Category: Uncategorized

Tom Waits – Frankfurt, Germany (12/11/85)

Tom Waits
Kongressehalle
Frankfurt – DE
12-11-1985

This is yet another one of the rare shows that you often hear about but never find anywhere.(courtesy of M.R. archive) ;O)
Thank you very much to my good friend the Italian gentleman Mauro Verona for sharing this gem. :o)

Quality : B

Lineage :
Source: Audience > unknown generation cassette
Wav > WavePad Sound Editor > Flac

Artwork included.

Tracklist:

  1. Underground
  2. Walking Spanish
  3. 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six
  4. Jockey Full Of Bourbon
  5. Tango Till They’re Sore
  6. Ruby’s Arms
  7. I Beg Your Pardon
  8. Take Care Of All My Children
  9. In The Neighborhood
  10. Cemetery Polka
  11. Down, Down, Down
  12. Shore Leave
  13. Rain Dogs
  14. Big Black Mariah
  15. Downtown Train
  16. Band Introductions
  17. $29.00
  18. 9th & Hennepin
  19. I Wish I Was In New Orleans
  20. Singapore
  21. Blue Valentines

Rare double LP set recorded Live at Kongresshalle Frankfurt, Germany, 12 November 1985 (audience recording).
Released in Germany as a bootleg called “I Sing You Under The Table”, possibly 1986.
Numbered edition of 333 copies (33 on red/blue vinyl).
Gatefold cover, handmade silk-screen printing!
Each label is custom-stamped with a different stamp.
Also, Side 1 is backed with side 3 and side 2 backed with side 4.

The track listed on the bootleg coverart as Part Of The Act is actually the first 20 seconds of Ruby’s Arms,
which suddenly stops due to a microphone feedback, after which and Tom goes into
some impromptu piano playing and storytelling.
Take Care Of All My Children is listed as I’m Goin’ To See My Lord.

Tom Waits – Minneapolis, MN (11/01/87)

Tom Waits
Minneapolis, MN USA
Orpheum Theater
1 November 1987
stereo audience recording
(01:45:20)

CONTRAST CLAUSE:
Another recording of this performance – made by a different taper and recorded with different equipment – is running here:
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=573197

cassette side A (30:17.62):
A01. Intro / piano roll: Atmosphere; Rachmaninov 2nd Piano Concerto (00:16.08)
A02. Hang On St. Christopher (02:39.44)
A03. 16 Shells From a Thirty Ought Six (04:08.64)
A04. Down In The Hole (06:21.04)
A05. Gun Street Girl (04:30.44)
A06. comments (used erotica) / introduction (wolf boy) (02:10.49)
A07. Cold Cold Ground (03:23.41)
A08. Yesterday Is Here (02:36.61)
A09. Telephone Call From Istanbul (04:10.47)
cassette side B (28:58.30):
B01. Straight To The Top (Vegas) (09:02.43)
B02. comments (shoes / fashion) / boiler room (02:06.72)
B03. I Wish I Was In New Orleans (04:07.22)
B04. comments (Bob’s airport / 4H Club) (01:02.28)
B05. Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis (04:31.22)
B06. Jitterbug Boy > Johnsburg Illinois > Jitterbug Boy (04:51.24)
B07. Frank’s Wild Years (03:16.44)
cassette side C (26:03.49):
C01. comments (doctor) (00:35.53)
C02. Innocent When You Dream (04:56.59)
C03. Midtown (instrumental) (01:26.26)
C04. Underground (02:28.68)
C05. Clap Hands (04:41.22)
C06. comments (bad days) (00:56.19)
C07. More Than Rain (03:05.48)
C08. Singapore (02:45.00)
C09. introduction: Rain Dogs (00:43.53)
C10. Rain Dogs (03:28.30)
[end of main set]
cassette side D (20:56.44):
encore:
D01. comments (trouble light) (00:31.60)
D02. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag James Brown
D03. 9th & Hennepin (04:03.30)
D04. Blind Love (04:36.09)
D05. band introductions (02:25.35)
D06. Walking Spanish (04:02.38)
D07. Straight To The Top (02:50.17)

voice, guitar, piano, bullhorn, space gun: Tom Waits
personnel – introduced as “The Mighty Flourescents”:
all saxophones, baritone horn, marimba: Ralph Carney
upright bass, Vox electric: Greg Cohen
guitar, banjo, trumpet: Marc Ribot
drums, percussion: Michael Blair
accordion, keyboard: Willie “The Squeeze” Schwarz

