Crowded House 03/19/1987 FM (FLAC, MP3):
After I left the Crowded House show last week, I ran home and downloaded every bootleg I could find. The best sounding boot from the early days is this show from the Bottom Line in NYC, which was broadcast live on WNEW. Check out this show for some funny banter and incredible performances of tunes from their two albums.
Crowded House’s performances of Mean To Me, Something So Strong and Don’t Dream It’s Over are full of moxie. You can almost hear the audience singing along. The new-at-the-time Better Be Home Soon works as a fine tearjerker amongst a batch of high-energy tunes. Neil Finn has some technical issues during Tombstone that leads to an improvised medley, which includes a snippet of the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the U.K. The final tune of the evening is a rollicking take on Buddy Holly’s Not Fade Away that must have sent the crowd home happy.
Apollo Sunshine 06/17/2007 DAUD (FLAC, MP3, STREAM):
Photo by zacharia420
It’s been nearly six weeks since we’ve talked about Apollo Sunshine, and I’m starting to get the shakes. The Sunshine dudes are currently in the studio recording an album that could break them into the big time. As nice as it would be to keep Apollo Sunshine a secret, my parents taught me to share. One of the only shows the band played this summer was a plum spot at Bonnaroo, and recently, a kind-hearted taper uploaded AS’s set to the Live Music Archive.
As per usual, Apollo Sunshine opened the set with Better Change Your Mind, which quickly melted into a tasty orgy of noise and melody. They followed it up by playing Magnolia, their most accessible tune. Two classics, 666 and Flip!, kept the momentum goin’. Your Advice, a song I don’t think I’ve heard before, calms things down a bit before Bach and Lord bring back the frenetic energy.
All told, Sunshine played a terrific set and seemed to be augmented by the percussion player banging on the bongos. Here’s hoping the new album brings us plenty of tour dates, because when these guys add a new batch of songs to the mix, you better hide the children.
Wilco 08/22/2007 SBD/AUD Matrix [FLAC, MP3]
Wilco has made a habit of allowing soundboard patches at some of their recent shows. Wilco fans, for their part, have made a habit out of combining the soundboard feeds with audience feeds to give the recordings a much needed touch of life. Just this week we came across a crispy matrix recording of Wilco’s August 22nd gig at the Edgefield Inn in Troutdale, Oregon. Not only does the recording sound great, but Wilco’s performance is top-shelf.
Jeff Tweedy’s voice is in fine form throughout the recording, but the star of this boot is Nels Cline. Cline’s machine gun-like runs on his guitar fit Tweedy’s songs so perfectly it hurts. One of the best tunes from this show is Impossible Germany off Sky Blue Sky. While I like the studio version, Impossible Germany thrives in a live setting from the energy the crowd emits during the peak of Cline’s magnificent solo. Other noteworthy tunes include a special version of California Stars with Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey of the Minus 5, and a gorgeous rendition of Jesus Etc. Wilco plays their hometown of Chicago tonight, and will be on tour for the remainder of the year.
Stay tuned for another year of great downloads here at Hidden Track…
5 Responses
apollo sunshine – I get the hype.
radiohead – i get the hype.
wilco – never quite understood the hype.
A great year’s worth of GTA, Scotty…take a bow.
As for the first commenter…well, that’s what makes music so awesome — one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Fagan looks a lot like a white Ray Charles in that still pic. No?
Don’t get the Wilco hype either, but I try to keep it under wraps so people will still like me.
gents…please see vh1classic in the next 24 hours…
amazing shows specifically on BBC crown jewels…joe jackson, the smiths, the police AC/DC, bruce, etc…
thank you so much for this wilco, I havent had a good sbd to listen to in months and months. IT IS EPIC