Modern Lovers
Harvard Mixer Spring 1971 Speed corrected version
lineage: cassette (unknown lineage) > Xitel -> hd -> Nero (tracking and speed correction) -> flac 8
This is from an alternate version of the four track Harvard Mixer torrent I put up a couple of
weeks ago. It's from a different tape, which is more complete, and sounds better than the
previous torrent. But, it also has more hiss. Which is why I chose the other tape for the
original torrent. And, of course I was hoping someone else would put up an upgrade. Oh well.
But, Urchinn DID point out that the original torrent was running too fast, and of course he was right.
So, I compared the version of I'm Straight from this tape to another version I have which sounds
like it is running at exactly the right speed, did the math on the timings, and determined that I
needed to slow the whole thing down by 5%, which I did.
Jonathan's voice sounds more natural now, but of course, the music has suffered a little. Hard to
say whether this is better than the first torrent, but it's certainly different. You be the judge.
Much of the material from this show has been used on filler on the various versions
of the Longbranch show from 1972. I've had this tape for many years and have always
hoped to get a more complete version, but although it is not particularly rare nobody
has ever thought to put it up here.
Of the 15 tracks I have only four have not been released, and those are what I am putting up
here. I assume there are longer versions of this, and no doubt there are versions of better quality and
part of my reason for seeding this is to encourage those who have a better source to share it.
1. Walk Up the Street Longbranch
2. She Cracked
3. Astral Plane
4. The Mixer Precise ML Order
5. Old World Longbranch
6. 96 Tears Longbranch
7. Fly Into the Mystery Precise ML Order
8. Modern World Longbranch
9. Someone I Care About
10. Hospital
11. I'm Straight Precise ML Order
12. The Mixer Longbranch
13. I'm Straight Longbranch
14. Wake Up Sleepyhead Longbranch
15. Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste Longbranch
16. Roadrunner Longbranch
Now, here's my understanding of how this recording came to be. In early 1971, Jonathan sacked
Rolfe Anderson from the band and asked Ernie Brooks to join, and a week later Jerry Harrison
joined as well. They began gigging and almost immediately acquired a manager, Danny Lipman, who suggested
that they record a demo tape. The band were thinking "more gigs"!! Lipman was thinking record deals.
So, they recruited someone with a tape recorder and recorded several of their own gigs and this surely is one of them.
Ultimately, two songs (one being Hospital) were extracted from these tapes and were used as demo.
Warners still has a copy of the two song demo in their vaults.
As for the date of the show, it is sometimes claimed that it is from March, but that is quite uncertain.
But, it definitely is from the Spring of 1971. John Felice is all over it, and he left the band in the
early summer of 1971 to form the Children's Rock and Roll Band.