Lou Reed Aylesbury 29 July 1972 on dime

[lurid]

Lou Reed Aylesbury 29 July 1972 audience recording

Friar's Club
Borough Assembly Hall
Market Square
Aylesbury
29 July 1972

WARNING: this is all very poor quality material - for true afficionados and completists only...(listen to the samples)

track 01: White Light/White Heat 5.03
track 02: Lonesome Cowboy Bill 4.51
track 03: I'm Waiting For The Man 5.48
track 04: Ride Into The Sun 4.33
track 05: New Age 5.03
track 06: Walk And Talk It 4.25
track 07: Sweet Jane 5.38
track 08: Going Down 2.59
track 09: I Can't Stand It 3.30
track 10: Berlin 6.38
track 11: Head Held High 3.45
track 12: Cool It Down/Wild Child 16.02
track 13: Heroin 8.30
track 14: Rock And Roll 7.22

track 15: BBC TV Old Grey Whistle Test: interview by "whispering" Bob Harris, broadcast 26 September 1972 (?) 7.25

track 16: White Light /White Heat 5.10
track 17: I'm Waiting For The Man 5.34
track 18: Sweet Jane 3.58

(tracks 16/17/18 recorded at the Festival Hall, London 08 July 1972)

Lou Reed: guitar, vocals
Vinnie Laporta: guitar
Eddie Reynolds: guitar
Bobby Resigno: bass
Scottie Clark: drums

Personnel on tracks 16/17/18:

Lou Reed: guitar, vocals
David Bowie: guitar, backing vocals
Mick Ronson: guitar, backing vocals (?)
Trever Bolder: bass
Mick Woodmansey: drums

lineage: TDK SA90 cassette - Pioneer CT-S670D player - (wavepad/processing) - wav - flac (level 8) - you

original recording engineer(s) unknown
transfer to wav January 2009 by lurid_uk
uploaded to Dime January 2009 by lurid_uk

After his first solo LP had bombed, Lou must have felt that the pressure was on him to be the big unit-shifter that RCA expected him to be. Luckily, long-time fan David Bowie was there to lend a hand - he was a rising star in the UK and he had the music press captivated with his outrageous new Ziggy Stardust persona. On 8th July, Lou appeared as Bowie's guest at the Friends Of The Earth "Save The Whale" benefit show in London. Ziggy and the boys backed Lou for 3 songs and the appearance was good publicity for all concerned. On 14th July, Lou played his first show on UK soil at the King's Cross (Scala) Cinema in Pentonville Road, London, backed by The Tots. His new friend Mick Rock was on hand and took the iconic photo which would soon grace the cover of "Transformer". The surviving tape from that evening is evidence that Lou put on a passionate show to an enthusiastic audience. Two days later, Bowie held a series of press conferences at the Dorchester Hotel, London, and invited both Lou and Iggy Pop along to join the fun. Again, Mr Rock was there to record events. On 28th July, Lou and the Tots were back at the Scala Cinema ("by popular demand"), and that gig was followed by a short series of shows in and around London. At the start of August, Lou, David and Mick Ronson hit Trident Studios to lay down the tracks for "Transformer". (David was a busy kookie - he was also rehearsing for his own upcoming shows at the Rainbow Theatre on August 19th and 20th.) The LP appears to have been "in the can" by mid-September, and Lou set out on a tour of small venues throughout the UK to promote it. By December he was back in New York ready to marry Bettye and conquer the USA.....and the rest is legend!

I don't know how many people the Borough Assembly Hall in Aylesbury actually held, but it hosted many notable concerts - the Yule/Tucker "Velveteens" had even played here the previous November. David Bowie's 1971 and 1972 shows here are (properly) regarded as being legendary. Visit www.aylesburyfriars.co.uk and see for yourself.

Unfortunately, this is a really poor quality mono audience recording - almost impenetrable in places and with various cuts/level shifts throughout. I used a low pass filter to take out an annoying whine as well as the worst of the tape hiss. My copy also ran slow so I sped it up by 4% (and it still sounds slow in places - maybe Lou was a bit drunk....). Cuddle up with a set of headphones.....

scans included with torrent:

1. Flyer for 29 July 1972 show (courtesy www.aylesburyfriars.co.uk)
2. Friar's Club Newsletters July 1972 (courtesy www.aylesburyfriars.co.uk)
3. "This Is Lou Reed" RCA Press Kit for 1st solo LP
4. various 1972 RCA promotional photos
5. various (a lot of) 1972 press clippings
6. various 1972 UK tour ticket stubs
7. "Dead Lie The Velvets Underground" by Lester Bangs, Creem May 1971
8. "Lou Reed - Revising The Legend" by Ed McCormack, Fusion September 1972
9. "He Walks It Like He Talks It (usually)" by Lester Bangs, Creem, July 1972

share the music!

The best place to find accurate information about all aspects of Lou Reed's career as a solo artist is www.arrakis.es/~e.miquel/rnranimal/

[MJG196]

Hey Lurid, how does this quality differ from the CD version that has been in circulation for awhile?

[gordon]

hello mg196, I have no idea what the CD version is like. I got the cassette about 20 years ago, and have only just now transferred it to wav format. The cassette was terrible quality so I did what I could to improve it. I included a sample so people could decide for themselves whether or not to download it.

I also included a pile of interesting scans, including that famous 1971 Lester Bangs Creem article. (That issue of Creem sold for $78 last time it came up on ebay!)

Hey Lurid, how does this quality differ from the CD version that has been in circulation for awhile?

[Jez]

Thanks Gordon. I downloaded this last night but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.

I always look forward to the extra's that come with one of your torrents.Some interesting articles here.

You are a star mate.

[gordon (lurid_uk)]

thanks!

I think I maybe went a bit overboard this time, but at least there'll be lots to read and look at while you curse the poor quality of the actual audio material....

Thanks Gordon. I downloaded this last night but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.

I always look forward to the extra's that come with one of your torrents.Some interesting articles here.

You are a star mate.