Tulum's Collection
R.E.M. 03/14/1989
Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA
| Source | Sony ECM-150 mics > Sony WM-D6C |
| Media | FLAC 22 discs |
| Notes | Walt K. Master Series, Vol. VII via JEMS Archive and slipkid68 The seventh installment of the Walt K. Master Series takes us back to 1989 for the first leg of the Green World Tour, the longest one R.E.M. had undertaken at that point. Starting in Japan and Oceania, the 11-month trek took them to Europe and twice through North America. March 14 in Oakland is a well-covered gig: master recordings by BW, JEMS, persic, and slipkid68 have circulated at one time or another. Now, the previously-uncirculated Walt K. capture rises as one of the better ones of the entire Green tour. Its dynamics and clarity are remarkable, making for a marvelous playback. Samples provided. But alas, it’s not complete. For some unknown reason, we couldn’t find much of the encore, an eight-song stretch from “Stand” to “Harpers.” Whether Walt didn’t record or a cassette went missing, we don’t know. While disappointing, fans can still hear three-quarters of Oakland from this source (and choose from others, noted above, to hear the show in its entirety; props, persic, for seeding your master!). The set included seven of 11 tracks from Green and older songs like “Sitting Still,” “The Flowers of Guatemala,” and “Just a Touch” (for the sixth and last time on the entire tour, apparently). And we hear “Perfect Circle,” which the band carefully constructed around its familiar arrangement from “Murmur” — an absolute delight to hear every night in 1989. Someone just off-mic remarks, “Jerry Garcia is sitting right behind us!” — and they weren’t just imagining things; Grateful Dead founders Garcia and Bob Weir both attended in Oakland. An item in the San Francisco Chronicle appeared several days after the show: an usher had walked up to the seated pair and asked Garcia (whom he did not recognize) to kindly extinguish whatever it was he was smoking. Jerry politely obliged. Years later, Mike Mills and Robyn Hitchcock (who opened shows on this leg) spoke of Jerry coming backstage to visit, noting that he was gracious and complimentary of their respective work. Thank you, Helen, for entrusting us with Walt’s tapes. And thanks to my old pal BK for the righteous transfer and mastering. His handiwork makes this version of March 14 sound groovy and reminded me again about the times we had that year, covering so much ground. Over two tours, we recorded R.E.M. shows from Sacramento to Tempe to Vancouver, B.C.. A few words about Walt. We met right outside this very building in 1984 as we waited for Bruce Springsteen tickets to go on sale. He became a generous friend, ever enthusiastic about music, and sage in his advice about life, whether from his own experiences or rooted elsewhere in the universe. Sharing his field recordings is a great way to honor his memory. Here’s to Walt, here’s to R.E.M., and here’s to that great concrete and glass structure just off 880. As Walt himself once said, “share it freely, and for free!” - slipkid68 |
| Tech Notes | 2022 JEMS Transfer: Master cassettes > Nakamichi CR-7A (azimuth adjustment) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.4.2 24/96 .wav capture > iZotope RX7 > downsample to 16/44 > FLAC> Audacity 3.1.3 (tracking and finishing with RX7 and TLH) |
| Trades Allowed | Yes |
Owned by Tulum
· Last Updated May 25, 2024
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