CONCERT TAPES
7/7/93 Santa Monica, CA "1st KCRW Appearence"
-Loser
-Mexico
-Death Is Coming To Get You
-Whimsical Actress
-Pay No Mind
-MTV Makes Me Wanna Smoke Crack |
Cool show, with an interview mixed in between the performances. It was right around the time "Loser" was just breaking and he in fact gives a cool, funny performance of it. "Whimsical Actress" kicks ass and should've been recorded in the studio, if you ask me. "Loser" is sung to a tape, but the rest of the songs are Beck and his drummer, Dallas. "Mexico" was officially released.
3/1/94 Santa Monica, CA "2nd KCRW Appearence"
-Bogusflow
-Dead Man With No Heart
-Hard To Compete
-It's All In Your Mind
-Howling Wolves
-It's All Gonna Come To Be |
Another go-around on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" - this time with Chris Ballew (later of Presidents of the United States of America) as his cohort. The two are totally in sync and perform a great set of songs. "Bogusflow" is one of my favorite songs, as is "It's All In Your Mind". "Howling Wolves" is a bizarre sound song that the two cooked up right before the show (like Bon Jovi in a vacuum cleaner).
3/30/94 Boston, MA (45 min)
-Ballad of Mexico
-Special People
-One Foot In The Grave
-Pay No Mind (Snoozer)
-Fuckin With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)
-Fume | -Soul Suckin Jerk
-Blackhole
-Loser
-closing jam |
Recording isn't good at all really and the audience is noisy and kinda bored. The show itself is kind of disorganized. "Fuckin With My Head" is a good, grungy version. And I wish I had a better live recording of "Blackhole", because it's a great song.
6/26/94 First Avenue Club, Minneapolis, MN "Total Paranoia" (90 min)
-Corvette Bummer
-Colour Coordinated
-Fuckin With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)
-Mutherfuker
-Fume
-Got No Mind
-Asskiss Powergrudge (Payback '94!)
-Burnt Orange Peel
-Scavenger | -Bogusflow
-unknown
-One Foot In The Grave
-John Hardy
-Alcohol
-Loser
-Minus
-Blackhole
-Beercan |
A very good recording, perfectly listenable and a neat show. It's relatively early in Beck's career, so it's got a cool setlist (even "Minus", to be released a couple of years later on "Odelay"). A lot of the songs have some bizarre sounds ("Beercan"), and there are some spur-of-the-moment, rare tunes ("John Hardy" and "Scavenger").
10/28/94 Toad's Place, New Haven, CT (90 min) "Suicidal Jerk"
-Soul Suckin Jerk
-Fume
-Fuckin With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)
-Casio
-Thunder Peel
-Corvette Bummer
-Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997
-Asshole
-I Get Lonesome
-One Foot in the Grave
-Loser | -Glut
-Maximum Potential
-Blackhole
-Beercan
-Mutherfuker
-Jimmy Carter |
A very good audience recording with a few static-y sections and at times a noisy audience. I love these 1994 shows. "Casio" is a fascinating little rap. I wish I could figure out the words. "I Get Lonesome" ends with a long, cool spoken-word poem thing. "Blackhole" and "One Foot In The Grave" are some of the best performances of these songs ever.
12/1/94 Paris, France (45 min)
-Fuckin With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)
-Thunder Peel
-Soul Suckin Jerk
-Got No Mind
-Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997
-Alcohol
-It's All In Your Mind | -One Foot In The Grave
Grinnin' In Your Face
-Loser
Flavor
-Touch Of Class
-Sleeping Bag |
Very very good quality recording from a French radio broadcast (complete with French announcer). The performance is a good one and Beck's voice is clear and many times the lyrics are understandable (eg. "Thunder Peel"). During "One Foot in the Grave", Beck sings the Son House song "Grinnin' In Your Face"s lyrics instead. "Loser" has lots of adlibbed lyrics, including a couple of lines from Beck's rap on the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion song "Flavor". Highly recommended tape.
