in front of the microphone I am guessing).

FLAC: http://we.tl/34AkPFFJte

Artwork: http://we.tl/L2R5TPEMPG

01. Nuclear Device
02. Toiler On The Sea
03. Ships That Pass In The Night
04. Its A Small World
05. Just Like Nothing On Earth
06. No More Heroes
07. Who Wants The World
08. Never Say Goodbye
09. Baroque Bordello
10. Golden Brown

01. Princess Of The Streets
02. Midnight Summer Dream
03. European Female
04. Tramp
05. The Raven
06. Duchess
07. London Lady
08. Tank
09. Genetix