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Motorpsycho VHS Archive #3
1995-04-09 | Groningen (NL)
***.. | The Nerve Tattoo
**… | s’ Numbness
**… | Wearing Yr Smell
***.. | A Shrug & A Fistful
**… | Kill Some Day
**… | Heaven And Hell
***.. | Nothing To Say
**… | Come On In
****. | The Wheel (inc. Mars, The Bringer Of War / All Is Loneliness / Mad Sun)
***.. | Feel
***.. | S.T.G.
****. | Plan #1
—
****. | Hogwash
***.. | Blueberry Daydream
**… | Leave It Like That
***.. | The One Who Went Away
—
***** | The Golden Core
It’s April 1995, and MP are on the road with Timothy’s Monster, which was released in October 1994 (not counting The Tussler, which was released that November, and the Wearing Yr Smell EP in December – which also launched Stickman). Both Deathprod and Lars Lien have left the party at this point, and Morten "Lolly" Fagervik has played keyboards/guitars since his debut in Bergen on September 23rd, 1994, where they played two shows at Garage.
Motorpsycho have tried, tested and developed new tracks on stage forever, and the first track from Timothy’s Monster ("Trapdoor") found its way into their set as early as February 1993, so by April ’95 one would have expected quite a transition – even from late May ’94, when "Grindstone" was dropped from the set, and the heaviness was turned down substantially by the time the first Blissard-track ("’s Numbness") was played live in November. "S.T.G." and "Drug Thing" had entered the set in February 1995, "Manmower" and "The Nerve Tattoo" (then called "Dave Gave Up") in March.
The band kept up their trademark setlist-shuffling, and some quite eccentric sets were played during this leg too (March 28 – Augsburg being a good example), as well as some more balanced – but nonetheless tempting ones (particularly March 19 – Mezzago, but also to a degree March 23 – Biel, March 30 – Nürnberg and April 1 – Dresden). But just judging from the setlist alone, this gig at Vera in Groningen, which was also one of the band’s favourite places to play, is definitely one of the most interesting ones.
The sound is a very clear soundboard recording, and fairly balanced between the vocals and the band, but unfortunately waaay too polite in the bass-department, which takes away a lot of depth and energy from the performance. It is also late in the tour, so Bent’s voice has taken a bit of a beating (he almost seems to be fighting a cold in the beginning, but gets better after a while). The one camera is situated at stage right (Bent’s side), but we still see a lot of the whole band, particularly Geb. The filming is steady throughout, and it is a very watchable/listenable show overall.
They open with one of the new ones; "Dave Gave Up" aka "The Nerve Tattoo". The lyrics (save for a select few lines like "that’s OK", "matter anyway" and "don’t misunderstand me") are definitely not finished at this point, and Bent sounds like he’s reciting Cocteau Twins-poetry. It’s not yet fantastic, but still a decent listen already with a good little noise-out as well. Then "s’ Numbness". This one sounds finished lyrically, but the music is more wavy and less ragged than it would eventually become. "Wearing Yr. Smell" continues the pop-opening, and is far from great, but decent enough. Geb misses a cue during "A Shrug & A Fistful", which is a nice ice-breaker, and Bent quotes Pete Townshend from the Who-show in San Francisco ’73 when Keith Moon passed out. "Hey, we need a new drummer. Does anybody know how to play drums?" Snah also flatly says "You’re fired." to Geb, hehe. Bent’s first scream of the evening is pretty goood, and the ending of the track is quite nice. "Kill Some Day" is merely OK – but is bordering on good at times, with particularly good backing vocals, and a decent mid-part.
It’s The Who-time with the awesome "Heaven And Hell". It is a pretty good version, but the bass is unfortunately resigned to the same track as Jason Newstead on …And Justice For All. Very unfortunate. It does get turned up slightly during "Nothing To Say", which is a revelation in itself, with the energy levels being heightened substantially. Lovely, spacious jam – truly the first really good moment of the show. We don’t see much of the audience, but they sing along to the final verse here. The electric "Come On In" is mostly quite boring, but gets really good towards the end with some truly beautiful soloing from Snah.
