Welcome - About Live and Loud!

Live and Loud! began as a fortnightly internet radio show in 2012 taking old unreleased live concert recordings I could find and working to repair and improve them - fixing tape hiss, noise, tape drop out, clicks, speed variations, defects - before improving the sound quality by EQing the sound to bring out the instruments as clearly as possible. These are now made directly available to download for free to reach as many fans of the music as possible.

Depending on the quality of the original recording, these can often be made to sound almost like commercial recordings - but of course I can't guarantee that for every show. What I can guarantee is it will sound far better than the original files available which have been floating around the internet and on bootleg recordings for many years.

Almost all are either "soundboard" recordings (taken directly from the mixing desk used at the gig on the night) or old FM radio recordings. A few gigs, if they are of special historical importance, make an appearance even if they were recorded from the audience - these can also be made to sound better than ever.

Do your ears a favour and listen on headphones or good speakers to get most benefit - laptop speakers will always sound pretty poor by comparison.

All shows still available are listed, including a link to download the remastered show for free. If you want to support the site with a small donation, you can receive the shows as either separate MP3s or FLACs (your choice) - head over to the Rewards for Donations page and see how you can get a lot for very little!

If you want to email me, an email link is in my profile in a link in the side panel.

And finally... These are great fun to listen to but DO NOT replace original releases - support these artists and buy their music.
There is nothing you can go and buy in a regular record store here. If a gig is made available as a regular release, then it will be removed (as a couple have been already).

Friday 22 December 2017

Christmas Greetings



Another year comes to a close for Live and Loud! 
 
2017 saw 30 repaired and remastered live gig recordings and 3 repaired and remastered shows under the Live and Loud! Radio banner. We had new gigs from artists previously appearing and plenty of first time appearances which have proved popular - XTC, Bob Marley, Average White Band, The Cars, Sisters of Mercy, Sparks and so many more.
 
Stay around as there is much more to come - both new repaired and remastered live gigs as well as more remastered radio sessions.
 
For me personally its not been the easiest of years and life has changed somewhat. But I would like to thank you all for listening, downloading and sharing the links for your interest in Live and Loud!. While I do scour the internet to find shows to do, I've also had a few people who have got in touch and offered and given me shows to work on - thank you! Some of those have yet to be done I know, but I'll get through as many as possible (the "gigs to be done" list numbers in the hundreds, believe it or not). 
 
And finally to the select few who have been good enough to donate to the site - you really have helped keep this site going, so an enormous thank you to you especially. 
 
See you all in 2018 for plenty more shows! Merry Christmas!

Wednesday 20 December 2017

Show 117 - Ultravox - Live in Lyon - 22 Jan 1983



This time it’s a rare performance from Ultravox from 1983. They released their 3rd album with Midge Ure on vocals in October 1982 called Quartet, and then supported that with a world tour lasting from November until the following Spring. Brief highlights from the London dates of this tour appeared on a short live video and EP, Monument, which has since been reissued on DVD and CD - but otherwise recordings of this tour are quite scarce.

This was labeled as a radio broadcast - if it was, it sounds like they pretty much took a recording from the soundboard and broadcast that as the original was pretty unprocessed - but it would explain the missing intro to the start and the sharp fadeout at the end. Apart from the missing intro to Astradyne the recording was in pretty good condition but a bit tinny and hard on the ears. I've corrected a couple of bits where the recording was muffled and also applied a 30 band EQ to improve the bottom end (you can hear the drums and bass far more clearly now) and take off the harshness from the guitar, vocals and synths. Really pleased with how this one has turned out! A must for every Ultravox fan, without question.

You can download this new and improved recording for free here as 1 320kps MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to support the site with a very small donation and in return receive separate Ultravox-tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can do this.

This is the last show for 2017 - Merry Christmas!

Setlist
Reap The Wild Wind
When The Scream Subsides
Thin Wall
New Europeans
We Stand Alone
I Remember (Death In The Afternoon)
Visions in Blue
Mr X
Sleepwalk
The Voice
Vienna
Astradyne
All Stood Still
Passing Strangers
Mine for Life
Hymn
The Song (We Go)

Saturday 11 November 2017

Latest News - November 2017


Just to let you regular visitors know that I'm taking a short break for a few weeks. This IS only a short break though - I'll probably be back with a show or 2 before Xmas but first, I have a few things I need to get done in the studio (and a holiday to go on!).  LOADS more to come when I get back, into 2018 and beyond - radio sessions and, of course, live shows - so don't go anywhere!

I jsut want to take the opportunity to give a big thanks to those of you who share the links out and to those of you who have donated and helped with my costs - every donation has been much appreciated - hope you've been enjoying the files you get in return!

Just as a catch up on this year so far - 2017 so far has seen 32 new remasters, 17 from bands new to the Live and Loud! archive. For the record, this is what's been done in 2017 up to now - you'll find them all by clicking on the artists names on the right hand side of the page where you can download these and all the others for free!

Radio Prog 1 - Nash The Slash CBC FM August 1979
Radio Prog 2 - Kraftwerk: HR1 Frankfurt Radio Concert 25 January 1974
Radio Prog 3 - Depeche Mode: BBC Studio Session 11 June 1981
 

Show 88 - Gary Numan - Live At The Ritz Theatre New York - 26 Oct 1982
Show 89
- Jean Michel Jarre - La Defense Paris - 14 July 1990
Show 90
- Duran Duran - Live At Capitaine Video Club Paris - 8 September 1981
Show 91
- Crowded House - Live At Bottom Line New York - 22 March 1987
Show 92
- Sisters of Mercy - Live At Trojan Horse The Hague - 26 May 1984
Show 93 - Blancmange -
Live At The Paradiso Amsterdam - 9 April 1983
Show 94 - The Skids -
Live At The Odeon, Edinburgh - 7 September 1979
Show 95 - Dramatis -
Live At Paris Theatre London - May 1982
Show 96 - Fatal Charm -
Live At Paris Theatre London - 1981
Show 97 - Average White Band -
Live At Belmont Park New York - 23 July 1978
Show 98 - Yellow Magic Orchestra -
Live At Shinjuku Kouseinenkin Hall, Tokyo - 7 May 1980
Show 99 - Ultravox - Live on German TV - 1976 or 1977
Show 100 - Depeche Mode -
Live At Paris Theatre London - 10 Feb 1982
Show 101 - The Smiths - The Hacienda Manchester - 6 July 1983
Show 102 - Howard Jones -
Live At Paris Theatre London - 5 Oct 1983
Show 103 - Bob Marley -
Live At The Boarding House San Francisco - 7 July 1975
Show 104 - The Undertones -
Live At New Pop Festival Zuiderpark Rotterdam - 7 September 1980
Show 105 - The Cars -
Live At Nakano Sun Plaza Tokyo - 30 October 1980
Show 106 - Secret Affair -
Live At University of Bristol - 11 February 1980
Show 107 - Fad Gadget -
Live At Rotterdam Arena The Netherlands - 17 March 1984
Show 108 - Sparks -
Live At Record Plant Hollywood - September 1974
Show 109 - Talking Heads -
Live At The Paradiso Amsterdam - 14 January 1978
Show 110 - OMD - Live In Toronto - 24 April 1981
Show 111 - Men Without Hats - Live At Club Casino, Hampton Beach NH - 7 Aug 1983
Show 112 - Gary Numan - Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London - 1 October 1985
Show 113 - DAF - Live In Germany - 9 May 1981
Show 114 - Kraftwerk - Live at Paradiso Amsterdam - 11 September 1976
Show 115 - XTC - Live at Liverpool Erics - 13 August 1977
Show 116 - The Icicle Works - Live at Shellys Club Stoke - 1985

