The Decibel Tolls » loveless

My Bloody Valentine in Chicago – Full Concert Recording

Kenny Bloggins — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:32:42 +0000

Alright, as promised, here’s the full set from My Bloody Valentine’s Aragon performance on Sept. 27.

This bootleg is every bit as clear as the Loom record (and oh junk, I have that too), with an even more balanced mix. As I mentioned in my commentary on the show, you can’t hear the vocals in this recording (with a few exceptions like “Thorn”) because you couldn’t hear the vocals at the show either. That’s the way Kevin wants it, and I shan’t question it. These recordings are in .FLAC format (a super high quality audio file), so you may need to convert them to your preferred file type. I use Switch. Switch features a convenient drag-and-drop GUI, so converting should be easy breezy for you. However, lots of media software supports the .FLAC file extension, so try it out first and keep it in the high quality format if you can. If you have any issues, contact me and I’ll see if I can help.

For extra reading whilst listening (or something to occupy your time while downloading), get a little back story on the arduous time leading up to Loveless, and the nerd fight between Creation Records head Alan McGee and Kevin Shields, here.

Again, thanks for Julian at Roof’s Up and “Alien Rendel,” the mystery recorder of this show. I probably don’t have to mention this, but I will anyway… when downloading bootlegs, remember to support the people to bring it to you. If you’re diggin’ on the show, but don’t own a My Bloody Valentine album (a travesty in and of itself), you should correct that here. I’m fond of the Tremolo EP, myself. And of course, if you like the myriad bootlegs and MP3s you find here (and my general surly and sardonic prose), be a champ – please tell your friends about this blog and link to me if you have a website or blog yourself.

Chicago – Aragon – 9.27.08 Setlist:

I Only Said
When You Sleep
You Never Should
When You Wake (You’re Still in a Dream)
Cigarette In Your Bed
Come In Alone
Only Shallow
Thorn
Nothing Much To Lose
To Here Knows When
Slow
Soon
Feed Me With Your Kiss
You Made Me Realise / Holocaust Section

ZIP :::
My Bloody Valentine – Chicago, 9.27.08 (approx. 485 Mb)

MP3 :::
My Bloody Valentine – You Never Should (Live in Chicago)
My Bloody Valentine – Soon (Live in Chicago)

A Few Tracks From My Bloody Valentine in Chicago

Kenny Bloggins — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:03:50 +0000

No need for any commentary here – behold three choice tracks from last weekend’s My Bloody Valentine concert / religious sermon in Chicago. The audio quality is outstanding, so I assume this recording is directly from the soundboard. I plan to have the entire set up soon (probably Monday or Tuesday), so look out for that. That reminds me… yeah, why don’t you subscribe to the Decibel Tolls RSS feed, so you’re the first to know when I unload shipments of awesome on this blog?

Jump over here to read my, more or less, “review” of the show while you’re listening. And of course, I need to thank my friend at Roof’s Up for pointing me in the direction of this excellent bootleg (originally recorded by a gentleman with the handle “Alien Rendel”), as well as for the choice photo above.

In other news, the Sun Times’ Jim DeRogatis is still a moron.

UPDATE 10.6: The entire show is now up.

MP3 :::
My Bloody Valentine – Cigarette in Your Bed (Live in Chicago)
My Bloody Valentine – Thorn (Live in Chicago)
My Bloody Valentine – Slow (Live in Chicago)

Two Classic My Bloody Valentine Shows

Kenny Bloggins — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:07:37 +0000

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)

My Bloody Valentine Live Sneak Peek (in MP3)

Kenny Bloggins — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:09:46 +0000

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)