DEBBIE HARRY'S TIGER BOMB

Wednesday, 16 December 1987

Beacon Theatre
2124 Broadway
New York, New York 10023
USA


FLAC master, 13 April 2020, by elegymart:
Analog audience recording (stereo) {recorded by Gene Poole}: unknown mics/recorder > 1985-86 US TDK SA (Type II CrO2) 90-minute analog audio cassette master {from the Gene Poole collection} > Sony TC-WE435 (azimuth adjustment) > Roland R05 (24/96) > Cool Edit Pro 2.0 (audio cleanup, convert to 16/44) > SHNtool (fixed SBE) > CD Wave (track splits) > TLH (WAV > FLAC8).
Created this text file.


Total running time [40:39]
------------------------------------------------------------------
01 John Waters intro [1:07]
02 New Rose [3:41]
03 Danger [3:02]
04 Liar Liar [3:16]
05 Institutionalized [5:24]
06 In the Flesh [2:40]
07 Rapture [6:28]
08 Comic Books [2:59]
09 The Attack of the Giant Ants [4:42]
10 Go Lil' Camaro Go [2:12]
11 Loudmouth [1:54]
12 Havana Affair [2:55]
13 John Waters equipment change announcement [0:13]


Band line-up:
Debbie Harry - lead and backing vocals
Chris Stein - guitar
Phil Ashley - keyboards
Leigh Foxx - bass
Thommy Price - drums
-- special guests --
Joey Ramone - lead vocals on t11 to t13
Daniel Rey - guitar on t11 to t13


Notes:

THE GENE POOLE COLLECTION VOL. 75

Here's the latest installment of the Gene Poole Collection, a random wellspring of recordings which have recently surfaced. To paraphrase Lou: This is gonna go on for a while, so we should get used to each other, settle back, pull up your cushions, whatever else you have with you that makes life bearable in what has already been the start of trying decade...

Some of Gene's handiwork has probably been heard by your very ears before, for the most part via the Stonecutter Archives, but this is the first major unearthing of tapes direct from the legend himself. As promising as that may seem, it's best to let the surprises hit as they are shared. The trade-off to the prolific taping on Gene's part is that the expectations for a perfect track record would be unrealistic and unfair. There will be instances of incomplete recordings, caused by late arrivals to gigs, recorder and mic malfunctions, and other assorted foibles as would befall any mortal taper. There will be times where a master from another source exists which could be superior. For the most part, Gene recorded with a variety of mics and recorders, and many shows suffered from wire dropouts, so that only one channel was extant in the capture. Due warning about the past imperfect given and out of the way, credit should be given where due as well -- for many shows thought lost forever, it's exciting to discover that many of these even in incomplete form have now cropped up.

The transfers, the audio fixes, and the research all have required some lead time -- many tapes had scant info (sometimes just the name of the artist/band, with no date listed for the performance). Needless to say, gear documentation is virtually nil -- if we wait around for that precise detail to be forthcoming, nothing from the collection would probably see the light of day.

The previous edition of TGPC featured the opening set by the John Giorno band at a benefit called Where the Road Meets the Rubber, for the AIDS Treatment Project. Here we have the most anticipated set of that night, Debbie Harry's Tiger Bomb. After Blondie split up for their first time in 1982, Debbie put out some soundtrack singles that didn't chart, released her second solo album "Rockbird" in 1986 that met with moderate success, and filled out most of her other time with acting. Chris Stein had also come down with the rare autoimmune disease pemphigus, and much of her personal time was spent looking after him. She and Chris penned the title track of John Waters' movie "Polyester," which featured vocals by Tab Hunter and backup by Debbie. A few months prior to this show, she wrapped principal photography acting in John Waters' upcoming movie "Hairspray."

