Steamhammer
1972-08-11 ::: Reading, Berkshire, South East England
Thames-side Arena ::: Richfield Avenue
"The Twelfth National Jazz, Blues and Rock Festival" ::: BT-M-AUD *REMASTER*
DimeTravel remaster of "Penumbra" source (2006 2CD-r Siréne-151 Japan boot)

01. Penumbra// (*)

Total Time ::: 22:23

::: VG salvaged, listenable AUD. Check samples to reject, propect, celebrate.
::: Warts (yes!): Repaired dullspots & dropouts but surely missed a few. Last part cuts out just before end (faded). Weird background sounds/uinterferance from unknown source thru quiet parts but loud parts sound quite OK (more improved in Mk3 with EQ/NR). Mikes going up&down and/or people moving around&standing in front of them caused some fluctuations&wind also caused some volume/high end variations. Hissy as analog volume was extremely low (better in Mk3 with some NR).
::: CONTRAST CLAUSE: This is the Mk2 DimeTravel NO EQorNR remaster. The Mk1 original "Penumbra" bootleg CD files may be found elsewhere.
::: CONTRAST CLAUSE: This is the better sounding Mk3 DimeTravel remaster with differential EQ+lite NR remaster. The Mk2 DimeTravel NO EQorNR may be found elsewhere.
VERY different & IMPROVED sound quality here compared to the original boot (a lot of work was done).
::: "Speech"LP recorded 9-10 MONTHS before this gig (winter'71)&WASN'T OUT&would only be issued in GERMANY late'72.
::: Excepting audiences that'd seen them live in previous 8 months, this part (most) of their set was unknown material.
::: Amazing how close in length this is to LP version- fades at end, but presumably less than 30secs difference to LP (22:42)
::: The Twelfth National Jazz, Blues&Rock Festival was from August 11-13th 1972.
::: "Penumbr"boot had date as 1972-08-12 but Steamhammer appeared on 1972-08-11 at this festival.
::: Posters/ads for this year wrongly said "11th" instead of "12th" National Jazz,Blues&Rock Festival.
::: 2 nice Steamhammer photos from this set: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/reading-72-bands.html
::: Steamhammer reported to have gone on ~7pm for ~45mins, between Cottonwood & Jackson Heights..
::: Ticket (actually for Sunday): http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/reading-72-ticket-300.jpg
::: Festival poster: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/reading-72-flyer-200.jpg
::: "The National Jazz,Blues&Rock Festival" was more commonly known as the "Reading Festival".
::: MORE INFO on festival at: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/reading-72.html
::: (*)"Penumbra" not necessarily same parts in"Speech"album order, so not broken down here by title.
::: On LP"Penumbra"is made up of"Entrance>Battlements>Passage to Remorse>Sightless Substance>Mortal Thought".
::: 4th/last LP"Speech"was Pugh/Cennamo/Bradley+guest vox Garth Watt-Roy of Fuzzy Duck. Garth was LONG gone by this gig.
::: STEAMHAMMER line-ups: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/concerts/images/5/5c/SteamhammerTree.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20210113175427
::: Supposedly a completed '73 post-Steamhammer album by Axis exists, recorded for Brain label. It would be cool to hear it while I'm living, rather than waiting for the angels to sing me the songs (or worse).
::: PLEASE #1: Steamhammer's BBC World Service "Rhythm&Blues" set brdcst 1969-09-27 (Junior's Wailing/All Your Friends Are Gone/Riding On The L&N) still isn't around & I'd love to hear it while my ears are still 'earin'.
::: PLEASE #2: I'd love to UPGRADE 1969-07-13 BBC Top Gear session I've up'd a couple of times. A better copy IS out there somewhere.
::: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/reading-72.html says Steamhammer paid £75, whereas top bill bands, Curved Air&The Faces, received £1000 & £4000 pounds respectively! But don't feel too bad - Steamhammer paid the same as Ten Years After & they were paid almost FOUR TIMES what Nazareth was (£20!).
::: Likely entire set taped by this source but not used on boot for quality/space reasons.
::: Siréne clearly haunts DIME&other sites (like ykul!). Perhaps you could share the full Reading set with us?

