Over the Rhine’s got a great backlog on Archive.org, and this show is a part of it.

matrix:
1)sbd>Mytek Stereo192(24/48)>MT
2)MG200(DIN, 12ft. up, 10′ left of soundboard)>modUltralite(24/48)>MT
both:cardreader>CEPro2.0>CDWav>FLAC(level8)

processing included auto-conversion to 32b.f. format, EQ, mixing, fades, Waves L2 with dither to 16 bits.

I love me some SBD/AUD matrices … enough that I was awful excited today when TEAC/Tascam called me to tell me where they were in repairing my DR-1. Woooo! Anyhow, ShawnF does good work, too.

2007-08-31: Moonlite Gardens, Coney Island, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2007-08-31: Moonlite Gardens, Coney Island, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 2) will get you all the metadata goodness!

Let’s get back on track …

• Nada Surf’s The Weight Is a Gift, which was a birthday present from Bryan. [Thanks, Big Time!]
  
• Sandra McCracken’s Red Balloon. It’s nice to have my physical copy.
  
• 17 Feb 1994 [Charlottesville, VA, USA] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. 1994-02-17: Trax, Charlottesville, VA, USA (disc 1) and 1994-02-17: Trax, Charlottesville, VA, USA (disc 2).
  
• 5 Mar 2006 [Chapel Hill, NC, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2006-03-05: Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA (disc 1) and 2006-03-05: Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA (disc 2).
  
• 7 Oct 2006 [Cincinnati, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2006-10-07: Tall Stacks, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
  
• 17 Apr 2008 [Austin, TX, USA] concert bootleg of Son Volt. 2008-04-17: Antone's, Austin, TX, USA (disc 1) and 2008-04-17: Antone's, Austin, TX, USA (disc 2).
  
• 22 May 2008 [Manchester, England] concert bootleg of Feist. 2008-05-22: Palace Theatre, Manchester, England.
  

Here’s what I did the last time around, a month ago …

• George Strait’s Strait From the Heart. I found this to be right in the wheelhouse—three stars.
  
• Nirvana’s From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah. I found it a bit uneven—great in spots, meh in others. Three stars.
  
• 5 Sep 1993 [Copenhagen, Denmark] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. 1993-09-05: Cafe Rust, Copenhagen, Denmark. Somehow, I still haven’t gotten to this one. It’s been that kind of month. 5 Nov: Another one where I might as well have not bothered. Two stars.
  
• Wilco’s Summerteeth Demos. Summerteeth Demos. Three stars—the finished product is, of course, much better.
  
• 17 Dec 2005 [Cincinnati, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2005-12-17: The Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2005-12-17: The Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 2). Still haven’t listened to this one, either. Man. 5 Nov: PASS. I gave it two stars, but I don’t think it deserved that. Omni mics + large room + lots of bass = bad. I’ve made those recordings.
  
• 17 Mar 2006 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2006-03-17: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 1) and 2006-03-17: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 2). Three-and-a-half stars, and it would be better if the Ryman didn’t suck when it comes to taping.
  
• 25 Aug 2008 [Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Radiohead. 2008-08-25: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 1) and 2008-08-25: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 2). Stop me if you’re surprised that I haven’t listened to this, either … didn’t think so. 5 Nov: Outdoor shows are hard as hell to record. Two-and-a-half stars.
  

Leah | Day #020

Originally uploaded by Geof F. Morris

First, let me provide you a musical setting, friends. This track runs about ten minutes, which is far more time than it will take you to read these meager words, but maybe you’ll get to thinking during the guitar solo.

Cindy was 34.

Barry was 29.

Leah was 28.

All of them left us far, far too soon. All of them left us in much the same way—their brains conspiring with their bodies to take them from us long before any of us were ready to see them go. Cindy was my sister-in-law; Noah’s Barry would have been a good friend, I’m sure, had I ever had the chance to make his acquaintance. Leah was an acquaintance, and her husband Jamie is definitely a friend. All three of these men now share the same grief—a lifetime that was to be lived together now suddenly lived apart.

