Lene Lovich + Mutants @ Berkeley, CA 1980-02-21

LIMITED TIME / LAST TIME (see repost policy)

 

Can't believe I missed Lene Lovich set whenever I posted this 

https://pixeldrain.com/l/NeZfXAWL

Lene Lovich
Pauley Ballroom
Berkeley, CA
1980-02-21 (Thursday)

THTP Release 55

Recording chain: 
Stage mics > splitter (split to house snake/SBD and TH snake) > TH dedicated snake >
Peavy MkII 12 channel mixing board (10 channels snake, 2 channels audience mics) > 
AKAI GXC-570D Cassette Deck (Dolby B on) > TDK SA-90 tape

Archival Process: 
1999: Sony TC-KA3ES > TDK SA-90 tapes playback (NO Dolby) > BBE 462 Sonic Maximizer (to clean up tapes) >
Tascam DA-30 DAT > HHb DAT-125 DAT tape
2002: HHb CDR-850 Professional CD Recorder (In real time) > HHb CDR74 Gold 100 year archival grade CDRs
2005: Transfered to HDD in AIFF file format

Dime release processing: AIFF Master Files > FFMPEG > 16 bit FLAC 8 > tagging, cover artwork, checksums.

Recorded, preserved, and master AIFF files provided by: Terry Hammer

Setlist:
01. Terry intro > Sleeping Beauty
02. Monkey Talk
03. Egg Head
04. Momentary Breakdown
05. One In A Million
06. Wonderful One
07. The Writing On The Wall
08. The Night
09. You Can't Kill Me
10. Too Tender To Touch
11. Say When
12. Joan
13. Angels
14. Bird Song
15. Home > Terry encore talk
Encore:
16. Lucky Number

Length: 1:05:08

Band:
Lene Lovich (Lili Marlene Premilovich) - vocals
Les Chappell - guitar
? - guitar
? - bass
? - keyboards
? - drums

Notes:
* Note: I don't know the other musicians who played this, my feeling is she used basically session musicians, besides Les Chappell, I don't remember her having had a fixed band. If this is wrong, please help complete the musician listing. I'm assuming they used 2 guitars, though I'm not sure.
* Artist website; http://www.lenelovich.net/
* About Lene: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lene_Lovich
"Lene Lovich (/ˈleɪnə ˈlʌvɪtʃ/; born March 30, 1949) is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart[1] and made her a leading figure of the new wave music scene.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Lovich moved to England at the age of 13, where she met guitarist and songwriter Les Chappell, who later became her long-time music collaborator and life partner.
...
She also recorded vocals for "Picnic Boy" by The Residents."
* Recordings:
"American-born New Wave singer, musician and songwriter. Born March 30, 1950 in Detroit, Michigan. "
https://www.discogs.com/artist/107070-Lene-Lovich
* She became a Stiff Records recording artist. Stiff was another UK label, that had it's own sound and types of bands.
* About Stiff Records: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiff_Records
"Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera (real name Andrew Jakeman). Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007."
Stiff was distinctly different from Rough Trade, and featured artists like Nick Lowe, the Damned, Lene Lovich, Wreckless Eric, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury and Devo. Each label in those days tended towards a certain type of sound or attitude in the artists they signed, from the Residents Ralph Records to Joy Division's Factory Records to Howie Klein's local 415 Records.
* You hear Terry Hammer introducing the show, 'made possible by Tower Records in Berkeley'. 
* Tower Records was a big record chain on the West Coast, but they offered a really wide selection of music, and were a great source for the new music of that time. The Berkeley Tower Records featured a vaulted ceiling, and neon inside. The ceiling still exists, the neon was removed, but the store is now occupied by a long standing Berkeley gaming store.
* Lene: "I know there are lots of intelligent people here tonight. I used to be intelligent myself, but I'm not anymore". This was probably a reference to UC Berkeley, where Pauley Ballroom is located. UC Berkeley is a fairly renowned science and engineering university.
* I was at this show, her performance was memorable.
* Includes pictures, show flyers.

===========================================================

No distribution in lossy formats!!
No selling!!
No bootlegging!!
No remastering!!
Yes sharing. Definitely share.

Support the artists when or if they play, and buy their records/merchandise.

