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The shows are rough, that’s for sure. I’m familiar with several of these live recordings as they first appeared on the 1979 release Sid Sings and I totally recognize a beyond-irritating audience member who was too close to the recording equipment “singing backup” through much of the set and shouting out shit constantly. The four sets from the two evenings on Sid Lives are pretty similar. They all include covers of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and “Search and Destroy,” the Vicious-penned Sex Pistols song “Belsen Was a Gas,” Paul Revere and the Raiders/The Monkees’ “Stepping Stone,” Jerry Nolan’s “Take a Chance” (from the liner notes: “Sid had to read the lyrics every night we did this. And every night he lost ‘em.”), and Dave Berry via Sex Pistols’ “Don’t Gimme No Lip, Child.” There are two Johnny Thunders covers that don’t appear on all of the sets: “Born to Lose” and “Chatterbox” (from the liner notes: “Originally Johnny Thunders was offered the other guitar spot [in Dior’s band that backed Vicious], on the condition that he was somewhat straight. I was there when [Jerry] Nolan called him. ‘Johnny, if you turn up looking the least bit silly, I’m walking!’ Thunders never showed up. Too many junkies on the one stage is a recipe for total disaster!”) plus Richard Hell’s (co-written by Dee Dee Ramone) “Chinese Rocks” and Eddie Cochran’s “Something Else.” One of my favorites is Sid’s cover of Paul Anka’s “My Way” made popular by Frank Sinatra. Back when I first heard Sid Sings in the 1980′s I honestly had never heard Frank’s version before so my only awareness of the classic pop tune was Sid’s. Hahaha, imagine my surprise when I finally heard the original.

Again according to the liner notes, Vicious had planned to go into the studio with the band (going by The Idols at the time) soon after these shows. However, twelve days after the last gig on October 12th, Sid’s girlfriend Nancy Spungen was found dead with a knife wound to her abdomen and Sid was arrested on murder charges. Steve Dior clearly doesn’t believe Sid did it. “I got to see many tender moments between Sid and Nancy. My memories are fond. I remember clearly the moment I summoned up the courage to ask him about Nancy. We sat alone in my apartment on 3rd Street. I wanted to ask him but I was really scared. Finally: ‘Sid, I’ve to ask you! Did you do it?’ ‘No! Steve! I didn’t! I didn’t kill Nancy!’”

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As the Lights Go Down is a live recording from the Oakland Coliseum’s 3-night concert series, April 12th, 13th and 15th, in 1984. The edited concerts were originally released as the video Arena (An Absurd Notion) in 1985 (aired on Cinemax and MTV), a loose story interwoven with concert footage from the Oakland performances; included, too, was the notoriously expensive video for the single “The Wild Boys” (also on the album Arena, 1985). The first official release of the music-only album came out in 2010 as a bonus disc as part of the reissue for Seven and the Ragged Tiger (there are bootleg copies floating around as well).

The three-sided album is gorgeous, a collection of some of Duran Duran’s best tracks from their first three albums: Duran Duran, Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger (weirdly “The Reflex,” one of their best-selling and most popular songs from that era is not on As the Lights Go Down). Side A starts off with the deep-cut instrumental “Tiger Tiger” and from there segues directly into one of the best live versions of “Is There Something I Should Know?” I’ve ever heard, with some extra bright keyboard work by Nick Rhodes. “Hungry Like the Wolf” comes next, complete with an amazing howl by Simon LeBon at the song’s end. Simon introduces the next track by saying “Hello! Good evening! Nice to see you here! This is a sexual fantasy of mine, it’s called “Union of the Snake” and Side A then concludes with the dark and rollicking “New Religion.” Side B begins with one of the most beautiful songs ever written, “Save a Prayer” and it’s just as mysteriously lush live as on the original Rio recording. “Rio,” the perennial Duran party song, is next (lots of extra by Nick on this one, too, and John Taylor’s bass is intricate, deep and funky; Andy Taylor gets down, whipping out the power chords and Simon whoops and hollers), followed by another Seven and the Ragged Tiger deep-cut, “The Seventh Stranger” which I’ve always loved. Side B ends with another beauty from Rio: “The Chauffeur” (it’s really a tie with “Save a Prayer” for most beautiful song ever).  Side 3 has three tracks from Duran Duran: “Planet Earth,” “Careless Memories” (Andy is in really fine guitar form and Roger’s drumming is relentless on both those songs), and encore with “Girls on Film” – Simon invites the audience to sing along on its chorus, resulting in a stadium full of teenage girls ecstatically shrieking “GIRLS ON FILM!” (Had I been there, I would have shrieked too) Side 4 is blank but etched with the album’s cover design.

I have soooooo much Duran Duran and so did I really need another album in my collection??? I absolutely did – As the Lights Go Down is pure perfection: 80′s pastel, big 80′s sound and production and my boys performing at the height of their popularity. This album makes me so happy ☺️

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Slash Records released What We Do Is Secret soon after Darby Crash’s suicide in 1980. All the songs were available on other releases but the EP had a couple of different versions and live tracks. The version of “Round and Round” was recorded in ‘77 for What Records. The “Lexicon Devil” version on What We Do Is Secret is the slow version and my absolute favorite. That track, along with “Circle One” and “No God” were recorded in ‘78 for Slash Records and were produced by Geza X. “Caught in My Eye” comes from the GI sessions on Slash with Joan Jett producing. “The Other Newest One” and “My Tunnel” are live, recorded in late ‘80, just days before Crash’s death, at the Starwood in Hollywood and Crash is rude, obnoxious, a complete mess and completely awesome.

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No fun my babe
No fun
No fun my babe
No fun
No fun to hang around
Feelin’ that same old way
No fun to hang around
Freaked out for another day
No fun my babe
No fun
No fun my babe
No fun
No fun to be alone
Walking by myself
No fun to be alone
In love with nobody else
Well maybe go out, maybe stay home
Maybe call Mom on the telephone
Well c’mon, well c’mon
C’mon c’mon
Now Ron, I say Ron
C’mon and lemme hear you tell em
Lemme hear you tell em
Now I feel
I say lemme hear you
Tell em how I feel, yeah, my man
No fun to be alone
It’s no fun to be alone
Hang on
Don’t you lemme go
It’s no fun to alone
To be alone

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Run off grooves: Side A = RIP MCA   Side B = the next level, the new sound

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Bowie originally released “Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)” as his lead single from the 2014 comp Nothing Has Changed and re-recorded both that track and “’Tis a Pity She Was a Whore” for 2016′s Blackstar. “Sue” is a mournfully orchestrated jazz number with a wall of horns that won the 2016 Grammy for the Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals category, awarded to the song’s arranger and conductor, Maria Schneider. “’Tis a Pity She Was a Whore” has been described as “a raucous five-minute mesh of melody and discord, an art-rock anti-war romance, gasping under the pack-ice of no-wave sax-squawk.“ (Bowie plays the sax part on this recording; on Blackstar the sax is performed by Donny McCaslin. It’s no 80′s-style sax, very avant-gaurde and boisterous.

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