Del Amitri - 1997-10-08 - Herisau, Switzerland

Del Amitri
1997-10-08
Unknown venue, Herisau, Switzerland
Audience(?) recording, very good quality
Mp3 @ 320 kbps

Here's another great UK Power Pop Band that never quite got the success they deserved, especially here in the US. Del Amitri, from Glasgow, Scotland, started in the mid-80's and are lead by their primary songwriters Justin Currie (vocals-bass) and Iain Harvie (lead guitar). Currie has a great pop-rock singing voice, and their catchy, melodic songs feature (at least to my ears), a more bluesy/rootsy sound/feel then alot of other pop-rock of that time. Their first major success came with their 2nd album, Waking Hours (1989), which reached #6 on the UK charts, and their single 'Kiss This Thing Goodbye' received major radio airplay (but only marginal chart success) in the US. Although the supporting band around Currie and Harvie changed multiple times through the nineties (keyboardist Andy Alston was the only stable member throughout), subsequent albums Change Everything (1992) and Twisted (1995) were hits in the UK, but barely cracked the Top 200 in the US, despite radio airplay for songs such as  'Always the Last to Know', 'Driving with the Brakes On', and even a Top 10 single with 'Roll to Me'.  After their next album, Some Other Sucker's Parade (1997), more upheavals in personnel, record labels, and mounting pressure forced a 5-yr gap before their last album, Can You Do Me Good? (2002) was released. And although it rose to #6 on the UK charts, disappointing record sales resulted in the dropping of the band from their label, and virtual dissolution of the band. Currie and Harvie worked on some solo projects for a few years, but then in 2013 announced a Del Amitri Reunion, and the band has been back to touring ever since. The reformation of the band was also followed by deluxe edition reissues of most their albums, including many B-sides, rarities, and previously unreleased tracks (Del Amitri was one of those bands that seemed to have as many or more songs that were not on their albums as were on them, through numerous extended singles, B-sides, and various non-album tracks), and there seems to be much greater appreciation for their music now than there was in their original heyday. Even if you are not familiar with them or their music, most likely there are several songs of theirs that you've heard (and probably liked), but just didn't know who it was by.  Here is a fine full-length concert from 1997 that features several songs from their most recent album (Some Other Sucker's Parade), but also provides a good cross-section of songs from throughout their career as a nice sampler of their music. Check 'em out.

Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Some Other Sucker's Parade
3. Just Like a Man
4. Always the Last to Know
5. Cruel Light of Day
6. Not Where It's At
7. Paper Thin
8. Here and Now
9. What I Think She Sees
10. Roll to Me
11. Move Away Jimmy Blue
12. The Ones That You Love Lead You Nowhere
13. Hatful of Rain
14. Mother Nature's Writing
15. Start with Me
16. Stone Cold Sober
17. Medicine
18. Be My Downfall - Drowned on Dry Land
19. Driving with the Brakes On
20. Kiss This Thing Goodbye

Link updated 12/17/24
Del Amitri_1997-10-08_Switzerland.rar