Wednesday 1 November 2017

Show 116 - The Icicle Works - Live at Shellys Club Stoke - 1985


A debut on Live and Loud! for The Icicle Works, with a show from an unknown date in 1985. 2020 EDIT - thanks to a listener posting below, looks very much like this date is 22 July 1985.

This was a flat and slightly tinny sounding recording of an FM broadcast from 8 October of a gig played sometime before then but certainly sometime that year as it features songs from not only their first album but the second album too - which was released in September 1985.

I used a wee bit of noise reduction but mainly EQ to improve the bottom end, make the drums and bass more audible, and get some clarity between the instruments and vocals.

You can download this new and improved recording for free here as 1 320kbps MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate properly tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Hollow Horse
In The Cauldron Of Love
Who Do You Want For Your Love?
(Let's Go) Down to The River
When It All Comes Down
All The Daughters (Of Her Father's House)
Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)

Saturday 14 October 2017

Show 115 - XTC - Live at Liverpool Erics - 13 August 1977


A debut on Live and Loud! for XTC - but surely not the last time they will appear (I now have a few of their gigs on my "to be done" list).

A very early gig this one - this was a soundboard recording from a gig played a couple of months before the release of their debut EP! It seems the source I received was worked on by someone at some stage, as, as so often happens, the loudness was off the scale almost and very unnatural, making it tiring to listen to. And quite toppy, with a shallow 2 dimensional aural range. So, I used EQ to not only improve the bottom end and clarity between the instruments but make it less tiring on the ears. Several hours of work later and it's a great show; the band are full of energy and it's a great - if short! - set.

You can download this new and improved recording for free here as 1 320kbps MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate properly tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Radios In Motion
Cross Wires
Let's Have Fun
Fireball XL5
Science Friction
I'm Bugged
New Town Animal
Hang On To The Night
All Along The Watchtower
She's So Square

Friday 29 September 2017

Show 114 - Kraftwerk - Live at Paradiso Amsterdam - 11 September 1976



This is an historic gig from Kraftwerk from 1976. Historic because it featured the first appearance of Trans Europa Express, live on stage.

This tape is an audience recording and was a wonderful (if incomplete) record of the gig. However, it did have a few odd glitches, tape noise and sudden changes in the sound levels to be repaired. Audience recordings don't generally respond as well as FM or soundboard recordings to EQ but once all the above were sorted out, a few hours spent on EQ did help improve the clarity of the music being played and increase the lower end frequencies a bit (often lost on audience recordings).

Sadly the recording fades out during the latter half of Autobahn (but you still get about 17 minutes worth, including much cool jamming). Also featured is an early version of Europe Endless (I guess they never did a Dutch translation of Europa Endlos either!), so the gig is well worth your time - a classic gig from a period before the ready availability of computers; you can really hear it all being played on stage.

You can download the recording here as 1 320kbps MP3 file entirely for free.

On the other hand, if you would like to have separate properly tagged MP3s or lossless FLAC files, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards internet and hosting costs.

The setlist for this recording is shown slightly differently on several sources around the web - after a fair bit of research I believe the setlist below is the definitive one.

Setlist
Intro
Tuning of Instruments
Europe Endless
Goethe's Poem
Kometenmelodie 1
Kometenmelodie 2
Radioactivity
Airwaves
Voice of Energy
Radio Stars
Die Sonne, Der Monde, Die Sterne
Ohm Sweet Ohm
Trans Europe Express
Tongebirge
Autobahn

Incidentally, since I started work on this recording, I've made contact with 1 of the guys responsible for getting this old TDK D90 cassette recording into the digital world some years ago - so a big thanks to Twingo and Jerome  - without them, this concert would be consigned to history. Please do check out http://twingokraftwerk.com for more info on this Kraftwerk live recording as well as many others!

Sunday 24 September 2017

Show 113 - DAF - Live In Germany - 9 May 1981


A debut on Live and Loud! for D.A.F - Deutsch Americanische Freundschaft. This was originally an FM broadcast of excerpts from a show (guessing from a German radio station) and another where someone had "restored" it at some stage and just turned everything up to 11... In fact, some parts of the recording had more bass, louder or with more high end than other parts at different times, so it was a bit of a job to try and get everything sounding better and clearer AND more consistent...but there aren't many good recordings of DAF available so I think this has been worth the work!

A good show in support of their then recently released 3rd album, Alles Ist Gut. Incidentally the track Fass Micht Nicht An later made an appearance on the album Gold und Liebe as Verschwende Deine Jugend.

You can download the recording for free here as 1 320kbps MP3 file entirely for free.

On the other hand, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Sato, Sato
Der Mussolini
Verlier Nicht Den Kopf
Mein Herz Macht Bum
Coco Pino
Fass Micht Nicht An
Ich Und Die Wirklichkeit
Der Raüber Und Der Prinz
Als Wär's Das Letzte Mal
Alles Ist Gut

Sunday 17 September 2017

Show 112 - Gary Numan - Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London - 1 October 1985

A quick request. If you plan on downloading this and putting it on your YouTube channel or your own bootleg page - I don't mind. But a credit to this website where you found it and a link back to this page would be really appreciated. It helps me gauge which artists are popular - ie more chance of other restorations coming. Don't just steal it, cut out the intro and outro and take the credit. Thanks.

The Show
This one is taken from 1 of my old cassettes - bought in Camden Market quite probably not long after the tour in 1985. Its a fairly decent audience recording - no hollering or chatting from anyone nearby so you can just concentrate on the music! 

