Dec 9, 1976 - Manchester, Electric Circus
Trt – 44:57/45:26
Number of Songs – 11/12 songs
Format – LP/CDR
Sound Quality – decent audience recording
Rating – 7
Official/Semi Official Release – Anarchy Tour 76 LP / Never Mind The Bans CD.
REVIEW
Finally after all these years and many fakes this tape has surfaced in the form of a pretty nice boot LP which is pretty regularly available at the moment. The gig overall is a pretty good one performance wise and definitely decent enough sonically, but not exactly amazing so why did it take 25+ years for this to come out? This definitely gives hope for some of the other lost tapes like June 29, 100 Club, the Chalet du Lac, etc. etc..There is an exchange between the crowd and Steve after “Liar” where he tells them to stop gobbing or the band will leave. More recently there has been CDR’s circulating with the Sex Pistols on one and Clash/Buzzcocks on the other (the Heartbreakers set had already circulated) and this new version has the encore “Problems” on it which was previously unavailable on the LP.
DRAWBACKS
First let me say that traders will want to pick up both versions as they are different and both incomplete in different ways. The newer version with “Problems” has some of the in between chatter clipped out and the beginning of "Problems" is clipped as well, perhaps because the trader thought he could be recognized by the talking, although it seems like a failed attempt since the LP already has the talking. It is a shame there are edits since the newer version is far superior sonically. As for the LPl there are a few bits of sounds modulation from time to time most notably on side 2 of the LP and especially on “Substitute” and “No Feelings” and the LP mislabels song # 2 as “New York”. You can hear the taper talking to his friend before GSTQ making sure the tape doesn’t get cut off I suppose. The fact that this gig did finally surface will make it hard for traders who don’t buy the LP to figure out if they are getting the right one, unless they pick up the newer version as it is usually traded along with the second disc of Clash/Buzzcocks. Check setlists before trading anyone.
SETLIST
Anarchy In The UK
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
Stepping Stone
Satellite
Submission
Substitute
No Feelings
Liar
Pretty Vacant
God Save The Queen
Problems