Heartland

nothing has to be said about the quality of that period - just a lot of incredible gigs.
beside the slight differencies in sound between the 84 gigs and the uk 85 gigs i always wondered about the sound of newcastle 85.
compared to other gigs of that period (i know about 2/3 of them) newcastle sounds like having been mixed and prepared for airplay. the bass works inconspicuously in the background, guitars are warm, soft and well balanced and eldritch's voice is almost smooth - even other soundboard recordings sound differently.
do we have peolpe in here who witnessed this performance? did it actually sound like the recording? i have read the notes on that show in the heartland magazin - and as stated in there, ghostrider, especially the final sequence with the echoing voices, has almost a magical atmosphere
j.

I was at the Newcastle 13.3.85 Gig.I was at Uni there.It was an awesome show,as was Leeds,Sheffield,Hull & Blackburn.However,the Newcastle bootleg is so very good that I consider it must have been pre-planned & mixed etc.I remember the sound being good but I don't think it was as perfect as the recording.I saw them loads in 83 & 84.They were more raw early on as they were in their infancy.85 saw them better organised & more polished.The sound was better in 85 but 83/84 Gigs were in my opinion more vibrant & exciting.

As far as the Newcastle gig was concerned , I was there (last time I saw them live).The sound was very good, especially as Tiffanies was /is a wierd venue in that if i remember it right it was very long but shallow in depth and the band were wedged on a small stage against a wall.I did wonder at the time why they were playing there as 6 months earlier I saw them play at the City Hall(much larger echoey venue).Maybe the switch was because of the sound at the City Hall.....it wasnt bad just kind of got lost.I have the boot of the City Hall gig and it does have an eery fell to it(it would be hard to believe that the demand for tickets had fallen since the City Hall gig so maybe the switch was to get a better sound)As an ironic footnote I first saw the m*****n at the City Hall and they in comparison rocked the house down....Awsome

It occurred to me that Eldritch said once that they released the London 18.6.85 gig officially because it was the only performance that wasn't rubbish. So it's possible they had setup recording for official live-release a few times earlier, but Von decided for whatever reason that the performance wasn't good enough? Don't remember if there was some particular mistake in Newcastle gig, though...sometimes he sings at the wrong place etc.

dei

It was stunning seeing them open with the incredibly powerful version of Burn & then into Heartland.AE looked like an ultra cool Clint Eastwood,rocking back & forth in the sodium haze & screaming into the microphone.The 83/84 shows were the best live performances ever.I am honoured to have seen them.

yes, from the year 2004 point of view all you lucky guys are honoured to have seen them that time. i would trade 3 2004 show-attendencies for one back in 84/85 ; i will contact god, ebay and the speed of light....

at least i have seen them several times since 1990, including magical highlights like the loreley 92 gig

"back" again - someone of you has been to brighton 85?

I don't think Newcastle was intended to be released ... I do know that originally the Leeds gig 3 nights later (16/3/1985) was to be released as a Video registration was made on that night (or so I was told by reliable sources ) ... but was cancelled as not good enough another gig from 1984 was also recorded on video but cannot remember which one ...

DoKtor Spiggy wrote:I was at the Newcastle 13.3.85 Gig.I was at Uni there.It was an awesome show,as was Leeds,Sheffield,Hull & Blackburn.However,the Newcastle bootleg is so very good that I consider it must have been pre-planned & mixed etc.I remember the sound being good but I don't think it was as perfect as the recording.I saw them loads in 83 & 84.They were more raw early on as they were in their infancy.85 saw them better organised & more polished.The sound was better in 85 but 83/84 Gigs were in my opinion more vibrant & exciting.

That's all very interesting, but have you ever been caught shagging in a toilet?

I've actually been caught shagging all the girls in Berlin in a toilet