If you aren’t familiar with Over the Rhine, well, I’m sorry for you. The music that should be playing through your computer is, I think, wholly apt for this setting. The lyrics are reprinted, below, in their entirety, with my emphasis:

it makes a difference
when you walk through a room
with that worrisome smile
road weary perfume

but this isn’t the place
and it isn’t the time
for this beautiful delusion
that is robbing me blind

I want to know
I want to know
will it make a difference
when I go

it makes a difference
that I’m feeling this way
with plenty to think about
and so little to say

except for this confession
that is poised on my lips
I’m not letting go of God
I’m just losing my grip

I want to know
I want to know
will it keep you guessing
when I go

what is a love
if the love’s not my own
this is not my home
this is lonely
but never alone

I just want to hold you
in my gaze for awhile
so I can remember
every line around your smile

then I want to know
I want to know
will it make a difference
when I go

For those left behind, picking up the pieces, let me answer the question: YES.

Well, uh, you see … it’s been kinda crazy for me the last couple weeks, so I just … didn’t get to the music. But now I have …

• George Strait’s Strait From the Heart.
  
• Nirvana’s From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah.
  
• 5 Sep 1993 [Copenhagen, Denmark] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. 1993-09-05: Cafe Rust, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  
• Wilco’s Summerteeth Demos. Summerteeth Demos.
  
• 17 Dec 2005 [Cincinnati, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2005-12-17: The Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2005-12-17: The Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 2).
  
• 17 Mar 2006 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2006-03-17: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 1) and 2006-03-17: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 2).
  
• 25 Aug 2008 [Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Radiohead. 2008-08-25: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 1) and 2008-08-25: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 2).
  

The last week of music was above average:

• The Velvet Underground’s VU. Poppy and melodic, but still definitely a VU record. Three stars.
  
• George Strait’s Strait Country. It’s classic early 1980s country music—you either like it or you don’t. I do, but that’s because I love George Strait’s voice. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 6 Dec 2002 [Long Beach, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Iron & Wine. I think Sam Beam’s career arc is similar to Elliott Smith’s, and that’s high praise from me. This is an early bootleg, and it reminds me a lot of old Elliott boots. Three stars.
  
• 1 Sep 2007 [Lexington, KY, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. I had heard very good things about this show, and it does not disappoint. Four stars.
  
• 9 Oct 2007 [Milwaukee, WI, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. A quite-solid recording, as you’d expect from Jerry Eaglebarger. Four stars.
  
• 19 Dec 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Ben Folds. The mics aren’t up to the room [and I've recorded in there, so I know], but it sounds like it’s probably a stealth rig. Two stars.
  
• 24 Aug 2008 [Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Radiohead. Solid, but unspectacular. I’ve never really heard a great recording from the Hollywood Bowl, probably because it’s a damn hard place to record without some SBD access. Three stars.
  

I’ve worked through a lot of the music backlog, so I’m gonna drop back to two-and-five this week…

• The Velvet Underground’s VU.
  
• George Strait’s Strait Country.
  
• 6 Dec 2002 [Long Beach, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Iron & Wine. 2006-12-06: Fingerprints Music Store, Long Beach, CA, USA
  
• 1 Sep 2007 [Lexington, KY, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2007-09-01; The Dame, Lexington, KY, USA (disc 1) and 2007-09-01: The Dame, Lexington, KY, USA (disc 2).
  
• 9 Oct 2007 [Milwaukee, WI, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2007-10-09: Eagle's Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI, USA (disc 1) and 2007-10-09: Eagle's Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI, USA (disc 2).
  
• 19 Dec 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Ben Folds. 2007-12-19: Exit/In, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 1) and 2007-12-19: Exit/In, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 2).
  
• 24 Aug 2008 [Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Radiohead. 2008-08-24: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 1) and 2008-08-24: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week:

• Feist’s Open Season. I’m a sucker for remixes because they are new ways to hear familiar tracks. Plus, a couple of these are stripped-down, acoustic affairs, which show of Leslie Feist’s greatest asset—her voice. Four stars.
  
• Alejandro Escovedo’s Real Animal. I think I’m beginning to see what all the fuss is about … I like it a lot. This is a big sounding record, solidly out of a roots rock tradition but with a pleasing amount of crunchiness to catch the ear of a more modern listener. Four stars.
  
