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.
  

Yeah, so uh … no new music last week. I’m in Delivery Mode, which means excess mental energy doesn’t get expended unless necessary. The only new studio release is something I actually don’t have my hands on yet, but will probably get this afternoon as I head to the office to work [told you it was busy]:

• Death Cab for Cutie’s Narrow Stairs.
  
• 7 May 1999 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. I’m sneaking two in here to try to work off the backlog. 1999-05-07: Riviera Theater, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 1) and 1999-05-07: Riviera Theater, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 2).
  
• 3 Nov 2004 [Portland, OR, USA] concert bootleg of The Delgados. 2004-11-03: Music Millenium, Portland, OR, USA.
• 4 Nov 2005 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2005-11-04: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2005-11-04: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 2).
  
• 28 Sep 2006 [Santa Monica, CA, USA] concert bootleg of M. Ward. 2006-09-28: KCRW-FM, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
• 3 May 2008 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken. By my own hand! 2008-05-03: 3rd & Lindsley, Nashville, TN, USA and 2008-05-03: 3rd & Lindsley, Nashville, TN, USA.
  
• 5 May 2008 [Missoula, MT, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2008-05-05: Harry Adams Center, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA (disc 1) and 2008-05-05: Harry Adams Center, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA (disc 2).

Two weeks ago turned out pretty well:

• Deb Talan’s Sincerely. A solid, four-star effort. The rendition of “How Will He Find Me” is the strongest track.
  
• City and Colour’s Bring Me Your Love. Another four-star release for me; “The Death of Me” and “Body in a Box” are both good little numbers.
  
• 4 Sep 1967 [West Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Cream. Two-and-a-half stars, which is what I’d expect for a four-decade-old recording.
  
• 27 Aug 2005 [Cincinnati, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Four stars; “The World Can Wait” and “Firefly” just sparkle. Fun between-song banter, too. It’s OtR with a hometown crowd—hard to beat that.
• 4 Feb 2006 [Malmö, Sweden] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. It starts a little slow, but they really fly in the second half of the concert. The renditions of “Crooked Teeth” and “What Sarah Said” are the best to my ears.
• 26 Mar 2008 [Melbourne, Australia] concert bootleg of Wilco. Three stars. I was terribly bored.
• 9 Apr 2008 [Louisville, KY, USA] concert bootleg of Son Volt. Two stars. Just not a good recording.

With my Mac in the shop, my bootlegs will have to wait … but I do have a new studio release to listen to, since it came in the mail yesterday:

• Steve Tannen’s Stopped at a Green Light.
  

Last week was pretty meh overall:

• Wilco’s Kicking Television. So, what does the Wilco bootleg fiend think of the Wilco live album? Admittedly, I decided I would judge it by how well-recorded “Misunderstood” was. They nailed it. Four stars—that clearly captures that era of Wilco very well. I think the current shows are even better, now that the current iteration of the band has gotten along better, but still, well-worth owning if you’re not the kind of person who wants to sell their soul to spend their time scouring the Internet to get every last bootleg. [Ummm, hi.]
  
• Son Volt’s Straightaways. Very, very meh. Two stars.
  
• 15 May 1997 [Portland, OR, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith. He needs to pick up the tempo about 20%, but it’s solid and reasonably well-recorded, which is a rarity for that time period. Three stars.
• Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot engineering demos. Phew, the songs got a whole lot better on YHF. Two stars.
• 5 Jun 2006 [Charlotte, NC, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Pretty bad, as it’s my second recording ever made. One-and-a-half stars.
  
• 29 Sep 2006 [Knoxville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of the Square Pegs in the Round. Incomplete; didn’t get to listen to this before my Mac had to go into the shop. 27 Apr: I’ll give it two-and-a-half stars. Good performance, but the SBD patch was mixed weirdly.
• 7 Jul 2007 [Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Andrew Bird. I’m aware that using the assisted listening device was probably the only non-SBD way to record that show from more than a few rows back, but it wasn’t a good one. Ugh—compressed, flat, mid-heavy, and static-y. One-and-a-half stars.
  

