Recommended Shows

Billy Bragg
Vancouver, 12/15/86
This is a great show from the "Talking With the Taxman About Poetry" tour, with just Billy alone with his guitar. Most of the songs sound a lot better in the more stripped-down versions presented here, and there's a great bit where "Honey I'm a Big Boy Now" segues into "I Fall to Pieces". He also does wonderful versions of "The Marriage", "The Saturday Boy", "A New England", and lots of other songs from his early albums. Also, as one might expect from a Billy Bragg show in the midst of the Reagan/Thatcher era, there's quite a bit of ranting and raving about Russia, America, television, and the state of popular music. This tape is really what made me a Billy Bragg fan, and I would highly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in his music.

Track List
Ever Fallen in Love? Milkman of Human Kindness Richard The Myth of Trust The Marriage Greetings to the New Brunette Honey, I'm a Big Boy Now Levi Stubb's Tears There is Power in a Union World Turned Upside Down Help Save the Youth of America Saturday Boy Man in the Iron Mask Warmest Room Think Again To Have and Have Not A New England Between the Wars Route 66 Stand Down, Margaret Chile, Your Waters Run Red

Built to Spill
Atlanta, GA 5/15/99
This is a great sounding recording of one of the better Built to Spill shows I've heard. Doug Martsch's guitar playing is wonderful and the band really seems to be getting into it. This show is also notable for a slightly unusual setlist with a few songs ("Scarin", "Shameful Dread") that weren't played very often on this tour. Of course the standard are all there too, with especially strong renditions of "The Plan" and "You Were Right".

Track List
The Plan Center of the Universe Kicked it in the Sun Time Trap Else Carry the Zero Temporarily Blind Stop the Show Randy Described Eternity Car Shameful Dread In the Morning Reasons Cable You Were Right I Would Hurt a Fly Scarin' Broken Chairs

Nick Cave
London, 3/30/99
I have quite a few bootlegs from Nick Cave's "solo" tour from 1999-2001 and, while some of the others may have better sound, this one is definitely my favorite. Nick's voice sounds really strong and his treatment of some of the older songs — especially "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry" — is absolutely stunning. The real highlights for me come towards the end of the show, with "Right Now I'm a-Roving" (a B side from the Boatman's Call sessions) getting a great re-working featuring Warren Ellis on violin and the amazingly powerful rendition of "Wild World". This is a wonderful show from start to finish.

Track List
West Country Girl Straight To You Sad Waters Loom Of The Land The Mercy Seat Do You Love Me Papa Won`t Leave You, Henry Love Letter Henry Lee Stagger Lee Orphan Boy/The Ship Song Into My Arms Right Now I'm a-Roving Wild World People Ain't No Good Little Boat Is Empty

The Clash
San Bernadino, CA 5/28/83
This is, for all intents and purposes, the final performance of The Clash. Mick Jones left after this gig and, although they kept going as "Clash II", they were never quite the same. They ended it right though, as this is probably one of their best shows ever. This is a very clean recording with great versions of songs from all through their career — "Police On My Back" and "Clampdown" are especially powerful — and the band sounds as pissed off as ever. The show actually took place at a big festival that I think was sponsored by some computer millionaire, and Joe Strummer is obviously not too happy about it, ranting about how the "motto of America" is "you buy, you spend, you die". A fitting end for a great band.

Track List
London Calling (cut) This Is Radio Clash Somebody Got Murdered Rock the Casbah The Guns Of Brixton Know Your Rights Koka Kola Hate and War Armagideon Time Sound of the Sinners Safe European Home Police on My Back Brand New Cadillac I Fought the Law I'm So Bored with the USA Train In Vain The Magnificent Seven Straight to Hell Should I Stay or Should I Go? Clampdown

Fugazi
Washington, D.C. 8/29/97
This was recorded direct from the soundboard at one of Fugazi's annual free shows in Fort Reno park, and it's a classic example of a great live band playing their best in front of a home-town crowd. The band is incredibly tight (Brendan's drumming is phenomenal) and the entire set flows perfectly from one song to the next. "Burning" and "Repeater" are especially intense, but the band is on fire from the moment Ian walks onstage with his traditional opening of "good evening ladies and gentleman, we are Fugazi from Washington, D.C."

Track List
Birthday Pony Do You Like Me Merchandise Place Position Break Rend It Reclamation Floating Boy Long Division Burning Song #1 Target Bed For the Scraping F/D Pink Frosty Forensic Scene By You Repeater Public Witness Program Great Cop Reprovisional

PJ Harvey
B Side Collection
Generally when I hear "B Side Collection" I expect to find one or two decent songs mixed in with a bunch of unlistenable "experiments," obscure cover tunes, and songs that generally just aren't very good. This collection is a notable exception, as the bulk of the songs on these two discs are easily as good as the material that made it onto PJ Harvey's albums. While there are still a few throwaways, this collection features a great cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Wang Dang Doodle", two collaborations with Nick Cave, the heartbreaking "Nina In Ecstasy," and "Memphis," a song that really should have made it onto Stories from the City, Stories From the Sea. This is essential listening for any fan of PJ Harvey.

