PATTI SMITH GROUP

Saturday, 4 June 1977 9:00PM

CBGB
315 Bowery
New York, New York 10003
USA


FLAC master, 4 June 2020, by elegymart:
Analog audience recording (mono) {recorded by Gene Poole & Nick P}: possibly Audio-Technica mic, wired for mini-jack > Panasonic recorder > 1977-79 Ampex 371 Plus Series (Type I Normal) 90-minute analog audio cassette master and 1975-78 US/European TDK D-C90 (Type I Normal) analog audio cassette {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 [1:22:14]
------------------------------------------------------------------
01 introduction [1:55]
02 Kimberly [6:17]
03 Redondo Beach [4:46]
04 Free Money [6:12]
05 Time Is on My Side [5:40]
06 Pale Blue Eyes/Louie Louie [5:34]
07 Ask the Angels [4:29]
09 Ain't It Strange [8:16]
10 Pissing in a River [5:52]
11 You Really Got Me [3:11]
12 famine wheat rap [2:22] >
13 Radio Ethiopia [6:34] >
14 Rock n Roll Nigger [7:10]
-- encore --
15 Jailhouse Rock [2:23]
16 Gloria [6:37]


Band line-up:
Patti Smith - vocals, guitar
Lenny Kaye - guitar, bass, vocals
Ivan Král - bass, vocals, guitar
Richard Sohl - keyboards, synthesizers
Andy Paley - drums, percussion


Notes:

THE GENE POOLE COLLECTION VOL. 124

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.

We're continuing on with the "Basic Training" run of the Patti Smith Group for this edition. The Dead Boys and the Werewolves played the midnight show with separate admission unrelated to this run.

As someone in the audience notes for us: "Round 5, Patti!" This was a special night for Patti as MomBev and her younger sister Kimberly (see Vol. 10 of TGPC) are in attendance.

Here's something in common with PSG and Led Zeppelin -- both have not had great experiences playing in Tampa. It is the city where Patti fell off the stage at Curtis Hixon Hall and sustained major damage to her neck, and this basic training run was after all about getting the band to get back into the groove after the aforementioned accident. The night before this, at Tampa Stadium, Zeppelin played for 20 minutes before thunderstorms hit, and the show was cancelled about 45 minutes later. A riot ensued where rocks and bottles were thrown, with police taking excessive action to control the situation, resulting in injuries to approximately a hundred fans. Patti dedicates this show to mother, sister, and the Zep fans from Tampa.

It's no surprise that tonight's set starts off with "Kimberly" since she's in attendance. Andy Paley continues to fill in on drums while Jay Dee is still recovering from rubella, although Patti promises his return tomorrow when they do a live record. Ivan does his Kinks cover for the third night in a row, but Lenny switches it up and does the Soul Brothers Six although at this time, everyone was more familiar with the Grand Funk cover. Someone asks where Allen Lanier (Patti's boyfriend during this time) is, and she responds that he's recording the latest Blue Öyster Cult album "Spectres" over at the Record Plant.

There are no major surprises in the set other than it being the longest of the run so far. To rev up for "Radio Ethiopia," Patti goes into a rap about a wheat war and the famine in Ethiopia. When they come back out for the encores, Patti tells a piano joke for Bob, asking first if he's still in the audience. Guessing that would be Bobby Neuwirth and not Dylan, unless it was Bob Gruen. If someone knows, it would be great to get some more context on this. Patti makes a brief reference to "The Soft Parade" before they conclude with "Gloria."

This recording was pieced together mainly from Gene's Ampex master, except for the encores which seem to only exist now off a first gen cassette he made. Limitations of the equipment used will still be evident, but it was good to work mainly from a master this time.

Enjoy,
elegymart