The new label releases this week are things I’d always meant to get but just hadn’t … probably because I needed some downtime to get them.

• Wilco’s Kicking Television.
  
• Son Volt’s Straightaways.
  
• 15 May 1997 [Portland, OR, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith. 1997-05-15: EJ's, Portland, OR, USA
• Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot engineering demos. [I figured I'd forego a true bootleg this week since I had a Wilco live record to digest.] Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Engineer Demos
• 5 Jun 2006 [Charlotte, NC, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. This is the second recording I ever made. 2006-06-05: The Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC, USA
  
• 29 Sep 2006 [Knoxville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of the Square Pegs in the Round. 2006-09-29: 7:00 p.m. show, New City Cafe, Knoxville, TN, USA (disc 1) and 2006-09-29: 7:00 p.m. show, New City Cafe, Knoxville, TN, USA (disc 2).
• 7 Jul 2007 [Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Andrew Bird. 2007-07-07: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, USA.
  

Last week:

• She and Him’s Volume One. I love it. There are spots where it wears on me a bit from sameness, but I’ll talk that more in the inaugural IJSMCast, I believe. Four stars.
  
• My Brightest Diamond’s Tear It Down. None of this was bad, but none of them were outstanding. Three stars.
  
• 6 May 1997 [Santa Monica, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith. I sit and listen to the interviews here, and I just want to give Elliott a hug. He sounds so down. But the recording is very good. Four stars.
• 1 Dec 2001 [Lynchburg, VA, USA] concert bootleg of Andrew Peterson. It’s solid but unspectacular. Three stars.
• 3 Jun 2006 [Atlanta, GA, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. This is my very first bootleg recording, and … it shows. Two stars. :cringe: But the solo on “When I Go” sounds pretty good.
  
• 17 Jan 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Son Volt. After having a great Son Volt recording previously, this returned back to the “meh” realm. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 20 Feb 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. A fantastic end to a fine, fine residency. Four-and-a-half stars.
  

This week sees a couple long-awaited studio releases for me: one that just hit the streets, and another that I just never got around to getting:

• She and Him’s Volume One. I love M. Ward, so you had to figure that I’d get his collaboration with Zooey Deschanel.
  
• My Brightest Diamond’s Tear It Down. I love Shara Worden’s voice, and I loved Bring Me the Workhorse. So, why not get an album of remixes of that album? Fun times.
  
• 6 May 1997 [Santa Monica, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith. 1997-05-06: Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW-FM, Santa Monica, CA, USA
• 1 Dec 2001 [Lynchburg, VA, USA] concert bootleg of Andrew Peterson. 2001-12-01: West Lynchburg Baptist Church, Lynchburg, VA, USA and 2001-12-01: West Lynchburg Baptist Church, Lynchburg, VA, USA.
• 3 Jun 2006 [Atlanta, GA, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2006-06-03: The Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA, USA (disc 1) and 2006-06-03: The Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA, USA (disc 2).
  
• 17 Jan 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Son Volt. 2008-01-17: House of Blues, Chicago, IL, USA.
  
• 20 Feb 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Last night of the residency at the Riv. 2008-02-20: Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 1) and 2008-02-20: Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week:

• Alli Rogers’s You and the Evening Sky. Is it legal to say that you don’t like Don Chaffer’s production? [I kiddingly ask, but only because I have friends who are both fans and fellow musicians with the male half of Waterdeep, and well ... they all might string me up.] But I hear the production on “Carry a Light” and am … sorta turned off. But I guess I’m wrapped up in this visage of Alli as this guitar-bearing songstress … which she is, but that doesn’t stand up to being very interesting for 13 tracks on a CD, even for the best singer/songwriters. But it gets better from there; I really like what he does with the rest of the record. “At Sea” and “The Things We Can and Cannot Keep” are, for me, the highlights. Four stars.
  