• The Velvet Underground’s eponymous album. A solid little record. It’s clear what era that VU records come from, but they’re great representatives of that time. Three stars.
  
• 15 Jun 2006 [Northampton, MA, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Another fine OtR show. Four stars.
  
• 24 Jun 2007 [Northampton, MA, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. It’s kinda hard to tell that this is a bootleg, which I guess is a credit to the mics. Would that I had the bones to drop on those. The recording is quite clear, to the point that you’d have no idea that you were at an outdoor concert. If I have any complaint, it’s that there’s not much bass, but I bet that’s probably a function of the capsule set. Four stars.
  
• 29 Jun 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Sandra McCracken, Derek Webb, and Bleu. Not my best recording, to be sure, but I was using my backup recording device. Three stars, but only because of the musicianship and the fact that Sandra played two songs off of Red Balloon.
  
• 6 Aug 2008 [Boston, MA, USA] concert bootleg of Gnarls Barkley. I am of two minds about using binaural mics for bootleg recordings: I don’t think they’re generally up to it, but sometimes, they’re the only thing that you can get past security. I just find that they make the whole thing sound too flat. As such, this gets just three stars.
  

The studio recordings are a smorgasboard, but the bootlegs are a salute to the Bay State. [Bleu is from Boston.]

• Feist’s Open Season.
  
• Alejandro Escovedo’s Real Animal.
  
• The Velvet Underground’s eponymous album.
  
• 15 Jun 2006 [Northampton, MA, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2006-06-15: Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA, USA.
  
• 24 Jun 2007 [Northampton, MA, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2007-06-24: Pines Theater, Northampton, MA, USA (disc 1) and 2007-06-24: Pines Theater, Northampton, MA, USA (disc 2).
  
• 29 Jun 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Sandra McCracken, Derek Webb, and Bleu. 2008-06-29: 12th and Porter, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 1) and 2008-06-29: 12th and Porter, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 2).
  
• 6 Aug 2008 [Boston, MA, USA] concert bootleg of Gnarls Barkley. 2008-08-06: Wilbur Theater, Boston, MA, USA
  

Last week was uneven, but the good stuff was very good:

• Sandra McCracken’s Red Balloon. Predictably, I love it. There are a couple moments on the record that I don’t get, but all in all, I think this lives up to the hype that Derek has been giving it. Four stars.
  
• Nirvana’s In Utero. Sadly, it doesn’t have the punch that Nevermind did, probably understandable as a sophomore major-label release. That, plus a dalliance into noise rock that I didn’t enjoy, got it two-and-a-half stars from me. The goods are great! The bads are … meh.
  
• Jackopierce’s Promise of Summer. Quite, quite enjoyable. A four-star record for me, and I’ll be getting more JP records from the back catalog. [See? Giving stuff away for free works.]
  
• 3 Feb 2006 [Las Vegas, NV, USA] concert bootleg of Coldplay. So meh. A distant recording from the audience, and … eh. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 26 Oct 2007 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Fan-fucking-tastic. Four-and-a-half stars. If you love OtR, get it. Go. Now. You. NOW.
  
• 17 Jul 2008 [London, England] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. Also kinda distant, but with a better base to start with. Three stars.
  
• 26 Jul 2008 [Anchorage, AK, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. No, I didn’t pick this in honor of Sarah Palin. This is the band whose debut release was titled A.M.; sadly, it sounds like it was recorded from an AM broadcast: over-compressed, tinny, and muddled. An example: when the band does their Wall of Noise trick in the opening cut, “Via Chicago”, everything is … the same sound level. Jeff is clearly heard. This … just isn’t the way it ought to be at all. Having looked at the mic used in the recording, I’m guessing that this is the sound guy’s fault, or perhaps just crappy mains. But, you know, if I lived in Anchorage, I really wouldn’t give a shit, because Wilco rocks. The good thing is that we get two new songs out of it, and new songs? Always good. The rating is two stars.
  

Just one shopping month left until my birthday! Y’all know I love music, to the point that I have a separate Amazon wishlist for music only. Ahem.

• Sandra McCracken’s Red Balloon. When you’re friends, you get advance copies.
  
