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Understanding 9/11Low Live at Redeye Theater on 1993-09-30
Audio With External Links Item Preview
02 Cut
03 Words
04 Slide
05 Fear
06 Lazy
07 Drag
08 Sunshine
09 Down
Related Music question-dark
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Notes
As of this writing (Jan. 2007), this is the earliest Low show known to exist on tape, and it's a true gem. There's a little bit of bass distortion now and then, and very slight tape hiss, but all things considered, it's a really nice recording. I had thought this was a soundboard tape, but listening back I'm not sure. The acoustic is open and spacious, with plenty of "air" (unlike many sbds which feel unnaturally close), but there's no audience interference at all -- indeed, besides the applause at the ends of songs, the audience is pretty much inaudible.
Whatever its origins, it's a beautiful set. All the songs are tracks from "I Could Live in Hope" -- only "Lullaby" and "Rope" are absent -- and those who love that album will find much to enjoy here, too. It's a nice memory from a very different era in Low's music and career.
The tape I received had a speed problem (about 5% fast) which was corrected on playback using the Tascam's pitch control knob. It sounds like the chat between songs has been edited out -- it may well be that the original taper pressed the pause button at the end of each song. I didn't normalize these files after transferring them, but my notes indicate that the peak level is -1.7 dB, so normalization shouldn't be needed.
Thanks to M. for sharing this tape with me, and to the original taper -- and of course to Low, for making some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard.
Reviews
Subject: Hello from the taper of this show
1) Red Eye Theater was not in St. Paul, MN, but was in Minneapolis, MN. It was located on 15th St between Nicollet Avenue and LaSalle Avenue. The venue was curated by Chris Strouth. The other artists on the bill, who were also recorded, were Lisa Raye (of the band Big Red Ball), and Azalia Snail. The fact that this performance was recorded is owed to Lisa Raye, who was a friend of mine. I had accompanied her to the venue to record her set, and she thought I should record Low, who were relatively unknown at the time. She introduced me to the band, and they gave me permission to record them.
2) The recording of Low was made from the stage area where the band performed. They allowed me to set up my mics and equipment right in front of them, as they were interested in the possibility of a natural acoustic recording. That is why the audience sounds are minimal. I was using a pair of Radio Shack/Tandy PZM mics, connected to a home stereo cassette deck, via a small 4-channel potentiometer, which served as a mixer/pre-amp/conduit.
3) This recording as it is posted on LMA, seems to have gone through a few hands in a very short time. Apparently I made a copy of the tape for someone who circulated it so that it eventually ended up on LMA, but I can't account for the difference in the sound quality which has transpired beyond the original recording. The sound quality of the version which has been posted here online is somewhat distorted, and it seems as though it has been edited by someone, although not by me. I have the original cassette sitting in front of me as I write this, which I have never digitized, and the performance was recorded in its' entirety. As time allows, I will digitize the cassette in 24/96 on a NAK deck, with Azimuth optimization applied to the playback head, and upload it to LMA.
Cheers,
J. Free
Sonic Archives
Subject: A time capsule
