Boredoms - 7th House, Pontiac, Michigan, USA, 18/06/1999 / Bootleg Download

 

Perhaps one of my favorite "near impossible dreams" when it comes to my bootleg exploration is to be able to find a full shining lossless soundboard recording of a 98/99/00/01 Boredoms show. Super æ and Vision Creation Newsun transitional period. Oh my lord. So wonderful. Yamataka was at full force during these shows, regardless if he didn't have those massive ensembles surrounding him and fulfilling his musical ambitions as much as possible, here he was already living up to his ambitions. VCN can be seen as chaotic, some might say miscellaneous even, in the way it is presented as a whole, but it is not just a work born from improvisation and chance. Working with John Zorn and a ton of wonderfully trained musicians over the course of the 90s, Yamataka seemed to have found many inspirations in order to turn his inner improvisational spirit into something more focused and purposeful. Super æ and VCN are not seen as classics just due to their loud, abrasive, sparse and unpredictable nature, but because in the massive world of music these are perhaps some of the best examples of "orchestrated rampage" one will ever be able to find.

The backbone of the tracks are all there, and every single member added to them in their own way. Outside of Boredoms feeling like an EYE album backed up by a band, these two albums and the Super Roots entries and complementary EP's that came with them were the starting point for Boredoms feeling like a group effort that aimed to achieve EYE's goals. 

I see people often judge Super æ as the unfulfilled vision that was later expanded and mastered in the follow up album, the one most people tend to gravitate towards at first. But I firmly disagree. Both compliment each other in such a beautiful way, along side the Super Go!! and VCN EPs. There are things Super æ does that VCN doesn't quite fulfill at times, and viceversa, but in the end this is barely a matter of competition or comparison since the era that surrounds these two main albums just doesn't let them get distinguished from another. Proof of this is simple, the live shows and tours from this period all present distinctly VCN compositions that are complemented by Super æ riffs and patterns expanded in the jamming. These shows are masterful, so beautifully hipnotizing and entrancing one can simply just imagine what it must have been to witness all of this in person.

I love all this period of Boredoms so much (getting a VCN tattoo in order to engrave that sentiment for a lifetime should be enough to show how much these mean to me), and I know a full soundboard show, fully clean and able to be witnessed in all its glory is just very unlikely to surface, but for now, these glimpses are enough to make me one of the happiest persons to have ever lived. 

Loud, noisy, far from the best sound quality, but god damnit, unforgettable nonetheless. Just how I love my Boredoms. Hope you enjoy these as much as I do (somehow).

1. Ambiance (0:27)
2. Intro Jam (4:01)
3. ◯ (18:01)
4. Super Are / GO!!!!! (8:18)
5. ♡ (3:04)
6. Ҩ (4:12)
7. ～ (4:00)
8. ◎ (2:22)
9. ずっと (4:51)
10. Super Going (9:52)
11. Vision Creation Newsun Medley (Encore) (12:01)

PS. Everyone should check this EYE "documentary" at least once in their life if they want their life to be complete at least in some way (I'm Everyone). You can check small snippets of John Zorn shows like Spy vs Spy or Naked City's Torture Garden ensemble with Tatsuya Yoshida. Getting full recordings of these are some of my other wet near impossible dreams in bootleg land (my favorite land).

Download Here! - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kxZIC_CLHG_ftXNcahxo8BiAnfYYk7pj?usp=sharing

Assorted 2023 John Zorn Recordings (Village Vanguard + Zorn at 70) / Bootleg Download

 

Because why not? Have to keep things fresh and active somehow. Have a good one!

2023 04-16 New Masada Quartet - Village Vanguard, NYC, United States

John Zorn - alto saxophone

Julian Lage - guitar

Jorge Roeder - bass

Kenny Wollesen - drums

1. [untitled] (11:15)

2. [untitled] (6:09)

3. [untitled] (10:53)

4. [untitled] (9:59)

5. [untitled] (6:15)

6. [untitled] (7:54)

2023 09-01 Zorn at 70, Great American Music Hall San Franciso, CA; Brian Marsella Trio

Brian Marsella - piano

Ches Smith - drums

Jorge Roeder - bass

1. Introduction (1:01)

2. Praeludium (6:05)

3. Allemande (4:31)

4. Sarabande (4:23)

5. Scherzo (3:36)

6. Menuet (4:04)

7. Passacaglia (7:44)

8. Gigue (6:45)

9. [untitled] (5:56)

10. Pavane (4:15)

11. Applause (1:18)

12. Intermezzo (5:32)

2023 09-02 Zorn at 70, Great American Music Hall San Franciso, CA; Incerto

Brian Marsella - piano

Ches Smith - drums

Julian Lage - guitar

Jorge Roeder - bass

1. Intro (1:12)

2. [untitled] (4:53)

3. [untitled] (6:59)

4. [untitled] (4:17)

5. [untitled] (5:09)

6. [untitled] (8:04)

7. [untitled] (4:40)

8. [untitled] (9:46)

9. [untitled] (5:46)

10. [untitled] (7:27)

11.Band Intro (1:08)

12. Encore (4:57)

2023 09-03 Zorn at 70, Great American Music Hall San Franciso, CA; New Electric Masada

John Zorn - alto saxophone, compositions

Matt Hollenberg - electric guitar

Julian Lage - electric guitar

John Medeski - Hammond B3 organ

Brian Marsella - Fender Rhodes piano

Trevor Dunn - electric bass

Kenny Wollesen - drums

Ches Smith - drums

Ikue Mori - electronics

Cyro Baptista - percussion

*with special guest:

Trey Spruance - electric guitar

Source 1

1. [untitled] (10:11)

2. [untitled] (9:54)

3. [untitled] (12:23)

4. [untitled] (5:19)

5. [untitled] (9:20)

6. [untitled] (5:49)

7. [untitled]* (4:47)

Source 2

1. (Intro) (1:06)

2. Lilin (9:52)

3. Hath-Arob (9:24)

4. Karaim (12:29)

5. Yatzar (5:18)

6. Kedem (9:16)

7. Abidan (5:47)

8. Idalah-Abal* (6:41)

Download Here - https://mega.nz/folder/BcYBhbrD#f0mEBoXpPqHiBwtxVqwArw

Can - More Supplements: Assorted Recordings and Bootlegs (1970 - 1977) // Bootleg Download

It has been quite a while, hasn't it? Well what do you know, all good things come back eventually, don't they? Or shouldn't they? I think they definitely do, even if they take a while. 