• Nirvana’s In Utero.
  
• Jackopierce’s Promise of Summer. This is a NoiseTrade success—wouldn’t have bought this album without listening to the EP. So, if you’re interested … get the EP at the end of the post.
  
• 3 Feb 2006 [Las Vegas, NV, USA] concert bootleg of Coldplay. I’m done with them now. 2006-02-03: MGM Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
  
• 26 Oct 2007 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2007-10-26: Highline Ballroom, New York, NY, USA (disc 1) and 2007-10-26: Highline Ballroom, New York, NY, USA (disc 2).
  
• 17 Jul 2008 [London, England] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie.
  
• 26 Jul 2008 [Anchorage, AK, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2008-07-26: The Moose's Tooth, Anchorage, AK, USA (disc 1) and 2008-07-26: The Moose's Tooth, Anchorage, AK, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week:

• Blind Faith’s eponymous album. It’s a shame that Windwood, Baker, and Clapton couldn’t co-exist. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• Lenny Kravitz’s It Is Time for a Love Revolution. Starts off with a bang, and then … mellows. Three stars overall.
  
• Matthew Perryman Jones’s Swallow the Sea. I have sadly not given this album the time that it deserves this week, but a copy will go in my car for my Labor Day driving. But from the first few listens, it gets four-and-a-half stars.
  
• 20 Jul 1995 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Sometimes, the sound guy needs to get shot. This is one of those times. Two stars.
  
• 20 Apr 2004 [Minneapolis, MN, USA] concert bootleg of M. Ward, Jim James, and Conor Oberst. Matt started his set with a harmonica, which is a sure-fire way to have me love it. [I have yet to understand my affinity for the instrument, but it's undeniable.] Matt’s set is pretty much everything you’d expect from a 2004-era show. As usual, Jim James’s stuff confounds me—I just don’t grok it, for whatever reason. Conor Oberst’s set mostly bored me. Two-and-a-half stars overall.
  
• 18 Nov 2006 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. The taper noted that the distortion errors are present in both the SBD and AUD sources. SOUNDBOARD FAIL. Two stars.
  
• 1 Aug 2008 [Sugar Land, TX, USA] concert bootleg of Andy Gullahorn. Great recording from Jim, who hosted the show. Great performance by Gully. Fun times. Four stars.
  

And again … here’s that JP EP:

• Blind Faith’s eponymous album.
  
• Lenny Kravitz’s It Is Time for a Love Revolution.
  
• Matthew Perryman Jones’s Swallow the Sea, which I’ve been waiting for since … oh, about a half-hour after I first spun Throwing Punches in the Dark.
  
• 20 Jul 1995 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 1995-07-20: Dancing in the District, Nashville, TN, USA
  
• 20 Apr 2004 [Minneapolis, MN, USA] concert bootleg of M. Ward, Jim James, and Conor Oberst. 2004-04-20: Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, MN, USA (disc 1) and 2004-04-20: Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, MN, USA (disc 2).
  
• 18 Nov 2006 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2006-11-18: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2006-11-18: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 2).
  
• 1 Aug 2008 [Sugar Land, TX, USA] concert bootleg of Andy Gullahorn. 2008-08-01: Andrews Home, Sugar Land, TX, USA (disc 1) and 2008-08-01: Andrews Home, Sugar Land, TX, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week was very good to my ears:

• Nirvana’s Nevermind. Is there an album with a better opening than Nevermind? I mean, it’s a Led Zeppelin-esque tour de force to kick things off. Just fantastic. Four-and-a-half stars.
  
• The Cardigans’ Life. Still definitely in a pop vein, but it’s got a lot more groove behind Nina’s voice musically. Three stars.
  
• Over the Rhine’s Live From Nowhere, Volume Three. Worth the wait, as usual. Four-and-a-half stars. People, this is how you do it: put out a live album every year. Put a couple covers on it. Sell to your hardcore fans directly, and you’ll keep them happy.
  
