Manchester Academy 9th November 1994

 

So, here we have a recording from 1994's 'Body Search' mini tour with the 'About Time' album on the horizon, but just out of sight for now. Many thanks to Yesican for sharing this one with the site!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-HkBBm6D9Gtztx7N2

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-fuPrEGZ1LX83FwHG

Roundhay Park Leeds 10th July 1994 DVD

 

Here's another mid-90s festival set from the time when the Heineken Corporation dipped their toe into the summer music festival game. I didn't go to any of these, so I can say nothing of how well they were organised etc etc but the line ups seemed to be fair enough. So how did these work then? The Roundhay Park appearances were scheduled over three days, so who played on the same billing as The Stranglers. Up in Preston I can only dream that Oasis were providing the support for Sister Sledge!

Sorry, but again, this has been in my collection for many years and as such details of its origin are lost to me. Filmed at the edge or just outside of the tent, the picture is steady and the sound reasonable.

The DVD also includes the Bose promo appearance in 1992 when JJ and Paul presented a Bose PA to H.M.P. Dartmoor as part of their involvement in the first UK National Music Day. 

DVD Disc image: https://we.tl/t-cgPAkvN84J

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-F53XqGa9sE

Pete Shelley 70 - Buzzcocks GLR Session 13th April 1994

 

My Facebook feed informed me that yesterday would have been Pete Shelley's 70th birthday. Yesterday, I also received my copy of 'Yesterday Is Not Here: Radio Sessions 1979-1983'. A nice coincidence. I do not usually bother so much with Record Store Day. I struggle to see the relevance of a rerelease of an album for £30 just to have it on luminous vinyl. Such releases, if offering nothing new musically, seem to be of interest only from a monitary perspective... something to be held on to as an investment or to be touted on eBay at twice the price a week after RSD. That it helps independent Record outlets I would of course applaud though. This radio sessions album does however offer something new... to my ears at least and hearing Pete's Mancunian tones that has put me in a Buzzcocks mood. 

Here's a GLR (BBC Greater London Radio) session from 13th April 1994.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-iXEhaeIKcj

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-gqn2Huqm6j

These Animal Men 'Brighton Rocks' Zap Club 5th September 1994

 

Agreed, it's not Britpop, but it was close. Roughly in parallel timewise, the powers that be within the music press christened another scene 'The New Wave Of The New Wave'. This scene such as it was seemed to coalesce around two bands, 'These Animal Men' and 'S*M*A*S*H'. The two bands were okay, but for some reason, the NWOTNW did not enjoy the enduring appeal that Britpop has held for many over the past 30 years.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-e6kWSIcadV

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-250ll04aCT

Blur Aston Villa Leisure Centre 5th October 1994

 

Now, so arguably the second biggest band to be associated with Britpop, Blur. Early on I thought they were great. Certainly, 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' and 'Parklife' were great listens but I tired of them quite quickly. There were some good songs after those albums for sure, 'Song 2' is a classic, but other singles whilst OK did not live up to my expectations. 'Charmless Man' for example tried to borrow something from the Ray Davies penned 'A Well Respected Man' but not as well, whilst 'Country House', the song that went head to head with Oasis's 'Roll With It' in a race to be top of the pops had the feel of a novelty song to me.

Whatever my thoughts about Blur, I have to admire the diversity of projects that Damon has got involved with over the intervening years, Gorillaz, The Good, The Bad & The Queen etc. 

Anyway, here they are at their peak in my eyes, from a time when everyone was thinking about their 'Pork Life'. 

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-1rH8EcyEu8

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-zV8owMmns9

Supergrass BBC Radio Sessions 1994 - 1995

 

Another favourite of mine from this time were Supergrass. This was on the strength initially of hearing Steve Lamacq playing 'Caught By The Fuzz' on Radio 1 before Blur came on at their gig at Aston Villa Leisure Centre (see forthcoming post). The song was instantly catchy, but unlike some of those instantly accessible songs that I mentioned in an earlier post, I have never tired of 'Caught By The Fuzz'. 

I tried to get a ticket to see them at the next London gig they were playing, if I remember correctly it was supporting Shed Seven, but the gig was sold out so I had to wait a couple of months before they played at the London Astoria (their first headline tour). They were brilliant, playing with a vigour that can only come from youth (and try as they might most of the bands that I was into could not muster such energy!).

Supergrass went on to enjoy a good level of success and have too done the reformation thing. Take a listen to the Wingmen's rendition of 'Pumping On Your Stereo' on the recently uploaded gig from the O2 Islington, a nod of appreciation to touring keys man, Rob Coombes.