I may be totally mistaken, but after "Come On In" it sounds like Geb asks Bent which set they are doing out of two. Maybe they had two potential courses mapped out? Whatever those may have been, Bent makes the right choice. "Okay we’re gonna spend half an hour on The Wheel now, so if you wanna go pee…" While the recording is sorely lacking bass (no attack, just the reverb of it), it is very clear that just around the hour mark the concert reaches its first magical moment. After a brief build-up with a Crimson-style "Mars, The Bringer Of War", Bent starts screaming and Snah kicks in the wah-wah. Psychoverse achieved. Bent gives everything, and actually screams his voice off. They take it down, and do some lines from "All Is Loneliness" and "Mad Sun" before bringing out the full noise-out machine, and they feed into high heaven. Bliss! A tape of the studio ending of the song plays during the final feedback-part. There are a few audience shots where the people look severely weirded out. The transition into an electric "Feel" works well, and it is a decent version with great soloing from Snah.
Then another new one; "S.T.G.", which save for a few lines is already quite complete – including lifting of guitars, which makes Lolly laugh! It hasn’t yet reached the amazing heights it would later on, but the main ingredients are already there, and they play a lovely psychedelic outro too. By now they’ve definitely won over the audience, and "Plan #1" comes at just the right moment. It never fails to amaze, and it’s great to see some of the emotional reactions to it in the crowd. A highlight for sure.
That being said, this main set leaves a lot to be desired. The first half hour in particular is very underwhelming, and while there are some really good moments later on, the concert never truly lifts off.
They come back, and go straight into "Hogwash"! Yes! They actually let rip here, and it’s a very enjoyable version. Great! And Bent is on point here with some serious screaming, even throwing himself around a bit. Next up: "Blueberry Daydream". Woah, from Lobotomizer right back to Maiden Voyage. It’s an uneven, but often good version, with a powerful beat from Geb, and Bent is quite energetic here too. "Leave It Like That" seems to be a crowd-favourite, but this version just doesn’t gel. Snah screws up the transition from the first chorus, which gets some laughs from Geb, and they never quite seem to recover. It’s just not quite there. "The One Who Went Away" feels like something of a release at this point. Bent struggles with the notes, and they end up all over the place, but it has a lot of spirit, and is enjoyable.
They actually come back for "The Golden Core", and it is just undeniable greatness. To the point where one might ask if this fairly lackluster concert even deserved it. But it does round everything off on a magic note. Every recording of this masterpiece is a treasure, and it is a privilege to watch the band play it at this stage of their journey. The filming is particularly good here too, with some really moving shots of Bent. I’m once again struck by how much I love this band, as I’m sure the audience that night were too.
So there it is. While the recording is a great gift, and 1995 was a year where the band kept breaking new ground at an amazing rate, this show is very rarely top tier Motorpsycho, and has some quite boring spells. Maybe they were tired, or maybe the recording just doesn’t capture the energy, but there are certainly better versions to be found of the highlights ("The Wheel", "Plan #1" and "Hogwash"), although unique and blissful moments are there for the patient psychonaut. "The Golden Core" is beyond description and criticism, and worth the watch alone.
Motorpsycho VHS Archive #2
1997-05-05 | Hannover (DE)
***.. | Mad Sun [cuts in]
***** | Sister Confusion
***** | A Shrug & A Fistful
****. | Starmelt/Lovelight
****. | Superstooge (inc. Playing In The Band)
***** | Heartattack Mac
***** | True Middle
***** | S.T.G.
***** | Young Man Blues
****. | You Lied
***** | Vortex Surfer
—
***.. | Dr. Hoffman’s Bicycle
****. | Up Our Sleeves
***** | Into The Sun
—
***** | Un Chien d’Espace (inc. Timothy’s Monster) [cuts]
For the second night the video cuts in during the beginning of a good "Mad Sun", before going into an absolutely stunning version of "Sister Confusion". This arrangement really reveals what a powerful song that is. Bent’s screaming is awesome here. A kick ass "A Shrug & A Fistful" follows. Starmelt is a bit rougher than the day before, with Snah & Bent being a bit more unsteady vocally, but the energy is great, and the audience seems livelier. "Superstooge" is a LOT better than yesterday, and the audience is really into it. The "Heartattack Mac" from the day before seemed quite untouchable, and this is not as amazing, and less "together", but still pretty mindblowing. Geb is a beast here, and the climax is really massive! The segway into "True Middle" also works beautifully, and the final noise-out is just perfect there.