What Was Done

After transferring it, I applied some gentle noise reduction and then 30 band EQ to remove some mid range mud and enhance the bass frequencies a bit (you can hear the kick drum now). I also processed and widened the sound a bit and its now a very listenable show - good quality recordings of this tour are not easy to find so I hope you enjoy this one!

The All Important Download Link

You can now download or stream this repaired, restored and remastered version of this show as one 320kbps MP3 file exclusively for FREE by clicking right HERE.

Setlist
Intro (No Shelter)
Tricks
Me, I Disconnect From You
Creatures
Metal
Berserker
Are "Friends" Electric?
Miracles
Down In The Park
Cold Warning
I Die:You Die
Sister Surprise
This Disease
We Take Mystery
Call Out The Dogs
Cars
My Shadow In Vain
We Are Glass
 

Supporting The Site

If you want to support the work I do on these recordings, and the site, and (if you wish to) obtain separate, fully tagged 320kbps MP3s of this restoration for less than the price of a coffee in return, lossless FLACs or even a lossless copy on CDR, head on over to the Rewards For Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs. There is no obligation to do so of course - you can take the file on this page absolutely for free - but every single donation does go towards this site and domain/storage costs, and helps the site stay open, and helps me do more shows. Either way, enjoy the show.

Subscribe And Share

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE NEWSLETTER so you never miss news on which new gigs are going to be restored and uploaded here; any news will be delivered to your inbox.
And if you like this recording, please spread the news and share the page link to anyone you think might be interested - Facebook fan groups, web forums, Mastodon, Twitter, Instagram are a great way of spreading the word - that way, I always find out which bands are popular and can do more shows by them in the future. So please tell ya mates about the site and this page! Many thanks.  


And last but not least - Full credit to Mark Rice for taking the original photo used for the above "cover" for this gig (I originally found it online - without a credit - while googling Fury tour photos). Thanks for permission to use it!

Tuesday 12 September 2017

Show 111 - Men Without Hats - Live At Club Casino, Hampton Beach NH - 7 Aug 1983


A debut on Live and Loud! for Canadian band, Men Without Hats.

This was a short FM broadcast recorded for the BBC Rock Hour in the USA and only features 6 songs. It was quite a muffled, low fi recording but some judicious use of my 30 band EQ has cleaned it up a lot and its very listenable, even if some of the singing and playing on the night was a bit...wayward! The set contains songs from their first album Rhythm of Youth and also a couple which would later turn up on their second - Folk of the 80s (Part III) - released in 1984.

You can download it for free here as 1 MP3 file.

On the other hand, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Ideas For Walls
Where Do The Boys Go?
Safety Dance
Mother's Opinion
Security
Modern Dancing

Wednesday 6 September 2017

Show 110 - OMD - Live In Toronto - 24 April 1981

A quick request. If you plan on downloading this and putting it on your YouTube channel or your own bootleg page - I don't mind. But a credit to this website where you found it, and a link back to this page would be really appreciated. It helps me gauge which artists are popular - ie more chance of other restorations coming. Don't just steal it and take the credit (you know who you are). Thanks.


Another show from OMD, this time from their tour of North America and Canada in early 1981 - this makes an interesting contrast to the gig from Germany just 4 months earlier (you can grab that here).

This was an FM recording which wasn't in the best shape. A few of the edits between songs are quite severe (not much I can do there) but more seriously there were quite a few tape dropouts - these have been repaired/reduced and most are gone altogether. And whoever recorded it had problems with some of the synth bass overloading and distorting occasionally, so I ended up using different EQ settings on 1 or 2 songs while I was improving the sound quality so I didn't make things worse! It came together pretty well in the end. It's a great show; the band are full of energy and despite the odd few bum notes that appear, it's a great gig (or at least, excerpts from a gig!).

You can download it for free here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

And finally... don't forget to SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW FREE NEWSLETTER so you never miss news on which new gigs are going to be restored and uploaded here; any news will be delivered to your inbox and I guarantee you no spam - and of course you unsubscribe at any time.


Setlist
Stanlow
Pretending To See The Future
Messages
Almost
She's Leaving
Mystereality
Motion and Heart
Promise
The Misunderstanding
Electricity
Bunker Soldiers
Julia's Song
Waiting For The Man
Enola Gay

Friday 25 August 2017

Show 76: Crowded House - Live at The Albani Club Winterthur Switzerland - 28 October 1991


Its another debut on on Live and Loud! this time - for Crowded House, a band requested by 1 of my listeners.

I originally found a gig from 1986 - a really interesting listen as its from so early in their band history. I couldn't do anything with that one to repair it unfortunately as the recording levels were slightly too high - which means distortion appears throughout. Not lots of it - the gig is still listenable, especially if you're a fan of the band; but distortion is the one thing I can't remove - once its there, its there. And I like Live and Loud! gigs to be as blemish free as possible, once I've finished with them! So I went in search of another and found this gig from 1991.

Tim Finn, Neil’s brother of course, joined Crowded House for the recording of Woodface, their 3rd album, and initially for the tour in 1991 which followed. At some point they realised they had contrasting styles and were probably better not continuing together, so before they fell out, they agreed he would leave the tour during the UK leg in early November, just before the band were due to go on stage in Scotland. The recording we have here was taken a few days before that, so is one of the last gigs with Tim Finn featuring in the lineup.

This was originally a good clear stereo recording (if a little flat), I guess from Swiss FM radio - but with some sensitive EQing and gentle remastering, its really brought the recording back to life and sounds really great.

The show is now available for free download HERE  as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Tall Trees
Something So Strong
Weather With You
Into Temptation
There Goes God
World Where You Live
It's Only Natural
All I Ask
Don't Dream It's Over
Mean to Me
When You Come
Chocolate Cake
Fall at Your Feet
The Same Language As Me
Sister Madly
How'm I Gonna Sleep
I See Red
The Weeping Song
Better Be Home Soon
Throw Your Arms Around Me
Four Seasons in One Day


Congratulations on reading this far in the blog - if you have, you will now be rewarded! Remember that 1986 recording I said I couldn't use for this series? Well, you can still have it for absolutely free - unremastered, just as I found it in a hidden corner of the internet, right HERE. Its worth it just for the banter on stage. For a setlist check out the excellent (but not always 100% accurate) Setlist FM website if you want to go looking for it. You don't want to go looking for it? Ok then - the page is right here... ;-) Enjoy this as a little extra bonus.