Please correct any errors or oversights in this information in the comments section so the information can be as accurate as possible.

If you can find related materials like flyers, posters, ticket stubs, even photos, etc, please add them in a comment and I will add them to the main release folder, so that can be included on the next re-seeding. Every bit is welcome, and as I am time constrained on this project due to the amount of material, I cannot spend as much time on each release doing research as I would like, so if we can add to and improve the information and release contents during this series, that would be great.

Please make an effort to pick at least one of these THTP releases and keep it seeded for as long as you can, particularly the lesser known groups. That will really help out long term.

===========================================================
About Terry Hammer and the THTP:

Someone put my feelings very well about these recordings in the following quote. I can't really improve on their words beyond noting that these recordings sound absolutely and utterly stunning, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to present these to you here in their original, first generation, lossless hi-fidelity versions, for the first time ever.

"[These recordings were] recorded and preserved by collector/engineer Terry Hammer, for broadcast over the UC Berkeley station KALX and several others from the 1979 -1981 period. Anyone who spent a night at one of these clubs knows how chaotic the atmosphere was. That he was able to, not only get a decent feed from the sound mixing board, but was also able to get clean recordings was something of a miracle. And the fact this guy did it over and over again is pure dedication to the cause of preserving history for decades to come. Fortunately for everyone, he’s been making these gems of history available and their value as historic documents is inestimable. This is really exciting stuff and I am grateful for Terry’s foresight and deft skill."
src: https://pastdaily.com/2014/06/25/gang-four-live-american-indian-center-san-francisco-1980-nights-roundtable-concert-edition/ 

As Terry notes about the process of recording these shows: "Like all of my live recordings this was mixed direct to 2-Track Reel To Reel (and Cassette deck for backup and personal use) using headphones. Sitting in the club with the loud P.A. sound trying to drive the amp in my mixing board loud enough to hear what I was mixing.If you've ever been to a live concert,then,you know how loud it can be."

If you've ever been looking for an excuse to upgrade your sound system, these recordings certainly should provide you with some motivation, because they have incredible sound. And if you already have a quality sound system, you are in for a treat!! The audio goes straight to 20k hz, no losses I can detect. Due to the reality of tapes, even high end as used here, the low end starts at 47 hz.

And if you want to learn more about this incredible musical era, listen to the stuff you haven't heard, there are amazing gems in there.

Do we call these soundboards? Technically not precisely because this is not the house mix, these shows were mixed using a dedicated mixing board, with an additional 1 to 2 audience mics (1 for Mab because he needed 11 snake inputs), 2 at other clubs) in the mix. But I call it the Terry Hammer Tape Project (THTP) to make sure there is no doubt about the project's creator.

TECH:
Note that Terry made 2 master recordings (recording at the same time) when he mixed these shows live:
1: Reel to reel, for the radio stations: 
Technics RS-1500 Reel To Reel (mostly TDK Audua L-1800 & LB-1800 tape with back coating or Scotch 206 / 207 with back coating. Maybe a few Maxell UD-XL). All the KALX shows went to KALX, they supplied the reel to reel tape.

2: For his own use, and as backup in case something happened to the reels: 
AKAI GXC-570D Cassette Deck (Dolby B on) > TDK SA-90 tape

Terry isn't sure, but thinks the audience mics he used maybe were Electro Voice EV-DS35's.

Info: http://www.bbesound.com/products/sonic-maximizers/482i.aspx

===========================================================
 - teetering


+

Mutants
Pauley Ballroom
Berkeley, CA
1980-02-21 (Thursday)

THTP Release 81

Recording chain:
Stage mics > splitter (split to house snake/SBD and TH snake) > TH dedicated snake >
Peavy MkII 12 channel mixing board (10 channels snake, 2 channels audience mics) >
AKAI GXC-570D Cassette Deck (Dolby B on) > TDK SA-90 tape

Archival Process:
1999: Sony TC-KA3ES > TDK SA-90 tapes playback (NO Dolby) > BBE 462 Sonic Maximizer (to clean up tapes) >
Tascam DA-30 DAT > HHb DAT-125 DAT tape
2002: HHb CDR-850 Professional CD Recorder (In real time) > HHb CDR74 Gold 100 year archival grade CDRs
2005: Transfered to HDD in AIFF file format

Dime release processing: AIFF Master Files > FFMPEG > 16 bit FLAC 8 > tagging, cover artwork, checksums.