Here the Pope of Trash introduces Debbie and Chris to a roar of applause. The live outings for the couple were rare events, even though three days earlier Debbie and Grace Jones sang backup for Lou Reed at Paul Simon's concert to benefit New York's homeless children at Madison Square Garden. Nonetheless, curiosity had been building around her new band Tiger Bomb. They kick off with four covers from the Damned, the Selecter, the Castaways and Suicidal Tendencies respectively. "Liar, Liar" would later surface on the soundtrack of "Married to the Mob." Tiger Bomb delivered a modestly faithful rendition of "Institutionalized," down to Debbie retaining Mike Muir's name in the first-person narrative of the song. The remainder of the set before she unveils the special guests are all Blondie songs except for the cover from the Fast in honor of Miki Zone, who died from spinal meningitis resulting from AIDs complications close to about a year from the date of this concert. As if the electicism of the set thus far wasn't rewarding enough, Debbie then welcomes to the stage Joey Ramone and Daniel Rey. Tiger Bomb blasts through three Ramones numbers, including "Go Lil' Camaro Go" off their 1987 "Halfway to Sanity" album, a track on which Debbie sang backing vocals in the studio and now live on stage.

Gene was not in a prime spot for this memorable one-off gig. The sound is average and there's a brief instance of tape flutter during "Loudmouth." This side of the tape was only labeled: "Debbie Harry's Tiger Balm" with no other info. While none of the other sets from this benefit have seen much if any circulation, this set has made the rounds for some time now because of its inclusion on the CD boot "By Invitation Only." It should go without saying, do share but do not sell this. Manufacturers of boot CDs aren't expected to be have any moral compass, but how chintzy is it to take a set from an AIDS charity show and wring out some boot profit from it? The "By Invitation Only" source is superior-sounding to this one, so if you've got it, feel free to liberate and share that also. Gene has no recollection of taping anything else from this night other than William Burroughs and John Waters. With Waters being the emcee for the night, not one of the acts that performed a set, that doesn't seem very promising, so it'll have to take another trawl through the collection to see what turns up.

