This is about Timbuktu, a band that existed in Minneapolis, MN between 1982 – 1983. What follows are a handful of live recordings which the band has graciously allowed me to share on Live Music Archive with other past, present and future fans.
[links to recordings provided in posts below]
After the demise of Bwana Devil, Shawn and Tim re-surfaced in the short-lived, yet extremely prolific, if not equally under-represented combo, Timbuktu. The original line-up was intended to be a two-person unit – Tim and Buck, which literally explains the band name. One thing led to another, however, and the five-person line-up remained intact until their final show on April 8th, 1983, just two days after opening for The Birthday Party.
Ivan Daniels : vocals
Tim Mitchell : bass, vocals
Shawn Pike : guitar
Sari Gordon : keyboards
Buck Hazlett : drums
Timbuktu • 1982 – 1983
The Bible + The Sword • live compilation
cassette A-side (48:21.10):
[01] Termites (02:33.53)
[02] Music Box (02:44.53)
[03] Walpurgis Nacht (04:59.09)
[04] Quicklime And Orders (03:17.57)
[05] Mardi Gras (03:12.25)
[06] Raised By Lizards (03:38.30)
[07] Scissors (02:59.46)
[08] Tribute To… (04:55.72)
[09] Burning Bridges (03:17.19)
[10] Tirips Live (05:02.45)
[11] Lacolyte (03:01.25)
[12] Where Nothing (02:36.19)
[13] God Save The Queen [Sex Pistols] (02:41.74)
[14] Slight Misfortune (03:06.45)
cassette B-side (47:56.50):
[15] Talisman (02:49.63)
[16] Teachers [Leonard Cohen] (04:33.04)
[17] Ricky (03:50.53)
[18] The Sequence (04:27.72)
[19] Country Of The Kind (03:54.09)
[20] Queen Of The Rid (03:05.28)
[21] Nail Factory (03:34.20)
[22] Firelight (03:46.49)
[23] Garden Of Eden Suite (03:05.73)
[24] Martin Said (04:32.74)
[25] Common Ground (04:24.29)
[26] The Good Fight (05:25.24)
Ivan Daniels : vocals
Tim Mitchell : bass, vocals
Shawn Pike : guitar
Sari Gordon : keyboards
Buck Hazlett : drums
PLEASE NOTE: This is a live non-commercial cassette compilation created in 1983 – most of the original tapes are long gone.
Original sources:
Tracks 1, 3, 8, 9, 14, 16 : 1982-06-12 • 7th St. Entry
the noisiest crowd of the lot!
audience recording
Track 2 : 1983-01-26 • Goofy’s Upper Deck
audience recording
Tracks 4, 7, 10, 12, 17, 20, 23 : 1983-10-30 • 7th St. Entry
soundboard recording • most likely recorded by Dave Chisholm
Tracks 5, 18, 21, 25 : 1982-12-17 • 7th St. Entry
bill w/ Swingin’ Combo
audience recording • recorded by J.Free
Tracks 6, 11, 13, 15, 19, 22, 24, 26 : 1983-04-08 • 7th St. Entry
the band’s final show
bill w/ Your Children
audience recording • recorded by J.Free
All of these tracks were compiled on this cassette as far back as 1983; therefore all are at least one generation removed from the original source recordings – most of which no longer exist.
Since originally putting this compilation together back in 1983, a few other live recordings made their way into my collection, but I wasn’t inclined to mess around with the continuity that I felt had already been established, so those individual sets will be presented separately.
As I’m listening to these tracks again in 2024 (and yet again in 2026), I simply cannot emphasize enough just how friggin’ brilliant I believe this band was, both then and now.
Recorded / transferred / edited / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives [sonicarchives.com]
Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive
Timbuktu • 1982-12-17
Minneapolis, MN • Seventh Street Entry
[01] The Sequence (04:26.32)
[02] interim (00:25.63)
[03] Mardi Gras (03:17.06)
[04] Nail Factory (03:36.68)
[05] Common Ground (04:25.47)
[06] Scissors (03:14.69)
bill:
Swingin’ Combo
Timbuktu
4 out of 5 tracks from this set were used in The Bible And The Sword compilation, except for Scissors. This is more or less just the raw set as it was performed.
This is strictly an audience recording. Recorded on a handheld portable recording Walkman type deck. Only extended tuning and dead air was removed, and possibly some EQ may have been applied during the original tape transfer. I used to make these edited versions of shows quite a bit back in the day, trying to mimic the flow and feel of a somewhat produced live album. Unfortunately, I couldn’t imagine the future of technology to the point where I might have considered keeping the original tapes until I could do a better job with them at some point. To paraphrase Sinatra, “That’s life!”
Recorded / transferred / edited / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives
Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive
Timbuktu • 1983-04-06
Minneapolis, MN • First Avenue
[01] start (0:22)
[02] Common Ground (3:53)
[03] interim / guitar trouble (0:20)
[04] Mardi Gras (3:04)
[05] interim / tuning etc (1:31)
[06] Raised By Lizards (3:41)
[07] interim / comments (0:56)
[08] Firelight (3:55)
[09] interim / tuning etc (1:13)
[10] Nail Factory (3:27)
[11] interim (0:34)
[12] Lacolyte (3:06)
[13] interim / tuning etc (0:40)
[14] Garden Of Eden Suite (3:17)
Bill:
The Birthday Party
Timbuktu
Not a bad opening slot for a band playing its second-to-last gig!
This recording came direct from Sari Gordon, shortly after we all learned that Shawn Pike was no longer with us. Sari and I were briefly in contact via social media at the time, and I provided her with my live archives of Timbuktu recordings. In return, Sari sent me this soundboard recording, and a DVD-R of the in-house video from this set.
This recording is incomplete, missing the last song, “Country Of The Kind”, however, that track is included on the DVD-R video.
I had also recorded the band from my own vantage point in the audience, in the 2nd floor stage right bar area, but as of 2026, that tape has not been located.
Recorded by: Dave Chisholm
Transferred / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives
Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive
Download or stream all sets by Timbuktu from Live Music Archive
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