Thin Lizzy
Ipswich
Gaumont Theatre
1983-05-03
Lineage:
(probably AIWA stereo mic) -> AIWA Walkman-style recorder -> TDK AD C90 cassettes -> Yamaha SW1000XG Sound card -> WAV -> CEP -> FLAC
2005-10-15: converted from original .shns to wav, then flac @ level 8.
At this compression level, files total 703M. I was hoping it would
come in under 700M, sorry :-(
Disc #1:
========
1. Introduction 1:10
2. Thunder And Lightning 5:27
3. Waiting For An Alibi > 3:17
4. Jailbreak 4:34
5. Baby Please Don't Go 5:17
6. This Is The One 4:04
7. Angel Of Death > 5:43
8. Are You Ready 3:06
9. Holy War > 4:47
10. The Sun Goes Down 6:37
11. Cold Sweat 3:07
12. Cowboy Song 6:38
13. The Boys Are Back In Town 4:36
14. Suicide 5:22
15. Sha La La 5:54
16. Fade-out (overlaps d2t01) 0:04
Total Time : [69:43]
Disc #2:
========
Encore #1:
1. Audience / Tuning / Chat 0:55
2. Emerald 3:57
3. Baby Drives Me Crazy 10:49
Encore #2:
4. Audience / Tuning / Chat 0:54
5. Still In Love With You 8:58
6. Rosalie > 4:32
7. Whiskey In The Jar > 1:48
8. Dancin' In The Moonlight > 1:13
9. Rosalie 3:07
Total Time : [36:12]
Phil Lynott : Bass Guitar, vocals
Scott Gorham : Guitar
Darren Wharton : Keyboards
John Sykes : Guitar
Brian Downey : Drums
Editing:
The original master tapes had some pauses during the calls for an encore, as well as an inevitable tape flip between Holy War and The Sun Goes Down. I eliminated all pauses by use of cross-fades, and I repaired the tape flip as best I could. I adjusted the tone using an FFT filter that boosted both bass and treble very significantly. Still not perfect, but a worthwhile improvement on the original IMHO. The fade track at the end of disc #1 may be removed for complete and seamless reassembly of the entire show (the original tape edits notwithstanding). These edits, and this version, dates to 12th July 2003.
A word about the source of this recording, and previously circulating versions:
This show was recorded by a friend of mine, on my recording equipment. I've had a first-generation cassette ever since 1983, and it's always been a favourite. A few years ago I became aware that a CD bootleg of this recording was circulating, titled "Sykes & Lynott". This 3-CD set includes an extra disc taken from the Hitchin show earlier in the year. I do not know the exact lineage for the bootleg CDs, but it seems that they were taken from a low-generation analogue copy. However there are 2 significant flaws with the CD versions, and they are:
(1). There are some speed (wow & flutter) issues.
(2). The bass is somewhat light.
When I had a chance to check out the bootleg, I found it difficult to listen to more than a short segment, because the recording that I was familiar with is so much better quality. The wow & flutter problem was particularly nasty. The source tape that was used for the CDs was evidently not a good transfer. Hopefully this is everything that the bootleg is not.
So, having entered the digital age, I resolved to go back to the master cassette and make a good digital transfer. Although I've had this raw audio filed away since sometime in 2000, I never circulated it at all. There is one (and only one) audio flaw that begged for some improvement - and that is the harsh cut at the start of The Sun Goes Down, corresponding to the C90 tape flip.
I think the tape came out pretty good - although it is by no means perfect, but considering the equipment used, there is a nice room sound and a pleasant balance of audience noise/response. The automatic recording level creates a few artifacts, but all things considered this has created pictures in my mind of what it might have been like to attend this show, and if I had the chance to go back in time, this is one of those shows I wish I'd attended. If you choose to find faults in the audio, you can find them - the treble is far from sparkling, but the whole in this case is so much more than the sum of the parts.
About the date of this performance - I have always had it marked down on my tape list as 3rd May. I checked up on the giglist at the Thin Lizzy website - http://www.thin-lizzy.net - this confirms the date as 3rd May, but a closer look reveals a gap in the UK tour on 5th March, which at first glance seems a more likely date. (ie is it 5/3 or 3/5?). So I did a little bit of investigation, and looked up Ipswich Town's football fixtures for 1982/83 (check out Phil's comment in Baby Drives Me Crazy). It appears that Ipswich Town had no match on 5th March, however they played at home to West Ham on Tuesday 3rd May:
http://www.ipswichtown-mad.co.uk/footydb/loadtmrs.asp?ssnno=95&teamno=304 I also seem to remember my friend who recorded the show saying that there was a later-than-expected start (check the introduction - "thank you for being patient") due to a ferry journey - presumably from the Scandanavian dates, the last of which was on 1st May. So - 3rd May it is, which makes this one of 2 UK dates (the other being Gloucester the following day), played after the end of the UK tour proper and a short Scandanavian jaunt.
No comments:
Post a Comment