Track List
Lying In the Sun Somebody's Down Somebody's Name Maniac One Time Too Many Daddy Darling Be There Harder Long Time Coming Reeling Man-Size Wang Dang Doodle Naked Cousin Ballad of a Soldiers Wife Shot of Love Nickel Under the Foot This Is Mine Zaz Turned Blue Henry Lee Death's Not the End Featherhead Civil War Correspondent (Remix) Losing Ground Who Will Love Me Now Broken Homes The Faster I Breath the Futher I Go Nina In Ecstasy Rebecca Instrumental #2 The Bay The Northwood Sweeter Than Everything Love Too Soon Green Eyes This Wicked Tongue 30 66 Promises Memphis As Close As This My Own Private Revolution Kick It To the Ground

Tom Waits
Sydney, Australia 3/79
A great show from the "Blue Valentine" tour, featuring wonderful, moving versions of a lot of Tom's older material along with some rambling, drunk-guy-at-the-bar monologues that characterized his performances in the 70s. Tom's voice sounds great too — it's got that sort of gargling feel to it that you can hear on the "Blue Valentine" album, and it works really well with the older tunes like "Better Off Without a Wife" and "Small Change". The centerpiece of this show is definitely "Burma Shave", which goes on for over ten minutes and features a monologue about the day Elvis died and a medley with "Summertime". This is probably my favorite Waits show from the 70s; a great sounding recording of an exceptional performance.

Track List
Romeo Is Bleeding Annie's Back In Town Jitterbug Boy Better Off Without a Wife I Wish I Was In New Orleans Since I Fell In Love for You Red Shoes Xmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis Pasties and a G-String Burma Shave Tom Traubert's Blues Small Change

Tom Waits
Oakland, CA 2/4/96
This is a great-sounding recording of what was unquestionably one of the best shows Tom Waits has ever put on. It was the first time he had played a lot of the "Bone Machine" material live, and the arrangements and performances from his band are incredible, especially "In the Coliseum" and "That Feel". The set, while it does focus on later material, draws nicely from all his albums, and Tom's between-song banter is hilarious. Other highlights include a long, haunting version of "Gun Street Girl" with Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica and a gorgeous rendition of "Big Joe and Phantom 309" (the first time he had played that song in over a decade). If you can only get your hands on one Tom Waits bootleg, this is probably the one to go for.

Track List
I Don't Wanna Grow Up Black Wings Goin' Out West 16 Shells From a 30.06 Such a Scream Jesus Gonna Be Here Earth Died Screaming Tango Till They're Sore A Little Rain Broken Bicycles Back in the Good Old World Invitation To the Blues Johnsburg, Illinois On the Nickel Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis All Stripped Down The Ocean Doesn't Want Me In the Coliseum Innocent When You Dream Cemetery Polka Falling Down That Feel Singapore Heartattack and Vine Filipino Box Spring Hog Big Joe and Phantom 309 Gun Street Girl Time Lucky Day Walk Away The Fall of Troy Tom Traubert's Blues

Tom Waits
Eugene, OR 10/15/99
This show took place near the end of the "Get Behind the Mule" tour, and the band is incredibly tight after a few months on the road. The setlist also features a few songs that weren't played very often on this tour — notably "Frank's Wild Years" and "Cold Cold Ground" — and some fantastic renditions of the material they had been playing every night. The real highlight for me is "Murder in the Red Barn", with the creeping banjo arrangement from the album replaced by a HUGE, stomping blues featuring Smokey Hormel on guitar. I should also note that the sound, while it is a very good audience recording, is not quite as clean as some of the other bootlegs from this tour, but the quality of the performance more than makes up for a little extra crowd noise.

Track List
Jockey Full of Bourbon Jesus Gonna Be Here In the Coliseum Heart of Saturday Night Get Behind the Mule Chocolate Jesus Down, Down, Down Hold On Eyeball Kid Tango Till They're Sore Johnsburg, Illinois Cemetery Polka Frank's Wild Years Invitation to the Blues Picture in a Frame Innocent When You Dream 16 Shells from a 30.06 Gun Street Girl Who Are You Strange Weather Cold Cold Ground I'll Shoot The Moon Murder in the Red Barn Come On Up to the House Lucky Day Big In Japan

White Stripes
John Peel Session, London, 7/25/01
This show, while it only runs about 40 minutes, is what really made me a White Stripes fan. The sound is raw and furious all the way through, with the big highlight for me being a the chaotic, stomping version of "Death Letter" that goes on for almost eight minutes. There's also great versions of "Hotel Yorba," "Baby Blue," and "Let's Shake Hands." John Peel says it best when, at the end of the show, he thanks Jack and Meg and tells them that it's been "unforgettable."

Track List
Let's Shake Hands When I Hear My Name Jolene Death Letter Cannon/John the Revelator Astro/Jack the Ripper Hotel Yorba I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman Screwdriver We're Gonna Be Friends You're Pretty Good Looking For a Girl Bollweavil Hello Operator Baby Blue