[Live MP3s] The Waterboys acoustic in Boston
Posted on November 2, 2007 at 2:12 pm | 1 Comment
I’ve got a bit of a backlog of live recordings to share, so I’m going forego my “once a week” tradition and just let them loose as they’re ready…
I’ll admit up front that I lost complete track of Mike Scott and his Waterboys for oh, about fifteen years or so. I initially discovered them as many on U.S. shores likely did, back when U2 invited them along to open some dates in the mid-80’s, and kept playing their songs as tour intro music for months afterwards. I think the first time I heard “The Whole Of The Moon” (which I still count among my favorite songs) was waiting for U2 to take the stage in Montreal in 1987, and picked up the Waterboys’ third album (and last featuring future World Party frontman Karl Wallinger), the sweeping “This Is The Sea”, shortly after that gig. My love for that record (yes, when it was actually a record) prompted me to grab their self-titled 1981 debut and the sophomore “A Pagan Place”, though I was not nearly as struck by those two, nor by 1988’s “Fisherman’s Blues”. I liked them well enough, but found myself going back to “This Is The Sea” far more frequently.
By the time 1990’s “Room To Roam” came out, my musical tastes had drastically transformed, and the Waterboys fell off my radar until a two-disc remastered version of “This Is The Sea” was issued in 2004, inspiring me to finally replace my well-worn vinyl copy. In the intervening years, I discovered the band had released a few more albums, a couple of greatest hits collections, as well as a live disc.
Which brings us to the Waterboys, present-day. Mike Scott and his mates are still making music, and in August released a new disc called “Book of Lightning” on Decca Records (it came out in the UK in April). The five-piece (a lineup that has changed a bit over the years) just kicked off a short North American tour for the album last night here in Boston, with a stop tonight at Webster Hall in NYC, and winding up in San Francisco on the 13th. While I didn’t see them play here last night, the band is back on my mind after a free, WBOS-sponsored acoustic show they put on at the First Act Guitar Studio back in late August. Mike was joined by longtime collaborators Steve Wickham on fiddle and Richard Naiff on keys, and the trio ran through a full set of songs, most from the new album, with a few old ones and an excellent Willie Nelson cover as well (alas, no “Whole of the Moon“, but I won’t fault them for skipping the obvious). No doubt about it, Mike Scott still has that voice, and as when Dinosaur Jr. played an in-store earlier this year, I’ve got much respect for a band who will give it their all for even a small (and non-paying) crowd. No three-or-four-song token performance was this.
During an in-set anecdote, Mike off-handedly said “… just as people might bootleg this concert”, and he was right on. Here’s the full Waterboys set. Tour dates are below, and I’ll share a couple of Mike’s anecdotes down there as well…
Live at First Act Guitar Studio
in Boston, Massachusetts
on Thursday, August 30th, 2007
01. Everybody Takes A Tumble
02. You In The Sky
03. Strange Arrangement
04. She Tried To Hold Me
05. Nobody’s Baby Anymore
06. The Crash of Angel Wings
07. It’s Gonna Rain
08. Red Army Blues
08. Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground (Willie Nelson cover)
10. The Return Of Jimi Hendrix
11. Bring ‘Em All In (stopped)
12. Bring ‘Em All In (slower)
A couple of anecdotes…
And some links…
Friday, Nov. 2nd, 2007
Webster Hall, NYC
Saturday, Nov. 3rd, 2007
Keswick Theatre, Glenside, Pennsylvania
Monday, Nov. 5th, 2007
The Music Hall, Toronto, Ontario
Tuesday, Nov. 6th, 2007
Park West, Chicago, Illinois
Friday, Nov. 9th, 2007
Moore Theatre, Seattle, Washington
Saturday, Nov. 10th, 2007
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
Sunday, Nov. 11th, 2007
Aladdin Theatre, Portland, Oregon
Tuesday, Nov. 13th, 2007
The Fillmore, San Francisco, California
Stream all ‘Nac-shared MP3s on the Hype Machine.
the fine print… If anyone has an issue with these MP3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the ‘nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps MP3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.
[Live MP3s] The Lucksmiths in Cambridge, MA 2007
Posted on October 29, 2007 at 12:57 pm | No Comments
I don’t use the phrase “perfect pop” lightly, but I’m sure I’ve used it to describe the Lucksmiths‘ live show before. Sparkling guitar-lines, whip-smart lyrics, and snappy stand-up drum beats, delivered together by four Australian gents who, fortunately for us, keep on coming back to our country. This time, in lieu of a new album, they brought along their comprehensive two-disc rarities collection, “Spring a Leak” (although they had sadly sold out of them by the time they hit Boston… so I ordered mine from Matinee). Some of their best songs can be found within, along with a hearty helping of choice covers, including ones penned by the Ladybug Transistor, the Smiths, and the Magnetic Fields.
The Lucksmiths and the aforementioned Ladybugs shared a bunch of dates back in late September, the first of which was a stop at TT the Bears in Cambridge, and I’ll be sharing both sets.
First up, the Lucksmiths…
Live at TT the Bear’s
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
on Thursday, September 27th, 2007
01. Camera Shy
02. The Music Next Door
03. Good Light
04. A Downside To The Upstairs
05. Great Lengths
06. Once Again
07. Under the Rotunda
08. A Hiccup In Your Happiness
09. The Year of Driving Languorously
10. Sunlight In Abort
11. Sunlight In A Jar
12. do or don’t wop (banter)
13. A Sobering Thought (Just When One Was Needed)
14. The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco
15. T-Shirt Weather
16. Midweek Midmorning
17. encore applause
18. Transpontine
Some Lucksmiths links…
- Their official site, MySpace page, Matinee Records page (US), and their Lost & Lonesome Records page (AUS).
- Additional Audio: Lost & Lonesome gives you an Mp3 of “A Hiccup In Your Happiness“, and while Matinee Records doesn’t offer preview Mp3s, you can stream songs samples over here. There are, of course, songs to stream at the band’s MySpace page. The Yellow Stereo shared up a couple of the covers that can be found on “Spring A Leak” as well.
- Video: After all this time, has there really never been an official Lucksmiths video? Well, at least there are a whole bunch of YouTube-hosted live clips.
- Photos: My Lucksmiths shots are here, and John Van took a bunch of shots a few days before at their San Francisco stop as well. For many more pics, here’s a Lucksmiths Flickr tag search.
- As ever, easily listen to all ‘Nac-shared tracks on the Hype Machine.
the post postscript… If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the ‘nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.