Friday, March 18, 2011

Trashcan Sinatras - Live at Slim's San Francisco 5/11/05

A little under twenty-four hours ago I concluded watching a live performance in Rochester, NY, by the Trashcan Sinatras, one of my favorite "fringe" Britpop bands.  Although I've been a dedicated fan for two decades it was my first encounter seeing them in the flesh, and while their stage presence was less than gripping they delivered a flawless set.  The Sinatras are touring in support of the recently issued live acoustic Brel disk, which follows up their fifth studio LP, In the Music.  I don't have last nights performance to share (at least not yet) so instead I'm treating you to a more than representative TCS concert from 2005, which not only boasts soundboard quality but an excellent cross section of their catalog, including all the early '90s classics like "Hayfever" and "Obscurity Knocks."  Enjoy (or not).  BTW, several more recent live shows are available straight from the band's website.

01. Got Carried Away
02. How Can I Apply?
03. Leave Me Alone
04. All the Dark Horses
05. Prisons
06. Hayfever
07. What Women Do to Men
08. Freetime
09. Picture Yourself in Scotland
10. The Sleeping Policeman
11. It's a Miracle
12. Send for Henny
13. Obscurity Knocks
14. Trouble Sleeping
15. Bloodrush
16. I've Seen Everything
17. Weightlifting
18. Easy Read
19. A Coda

Hear
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8 comments:

  1. Monkey Flinging PooMarch 19, 2011 at 12:26 AM

    Well, this is a nice surprise today! Easily one of my favorite bands. I've seen them live twice and they are not super exciting, but sound great. Their 2nd album, "I've Seen Everything", is possibly my favorite album of the 90's (Teenage Fanclub and Air compete).

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  2. powerpopsterMarch 19, 2011 at 5:10 AM

    is there some reason that rs is not available even with the 'slow' free version? strange....

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  3. spavidMarch 19, 2011 at 6:40 AM

    I was able to initiate the "slow" download without incident. You may want to try later or use a different browser (though that really shouldn't matter).

    Here, here Monkey, though I think "A Happy Pocket" edges out "I've Seen Everything" by a hair. To bad that "Pocket" never got a proper release in the States.

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  4. powerpopsterMarch 19, 2011 at 2:34 PM

    Yah; go figure. RS doesn't play nice w/IE8 but Chrome's no problem! Thanks spavid.

    And thanks for the Trashcan Sinatras; one of those great woulda-shoulda-coulda bands that are still banging around....

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  5. BrandonMarch 19, 2011 at 7:18 PM

    love these guys. I was fortunate enough to catch them in Charlotte, NC a couple of weeks ago. Excellent acoustic show.

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  6. joseph kyleMarch 21, 2011 at 7:04 AM

    here's a fine piece from our friends at BTO:

    http://www.bigtakeover.com/interviews/frank-reader-of-trashcan-sinatras-legends-of-obscurity

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  7. bglobe313March 21, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    Please don't tell me they have already played on this tour in the Boston area and so I am continuing my unbroken string of somehow managing to miss them every freaking time?

    I should have gone to see them way back in the days of the first or second CD, when I heard a great interview on one of the local radio stations (I thought FNX but I might be wrong) where their acoustic versions allowed me to realize that these lovely pop songs also had the smartest lyrics this side of Costello.

    Anyway. I can't wait to listen.

    Ace K.

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  8. ahordeofrandOctober 17, 2014 at 10:29 AM

    Thank you for posting this. TCS live in every player in my home and car and are on heavy rotation, throughout. I was living in San Francisco at this time and was at this show.I'm pretty excited to hear it, but I have to admit something. I was there with several other TCS fans from their mailing list. All 7 of us, categorically, left the show saying "That was the most boring Sinatras show I've ever been to." A shame, really... In spite of some cracking tunes, there were long elegiac stretches of downer songs and only the occasional upbeat break. Even some of the more mid-tempo songs like 'Freetime' and 'It's a Miracle' came across as slow burns. Opening the set with 3 slow songs sort of set the pace for the show, and it was fairly clear that their heart just wasn't in it that night. Even 'Bloodrush', their chance to cut loose, seemed broken and phoned in. It was the seventh time I had seen the gents perform since seeing them around 1990, so I didn't feel bad that I ended up wandering to the back of the venue and just guzzling gin whilst folding and unfolding the dingy yellow Weightlifting' shirt I had bought. In my memories of seeing TCS, I usually don't think of this show. All of that said, I wonder if there will be moments that I missed. Perhaps if I had come in ready for such a calm evening I would have heard some of the subtleties and grace. This recording is a good chance to revisit and possibly redeem that evening in my memory.

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