Recorded, preserved, and master AIFF files provided by: Terry Hammer

Setlist:
01. intros >
02. New Dark Ages
03. Sofa Song
04. Too Much Too Soon
05. Think,Think,Think
06. 21st Century
07. Furniture
08. Modern Conversation
09. Message To The World
10. Odd Man Out
11. Love Song
12. New Drug > Terry encore talk >
Encore:
13. Tribute To Russ Meyers

Length: 45:28

Band:
Freddy Mutant (Fritz Fox) - vocals
Sue Mutant (Sue White) - vocals
Sally Mutant (Sally/Sellier Webster) - vocals
Brendan Earley — lead guitar
Paul Fleming - bass
John Gullak - rhythm guitar
Dave Carothers - drums

Notes:
* The Mutants played with Lene Lovich (THTP 55) on this gig.

* Band website: http://www.sfmutants.com
* There's an odd thing about Fritz Fox, he seemed old beyond his years in these early years, and when I saw the Mutants during the last 10 years, one thing that struck me about Fritz was that rather than getting 'older' per se, he had simply become the person he had always been. It's hard to explain this if you haven't seen them, but it's slightly disconcerting.
* About band: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mutants_(San_Francisco_band)
* "The Mutants are an important band in the history of San Francisco punk rock and new wave music. They are known for their theatrical performances which often include elaborate props, projections, and comical antics. They are credited with being one of the first "Art-punk" bands in San Francisco, and were one of the most popular bands of the San Francisco punk scene during the late 1970s and early 1980s." - But this doesn't really give a fair impression of how great their performances were!!
* The Mutants were one of the very early punk bands to start the initial San Francisco punk scene, and as such, reflect the wide musical and creative diversity that was the hallmark of the first gneeration of punk rock.
* One of the most striking things about the Mutants live was their 3 singer attack, with Fritz taking lead vocals and Sally and Sue singing backup, in their wild outfits. Truly the best of San Francisco's legendary Art Institute, the birthplace of many early San Francisco punk bands.

* What's that you say? You never heard the Mutants? Then how did you ever find your way to the Insect Lounge?

* Snakefinger helped produce their album 'Fun Terminal', whose record cover showed the old Fun Terminal that was an entertainment/pinball arcade right across the street from the (then) 1st and Mission East Bay Bus Terminal. The upstairs of the Fun Terminal had more than a few all nighters and parties. Unfortunately 'Fun Terminal' did not fully capture the frenetic wildness of the Mutant's at their twisted and out there live best. CD Presents released a live album, "Savoy Sound — Wave Goodbye" as well.

* About the Fun Terminal: Some of the Mutants lived above the Fun Terminal, which is why their album was named that. They would have frequent late night after hours parties, and sometimes rent parties (you'd pay something to get in, with a keg etc, and proceeds went to paying rent). While the details are somewhat fuzzy, some of them lived in a loft space there, some lived in rooms, I believe it was basically a flat over the arcade.
* Along with the Hellhole (Tenderloin), the A-Hole (South of Market), Bruce Loose's flat, various warehouse and industrial spaces, and many other locations, there was a kind of network of party spots that formed a kind of late night alternative to just going home after the 2am shows ended, which you would always be searching out after the official shows finished at 2 AM. Often some of the most interesting stuff happened in these unofficial locations, since they were not at all controlled. I have faint memories of ZEV playing at a late night warehouse party, for example.

* Here are some good videos that capture the energy of the Mutants:
Joe Rees/Target Video: Mutants: New Drug (Mabuhay 1978):
https://youtu.be/m9ZZXJrf7g0
Joe Rees/Target Video: Mutants: Furniture (Mabuhay, 1978):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue3nGNjt38E
Search and Destroy (a big punk weekly): Louder Faster Shorter (UXA, Dils, Avengers, Sleepers, Mutants [Insect Lounge], Mabuhay 1978):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufHdeaKQiiM
* Joe Rees' Target Video was the multimedia part of the San Francisco scene. Before there was MTV, there was Target video, who had a small space in the Mission, I think on South Van Ness, a bad neighborhood at the time, where people in the punk and art world would go, often after hours, to watch this new format of 'music videos'.
* Search and Destroy (RE/Search publications, edited by V. Vale between 1977 and 1979) was the go to source for up to date punk and other out there music news and information (pre internet, that is). Reprints are available online.
About Search and Destroy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RE/Search

* "Maybe we need a new... connection... I'm sick of your politics... I don't care if you are a communist... we need a new drug.. we need a new drug... Maybe we need... a revolution... We're not the problem, we are the solution...". This in a sense perfectly encapsulates the mindset that swirled around much of the scene at the time, but there's more to those lyrics than meets the eye.

