The Tubes - New York, USA, 1981

This is the second live recording of The Tubes featured on Beehive Candy, this one from 1981, on this occasion
live at The Palladium, New York City, USA.

This concert was also circulated on a promo disc (radio transcription vinyl album) at the time.

A bootleg version called Shocker has also circulated. I think based on the quality of this recording it is from an off air FM recording.

Source: King Biscuit Flower Hour recording (not currently available within Wolfgangs Vault).

Sound Quality: Good stereo (FM source) mp3 @128kbps.

Genre: Rock, from Pop Rock to New Wave.

Set: One hour of concert (some other songs probably edited out).

Set List:

1. Overture - Matter of Pride
2. Think About Me
3. Mr. Hate
4. Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman
5. Smoke
6. Mondo Bondage
7. Don’t Want To Wait Anymore
8. Sushi Girl
9. Talk To Ya Later
10. White Punks On Dope

Band:

Rick Anderson - bass
Michael Cotton - synthesizers
Prairie Prince - drums
Bill Spooner - guitar, vocals
Roger Steen - guitar, harmonica, vocals
Re Styles - vocals
Fee Waybill - lead vocals
Vince Welnick - keyboards

The Completion Backward tour also featured:
Shelly Pang, Cheryl Hangland, and Cynthia Rhodes.

Links: Official Site HERE. Wolfgangs Vault HERE.

Comments: The Tubes shows were expensive to produce, and while they earned the band a reputation for being one of the most entertaining live acts of all time, by the early 1980s, they found themselves short of money.

Their proposed fifth album, the self produced Suffer for Sound, was rejected by A&M Records, who dumped the band instead, finishing out its contract with the oddities collection T.R.A.S.H. (Tubes Rarities and Smash Hits).

The band then signed to Capitol Records, scaling back the live shows and redesigning itself as a strait laced rock band, teaming with producer David Foster.

The Completion Backward Principle (1981), another concept album, featuring the classic rock staple "Talk to Ya Later", and presented itself as a motivational business document, complete with shocking pictures of the band members cleaned up and wearing suits.

The band also had their first Top 40 hit in the United States in 1981 with a serious ballad, "Don't Want to Wait Anymore".

Both songs feature in this concert recording.

Download link in comments below - or just click on the picture above.

Purchase: MP3's - The Tubes

The Tubes - Darted In My Own Armchair - 1976

My first memories of The Tubes, was hearing Radio Caroline play 'Don't Touch Me There' back in 1976, at a time when BBC Radio & the UK's fledgling commercial stations bent over backwards to ban anything that was remotely risque, or questionable... well anything!

A number of The Tubes band members were students at the same high school in Phoenix, Arizona, as Alice Cooper, what were they putting in the water back there and then?

This recording was made at a time when The Tubes were arguably moving towards their first creative peak, which was both visual and musical.

This then is The Tubes live at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, USA, on the 26th June 1976.

Source: Tricky one this. I thought it was definitely an expanded version of a King Biscuit Flower Hour recording, however their site partly contradicts this, any how it's a professionally mixed recording.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo soundboard quality @ 192kbps.

Genre: Rock, from Pop Rock to New Wave.

Set: Fifty minutes - predominately the latter part of the concert.

Set List:

1a. Young and Rich - Grandiose Instrumental Overture
1b. What do you Want From Life.
2. Tubes World Tour.
3. Love will Keep us Together.
4. Pimp.
5a. Mondo Bondage
5b. Don't Touch me There.
6. Boy Crazy.
7. Stand up and Shout.

Band:

Rick Anderson - bass
Michael Cotton - synthesizers
Prairie Prince - drums
Bill Spooner - guitar, vocals
Roger Steen - guitar, harmonica, vocals
Re Styles - vocals
Fee Waybill - lead vocals
Vince Welnick - keyboards

Links: Official Site HERE.

Comments: This bootleg recording originally circulated on a vinyl album entitled 'Darted In My Own Armchair' it was subsequently released on CD in Italy in 1991 as 'The Tubes In Concert 1976'.

The Intro to 'Love Will Keep Us Together' is the Captain Beefheart tune 'Gimme Dat Harp' featuring Roger on blues harp.

The band released their second album 'Young and Rich' in 1976, and following a one month residency at Bimbos, San Francisco, continued with 'The Tubes World Tour 1976'.

Download link in comments below - or just click on the picture above.

Purchase: MP3's - The Tubes