SUGAR
Liberty Lunch
Austin, TX
1994-12-02

Sugar was:
BOB MOULD - Guitar, vocals
DAVID BARBE - Bass, vocals
MALCOM TRAVIS - Drums

Source:
AUD DAT M--> Maxell XLII 2nd gen copy-->Audacity 1.3.6-->xACT (FLAC level 5)-->You
Transferred by Abbie Hoffman (abbienormal23@yahoo.com)

Recording notes:
This was transferred from a second generation analog tape I received back in 1995 as part of the old Sugar mailing list tape tree. If you remember those good old days, it's nice to hear from you, and this is came from Screwball.

There is a slight crackle at 1:40 of Gift.
I also inserted fades between Clownmaster and IICCYM (tape flip), and the encore breaks (Explode-->Helpless; Gee Angel-->Tilted) to fit everything on one CD.


Gift
Company Book
Hoover Dam
Going Home
Where Diamonds are Halos
Slick
A Good Idea
Running Out of Time
Frustration
Changes
Your Favorite Thing
Clownmaster
If I Can't Change Your Mind
Mind is an Island
In the Eyes of my Friends
Explode and Make Up
-------------
Helpless
Gee Angel
-------------
Tilted

From the original J-card (which used to come with tapes, which...oh, forget it):

The second of two nights at Liberty Lunch in Austin, Texas. Room acoustics remained the the same, although the presence of a substantial crowd helped take some of the harshness out of the sound. Tonight's crowd was larger than the previous night's, and with the possible exception of some people at the back of the room, was as attentive and appreciative as last night's. Again, kudos to Bill Rahmy and Ricky Martocci for the sound, and Liberty Lunch's staff for keeping things running smoothly.
Magnapop delivered another very strong set, more polished than the previous night's, and were very well received; in fact, an announcement that they would be playing "a few more songs" was met with applause--something that doesn't happen too often with opening acts. Minor technical glitch: Ruthie Morris' guitar came unplugged during the first song. The band kept going, and Ruthie never lost a note; as soon as she was plugged back in, they kept right on going.
Sugar also seemed to be affected by the Night of the Cursed Guitar; Bob's blue Stratocaster went out during the set and was temporarily replaced by his black one; he later mentioned that someone had dropped the guitar (the blue one) when he'd sent it out to be refretted.
Apart from that, the set was....well, how to describe a show that unleashes at least a show-and-a-half's worth of energy? Explosive seems an understatement. If last night was a wildfire, this was a firestorm. Sugar's pedal-to-the-metal, no-holds-barred at breakneck speed approach tonight was the sonic equivalent of a finely trained attack dog going straight for the heart. Any more and the place probably would have flown apart at the seams. This was one heck of a way to kick off the second leg of the North American tour.
Vocals sounded excellent again tonight; they only continue to improve. David was in particularly fine form tonight. Sugar have the vocal two-part harmonies down so tight that it almost hurts to listen. "Your Favorite Thing," "Mind is an Island," and "Gee Angel" were particular treats in that category.
Highlights: a searing "Clownmaster," a truly explosive "Explode and Make Up," a rocking "Gee Angel," and a devastating "Tilted," complete with a Zen Arcade Revisited noise/feedback coda that ended only after Bob threw his guitar down in front of his amp and left the stage with everything (equipment and audience) still screaming. It's a wonder anything was left standing in the room after that.