JOHN CALE
Palladium, Dallas
1979-04-21
SBD - Now Mono
Quality : A-
RECORDING NOTES:
The original source is particularly odd since it features a "kamikaze"
mix where different instruments are wholly and completely on different
channels (with the result sounding sort of like a recording of parts
of two different bands playing the same song in different rooms).
I suspect this was a creative way of separating out the elements that
needed live sound reinforcement at the hall from those that needed
little or none, while still making sure everything got on the tape.
House sound is typically mono so the one channel of things needing
amplification could be sent through the sound system while the other
was just for the tape. A post-concert mix for the record (rather
than for the acoustics of the room) can then be made by blending the
completely independent channels into one.
This project turned out to be considerably more work than I expected
due to level changes (probably driven by the live mix), which result
in mix changes due to the aforementioned methods of recording. The
final result presented here, obtained by adjusting the balance (and
resulting mix) song by song was far superior to just dumping the two
channels together with no effort to monitor the result. Since the
levels moved a lot the sweet spot in the mix did too. Remarkably
nearly everything is pretty close to the right level when the overall
balance is adjusted despite it all being mixed down to one or the other
of the two tracks.
I've lived with this a bit and have the mixes to where they sound
fullest and most balanced to me, given what I have to work with.
I have some experience mixing live shows, but your results may vary.
The first song shows unavoidable signs of the live mix coming together.
All in all this is a remarkable document, which is far more enjoyable
now. The sound is really good with a faint bit of hiss. It is a well
preserved recording, not far from the master.
PERFORMANCE NOTES:
The show has a few uneven moments, but there's great stuff here (as
always with him). A recording this accurate reveals all. The
guitar work is smoking at points and the vocals are out front, yet
almost everything else is also out front when it should be.
- BOMBDIGGITY
TRACKS:
1. Intro ( :10)
2. Walkin� The Dog (5:13)
3. Mercenaries (8:42)
4. Baby You Know (4:09)
5. Guts (4:17)
6. Evidence (3:29)
7. Dr. Mudd (4:17)
8. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues (8:39)
9. Waiting For My Man > band intros (5:54)
{tape flip}
10. Fear (4:05)
11. Chorale (4:32)
12. Leaving It Up to You (6:00)
13. Heartbreak Hotel > encore break > tuning (7:34)
14. Cable Hogue [cut] (3:01)
Total time: 70:02
PERSONNEL:
John Cale - vocals, guitar, piano, bass
Marc Aaron - guitar
Joe Bidewell - keyboards
George Scott - bass
Doug Bowne - drums
Deerfrance - vocals
NO ORIGINAL LINEAGE (but SBD > ? > CDR is inferred)
ADDITIONAL LINEAGE (AND ADJUSTMENTS):
FLAC > TLH > WAV
Cool Edit Pro 2.1 : Channel Mixing/Amplification:
Tracks 01-03 : Mix 100% Left + 90% Right to both left and right channels
Track 04 : Amplify right 2db, Mix 95% Left + 100% Right to both left and right channels
Track 05 : Mix 100% Left + 80% Right to both left and right channels
Track 06 : Amplify left 4db, Mix 100% Left + 65% Right to both left and right channels
Track 07 : Amplify left 3.25db, Mix 100% Left + 75% Right to both left and right channels
Track 08 : Mix 100% Left + 75% Right to both left and right channels
Track 09 : Amplify left 3db, Mix 100% Left + 78% Right to both left and right channels
Track 10 : Hard limit left +3db, Mix 100% Left + 68% Right to both left and right channels
Track 11 : Mix 100% Left + 67% Right to both left and right channels
Track 12 : Mix 100% Left + 58% Right to both left and right channels
Track 13 : Amplify left 2.5db, Mix 100% Left + 78% Right to both left and right channels
Track 14 : Hard limit left +2.75db, Mix 100% Left + 88% Right to both left and right channels
Minor tracking adjustments (marks 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
Edit silence prior to Track 10 and at end of Track 14
Added fade where Track 14 ended abruptly
WAV > TLH (SBE fix) > FLAC
ORIGINAL NOTES:
Version posted by OndraK in late 2006. His comments:
'Seeded by request. This was uploaded on DaD about year and half ago but I don't think I have
it from here.. Anyway it's without any doubts the best sounding Cale show from '79. I just
deleted gaps and silence between some songs and increased volume of the whole thing.'
Note: This often circulates as "Austin" but I suppose John just greets some particular "Austin"
in the audience :)
RESEED NOTES:
2010 note: The announcer says in the beginning of the show: 'Ladies and Gentleman. The Palladium
proudly presents John Cale.'
The mix is rather weird. Vocals are on the right channel only, and drums and most of the guitar
on the left one.
A BOMBDIGGITY REMASTER 9/2010