• 16 Jul 2006 [Florence, MA, USA] concert bootleg of The Autumn Defense. I own Birds, Beasts, and Flowers, their half-and-half EP with Hem [because of the latter], but this is the first time I’ve given them a serious listen. I thought BBF was uninspiring for bringing people to Hem, and I think the same can be said for The Autumn Defense—I’ll be checking more out now. Three stars.
  
• 17 May 2008 [St. Louis, MO, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Nothing special. Three stars.
  
• 23 Jun 2008 [Santa Monica, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. A solid recording. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• 22 Jul 2008 [San Diego, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Feist. A fantastic recording. Four stars.
  

• Nirvana’s Nevermind. Nope, never actually owned my own copy.
  
• The Cardigans’ Life.
  
• Over the Rhine’s Live From Nowhere, Volume Three.
  
• 16 Jul 2006 [Florence, MA, USA] concert bootleg of The Autumn Defense. 2006-07-16: Pines Theater, Florence, MA, USA
  
• 17 May 2008 [St. Louis, MO, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2008-05-17: The Pageant, St. Louis, MO, USA (disc 1) and 2008-05-17: The Pageant, St. Louis, MO, USA (disc 2).
  
• 23 Jun 2008 [Santa Monica, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. 2008-06-23: Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW-FM, Santa Monica, CA, USA
  
• 22 Jul 2008 [San Diego, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Feist. 2008-07-22: Humphrey's, San Diego, CA, USA (disc 1) and 2008-07-22: Humphrey's, San Diego, CA, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week:

• R.E.M.’s Murmur. Admittedly, I haven’t given this enough of a listen [just getting to it on Saturday], but I’m just not feeling it yet. I’ll keep trying, but right now, it’s just a three-star record on my radar.
  
• George Strait’s Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind. I don’t like a whole lot of country music, but there’s just … something about George Strait’s voice. I figure between George and Lyle Lovett, I can get all the country I ever need in my life. [And I still blame my junior-year-at-MSMS roommate, Thomas, for listening to country music in the first place. I had two choices: listen to country or kill him. I chose the former. But working in country radio right out of high school pretty well fixed me on listening to too much country.] So yeah, I’m going through Strait’s catalog some. Three stars, if you like country.
  
• The Cardigans’ Emmerdale. For a band with this much rock and roll chops—Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson had been in heavy metal bands prior to The Cardigans—it’s weird to hear a pop record from them, but it’s still solid, because Nina Persson’s voice is stellar. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 25 Apr 2008 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. The mix is just off, but I’m afraid that there’s not much to be done about it by the taper, given that it seems like everything was done that was possible with the AUD part of the mix. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• 28 Apr 2008 [Los Angeles, CA, USA] concert bootleg of She & Him. Persic is one of the best tapers I know, so I lay all the fault here on the vocalists—not only Zooey [who just needs to get more stage presence, which should shock no one who's read about her on the Internet at this point], but whoever was doing the bgv’s, too. But the musicianship of the band is great … three-and-a-half stars.
  
• 16 May 2008 [St. Louis, MO, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. The musicianship is great. The recording is solid. It just … doesn’t really feel like I’m there, which is pretty much my standard for bootleg recordings. I guess I’m faulting Steve’s mix here, which rightly focuses on the music, but feels like it weighs a bit too heavy on the SBD patch. I’m not saying that it’s not good; I’m just saying that I guess I think it could be better. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• 25 Jul 2008 [Santa Monica, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Gnarls Barkley. It’s obvious that they still haven’t gotten comfortable with being interviewed, but man … a fun listen nonetheless. Four stars.
  

This week is a mix of old and new: old studio releases [all at least a decade old], and new bootlegs [all from 2008].

• R.E.M.’s Murmur.
  
• George Strait’s Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind.
  
• The Cardigans’ Emmerdale.
  
• 25 Apr 2008 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2008-04-25: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2008-04-25: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 2).
  
• 28 Apr 2008 [Los Angeles, CA, USA] concert bootleg of She & Him. 2008-04-28: Vista Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
  
• 16 May 2008 [St. Louis, MO, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2008-05-16: The Pageant, St. Louis, MO, USA (disc 1) and 2008-05-16: The Pageant, St. Louis, MO, USA (disc 2).
  
