12.07.1985
USA, Seattle, Paramount Theater
Reconstruction Tour Seattle
vg / exc. Aud.

01. Feeling Gravitys Pull (tiny drop out near start) [5:30]
02. Harborcoat [3:57]
03. Green Grow The Rushes [4:24]
04. Maps And Legends [3:27]
05. Laughing [4:19]
06. Hyena [3:05]
07. So. Central Rain [3:00]
08. Have you Ever Seen The Rain? [2:38]
09. West Of The Fields [3:23]
10. Can't Get There From Here [3:47]
11. Driver 8 (tiny gap) [3:21]
12. Auctioneer (Another Engine) (tiny flip) [2:37]
13. Old Man Kensey [4:06]
14. Pretty Persuasion [3:50]
15. Life And How To Live It [4:04]
16. Little America [5:59]
17. Second Guessing [3:15]
18. Talk About The Passion [3:11]
19. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville [4:47]
20. 1,000,000 [5:02]
21. Theme From Two Steps Onward [4:27]
22. Gardening At Night [3:31]
23. 9-9 (cuts) NOT ON CURRENT CIRCULATING COPIES [3:47]
24. Radio Free Europe [4:13]
25. post-show recap and the drive home [3:32]

Total Running Time: [1:37:22]

JEMS Master
Gear: Sony ECM-939 mic > Sony Walkman D6C (Dolby C on, Sony UCX-S90 CrO2 tape)
Seat: Main Floor row JJ, seats 9/10 (see below)
Transfer: Master cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth adjusted > Peak 5.2 > FLAC

Notes:
I brought back a few goodies from the JEMS archive in Seattle after a visit to the great northwest last week, including the master tapes to the first R.E.M. show we taped there (I was away for the '84 Music Hall show). S and I did the honors 21 (yikes!) years ago from our favorite place to record at the Paramount: the last row, corner seats under the balcony, right next to the heavy curtains, to the sash of which we would attach our microphone for many shows. Due to the shape of the main floor, these seats not only had the benefit of the curtain to hold the mic up high, but had no one seated to the right side or behind--just us tapers. High-five!

The set doesn't hold many surprises; call it a classic Fables tour set list. I for one remain thrilled that "Theme From Two Steps Onward" has finally seen official release on the new compilation And I Feel Fine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-87 (in stores now) and it sounds great tonight. The recording is quite good if pushing the edge of the limits of the levels due to high volume and high bass in the mix (samples below).

In going back through the masters I realized that "9-9" has never circulated or been listed as being performed at the show. Because "9-9" was incomplete, we must have left it off copies of the show to fit it onto one cassette, so that's "new" here for the first time, though with the cut, not such a big deal. There are a couple of other minor gaffes where S accidentally stopped recording and your standard tape flips.

The final track is a bit of post-show chatter and shout-outs that I found, to be kind, charming; leave it off or don't download it if you are so inclined--it is pure indulgence for me. You'll hear S and I chatting, comparing tonight to other shows, and further assorted babble. A few other friends make cameos. Those were the days. Butterking for JEMS

Dimeadozen.org: Torrent 659494 (by loop_zoop)