Absolutely no idea if this blog has regular visitors or readers, but in any case, and regardless of who you are, I hope you are doing fine. Quite a wild beginning of the year, almost reaching the half point at this stage, but a weirdly pleasant one in my humble opinion (that is to say, of course, for my own personal recollection, but I definitely hope that it has been a good year for all of you as well). 

At the beginning of the year I stated that my intention with this blog was to keep on uploading bootleg recordings that I recommended or felt needed more exposure on a constant basis, but many things got in the way of that, the main one being that I ran out of storage space on Google Drive to continue doing so... I was planning on moving forward to Zippyshare, but you know what happened suddenly with that out of nowhere... I plan on buying a Google Drive plan eventually, just to keep the fun going because there is a lot I would love to share and spread from a wide range of different artists, but that will come at a slow but steady pace. Thing is I remembered my Mega account still existed. 

Oh Mega... you sweet beloved, you... you and your goddamn slow download/upload times and limitations, but goddamn you have lead me towards some godly things... It is funny really, right now I have enough space to keep uploading a good chunk of the material I want to share, but it's going to take a while to upload it all properly. As of now I am mainly sharing what was left on there that I hadn't shared and that I really wanted to preserve, so how about we go straight into it?

A long while ago (more than 2 years ago at this point, in 2021 DAMN time flies fast) some friends asked me to share things from my Can bootleg collection, so I ended up uploading a good chunk of it to Mega in order to share it with them. Around 4GB worth of material, I'd say it's pretty damn worthwhile, now isn't it? 

You can find a little bit of everything here, in different sound quality as to be expected, some slightly repeated but in different versions, but most of it is truly worthwhile regardless of what era of Can you hold as your personal favorite. Because if one thing always reigns true across their history is that regardless of the record or the lineup, they were so goddamn amazing onstage. You got your Damo era, your Karoli vocals, and sometimes your purely isntrumental Can sets. There are some more of the well known bootlegs to be found here, but there's also ones that I never really see shared around often. All of it on MP3 sadly, and even though it is a relatively small portion of my Can collection and I do plan on sharing it all, lossless and lossy, eventually, this sure is a sweet start, a treat to bring energy and mood up as much as possible because this music just does so in such a wonderful way regardless of lineup or setlist... Truly timeless... Hope you enjoy it! 

Now get your damn vitamins!

Can - Live in Soest, Winter 1970

Perhaps THE most well known Can bootleg at this point... maybe... most likely... Definitely one of the ones that has had the most exposure in recent times, as recent as perhaps the last 5-10 years for sure, and there are many reasons for this. Initially the original DVD with the broadcast recording of it got fully uploaded on Youtube, making waves among new and old Can fans and giving more recognition to the live legacy of the band, this expanded even further with it being officially uploaded to the WDR channel, cementing it as a legendary document in Can's history. Of course it was just a matter of time until audio sources started blowing up, rips of the video already existed and were being shared around on bootleg forums and torrent sites but eventually they went on streaming, two main examples of this were the abridged "Live Rockpalast 1970" CD from Rox Vox also getting on streaming platforms and specially the full rip of the concert appearing as the "Madness Is Too Pure (Live 1970)" bootleg in all streaming services surprisingly enough, but getting removed and deleted because it was getting in the way of Spoon and Mute records plan of actually releasing live recordings in an official series. 

The fuzz is well justified honestly. The full Rockpalast 1970 performance, with the lineup well adjusted in what is commonly referred to as their "Golden Period", right after fully incorporating Damo "Kenji" Suzuki as their full time vocalist and jumping full force into recording and touring, well after the collaborations with Mooney until 1969, and developing the songs and styles they would get loved and recognized for later on. You have a little bit of everything here, long jams, funky themes, experimental grooves through and through, but overall it's just wonderful. The sound quality is excellent and the setlist and performances tight as all hell, truly showing how revolutionary and unique they were from the very early stages. Hearing Tago Mago tracks right before they got released in 1971 is truly fascinating, showing off a bit of a glimpse to the quality of the jamming and making everyone wonder just what the hell were these guys doing in studio jams... Truly wonderful, a must for fans of the band, or for just about anyone really (in my own humble opinion).

"Tori ge soko... isubateru... atamano... ikaretayatsu...
Ichino ue karashode... wanalaga imotoyogu...
L S E no majikara... tanale... gakio osore...
Asana mada kona ino... saiwa inai... kotone...
WOOOOOOOO!"

If you can have enough of Damo's multilingual vocals you just have no soul...

