The Smiths - Golddiggers, Chippenham, 27th February 1985 [I.D.S.I.D. Remaster]

Source Soundsville Audience

Track List:-

01 - Intro
02 - William It Was Really Nothing
03 - I Want The One I Can't Have
04 - What She Said
05 - Handsome Devil
06 - How Soon Is Now?
07 - Shakespeare's Sister
08 - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
09 - That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
10 - Rusholme Ruffians
11 - Hand In Glove
12 - The Headmaster Ritual
13 - Nowhere Fast
14 - Still Ill
15 - Stretch Out And Wait
16 - You've Got Everything Now
17 - Meat Is Murder
18 - Reel Around The Fountain
19 - Barbarism Begins At Home
20 - Miserable Lie

Tracks 01 - 07: Steve's Tape
Tracks 08 - 20: Paul's Tape

Tapers Notes:-

In the first part of 1985 we acquired some extra 'stuff' for Soundsville.
We bought an old second hand VW Combi van, which was ideal for carting our stall to and from Camden market every weekend,
and would become very useful when we started travelling around the country following the Smiths.
We also found someone who would sell us a high speed tape duplicator.
In 1984 Aiwa produced a brilliant double cassette deck that would copy both sides of a cassette at double speed ... that's 15 minutes to copy a C60.
Me and Paul had a couple each ... but by 1985 industry pressure had led to the decks being withdrawn,
so you couldn't get them anymore.
You could also get 'professional' copiers that would copy at 10x speed on both sides at once ... that's 3 minutes for a C60.
But you had to prove you had a legitimate use for them before you could buy them.
Unless you found someone who wasn't that bothered.
Not sure how we found them, but a Hi-Fi shop in Ealing was prepared to sell us one.
It was a great buy ... saved us loads of time each week, and was priceless at Glastonbury, where we had a stall each year.
There we could now record someone on the main stage, then run back up the hill to the stall,
and have a number of copies of the recording duplicated and put into pre-made covers before most people who were watching the show made it past.
Anyway ... as well as the High speed duplicator, they also had boxes of blank cassettes they wanted to get rid of cheaply.
These had been made for some promotion by TDK,
but had Technics branding ... and actually had much better shells and mechanisms that the standard TDK tapes.
They had a number of boxes of Metal tape which he offered at under �1 a tape,
so we took them all as we thought they'd make great recording masters.
And they were brilliant.
Metal tape gives you loads of extra headroom.
You can record way into the red and you just get extra detail.
You don't need noise reduction, and it seems to capture so much more.
I think our recordings improved alot using those.

So when the Meat Is Murder tour was announced, we were ready to go.
We bought tickets for the London dates, and we were going to busk it for any others we went to.
I think initially we only planned on going to the dates within a reasonable drive of London.
Perhaps going to the initial few shows (all quite close to London) and then seeing how we felt.

The Chippenham show was midweek, and we set off quite early and arrived mid afternoon.
I remember hanging about the car park and venue and seeing some other people doing the same and wondering if they were here for the Smiths too.
We were new to following bands around.
By the end of the tour, we'd have sussed out what times the soundchecks were, where we could talk to the crew,
where we might be likely to see the band etc etc ... but today we were wandering around a bit aimlessly.
The Venue itself was a bit odd.
It looked more like a disco than a live venue ... and it was quite small too.
It had a sort of raised bit at the sides ... just a couple of steps up and no railing, but ideal for getting your mics above the crowd.
I don't remember much about the show itself,
except that it wasn't that full and the audience (probably as a result) were quite subdued.

Both Paul and me recorded the show (we did this for all the early shows), although we both fucked up.
I discovered what happens when your microphone battery runs down ... I have the whole show on tape,
but after the first song or 2, Morrissey's vocals start to distort ... and this gets progressively worse.
For some reason Paul only started recording a few songs into the show.
So the result is that the recording in this torrent contains the first part from my recording (including some songs with distorted vocals),
and then Paul's from when his recording starts.
Both recorded onto Metal tape, using Sony Professional Walkmans.
Its a pity about the battery, because I think this is a pretty good recording otherwise.

After the show we hung around a bit and ended up meeting other Smiths fans who'd travelled to the show,
and gave a couple of them a lift back to London ... or was that the next date?
Memory is a funny thing.

