BECK

Wednesday, 19 November 1997

El Rey Theatre
5515 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90036
USA


FLAC master, 18 November 2017, by elegymart:
Digital audience recording (stereo): analog audio cassette master > unknown low analog generations > analog audio cassette > 1998-99 US Maxell XLII-S 90 (Type II CrO2) analog audio cassette {via trade, c. 1999-2002} > Sony TC-WE435 (azimuth adjustment) > Roland R05 (24/96) > Cool Edit Pro 2.0 (audio cleanup, merged tracks, convert to 16/44) > SHNtool (fixed SBE) > CD Wave (track splits) > TLH (WAV > FLAC8).
Created this text file.


Total running time [1:26:26]
----------------------------------
01 Redball Special [0:48]
02 Light My Fire [3:42]
03 Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia [3:50]
04 I Get Lonesome [3:32]
05 Redball Special [2:28]
06 Leave Me on the Moon [2:39]
07 band introductions [1:28]
08 Cold Brains [4:06]
09 Ella Speed [4:05]
10 Totally Confused [5:49]
11 John Hardy [3:25]
12 Painted Eyelids [2:48]
13 Static 1 (aka Baby) [3:57]
14 Asshole [3:05]
15 No Money No Honey [2:56]
16 Dead Melodies [3:54]
17 He's a Mighty Good Leader [3:14]
18 One Foot in the Grave [5:09]
19 Heartland Feeling [4:28]
20 Rowboat [4:03]
21 Redball Special [0:59]
22 Ramshackle [4:54]
23 Redball Special [0:39]
-- encore --
24 Sissyneck [6:00]
25 Jack-Ass [3:34]
26 Redball Special [0:41]


Band line-up:
Beck Hansen - acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals
JayDee Maness - pedal steel
Gabe Witcher - fiddle
Billy Payne - piano
Smokey Hormel - guitar
Justin Meldal-Johnsen - bass
Joey Waronker - drums


Notes:

This evening of "Beck Acoustic With Friends" is better known as Beck's legendary country show. There aren't any major surprise guests weaving in and out. It's basically Beck's touring band at the time, joined by JayDee Maness, Gabe Witcher and Little Feat's Billy Payne. These were the musicians he had played with at Farm Aid and on the "Tonight Show" a few months before. JayDee Maness would later play on "Sexx Laws" but in addition has played with countless country greats. He was also was a member of the International Submarine Band alongside Gram Parsons, and later played on The Byrds' "Sweetheart of the Rodeo."

The band play on a few numbers at the beginning and then the end of the set -- the rest of it is Beck solo acoustic.

There is supposedly a version of this show that circulates in pretty rough quality, perhaps from a boot CD called "The Country Show/Light My Fire" (mis-dated as 18 and 11 November 1997). Without access to either, I can't compare to this one. The crowd chatter is audible here and there, especially during the solo numbers, but this is still very listenable recording.

Of note is that Beck would play this 900-seater again the following month opening for Bob Dylan. That show is already up here.

Over the years on dime, EZT, the Archival Group, and through all the various and assorted other trading groups online preceding that, and the CDR, DAT, and analog cassette traders which came before, I've gathered a moderate collection of items to share. I've helped with transfers (the Cactus and related uploads from over a decade ago here, and currently a bite out of the massive Stonecutter Archives), contributed setlists and corrections to many a torrent -- all the sort of things that don't raise one's share ratio. I've shared some of my masters back in the old snail mail days, but it's high time to give back more here from where I've received so much. I had meant to do a roll-out with something grand and possibly a series (Elegymart #1, #2, etc.), but that's been done countless times before.

At this point not only have we've all aged along with dime's existence, but our media and the equipment that can play it back has as well. So rather than any pomp and circumstance, and concern over share ratio, consider this upload another step in a more diligent attempt to beat the time and to circulate the collection.

Enjoy,
elegymart