Jan. '96 (I think), Andrew Denton Show, Australia
-Beercan
-Hit Me With Your Best Shot |
My favorite live version of "Beercan" is followed by a not-as-complete-as-one-would-hope version of the Pat Benatar classic. It's basically just the chorus, breaking down into noise. Musical guests on Denton have to spin a wheel or something like that and then perform whatever song turns up, I believe.
1/5/96 Summersault Festival, Adelaide, Australia
-Sleeping Bag (cuts in)
-Puttin It Down
-Pay No Mind
-Hotwax (Beatbox)
-Nitemare Hippy Girl
-Girl Dreams
-Fume | -Hollow Log
-Dead Melodies
-Cyanide Breathmint
-One Foot In The Grave |
A clear, but imperfect recording. Kind of fuzzy and tinny, but still clear. It is just Beck by himself on stage, no band. On "Hotwax", he pulls someone out of the audience to beatbox for him as he raps. He only does the first 1.5 verses, and not the Spanish chorus. It's awesome to hear a live "Nitemare Hippy Girl", though he sort of forgets the words at the end, and cuts it short. There is some audience chatter on the tape. "Girl Dreams" has an extra verse not on "One Foot in the Grave". "Dead Melodies" is about 3 years before "Mutations", but he stops after only 3 lines. This is a pretty great setlist.
7/21/96 Amsterdam, Holland "Electric Music for the Kool People" (90 min)
-intro
-Fuckin With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)
-Devil's Haircut
-Novacane
-Pay No Mind
-Loser
-Minus
-Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)
-No Money No Honey
-Puttin It Down
-Rowboat
-Where It's At |
-She Fucked Me Up The Ass
-The New Pollution
-Jack-ass
-Beercan
-I Wanna Get With You (And Your Sister, Debra)
-High 5 (Rock The Catskills)
-Mutherfuker |
This is easily one of my favorite Beck bootlegs. It has excellent sound, cool songs, and the best part -- Beck's chatter between songs. He talks a lot and it just makes the great show even better. There's a great "Loser", an unexpected "Puttin It Down", and a hilarious "Beercan" in which Beck forgets the words and adlibs/mumbles something. These are just some of the highlights.
10/11/96 Santa Monica Civic Center, Santa Monica, CA "Daydreamer"
-Devils Haircut
-Novacane
-Lord Only Knows
-Hotwax
The New Pollution
-Sissyneck
-Pay No Mind
-Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs
-Asshole (Manchild)
-Ramshackle | -Where It's At
-Beercan
-I Wanna Get With You (And Your Sister Debra)
-High 5 (Rock The Catskills) |
A talkative Beck is having a good time, glad to be back in Los Angeles. A beautiful, smooth "Hotwax" is a highlight. I always like hearing "Truckdrivin". Beck sings on "Asshole" "she'll do anything to make you feel like a manchild", which is kind of neat. "High 5" has some crazy energy to it.
10/12/96 Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA (45 min)
-Devils Haircut
-Novacane
-Loser
-Lord Only Knows
-Hotwax
-The New Pollution
-Sleeping Bag
-One Foot In The Grave
-Sissyneck
-Where It's At |
Very good sound for a fairly typical, yet energetic show. The audience is really into it and Beck is talkative. The highlights are a great "Lord Only Knows" and "The New Pollution". I dont know how much more of this show is available on boot, but there appears to be a couple of cuts on my tape, and I'd guess the show was more than 45 minutes.
1/20/97 "Radio Free LA" radio broadcast (20 min)
-Pay No Mind
-I Ain't Got No Home In This World Anymore
-Grinnin' In Your Face? |
A little set on a special radio show in Los Angeles. My sound quality is a little fuzzy/distorted but it gets better and is not a problem. "Pay No Mind", as usual, has some alternate lyrics thrown in. The second song is a cover of a Woody Guthrie song. The last song is a cover of a Son House song, and is a beautiful blues number.
2/14/97 Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, CA (~30 min)
-DJ intro/ funky jam
-Devils Haircut
-Novacane
-Lord Only Knows
-The New Pollution
-Fume
-Hotwax (cut)
Little Drum Machine Boy |
An excellent sounding tape. I got this as filler with my 11/24/98 show, so I am not sure how much more of the show is available. I would love to have the rest of it though (hint, hint). "Fume" is a fairly rare performance, I think, and sounds great. Kind of trippy, it is good to hear as a band performance. "Hotwax" is cut during his end "I get down, I get down, I get down all the way" jam, which also includes some lines from "Little Drum Machine Boy".
