Nikki Sudden - Live in Berlin 2006

British singer Nikki Sudden never performed in large stadiums or reached Billboard's album charts. But his music, as a solo artist and as a member of both the Swell Maps during the 1970s and the Jacobites during the 1980s, influenced everyone from the Replacements to Sonic Youth.

After the post-punk band Swell Maps dissolved in the early '80s, lead singer Nikki Sudden began a diverse and restless solo career, during which he worked with a number of different bands and side projects. Sudden released his first solo record, "Waiting on Egypt", in 1982, followed closely by "The Bible Belt" in 1983; both records recalled the music he made with Swell Maps.

In 1984, Sudden formed the Jacobites with drummer Epic Soundtracks (his brother, who was also a member of Swell Maps) and guitarist/vocalist Dave Kusworth, who co-wrote the material with Sudden. The band developed a laid-back, wasted, romantic classic rock and pop style with acoustic guitars and a rolling rhythm section. The Jacobites released four albums and three EPs between 1984 and 1986, when Kusworth left the band. Sudden continued using the Jacobites' name, releasing "Texas" on the Creation label in 1986. During the late '80s, Sudden ditched the Jacobites moniker and began making music that strongly recalled early Rolling Stones, including "Texas" and "Dead Men Tell No Tales".

While none of his albums ever attracted a large audience, Sudden remained a cult favorite throughout his career. High-profile guests began appearing on his albums: Wilco's Jeff Tweedy lent a hand on 1999's "Red Brocade", and the Faces' keyboardist Ian McLagan played on the 2004 release "Treasure Island".

On March 26, 2006, Sudden passed away after a gig in New York City - died from a heart attack at the age of 49 after performing at the Knitting Factory.He was working on a new album, "The Truth Doesn't Matter", which was released in October. In the spring of 2011, Easy Action released "Playing with Fire", a carefully curated compilation of unreleased songs recorded and left off his last two studio albums; the collection featured liner notes by Sudden's bassist and friend, John Barry.

This audience recording was made just one month before his death in Berlin. Nikki had made Berlin his hometown and I´ve seen him playing several times... we miss him!


Tracklist:

Last Flash of the Cavalier Nation
Ossi Girl 
Sloth 
High & Lonesome 
Death Warrant 
When I Left You 
Hang Your Arms Around a Memory 
Road of Broken Dreams 
When Angels Die
Aeroplane Blues


Nikki Sudden - Live in Berlin 2006
(192 kbps, cover art included)