Paramount Theater; New York 13th March 1996

Taper : GenePoole

Source : Unknown Mics > Sony WM-D6C Stereo Cassette-Corder

Sound Quality : Audience

Length : 81.50

01 The Swamp Song [3:18]
02 Acquiesce [3:57]
03 Supersonic [4:38]
04 Hello [3:02]
05 Some Might Say [4:57]
06 Roll with It [4:06]
07 Shakermaker [4:30]
08 Morning Glory [4:25]
09 Cigarettes & Alcohol [4:21]
10 Champagne Supernova [9:46]
11 Whatever [4:42]
12 Wonderwall [4:34]
13 Slide Away [5:43]
14 Don't Look Back in Anger [5:11]
15 Live Forever [4:51]
16 I Am the Walrus [9:41]

Band line-up:
Liam Gallagher – lead and backing vocals, tambourine, acoustic guitar
Noel Gallagher – lead and rhythm guitars, backing and lead vocals
Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs – rhythm guitars, keyboards, bass
Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan – bass
Alan White – drums, percussion

Notes:

THE GENE POOLE COLLECTION VOL. 183

Here's the latest installment of the Gene Poole Collection, a random wellspring of recordings which have recently surfaced. To paraphrase Lou: This is gonna go on for a while, so we should get used to each other, settle back, pull up your cushions, whatever else you have with you that makes life bearable in what has already been the start of trying decade...

Some of Gene's handiwork has probably been heard by your very ears before, for the most part via the Stonecutter Archives, but this is the first major unearthing of tapes direct from the legend himself. As promising as that may seem, it's best to let the surprises hit as they are shared. The trade-off to the prolific taping on Gene's part is that the expectations for a perfect track record would be unrealistic and unfair. There will be instances of incomplete recordings, caused by late arrivals to gigs, recorder and mic malfunctions, and other assorted foibles as would befall any mortal taper. There will be times where a master from another source exists which could be superior. For the most part, Gene recorded with a variety of mics and recorders, and many shows suffered from wire dropouts, so that only one channel was extant in the capture. Due warning about the past imperfect given and out of the way, credit should be given where due as well -- for many shows thought lost forever, it's exciting to discover that many of these even in incomplete form have now cropped up.

The transfers, the audio fixes, and the research all have required some lead time -- many tapes had scant info (sometimes just the name of the artist/band, with no date listed for the performance). Needless to say, gear documentation is virtually nil -- we wait around for that precise detail to be forthcoming, nothing from the collection would probably see the light of day.

This time we're with Oasis and a mob of screaming and barking (yes, like woof) girls at the Paramount Theater -- formerly Felt Forum, later the WaMu Theater and before it was permanently removed, the more accurately and geographically named The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

There's another source for this stop along the (What's the Story) Morning Glory? tour, taken from a DAT audience recording and last seen here in 2012 from gbc. If you've got that, this one is absolutely inessential outside of collecting a different source. It gradually improves, but at the start the levels are uneven, the sound distant and boxy, and the mics had some SPL issues and break up on occasion during the show. On top of that, although there's still a chance that in 1996 Gene was taping on DAT, the remnants of inter-track pauses seem attributable to a faulty record button on the D6 that would not stay in the pressed down position. It's now more than 24 years later, but Gene seems to recall having to keep his finger on the button during the taping and easing up between songs because he needed the break. Gene was really knocked out by the Beatles cover, so there's no question he went to the show and this is his recording. If you are doing a search for the buzzy term "previously uncirculated," bingo! And it's in stereo at least.

Gene didn't capture the outgoing music with Siouxsie and Banshees' version of "Helter Skelter" and it would have been silly for him to stay in his seat with his finger pressed on the record button for just that, but he later dubbed the song from "Nocturne" onto the end of this recording, along with some of other New Wave Beatles covers to fill out the tape. Those of course have all been removed here.