11/19/97 El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA (90 min)
-Light My Fire
-Peach Pickin' Time In Georgia
-I Get Lonesome
-Red Ball Special 1
-Leave Me On The Moon
-Cold Brains
-Ella Speed
-Totally Confused
-John Hardy
-Painted Eyelids
-Static | -Asshole
-No Money No Honey
-Dead Melodies
-He's A Mighty Good Leader
-One Foot in the Grave
-Heartland Feeling | -Rowboat
-Red Ball Special 2
-Ramshackle
-Red Ball Special 3
-Sissyneck
-Jack-ass |
Not a great recording, but a GREAT show. I was there, but I don't think I'm being biased. It was country-flavored show with a cool setlist and a long solo acoustic set (from "John Hardy" to "One Foot in the Grave"). "Light My Fire" is the Doors classic, but must be heard to be believed. Billy Payne, guest piano player, adds extra colour to many of the songs, especially "I Get Lonesome", "Ella Speed", and "Rowboat". It's great to hear rare stuff like "Cold Brains", "Heartland Feeling", "Totally Confused". This tape brings back some cool memories of perhaps the best concert I've been to.
11/17/98 Los Angeles, CA "KROQ Kevin and Bean" (45 min)
-Cold Brains
-Dead Melodies |
An interview with Kevin and Bean on KROQ on the morning "Mutations" is released. Beck takes some phone calls from fans and plays two songs by himself on his acoustic guitar. He forgets the words to "Dead Melodies" and has to look on the CD liner notes.
11/24/98 Santa Monica, CA "5th KCRW Show - Mutations" (~60 min)
-Cold Brains
-Bottle of Blues
-Sing It Again
-O Maria
-Dead Melodies
-Nobody's Fault But My Own
-Tropicalia
-I Wanna Get With You (And Your Sister Deborah) |
Beck's fifth time on KCRW here in Los Angeles. The live songs are performed with a full band of all his regulars (Joey Waronker, Smokey Hormel, Justin Veldal-Johnson, etc.) and an interview takes place around the songs. The songs are fairly similar to the album, but the performance isn't dead on - some marks are missed and such, but that adds to the charm. "Tropicalia" ends with a weird, funny rap. And this is the best version of "I Wanna Get With You" I have heard... it's grown up a bit with some sweet acoustic guitar and nice piano flavor. Good show.
1/10/99 Town Hall, New York, NY (90 min)
-Cold Brains
-Bottle of Blues
-Sing It Again
-O Maria
-We Live Again
-Cancelled Check
-Asshole
-Sissyneck
-One Foot in the Grave | -He's A Mighty Good Leader
-The Ballad of Stag O Lee
-Dead Melodies
-Rowboat
-Lazy Flies | -Tropicalia
-Nobody's Fault But Mine
-Deadweight
-I Wanna Get With You (And Your Sister Deborah)
-Static
-Jack-ass |
Not a great recording, but OK... I'd say B/B-. The show is not perfect either, but it has loads of Beck charm - just the way I like it. "Sing It Again" has some nice guitar interplay. "Asshole" is actually a full band version and has a cool harmonica solo. "Sissyneck" is an acoustic version - very very cool - almost how the song was meant to be. Another stunning "One Foot in the Grave", though there is a slight cut before it... not much is missed. "Tropicalia" ends up a bit noisy and chaotic. An excellent bootleg because it has most all of "Mutations" on it. The single highlight for me though is "Deadweight", even though Beck fumbles the words a bit. The sound quality sort of wavers throughout, and there's some annoying static and audience noise in "Deborah". Damn! I love that song.