It's STG-time!! Insanely good. Just insanely good. Better than the day before. Then The Who-time!! I mean… This is the sort of track that just falls flat unless your energy levels are maxed out, and MP certainly don’t go through the motions here. Bent gets really animated, jumping around and windmilling, it is such a joy to watch! And you just want to bathe in Snah’s sound. They cut it short just as it really lifts off, though, which is my only gripe with this version, and Snah seems to wholeheartedly agree. "Stopped way to early!", he shouts at Geb afterwards, who just points to Bent and says "No, no, it was Bent who [inaudible]!" Snah doesn’t answer, and Geb lets out a "I’m sorry…" that sounds both genuine and slightly annoyed at the same time. Snah seems pissed off during the beginning of "You Lied", which just adds additional fire to the track. But it still doesn’t match the version from the night before. That’s not to say it’s not great, though. Then they close with fucking Vortex Surfer… Arghh, they are so good… This one is better than the night before, but unfortunately has some slightly annoying drop-outs and level-shifting throughout. Bent also only goes for one high "pain", which takes the intensity slightly down at the climax, but overall it is still incredible. Imagine being in the audience hearing that for the first time…
I have to say that this main set is even better than the night before overall, although VS doesn’t quite match "Heartattack Mac" in intensity.
Bent returns to the stage smoking, and announces yet another new tune. It is "Dr. Hoffman’s Bicycle". The band isn’t totally in sync here, but once again they "force" it into something good by playing the life out of and thus into it. It doesn’t quite reach yesterday’s peaks, though. "Up Our Sleeves", on the other hand, hits the sweet spot. Great kick ass rock-out with fierce soloing from Snah. That was just the warm-up for "Into The Sun", though, which reaches some absolutely amazing peaks! The song itself is nothing if not a vehicle for a power-trio explosion, and the final part including and after the Albert Lee-style downtune/build-up from Snah is psych-rock heaven!
They come back for a final encore (with Bent smoking again), and it’s a MONSTROUS Un Chien! It’s tighter, further out, and just plain more magical than the day before. Bent sings the lyrics to "Timothy’s Monster" before the groove kicks in in the middle. It never loses intensity or grace – until Bent breaks a string, and swiftly aborts the jam. Such a shame – they probably could have taken it even further. Bent seems pissed off, and throws an f-bomb during the final verse. The video fades out about a minute before the ending.
Dampsaba claims that they opened this show with an acoustic version of Crosby, Stills & Nash’s "Find The Cost Of Freedom", which seems plausible at first, but it also claims that "Mad Sun" and "Sister Confusion" also were acoustic, which they clearly weren’t (it also says that "Hogwash" was played after "Up Our Sleeve").
Since they did a two-night stint at Café Glocksee, they may have planned – and in that case probably run through some acoustic tracks earlier during the day, as they didn’t have any traveling to do. I have no idea why they dropped the plan – it may have been quite close to showtime, since they usually decide on the setlist not too long before the show, but my pet theory is that they dropped "Find The Cost Of Freedom" altogether, since that might not have worked too well electrically, making "Mad Sun" the first number. Just speculation from my part, though. Sure, they might have done an acoustic track before that, but my guess is that the film crew probably would have gotten at least one tape running if that was the case.
But yes – overall an even better show than the day before. Amazing!
@Phoots Flower, no the link is dead at the moment – hopefully very temporary.
Thanks for the link to the '01-show too. I'm always up for a Superstooge > Tristano!
Motorpsycho VHS Archive #1
1997-05-04 | Hannover (DE)
***.. | Superstooge
***.. | Sinful, Windborne
**… | Like Always
***** | S.T.G.
****. | Vortex Surfer
****. | Un Chien d’Espace
****. | Manmower
***** | Sideway Spiral II
****. | Dr. Hoffman’s Bicycle
***** | You Lied
***** | Heartattack Mac (inc. Rocket USA)
—
***.. | Summertime Blues
****. | Starmelt/Lovelight
***** | Sterling Says
—
**… | Flick Of The Switch
Thank you so so much, Bernie! What a fantastic way to kick off the VHS Archive! The spring-leg of the AADAP-tour is amazing, and to have a quality recording like this of a complete show is such a gift.
