Elvis Costello and the Attractions
14 September 1984
Greek Theater
Berkeley, CA

master recording

Aiwa CM-30 mic > Aiwa HS-J02 > Maxell XL-II 90 cassette

JEMS 2017 Transfer: master cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 2.0 (24/96 capture to .wav) > iZotope RX and Ozone > Peak Pro XT (edit / index) > xACT 2.35 > Adobe Audition > FLAC via Trader's Little Helper

the band:

Elvis Costello (vocals and guitar)
Steve Nieve (keyboards)
Bruce Thomas (bass)
Pete Thomas (drums)
with Gary Barnacle (saxophone)

1. intro
2. Sour Milk-Cow Blues
3. I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down
4. Lipstick Vogue
5. Watching the Detectives
6. The Only Flame in Town
7. King Horse
8. I Got You (I Feel Good)
9. Mystery Dance
10. Shabby Doll
11. Love Field
12. New Lace Sleeves
13. remarks, intro > Worthless Thing
14. So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star
15. Girls Talk
16. You Belong to Me
17. I Hope You're Happy Now
18. Home Truth
19. I Wanna Be Loved
20. (Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame/The Greatest Thing
21. Young Boy Blues
22. Beyond Belief
23. Clubland
24. Inch by Inch
25. The Deportees Club
26. End of the Rainbow
27. Peace in Our Time (with �The Bells�)
28. Shipbuilding
29. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
30. Alison (with "You Win Again" and "The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)")
31. Every Day I Write the Book
32. Getting Mighty Crowded
33. Pump It Up (with "Ain't That a Lot of Love" and "Tears, Tears, and More Tears")

Congratulations and welcome to two nights after the Tonight Show!

Due mostly to the wrong production, "Goodbye Cruel World" still ranks as perhaps Elvis Costello and the Attractions' worst studio record. On stage, however, its songs sound vibrant: Costello performs them with none of the regret he would eventually cop to. The LP (his ninth in nine years) brims with recrimination, and covers of �So You Want to Be a Rock �N� Roll Star� and Richard Thompson's "End of the Rainbow" indicate that 1984 wasn't a career high point. This recording, however, wouldn't necessarily lead to that conclusion. Alongside early classics ("Watching the Detectives") and later ones ("Shabby Doll"), the new songs (a number of which Costello shelved after 1984) get the hearing they deserve.

The Berkeley show took place two nights after Costello played "Peace in Our Time" on the Tonight Show. That didn't go over well with the Johnny Carson audience (though that's not apparent afterward, when Joan Rivers greets him), hence his opening salutation. It earns a raucous ovation here (though really, would a Berkeley crowd sit on its hands for anything called "Peace in Our Time?"). Eight more "Goodbye Cruel World" tracks show up, representing over a quarter of the set. For a work that Costello nearly disowned, that allegiance is remarkable. "The Only Flame in Town" is particularly striking: its arrangement veers away from the saccharine-pop duet with Daryl Hall that opens the record. Was it a reaction to its production and the mauling it took from some critics? Well, Bruce Thomas is on Facebook and I've got Costello's autobiography close by, so that�s to discover. Regardless, this version is outstanding. Two unreleased songs find room in the set: the soulful "Young Boy Blues" (a Doc Pomus and Phil Spector composition that emerged on the 2004 reissue) and "I Hope You're Happy Now" (which the Attractions would record for "Blood & Chocolate" in 1986). Both sound right at home. Only "You Belong to Me" is slightly off (I lowered the mic for a couple minutes to remain inconspicuous). Any chatter is fleeting, but a bit of encore-induced hoopla creeps in toward the end.

Otherwise, I�m thrilled with the sound. Although levels on the HS-J02 weren't adjustable, it was a fine deck (I remember thinking how cool it would be to record in auto-reverse mode, something that wasn't possible). The stereo CM-30 mic helped capture this show (and later, others by U2 and Eric Clapton), and I loved using it. Stout, sturdy, and capable of doing most things just a shade better than ones like it, the CM-30 was the Kirby Puckett of microphones. For an eager 16-year-old, the two Aiwa components made for a great rig. I bought them at Uncle Ralph's, a boutique audio mecca on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. Whether a new component or a brick of fresh cassette tapes, walking out with a purchase meant good things were in store!

The only copy I recall making ended up back among Jared's tapes. Seeing it prompted me to ask our friend of many moons BK (for whom I'd made that copy back in 1984, incidentally) to transfer the master. He applied his usual knowledge and skill to unlock the sound�s true potential, and I thank him. Thanks also to the fans, moderators, and curators at the Elvis Costello wiki. The site does a great service for the Elvis Costello fan community. Its entry for this gig, by the way, indicates that a recording circulates (for a place that the Grateful Dead made their own, that's a given). I'm glad to add to whatever exists, now in the highest possible quality. (One technical note: the left channel featured minor but persistent distortion, so we excised it and flew in the right channel. Thus it's a mono version, but we think it's more enjoyable this way.)

Lastly, thanks to Elvis Costello and the Attractions for the opportunity to make a complete field recording (my first!). Who knows? Maybe they'll like it more than the album.

Share it freely, and for free!

- slipkid68