1. Sense All Of Mine (4:36)

2. Oh Yeah (18:30)

3. I Feel Alright (12:44)

4. Mother Sky (6:46)

5. Deadlock (5:06)

6. Bring Me Coffee Or Tea (20:10)

7. Don't Turn The Light On, Leave Me Alone (4:52)

8. Paperhouse (11:11)

Can - Live Musikhalle Hamburg (1971.05.15)

1. Vitamin C / Improvisation (49:58)

2. Improvisation (9:33)

3. Unknown (22:38)

4. Spoon (12:36)

5. One More Night (15:37)

Can - Plymouth 1973-03-02

1. Skyways (26:21)

2. Rootings (8:46)

3. Full Moon On The Highway (9:08)

4. Spoon (19:18)

5. Sing Swan Song (16:16)

6. One More Night (8:56)

7. Descending On The Tor (15:17) 

Can - Paris 12 May 1973

1. Whole People Queueing (36:00)

2. One More Night (8:49)

3. Spoon - Stars & Lines (30:47)

4. Vitamin C (13:42)

Can - Damo Suzuki's Last Show: Edinburgh August 25, 1973

1. Soup (13:52)

2. Stone Strike (30:29)

3. Swan No Song (10:02)

4. Hot Day In Koeln (8:49)

5. I'm Your Doll (6:00)

Can - BBC in Concert, London 1973/74

1. Tatgirdid Janit (22:21)

2. I'm So Green + Spoon (35:16)

3. Pinch (27:24)

Can - City Hall Birmingham 1974-02-10

1. Improvs 1 and 2 (38:42)

2. Improvisations 3 [Gomorrha] and 4 [One More Night] and 5 (44:38)

3. Improvisations 6 [Bel Air] and 7 [Spray] and 8 (35:49)

Can - Live Poitiers, France (1974.04.13)

1. Improvisation 1 (Gomorrha) (45:57)

2. Improvisation 2 (One More Night) (10:34)

3. Improvisation 3 (4:01)

Can - Live Bataclan, Paris (1975.01.19) & Hatfield (11.21.75)

1. Chain (12:10)

2. Splash / Bel Air (14:06)

3. Dizzy Dizzy (7:03)

4. Improvisation 1 (11:04)

5. Improvisation 2 (27:58)

6. Sunday Jam (12:03)

7. Quantum Physics (5:33)

8. Improvisation 1 (1975.11.21, Hatfield Polytechnic) (38:13)

Can - Live Pier Pavilion, Hastings (1975.05.16)

1. Chain Reaction (14:45)

2. Bel Air (7:21)

3. Dizzy Dizzy (10:13)

4. Full Moon On The Highway (15:50)

5. Evening Glory (4:33)

6. Pinch (21:14)

7. Meadow Sweet (9:55)

8. The Gypsy (9:18)

Can -  Future Days and Past Nights (1975.05.17)

1. Chain Reaction (23:00)

2. Bel Air (8:24)

3. Bel Air (Continued) (9:46)

4. Dizzy Dizzy (11:15)

5. Pinch / Mother Sky (12:51)

6. One More Night (8:45)

7. Half Past One (8:19)

8. Vitamin C (5:35)

9. Meadow Sweet / Gypsy (17:10)

10. Full Moon (25:00)

11. Up The Floyd (3:19)

Can - Lyon, France (17 Jan 1976)

1. Intro (0:16)

2. Citrus (9:31)

3. Red Hot Indians (12:28)

4. Dizzy Dizzy (7:34)

5. Interval Announcement (0:14)

6. Chain Reaction (13:05)

7. One More Night (9:14)

8. Verbal Equinox, More Spree & Vitamin C (33:08)

Can - Live Metz, France (1976.05.30)

1. Morning Glory (13:41)

2. Bel Air (10:39)

3. Dizzy Dizzy (8:10)

4. Spoon (8:10)

5. Half Past One (9:39)

6. Vitamin C (13:14)

7. One More Night (12:47)

8. Phaedre (11:17)

9. I Want More (10;27)

10. Cascade Waltz (7:21)

11. Full Moon On The Highway (7:19)

12. Quantum Physics Suite (16:06)

Can - Live Sound Circus, London (1977.03.23)

1. Fizz (11:40)

2. Don't Say No (12:16)

3. Cascade Waltz (11:00)

4. Animal Waves (24:17)

5. Dizzy Dizzy (11:28)

6. I Want More (10:09)

7. Call Me (22:30)

8. Sunshine Day And Night (23:28)

Can - One More Night: Live In Essex 1975 (17 May 1975 - 21 December 1976)

1. Dizzy Dizzy (11:31)

2. Pinch / Mother Sky (12:56)

3. One More Night (8:27)

4. Half Past One (8:22)

5. Vitamin C (5:39)

6. Meadowsweet / The Gypsy (17:03)

7. Full Moon On The Highway (25:08)

8. Up The Floyd (3:19)

9. Spree (14:39)

Can - BBC Radio Sessions 1973

1. I'm So Green (31:28)

2. Soup (14:10)

3. Bel Air (29:57)

Can - Soest: Live Broadcasts 1970-1974

1. Sense Of All Mine (4:30)

2. I Feel Alright (13:22)

3. Mother Sky (6:26)

4. Deadlock (5:05)

5. Bring Me Coffee Or Tea (20:14)

6. Don't Turn The Light On, Leave Me Alone (4:46)

7. Paperhouse (11:19)

8. Paperhouse (Radio Bremen 1972) (6:48)

9.  Mushroom (Funkhaus 1972) (9:43)

10. Oh Yeah (Soest 1971) (18:14)

11. Hallelluhwah (WDR 1970) (6:16)

12. Peking O (Pop Festival 1972) (4:01)

13. Bring Me Coffee Or Tea (Promo Film OST) (4:36)

14. Vitamin C (WDR 1972) (2:44)

15. Gomorrha (BBC 1974) (22:12)

Can - Recycled 1

1. Father Cannot Yell (10:10)

2. E.F.S. No. 5 (0:31)

3. Little Star Of Bethlehem (9:08)

4. Uphill (6:49)

5. Voice Changer (1:39)

6. Doko Dai E Part 1 (11:43)

7. Doko Dai E Part 2 (24:49)

Can - Recycled 2

1. Upduff's Birth (Mother Upduff) (16:40)

2. Outside My Door (4:43)

3. Man Named Joe (3:31)

4. Rehearsal (11:27)

5. Morning Glory (14:16)

6. Prehistoric Future (Part 1) (15:25)

7. Prehistoric Future (Part 2) (13:46)

Can - Recycled 3

1. Soundcheck (15:37)

2. Auf Der Einbahnstrasse (Part 1) (20:01)

3. Auf Der Einbahnstrasse (Part 2) (15:29)

4. Turtles Have Short Legs (3:35)

Can - Recycled 4

1. She Brings Rain (3:35)

2. Ushinawareta (10:06)

3. Art Of The Sun (6:59)

4. Finished (Part 1) (23:41)

5. Finished (Part 2) (20:27)

6. Animal Waves (5:08)

Can - A Pinch of Can: A Collection of Studio Outtakes, BBC Sessions & Live Oddities