Recording Information ::: unknown portable stereo reel recorder/microphones -> master stereo tape -> "Penumbra" bootleg (2006 2CD-r Siréne-151 Japan) -> 2021 wav rip by DIMER propylaen.
NOTE: Unconfirmed that Siréne "Penumbra" actually master tapes as stated but it's likely as all sources are Japanese taper(s) & hadn't circulated prior to boot release.
NOTE: Japanese taper talk audible in 1-2 places. Probably same taper as Marquee but seems to be a different deck (noise/speed issues/etc).

Remastering 2021-06-xx ::: master stereo tape wav from boot -> 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, speed was off&changed some thru song - corrected start to 14mins -3.0% then -3.8% to 19mins then rest -4.2% averaged pitch (speed) fixes with single pass per segment after frequency analysis, differential equalisation applied, lite noise reduction applied to reduce hiss & bring down weird background noise] -> CD Wave (track splits) -> flacs (Trader's Little Helper) -> yr ears. Freed 2021-06-xx.

Line-up ::: Martin John Pugh - electric guitar, vocals // Louis Cennamo - electric bass, electric bowed bass, vocals // Bruce Michael Paine (or Payne, depending on where you see it) - lead vocals, acoustic guitar, rhythm electric guitar // John Lingwood - drums, percussion.

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

DimeTravel 808 ::: Thanks to the original taper & traders! Thanks to DIMER propylaen for freeing the goods! Sincere thanks to whomever uploads this for me. ::: Corrections welcome ::: 1st 4 minutes with the rather laid back bass solo (with bow for a lot of it) has a lot of distractions - then parts of this really rock a la Armageddon! Cool to have it show up after all this time. I imagine most every single artist from every Reading Festival was taped, but what has surfaced has been extremely piecemeal. Listen, enjoy, show appreciation, share, give, spread peace. Yrs truly, Knees

Here are some of my notes related to "Penumbra" (with thanks to DIMER zubbid as well) from a previous upload for "1972-06-09 Stuttgart" only about 8 weeks before this Marquee gig, but they seem relevant. "Straying quite far from their British blues roots here & encorporating psychedelia into more progressive lands. This is another missing link, as the band has gone thru more changes. Bradley died in February (replaced by Lingwood) and the Fuzzy Duck vocalist, Garth Watt-Roy, who guested on "Speech", has been replaced by regular band-member Bruce Michael Paine on lead vocals (and some guitar). It is, perhaps, not exactly "Penumbra" in the album form, but I am sure some of you will be able to figure out what's going on. DIMER zubbid pointed out, "Interestingly, they appear to have subsequently made up some words for the bit (Part 2: 'Battlements'?) that starts at 3:20-ish on the studio version", for example, and we get a full on bass assault wh ich mutates into a bowed bass wonder for an intro, etc. I'm actually partial to this version over the record, as I think it is heavier and, while the song parts are arranged it sounds less methodical - there is some serious chaotic mayhem going on, due in great part to the astonishing, fantasically heavy bass/bowed bass of Mr Cennamo, whose contributions are innumerable here." I followed zubbid's advice & went for the single track for "Penumbra", as, "despite an obvious spot for a potential break in Penumbra, it sounds like the audience understood that the piece was continuing through that silence; there must've been some visual (lighting, body language) cue that they were supposed to hold their applause until something else happened". And then, neither he nor I was entirely ready to commit to the breakdown of the parts here, seeing as how some adaptatations appear to have been or are being made to the piece. (THIS PARAGRAPH IS FROM STUTTGART NOTES).

Support the artists and/or their families! (Martin Pugh's site seems to be no longer operating). All Steamhammer titles are still available & WELL worth acquiring. The Repertoire CD's are still floating, I think, so do yourself a favor & buy them & hope some of the royalities line the right pockets. Don't know where to start? If you don't own the first album (self-titled aka but not called "Reflection"), it is one of the mighty, and its two follow-ups are royally excellent as well.

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