Show 109 - Talking Heads - The Paradiso Amsterdam - 14 January 1978


A first appearance on Live and Loud! for Talking Heads. This is an exciting show taken from a Dutch FM radio broadcast featuring mainly tracks from their first album but also their first single, a track 1 from their 2nd album and 1 track - Let's Work (later known as A Clean Break) - which only ever appeared on a live album. Not quite a full set but then few FM recordings are. Supporting Talking Heads that night was British band XTC as you can see from the flyer below.

The recording was in good condition and responded well 30 band EQ to bring clarity to the instruments and reinforce the bottom end a bit, and a bit of final mastering to finish off. What you have now is a great stereo recording of Talking Heads in between their 1st and 2nd albums.

You can download it for free here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Love -> Building On Fire
Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town
Don't Worry About The Government
Take Me To The River
The Book I Read
New Feeling
Let's Work (A Clean Break)
Who Is It?
Psycho Killer





Friday 4 August 2017

Show 108 - Sparks - Live at The Record Plant Hollywood - September 1974



A first showing for Sparks on Live and Loud! and hopefully not the last. A great set from a publicity appearance at The Record Plant in front of a select audience - the first of two sets I think.

The original recording was also available once as a bootleg entitled One and a Half-Nelson and was basically clean, if a bit thin and rather hissy. So I cleaned up the hiss - leaving a little in, to avoid that suffocating "everything sounds underwater" quality so many recordings have get when hiss has been removed badly. After that, it was out with a 30 band graphic EQ to tighten up the bass and drums and take away a bit of harshness which was noticeable on the vocals and Ron's piano, and to reshape the sound a bit to make it clearer.

Fairly subtle changes which will really be heard if you listen on good 'phones or speakers. If you've never heard the original bootleg, well you're in for a treat! A short set but with plenty of chatting from Russell in between songs. All in all, its a great record of Sparks not long after they hit the bigtime in 1974. Mainly songs from Kimono My House but two tracks also from Propaganda (which was released a month or 2 later) make an appearance too.

The show is available to download here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Hasta Manana Monsieur    
Something For The Girl With Everything    
Talent Is An Asset    
Thanks God It’s Not Christmas    
B.C.    
Here In Heaven    
This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us    
Amateur Hour

Friday 28 July 2017

Show 107 - Fad Gadget - Rotterdam Arena The Netherlands - 17 March 1984



A long overdue debut on Live and Loud! for one of the true originals in synthpop from the late 70s and early 80s - Fad Gadget.

This is a show from The Netherlands from soon after the release of his 4th album, Gag. I imagine this must have been broadcast on Dutch FM radio at some point. Unfortunately the copy of the broadcast I was able to find had already been "worked on" by someone... When I loaded this show in my editor, the waveform was max'ed out completely - brickwall limiter clumsily applied, I guess. So it sounded hard on the ears and tiring to listen to - everything was LOUD (I know this site is called Live and Loud! but really, this was too much).

So I set to work with the EQ to see if I could fix it - the worst of those excesses are now gone, it sounds far more rounded a recording and easier to listen to. With the added bonus of making the instruments easier to hear, tightening up and reducing the bass a bit, levelling off the top end and...all the usual stuff I do!

The show is available to download here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
State Of The Nation
Coitus Interruptus
Ideal World
Collapsing New People
The Ring
Ad Nauseum
Lemmings on Lovers Rock
For Whom The Bells Toll
Ricky's Hand
Back To Nature
Fireside Favourite

Friday 21 July 2017

Show 106 - Secret Affair - University of Bristol - 11 February 1980


This is in response to a request from a Live and Loud! listener - always happy to take requests (even though this did take a year to sort out! Sorry about that) It's mod revival band Secret Affair in a 1980 set originally from an FM broadcast. Most of the material comes from their debut album, Glory Boys, released just a couple of months earlier, but also a version of When The Show's Over, which would appear on the 2nd album later that year, Behind Closed Doors.

This was generally a fairly clean recording in good condition so not much repair work this time. Careful use of a 30 band EQ was applied to bring the instruments and voices into focus and open up the spaces in between and I finished off with some mastering tools to bring everything into focus a bit and make it sound punchy.

The finished result is a powerful, clear stereo recording which really does sound good. The show is available to download here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Glory Boys
Shake and Shout
Road Runner
Going to a Go-Go
When the Show's Over
Don't Look Down
New Dance
Let Your Heart Dance
One Way World
Time For Action
I'm Not Free (But I'm Cheap)

Tuesday 18 July 2017

Show 105 - The Cars - Nakano Sun Plaza Tokyo - 30 October 1980


This week its The Cars in a 1980 set from Japan captured on FM radio once upon a time, from their Panorama tour - featuring plenty of tunes from their first 2 albums as well, of course.

This was generally a fairly clean but flat and crowded-sounding recording. 30 band EQ was applied to bring the instruments and voices into focus and open up the spaces in between. A couple of defects were fixed but that and the EQ was all that was required really.

The finished result is a powerful, clear stereo recording which really does sound good. The show is available to download here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Misfit Kid
My Best Friend's Girl
Moving In Stereo
Just What I Needed
Gimme Some Slack
Candy-O
Good Times Roll
Bye Bye Love
You're All I've Got Tonight
Panorama
Don't Tell Me No
Double Life
Getting Through

Wednesday 28 June 2017

Show 104 - The Undertones - New Pop Festival Zuiderpark Rotterdam - 7 September 1980


This week its The Undertones in a short but excellent set from a festival in the Netherlands. Originally an FM radio broadcast, they cram 7 songs into their short set lasting about 18 minutes - but its a great 18 minutes. Kicking off with a couple of singles from their latest album, Hypnotised, you then get 2 earlier singles, a  couple of covers and finishing off with Teenage Kicks.

As usual a defect or 2 were cleaned up and then 30 band EQ applied to what was originally a flat sounding recording. After that, a sprinkling of studio toys to bring things to life a little more - now the guitars ring and you can actually hear the drums!

2020 update: While preparing this old show as separate files for a donator to the site, I found I could now improve the sound quality further, over what I’d originally done to the recording several years ago. You can now download this new version (as of 2020) HERE as 1 new 320kbps MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Wednesday Week
My Perfect Cousin
Get Over You
Here Comes The Summer
Get It On
Rock and Roll
Teenage Kicks

And be sure to check out the longer 1980 show already on Live and Loud! that was done a few years ago here

Sunday 18 June 2017

Show 103 - Bob Marley - The Boarding House San Francisco - 7 July 1975





This week, its rather hot in the UK so a good time for some Bob Marley!  This was a show originally from FM radio in the USA. The source I was working on had already had the intro taken off and was at the wrong speed slightly - I then came across a slightly better quality recording with the intro on it with speed correction done and reduced hum. So I started again, using that one.