1. Father Cannot Yell (9:22)

2. Little Star (8:50)

3. Unknown Instrumental (5:34)

4. Melting Away (2:57)

5. Outside My Door (4:30)

6. Paperhouse (6:33)

7. Deadlock (4:52)

8. Mother Sky (6:07)

9. Improvisation (14:13)

10. Dokoe (5:16)

11. Animal Waves (5:06)

12. Up The Bakerloo (35:12)

13. Tadjidid Janid (25:23)

14. Guildford Improvisation (12:16)

Download Here! - https://mega.nz/folder/JFAT0KJQ#IEYO_id6UpF02xb4gaq4NQ

Keiji Haino's Fushitsusha - Cafe Zebulon Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2017-07-22

This is Rock. This is Not Rock.

This is Jazz. This is Not Jazz.

This Is Music! This is Not Music.

And...

Hands down one of my favorite starts to any concert ever...

Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! Very late cheers or whatever (?). Very inactive around here but many things are planned for the the future with this small blog with all the bootlegs I want to share here along side various writeups also going into different music related topics. But for now, I hope that whatever awaits for 2023 is something pleasant and in good spirit. Hope your holidays were calm and full to the brim with all the good music that it is awaiting to be discovered. 

In the meantime, here is a late gift from my part, some sort of cheer in good faith to start the year in a good mood, a recording from Keiji Haino's Fushitsusha trio from 2017 in the Zebulon café, where they are known to perform along side other Japanese artists such as Otomo Yoshihide or Yamatsuka Eye. An almost three hour long set, full of relentless and loud improvisations, definitely one of my absolute favorite Haino related bootlegs that I have heard (which are a surprisingly whole lot as well). 

Very loud, continuous, creative, and just a blast to go through. Definitely something that will catch your attention from beginning to end, either if you love those type of performances or if just have a big appreciation towards Keiji Haino's legendary career in general. Big recommendation from my part and definitely one of my favorite finds in recent years.

Noise Rock bonanza, what more could you ask for?

During this gig Fushitsusha were:

Keiji Haino - guitar, voice, flute, shehnai, harmonica

Yasumune Morishige - bass, kalimba

Ryosuke Kiyasu - drums, percussion

1. Piece 1 (15:37)

2. Piece 2 (4:24)

3. Piece 3 (4:31)

4. Piece 4 (KH on Flute) (6:29)

5. Piece 5 (10:24)

6. Piece 6 (14:22)

7. Piece 7 (20:52)

8. Piece 8 (KH on Shehnai) (8:04)

9. Piece 9 (10:33)

10. Piece 10 (Kalimba / Whistle Intro) (17:14)

11. Piece 11 (2:48)

12. Piece 12 (KH on Harmonica) (8:14)

13. Piece 13 (4:53)

14. Piece 14 (16:32)

15. Piece 15 (10:08)

16. Encore Break (3:03)

17. Piece 16 (2:25)

Download Here! - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Q5JdzuT1rr0lj7ks_Fow7P1XsQ6HDV4t?usp=share_link

 

John Zorn's Naked City - The Marquee, New York City, NY, USA, 1992-04-09 (Bootleg Download)

 

There is a sort of wonderful "mystique" that comes with the career of John Zorn. To say that his entire body of work is intimidating due to how massive and ever-expanding it is would be an incredible understatement due to how incredibly vast and rich it happened, and happens, to be. It all leads to a rather dedicated fanbase, a group of individuals that is fascinated with all the things that both him and his label have been able to offer consistently year after year. At the same time there exists the opposite, a rather very vocal group that is always stating openly how tired they are of Zorn's shenanigans or how his work is just a below average copy of the man's influences. And if there is a point in Zorn's history where these two groups collide on a curious way it is without a doubt when it comes to talking about one of his most iconic lineups: Naked City. I always find it fascinating how people are vocal about having "grown out" of their Zorn phase, as if being into one particular artist was just a thing of foolish youth, further away from "musical maturity", specially when we talk about an ensemble such as this one, something that Zorn himself treats in almost the same way as the rest of his body of work, nothing more than another pebble in the road, something to maybe look back fondly to at times, but not something to get stuck with. Of course everyone is bound to have their own opinion, but I just find this as an interesting point to make because Naked City doesn't embody everything that makes Zorn special, because as an artist he kept changing, exploring, evolving I'd dare to say, to different musical ventures with both the same musicians as well as with new ones... But Naked City just fucking ruled man.

Naked City was an experiment, it was one of Zorn's more contemporary ventures, serving as both a love letter to ALL the influences that the man was fascinated by during that time, as well as a challenge to himself as a musician and composer, to see what he could be able to come up with just by using a somewhat classic lineup of guitar/bass/keyboards/drums/vocals (with his sax thrown in between). And perhaps for a lot of folk it does come off as a below average imitation of other ordeals, but Naked City did not fool around. The music was complex, it was rich, exploring both an enormous amount of genres as well as the ways a band could be able to approach said genres. Because despite all the influences being there, with covers or "tracks inspired by", the band managed to make every single song a thing of their own. Rigid playing meeting free-form improvisation. But if there was a context where all of these attributes clashed in a perfect way, it was during their many live performances.