Digitizing notes [J-dot; 2016]:

source [1987]:
1st-gen. copies of master cassettes [2 Maxell XL-II-S C-60 (High Bias)]

lineage [1987]:
Sony D-6 portable stereo recording cassette deck / unknown mic > master cassettes (2 C-90 cassettes) > 1st-gen. copies of master cassettes [fade-in/out applied during transfer; possibly some minor EQ (?); level adjustment (applause; stereo imaging / balance)] >

lineage [2016]:
Nakamichi LX-3 cassette deck [Azimuth adjustment applied to playback head] > Edirol R-04 [RCA/analog in; 24-bit/48kHz transfer (.wav)] > PC [via USB] > CD Wave Editor [Version 1.98; Windows Build Number: 0000.23F0] (sector boundary tracking) > Trader’s Little Helper [Version 2.7.0; Build 172] (Level 8 .wav > .flac conversion)

[additional notes from J. : 2016]:
The source for this version was made from my own re-compiled 1st-gen master tapes, shortly after the concert. As with so many live tapes I made back then, I would often consolidate segments from multiple cassettes onto one tape, applying fade-ins, fade-outs, and occasionally, some equalization in the process. If only I still had those original tapes!

Working on the “Mr. Smith” recording of this performance got me a bit excited. Nearly thirty years later, it was the first time I had seen another source for that show other than my own, and I held my breath, in the hopes that the other taper might have caught the last three songs which I missed, due to failing batteries. Alas, it was not to be the case, after all. Still, it provided the incentive for me to revisit my own recording; and I was curious how it would fare on one of the NAK decks I had picked up recently. I was nearly certain that I had already digitized this in the past, but after a good bit of research, there was no evidence of having actually done so. If it’s true that I never actually got around to it before, than this might possibly be the first digitized version from this source recording, unless someone can prove otherwise.

As this particular recording has long been one of my absolute favorites, it’s kind of ironic that at the time, I wasn’t even remotely a fan, but the young woman I was fond of at the time was a huge fan, so naturally I didn’t waste any time getting tickets, and was lucky enough to score some tickets in the fifth row (which as it turned out, did wonders for the quality of the recording). If I had been indifferent about the show when I walked into the venue, that feeling was completely gone by the end of the show; it was one of the few performances I can say was truly memorable.

For reasons I will never know, my batteries – which were brand new right before the show – chose to stop working as Waits returned to stage and began singing “Time”. I tried starting the deck again, but I could see the battery light had lost its’ glow, and I kind of knew it was a lost cause. He followed that with “Train Song”, which was also not recorded, and then left the stage again, to return a few minutes later for one final encore. I believe I was actually fighting back tears when the first notes of “Tom Traubert’s Blues” began, and I realized I was not going to be able to convince my tape deck to record one more note.

Once outside, we decided to loiter in the parking lot behind the venue, where the tour bus was parked. I hadn’t realized that the wall I was leaning on while lighting my cigarette was in fact a door, until it suddenly jerked open and nearly knocked me to the ground. “Oh! Sorry, man!”, I heard a familiar voice exclaim, as a spritely fellow quickly reached out to help me back on my feet; and once I was upright, the voice quipped, “Hey, can I get a light from you?” Of course, I immediately recognized him as the same character I had just spent the past two hours watching on stage. My friend and I chatted with him for a few minutes about nothing in particular, before others started to congregate in the lot, and we knew it was time to say goodbye. I know I silently cursed the batteries in my deck for not working, since it was still strapped under my jacket, and it would have been fun to have recorded our meaningless little chat.

Four days later, recording for “Big Time” began, on November 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. When that concert film came out, I honestly felt that I had a recording that better captured the energy of Tom Waits in performance mode, but I suppose every taper must think that about at least one of their own recordings. It’s all good, as the kids like to say.

“I Wish I Was In New Orleans” and “9th & Hennepin” are complete on this recording.

This recording is incomplete.
Songs missing:
Time
Train Song
Tom Traubert’s Blues

additional notes [01001010; 2016]:
J. was pretty sure that he had digitized this before and that it had been on the DIME tracker, but we couldn’t find any notes in the physical archives, and there doesn’t seem to be any mention of it in the DIME-bot-list. If anyone can confirm that it was shared digitally, please let us know! In any case, this sounds pretty good – enjoy!

The “Sonic Archives” Tapes.
Made available to the world through the collaborative resources of these people:
Recorded [1987]; digitized [2016]; technical notes [2016] by J. Free [sonicarchives.com]
Uploaded; additional comments: 01001010

Dedicated to tapesfor2, who had this to say about my efforts to preserve the Sonic Archives tape collection:
“You shouldn’t have. His recordings were at ‘best’ personal souvenirs. They were not quality recordings. They should not be shared. Those tapes belong on a waste dump.”

Act of Violence (1948)

cover

Robert Ryan was made to play tough guys and villains. He just had that look about him. In Act of Violence, he plays a guy who is menacing another man played by Van Heflin. At first, Ryan’s character seems like a villain, he’s stalking Heflin’s character for no apparent reason. Heflin’s character seems like good guy, he’s helped the community and has an ice wife (played by a young Janet Leigh). We’ve seen that sort of thing a million times in movies.