Here is a brief collction of early session tracks recorded for the BBC.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-exBeHi78m1

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-pJLieREyTP

Britpop - The Last Great British Music 'Scene'?

 

Right, please bear with me. The following posts are brought to you as a consequence of sorting through a couple of hundred old cassettes and salvaging some of what I found on them. 

For me, most of the music that I heard in the 1990's was horrible. The Stranglers sounded nothing like The Stranglers and you only have to watch one of the Friday night BBC 2 Top of the Pops episodes from that decade to realise just how formulaic and instantly forgettable chart music had become. Then there emerged a handful of bands that dismissed electronica, preferring to revert to guitar, drum and bass. This back to basics approach to music looked backwards towards the happening bands of the sixties, The Small Faces, The Kinks and The Who, not to mention The Beatles. Just as the music brought back a sixties feel, fashion followed suit too. The nostalgic resonnance of the music and fashion created an easy label for the bands that the music press lumped in to a scene... Britpop.

Other parallels with an earlier age followed. The rivallry between The Stones and The Beatles was recreated for a new generation of record buyers (make that CDs) as members of Blur and Oasis entered into regular slanging matches. Such was the media hype around this rivallry that it culminated in a race to the number one slot when Blur and Oasis released 'Country House' and 'Roll With It' respectively... neither of which represented the best of either band. The race, which Blur won, was the top item on news programmes across UK TV channels on the evening when the new chart was announced. Now even on a slow news day that seems to be a bit over the top!

I am not saying that Britpop was brilliant, but for the first time in years there was something more meaningful to hear in the UK music mainstream. And like punk before it, it has endured. The response to the reformation of Oasis was overwhelming (not to mention overstretching in terms of ticket prices) and Blur have periodically reformed and are capable of selling out large venues. Pulp and Suede too have done the reformation thing too and had a good response. 

So here then is a handful of the Britpop that I didn't mind. Then, normal service will be resumed I promise.

Stadium Bowl Gateshead 25th June 1994

 

Another find from an old drive, but don't hold your breath with this one. For one, I think it runs fast and two, there were a lot of drop outs and things going on with the tape. I have made an attempt to clean it up a bit through editing.

Maybe it's me. I stopped going to see the band before this as I couldn't really reconcile 'my Stranglers' with The Stranglers of the mid-90's. That said, fair play to them, they were going out there and playing the new material. Another problem I had at his time with the band's live performances was the extent of John Ellis's noodling that to my ears rendered guitar lines almost unrecognisable compared with the original.

Whilst The Stranglers circa 1994 sank my boat, I do whole heartedly acknowledge that without this troubled period, there would have been no Golden anniversary and for that we all have to be thankful.

I am always happy to post Mark II/Mark III gigs, I am nothing if not even handed when it comes to The Stranglers... but the truth is I don't have a wealth of those gigs. So, and I have made a request in the past, if anyone wants to share any Mark II/Mark III gigs with me and the site (preferrably in lossless format) I would be very appreciative.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-vcRDQZbN3U

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-JjTM621Wpy

01. Intro
02. Time To Die
03. Sometimes
04. She Gave It All
05. Still Life
06. North Winds
07. Always The Sun
08. Money
09. Paradise Row
10. Gain Entry To Your Soul
11. Face
12. Southern Mountains
13. Sinister
14. Duchess
15. All Day & All Of The Night
16. English Towns
17. Brainbox
18. Tank

LLandaff Rowing Club Cardiff 27th August 1994

 

'When the weather is fine you know it's the time

For messin' about on the river

If you take my advice there's nothing so nice

As messin' about on the river

There's big boats and wee boats ands all kinds of craft

Puffers and keel boats and some with no raft

With the wind in your face there's no finer place

Than messin' about on the river.'

Josh McCrae.

One more anniversary gig for now. Remember when JJ said at the 2007 Rattus At The Roundhouse gig '30 years to the day!'... from when they played there in '77. Well, 30 years has come around again, the difference being that 30 years ago was now in the mid-'90's!! Regardless, not a bad way to while away a late summer Saturday in the company of The Stranglers and Squeeze.

Anyone go to this one?

WAV: https://we.tl/t-eExsAF7uq4

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-zhV2ZogqNa

01. Intro
02. Time To Die
03. Sometimes
04. Still Life
05. Always The Sun
06. Money
07. Paradise Row
08. Gain Entry To Your Soul
09. Strange Little Girl
10. Sinister
11. Duchess
12. All Day & All Of The Night
13. English Towns
14. Brainbox
15. Tank
16. No More Heroes
17. Golden Brown
18. 96 Tears
19. Someone Like You
20. Hanging Around
21. London Lady

Shepherds Bush Empire London 12th November 1994

 

This one by request and I am very grateful to DomP for coming up with the goods, and a nice recording it is too. Having seen my arse at the Kilburn National gig in 1992 there are big gaps in the 1990's Stranglers' fossil record, so all the more thanks to those willing to fill some of the gaps!

