As promised earlier this week, here are two classic My Bloody Valentine shows conveniently ZIP archived. These were sent to me by a DT reader and fellow shoegaze ripper. For the sake of comparison, listen to these recordings, then play a track or two from the MBV v2.0 London bootlegs, found here. Virtually no difference, as a “reunion” tour should be (but usually isn’t).

Lookin’ at… lemme see… one month and four days until the Aragon Ballroom in Uptown Chicago is duly leveled. It will be horrible. The National Guard might get called in.

The first bootleg was recorded at the Olympia in Paris in March of 1992. The second may be familiar to bootleg traders. It’s known as Loom, and was recorded in either January, April, or July 1992, depending on who you ask, somewhere in Vancouver. Loom offers the most flawless sound quality found on any given MBV bootleg. You can actually hear the vocals, unlike just about every other bootleg, and perhaps unlike what the live show might be like. I have a couple of highlights you can preview before downloading the entire shows. The noise interlude from Loom is NOT the Holocaust Section. The Holocaust Section always splits the show-ending “You Made Me Realise” in half, and as Bradford Cox described, sounds like “standing in front of a nuclear reactor.” The noise interlude from this bootleg is more the sound of two crustal plates scraping together. Or the sound of doves crying. MBV should release a noise record.

Olympia Theater, Paris – 3.17.92
When You Sleep
Only Shallow
I Only Said
Slow
Nothing Much to Lost
You Never Should
Blown a Wish
Honey Power
Soon
To Here Knows When
Feed Me With Your Kiss
You Made Me Realise / Holocaust Section

Vancouver 1992 – Loom Bootleg
When You Sleep
I Only Said
Only Shallow
Slow
Nothing Much to Lose
[Noise Interlude]
You Never Should
Fee Me With Your Kiss
Soon
To Here Knows When
Honey Power
You Made Me Realise / Holocaust Section

ZIP :::
My Bloody Valentine – Paris @ Olympia, 3.17.92 (Entire Show)
My Bloody Valentine – Loom Bootleg / Vancouver ‘92 (Part One)
My Bloody Valentine – Loom Bootleg / Vancouver ‘92 (Part Two)

MP3 :::
My Bloody Valentine – Only Shallow (Live)
My Bloody Valentine – Slow (Live)
My Bloody Valentine – Noise Interlude (Live)

This doesn’t need a long introduction, but as a master of circumlocution, I’m going to give it one. An impressive, soundboard-quality bootleg of one of this summer’s warm-up shows in London has surfaced in torrentland. And it proves everything we’ve been hoping for – My Bloody Valentine will utterly decimate live.

It’s one month and 20 days (according to my righteous little ticker on the left) until My Bloody Valentine inflicts structural damage to the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. And if you’re going to the Chicago date and are worried about the Aragon’s notoriously shitty sound, fear not (probably). Rumor has it that Kevin Shields is bringing his own PA, cables, boards, and everything else he can preside over. I mean, he’s only a producer.

So yeah, for everyone having trouble sitting still until September’s end, this concert bootleg serves as a delicious appetizer. “I Only Said” and “Sueisfine” are majestically aerodynamic live. “Slow” features booty bass and tectonic rumbling. This reunion is epic.

And by the way, holy fucking shit, guys. You may have heard of the infamous “holocaust section” included for your convenience in the new MBV shows. It’s not a rumor. It exists. The Holocaust Section extends “You Made Me Realise” over the 24-minute mark. It is truly horrific. It’s conscience shifting. The Holocaust Section is sentient. The more you listen to it, the smarter it gets. As a reference, during the Mr. Beast tour, Mogwai clocked in at around 137 decibels at their sonic zenith, as measured by the show’s sound engineer. This is seven decibels louder than a Boeing 747 and a mere three clicks under the human threshold of pain. Free ear plugs were provided at this show out of compassion. Kevin Shields will be louder. It’s just ridiculous – I cannot wait to experience this live. And if I lose my hearing, I’ll miss it, whatever. Tinnitus is a good style, too.

Since we run a responsible blog here, no freeloading is encouraged, right? So, um, buy this album again. You can czech the setlist and individual tracks below, or you can download the entire set in the archive immediately to the south.

Entire concert: .ZIP File (appox. 118 Mb)

MP3 :::
My Bloody Valentine – Intro
My Bloody Valentine – Only Shallow
My Bloody Valentine – You Never Should
My Bloody Valentine – Honey Power
My Bloody Valentine – I Only Said
My Bloody Valentine – Cigarette In Your Bed
My Bloody Valentine – Thorn
My Bloody Valentine – Nothing Much to Lose
My Bloody Valentine – To Here Knows When
My Bloody Valentine – When You Sleep
My Bloody Valentine – Slow
My Bloody Valentine – Blown a Wish
My Bloody Valentine – Soon
My Bloody Valentine – Feed Me With Your Kiss
My Bloody Valentine – Sueisfine
My Bloody Valentine – You Made Me Realise / The Holocaust Section