Mongrel Puppy
1984-11-29 Sunderland, Massachusetts Rusty Nail (M-SBD)

*SUPERB* neo-psychedelic music from Easthampton, Massachusetts

01. --introduction--
02. How Does It Feel To Feel
03. Girl
04. The Way She Looks At You
05. In A Box
06. Lycanthropy
07. Martin's Theme
08. My Flash On You
09. Transonic Dream
10. What's On Your Mind?
11. Blappo ->
12. Glass
13. You Quit Me

Total Time ::: 35:14

::: EXC stereo SBD. Check samples for testin', educatin', illumination & edification.
::: Warts: None except a slight mix change at one point in #2. Drums & vocals perhaps a bit loud in the mix at times, but 'tis more than fine.
::: Mostly originals by the band with a few covers thrown in the mix.
::: Introduced jokingly as at the "Sunderland Coliseum". The Rusty Nail was a nice live music bar burned down in the 80s.
::: Mongrel Puppy were the opening act, followed by Barence Whitfield & The Savages, with The Del Fuegos headlinin'.
::: If memory serves, I didn't capture The Savages set, but mighta got The Del Fuegos.
::: As it say on their LP, "For best results: Play it loud 'cause it's really deece!"
::: Be SURE the drummer would love to hear some positive feedback & maybe it'd help motivate him to being able to sit behind the skins again. Please do chime in!

Recording Information ::: stereo soundboard -> unknown tape recorder -> master Maxell XLII-S 90 stereo cassette (Dolby B?).

Playback circa 2002 ::: master Maxell XLII-S 90 stereo cassette (Dolby B?) -> Nakamichi BX300 cassette deck (if Dolby then played back thata way but I ain't searchin' for the cassette right now), azimuth & speed adjusted (pitched!) for individual recording, heads cleaned & demagnetized -> HHb CDR-800 CD Recorder -> CD-R.

Remastering 2014-12-20 ::: CD-R -> EAC'd to computer -> wavs -> Audacity [normalisation to remove DC offset, channel/phase alignment, fades, manual one-at-a-time glitch, bump, pop, click, dropout & dullspot repairs, volume adjustments, -.75% further averaged speed fix with single pass after spectral analysis & with pitchpipe verification, NO equalisation] -> CD Wave (track splits) -> flacs (Trader's Little Helper) -> yr ears. First uploaded week of 2014-12-25.

Line-up ::: Alec Stansell - rhythm electric guitar, tambourine, lead vocals // Don Patruno - electric lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals(?) // Steve Luippold - electric bass guitar, backing vocals // Tom Passa - drums, percussion.

Nothing here ever commercially released to my knowledge. If I'm wrong, please advise & I'll take the offending trax offline.

DimeTravel 078 ::: Thanks to the original taper & trader, yrs truly! ::: Corrections welcome ::: Ah, tHe MoSt SpEcTaCuLaR sOuNdZ of Easthampton's greatest-ever psychedelic outfit (without a doubt!) & one of the all-time best of the 80s neo-psych bands. I think they'd rehearsed for the better part of a year before their year of public performances & what a year it was. A first-class kick-off; their debut gig was at Main Street Records in Northampton one evening in May of 1984 - a short but freakin' righteous set. I got the audio but the video that was shot has yet to surface. Then the next twelve months or so were an glorious aural splendour. 'Twas right in the peak of my concert goin' daze (4 or 5 a week!), but I was able to catch all the Mongrel Puppy's gigs on American soil - roughly 13 of them & very likely one of the only folks to do so aside from the group (and even the guitar player missed one gig one & had to be substituted for!). I taped some of them. Funniest gig of them all was the round stage at the Northampton Fairgrounds during a county fair of some sort. THAT was a confused audience, I do believe! They did a short Euro tour (Amsterdam & Paris?) which I didn't make it to - imagine it was space cadet city - The Mongrel Puppy in Amsterdam?!?. Really a shame they didn't keep on playing but I have GREAT(!) memories of this group. Not to mention that their man on the sticks, Tom Passa (who holds it all together), is one of the finer guys on the planet & a great drummer - take a listen. They had one album - self-produced & enjoyable, but it has no where near the impact of what the band was really like live as the mixes are too tame & flat. Still, well worth seeking out. Listen, enjoy, show appreciation, share, give, spread peace. Yers truly, Knees

Do whatever you want with it except sell it, 'cause that ain't cool!