There were a couple of flaws in the recording which I've tidied up as best I could, then removed the original radio announcer who talks over the start. Then it was out with the EQ to bring out the instruments and voices more clearly as per usual. Some of the tracks have low level distorted bass on them - normally I scrap anything with distortion but it doesn't affect every track and the rest of the gig is such a great performance it would be a shame to not let it out there.

Despite that the finished result is a nice, clear stereo recording which sounds great overall now. Especially on a hot sunny day! The show is available to download here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Trenchtown Rock
Burnin' and Lootin'
Midnight Ravers
Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)
Rebel Music
No Woman, No Cry
Kinky Reggae 
Stir It Up
Lively Up Yourself
Get Up, Stand Up

Sunday 28 May 2017

Show 102 - Howard Jones - Paris Theatre London - 5 Oct 1983


***2021 UPDATE

This show is now offline. I have been asked to remove it as there is a chance of the recording being made available on a future release. As per the site ethos - nothing stays here if its released, or if I'm asked to remove it pending a release. So if you're interested in this show, please keep an eye out on HJ's official news groups and pages for when this might become available. This page is now here for information only.

FURTHER UPDATE - SEPT 2021
Information on the boxed set this recording has been included in is HERE
***


Some time back I was asked if I could find an early Howard Jones recording - it took a while but I finally found some and this was the earliest. Someone had already worked on this and to be honest it sounded pretty bad - far too loud, noise pushed up too and the sound balance was lopsided! So I spent some time fixing the sound balance, removing some noise and then EQing to remove the worst of the OTT bass that had been added and tidy up the rest.

Interesting to hear Howard introduce What Is Love? as just "Love" first of all, before correcting himself - that was its original title (you can hear a very early version of the song if you read on to the bottom of the page!).

Anyway, the gig does sound nice and clear now, just a shame its a little short!

Update 2019
While preparing this old show as separate files for a donator to the site, I found I could now improve the sound quality further, over what I’d originally done to the recording several years ago. You can now download this new version (as of 2019) HERE as 1 new 320kbps MP3 file.


If you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format of the new version, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
New Song
Conditioning
Dreams Of A Better Place ((early version of Dream Into Action)
What Is Love?
Equality

And for those of you who have read to the end of this page - there's an extra freebie for you as a reward! ;-)

I came across what was labeled as some early Howard Jones demos, including a very early version of What is Love? The file says 1977 - can't tell you whether that's accurate or not - and a couple of people below refuse to believe its even HJ at all - but I thought it would be a nice little extra to throw in as this gig is quite short and you can make your own minds up. Please note, I've not done anything with the sound on these, they are "as is" so a bit noisy and old sounding!

You can download the zip file containing 5 tracks here.

Thursday 11 May 2017

Show 101 - The Smiths - The Hacienda Manchester - 6 July 1983


A quick request. If you plan on downloading this and putting it on your YouTube channel or your own bootleg page - I don't mind. But a credit to this website where you found it, and a link back to this page would be really appreciated. It helps me gauge which artists are popular - ie more chance of other restorations coming. Don't just steal it, cut out the intro and outro and take the credit. Thanks.

 

***2023 UPDATE***

This show has now been re-restored from scratch, and improved massively, I think. Noise reduction done, removed clicks and pops, then got to work with EQ and other studio toys to improve the sound - I haven't done a pseudo stereo effect this time, just widened the sound image somewhat after doing everything else before final mastering. 

There is still some of that digital distortion on I Don´t Owe You Anything but the new version is clearer and more of an accurate record of them live in concert at the time, I think. Download it from the link below and let me know what you think!

The new version of this show is available to download HERE as 1 MP3 file.

---------------------------------------------------------

The first time I've done a gig by The Smiths. This is from around the time they signed their record deal with Rough Trade, shortly after the release of their first single, Hand In Glove. This was a mono soundboard recording of their 2nd appearance at The Hacienda, with a lot of boomy mid range which was ok played quietly but got wearing on the ears after a while if the volume was up. So a good candidate for a cleanup!

I've done a "pseudo stereo" effect with it, then rebalanced the sound to keep it sounding more natural. Then, I removed hiss and some digital crackles and pops before EQ'ing it to remove that mid range boom, tighten up the bass end a bit and improve the clarity.

Unfortunately most of I Don´t Owe You Anything is marred (no pun intended) by some low level digital distortion - I guess that was generated when it was transferred from tape or vinyl to digital format. Its not unlistenable but just to make you aware its there - I was able to remove a bit but not most of it.


Despite that the finished result is a nice, clear recording which sounds great overall now. 

Setlist
Handsome Devil
Reel Around The Fountain
What Difference Does It Make?
Wonderful Woman
These Things Take Time
I Don´t Owe You Anything
Hand In Glove
Miserable Lie
Accept Yourself

 

Supporting The Site

If you want to support the work I do, and this site, and obtain separate, fully tagged 320kbps MP3s of this restoration for less than the price of a coffee in return, or even lossless FLACs, head on over to the Rewards For Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs. There is no obligation to do so of course - you can take the file on this page absolutely for free - but every single donation does go towards this site and domain/storage costs, and helps the site stay open, and helps me do more shows. Either way, enjoy the show.

Subscribe And Share

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW FREE NEWSLETTER so you never miss news on which new gigs are going to be restored and uploaded here; any news will be delivered to your inbox.

And if you like this recording, please spread the news and share the page link to anyone you think might be interested - facebook fan groups, web forums, Mastodon, Twitter, Instagram are a great way of spreading the word - that way, I always find out which bands are popular and can do more shows by them in the future. Many thanks.

 

Thursday 27 April 2017

Show 100 - Depeche Mode - Paris Theatre London - 10 Feb 1982


Live and Loud! started in 2012 with a show by Depeche Mode, so it seems fitting that the 100th live show remaster is also by Depeche Mode! This time, a show recorded for the BBC back in early 1982 and the 3rd show I've done lately that was originally recorded for the Live In Concert series at the Paris Theatre (Dramatis and Fatal Charm being the others).

Like those, this is about half an hour long and comes from a point when Alan Wilder had just joined the band after Vince Clarke left. Featuring a mix of tracks from Speak and Spell, b-sides and 2 new tracks, See You and The Meaning of Love, this recording has had some noise removed, a couple of defects fixed and then EQ applied to make it sound nice and clear and bring out the bottom end a bit so the kick drum actually kicks a bit.

The show is available to download here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Shout
I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead
Puppets
New Life
See You
Now, This Is Fun
Boys Say Go
The Meaning Of Love
What's Your Name?

