'John Cale and friends' - Ocean Club NYC 21 July 1976

[Mark]

Can anyone tell me about the background of the above show? I have a bootleg that claims that the 'friends' include Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Mick Ronson, David Byrne, Alan Lanier, and Chris Spedding - rather a stellar line-up. So what was the story? How did it actually come to happen? It's very seldom talked about which is odd considering how noteworthy Cale/Reed reunions have generally been, never mind onstage with any number of other legends. There's a photo of Cale, Reed, Smith and Byrne onstage in Victor Bockris' Reed book, but it doesn't even get a mention in the text.

That's another question actually - listening to the bootleg, it clearly doesn't feature all the participants on each track. Smith is clearly recognisable on Buffalo Ballet and Waiting For The Man, but that's about it. Any idea who's playing on what, other than the obvious Cale on vocals/piano/occaisonal guitar?

[jimjim]

and another thing...how come there are two versions of 'Waiting' in circulation out there both claiming to be from the same source? The one that I had for years was taken from the Cale boot "Take Off Your Mask" and then I d/l-ed the gig from DaD to find a different version with Patti on intermittent vocals (the other one was just Cale on vocals). Did they play the song twice? Or did Cale et al play more than one night there in 1976?

[MJG196]

This was torrented a year ago on stg in 2 separate torrents. The listed taper, theGrape, has posted some true gems - ones I've never seen before, footage that revelas he MUST have been a friend/insider to some amazing people (for instance, Woodstock footage that was never released - prior to DaD!). When he is listed as the taper, I believe it. If anyone needs the cover-art for this show, e-mail me at mg196(at)verizon(dot)net .

Here are the info files:

John Cale and Friends
Lower Manhattan Ocean Club
New York NY
July 26 1976

Source: SONY TC126 SONY F99S mic -> Maxell UD-90
Lineage: master cassette -> Maxell reel-to-reel -> HD -> WAV -> shn

Taped by: theGrape
Transferred by: Tony C.

File Size: 322 mb (SHN)

Set list:

1. Ghost Story
2. Buffalo Ballet (With Patti Smith)
3. You Know More Than I Know
4. Guts
5. Waiting For The Man (With Patti Smith and Lou Reed)
6. Keep A Close Watch
7. The Jeweler
8. Gun
9. Pablo Picasso
10. Cable Hogue
11. Baby, What You Want Me To Do

Notes: I remember this being a difficult show to tape. The Lower Manhattan Ocean Club was very trendy. I don't think there were a lot of seats inside. Maybe 20 tables for dinner. I was trying very hard to be discrete. I am sorry about the abrupt cuts between songs. The last song trails off. I think I taped another show earlier in the evening and may have run out of batteries.

-------------------------------------

John Cale & Friends: "The Ocean Club 1976"
CDR>EACsecure>WAV>SHN
AUD/B+/A- 72:55 minutes
Artwork Included
The art is off, so Iíll keep the set list consistent with the art, with the exceptions in parenthesis.
Enjoy


Maxís Kansas City, NYC, October 3, 1978

12. Pablo Picasso
13. Mary Lou
(Hidden track: You Gotta Run, You Gotta Hide - the name escapes me)
14. Nasty Gasses
(Another hidden track, same track as Nasty Gasses)
15. Solo/Instrumental on Viola/Piano
16. Fear
17. Thoughtless Kind

[Mark]

Cool, thanks for posting that. Still no closer to solving the mysteries of the show itself, but nice stories all the same!

[Mark]

So does anyone else know anything about this show...?

[MJG196]

So does anyone else know anything about this show...?

Nothing about it in Bockris' "Transformer: The Lou Reed Story."

[gazatthebop]

I believe Cale played the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club on 19th and 20th July 1976. That's why there are two versions of WFTM. The advert for the show said "performances between 11.00pm-01.00am". The show on 20th started after midnight and is often labelled 21st July (or mistakenly as 26th or 27th). A reel to reel tape showed up on ebay a few years ago of the second night said to have been taped by RCA records because it was recorded on RCA tape. It has also been said Warhol, who was there both nights also taped the shows. Newspaper "NY Rocker" said in their review Cale played a two week residency at the club, that is also unlikely. The bootleg is from the second show. The setlist for the 1st show was:
ghost story/buffalo ballet/you know more than i/darling i need you/guts/wftm/gun/pablo picasso/baby what you want.
hence two different version of WFTM, the first show is without Patti and Reed.

[gazatthebop]

i now believe there were 4 shows at the Ocean club, not two. 19th & 20th July and 26 & 27 July 1976. Lou attended the first two but was substituted on the second two shows by Mick Ronson. The common tape is circulation is listed as 21st, this is because the show on 26th was delayed, starting after midnight. The show on the 27th is also in circulation.