Bootlegs

Additional Information: This bootleg can immediately be identified as an audience recording. Loads of claps, shouts and conversations drown out the intro tape of When Spirits Rise, of which this recording leaps into near the end. Luckily the crowd stop clapping during the start of Street Fighting Years, so you can hear some of the band, but it's not long lasting. Lisa Germano's solo in the bridge is lost over claps and cheers, but this version isn't as long as the Theme 20: Verona EP cut.; "OK?". An unfamiliar drumming rhythm from Mel, and melody from Mick, heralds Wall Of Love. Unfortunately Jim's announcements are lost over the croud noise. Jim is joined by Annie McCaig for the vocal, which is starting to suffer from echo. There are slight lyrical changes and a great false ending (which caught the crowd off guard).; "Everybody? For Nelson Mandela". Charlie's riffs open Mandela Day, which the crowd know well (perhaps a little too well for this bootleg), and is is full of Hammond organ extras from Mick. The very last notes of the song are faded out for the end of the first side.; "This... Is... Your... Land..." A very slow introduction for a slow song, Charlie's opening guitar riff is drowned by clapping and audience talk. Basically a slow extended version - Lisa Germano gets a solo but she's difficult to hear at times. It ends with Jim whispering "You don't know what you've got, 'til the whole things gone." The etherial Soul Crying Out follows: the album version enhanced with extended intros and outros, transforming a great song into a huge majestic slab. As soon as Mick's wonderful keyboards hit the last substained note, the intro to Waterfront kicks in, and the place really starts to rock. A more condensed version than the Once Upon A Time tour opener.; Book Of Brilliant Things has also been condensed. It's lost it's opening, the first verses, and now starts with the Five To One section of the song. Despite this, it's still a lenghty piece, slowly building up to Mel's drum climax. The opening chords of "Don't You (Forget About Me)" gets the cheers. The audience also get to sing the first verse, and scream all the way through. All you really hear through the final third of the song is "La, la, la"; "On acoustic guitar, Charlie Burchill. On accordion, Mick MacManus! Shhhh! This is a song we wrote 100 years ago.." And so begins one of the 'chill-out' parts of the concert. Over a soft backing, Mick and Charlie perform the Gaelic Melody. Unfortunately, since it's a quiet, understated song, the audience yap all the way through. But enough of the song remains to make it enjoyable. The song is comprised of two parts: the first with Charlie and Mick, the second with Mick and Lisa Germano on violin.; Rolling drums introduce Mick's keyboards and Lisa's violin, for an almost acoustic introduction to Take A Step Back, which gradually builds into a version recognisable as the album. For all the Street Fighting Years songs, this one has evolved the most, with soft violins, Hammond organs, Lisa's violin and the vocals of Annie McCaig. It builds and builds before collapsing into a heap, and then picks itself up again for a frantic rush into Oh Jungleland, which hasn't changed much since the Once Upon A Time tour.; A bad edit on the bootleg starts Kick It In prematurely. The live version follows the album version closely, although Charlie can be heard trying new ideas and improvisions throughout. The huge pause (which used to last for a minute at least) either never happened at this gig or was edited out for this bootleg. Another bad edit follows and then Jim announces Sun City. Andy Duncan gets his one credit during a full performance of this Little Steven classic.; The only Street Fighting Years bootleg is a rather confusing beast - all the labels are the same, except for the side numbers. Once you realize that, getting through the bootleg becomes easier.; Nice sleeve and artwork, which even includes the concert ticket (the support was The Silencers) but don't believe the Promotional Copy - Not For Sale statement!; It's somewhat of a pity. If the band are loud, and the audience are quiet, then it works - the quality is similar to Summertime In Glasgow or better. But if the audience gets going, or it's a quiet track, then the results are very disappointing.

Mandela Day
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Universal Amphitheatre Los Angeles
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