What is the earliest known live recording of Bill playing? I'm assuming it's with BBD, but even then, how early in the band's career did anyone keep a gig recording which has survived (however illegally)? I know Bill is no fan of such recordings so this isn't a sharing request, just a straight, factual one.
Thanks for any info you can provide.
My contribution, after a fair of rummaging and dusting off of the old tape machine, is firstly Leeds Polytechnic 1 March 1974. A pretty poor quality audience recording notable only for the inclusion of Everybody's Clean in Paradise and also Watch this Space, the instrumental Tour de Force mentioned by Bill above.
Then comes Sheffield Black Swan 18 July 1974 a [comparatively] much better recording featuring the above tracks as well as a cover of Sweet Jane and a raucous rendition of Rocket Cathedrals [not sounding like Bill on vocals as might be expected?]!
19/09/72 Magnet Hotel, Airedale
21/11/72 Magnet Hotel, Airedale
15/02/73 Magnet Hotel, Airedale
The Magnate has an FB: https://www.facebook.com/magnethotel.castleford/
I really must remember to start this sort of conversation as a 'Discussion' not as a 'Question' if I do it again. Because it is down as a Question, all the messages in the conversation end up in a really strange order. For anyone reading this for the first time, I'm sorry it is so difficult to follow as more information appears.
Well, my question was just about earliest recordings of Bill playing live at gigs, so the name of the band is less important to me. Meanwhile, Steve, you seem to own both of the earliest recordings suggested so far (March '73 and March '74). I imagine you've had these for quite a while - even at the many dodgy record fairs I used to attend, cassettes of gigs by bands recorded before their first albums had been released were very rare indeed. Were you just very, very lucky?
Now that is a big step forward! Thanks, Steve. I think that is likely to be this one...
"Friday 16th March 1973 - Carnegie Centre, South Minsthorpe High School, South Elmsall, South Yorkshire."
Can anybody now either beat this (unlikely) or suggest a marginally later one recorded in better quality?
I wonder, for example, if Bill found anything of this sort amongst the items he's discovered in the spare bedroom of his Mum's house? I doubt we would get to hear anything he has, but - as we head towards the 50th anniversary of his first release, I'm intrigued to know what is in the archive/cellar/space under the bed.
I have a tape in my collection somewhere of Be bop playing at "Minsthorpe hall" ? ...from 1972-3 ? awful quality of course
OK, this hasn't got very far as a question.
The earliest live recording I can find is a recording of BBD playing 'Sweet Jane' in 1974 - but there's no date on that one otherwise.
After that, I have BBD at the Hippodrome, London, on June 14th 1975. That seems awfully late when the band had existed since '72/'73. Can anyone improve on those?
Over here in Herefordshire, we are so rarely visited by touring bands that Be-Bop Deluxe on May 30th 1974 may have been the last decent gig in the city.
Was thinking obviously it's found on the Electrotype CD, but ... obviously that's not true.