PiL
- Paris, Le Palace, France
January 17th, 1980 (1st night)
Running Order:
1. Careering
2. Poptones
3. Annalisa
4. Death Disco
5. Memories
6. Public Image
7. Chant
8. Low Life
9. Attack
10. No Birds Do Sing
11. Another
12. Bad Baby
Running Time:
57 minutes (approx)
Sound Quality:
(7.5) Low Gen Average Audience Recording
Tape Gradings Explained here
review by Scott M
Notes:
This gig was Martin Atkins live debut, 'No Birds Do Sing' gets a rare
live outing. The bootleg of the second
night is far rarer, and only semed
to surface in 2005.
Review:
This is one of the Paris gigs used for the 'Paris
Au Printemps' live album. This recording is taken from the first
night, 'Careering,' 'Chant,' 'Poptones,' & 'Attack' from this show
are included on the album. Obviously, this bootleg recording is taken
from a different source than the album (which is taken from a Revox
hooked up to the mixing desk), and unfortunately is miles below the
quality of the official recording. Ideally they would have released
both gigs as a double album, but with PiL and Virgin that was never
going to be the case!
The sound quality is a pretty average muddy bootleg recording, with no particularly bad imperfections, except for a serious drop-out during 'Public Image'. It is an interesting gig to hear in full, considering it was Atkins live debut, and they hardly rehearsed, the band are tight and powerful. Some of the in-between stage dialogue that never made the album is particularly PiL-esque too, such as Levene commenting after 'Poptones' that he "hates cunts that spit", and threatening the crowd that he has a "bucket of piss ready to pore over them if they keep spitting"!
This gig is another 'must-have' for fans of the early line up despite parts of it being available officially.