With a preview of some of the tracks that would appear on the forthcoming 'About Time' album, here is 'Bodysearch' in West London.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-RoW1Mhh7jf

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-UDog9cDGY2

01. Intro

02. 5 Minutes

03. Sometimes

04. The Raven

05. Nice ‘N’ Sleazy

06. Money

07. Paradise Row

08. Straighten Out

09. Gain Entry To Your Soul

10. Still Life

11. Face

12. Always The Sun

13. Sinister

14. Duchess

15. All Day & All Of The Night

16. Brainbox

17. Tank

18. No More Heroes

19. Golden Brown

20. Hanging Around

21. Someone Like You

22. Down In The Sewer

23. Go Buddy Go

Killing Joke Phoenix Festival Stratford UK 17th July 1994

 

Here's a typically robust performance from Killing Joke, appearing at the short lived Phoenix Festival in Stratford. I cannot remember the music programme that featured this footage.

DVD Disc Image: https://we.tl/t-Oya5c54jUi

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-lohycHqHFb

999 Haus Der Jugend Dusseldorf 4th November 1994

I have been looking for a 999 recording from the mid '90's for some time now and thanks to a friend in Germany I now have one. So what's the thing about 999 in the mid-90's then you may ask. Well, amongst other things I had stopped following The Stranglers at that point as patience had been stretched too far. 999 were on the doorstep and filled that Stranglers-shaped hole! But it wasn't just that, 1994 saw the release of their first new material since 1985's 'Face to Face' album. The new offering 'You Us It' was a return to the rawer sound of the first '999' album and far more aligned with their live set.

At the time, the band were playing regular sets at The Swan pub in Fulham (apparently Pablo's local) and some great nights were to be had down there. This excellent recording from Dusseldorf's Haus Der Jugend features no less that five tracks from the new album.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-rIAhUxNAf0

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-CXu2zotmvk

01. Black Flowers For The Bride
02. Inside Out
03. Hit Me
04. Feeling Alright With The Crew
05. (There Is No Glory In) Mary's Story
06. Titanic Reaction
07. Crazy Crazy Crazy
08. Boys In The Gang
09. White Light
10. Lil' Red Riding Hood
11. Chicane Destination
12. Don't You Know I Need You?
13. Let's Face It
14. Biggest  Prize In Sport
15. Absolution
16. Homicide (Cut)
17. My Street Stinks
18. I'm Alive
19. English Wipeout
20. Boiler

About Time Demos Rehearsals Sessions 1994

'About Time' works in progress!

WAV: https://we.tl/FCZg6q5amo

Artwork: https://we.tl/HKM7SB6ofq

01. Lucky Finger
02. Sinister
03. When Reason Sleeps
04. Swim
05. She Gave It All (Take 1)
06. She Gave It All (Take 2)
07. Kiss The World Goodbye
08. Shattered
09. The Bed Of Nails
10. And The Boat Sails By
11. Little Blue Lies
12. Face (Take 1)
13. Face (Take 2)
14. Sinister (Basic Track)
15. Sinister (Keyboard Track)
16. Still Life
17. Cool Danny

Blur Mr. Albarn's Combo

What with Blur being hot news once again on the back of the new album, 'The Magic Whip', here's some vintage Blur primarily from the 'Parklife' era back when Brit Pop was king.

FLAC: http://we.tl/WTxwCIx6Ew

Artwork: http://we.tl/Alficgom2H

01. She's So High
02. Popscene
03. Chemical World
04. Parklife
05. To The End
06. Bank Holiday
07. Jubilee
08. Girls & Boys
09. Badhead
10. Tracy Jacks
11. For Tomorrow (Extended)
12. Parklife
13. Top Man
14. Mr. Robinson's Quango
15. Charmless Man
16. It Could Be You
17. Stereotypes
18. Country House
19. The Universal

Tracks 1 & 2 are from Blur-ti-go promo CD
Track 3 live on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, 1993
Track 4 live on Simon Mayo, Aug 1994
Track 5 live at Glastonbury Festival, 1994
Tracks 6 & 12 live on Jools Holland Hootenanny, Dec 1994
Track 7 live on Top of the Pops, Feb 1995
Track 8 live on Nulle Part Ailleurs, 29 Aug 1994
Tracks 9-11 live at National Bowl, Milton Keynes, 29 Jul 1995
Tracks 13-19 live at BBC Radio Theatre, London, 7 Sep 1995

Stiff Little Fingers In Bed With Medinner Session Broadcast 29th April 1994

Jake Burns & Bruce Foxton

Stiff Little Fingers

In Bed With Medinner

29th April 1994

Here's another session from the late night comedy and music show 'In Bed With Medinner'. This session featured the brilliant 'Harp', Jake Burns's furious riposte to racist attitudes encountered by the immigrant Irish population in the east coast cities if the U.S.