• 30 Mar 1996 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith. Admittedly, I’m blessed with the awesomeness that is the present era of concert bootlegging, but even for the era and technology, this is a pretty meh show. Two stars.
• 18 Sep 2004 [North Olmsted, OH, USA] concert bootleg of The Weepies. Highly, highly recommended! Sounds fantastic, even for being a soundboard. [I typically find SBDs to be flat and lifeless.] Four-and-a-half stars.
  
• 4 May 2007 [Portland, OR, USA] concert bootleg of Andrew Bird. Oh my, this recording’s terrible. This is only recommended for completionists. Two stars, barely.
  
• 8 Jun 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Noisy, indistinct, and overly bassy. One of these years, I’m gonna record them in that room and it’ll sound fantastic. Maybe I won’t have a terrible cough, either. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 5 Oct 2007 [London, England] concert bootleg of Son Volt. What the heck? A Son Volt bootleg that doesn’t suck? No matter what you think of the Uncle Tupelo breakup, Jeff clearly got the support of the killer tapers. But this recording sparkles, and it’s done with binaurals, which impresses me even more. Four stars.
• 19 Feb 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Nels Cline’s solo during “Impossible Germany” never fails to make me smile. Another solid recording from the Riv residency. Four stars.
  

No real intro this week. I’m spending time and energy this week getting a new hard drive on my new mini and getting all the music off of my old mini. Such are the joys of having a 200GB+ music collection…

• Alli Rogers’s You and the Evening Sky.
  
• 30 Mar 1996 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith. Now that I’ve got a new HDD for my newer mini, I can go back to the bootlegs that were on my old machine as I slowly merge the iTunes libraries of the two machines. 1996-03-30: Westbeth Theatre, New York, NY, USA
• 18 Sep 2004 [North Olmsted, OH, USA] concert bootleg of The Weepies. 2004-09-18: Butternut Ridge, North Olmsted, OH, USA.
  
• 4 May 2007 [Portland, OR, USA] concert bootleg of Andrew Bird. 2007-05-04: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR, USA (disc 1) and 2007-05-04: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR, USA (disc 2).
  
• 8 Jun 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Made by my own hand. 2007-06-08: 3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, TN, USA.
  
• 5 Oct 2007 [London, England] concert bootleg of Son Volt. 2007-10-05: Luminaire, London, England (disc 1) and 2007-10-05: Luminaire, London, England (disc 2).
• 19 Feb 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Fourth night of the residency at the Riv. 2008-02-19: Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 1) and 2008-02-19: Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week was very, very good to me:

• Five O’Clock People’s Temper Temper. Simply fantastic. I hadn’t been listening to the stuff on their MySpace, so I wasn’t prepared for the shift to a bit more of a modern rock sound [in spots], but … very nice. Four stars.
  
• Led Zeppelin’s Coda. Okay, so we all know what this album is: an album put together by the remnants of Zep after David Bonham’s sad death. I … just kinda wish this hadn’t been made. :shrug: Two-and-a-half stars. I need to get Houses of the Holy so I can finish my tour through the LZ catalog on an up note.
  
• 2 Mar 1992 [New Haven, CT, USA] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. Two-and-a-half stars. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m burned out on Uncle Tupelo or if I’ve just been babied by superior bootlegging technology.
• 11 Feb 2005 [Richmond, VA, USA] concert bootleg of Caedmon’s Call. It’s a soundboard, Danielle’s not there, and it sounds flat to me. It’s good, but this is one of those recordings that reminds me why I generally prefer AUDs to SBDs. [No, really, I do.] Three stars.
• 14 Dec 2006 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. It’s pretty meh. That was definitely not the best recording environment, nor the best recording setup. Two-and-a-half stars.
• 16 Mar 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Sandra McCracken. As I listened to this one, I thought about two things: one, thanks to Stephen Lamb for babysitting my recorder that night so I could walk around and take photos all night, and two, man, do I wish that I’d had a bass roll-off for this show. If I had, it would be as good as I could get out of single-point stereo omnidirectional microphone. Three stars.
  
• 18 Feb 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Fan-fucking-tastic. That’s it. The second disc … my oh my. Four-and-a-half stars. This is why I prefer AUDs.