• 25 Jul 2008 [Santa Monica, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Gnarls Barkley. 2008-07-25: Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW-FM, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
  

Last week:

• Iron and Wine’s The Shepherd’s Dog. I hadn’t really, really loved any of Sam Beam’s previous work; this, however, sparkles. Four-and-a-half stars.
  
• Gnarls Barkley’s The Odd Couple. Fan-damn-tastic. Four stars.
  
• Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. Three stars. [I blame listening to Girl Talk on getting this.]
  
• 8 Nov 1992 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. A surprisingly good recording, given the age. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• 16 Mar 2007 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Your standard kick-ass OtR@CST show. Four stars.
  
• 15 May 2008 [St. Louis, MO, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Three stars. Solid but unspectacular.
  
• 3 Jun 2008 [Paris, France] concert bootleg of Feist. It’s a bit treble-y and feels weak, but it has good crowd capture, which to me is something that you want [because, otherwise, it's a one-off rendition of songs you've heard before; this is why I'm not the biggest fan of soundboards]. Two-and-a-half stars.
  

Hallelujah and praise the Lord! I’m on vacation!

• Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism.
  
• Paper Route’s Are We All Forgotten, on the suggestion of Jeff.
  
• Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere. Yes, I am slow to the GB party, but Stephen got me there.
  
• 16 Aug 2001 [Jersey City, NJ, USA] concert bootleg of Radiohead. 2001-08-16: Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ, USA (disc 1) and 2001-08-16: Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ, USA (disc 2).
  
• 17 Nov 2006 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2006-11-17: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2006-11-17: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 2).
  
• 13 Oct 2007 [Kansas City, MO, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2007-10-13: The Crossroads at KC, Kansas City, MO, USA (disc 1) and 2007-10-13: The Crossroads at KC, Kansas City, MO, USA (disc 2).
  
• 12 Apr 2008 [Norfolk, VA, USA] concert bootleg of Spoon. 2008-04-12: The Norva, Norfolk, VA, USA (disc 1) and 2008-04-12: The Norva, Norfolk, VA, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week was pretty disappointing.:

• Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy. Okay, so the Led Zeppelin that I love is the rockin’, bluesy stuff. And to quote Wikipedia on Houses of the Holy, “This album was a stylistic turning point in the lifespan of Led Zeppelin.” And, well, on “The Song Remains the Same”, I was confused for a minute, thinking that maybe Geddy Lee had replaced Robert Plant or something. [I'm sure that several people broke things after reading that sentence.] Admittedly, it gets back to sounding a little more like Led Zeppelin as the album progresses, and I am the person that did say, just two weeks ago, “I’m a firm believer that bands have to experiment lest they [and/or their fans] become totally bored with the thing.” But that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. So, yes, I should rate this now, right? Three stars, mainly on the strength of “Dancing Days” and “D’yer Mak’er”.
  
• The Cardigans’ Super Extra Gravity. The phrase that I was going to use for this album was “solid, but boring” until I got to “I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to Be Nicer”. I have a lot of friends who are excellent singer/songwriters, so I say this with a bit of trepidation, but … man, The Cardigans rock way too damn much to try to do the singer/songwriter+backing band thing. Sadly, that and a fusion of quasi-country stuff [although it felt like Nina Persson was channeling Sixpence's Leigh Nash for the first few tracks] made for a boring start. But it picks up in the second half of the record, which is good. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. Egad. Jacob said this about Coldplay on a forum I run: “The best way I can put it is that I like simpler Coldplay. It just feels like they’re trying to be something that they’re not right now. The indie-rock/prog-rock (good call Adriene) feel just doesn’t fit what Coldplay was. Sure that sounds like the old fan wishing their band hadn’t grown up and changed their sound…I’ll cop to that. But some of their earlier songs made me want to cry. Now their new stuff does that but for different reasons.” I can’t say it any frickin’ better. One-and-a-half stars, and if any of my friends wants it, I’ll give it to them. I don’t want it back. One-and-a-half stars. I haven’t bought an album that I’ve actively hated in quite some time, but … this is it. Gah.
  