But this film has something else in mind. Ryan’s character is more complex, he’s more justified in his acts of terror. While the seemingly nice guy Heflin is playing has a dark past.

It is a terrifical little crackerjack film noir and you can read my full review here.

Macbeth (1948)

macbeth

For a long time, I would have said Hamlet was my favorite Shakespearean play. It’s got some of the best lines, it has a powerhouse performance at its center, and it has one gnarly finale. But somewhere along the line, I’ve come to love Macbeth more. It has some great lines as well, but I find the storyline more nuanced and satisfying.

I’ve seen (and reviewed) multiple cinematic adaptations and I recently got to watch a Blu-ray of Orson Welles’ take on the Scottish Play. He filmed it on a shoestring budget and it more or less bombed at the box office and is generally considered one of his lesser efforts. I thought it was better than its reputation, but still not my favorite adaptation of the play.

You can read my full review here.

Pink Floyd – New York, NY (09/27/70)

Pink Floyd
Fillmore East, New York, NY, USA
1970.09.27

Source/Lineage: audience / cass[low]>cdr(?)>flac > wav > Adobe Audition 1.5 (minor editing) > Cdwav (track splitting) > TLH > FLAC

  1. Astronomy Domine [10:51]
  2. Green is the Colour [3:32]
  3. Careful with that Axe, Eugene [9:55]
  4. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun [11:42]
  5. Fat Old Sun [11:46]

Total Length: 47:47

The Rolling Stones – Chicago, IL (06/27/24)

Rolling Stones
Soldier Field
Chicago, Illinois
June 27, 2024

Source: DPA 4060 => Tascam DR-2d
Conversion: WAV => Audio Cleaning Lab => FLAC (16-bit)

Location: Section 130, 1st row

Track listing:

CD1 (63:15):
(1) Intro (0:10)
(2) Start Me Up (4:15)
(3) Get Off Of My Cloud (3:51)
(4) It’s Only Rock and Roll (4:50)
(5) Angry (4:51)
(6) Banter (0:48)
(7) She’s a Rainbow (3:45)
(8) Wild Horses (5:08)
(9) Mess It Up (5:55)
(10) Tumbling Dice (5:42)
(11) You Can’t Always Get What You Want (7:09)
(12) Band introductions (4:44)
(13) Tell Me Straight (4:05)
(14) Little T&A (4:14)
(15) Happy (3:42)

CD2 (56:27):
(1) Sympathy For The Devil (7:09)
(2) Honky Tonk Women (4:39)
(3) Midnight Rambler (11:59)
(4) Banter (0:27)
(5) Gimme Shelter (6:47)
(6) Paint It Black (4:49)
(7) Jumping Jack Flash (4:31)
(8) Encore break (3:01)
(9) Sweet Sounds of Heaven (6:04)
(10) (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (6:57)

There are no fades applied to this recording; if you choose to burn to CD, the above splits are just a suggestion.

Comments: This recording captures the first of two nights of the Rolling Stones in Chicago on the last dates of the U.S. leg of their “Hackney Diamonds” tour. Great show, with a good mix of material from the 1960s through today, including four songs from their most recent album. Sound quality is pretty good but not great; I was in the front row of the section right off the floor at roughly the 50-yard line; as a result, there was minimal crowd interference (there was nobody in front of me) but I wasn’t as close to the PA as I would have liked. Overall I was happy with this recording, and in the absence of other sources I would imagine that most Stones fans will be too.

In terms of performances, the Stones are always entertaining at this stage of their career, although there were some noticeable flubs. Listen to the opening notes of “Start Me Up” and “Satisfaction” to hear some clunkers from Keith. It’s not the 1970s anymore but this band still delivers better than most rock bands a generation (or more) younger. Overall an enjoyable recording.

David Bowie – London, Canada (05/14/04)

David Bowie
John Labatt Centre
London, ON, Canada
14th May 2004

FM radio broadcast of a selection from the set…

Recorded by Soledriver…

Radio Broadcast > Technics Tuner > Aiwa Tape Deck >
Tascam DA-20 Mk 2 DAT machine > HHb burnit CDr recorder…no EQ
CDr > EAC > Traders Little Helper > Flac8 sector aligned

01 – New Killer Star
02 – Cactus (Pixies cover)
03 – Sister Midnight (iggy Pop cover)
04 – All the Young Dudes
05 – The Loneliest Guy
06 – Under Pressure
07 – Station to Station
08 – Ashes to Ashes
09 – Quicksand
10 – Modern Love
11 – I’m Afraid Of Americans
12 – “Heroes”

David Bowie – vocals, guitars, stylophone, harmonica
Earl Slick – guitar
Gerry Leonard – guitar
Gail Ann Dorsey – bass guitar, backing vocals
Sterling Campbell – drums
Mike Garson – keyboards, piano
Catherine Russell – keyboards, percussion, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

Feel free to do whatever you like with this recording as long as you don’t charge money for it!
MP3, Who Cares? Just remember to support the artists, and live music!!