As an aside I recall Gunta pointing out that at this point Jake could have been a body double for Lovejoy's assistant Eric Catchpole!

Chris Jury a.k.a. Lovejoy's Eric Catchpole

FLAC: http://we.tl/aJPE501ZjZ

01. At The Edge

02. Harp

03. Alternative Ulster

Gary Numan In Bed With Medinner Session 1994 Broadcast 22nd April 1994

In the early to mid-90's comedian Bob Mills hosted an excellent late night sketch show that also showcased weekly a mix of new and old material from bands that saw their first taste of fame in the late '70's and early '80's (The Damned, SLF, Buzzcocks all featured).

In 1994 following the release of the return to form 'Sacrifice' album, Gary Numan started on the long haul back to critical acceptance and it was this kind of rare TV exposure that would have done much to bring Numan back to the attention of an audience who had probably last heard the name 10 years previously before his creative slide.

FLAC: http://we.tl/AXQhYhiNh9

01. Cars
02. Scar
03. Are 'Friends' Electric?

Elastica Christmas John Peel Session 17th December 1994

Here's one that can only be posted at this time of year!

A special Christmas themed Peel session from Elastica.

FLAC: http://we.tl/vnsoOXFSku

01. All For Gloria
02. I Want To Be A King Of Orient R
03. Father Christmas
04. Blue

Track 3 sounds awfully familiar, can't put my finger on it though......

John Cooper Clarke 2013/2014

The Bard of Salford rides again. A couple of years ago we had the pleasure of seeing John Cooper Clarke in Cambridge, on that occasion he played a very intimate gig at the Junction 2. This time around he is playing the larger Junction 1 next door. Looking at the dates above, it would seem that his popularity is rising again as there's some big venues in there for a poet!

Here's a recording I found in a box of tapes from 1994. It features one of my favourite JJC poems, his own Haiku.

FLAC

Robert Elms Show
BBC GLR (Greater London Radio)
July 1994

01. Interview
02. Hire Car
03. Interview
04. I Wrote The Songs
05. Haiku
06. Outro

Elvis Costello & The Attractions BBC Radio 1 Maida Vale Session 1994

 

Here's a great 5 track radio session for the Kevin Greening Show (possibly standing in for Simon Mayo at the time) recorded in the BBC's Maida Vale Studio in London on 20th April 1994 to coincide with the release of the back to form album 'Brutal Youth'.

FLAC: http://we.tl/GpcdV69Ry0

01. Interview
02. Sulky Girl
03. Interview
04. Rocking Horse Row
05. Interview
06. All The Rage
07. Interview
08. 13 Steps Lead Down
09. Radio Radio

Elastica Two Early-ish London Gigs

Here's a double gig that I have previously posted on Dimeadozen.

Forget Oasis, Blur and Pulp! Elastica were not only the best band to be lumbered with the 'Brit Pop' label, they were the best band of the '90's.

So what was it about them.....

1) They sounded like all the best bands of the late '70's
2) They looked great
3) They had a bass sound nicked from you know who (they had a song nicked from you know who!)
4) They had an attitude at a time of shoe gazers

So here's two sets that preceded the release of the 'Elastica' album. Artwork is included in the download file.

FLAC: http://we.tl/UTPlv4ROO8

ELECTRIC BALLROOM
CAMDEN, LONDON
17TH FEBRUARY 1994

1. SPASTICA
2. ROCKUNROLL
3. LINE UP
4. ANNIE
5. CONNECTION
6. IN THE CITY
7. S.O.F.T
8. STUTTER
9. WAKING UP
10. BRIGHTON ROCK
11. SEE THAT ANIMAL
12. VASELINE
13. STUTTER

ASTORIA LONDON
28TH OCTOBER 1994

1. SPASTICA
2. ROCKUNROLL
3. 2:1
4. LINE UP
5. ANNIE
6. CAR SONG
7. NEVER HERE
8. SEE THAT ANIMAL
9. STUTTER
10. WAKING UP
11. S.O.F.T
12. BLUE
13. CONNECTION
14. VASELINE