Andy Taylor talks with Gimme a Wristband about the mystery of the ‘First US Gig’ tape

Andy Taylor, original guitarist of Duran Duran, found an old cassette tape in his basement yesterday. The tape was labeled as a recording of the first Duran Duran show in the United States in 1981 at a small club in Long Island, NY. Being the cool guy that he is, he immediately decided share it with the world by transferring the tape to digital and streaming it via the internet. Word spread quickly as Andy himself chatted about it on Facebook, and multitudes of fans waited eagerly at their computers, pressing play as soon as the link was posted.

The problem is, it was not a recording of the first US Duran Duran gig. Fans quickly recognized it without a doubt as the Hammersmith Odeon show from December 17, 1981 which was filmed and aired shortly thereafter by the BBC and released in March, 2010 by the EMI as a digital download.

While fans were all heaping richly deserved praise and thanks upon Andy, many were thoroughly confused. Posts on the Duran Duran Message Board by folks far more knowledgeable about the music than I am quickly confirmed my suspicions that something was terribly amiss. As much as it pained me to do so, I suggested to Andy that perhaps there had been a mistake.

To my surprise, I received an email from Andy, who was generously willing to indulge my curiosity about what the hell just happened. After his initial doubts and a bit of discussion back and forth, we finally came to  an agreement that yes, the tape that he found and posted yesterday and the aforementioned Hammersmith show are indeed one and the same.

Once we were on the same page, I laid out the following chain of events: “From my perspective, it seems that back in 2005, [name redacted] gave you a cassette which she told you that she recorded herself of the infamous gig in Long Island. The tape remained tucked away until yesterday, when you generously decided to share the recording with fans, a noble gesture that does not go unnoticed. Unfortunately, the tape was actually that of a bootleg vinyl that had been circulating since 1982 called “Live at Odeon.” In March of this year, it was released as a digital download by the not-so-beloved EMI as “BBC In Concert: Hammersmith Odeon 17th December 1981.”

Following is Andy’s unedited response. I’ve chosen to include the full text simply because the fangirl in me finds it so brilliant and charming. I can’t help myself… but if you’ve been reading this blog, you already knew that.

“Hi Kitty,

No probs, I very much appreciate the info & the evolving mystery…

Well at least for sure we know it was a bootleg…

There are a couple of technical details I noticed. On Planet Earth, the single version I posted last night, I don’t use the guitar synth… However, I did use it at Hammersmith on both the 81′ shows, but did not take it for the 81′ Autumn US tour because it was a lot of hassle to use. So the recording may be “cobbled” from more than 1 show.

Additionally, I can’t hear any vinyl noise, which could suggest the recording I have came directly from a mixing board, certainly the balance of sound is that of a direct board feed…

But when I analysed the audio files, the stereo image was badly imbalanced which I had to correct, which suggests it may have been made from a portable device from JT’s side of the stage…

For sure its not a multi-track recording…

I can’t recall if we played any unreleased material from Rio in Dec 81′ but that would have been possible as we often did that, but it could not have been June 81′ as there was no new Rio material at that time.

The further twist in the tale is very interesting, if it was a bootleg that EMI subsequently released as a legitimate recording, then that’s very odd & therefore [as I do accept the genuine nature of the facts you are presenting] we have all been deceived, mine was I hope just an innocent mistake, but EMI may have more to answer for…

Maybe the good news is that you have exposed EMI for releasing what was essentially a bootleg they acquired the rights to… And that is not a very cool thing at all.

Incidentally, the girl who gave it to me I don’t think claimed she made the tape rather that she bought it as a DD live @ The Spit bootleg, so she hasn’t acted with any malice, whereas EMI!!!

I have to hand it to you, you have been very dilligent in your work.

best,

Andyx.

PS… Let me know if you need to clarify any further stuff…

There’s much fodder for discussion here. In light of the ongoing EMI fiasco, I look forward to conversation about the questions Andy has raised, most interestingly the one added in a mail that quickly followed: “If we assume that the tape is from Dec 81′ & the BBC recorded that show, then one has to pose the question, who stole the original BBC recording & turned it into a bootleg in 1982?”

Bootleg lineage of Duran Duran’s December 17, 198 Hammersmith Odeon gig

In closing, I would like to remind my gentle readers that I am not a music expert and would never claim to be such. It’s merely by accident that my passion for writing has collided with my obsession with Duran Duran. It is the fans of this band who are diligent with their research, vigorous in their discussion, and unselfish in their willingness to share knowledge. Andy Taylor’s refreshing engagement with fans regarding the recent EMI fiasco and his offers to generously share his music and memories not only show respect for the Duran Duran community, but also that we as fans do have a voice and the ability to make things happen. It really is true… “Nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow.”