* Includes photos, flyers.


===========================================================

No distribution in lossy formats!!
No selling!!
No bootlegging!!
No remastering!!
Yes sharing. Definitely share.

Support the artists when or if they play, and buy their records/merchandise.

Please correct any errors or oversights in this information in the comments section so the information can be as accurate as possible.

If you can find related materials like flyers, posters, ticket stubs, even photos, etc, please add them in a comment and I will add them to the main release folder, so that can be included on the next re-seeding. Every bit is welcome, and as I am time constrained on this project due to the amount of material, I cannot spend as much time on each release doing research as I would like, so if we can add to and improve the information and release contents during this series, that would be great.

Please make an effort to pick at least one of these THTP releases and keep it seeded for as long as you can, particularly the lesser known groups. That will really help out long term.

===========================================================
About Terry Hammer and the THTP:

Someone put my feelings very well about these recordings in the following quote. I can't really improve on their words beyond noting that these recordings sound absolutely and utterly stunning, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to present these to you here in their original, first generation, lossless hi-fidelity versions, for the first time ever.

"[These recordings were] recorded and preserved by collector/engineer Terry Hammer, for broadcast over the UC Berkeley station KALX and several others from the 1979 -1981 period. Anyone who spent a night at one of these clubs knows how chaotic the atmosphere was. That he was able to, not only get a decent feed from the sound mixing board, but was also able to get clean recordings was something of a miracle. And the fact this guy did it over and over again is pure dedication to the cause of preserving history for decades to come. Fortunately for everyone, he’s been making these gems of history available and their value as historic documents is inestimable. This is really exciting stuff and I am grateful for Terry’s foresight and deft skill."
src: https://pastdaily.com/2014/06/25/gang-four-live-american-indian-center-san-francisco-1980-nights-roundtable-concert-edition/

As Terry notes about the process of recording these shows: "Like all of my live recordings this was mixed direct to 2-Track Reel To Reel (and Cassette deck for backup and personal use) using headphones. Sitting in the club with the loud P.A. sound trying to drive the amp in my mixing board loud enough to hear what I was mixing.If you've ever been to a live concert,then,you know how loud it can be."

If you've ever been looking for an excuse to upgrade your sound system, these recordings certainly should provide you with some motivation, because they have incredible sound. And if you already have a quality sound system, you are in for a treat!! The audio goes straight to 20k hz, no losses I can detect. Due to the reality of tapes, even high end as used here, the low end starts at 47 hz.

And if you want to learn more about this incredible musical era, listen to the stuff you haven't heard, there are amazing gems in there.

Do we call these soundboards? Technically not precisely because this is not the house mix, these shows were mixed using a dedicated mixing board, with an additional 1 to 2 audience mics (1 for Mab because he needed 11 snake inputs), 2 at other clubs) in the mix. But I call it the Terry Hammer Tape Project (THTP) to make sure there is no doubt about the project's creator.

TECH:
Note that Terry made 2 master recordings (recording at the same time) when he mixed these shows live:
1: Reel to reel, for the radio stations:
Technics RS-1500 Reel To Reel (mostly TDK Audua L-1800 & LB-1800 tape with back coating or Scotch 206 / 207 with back coating. Maybe a few Maxell UD-XL). All the KALX shows went to KALX, they supplied the reel to reel tape.

2: For his own use, and as backup in case something happened to the reels:
AKAI GXC-570D Cassette Deck (Dolby B on) > TDK SA-90 tape

Terry isn't sure, but thinks the audience mics he used maybe were Electro Voice EV-DS35's.

Info: http://www.bbesound.com/products/sonic-maximizers/482i.aspx

===========================================================
 - teetering