Speed Connection II – The Final Chapter (Live In Paris 85)

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Speed Connection II – The Final Chapter (Live in Paris 85)
Live album by The Fleshtones
Released September 1985
Recorded March 7, 1985 at The Gibus Club, Paris, France
Genre Punk rock, Garage rock
Label I.R.S. Records
Producer Henri Padovani, Robert Singerman
The Fleshtones chronology
Hexbreaker!
(1983) Hexbreaker!1983
Speed Connection II – The Final Chapter (Live in Paris 85)
(1985)
Fleshtones vs. Reality
(1987) Fleshtones vs. Reality1987

Speed Connection II – The Final Chapter (Live In Paris 85) is a live album by The Fleshtones. The album was recorded live at The Gibus Club, Paris, France on March 7, 1985. The band were booked to play nine shows at the club over a two-week span, in two segments (March 5–9 and March 13–16). The opening band for these shows were Les Playboys.

The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York, formed in 1976.

Contents

The band had recorded the first show (March 5, 1985) and – at the urging of the French division of I.R.S. Records' vice-president Henri Padovani – subsequently rush-released it to sell at the venue during their two-week stay. The record was titled Speed Connection: Live In Paris 85 (ILP 26412) and was only released in France. However the band was unhappy with the record as lead singer Peter Zaremba had a severe case of laryngitis the night that show was recorded.

I.R.S. Records American record label

I.R.S. Records was an American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and alternative rock artists, including R.E.M., The Go-Go's, Wall of Voodoo and Fine Young Cannibals.

Laryngitis inflammation of the larynx

Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx. Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under two weeks.

The band owed the American I.R.S. Records one more record to fulfil their contractual obligations. In September 1985 the label released Speed Connection II – The Final Chapter (Live In Paris 85) – a recording of their third night (3/7/85) at the Gibus Club. "Return to the Haunted House" was actually an unreleased demo recording produced by Pakulski with canned applause added later. The same recording also later appeared (minus the canned applause) on the Angry Years 84–86 compilation album on Impossible Records in 1993.

The album contained many cover versions of songs by other artists. "Trouble" and "Haunted House" by The Kingsmen, "Wind Out" by R.E.M., "La La La La Reprise" by The Blendells, "When the Night Falls" by The Eyes, "Twelve Months Later" by The Sheep (The Strangeloves under a pseudonym) and "Hide & Seek" by Bunker Hill

The Kingsmen American rock band

The Kingsmen are a 1960s beat/garage rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks. The single has become an enduring classic.

R.E.M. American alternative rock band (1980–2011)

R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist/backing vocalist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe. One of the first alternative rock bands, R.E.M. was noted for Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style, Stipe's distinctive vocal quality and obscure lyrics, Mills' melodic basslines and backing vocals, and Berry's tight, economical style of drumming. R.E.M. released its first single—"Radio Free Europe"—in 1981 on the independent record label Hib-Tone. The single was followed by the Chronic Town EP in 1982, the band's first release on I.R.S. Records. In 1983, the group released its critically acclaimed debut album, Murmur, and built its reputation over the next few years through subsequent releases, constant touring, and the support of college radio. Following years of underground success, R.E.M. achieved a mainstream hit in 1987 with the single "The One I Love". The group signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988, and began to espouse political and environmental concerns while playing large arenas worldwide.

The Blendells were a 1960s Mexican American brown-eyed soul group from East Los Angeles, California. They garnered success in 1964 with their Latin-tinged cover of Little Stevie Wonder's "La La La La La", written by Clarence Paul. During the brief time they were together, they performed at venues such as the famous Shrine Auditorium. Their tours included performances in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and the state of Washington. They shared the stage with the Dave Clark Five, Roy Orbison, Dick Dale, The Ventures, The Shirelles, The Drifters, The Coasters, and Chuck Berry. Though little known today, The Blendells retain a cult following in West Coast Mexican American communities.

The cover artwork was by Peter Zaremba.

Track listing

All songs by Peter Zaremba and Keith Streng, except as indicated.

Side one

  1. "Hide & Seek" (Bunker Hill) – 2:36
  2. "Watch This" (Gordon Spaeth, Keith Streng, Peter Zaremba) – 2:19
  3. "Kingsmen-Like Medley" – 4:16
    • "Trouble (Is Her Middle Name)" (Arthur Resnick, Joey Levine)
    • "Hauted Castle" (Lynn Easton)
    • "Twelve Months Later" (Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer)

    Gerald Goldstein is an American producer, singer-songwriter, talent manager, music executive, musician and entrepreneur. He was one of the members of The Strangeloves, the co-writer of "My Boyfriend's Back" and "Come on Down to My Boat", the producer and songwriter of War, and the former manager of Sly and the Family Stone. Goldstein produced a single with teenage singer, Nancy Baron in 1963 for the Diamond Record label. Goldstein was part of a three-person production team which wrote and produced numerous records which are referred to as "FGG"-Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer. The numerous artists and their work in collaboration with FGG are listed in a Discography included in the references below.

    Richard Gottehrer is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive. In 1997, he founded The Orchard, an independent music and video distribution company.

  4. "Return to the Haunted House" – 2:15
  5. "Hope Come Back" – 1:52
  6. "B.Y.O.B. – 2:22

Side two

  1. "One More Time" (Streng) – 2:58
  2. "The Dreg" – 3:23
  3. "Extended Super Rock Medley" – 9:14
    • "Stop Fooling Around" (Zaremba)
    • "Theme from the Vindicators" (Zaremba)
    • "Hexbreaker" (The Fleshtones)
    • "Roman Gods" (The Fleshtones)
  4. "When the Night Falls" (T-Bone Burnett) – 3:10
  5. "Wind Out" (Ayers, Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 2:17
  6. "La La La La Reprise" (The Blendells) – 1:55

Personnel

Additional personnel

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References