Lancaster University: May 4th, 1984

Track Listings
01. Diana
02. I Never Play Basketball Now
03. Green Isaac
04. The Devil Has All The Best Tunes
05. Couldn't Bear To Be Special
06. Ghost Town Blues
07. Technique
08. Hallelujah
09. Spinning Belinda
10. Don't Sing
11. Cruel
12. Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone)
13. Walk On
14. Cruel 2
15. Diana 2

Bonus Tracks:

16. Backstage interview for KFM with Paddy MacAloon (Pre FM version) 22m 04s 
17. Cruel - Elvis Costello (Orpheum Theater Boston 18 April 1984) - as mentioned during interview - Paddy, this one's for you! 
 
Reviews / Comments

The "Shirty McTwee Tour" 
 
Lineage: 1st gen Cassette > Sound Forge 7.0 > FLAC 
 
Recorded by a friend of mine the night after he saw them at The Hacienda in Manchester and was so impressed he borrowed my Sony TCS603 to go to Lancaster and preserve this tour. And of course, I was left to host the Pirate Radio show again... such a hard life! 
 
The band was (on this tour) Paddy MacAloon (guitar/vocals), Martin MacAloon (bass), Wendy Smith (backing vocals) and new recruits Neil Conti (drums) and Virginia Astley (keyboards). Virginia was from the Ravishing Beauties and was only available for a few shows having agreed to play keyboards for the Pale Fountains as well. Neil became the Sprouts' regular drum player afterwards, appearing on 'Steve McQueen' and the subsequent tour. 
 
The sound here is clear, but a little 'distant', a combination of the size of the hall, and the relatively low amplification used - in contrast to the 1985 tour which left me with tinnitus! (yes, really - they were that loud...) 
 
But the icing on the cake is the interview from the dressing room. You must listen to Paddy's description Bob Geldof in light of events six months later... 
 
Oh, and the Craig referred to during the interview *isn't* me - but IS Craig Cash, now better known as the co-writer of The Royle Family and Early Doors. I do appear on the short clip at the end of the Interview, trailing the broadcast... 
 
Small world, eh? 
 
craigie*