The Pretenders
March 2, 1987
Civic Auditorium
Portland, Oregon

First generation recording

Master -> first generation -> wav. Capture via M-Audio -> Adobe Audition -> FLAC

After the hugely successful torrent of the 1984 gig at the Greek Theater, I decided to post this one. While it’s not nearly as good as the Greek, sound quality-wise, neither is it a bad recording. And it has an interesting heritage. I actually taped the gig, but my co-producer in his infinite wisdom retained the rights to the master recording. Here’s the story.

My college friend Dave K. was a real bon vivant, and was really curious about my fascination with taping. I didn’t have equipment at the time, but he had a little handheld cassette player with one of those cheap plastic square external mics. He made me a deal: if I showed him how to do it, he’d loan me his “rig” and I could immediately borrow the master to copy for myself. But he would keep the master. Since I had only an hour or two before we made the trip downtown for the show, I said, “sure, why not? A tape is better than no tape.” We weren’t exactly poised to come away with a pristine recording, so I thought, “hey, a first-generation tape will suffice.” Mary M. came with us, and maybe one other person.

I’m glad I made the effort. Though the recording is a bit thin and tinny for my tastes, it’s surprisingly good given the low-quality hardware and the likelihood that we used TDK D-90s! I’ve never been a fan of the venue: the Civic is one of the least appealing places visually and sonically to take in a show. Still, I saw some great ones there over the years: R.E.M. in ’86 (JEMS) and Neil Young in ’89 (recordings of both have appeared here). We sat about three-quarters of the way back in the middle of the orchestra.

The gig itself was superb, and remains one of the more memorable Pretenders shows I saw. The rotating door was going ‘round quickly in those days: mid-tour, Malcolm Foster and Rupert Black were back in; T.M. Stevens and Bernie Worrell were out. Blair Cunningham sounded great on drums (he was just what the band needed at the time --- have a listen) as did Robbie McIntosh on guitar (who would soon be replaced by Johnny Marr). I really liked Get Close, and here we get a half dozen of its songs. Lots of muscle in this line-up, and Chrissie appeared really committed to the material. She teases the audience, welcoming “any family members of Julianne Springsteen” (she being a Portland-area native, and once married to Bruce Springsteen, apparently). And she praises the city for its beauty, claiming that she thought about taking advantage of a flat she saw for rent. For an outfit in the midst of constant line-up changes, the music and performances sound both taut and professional. A, E and I made the gig the next night in Seattle, too.

So here it is, in its naked glory, save for the gentle adjustment in Adobe Audition (reducing the left channel just a shade, by .8 db, then normalizing the file to 93 percent). Somehow I chopped “Private Life” around the 4:20 mark (track 009). Curious timing.

Comments appreciated, especially after you’ve listened! Samples appear, too. Enjoy! And thanks to my good friend Dave (“Chebornek”), one of the most fun-loving dudes to ever roam the Earth, always the life of the party, and the one who made this recording happen.


1) intro
2) Room Full of Mirrors
3) Message of Love
4) Time the Avenger
5) The Adultress
6) By the Light of the Moon
7) Talk of the Town
8) My Baby
9) Private Life (cut)
10) Hymn to Her
11) Chill Factor
12) Kid
13) Back on the Chain Gang
14) My City Was Gone
15) Up the Neck
16) Middle of the Road
17) Precious
18) Don’t Get Me Wrong
19) Brass in Pocket
20) Thumbelina
21) Mystery Achievement