Wednesday, April 27, 2011

QUEEN - Houston, TX 1977 {MP3 & .WMA}

OMG, I like totally can't decide what I'm more psyched about: the Royal Wedding on Friday, or the first box set of brand-new, 40th anniversary Queen remasters (out May 17 on our side of the pond).

I well remember, exactly 20 years ago, the first Queen remasters -- actually the first domestic CDs of Queen's Elektra albums -- coming out, along with their bittersweet studio swan song Innuendo, on Disney's Hollywood Records; what an odd fit that seemed, but I was so glad that one of my all-time favorite bands might again get some shred of recognition and even respect in the benighted U.S. of A. at last!

Little did I realize at the time how Freddie's death late in 1991, coupled with the high silliness of the hit Wayne's World movie, then the massive Tribute Concert in April '92 (of which I was a lucky and proud attendee), would bring the boys roaring back to American and even greater global consciousness. 20 years later, they've still never left, long since universally acclaimed and beloved as one of the very top British bands of all time.

(However, the latest slab of printed pomposity from Mount Rolling Stone, its new "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" list, slights the band as always by placing them no higher than number 52. That's behind both Run-DMC and Public Enemy, which can only be called a bad joke. While hip-hop's inexplicably enduring popularity is an unfortunate given, Rolling Stone's tiresome insistence on placing this shallow, monotonous, artless genre on the same level of historical -- not to mention musical -- importance as rock, blues, soul and jazz is at once hilarious, pathetic, and reeking of middle-aged desperation to appear "down with the kids." Alrighty! End of digression.)

Anyway: 1977. In pop culture terms, I recall that long-ago-and-far-far-away year as being entirely about three things for me: Star Wars, KISS and Queen. Having recently graduated from Sesame Street and Disney 45s to my first rock record, the gift of Elton John's Greatest Hits LP, I was now, at age eight, striking out on my own, and in 1977 that meant KISS' monstrous Alive II and Queen's expansive, eclectic News of the World, which were released only two weeks apart.

This brilliant 28-track behemoth of a bootleg comes from that tour, and is widely esteemed as a quintessential Queen concert. The sound is rip-roaringly great and it features all the hits and deep cuts you could want, everything from punk slammers "Stone Cold Crazy" and "Sheer Heart Attack" to gossamer delights "The Millionaire Waltz" and "My Melancholy Blues." If you're as tickled as I am by the idea of Freddie trilling the outrageously queer "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" to 16,000 fans deep in the heart of Texas, then this is most assuredly the show for you.

Here's to a right Royal weekend, my darlings!

QUEEN
The Summit - Houston, TX - December 11, 1977
(SBD @320 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

(Also: .wma @192 kbps)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

Note: Top links are 320 kbps MP3s, bottom are the .wma files I orignally posted. This is such a sweet-ass boot that I will leave both sets active for you all.

PS -- The reason I posted the "Definitive Edition" DVD cover above is that since I've heard the pro-shot tape of the complete concert is one of the absolute best Queen video boots ever -- which might explain why it's proven impossible to purchase so far, and I don't download video -- I'm hoping that somehow it'll magically manifest one of these days. Anyone...anyone...any way the wind blows...?

Friday, April 22, 2011

BRIAN WILSON - London, England 2004 ("SMiLE" Live!)

In a hurry to get home to the family, but I wanted to thank "Anonymous" who kindly furnished me, on my previous Brian Wilson post, with the below links to this magnificent live boot from the very first concert performances of Brian Wilson's legendary "SMiLE", inexorably emerging as my favorite album of all time.

It's all here and much much more -- 40-some tracks worth! Thanks also to whoever in the lucky audience recorded the show: job well done, very well done indeed.

Smile on, y'all!

BRIAN WILSON
"SMiLE" Live!
Royal Festival Hall - London, England - February 24, 2004 (AUD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

THE STROKES - Cannes, France 2008

Headed out on a road trip up to my beloved Napa, but wanted to leave you with a sweet boot from those loose, louche, always too-cool-for-school boys known as the Strokes.

I believe their new LP, Angles, happens to be their strongest since Is This It, the epochal debut of ten years ago (!) now. Quality live boots of the band seem to be in short supply, but this powerful, 18-track soundboard is surely one.

Till next time, lay chilly...

THE STROKES
Eurock - Cannes, France - April 23, 2008 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD

Friday, April 1, 2011

DEVO - Boston, MA 1982

As promised, one last live Deev boot from the Orpheum in Boston.

No foolin': it's wicked pissa!

DEVO
Orpheum Theatre - Boston, MA - November 11, 1982
(SBD @256 kbps)
DOWNLOAD