Stray Cats 1988-10-20 The Bayou Washington, DC

 

 

 Stray Cats – Live at the Bayou, Washington DC – Oct 20th 1988

Sony ECM-??>Sony WM-D3>Denon HD-M/100> Behernger UFO-202> Nero Wave Editor / Soundtrax

Baby Blue Eyes
Double Talkin’Baby
Rumble in Brighton
Blast Off
Runaway Boys
Nine Lives
I Fought The Law
Too Tired To Rock
Stray Cat Strut
Gina
Rockabilly Rules O.K.
Rock This Town +
Slippin’ In
Sexy & 17
Built For Speed
Be-Bop-A-Lula *
Say Mama*
Something Else

* Guest performance from Robert Plant
+ Tape flip patched from 10-18-1988 show The Ritz NYC

This was probably my first concert that I ever recorded. The Stray Cats were performing two shows that evening. The wait was long to get into the club; apparently the crowd had to wait to get inside at least 30-45 minutes after 11:00pm. It was discovered while standing in line that Robert Plant had just performed at the Cap Center and they were waiting on his arrival. The upstairs tables closest to the stage were roped off for Robert Plant and his entourage, so I made my way to the closest tables which were about half the length of the club back. The good part was that there was a walkway below the railing that wrapped around the two tables and there was minimal voice chatter on the recording. I believe the only chatter (minimal) was probably from me and the two girls that I befriended in line. I wish one of those tables up front had been open; I could have had a more direct “on-axis” recording. There’s only one part that I wish could have been different. The crowd noise was so intense when Brian Setzer introduced Robert Plant that you can barely understand his words, then one of the girls placed a bottle on the table during Be Bop a Lula and a “thud” is noticeable.
 
This is totally speculative but after the show, I was waiting outside (like an idiot) with the girls that I befriended, and someone came outside passing on info that the Cats and Plant had gotten into a fight with the club about being cut off on the drinks. This was a Thursday night and last call was usually around 1:45am at most bars.
There was a guy standing next to me with a professional camera and I had questioned if he got any good shots of the concert. It’s a long story but I finally got a terrific widescreen shot of Plant and the Cats on stage about 2 years later.
When the Stray Cats had returned to DC in 1991, I had handed them the photo for signing, and I was informed from a guy in NY that I purchased my CD silvers from that Lee Rocker collects their own boots, so I handed him a copy of the 88 show.

This is from the master tape and has been carefully transferred and re mastered. Sound levels have been adjusted and corrected, minimal or no EQ was applied.

Please enjoy a recording that has been horded* for the past 21 years.

DPTRON
* a few early transfers are floating around somewhere but this recording has superior transfer quality.

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