5/6/99 Tiffany Showroom, The Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV(110 min)
-Novacane
-The New Pollution
-Beercan
-Lord Only Knows
-Loser
-Sissyneck
-Tropicalia
-I Wanna Get With You (And Your Sister Debra)
-Pass the Dutchie
-Minus
-Hotwax
-Cold Brains | -Sing It Again
-Girl Dreams
-One Foot in the Grave
-Nobody's Fault But My Own
-Jack-ass
-Deadweight
-Where It's At
-The Bad-ass DJ Swamp
-Electric Avenue
-Devils Haircut |
My fourth Beck concert experience and one of my favorites. I've come away from other shows impressed by Beck himself, or his songs, but this time his band blew me away. They're so awesome. This tape also has excellent sound... practically perfect. It sounds like it was recorded right by Beck's amp and the keyboards and the horns. The show started out rocking, slowed down a bit, and then ended rocking. The rock songs are performed fast and with zeal ("Hotwax", "The New Pollution", "Lord Only Knows") and everything else was just so tight and sharp that when the band left the stage for the Beck solo parts, it was a bit of a letdown. Fortunately, they returned to blow the roof off the small night club with "Deadweight" and one of my concert-going highlights of all-time, "Electric Avenue". I had that record when I was in elementary school and here I was grooving to it again! And thanks to this boot, I can continue to do so...
5/8/99 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA (90 min)
-Cold Brains
-Lazy Flies
-We Live Again
-Rowboat
-Sing It Again
-Bottle of Blues
-One of These Days
-Tropicalia
-Sissyneck
-O Maria | -Dead Melodies
-Girl Dreams
-Lampshade
-Nobody's Fault But My Own
-Jack-ass
-Deadweight
-I Wanna Get With You (And Your Sister Debra)
-Devils Haircut
|
... and two nights after Vegas, I was seeing Beck again! And the shows were COMPLETELY different. This was more a "Mutations" show and lacked the energy, but it was made up in pure musicality. This bootleg isn't the clearest or the best, but it's OK. I got it off the taper, so it's first generation. If a better recording surfaces, let me know please! Beck told a long, meandering story before "Lampshade". Rare b-side "One of These Days" is beautiful. "Rowboat" is a highlight, as it is every time it's played live. "Devils Haircut" is just the coolest song to see Beck do live - no tape does it complete justice. Actually that can be said for any Beck song....
EARLY WORKS
BANJO STORY
-Let's Go Moon Some Cars
-Goin' Nowhere Fast
-Talkin' Demolition Blues
-Sucker Without A Brain
-My Head Is Gonna Break In Two
-[cartoons]
-You Can Be So Careless
-instrumental rag
-Bottle of Wine
-Chillin' Like Gilligan
-Together We Found Misery |
A WESTERN HARVEST FIELD BY MOONLIGHT (~26 min)
-Pinefresh
-Lampshade
-Feel Like A Piece Of Shit (Crossover Potential)
-Mango (Vader Rocks!)
-Feel Like A Piece Of Shit (Cheetoes Time)
-Syrofoam Chicken (Quality Time)
-Totally Confused (with that dog)
-Mayonnaise Salad
-Gettin' Home
-Blackfire Choked Our Death
-Feel Like A Piece Of Shit (Mind Control)
-She Is All (Gimme Something To Eat) |
GOLDEN FEELINGS (38 min)
-The Fucked Up Blues
-Special People
-Magic Station Wagon
-No Money No Honey
-Trouble All My Days
-Bad Energy
-Schmoozer
-Heartland Feeling
-Super Golden Black Sunchild
-Soul Sucked Dry | -Feelings
-Gettin' Home
-Will I Be Ignored By The Lord?
-Bogus Soul
-Totally Confused
-Muthafukka
-People Gettin' Busy |
FRESH MEAT AND OLD SLABS (~70 min)
-Let's Go Moon Some Cars
-Goin' Nowhere Fast
-Cut In Half Blues
-Sucker Without A Brain
-Tasergun(acoustic)
-Grease
-Ballad of Mexico
-Fume
-Leave Me On The Moon
-I Feel Low Down
-Satan Gave Me A Taco
-Heartland Feeling | -Big Stompin' Mama
-Steve Threw Up
-Say Can You See
-Death Is Coming To Get You
-Captain Brain
-Go Where You Want(Hollow Log)
-Totally Confused
-Trouble All My Days
-Kill Me(Loser) |