The band was messy at times, with failed takes, hardcore performances, musicians pushed to their limits, but it all comes off so naturally in such an uncanny way because despite all the little flaws the setlists were carried through. Zorn acted both as an integral part of the band as well as the obvious mastermind behind it, the conductor, the maestro, but not someone that took main center stage presence while carrying that duty, rather putting himself on the side (as he always tends to do), giving all members an equal amount of importance. All the live recordings are just something else, be it with Yamataka on vocals or those times where Mike Patton stepped in to carry that duty, during that crucial point in time when both were expanding their limits as vocalists and musicians due to playing with such demanding conditions, both a game and a discipline. But it's just not the musicianship alone, the way Zorn interacts so smoothly with the audience, the little commentary in between tracks, the introduction to what's gonna happen next, the whole band laughing and not an ounce of tension being felt... it is just something else, something that few bands have been able to convey while playing something almost equally as formidable. Their sets could go from one hour, one set gigs, to 3 sets a day or one 2 and a half long continuous ordeal, there was just no way of knowing, but that was, and still is, the big excitement of listening to them.

People can say what they want, but Naked City will forever be a giant staple in modern experimental/avant-garde "music" (because caging Zorn's work into just the realm of Jazz alone will never feel right for various reasons) just because of how unique it was, and how much it invited and inspired a wide range of other musicians to just step out of their comfort zone in order to dive into other new grounds. Zorn would continue moving forward, looking back at Naked City as something special and irreplaceable, but not as something that defined his life, because it didn't do so back then and it doesn't have any reason to do it nowadays. Some of the big classics of this ensemble are brought back from time to time, but never in the same way, always with that philosophy of moving forward and trying new things above all else (big example of this is the fact that Osaka Bondage and Batman were performed once again during the "Song Project" gigs with a fresh twist in mind). But for a lot of fans who let themselves be marveled by Zorn's body of work regardless of age or experience in the world of music, this band is just something deeply special. Speaking for myself alone I can truly say that after so much time going consistently through various artists and discographies I always find something new in a lot of Zorn's work, but specially with Naked City in both their live and studio versions. 

Only thing I can do is to keep spreading my love, respect, and fascination towards it in any way possible. 

What I bring here is one of my favorite gigs from them, a 1992 era performance right after the 1991 ensemble that had Patton on vocals and after the incredible short lived project that was Houdini de Sade, bringing back Yamataka on main vocals and performing fascinatingly long sets in the period of Leng Tch'e and before Radio and Absinthe were released, marking the end of Naked City as it was. There is an abridged pro-shot recording of this set, with excellent quality, but it definitely takes away from the experience just for it not including the whole thing in that treatment. The whole set is fascinating, Leng Tch'e performed in its entirety with Yamataka and one of grindcore's tour-de-force vocalists' Kevin Sharp as a guest (wonderful rendition but no performance of it will EVER come close to the amazing performance of it with the Houdini de Sade ensemble), almost all the highlights from Torture Garden being performed in a powerful way, and with a lot of varied pieces still on an early stage but still being carried through in such amazing ways. 

The audience tapes of this set have been circling on various blogs throughout the years, some more complete and in way better sound quality than others, and for various wonderful reasons, but I bring my piece here, the full thing pasting various sources together when needed. It is nowhere close to the pro-shot professional version but it is enough for now. Almost all the things that I mentioned beforehand on that writeup that doesn't even come close to properly conveying my intrigue towards this band can be found in this recording. A once in a lifetime performance from a once in a lifetime ensemble. 

Because even if one can only DREAM for the full pro-shot version of this concert to be released to the public in order for the whole thing to be properly appreciated we can only be grateful that not just this, but almost every single one of the Naked City performances were documented by dedicated fans who had the fortune to witness them in person. 

Has to be heard in order to be believed. Simply magical.

P.S: An incomplete FLAC version of this particular performance can be found in my collection of Naked City bootlegs published on this blog and on archive.org

NAKED CITY during this gig was:

John Zorn: Alto Sax, Conductor
Bill Frisell: Guitar
Wayne Horvitz: Keyboards
Fred Frith : Bass
Joey Baron: Drums
Yamatsuka Eye: Vocals
Kevin Sharp: guest vocals on Leng Tch'e

01 - Leng Tch'e (30:49)
02 - Strange Cargo (8:49)
03 - Asylum (2:47)
04 - Terkmani Teepe (5:43)
05 - Party Girl (3:58)
06 - Sunset Surfer (3:56)
07 - Blunt Instrument (1:39)
08 - Igneous Ejaculation (0:49)
09 - Slan (1:06)
10 - Speedfreaks (1:28)
11 - Bonehead (1:49)
12 - Piledriver (1:17)
13 - Blood Duster (1:02)
14 - Poisonhead (1:53)
15 - Catacombs (5:20)
16 - Thrash-Jazz Assassin (1:43)
17 - Hellraiser (2:28)
18 - Dead Spot (1:18)
19 - Sack of Shit (1:55)
20 - Metal Tov (3:05)
21 - Once Upon a Time in America (4:10)
22 - Snagglepuss (2:58)
23 - The Yodel (11:34)
24 - Bone Orchard (6:01)
25 - The List of Adrian Messenger (4:12)
26 - A Night in Tunisia (3:55)
27 - Osaka Bondage (2:24)
28 - Demon Sanctuary (1:03)
29 - Torture Garden (1:11)
30 - Blood Is Thin (1:34)
31 - Super Stupid (4:52)
32 - Blunt Instrument (1:26)
33 - Kaoru (1:26)
34 - Pistol Whipping (1:38)
35 - Facelifter (1:19)
36 - Numbskull (1:39)
37 - Shangkuan Ling-Feng (2:10)
38 - I Die Screaming (4:57)
39 - Anthem (4:16)

Download Here! - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16CGwiooKpLJvBZMoSN9ORxiaeNU-gWwZ?usp=share_link

https://archive.org/details/01-leng-tche

John Abercrombie, Dave Holland & Jack DeJohnette (Gateway Trio) - Basel, Switzerland, 29-06-1977 / Bootleg Download

Just some classic Jazz goodness here. 

