Album Notes

Ida – Bottom Of The Hill (2xCD)
Last Affair Records

This limited edition, letter pressed ‘double live” CD is a beautifully packaged, powerful recording of Ida playing live in San Francisco at The Bottom Of The Hill in 2000, during their “Will You Find Me” tour. An eighteen song audience recording, Bottom Of The Hill captures the energy, humour, and intimacy of the band at one of their favorite venues. Violinist Ida Pearle is in fine form throughout, conjuring up the the spirit of Odyshape-era Raincoats along with a clear influence of the cosmic arco sonics of free jazz giants like William Parker and Michael Samson. Drummer Trip Gray (Joe Morris Trio, Tsunami), accentuates this experimental air with an awareness of space and groove that made this era of the band one of their most exciting and experimental. Songs like “Shrug” and “Turn Me On” brought Ida closer to Can or Talk Talk than their studio recordings would ever reveal, stretching out far beyond their recorded versions, while “Requator” and “Dreamdate” explode into some of Littleton’s most blistering guitar work ever. Fan favorites like “Maybelle”, “Shoe In”, “Downtown”, and “Honeyslide” are all here, alongside rarely heard versions of “Encantada” and “Shotgun”. Throughout there are all the quiet, complex harmonies, hit or miss jokes, and the heartbreaking love songs that everyone in attendance had come to hear. Bonus tracks include studio versions of songs by Robert Wyatt, The Rolling Stones, & Billie Holiday.


“The live album, recorded April 26, 2000 at the Bottom of the Hill by a fan with a nice stereo mic and digital recorder, the tape somehow fell into the hands of the right people and the band chose to release this double-disc, in all its (unedited) glory. You may eventually tire of the relaxed and silly stage banter, and while the sound is high quality for a crowd bootleg, it is far from studio perfect...but this set offers the fans something more. Despite their whisper quiet sound, Ida has always been a live band, mesmerizing crowds with their soft and subtle interplay, and for me, their records have never quite captured the slow-burn intensity that they can deliver in front of an audience. The album finds Ida in peak form, playing all their best songs with their unusual mix of laidback abandon. As a bonus, disc 2 closes with a handful of studio recorded cover songs.”
- Other Music website, NYC



“Fan indispensableness!”
-Ontonson.com, Japan

“Super Excellent!”
- Jetset.com, Japan