Enjoy,
elegymart


PRIOR EDITIONS OF THE GENE POOLE COLLECTION:
VOL. 1: ROMEO VOID - 1982-10-30 Peppermint Lounge, NYC
VOL. 2: CYNDI LAUPER - 1986-12-19 Madison Square Garden, NYC
VOL. 3: THE GO-GO'S - 1984-06-30 Jones Beach, Wantagh
VOL. 4: PALE FACE OF YOUTH - 1987-03-00 CBGB, NYC
VOL. 5: X - 1987-10-04 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 6: WARREN ZEVON - 1987-10-04 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 7: FRIGHTWIG - 1986-11-30 Maxwell's, Hoboken
VOL. 8: LINDA RONSTADT - 1982-11-07 Radio City Music Hall, NYC
VOL. 9: PATTI SMITH GROUP - 1977-07-26 late show, Syncopation, Hartsdale
VOL. 10: SPURS - 1984-01-24 CBGB, NYC
VOL. 11: THE PRETENDERS - 1980-08-23 Mosport Park, Bowmanville
VOL. 12: THE B-52'S - 1980-08-23 Mosport Park, Bowmanville
VOL. 13: TALKING HEADS - 1980-08-23 Mosport Park, Bowmanville
VOL. 14: THE RUMOUR - 1980-08-23 Mosport Park, Bowmanville
VOL. 15: GRAHAM PARKER & THE SHOT - 1985-08-03 Pier 84, NYC
VOL. 16: ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS - 1993-05-19 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 17: ROBYN HITCHCOCK - 1988-07-22 Pier 84, NYC
VOL. 18: 10,000 MANIACS - 1988-07-22 Pier 84, NYC
VOL. 19: COMATEENS - 1984-12-26 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 20: VIOLENT FEMMES - 1994-07-21 Roseland, NYC
VOL. 21: LENE LOVICH - 1988-06-16 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 22: THOMPSON TWINS - 1984-08-14 Jones Beach, Wantagh
VOL. 23: THE PRIMITIVES - 1990-03-13 Beacon Theatre, NYC
VOL. 24: DAVE EDMUNDS - 1987-01-30 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 25: GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS - 1982-02-20 Madison Square Garden, NYC
VOL. 26: ROBERT GORDON - 1982-05-10 Lone Star Cafe, NYC
VOL. 27: TOM ROBINSON - 1985-01-18 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 28: BILLY BRAGG - 1985-01-19 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 29: HOLLY BETH VINCENT - 1988-05-31 The China Club, NYC
VOL. 30: IGGY POP - 1987-01-20 The Spectrum, Philadelphia
VOL. 31: THE PRETENDERS - 1987-01-20 The Spectrum, Philadelphia
VOL. 32: PATTI SMITH GROUP - 1977-07-03 My Father's Place, Roslyn
VOL. 33: PATTI SMITH GROUP - 1979-04-08 The Factory, Staten Island
VOL. 34: DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - 1983-02-10 The Savoy, NYC
VOL. 35: BONNIE AND THE LADS - 1986-10-02 Tramps, NYC
VOL. 36: GABRIEL ROTELLO'S DOWNTOWN DIVAS - 1985-02-14 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 37: LENNY KAYE & THE NUGGETS - 1980-02-16 Squat Theatre, NYC
VOL. 38: 10,000 MANIACS - 1988-04-28 Beacon Theatre, NYC
VOL. 39: JOE JACKSON - 1981-07-08 The Savoy, NYC
VOL. 40: EXENE CERVENKA AND THE WHITE TRASH WIVES - 1990-12-09 Maxwell's, Hoboken
VOL. 41: VIOLENT FEMMES - 1991-11-04 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 42: DEBORAH HARRY - 1990-07-11 Jones Beach, Wantagh
VOL. 43: RAMONES - 1990-07-11 Jones Beach, Wantagh
VOL. 44: TOM TOM CLUB with JERRY HARRISON AND THE CASUAL GODS - 1990-07-11 Jones Beach, Wantagh
VOL. 45: TALKING HEADS - 1982-08-20 Paramount Theater, Staten Island
VOL. 46: HOODOO GURUS - 1986-04-02 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 47: GREEN ON RED - 1985-09-06 Irving Plaza, NYC
VOL. 48: ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS - 1986-03-29 Irving Plaza, NYC?
VOL. 49: FRIGHTWIG - 1986-12-01 Pyramid Club, NYC
VOL. 50: THE PRETENDERS - 1984-07-29 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia
VOL. 51: HOLLY BETH VINCENT - 1988-02-02 The China Club, NYC
VOL. 52: A. LEROY/MIMI GOESE with ANN CARLSON (LAST FOREVER) - 1990-03-28 The Knitting Factory, NYC
VOL. 53: 10,000 MANIACS - 1987-08-06 Maxwell's, Hoboken
VOL. 54: BILL BRADLEY FOR SENATOR BENEFIT CONCERT - 1978-05-23 Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway
VOL. 55: DAVE EDMUNDS - 1982-05-17 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 56: GRAHAM PARKER - 1982-05-04 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 57: GRAHAM PARKER - 1982-05-05 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 58: WANG CHUNG - 1984-07-23 Meadowlands (Brendan Byrne) Arena, East Rutherford
VOL. 59: THE CARS - 1984-07-23 Meadowlands (Brendan Byrne) Arena, East Rutherford
VOL. 60: NINA HAGEN - 1988-07-15 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 61: LENE LOVICH - 1983-03-19 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 62: LENE LOVICH - 1983-03-20 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 63: EXENE CERVENKA AND THE WHITE TRASH WIVES - 1989-10-23 Maxwell's, Hoboken
VOL. 64: ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS - 1992-02-07 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 65: THE WAITRESSES - 1982-03-02 early show The Bottom Line, NYC
VOL. 66: VIOLENT FEMMES - 1986-03-07 Carnegie Hall, NYC
VOL. 67: 10,000 MANIACS - 1986-10-11 The Ritz, NYC
VOL. 68: LINDA RONSTADT - 1982-06-09 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale
VOL. 69: MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS - 1983-05-03 Spize, Farmingdale
VOL. 70: KNOWHERE - 1982-07-00 Folk City, NYC?
VOL. 71: THOMPSON TWINS - 1984-04-10 Beacon Theatre, NYC
VOL. 72: PATTI SMITH GROUP - 1979-06-30 Masonic Temple, Detroit
VOL. 73: HOLLY AND THE NEW ITALIANS - 1986-12-13 CBGB, NYC
VOL. 74: JOHN GIORNO BAND - 1987-12-16 Beacon Theatre, NYC