This trio would go down in history as one of the most iconic of the late 70s. An all-star meeting of the artists that by 1975 had already made a name for themselves due to working with some of the giants of the genre, Gato Barbieri, Billy Cobham, Gil Evans, Enrico Rava, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Derek Bailey, Anthony Braxton, Charles Lloyd, Bill Evans, Joe Henderson, the list goes on, you get the gist of it. By the time the Gateway project was started these three had already stablished unique styles and dynamics of their own, and had even already crossed paths in some live and studio lineups, so when that first album came to be it was very clear from the beginning that something special had taken place. From the fact that there was a somewhat unusual dynamic between electric guitar-bass-drums that gave place to some remarkable Fusion showcasing all the influences and styles that the three had acquired throughout their careers up to that point, to the huge charm that the group had when it came to be open about their process; it was all really special. Those first two albums, which would go down as landmarks of the "early" ECM years, were truly something remarkable due to the huge personality and chemistry that the trio showcased with their performances. Even if on studio they saw themselves somewhat limited due to technical restrains, they still managed to convey a clear idea of their huge potential. Surprisingly enough they wouldn't perform many live gigs during that initial 70s run, but the opinion from those who were lucky enough to attend some performances was always the same: pure greatness.

The world of Jazz bootlegs is one that is much more messy than the already complicated one for rock, and that's mainly because until relatively recently, the mid 90s and early 2000s or such, there just didn't seem to be that big of an interest even from some dedicated purists to actually catalog dates for performances, even for a lot of the big names in the scene. That aspect makes it so that every year or couple of years a "lost recording" pops up within an artist's discography all of a sudden, which is definitely curious but still very welcomed with open arms. In the case of the Gateway trio they have their late period, those 1983 performances and the ones from the 90s era which are not really ones that make my marbles go wild, very well documented, but those initial mid 70s performances are just odd to try to stumble upon, specially due to the fact that most of the tapes available are audience recordings that definitely have the sound quality get in the way of really appreciating the sets. To me, and to a lot of folk, this initial run of 1975 to 1978 was the golden age, the one where all three were at the top of their game with a remarkable onstage chemistry, with the 76 and 78 performances showcasing that in full splendor. Even if their presentations were sparse they still managed to turn heads wherever they went, so finding any recording, specially in nice sound quality, that manages to properly document that is always a bliss. 

So that is what I bring here today, an apparent live radio broadcast recording of a gig they performed in Switzerland in 1977, a year before the release of their second album. One can already see the inclination towards longer pieces full of rich exchanges and powerful consistency throughout their whole run that would give birth to the massive A side of Gateway 2. It may be far from a flawless masterpiece of a performance, but it sure as hell is a blast to enjoy, with a very nice, clear, and enjoyable sound quality, ending up on a big gem to caress and treasure coming from one of the most delightful Jazz trios of the late 70s. 

Hope you enjoy!

From the notes found on the bootleg:

"This apparently comes from a Swiss radio broadcast so it is probably not the whole concert, but this seems to be the complete broadcast of it. I did not notice any cut songs in the recording, just one where the FM announcer talks over a song that fades out. There is a little static in some parts, but it's never very prominent and only in a few parts. I was able to remove the worst of it and the result is a pretty enjoyable recording. Etree doesn't even list 1977 as a year for Gateway trio playing any shows, although this one has songs not familiar to 1975 shows (Bremen and Hamburg) and I believe it really is from 1977. I saw Jack DeJohnette with Directions in Feb. of 1978 and in 76, don't think they played much if at all in 77 so this could be what he was up to. Tracks 3 and 6 end with some radio announcer talk (not a lot). Thanks to Paul in Germany for sharing this with me (close to 30 years ago, probably), he's a big Abercrombie fan (there are a few like that) and may have recorded this broadcast so this is likely either a 1st or 2nd gen copy source for this recording. It's very hard to find any less than a very nice show from this trio, no exception with this one. It's all jazz, some straight ahead, some fusey, some avant-garde. John and Jack have been making great music together for a long time and are as fitting a combo together in their style as Cobham and McLaughlin are in theirs (and Fripp and Bruford)." 

John Abercrombie - Guitar
Dave Holland - Bass
Jack DeJohnette - Drums

Basel, Switzerland, 29-06-1977

1. [untitled] (25:30)
2. [untitled] (10:00)
3. [untitled] (19:48)
4. [untitled] (9:02)
5. [untitled] (26:32)
6. [untitled] (24:54)

Download Here! - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DqP5ITi-GfdPzLkGzxjfa7ldy1Kbhykv?usp=sharing

Quatermass Live Archive (1970-1971) / Bootleg Download

Every musical genre, movement, or scene, throughout history has had more than its fair share of hidden gems or so called "cult classics" popping up to the eye of those who are interested. Context around why, when or how these projects come to acquire such status really varies. as to be expected, but if one was to pinpoint a characteristic that can be found among these is the fact that usually these come to be years, sometimes decades, after its official release; and in the reals of rock music these statuses are often given to bands that would only be around for one or two albums. Of course, some of these stand out more than others, and in the world of Progressive Rock there is no doubt that Quatermass is a band that perfectly encapsulates the definition of a group that has been given the reputation of "cult classic / hidden masterpiece" within the community. 