The start is solid, if not slightly tentative, but the quality of the recording makes it a superb watch/listen. Great camerawork, top notch editing, and the mix is so engaging! Surprisingly balanced, all the while being raw and exciting to boot. It has an analogue "melt"-quality to it. The guitars really sound like God. Just magical! Nice to see an embryonic "Superstooge", but the first highlight is a GREAT "S.T.G." with a lovely psych-outro. Also: That moment when Bent screams "Trust in me, I’ll change your destiny"…!! Wonderful to see people being exposed to a fairly finished VS for the very first time too, and a superb move to follow that with Un Chien. Love the mid-part. A great, swirling meditation. Free and open. It sounds sooo good! A BEAUTIFUL "Manmower" follows. Really powerful, and it has that spooky magic that gives it an extra edge. And then, YES, "Sideway Spiral II", which I love so much! This version really does it for me! Dat sound…!!! Mmmmm! Huge highlight, and Geb is awesome here! Now, "Dr. Hoffman’s Bicycle" is maybe not much of a song, but they hit it with so much force here, it reaches some great peaks. Love the melodic outro. But they still save an extra gear for the next, though. This "You Lied" is IT. THE version. One giant wave of energy, that while being great on its own, also totally ignites what follows, which is a MAJESTIC "Heartattack Mac". This is where things get truly psychotic, and they really reach the golden core here. The energy is through the roof. Fantastic vocals from Snah too, and Bent goes all the way into psychoverse during his Rocket USA-part.
They come back for a nice Who-take on "Summertime Blues" (complete with a windmill from Bent), and a beautiful "Starmelt/Lovelight", which has some guitar-drop-outs in the recording, but no big deal. Great Snah-vox! Then comes a real treat. "Sterling Says"! Fuck yes!! Wonderfully chaotic, and has a noise-out on par with "Heartattack Mac" to boot. Super cool "White Light/White Heat"-type climax! Sterling would be very pleased.
"Flick Of The Switch" is something of an anti-climatic ending, and is along with "Like Always" the only two middle-of-the-road-moments during this gig imho. But that doesn’t take away from the overall experience here. It’s like when McCartney said "Fuck off, it's the Beatles' White Album." – this a multi-cam club-show from May ’97 with soundboard audio! Blessalujah!
This was filmed early in May, and the tour just got crazier as it went along with many of their all-time best setlists imho (particularly May 22 – Rimini, May 24 – Mezzago, May 29 – Vera, and the best one of the tour: June 1 – Eindhoven), and on top of that they introduced "Swiss Cheese Mountain", which was originally a stoner-masterpiece on par with "On The Toad Again" and "Home Of The Brave". My dream is that there is a ’97 recording of that which will magically turn up on a Trust Us deluxe…
Anyways: Thanks again, and looking much forward to future archive shows!
Here's my 3 x LP Roadwork VI from the Crucible-tour:
Side A:
For Mad Men Only (ca. 6 mins)
Mantrick Muffin Stomp (ca. 9 mins)
Master Builder (ca. 7 mins)
Side B:
The Crucible (ca. 22 mins)
Side C:
Nature's Way (ca. 4 mins)
The Other Fool (ca. 6 mins)
Heartattack Mac (ca. 13 mins)
Side
Starhammer (ca. 19 mins)
Side E:
The Wheel (ca. 22 mins)
Side F:
Fools Gold (ca. 18 mins)
Thanks!
Great moment at 1:50:00-1:50:15 where Bent is desperately trying to get Snah's attention, even pointing his bass at him at one point, and having to go up to him to break the trance (Snah gives the "Yeah, I know, I know"-response), while Tomas is craning his neck trying to find out what's going on.
Quote:If someone were to tape this, I know there would be at least one listener.I too desperately hope somebody taped it. There are so few interviews with Bent talking about lyrics.
Glad you like it, Blashyrkh! Add away, and thanks for the great work on the database. I look forward to spending a lot of quality time over there.
Quote:DEMON BOX – 18-7-2015 –> 19-10-2015 – 4 – KK, HG, DPUnfortunately I've no documentation on these Demon Box concerts, so I dunno if there were more guests other then the aforementioned ones. As always, any contribution is welcome!
The line-up was the same for the festival and the Rockheim-shows (no other guests).
