You're too old for precocious. You're too young for me.

Don't say I didn't warn you about the quality...but there's at least one nugget here that you probably haven't heard before.

13 March 2002, The (Original) Living Room, New York

intro
Twenty Years of Snow
interlude
Bonne Idee
interlude
8th Floor
interlude
Baobabs
interlude
Mustard Musketeers
interlude
A Lesson in How Fleeting Preservation Is
interlude
Buildings
interlude
Love Affair
interlude
Soho
interlude
Braille
interlude
Samson
closing

In case you're wondering, Morgan Taylor's Rock Group (whom Regina mentions at the outset) no longer exists as such (which is sad, because it really did rock), but you can check out what Morgan Taylor & co. are up to these days at Gustafer Yellowgold music.

Begin to Hope

Fidelity
Better
Samson
On The Radio
Field Below
Hotel Song
Après Moi
20 Years Of Snow
That Time
Edit
Lady
Summer in the City

Special Edition-only bonus tracks:

Another Town
Uh-merica
Baobabs
Düsseldorf
Music Box

Online/Vinyl-only bonus tracks:

Hero
Bartender

Vinyl-only bonus tracks:

Better (piano and voice)
Better (radio recut)

Regina's 4th LP was released in June 2006 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and eventually climbing as high as #20 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Initial shipments came bundled with a copy of the 6-track "Side 1" promo CD (ostensibly for buyers to share with a friend) and four 1" buttons.

A 2-disc "Special Edition" digipack featuring 5 bonus tracks and an expanded booklet was released simultaneously. The downloadable version (via iTunes, Rhapsody, and other outlets) featured 2 additional bonus tracks.

In April 2009, a vinyl Special Edition was issued to coincide with Record Store Day, including the 5 Special Edition bonus tracks, along with the 2 previously online-only bonus tracks, and 2 additional versions of "Better" previously issued as a 7" single.

Special Edition

Special Edition vinyl

6-track promo CD

Not dead? Not yet quite dead?

So, uh, I don't know if you've heard, but Regina's got, like, a new album coming out today and stuff...maybe you were tipped off by New York magazine, or anthem, or American Songwriter, or Alternative Press...maybe it won't really sink in until you watch her on Conan Wednesday night.

For my part, you can probably guess what I have to say about the new record...but just in case: I think that Begin to Hope is not only the best work Regina's ever done, but also among the greatest things ever. I'm talking Master of Puppets-, The Godfather Part II-, tattered blue jeans- levels of awesomeness here.

Don't believe me? Such absurd heights of hyperbole strain my credibility, you say?

::menacing glare::

I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. I think you'd better buy the album and get the hell out of here before I get upset.

***

p.s., I'll have another old show recording of questionable quality up later this week.

p.p.s., You'd do well to pick up a copy of Dayna Kurtz's record Another Black Feather (for the Wings of a Sinner), also released today.

2006-06-01 New York, NY | Angel Orensanz Center

photo by Kristina (with a k)

This was a "secret" show where a limited number of free tickets were made available to members of Regina's email list. The show was staged by the Artists Den at a beautiful converted synagogue on The Lower East Side and, although the entire show was professionally filmed, only "Eli, Eli" and "Better" have been released (watch here). Regina's performance of "Better" was also included on the compilation album Artists Den, Volume III: Hudson St. Recordings.

On the opening track, Regina is introduced by journalist Alan Light.

Recorded by pattivill:

01)
02) Halikha LeKasariya (Eli, Eli), covering Hannah Szenes
03)
04) Ain't No Cover
05)
06) Carbon Monoxide
07)
08) Pound of Flesh
09)
10) Better
11)
12) Small Town Moon
13)
14) Baby Jesus
15)
16) Field Below
17)
18) Prisoners
19)
20) On the Radio
21)
22) Bobbing for Apples
23)
24) That Time
25)
26) Après Moi
27)
28) Fidelity
29)
30) Genius Next Door
31)
32) 20 Years of Snow
33)
34) Human of the Year
35)
36) Ghost of Corporate Future
37)
38) Us
39)
40) 8th Floor
41)
42) Music Box
43)
44) Samson
45)
46) Summer in the City
47)
48) Baobabs
49)
50) Blue Lips
51)
52) Poor Little Rich Boy

2006-06 NY | BBC Radio 1 - The Blue Room

Date uncertain 

FLAC version 

Regina Spektor,  acoustic session for  BBC Radio 1.

Programme: 'the blueroom'.

Apparently the tracks were recorded in Regina Spektor's apartment in New York.

File size: 83.1MB.

Recorded time: 12Minutes 27Seconds.

Lineage: FM Tuner-CoolEdit-Flac-JetAudio (compression 4).

leex100.

The tracks were broadcast on separate days, 'love affair' was repeated in separate broadcasts so  I've included it twice as reception is never a constant.

I've seen Regina Spektor live twice now and rate her highly, definitely someone worth catching live on stage.

Taxi TA.

01. Intro

02. Chelsea Hotel (L. Cohen).

03. Outro

04. Intro

05. Love Affair (first broadcast)

06. Intro

07. Love Affair (second broadcast)

08. Sailor Song