Saturday 22 April 2017

Show 99 - Ultravox - Live on German TV - 1976 or 1977

***DOWNLOAD REMOVED 2021...

The show has been downloaded over 1500 times since 2017 when I first did this, but another version of this gig is being made available commercially in March 2021 so this one needs to go. 

The videos are being drip fed on YouTube by the Ultravox channel (as of now, in February 2021), with excellent quality video and sound. The audio I think is being made available on streaming and download services.

Since this page was written in 2017, the gig has now been confirmed as "Live At The Rainbow" from 1977 - a support set to Eddie and the Hot Rods in early 1977, which was filmed (at least these 7 songs were filmed). So go and seek that one out. To avoid any copyright trouble, my version which was restored mono, has now been taken down.***


This time we feature Ultravox with the soundtrack to an extremely rare performance on German TV.

It's unusual because there’s almost no information about where it was recorded! It's generally only seen as a video or series of videos labeled “Rockpop 1976” - Rockpop was the name of a music programme on German TV but didn’t start until 1978! The setlist however, features only tracks from their 1st album (released in February 1977 along with 1 track Modern Love, which appeared as a free single with limited copies of their 2nd album Ha!Ha!Ha!, released in September 1977. The other 3 tracks are to this day, unreleased and not available anywhere else - so perhaps it's more likely that the recording dates from some time in 1977 (indeed, a couple of people have since suggested this is the case, 1 claim is that it was actually recorded in the UK in early 1977 and broadcast on German TV later - can't find a source for this to confirm and no further details forthcoming at the moment).

In any case, the recording is prized due to featuring those rare tracks. While it is quite short, remember this was originally from a VHS recording of a muddy sounding TV broadcast so I spent a lot of time on this - removing tiny gaps or breaks in the sound, before rebalancing the audio and EQing everything to bring out as much as possible. So vocals, drums, guitar and bass are all far clearer and separately identifiable - you can even hear Billy Currie's keyboards a bit more often now.

Setlist
Came Back Here to Meet You
Modern Love
Slip Away
TV Orphan
I Won’t Play Your Game
Wide Boys
Sat'day Night in the City of the Dead

Friday 14 April 2017

Show 98 - Yellow Magic Orchestra - Shinjuku Kouseinenkin Hall, Tokyo - 7 May 1980



A first appearance on Live and Loud! for Yellow Magic Orchestra. This was a very flat and lifeless sounding recording of 2 separate broadcasts from Japanese radio from 1980, where the radio station played this gig in 2 halves (1 week apart), interspersed with quite a lot of talking and adverts for "Fuji Cassetto!" in between tracks (the show was sponsored by Fuji).

I could have left all that in - but sometimes the monologues went on for several minutes and unless you understand Japanese it wouldn't necessarily hold your interest for very long! So I decided to remove all that and edit the show as 1 continuous live recording. It took quite a few hours to do but was worth it, I think. After that, I reduced the tape hiss and then some judicious use of the 30 band EQ has improved the sound quality a lot.

The sound quality is really good now, although the first track or 2 still does sound a little flat, compared to the rest. The show is available for free download here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Behind The Mask
La Femme Chinoise
Rydeen
Radio Junk
Nice Age
Solid State Survivor
Day Tripper
Firecracker
Cosmic Surfin'
Technopolis
The End Of Asia
Citizens Of Science
1000 Knives
Tong Poo
The Core Of Eden

If you're on Facebook, why not keep uptodate with news on what shows are coming up and other information by searching for "Live and Loud Shows" on there and joining the group or page?

Friday 7 April 2017

Show 97 - Average White Band - Belmont Park New York - 23 July 1978



Definitely a show to wear your funky trousers to, this one! The recording I had to work on was a pre-FM recording, originally for later broadcast by 2 stations in the USA. As such, its nicely mixed and clean, if rather flat - and unfortunately the sound rather favoured 1 side more than the other on the copy I had. So I fixed that by remixing the stereo image a little to balance it up and then applied a 30 band EQ to remove that flat feel and inject some life and space into the instruments.

It's a superb stereo recording which really doesn't sound nearly 40 years old. This is a great record of a great live band in total control of their instruments and having a ball on stage, and is well worth downloading.

The show is available for download here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Love Your Life
Same Feeling, Different Song
A Love Of Your Own
McEwan's Export
Your Love Is A Miracle
She's A Dream
If I Ever Lose This Heaven
Pick Up The Pieces

Friday 31 March 2017

Show 96 - Fatal Charm - Paris Theatre London - 1981


A quick request. If you plan on downloading this and putting it on your YouTube channel or your own bootleg page - I don't mind. But a credit to this website where you found it, and a link back to this page would be really appreciated. It helps me gauge which artists are popular - ie more chance of other restorations coming. Don't just steal it and take the credit. Thanks.

 

Fatal Charm were formed in 1978 in Nottingham and made a name for themselves in support slots for both OMD and Ultravox in 1980. They continued to write and record in various lineups through the 1980s.

I was lent a cassette with this recording on it, along with the 2 tracks from the flexi disc they used to give out at gigs. Those 2 tracks are included on the compilation album "Plastic", which can still be bought from the shop on the band's website, so I've taken them off the recording here. What you have left is this rather short recording from an FM broadcast of excerpts from their 1981 live set recorded at the BBC's Paris Theatre, in Lower Regent Street, London.

Anyway, the recording was good quality and hadn't really degraded with age, so no major repairs were needed other than some noise reduction and volume balancing. Then it was out with the trusty 30 band EQ to improve clarity and space between the instruments and improve the bottom end somewhat of what was a rather flat recording; hopefully its a far clearer mix now than it ever was.

The show is available for free download here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

And finally... don't forget to SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW FREE NEWSLETTER so you never miss news on which new gigs are going to be restored and uploaded here; any news will be delivered to your inbox and I guarantee you no spam - and of course you unsubscribe at any time.


Setlist
Western Laughter
Le Boulevard
Christine
Dark Eyes
The Dark
Paris

Special thanks to Dave Barker (Fatal Charm's keyboard player) for clarifying one of the song titles (and the positive feedback!).

Thursday 30 March 2017

Paper Toys - The High Touch


 


A bit of a one off for me this one. Many many years ago (1988) I played in a band and at our first gig, the support was a duo called Paper Toys. We've known them on and off ever since. They went through other incarnations and several personnel changes, including being known as Desire and Eden's Rage, before splitting up in the mid 1990s.

In 1988 they went from supporting my band to supporting Gary Numan on his UK tour that year. This tape is a recording of that tour, recorded at The Astoria, London, 12 October 1988.