P.J.L.M. Notes:-

The first date of the Meat Is Murder tour went without a hitch, but it wasn't the most memorable one of the tour.
The venue, which looked more like a disco than a live venue, wasn't sold out and the audience,
probably as a result, was slightly subdued.
Five songs from the recently released #1 album "Meat Is Murder" had been performed already in 1984 although they had yet to be released.
Now that the Smiths were promoting that album, they added three more songs from it to the setlist:
"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore", "The Headmaster Ritual" and "Meat Is Murder".
To those three, two more songs that would only be released three weeks later on the non-album "Shakespeare's Sister" single were also given their live debut:
the title track and "Stretch Out And Wait".

"William, It Was Really Nothing" was the standard opening track on the "Meat Is Murder" tour and it was now played with an extended intro.
It started with Mike and Andy playing the rhythm track, then Johnny added the guitar and then Morrissey entered stage,
took the microphone and started "The rain falls hard on a humdrum town...".
In "Handsome Devil", a line was changed to "I know what teeth are for and I'd like to help myself".
After that song Morrissey said "Thank you for coming!" and then introduced "How Soon Is Now?" with "This is a funny little song..."

The first of the five tracks that were performed live for the first time was the rocking "Shakespeare's Sister".
Morrissey introduced it with the line "This is our new single, and it's called 'Shakespeare's Sister'."
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" was then introduced with "This is for the older generation".
After "Hand In Glove", Morrissey presented the following number with
"This is a song that probably means something to somebody... it's called 'The Headmaster Ritual'."

Soon after came another unreleased number.
This one would be released within a few weeks on the "Shakespeare's Sister" single.
It was introduced with "This is a new song, with a very relevant message... it's called 'Stretch Out And Wait'."
It got a subdued response from the audience, so Morrissey exclaimed after it "Oh come on, don't pretend, you didn't like it".
In "You've Got Everything Now", Morrissey changed the meaning of a line when singing "You've got nothing now".

Returning to the stage for the first encore, Morrissey first thanked the audience
"Thank you sixth formers... what about your revision?" then introduced the next song, "Reel Around The Fountain",
with "This is for all you punk rockers".
He added the funny "buddum buddum" at the end of the line "You can pin and mount me like a butterfly" as he had started to do at the end of 1984.

Two different audience recordings of this concert are out there.
Unfortunately the best one of the two, with the best sound and featuring the full concert, is also the scarcest.
It is traded on cd among collectors and scarcely found on the internet (recorders: Soundsville's Steve and Paul).
An alternate recording is commonly found on the internet, but it lacks the beginning of the first song,
the whole of "Miserable Lie" and its sound quality is slightly inferior.

Remaster Notes:-

First off many thanks go to Soundville's Steve & Paul for taping this show & sharing.
Without them & Smiths Torrents this wouldn't be here.

The lads did a great job catching this performance, shame that the first seven songs are distorted.
This was a major effort trying to sort out the distortion issues in tracks 01 - 07.
Threw everything I had into this & I think the hard work paid off.
Although I will let you judge for yourself.
The only person I know of who could get it better than it is would be Analog Loyalist,
he is busy working on Pylon material last time he posted on his blog, so I guess mine will have to do for now.
You never know he may remaster it one day.
The distortion is around 90% gone in tracks 01 - 04,
around 80% gone in tracks 05 - 07, what little there is left is bearable I think.
In all 7 tracks the instruments are clear it is only Mozz who distorts.

From track 08 onwards it sounds amazing.
The only negative on tracks 08 - 20 is the tape hiss.
During the songs it isn't an issue, but between songs it is noticeable.
I would personally have the songs sounding the best they can & have the hiss, hope you fine people agree?
I didn't want to use any noise reduction on this, sounds better without.
The remastering side of things went very well, think it sounds very, very good,
it wouldn't be this good if the lads hadn't done a top job with the recording,
I just added to what they recorded & brought it out the best I could.

One final thought I have been to Golddiggers quite a few times back in the 1980's.
Sadly I wasn't there for this.
It was a nightclub by nature & not a live music venue.
I did see some bands there OMD for sure & I know The Style Council played there (there first gig?) but didn't see them.
They played horrendous music (for me) most of the night with the odd gem that got me on the dancefloor!
A sight none should have to witness!
No idea if it is still there?
Must ask my friends from Devizes they will know for sure.
Anway i'm getting off topic...
Hope you like this version, it rocks!
As always enjoy...

C.

"I Don't Sleep, I Dream" Presentation 1st August 2016.

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