Steamhammer
1969-11-22 ::: Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, West Germany
Volksbildungsheim (opposite the Eschenheimer Tower)
"Progressive Pop Concert" ::: M2-AUD *2021 remaster*

~*~ Mk4 version, carefully remastered fixing various issues, with differential EQ & lite NR ~*~

01-[00:32]. introduction/tuning
02-[05:18]. Junior's Wailing
03-[00:34]. applause/tuning/song intro
04-[29:30]. Riding On The L&N -> ~J~A~M~

Total Time ::: 35:54

::: VG++ wide stereo AUD. Check samples for departures, deliberations, delight.
::: Warts (NOT many!): Repaired dullspots & dropouts but surely missed a few. Slighty low vocal mix. #02 few light tape damage/chew spots ~4:40. Some clapping in jam (lowered here & not intrusive).
::: VERSIONS: IMO, the Mk4 version is the best - a bit "closer"&removes some muffling&boominess&provides clarity&definition&lowers hiss without audible NR artifacts. However it is "hotter"&perhaps not to everyone's tastes.
::: COMPARISON CLAUSE: Original "Mk1"DocTinker 2005 upload DIMED 3-4 times. NO LONGER on DIME.
::: COMPARISON CLAUSE: "Mk2"cheese remaster of the DocTinker upload was DIMED once in 2013.
::: COMPARISON CLAUSE: THESE Mk3+Mk4 2021 DimeTravel remasters used the "Mk1"DocTinker source.
::: CONTRAST CLAUSE: This is the Mk4 EQ+lite NR remaster. The Mk3 NoEQ*orNR remaster may be found elsewhere.
::: Mk3+Mk4 remasters have much-needed speed fixes&many other repairs (Mk1+Mk2 versions are too fast).
::: Steamhammer played with Pretty Things&Fat Mattress (& another band?). Saturday 6-10pm, tix 6-16DM.
::: Fat Mattress (Noel Redding band) was the replacement for headliner Pink Floyd, who cancelled.
::: Likely S'hammer's full set but unknown, especially w/gig line-up change, as in, did FatM really play 90mins?
::: Poster: http://www.pinkfloydarchives.com/posters/PFpost/1969/Aug1969/Aug1969.htm
::: Can anyone locate a German newspaper REVIEW of this concert?
::: #04 last 7-8mins of jam leans into "Hold That Train" but isn't exactly the same.
::: 1st LP"Steamhammer"(aka"Reflection")issued Mar'69.
::: "Mk II"2nd LP, with this line-up, recorded'69 (summer or fall)&issued Nov'69.
::: Unknown if taper taped other bands this night. It'd be incredible to hear Pretty Things in this quality.
::: DocTinker said Chicken Shack Frankfurt '69 likely same taper, but presumably it was a different night.

Recording Information ::: unknown stereo recorder/microphones -> master stereo tape -> 1st generation tape -> 2nd generation cassette -> DAT -> CD-R -> EAC -> Cooledit -> flac.

Remastering 2021-08-xx ::: 2nd generation analog (+ digital gens) flac -> computer -> Audacity [normalisation to remove DC offset (NOT to normalize volume), channel/phase alignment, fades, manual one-at-a-time glitch, bump, clap, pop, click, dropout & dullspot repairs, volume adjustments, #01-02 -2.15%, #03 1st 20mins -2.4%, rest -2.6% averaged pitch (speed) fixes with single pass per segment after frequency analysis & with pitchpipe verification, differential equalisation applied + notches at 25/49KHz to reduce cyclical hum, lite noise reduction to reduce some hum&hiss] -> CD Wave (track splits) -> flacs (Trader's Little Helper) -> yr ears. (NOTE: channel alignment fixed some but varies - mikes presumably spread wide & there was some motion so offset changes some but very fine stereo image remains constant. krautbeard tape had 5:12-5:25 tape chews in same places as Mk1 so patching from that one was not possible. cheese did a nice job monoizing&cleaning up those spots but I preferred to keep stereo image primarily intact w/slightly more audible fluctuations/tape damage (tho' 'twas repaired quite a bit).). Freed 2021-09-xx.

Line-up (Steamhammer MkVI) ::: Kieran Raymond White (†R.I.P. 1995†) - vocals, electric guitar // Martin John Pugh - electric guitar // Steve Jolliffe - saxophone, flute // Steve Davy - electric bass, backing vocals // Mick Bradley (†R.I.P. 1972†) - drums, precussion.

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

DimeTravel 856 ::: Thanks to the original taper & traders! Thanks to DIMER DocTinker for his original transfer&upload (a serious Steamhammer freak from way back). Thanks to DIMER krautbeard for lending me his cassette for transfer&comparison purposes. Sincere thanks to whomever uploads this for me. ::: Corrections welcome ::: Absolutely delightful recording for its vintage & one hell of a POWERFUL set. I know not everyone zones out on Joliffe but I think the guy rocks, even makes flute palatable, & I assume it is him on some very strange voice experimentation at times - guy was exloring the cosmos & his sax part of the jam is a rare live example of Steamhammer steering into free jazz. Kieran gets pretty out there on vocals here as well. Clearly the band must had nights in this era when they could play full 90 minute sets that must have taken people into the stratosphere, this is experimental S'hammer, but then we have still have heard relatively little pre-71 live material. Listen, enjoy, show appreciation, share, give, spread peace. Yrs truly, Knees

Support the artists and/or their families! Still a number of CDs & LPs around & apparently more coming. Nothing to buy, but check Martin Pugh's (again up&running) site at www.steamhammer.com -- www.stevejolliffe.wixsite.com/steve-jolliffe

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