Loading...
adorup's Collection

R.E.M.   07/20/1985

Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
Media FLAC
J-Card Comment R.E.M.
7/20/85
Greek Theater
Berkeley, CA

1st generation copy

Recording hardware unknown

1st gen. cassette ---> WAV capture M-Audio
---> Adobe Audition ---> FLAC

This recording is special because it's of the first R.E.M. gig I attended
--- 23 years ago today. P.J. and I went, and during the the Three O'Clock
set I spied a fellow with a microphone a row or two ahead. This, I remember
thinking, is a very good omen.

The fellow was a lawyer named Mike G., and he sent cassettes shortly
afterward. In return, he asked me for a lead on landing the Talking
Heads set from Heatwave in Toronto, 1980, and any Martha and the Muffins.
Well, I tried, but nothing materialized, and we were never in touch after
that. R.E.M., however, went on to become a musical and cultural fixture
in my life.

What stands out today is the enthusiasm and controlled chaos they displayed
over a simple but rich sound. The third record, "Fables of the Reconstruction,"
may have been a muted affair, but on stage, the band really electrified the
songs. The sound didn't have quite the heft the band would develop by decade's
end (I'm still partial to the Green tour's superb revival of "Good Advices"),
but it wasn't thin, either. How Peter Buck managed his arpeggiated picking
while leaping about like a young Pete Townshend still mystifies me. Michael
Stipe wore a long coat, if I recall correctly, and made for an intriguing
presence, telling mini-stories but not being quite the "enigma" the press had
made him out to be. Bill Berry and Mike Mills held the music together, as only
they could.

Set list wise, it's nothing unusual for 1985: the bulk of "Fables,"and
selections from the first two LPs. Note the inclusion of "Hyena,"which
they had begun performing the year before; and the spooky and cool "Theme
From Two Steps Onward," which E rightfully calls for now. Sort of a lost
number, that one (quite literally, right? Isn't that the one whose master
recording had gone missing? The song does appear on one of their never-
ending series of "Best of" compilations). Also, Stipe sings a bit of the
Golden Palominos' "Boy (Go)" before a very nice version of "We Walk," which
he reprises at song's end. But the five songs beginning with "Auctioneer"
still sound particularly well-placed, and they formed the core of the show.

So here's another clean and clear first generation recording. We sat on
Peter's side, maybe 10 or 12 rows back, fairly close to the P.A. The Greek
Theater always gave tapers a sonic premium: if you had good equipment, sat
in a reasonably good place, and knew what you were doing, you would leave
with a very good recording. This one is no exception. Playback in Adobe
Audition indicated that equalization would have yielded little improvement,
so I just normalized to 95 percent.

Mike G., if you're reading, you know who you are. Hope you found the
tapes you were seeking, and thank you for sharing your recording with
no strings.


1) intro
2) Feeling Gravity's Pull
3) Moral Kiosk
4) Maps and Legends
5) Green Grow the Rushes
6) Hyena
7) Seven Chinese Brothers
8) Sitting Still
9) Driver 8
10) Good Advices
11) South Central Rain
12) Have You Ever Seen the Rain
13) Can't Get There From Here
14) Auctioneer
15) Old Man Kensey
16) Pretty Persuasion
17) Life and How to Live It
18) Little America
19) Radio Free Europe
20) Second Guessing
21) (Don't Go Back to) Rockville
22) Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)
23) Theme From Two Steps Onward
24) Harborcoat
25) Boy (Go)
26) We Walk
27) See No Evil

Trades Allowed Yes
Lists Live Music Collection
Owned by adorup · Last Updated May 23, 2023