A power trio, classic ensemble in rock, that was odd because of the fact that the lead instrument wasn't a guitar, and also there was a complete lack of guitars, but keyboards, with these serving as the cornerstone of all the compositions. The trio was made up of musicians that were not amateurs by any means (all of them in fact had a steady musical career building up before Quatermass and it would keep expanding and growing after the trio's separation), keyboard player Peter Robinson and bassist John Gustafson met drummer Mick Underwood while in the band Episode Six, where they also made connections with Deep Durple due to Ian Gillan and Roger Glover also being part of that group, alongside Underwood's previous connections to Richie Blackmore due to both being members of The Outlaws. The three of them seemed to have built a rather clear idea of the musical direction they would be heading towards to, and it all landed on a rather unusual proposition coming from the classic formula of the power trio, even considering the fact that keyboard lead groups were starting to become fairly popular back then. Their one and only album, their self titled, had a very considerable budget, and Robinson would take advantage of that by complementing their instrumentals with a very rich use of string arrangements, this showing up in some songs more than others, ending up on a very tight record that had a lot to offer. 

So then, why didn't they succeed at first? Well, even considering the context of keyboard lead trios/ensembles becoming popular back then, Quatermass wasn't what one would call, very charming to the mainstream ear. They weren't overtly experimental or avant-garde by any means, but their sound was very heavy. Lack of guitar? Who gives a damn when Gustafson's sludgy bass takes over your ears while complementing the relentless keyboards. Even the string arrangements were heavy, songs like Laughin' Tackle have violin's dragging down notes and cellos being ominous in the background, complementing the very powerful dynamic of the trio, and that essence can be found throughout the entire record. All the tracks were not slow or simple in their execution either, the rich musical backgrounds of each musician lead to the entire thing being full of very unusual dynamics, layered compositions, and various musical sections to be found within one song, rightly gaining their title of having being a very unique progressive band for the context of the early 70s. Of course, that kind of sound becoming a popular thing wasn't an impossible sight to conceive or to behold, but maybe due to the wrong time or the wrong place their proposal sadly fell under deaf ears, with the public initially being cold towards their main single and then evolving into the album not performing well on the charts. The band would split in 1971, with each member moving towards different projects, but eventually the album would get a second chance when Blackmore would cover their single "Black Sheep of the Family" with Rainbow, giving a new afterlife to the trio and the album slowly gaining attention and love, growing and growing more and more until the self titled would end up reaching a very special status in music circles. But it was too late, by 1971 Quatermass was no more, and the hopes for another album would just have to be hardly swallowed by the hoards of new fans coming into the music in the mid 70s... 

...I honestly could never fully get into the album...

It is a weird situation really. I do think that the debut is both unique and a very tight musical proposition full of personality with great attitude that floods every single track. But as a whole it definitely was a band that was still searching for an identity that was fully their own. Influences are there, and even if the band manages to give them their special touch to not feel as blatant copies, it is still fairly obvious to point towards where they were dragging inspiration from, specially with Gustafson's vocals and all the chorus parts of the shorter songs (which are the lighter parts of the record). It is not a bad thing by any means, but there are a bunch of songs on the album, specially "Post War", "Up On The Ground" and "Laughin' Tackle", that work on another level. THESE are the cornerstones, the authentic potential from the group that was promising and where the trio really let themselves loose in their creativity, where Robinson showed his real strength with both the arrangements and him serving as the foundation of their compositions, and where all three members were really able to truly showcase their best. It is not a bad album by any means, but there is a clear set of highlights that really show a glimpse at what this band could have become in the future if all things had gone their way.

And there may not have been a second album, but there are bootlegs. Listening to these live recordings makes me even more sad at the fact that they were not able to continue with the development of their sound and their ideas in a studio setting, because all that aspect of the highlights that I was mentioning a few lines ago is what floods their sets. Longwinded and overwhelming compositions and jams that are full of life and that showcase the incredible dynamic that the trio had onstage. Their chemistry? Off this world, specially in the longer pieces, with every single second being used to their advantage and even considering that all of these are very subpar audience recordings the band is loud, it is heavy, and it is relentless. This was the real potential of Quatermass, songs like Laughin' Tackle and the massive Monsters in Paradise showcase the trio in full splendor. I bring to you three bootlegs, three live recordings full of all that could have been if the band was able to keep going with this project. Even with the sound quality stumbling upon these after I listened to the able gave me a new perspective on their whole history, of why they were very popular in the underground at first but not due to their album, but due to their live shows. 

One of these recordings is from 1970, the year the album released, and you can see their focus towards the musical style that they really wanted to keep going with, as well as starting to truly develop songs like Monsters In Paradise. But both 1971 boots really just put their entire potential on a real perspective, with them really developing their strong points, their long winded pieces, with all three members on top of their game. This whole situation really makes me feel very bittersweet. Because even if I don't consider their one and only official album to be this big masterpiece or classic that every prog fan should listen to, I do have a big appreciation towards this band. Because if they had been allowed to keep going with their ideas they would have most likely ended up with a follow up that was of much higher quality than the studio recordings we were left with, their true masterpiece, full of a sound that was 100% their own. Sadly, that never came to be. Underwood would try to bring back the concept of Quatermass with Quatermass II in the late 90s, but with the absence of Gustafson and Robinson (which, let's be honest, were the real meat and bone of the group) it just wasn't the same. All three would go on to be part of different projects, playing with Roxy Music, David Bowie or different members of Deep Purple, but the sound and the ideas that came with Quatermass died with the separation of the trio. One can only wonder what could have been.

But alas, and as I was mentioning earlier, by 1971 Quatermass was no more... but these subpar recordings showcasing a very promising trio help to keep the listener intrigued and the flame of thinking "what could have been" alive for a little longer... and that's always nice to see with these little pebbles in the endless road of music history.