The lineup at that time featured founder members Joe Quinton on guitar and lead vocal, Paul Nichols on bass and vocals, with Jenny Startin on keyboards and also Ultravox drummer Warren Cann who came on to play guitar on their last song.

Originally released officially by the band at the time, I was approached by Paul and asked if I could tidy it up a bit.  So with a fair bit of 30 band EQing and a bit of noise reduction, and a little editing here and there, here's the result.

With the band's permission, it now exists for download as 1 MP3 here.

Side 1
Too Much Of A High Touch
Love Off The Rebound
When There's Two Of You
Someone Like Myself
Roman*

Side 2
Cold Surrender
Truth Unblessed
Feeling Good Now
Love In Me
When There's Two Of You (Double Mix)**

*4 track demo
**Mix produced by Warren Cann














Thursday 16 March 2017

Show 95 - Dramatis - Paris Theatre London - May 1982

***2022 UPDATE***
Cherry Red Records have remastered and rereleased all of Dramatis' recorded output from back in the day, including this live recording and including it all on a 2CD digipak. That's been released as of 22 April 2022, so my restoration has been taken down, after being downloaded for free 1587 times.

This page is now left here for reference. For Future Reference, you might say... Now go and buy the reissue!
***UPDATE ENDS***


Dramatis were Russell Bell, Chris Payne, Ced Sharpley and Denis Haines - all members of Gary Numan's backing band from 1979-1981 and during 1981/2 were signed to Elton John's Rocket Records label, releasing 7 singles and an album.

This is a remaster of an FM broadcast of excerpts from their live set from 1982 recorded at the BBC's Paris Theatre, in Lower Regent Street, London - they were a 3 piece at this point, with Haines having left after the album was released. I had a copy of this recording, taped off the radio back in the day which disappeared over the years. Many years later, I was able to replace it with an mp3 copy which really wasn't very good - very muffled and dull sounding but at the time I couldn't find better.

I recently had a request to remaster this gig and upload it to Live and Loud! and I wanted to do better than resurrect my mp3 copy - someone must surely have a better source! So I asked around. Another copy was forthcoming which was much clearer but had a lot of hiss on it (unremovable amounts of it, in fact, as it turned out). But then! Someone got in touch who had a copy on cassette recorded at the time - and that was better still. Result!

So after collecting it, I transferred it to a lossless audio file and got to work. It was a typical radio mix from the time - very flat, dry and sparse sounding. I removed the small amounts of tape hiss and spent much time putting it through a 30 band EQ to enhance the bass, drums and guitar and create space between the instruments (as per usual). I'm pleased to say it sounds much more punchy and clear now, with everything rather more "live".

The one album released, For Future Reference is worth tracking down - its been released on budget re-releases a couple of times since 1981 credited to Gary Numan/Tubeway Army as "The Dramatis Project" among other names which does a big disservice to 4 great musicians, frankly. In more recent times, there were plans for Dramatis to reform and get their back catalogue re-released but drummer Ced Sharpley sadly passed away a few years ago and it seems enthusiasm from the remaining members to continue has dissipated since. Which is a shame.

So that leaves this - as sometimes happened with the BBC recordings, it wasn't an especially good sound mix but hopefully with what I've done its far more listenable now than it ever was.


Setlist
Sand And Stone
I Only Find Rewind
Face On The Wall
I Can See Her Now
Turn
Love Needs No Disguise
Pomp And Stompandstamp
The Shame

Friday 10 March 2017

Show 94 - The Skids - The Odeon, Edinburgh - 7 September 1979


There seem to be very few recordings available for Skids and most of those are audience recordings. However, I did find online a good stereo recording of a full gig from 1979 a month before the first release of Days In Europa.

However, the copy online is damaged - the cassette it was stored on had deteriorated to the point that at several points the sound drops in places. So this one currently takes the prize for longest time spent restoring and repairing! I spent several hours going through and trying to restore what I could - some parts I could fix completely, some only partially fixed - ultimately there are still faults here and there but they're far less than before.

After that, I used the 30 band EQ to enhance the bass, drums and guitar and create space between the instruments as per usual. The keyboards are still a bit too loud in the mix (not much I could do about those) but this is a great gig and well worth downloading. You can hear the band warm up as the gig continues and after the first few songs they're on fire.

Update 2019
While preparing this old show as separate files for a donator to the site, I found I could now improve the sound quality further, over what I’d originally done to the recording several years ago. You can now download this new version (as of 2019) HERE as 1 new 320kbps MP3.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Intro
Animation
Out of Town
Melancholy Soldiers
Working for the Yankee Dollar
Dulce et Decorum Est (Pro Patria Mori)
The Olympian
Pros and Cons
Scared to Dance
The Saints Are Coming
Vanguards Crusade
Home of the Saved
Charade
Masquerade
A Day in Europa
Thanatos
Of One Skin
Into the Valley

Encore:
All the Young Dudes
Charles

Encore 2:
Panic In The World (with Bill Nelson)
Into the Valley
Charade


Incidentally, there's a page about the venue (long since closed) here 

Tuesday 28 February 2017

Radio Prog 3: Depeche Mode: BBC Studio Session 11 June 1981


Live and Loud! Radio is an occasional series of free downloads, starting January 2017. Radio sessions that never got an official release, sympathetically repaired and remastered and then released onto the internet, all for free.

No theme tune, no intro from me - just the original session, repaired and remastered and available in a downloadable zip file containing each separate track. 


Live and Loud! Radio Prog 3:  Depeche Mode: BBC Studio Session 11 June 1981 

Tracklisting
01. Boys Say Go! (not included - see below*)
02. Big Muff
03. Photographic
04. Tora! Tora! Tora!

The session is available as a zip file, containing each track. You can get it by clicking HERE.

Original files had 30 band EQ to remove mid range muddiness and enhance bass and upper frequencies, creating more "space" in the tracks between the instruments.Other than that, I just edited the end of each track to fade out better than the copies I had.


* Boys Say Go is not included as it was released officially on the "1 And Only - 25 Years Of Radio 1" album in 1992.

Sunday 26 February 2017

Show 93 - Blancmange - The Paradiso Amsterdam - 9 April 1983


I originally intended to remaster a recording from the Manchester Hacienda from 1982 - not realising it was on general DVD release (I assume officially). Which is a shame as I had it sounding really good! Instead I found this one - an interesting (but sadly short) FM broadcast from Dutch radio of a live set by Blancmange from 1983. There are some faults with this - essentially some FM static on the first song in various places (I've removed or lessened what I could) and the last track broadcast, Blind Vision, has had to be faded out rather abruptly by the original taper to remove the radio lead in to the news. But its a little gem, nonetheless, featuring tracks from Happy Families and also Mange Tout which was released a year later.