• 25 Oct 1997 [Utica, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Blues Traveler. I’m surprised that a SBD sounds this poorly-mixed, but then I probably shouldn’t be. Sound board operators don’t have time to give tapers jacking into their boards the time to give perfectly-mixed feeds. The mix is very definitely pushed towards the treble and towards John’s voice standing out above all others. For people that crap on me wanting to do SBD/AUD matrices, well, suck on this. Two stars. [Sad, because Bob Sheehan was really on this night. And before Chris Smith says crap to me ... suck on it, LC.]
  
• 1 Sep 2007 [Denver, CO, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Gah. Another week of getting burnt by a stealth rig. Venues that don’t allow tapers suck. This sounds pretty good despite being stealthily done. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 26 Apr 2008 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. It’s a rare case when I’m disappointed by a matrix [well, other than my own, heh], but I am by this one. Karin’s vocals are too hot in the mix, but I fear that’s probably a fault of the sound board op [which shocks me, because this typically isn't the case with CST shows] than the taper. [After all, if she's too hot in the SBD feed, she's probably too hot in the mains, and you can't compensate with the AUD part of the feed to get more of the band.] I mean, it’s still a decent recording, but I only give it three stars. I expected four-plus.
  
• 27 May 2008 [Milan, Italy] concert bootleg of Feist. Feist bootlegs are hard to come by, so I was willing to chance it on a recording made by a Zoom H2’s internal mics. [Hey, I own and use a Tascam DR-1, so I'm understanding. It's just that internal mics aren't going to get a big band's sound, especially not in a room like that.] So it’s not terribly surprising that the recording is muddy and distant, but hey, it’s free, right? Two-and-a-half stars.
  

I’m swimming in new studio releases, so I’m going from two studio / five bootlegs to three studio / four bootlegs for the forseeable future …

• Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy. BMG finally decided that they weren’t shipping this to me, so I bought it on Amazon. Feh.
  
• The Cardigans’ Super Extra Gravity. Part of the binge I went on lately was filling out my Cardigans discography.
  
• Coldplay’s Viva La Vida.
  
• 25 Oct 1997 [Utica, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Blues Traveler. 1997-10-25: Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY, USA (disc 1), 1997-10-25: Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY, USA (disc 2), and 1997-10-25: Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY, USA (disc 3).
  
• 1 Sep 2007 [Denver, CO, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2007-09-01: The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO, USA (disc 1) and 2007-09-01: The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO, USA (disc 2).
  
• 26 Apr 2008 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2008-04-26: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2008-04-26: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 2).
  
• 27 May 2008 [Milan, Italy] concert bootleg of Feist. 2008-05-27: Magazzini Generali, Milan, Italy
  

Last week:

• Radiohead’s In Rainbows. Admittedly, I’ve never really gotten into Radiohead, the way Amy’s never gotten into Wilco. But I really liked this one. Four stars.
  
• Angels & Airwaves’ I-Empire. I was fully prepared to hate it, but it was merely okay. There are some decent moments, but it feels too … processed and commercial … for my tastes. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 18 Jul 1990 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. A fun, fun listen from a by-gone era. Three stars.
  
• 4 Aug 1997 [Atlanta, GA, USA] concert bootleg of Counting Crows. I’m always tempted to give old recordings a break when I review them, but at the end of the day, well, if I rate them too highly, then I’ll have to listen to them too often in iTunes. [I listen to iTunes nearly exclusively in Party Shuffle mode.] This sounds like a bad FM radio broadcast from just slightly out of the coverage area—treble-heavy, static-y, and generally plain bad. One-and-a-half stars, but only because it’s Adam Duritz in his good years.
  
• 6 Jul 2002 [Bushnell, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. I’m impressed that a six-year-old bootleg sounds this good. This is exactly how an AUD should sound, to my ears—a faithful representation of how the room sounded. Given that this took place under a tent at Cornerstone, it’s all the more impressive. Jeff, if you did record this, you deserve kudos, sir. Four stars.
  
• 16 Oct 2007 [Montréal, QC, Canada] concert bootleg of Spoon. Sadly, the recording is distant and indistinct. Two stars.
  
• 2 Mar 2008 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Freakin’ Ryman and their no-recording rules. No wonder this recording stinks. One-and-a-half stars. [Seriously, I hate the Ryman for that. It's all stealth rigs. Nazis.]
  

