Maria McKee
McCabe's Guitar Shop
Santa Monica, CA
September 23, 1988 (late set)
Exit Club master in association with JEMS

Sony ECM-939 mic > Sony Walkman D6

Exit Club master cassette (TDK MX 90) > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-ajusted transfer (June 2009) > Phase 24 A/D > Peak 6.2 > FLAC


01 Over Me
02 Drinkin’ In My Sunday Dress
03 To Miss Someone
04 The Silver Age
05 Panic Beach
06 Am I The Only One
07 Things I Shouldn’t Do
08 This Property Is Condemned
09 Sweet Jane (Lou Reed cover)
10 I’ve Forgotten What It Was In You
11 I'll Be Your Shelter (Housemartins cover; a few glitches due to mic repositioning)
12 Shelter


This show has long been a favorite of Maria fans and Exit Club's recording is the source in circulation, albeit not from the true master. In fact that master has been sitting in the JEMS archive for several years as the show is near and dear to me personally, but for some reason previous attempts to extract that "ultimate" transfer alluded me.

At Exit Club's request, I pulled the tape out again this month and thanks to some adjustments I feel I have finally done right by this superb performance.

Maria is joined here by her longtime keyboard player Bruce Brody (formerly of the Patti Smith Group) and Greg Sutton on bass and other instruments. The show predates the release of her self-titled solo debut and was something of a coming out party for her post-Lone Justice era.

In addition to songs from her about-to-be-recorded debut album, Maria goes back to back covering the Housemartins' "I'll Be Your Shelter" into Lone Justice's "Shelter," offers a wonderful off-the-cuff cover of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane" and performs the still-to-be-released "Silver Age," which is easily as good as her finest work.

In my opinion, Maria McKee solo career is one of the most criminally overlooked I can think of, especially at the start. I can't recommend this performance more highly in terms of what it is in her that hooks a select few of us so deeply.

Samples provided. Thanks to Exit Club for the kick in the can to go back to this.

Butterking for JEMS