Quatermass Were

John Gustafson - Bass, Vocals

Peter Robinson - Keyboards

Mick Underwood - Drums

Quatermass - Stadttheater, Bern, Switzerland, 09-11-1970

1. One Blind Mice (6:58)

2. Monster In Paradise (8:10)

3. Post War, Saturday Echo (12:25)

4. Laughing Tackle (12:27)

5. Unknown (7:51)

Quatermass - Rheingoldhalle, Neckarau, West Germany, 14-03-1971

1. Monsters In Paradise (22:09)

2. Make Up Your Mind (15:07)

3. Gemini (8:22)

Quatermass - Deutschlandhalle, Berlin 03-04-1971

1. Monsters In Paradise (28:33)

2. One Blind Mice (3:30)

3. Make Up Your Mind (14:25)

4. Laughing Tackle (6:40)

5. Laughing Tackle (Cont.) (8:06)

6. Lucille (3:52)

7. Gemini (BBC Session) (5:36)

Download Here! - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12DsCBP-NhjJo-aBsJROn-L5v-rEiIGvL?usp=sharing

Peter Cat Recording Co. - Created Somewhere, Somehow / Bootleg Download

 

Damaged By The Sea, The Sun Plays Over Me

There was only a very brief span of time in my life where I thought of the place I was living in as a real "Home". 

It is a very eerie feeling that one. You live most of your life going from place to place and living with different people, having different experiences and emotions running through you and next to you, but most of the time you are actually conscious of being IN that place the feeling of belonging, of actually being comfortable and warm, of feeling welcomed not only by the people who are there with you, but by the atmosphere that is created when you are just alone in your room... all of that is absent. With time you learn how to cope with that weird sensation, with those odd emotions, but you never really get completely over them. That is why in those instances music is just ideal to feel something keeping you company.

But even among that, there is a very special type of music that is hard to come by. It is music that somehow manages to evoke that missing feeling that somehow, even if it is for a very brief amount of time, manages to fill that gap. Peter Cat Recording Co., a project mostly associated with the frontman Suryakant Sawhney more than any other member, are a band from New Delhi that have been around for more than a decade at this point, but have just only started to properly gather attention due to them being signed up to the Panaque label in 2018. Their first full length album with them, Bismillah, was well received by the public in general, but it was full of songs that had been part of the band's catalog for years. And if there is a thing that is so special about the band's music is the fact that despite its nature, it all somehow manages to perfectly fall in that type of hard-to-find special kind of work mentioned beforehand. 

The wonderful thing about music, or just media in general really, is that all of it is created somewhere, somehow. Sounds evident, sounds dull to say or read, but it is true, and that is such a wonderful thing. Unless one is very interested, there really is no real need to actually dive into the why, what, who, when or where of a project, specially when it is something that is able to convey all the essential things about it by itself. In the case of this band that is something that is incredibly relevant. Yeah, knowing about their influence on the new wave of original Indian artists and bands that came to be due to a need to fill the market with art that came from within the country rather than having to depend on projects made abroad, and that has been slowly rising and leaking to the rest of the world due to its creativity and variety, helps to understand their relevance, but the simple fact that they got signed into a European label gives it away subtly. Knowing about Suryakant's burning interests in expressing himself through his craft regardless of the type of medium that he chooses to do so at any giving moment and looking to do so in the most genuine way possible certainly helps to understand a lot of the mentality behind the band and their catalog, all of this complemented by going even further and looking into all of the influences that the members bring to the table, from gypsy jazz and oldschool cabaret music, noise pop and indie rock, blending it all together on a catalog that is widely varied, but that somehow manages to be full of a unique and recognizable sound and a vibrant personality. But, as they say, the music already speaks for itself, and its voice is louder and more eloquent than any other things attempting to describe it. 

It is music that doesn't really look forward to fit in between a specific time or place, let alone a particular genre, movement or aesthetic. It is music that in its barebones manages to do something truly special: getting a wide reach due to its raw and deeply personal emotions, its humanity, having it all executed on a well-crafted, passionate and genuine way.    

Whenever I listen to these recordings, and to that first version of Memory Box in particular, it is not just a matter of having a better appreciation at the evolution and variety of their songwriting, their very tight performances, or the fascinating aspect of its deceiving straightforwardness; it is mainly that, despite all of those other virtues, it is music that makes me feel welcomed into a very pleasant and memorable atmosphere, finally at a home where I can feel at ease. It evokes a feeling of belonging to that time and place, of sitting calmly as if one was hypnotized by the band performing in front of them, mesmerized by the beautiful music that is being showcased to them. It is not perfect, and it certainly is far from being among my absolute favorites, but it is something that has perfectly cemented itself as a very special thing to me. Memorable to the point where I have constantly found myself going back to it again and again throughout these last few years, and I doubt that will really change anytime soon.

I don't really know how long it will take for me to really "feel at home again", but at least I can wait. As long as I have this music keeping me company I just know the holdup isn't going to be unpleasant because I have something that is always going to be welcoming me back with open arms. And I will forever be grateful for that.

Kappa TV Music Mojo Season 3 (December 2015)

1. 1989 (3:20)
2. Clouds (3:47)
3. Clown (4:20)
4. Copulations (5:06)
5. Flies (6:16)
6. Love Demon (7:41)
7. Memory Box (6:58)
8. Namonia (5:23)
9. Nugypsy (4:51)
10. Pariquel (4:50)
11. Roses (5:19)
12. Wear Down (4:42)

Depot48 Presents Peter Cat Recording Co. (November 2017)

13. Happiness (5:10)
14. The Clown On The 22nd Floor (6:02)
15. Memory Box (8:25)

Le Mellotron, Paris, France (June 6th, 2019)

16. Floated By (4:53)
17. Remains (4:59)
18. Shit I'm Dreaming (5:36)
19. I'm Home (5:29)

Download Here! - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14mkI3japJTzRNTLol9wdbJ_dXkSs1yyL?usp=sharing