The inimitable Mission of Burma have graced us with their presence a lot recently – first, back in December at Maxwell’s for one of the Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows, then Maxwell’s again this past Friday. But according to fans who saw all three, this bigger show at The Bell House was the king of them all. It is not uncommon for legendary bands of Mission of Burma’s generation to get by on autopilot, playing the old songs everyone wants to hear in a lower-energy, lamer fashion that is just good enough to sell tickets. But true the ethos they have maintained throughout their decades-long career, Mission of Burma have managed their comeback with integrity and grit. Along with timeless punk classics, the band has moved forward to produce vital new material that holds up well to the rest of their catalog. This show found the band playing four songs from their 2009 LP, The Sound, the Speed the Light, but after that, it was back to the old days for this amazing and, at 80+ minutes, lengthy, set. With the legendary producer Bob Weston behind the board running the band’s sound and tape loops, the sound was dialed-in and, per Bob’s custom, ear-splittingly loud. Whether you were a new fan coming to see what the fuss was all about, or a longtime fan, you were not leaving this show disappointed – especially not after MOB closed the set with the song that started it all, “Academy Fight Song.”
I recorded this set from our usual spot in the venue by the soundboard with the DPA microphones and a hand-built analog preamp to bring a warm, classic sound. The results are excellent. Enjoy!
Stream “Academy Fight Song”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/M4509MissionofBurma2239/28 Academy Fight Song.mp3]
Stream “Trem Two”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/M4509MissionofBurma2239/09 Trem Two.mp3]
Download the MP3 and FLAC files and stream the entire show on the Live Music Archive [HERE]
Mission of Burma
2011-01-29
The Bell House
Brooklyn, NY USA
Equipment: DPA 4021>Oade M248>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: Center, clamp to soundboard booth, micas at 9ft, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (EQ, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Tracks [Total Time 1:22:12]
01 intro
02 Forget What You Know
03 7’s
04 1001 Pleasant Dreams
05 2wice
06 Blunder
07 [banter]
08 SSL 83
09 Trem Two
10 Mica
11 [banter]
12 He Is, She Is
13 Part the Sea
14 [banter]
15 Just Waves
16 Feed
17 1, 2, 3 Partyy!
18 Fame and Fortune
19 Spider’s Web
20 That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate
21 encore break
22 Red
23 That’s When I Reach for My Revolver
24 Class War
25 encore break 2
26 Secrets
27 banter
28 Academy Fight Song
If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Mission of Burma, visit their website, and purchase their official releases directly from the Store at their website [HERE].
any chance we will be seeing the friday show from maxwell’s? keep up the great work!
Yes. Maxwell’s will be posted tonight.
glad you got recordings from both nights! full set of photos are up at BrooklynVegan:
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2011/01/mission_of_burm_20.html
Was there for this, had a blast. Almost went up and said hi, acidjack, but I was pinned in by the sellout crowd. Thanks so much for recording this and posting it so promptly – can’t wait to give it a listen.