The Who – East Rutherford, NJ (10/10/82)

The Who
Brendan Byrne Arena
East Rutherford, NJ, USA
10th October 1982

New Jersey Soundboard

Disc 1
1.Intro.
2.My Generation
3.I Can’t Explain
4.Dangerous
5. Sister Disco
6.The Quiet One
7. It’s Hard
8. Eminence Front
9. Behind Blue Eyes
10. Baba O’Riley
11. Drowned
12. Athena
13. Cry If You Want

Disc 2

  1. Audience
  2. Who Are You
  3. Pinball Wizard
  4. See Me, Feel Me
  5. 5:15
  6. Love, Reign O’er Me
  7. Long Live Rock
  8. Substitute
  9. Won’t Get Fooled Again
  10. Summertime Blues
  11. Twist and Shout

Demons (1985) & Demons 2 (1986)

bluray

It occurs to me that having moved all my music posts to the other site, I’m going to need to figure out ways to post to this site on a regular basis. I was posting music every day and then occasionally talking about movies and such like. But without the music, this place is gonna look a little barren.

I’m hoping to step up my game a little. An easy way to do that is to keep going through my Cinema Sentries posts and linking to them here.

First up are a couple of “classic” Lamberto Bava horror flicks. I recently upgraded my Blu-ray player to a 4K UHD one and these were the first films I watched on it.

The films are ridiculous, and bonkers, and so, so much fun.

You can read my review here.

The Movie Journal: July 2024

movie

I am working diligently on getting the new site up and running. I’ve been able to import most of my favorite artists and have started importing all of the many artists who I don’t really collect but whom I have one or two or three shows from. There are a ton of them so that is going to be a slow process.

I suspect I’ll go ahead and start letting people in next week. But I’ll have more on that once I’m ready.

Clearly, I’ve not been posting to this site as I’ve been doing all that work on the new one. But The Midnight Cafe is important to me. I hope to continue writing about movies and other things even though I’m moving the music sharing elsewhere. As such I wanted to go ahead and do my regular movie breakdown for February.

I watched 41 movies in July. 35 of them were new to me. 15 of them were made before I was born. This month’s theme was Sci-Fi in July and I watched 21 movies in that genre (more or less, science fiction is hard to pin down). I watched two movies from 2024, one of which (Maxxxine) I actually watched in the theater.

I quite enjoyed watching science fiction films this month. That’s a genre I like, but don’t necessarily gravitate towards. So it was fun digging into it a little bit, although as usual, I didn’t do as much writing about it as I wanted to.

actorsx

The actor’s list stayed pretty much the same this month save for Christopher Lee jumping into that four-way tie for third place with six films watched. I caught a couple of his Hammer Horror films this month.

directors

The director’s field changed a bit with Terence Fisher entering the scene in first place with five films. He helmed a bunch of those Hammer Horror films and the wife and I have been watching a lot of them this year. George Cukor also entered the list with three films. There are at least 16 directors with two films on the list. At this point of the year, I start thinking about these contests, so I’ll probably start planning some viewings from a few of these directors.

Here’s the full list:

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) ****
Demons 2 (1986) ***1/2
Demons (1985) ****
Your Name. (2016) ****
It Should Happen to You (1954) ****
The Gorgon (1964) ***1/2
Phase IV (1974) ****
Stolen Face (1952) **
Limbo (2023) ***1/2
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) ***1/2
The Return of Godzilla (1984) ****
Lady Terminator (1989) ***
Tchao Pantin (1983) ****
Ten Little Indians (1989) ***
The Evil (1978) ***1/2
Brightburn (2019) ***
The Quiet Earth (1985) ****
Doctor Who: The Romans (1965) ***1/2
The More the Merrier (1943) ****
Stargate (1994) ***
Sphere (1998) **
Lady Frankenstein (1971) ***1/2
Eyewitness (1981) ***1/2
The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) ***1/2
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) ***1/2
The Canyons (2013) *1/2
MaXXXine (2024) ***1/2
The Good German (2006) ***1/2
Bandits of Orgosolo (1961) ****1/2
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940) ***
Poor Things (2023) ****
Virus (1980) ***
The City of the Dead (1960) ****
The Night Strangler (1973) ***
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) ****
Barbarella (1968) ***1/2
Akira (1988) ****
I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) ***
Palm Springs (2020) ****
Paprika (2006) ****