Apart from working on the static noise and a few clicks, I used EQ to tighten up a rather bass heavy recording and give some space to the instruments and vocals.

Update 2020
While preparing this old show as separate files for a donator to the site, I found I could now improve the sound quality further, over what I’d originally done to the recording several years ago. You can now download this new version (as of 2019) HERE as 1 new 320kbps MP3 file.

If you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format of the new version, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
I've Seen The Word
The Game Above My Head
Kind
Running Thin
Feel Me
Cruel
Murder
Blind Vision

Wednesday 22 February 2017

Show 92: Sisters of Mercy - Trojan Horse The Hague - 26 May 1984


A first appearance for The Sisters of Mercy, with a gig recorded in The Netherlands in 1984. There are several versions of this recording around but I believe I was sent an excellent copy of the naked soundboard recording which was a joy to work on - it's benefited from some sympathetic EQ which has improved separation between each of the instruments as well as improving the sound of each - guitars shimmer and sparkle, the drums are crisp and punchy, the bass is more distinct and Eldritch rises from the shadows. I'm really pleased with how this one turned out.

The show is now available to download exclusively for free here as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
Burn
Heartland
Body and Soul
Anaconda
Walk Away
Emma
Floorshow
Adrenochrome
Alice
Body Electric

Encore:
Gimme Shelter
Sister Ray

I can't pretend to be an expert on The Sisters but I am indebted to Ollie, who is! - and it was he who lobbied for me to remaster this recording. He also asked if he could write a piece about this show for me and this is reproduced below (thanks Ollie!). Incidentally, there's an interesting blog piece written by a Sisters fan about this very gig which you can find here.

Now, this is Ollie's piece:

The Sisters of Mercy have a long, wild history. You may think may 1984 is an early stage of their career, but in fact several line-up changes were behind them already.The then popular singles and EPs like "Alice" or "Temple of Love" (the original version, without Ofra Haza of course ;-) ) had been recorded with guitarist Ben Gunn, who joined the group in early 1982 and left in late 1983. So founder members Andrew Eldritch and Gary Marx, supported by Craig Adams on bass since 1981, replaced Gunn with Wayne Hussey, ex Dead or Alive.

Now in early 1984, quite a lot is new for the Sisters: new line-up, new single ("Body and Soul"), a major deal with WEA records, and even Doktor Avalanche, their drum-machine, got a make-over. Compared to 1983, the sound changed. The songs are played straighter, and Wayne Hussey adds a new guitar style by playing a 12 string...here we have the birth of what would become the sound of the "First And Last And Always" album.

The setlist is the standard one for this tour. They serve a mixture of early singles ("Body Electric", "Alice") B-sides ("Heartland", Adrenochrome"), the new single "Body and Soul" and an early version of "Walk Away", the first written by Wayne Hussey, as well as their famous cover versions "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones, "Emma" by Hot Chocolate and their dark and driving interpretation of The Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray". The Velvet's song finished their encore in a guitar orgy, the highlight and climax of a Sisters gig in this era and The Sisters at their best, captured here perfectly now in this remastered soundboard recording.

Unfortunately this line-up, regarded by many fans as the definitive one, didn't last long. They did three long tours and released one legendary album, then in June 1985 did their famous last gig at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams formed The Mission, and Andrew Eldritch entered the charts in 1987 with his "Floodland"- album.

The rest is history...


Monday 30 January 2017

Radio Prog 2: Kraftwerk: HR1 Frankfurt Radio Concert 25 January 1974


Live and Loud! Radio is an occasional series of free downloads, starting January 2017. Radio sessions that never got an official release, sympathetically repaired and remastered and then released onto the internet.

No theme tune, no intro from me - just the original session, repaired and remastered and available in a downloadable zip file.

Live and Loud! Radio Prog 2: Kraftwerk: HR1 Frankfurt Radio Concert, 25 January 1974

Tracklisting
Introduction
Klingklang
Ruckzuck
Radio Announcer
Atem

Tongebirge
Tanzmusik
Radio Announcer 
Kohoutek/Kometenmelodie I & II

This is a concert specifically created for radio - Kraftwerk were top of a bill featuring 3 acts - more information is available in the download.

The zip file contains the show and a text file with more information about the original concert and a translation of the German radio announcer. You can get it by clicking here.

The original recording has a basic mix with each instrument in a particular place in the stereo image - electronic percussion was bizarrely over on the extreme left, so I've reshaped the stereo image and moved the percussion slightly just to take away the unpleasant effect of having the percussion overload the left hand side too much. I then used 30 band EQ to enhance bass and upper frequencies, creating more "space" in the tracks between the instruments and bringing out detail which you can't hear on the original (to those interested, a screenshot of the EQ is in the zip too).

If you know anyone who wants a copy of these tracks, I'd rather you redirect anyone to this page for a copy but if you do redistribute please use the original zip with the tracks and info file! Thank you. :)

Friday 27 January 2017

Show 91: Crowded House - Bottom Line New York - 22 March 1987



A second gig from Crowded House for Live and Loud! - and this one is from much earlier in their careers. After forming in 1985 when Split Enz came to an end, they eventually moved to the USA to record their first album - Crowded House - which was released in June 1986. Don’t Dream Its Over became a huge hit later that year and broke the band around the world.

They went back to the USA at the start of February 1987 and started 4 solid months of touring the country. This show is from that tour and was the first of 2 nights at The Bottom Line; this show originally broadcast on FM radio there.

The recording was in fairly good condition, just a bit flat sounding. Someone had faded out the end of every track on this recording before I got it, so there's not QUITE so much banter from the band in between songs as on the other show I did last year (you can find the other 2 Crowded House shows here) but its still a great show. I repaired some of those fades where they were quite severe and with some EQ to separate out and enhance the instruments and remove some of the sibilance from Neil's vocals, the show has polished up pretty well and sounds very clear.

The show is now available for free download HERE as 1 MP3 file.

Or, if you would like to have separate tagged MP3s, or even lossless files in FLAC format, head on over to the Donations tab to see how you can obtain these for a very small donation towards the site costs.

Setlist
This Is Massive
When You Come
Mean To Me
World Where You Live
That's What I Call Love
One Step Ahead
Recurring Dream
Something So Strong
Love You 'til The Day I Die
Hole In The River
Don't Dream It's Over
Now We're Getting Somewhere
Throw Your Arms Around Me
Tombstone (with Love in the Fowl House ( Pretty Little Hen) / Anarchy In The UK)
Better Be Home Soon
Sister Madly
Not Fade Away