This week has two new studio releases: one that everyone has, and the other one that BMG sent me when I missed the chance to reply no. Hey, I’ll take the chance.

• Radiohead’s In Rainbows. No, I didn’t buy/download this.
  
• Angels & Airwaves’ I-Empire. Fully prepared to hate it.
  
• 18 Jul 1990 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. 1990-07-18: Live on Heat, National Public Radio, New York, NY, USA.
  
• 4 Aug 1997 [Atlanta, GA, USA] concert bootleg of Counting Crows. 1997-08-04: Chastain Park Amphitheater, Atlanta, GA, USA (disc 1) and 1997-08-04: Chastain Park Amphitheater, Atlanta, GA, USA (disc 2).
  
• 6 Jul 2002 [Bushnell, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Jeff thinks he’s who recorded this, but I can confirm that he took the photo that I used for the cover art. 2002-07-06: Cornerstone Festival, Bushnell, IL, USA.
  
• 16 Oct 2007 [Montréal, QC, Canada] concert bootleg of Spoon. 2007-10-16: Le National, Montréal, QC, Canada.
  
• 2 Mar 2008 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. A show I wish I’d seen live. 2008-03-02: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, USA.
  

Last week was a very good return to form:

• My Brightest Diamond’s A Thousand Shark’s Teeth. Nothing on A Thousand Shark’s Teeth ever grabbed me like “Golden Star” off of Bring Me the Workhorse did, but “Ice & The Storm” comes close. There’s no doubt that Shara Worden is quite ridiculously talented, but it feels on this one that she’s so there and I’m so … here, with little connection. All in all, it’s a solid effort, though. Three stars.
  
• Sigur Rós’s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Brad asked me what I thought of the new Sigur Rós pretty quickly after GNM went up last week, so I sat down and listened to it on Sunday night [which watching baseball, which was quite the dissonant experience, I assure you]. It’s … definitely quite different from what I have of their catalogue to date. I understand the criticisms of it in terms of why people don’t like the more straightforward pop direction this album took, but I’m a firm believer that bands have to experiment lest they [and/or their fans] become totally bored with the thing. Style changes notwithstanding, it’s still very much Sigur Rós—I’d recognize Jónsi’s vocals anywhere—and that’s a good thing. Bands that don’t experiment don’t grow, and bands that don’t grow die. [Unless, of course, you're the Rolling Stones, but then Keith Richards has to be pickled from all the crap he's ingested over the years.] Three-and-a-half stars, and it could grow on me even more.
  
• 21 Apr 2002 [Toronto, ON, Canada] concert bootleg of Wilco. The set starts off with “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”, which is weird given their current sound. It’s also pre-Glenn and pre-Mikael, so it’s just an overall different feel—more straightforward than present-day Wilco [my favorite incarnation of the band]. This is a fine-sounding audience recording, which is great given its age [and how blessed we Wilco fans are with the fine rigs folks bring to shows these days]. I give it three stars.
  
• 14 Nov 2003 [Los Angeles, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. Thin, reedy, and distant. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 22 Apr 2005 [St. Paul, MN, USA] concert bootleg of M. Ward. The show starts out slow, and the recording is about a B-, but it’s enjoyable. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• 5 Nov 2005 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. The Canal Street Tavern is where I first saw OtR live, in a city I used to call home, so all those shows hold a special place in my heart. [I want to see a CST OtR show in 2008 or 2009 with Lara if she's still in Ohio then.] This is a fine, fine recording. Four stars.
  
• 4 May 2008 [Birmingham, AL, USA] concert bootleg of Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken. I wish that I’d gotten a board feed of this show, because the AT2021s don’t really get lows. Of course, this works fine for acoustic singer/songwriter-y stuff, but the end result still sounds a little thin. But it sounds pretty great. Three-and-a-half stars.
  

• My Brightest Diamond’s A Thousand Shark’s Teeth.
  
• Sigur Rós’s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust.
  
• 21 Apr 2002 [Toronto, ON, Canada] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2002-04-21: Convocation Hall, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
  
• 14 Nov 2003 [Los Angeles, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie.