No comments about Once Upon a Time (Live at the Lyceum).

No comments about Uproar: Live and Loud.

5 comments about Live in the City of Light.

1. I hated this tour, they reworked all their older songs, slowed them way down, just turned into a major snooze fest.
   
   Classics likeNew Gold Dream turned into slow temp dirges
   
   Luckily they saw the light, and their most recent tour/album has them back at their exhilerating best



2. This album (to my mind) further established Simple Minds
   as not just another one hit wonder band from a successful
   movie soundtrack! With this album, I was able to delve deeper
   into the best of their earlier works and absorb what they were all about.
   The gems of this set are their live renditions of their songs like:
   "Oh Jungleland", "Promised You A Miracle", "Book Of Brilliant Things",
   "Once Upon A Time", "Sanctify Yourself", "Alive & Kickin'",
   "New Gold Dream" and last but definitely not least,
   "Don't You Forget About Me"!!
   Too Bad they didn't include a live version of
   "All The Things She Said" on here since this was actually
   from the world tour of the "Once Upon A Time" album
   and that song was well recieved at the time.
   I never got to see these guys live, but this is the
   next best thing!--Buy It!



3. I saw this band twice when they supported their Once Upon a Time record and they were absolutely on fire! A much different stage presence from the one I had seen only a year and a half before when they were touring to support Sparkle in the Rain and then a double bill with The Pretenders. A much more elaborate stage set and light show as well as a very polished wardrobe this time around and the songs to go with them.
   
   Its really quite interesting to watch a great band evolve from when they start out then gain a rather large following then explode into the mainstream. I would suggest to any fan of this great band casual or diehard to pick up Seen the Lights and watch the great footage of their early shows up to the Streeet Fighting Years show in Taormina.
   
   Simple Minds has always been an unbelievable live band. I think their stunning performances played a major role in the large fan base they already had when Don't You came out. The huge success they enjoyed with the success of that song as well as the great record called Once Upon a Time that was released just after that shines through on this album. The different treatments of their older songs are outstanding and moving, especially with East at Easter, New Gold Dream and Promised You a Miracle.
   
   I've seen some mention of the more "rock-like" version of Promised You a Miracle that takes out the great interplay between bass and synth on the original song but I think the constant steady bassline works better live than if it was played just as on the original. The band had actually been playing the song like this for quite a while before this particuliar tour with the version on this record sped up just a little and some more effect from the synthesizers.
   
   The only older song that I felt should have been played differently here would be "Somewhere, Somewhere in Summertime". I never thought the tempo here worked as well as if they were to slow it down as they did on the Sparkle in the Rain tour or as they played it while supporting New Gold Dream in which they played the song pretty much the same as it is on New Gold Dream. I never thought the fiddle worked very well here as well and I understand it was something added in studio as the record was being fixed and mixed.
   
   Ghostdancing, Oh Jungleland, New Gold Dream, Waterfront, Big Sleep, East at Easter, Book of Brilliant Things and Once Upon a Time work very well here and the rest with the exception of the Love Song/Sun City/Dance to the Mucis medley are great as well. I'll never understand why they felt the need to take an outstanding song like Love Song and mix in some very average tunes with it that seemed very out of place here. I know South Africa was the cause celebre at the time but that along with the Sly Stone song just didn't fit in very well.
   
   The individual efforts on this disc are outstanding from start to finish. Michael McNeil churns out some beutiful and powerful soundscapes and the outstanding guitar playing of Charlie Burchill is as always just what these songs need. Drums and bass are very solid even though it seems like the bass was mixed in a bit low. Jim Kerr's vocals are powerful and uplifting and Robin Clark's backing is strong although I never felt this band needed this type of gospel singer.
   
   Overall this is a great and uplifting double live album that should find its way into any fan of music's collection. It never grows old no matter how many times you listen to it



4. IT'S JUST LIKE YOU ARE THERE.
   IT'S JUST LIKE YOU ARE THERE IN THE LAST ROW AT THE TOP OF AN OUTDOOR STADIUM.
   
   This is a 2 CD of a concert in Paris from 1987. Each disc is around 42 minutes long.
   
   The recording of this concert was poorly done, and ruins any chance of this being a good album. Simple Minds music is complex and intricate. It requires clarity in the recording. On this CD, all you get is a bunch of noise in many spots.
   
   There are some very good moments on this CD, like Love Song, New Gold Dream and Alive and Kicking. They would be fantastic with a little bit better sound quality.
   
   Other songs don't do so well, like Promised You a Miracle and Someone, Somewhere in Summertime. The performances of these songs are just dull and don't match up to the versions on the studio albums. Simple Minds was doing basic the same show throughout Europe, and seems like the band just got bored with playing some of the songs. Or course these songs may have been helped if the sound quality were better.
   
   Sancify Yourself starts out very nice, but turns into a jumbled mess after a few minutes. It is hard to tell if there is a performance problem, or just a sound mixing issue. It gave me a headache by the end of the track.
   
   On some of the songs, the sound quality is passable. Mostly these are moments were the guitar is featured and few other instruments are playing in the background.
   
   For people to say this is a fantastic CD and not mention the issues with the sound quality are doing the readers a disservice. Some may still enjoy this very much in spite of the sound quality. But it is important for someone to know what they are buying upfront.
   
   I became a fan of Simple Minds when they were first widely introduced in the US with New Gold Dream. The other band that was just gaining popularity at the time was INXS. I thought they were very similar bands.
   
   I had always thought that New Gold Dream was one of Simple Minds earlier albums. But it is actually their sixth. I just started listening to their earlier material and was surprised at how great it is. It is certainly much better than what came after New Gold Dream. Empires and Dance is a great techno dance type album.



5. "Live in the City of Light," which to date is the only live album from this Scottish band, is a great time capsule from this band at its peak.
   
   The material is great, the performances full of passion and energy, and the sound awesome. A real treat is to hear how Simple Minds gives songs totally different - and terrific - arrangements in concert. In this case, "Book of Brilliant Things" and "New Gold Dream" are both given an ethereal, magical reading.
   
   One weak spot is "Promised You a Miracle." It's given a new arrangement that completely loses what made it so great in the first place: the brainy bite of its terrific bass and synth interplay. Instead, it adds a violin (?!). I believe the violin player was a band member's girlfriend, so it demonstrates - once again - rock stars should never let a girlfriend join the band. Also, "Sun City" is a throwaway, and merely reveals Jim Kerr's growing interest in conquering the US market.
   
   However, if you're going to buy only one Simple Minds album, this would be a fine choice, and gives a nice overview of material from three of their best albums.

No comments about New Live & Rare.

No comments about Totale's Turns (It's Now or Never).

1 comments about French Cuts 2: Pop Music Francaise des Annees 60.

1. If you love sixties french pop, you need to pick up vol.1 and 2 of this series!!!! This one is even better than the first!! Like it says in the liner notes, "Blow your dj-less french beat party to almost 3 hours!" No need to look for these hard to find records because it's all here...and believe me, some of these songs are almost impossible to find!! Groovy!!

5 comments about 8/14/00 - New Orleans, Louisiana.

1. I regularly listen to about 20 of these 2000/01 tour recordings now, five years after the fact. Other reviewers have been helpful in steering me to some of the tightest performances and best produced recordings (Philadelphia 1, Jones Beach 2 and 3, and Pittsburgh for starters), but this one isn't given due credit. When I pop this New Orleans show into the CD player after another PJ concert, the superior power and clarity of the recording is immediately obvious. On this particular night, not only was the band tight, focused, and rocking, but the guitar techs and recording engineers nailed the settings for compression and edgy, crisp sound textures. Every squeal, crunch, and flutter matches the dynamics of each moment of every song. Check it out.



2. 
   I like it. Especially the reminiscence on the track 1,'Long Road'. Strangely, Stone Gossard's guitar sounds a lot like the 13th Floor Elevators on that one. I loved the 'trilling' from the female members of the audience; what a sound! Interesting tuning and instrument selection by the band members. Maybe they were paying respect to the extraordinary musicians from the area. Mr. Vedder's political rants are well, rants. However, this is one great Live PJ recording.



3. Disclaimer: Owner of all 72 official PJ bootlegs. This is an above-average performance in the Big Easy, and is a dependable entry from the early section of the American tour. A very emotional rendition of "Long Road" opens the show, which then continues into an especially rocking set list, which is lower on ballads than usual. Included among the rockers this evening are some relative tour rarities like "Evacuation," "In Hiding" and "Jeremy," not to mention the first of only two appearances of the cover "Sonic Reducer" by punk band the Dead Boys. The band is in a very jam-worthy mood tonight. All of the extra-long barnburners ("Daughter," "Rearviewmirror," and "Porch") are top-of-the-line, with Matt Cameron holding down the fort especially well while the rest of the band is off jamming. In this evening's stage banter, watch for Eddie Vedder's hysterical description of the political conventions taking place that week ("My fellow Americans...").



4. I saw pearl jam in new orleans in 96' and the recent 2000 show! This concert was excellent, and even better than the show in 96'. It is very rare to see a band play more than 20 songs in one night, and pearl jam played 29 songs. I was amazed! The best way to decribe this concert and CD is to let the music speak for itself. . . . . 5 STARS! ! ! 5 STARS ! ! ! 5 STARS



5. Pearl Jam's show in New Orleans is a solid, but not spectacular show. There are strong versions of "Animal", "rearviewmirror" and "Hail, Hail". They have an interesting and welcome opener with "Long Road" and they have some fun with their surprise hit song "Last Kiss", but they seem listless on the closer "Yellow Leadbetter" and the energy sags a bit in places. But still, overall, the show still rocks.

5 comments about Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1. This is definitely one of the shows with the most energy from the bands 2000 tour. It was the last show of that particular part of the tour. You would think the band would sound tired and worn out, but they dont. They put on a show full of great songs that are played very well. The show opens up with a killer version of Even Flow. It may be the best version of the song Ive ever heard and I own at least 70-80 PJ cds! The show hardly stops rocking after that. Theres also incredible versions of harder songs like Hail Hail, Animal, Go, and Once. The band only makes a few flub ups and they are very forgivable. There are only 3 in total actually. One being an awful version of Light Years were Ed messes up the lyrics in the first verse and stops himself; he then fixes his mistake. Theres one little guitar screw up in Breakerfall. One of the guitars start to fade in and out, pretty much like cutting out right at the beginning of the song. The other lyrical mistakes take place in Crazy Mary. I believe that was due to Eddie being more concerned about the woman with the umbrella coming onstage. So, he kinda messes up. When that woman gets onstage and requests a song she really picked a good one. Wash. The only time it was played during the whole tour. Its a pretty good version as well. Not exactly like the studio take, but still is played with great energy. This was one of my first PJ bootlegs to buy. Im glad it was. Its truly a great performance and is much better than the Philadelphia shows and the Seattle ones as well. If anyone is still after these shows for some reason, try your hardest to get this. I can promise you wont be disappointed.



2. This final show on the first leg of the 2000 American Tour is now out of print, and fairly pricey if you happen to stumble across it. It's a shame, because it is a great performance, only a very small notch below the Washington D.C. show from the same leg of the tour. The previous show in Phildelphia was reportedly somewhat shakey, and Pearl Jam seems on a mission to redeem itself here with a great set list (opening with "Even Flow"!) and a blazing performance. If you can find this show, pay the premium. It's worth every penny.



3. I'll keep it short because these get boring-- i own all 72 shows, this is the best of all of'em.... no huge sound problems (which happens on most shows, unfortunately).... the version of I Got Id is improved, a nice change (the only version of the song i'll listen to), and unbelievably strong. Stone's Mankind is great, and the version of Insignificance is probably the best they've done live. Porch has a longer than usual instrumental bridge, with Eddie getting the crowd involved, and a strong Ledbetter close. Yeah, every review says each show is the best, and i did not see this show, only the Philly shows,but this is the only show of the 72 that never leaves my CD changer. Agree?



4. I own them all and this is the best. Pure energy, great rockin setlist and even has wash! Buy it!



5. Of the US series.. this ranks near the top of the list. This underated show deserves the ape/man logo marking it as a special show. There is an energy to this show that is hard to explain. Animal for instance friggin rocks harder than just about any version I have heard (I currently own 10 europe/us shows). Betterman may not have the entire 'Save it for Later' refrain, but it is performed with more enthusiasm than the versions that do contain the entire version. The version of daughter is my favorite of the US shows. Evenflow is lightning and Elderly Woman will give you goosebumps with a nice mix of the audience singing along. Wash seals this as a must have CD! I can't put my finger on exactly why... but this the US show I reach for the most when I need a live fix.

5 comments about 26/6/00 - Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany.

1. Out of 25 shows in the European Bootleg series, this one from Hamburg, Germany takes the prize (barely)from the Praha show. Everything is clicking, thundering, and even stumbling the way it's supposed to. The band and the crowd do not let technical difficulties (only a few) get in their way of having a rip-roaring good time. If you can only afford one or two of these Official Bootlegs, this is Pearl Jam at it's best.



2. Arguably the greatest rock band of the 90's, Pearl Jam still has it nine years after the release of their breakthrough album "Ten." They rock the house in Hamburg, Germany. After all the disputes that have plauged the history of America's relationship with Germany, the German fans were astonished enough to rave "U.S.A.,U.S.A.,U.S.A.,U.S.A." This goes to show the effect that Pearl Jam has had, not only on the U.S., but internationally as well. The powerfull voice of Eddie Vedder brings the crowd to their feet from "Evenflow" all the way to their cherished "Who" cover, "Baba O' Riley." Pearl Jam sounds better than ever in this CD. The only way I could enjoy Pearl Jam more than listening to this album is to see them live first hand.



3. Disclaimer: Owner of all 72 official PJ bootlegs. The city of Hamburg, where the Beatles were allowed to hone their chops before conquering the Earth, is still rockin' after all these years. They've got one of the most enthusiastic and energetic crowds of any of Pearl Jam's European shows, and the band returns the favor by delivering a performance of non-stop intensity. This is surely one of the highlights of the European section of the bootleg series, and is a good sampler if you're looking for an example of a heavy, no-nonsense show. Instead of starting off with a ballad as usual (to build the tension), here the band plows straight into some of their heaviest rave-ups - "Breakerfall," "Corduroy," "MFC," and "Go" - and go straight for the throat. The intensity of this performance barely lets up, even on some of the ballads. The performances on the quieter "Faithful," "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter..." and "Present Tense" are sharp and transcendent. Meanwhile, Matt Cameron delivers a muscular groove to propel an extra strong jam session in "Daughter." Even the problems are pretty good in this show. During the rare "Rival," Stone Gossard's amp dies during the second verse. This actually sounds pretty interesting, as the song accidentally takes on a sparse and dark feel. Everything was working tonight, even the technical glitches. There's an interesting moment in the encore when Eddie Vedder leads the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" for Jeff Ament, and it wasn't even his birthday. Apparently the last time they were in town, it was his birthday. Other surprises include the tour's first appearance of "Crazy Mary," which sends the surprised crowd into an emotional frenzy. This song would then appear often in America. Also, the Who's "Baba O'Riley" makes its first appearance, and Pearl Jam's rendition of this classic is flawless, right down to Mike McCready's transformation of the fidgety synthesizer lines into screaming guitar solos.



4. This Pearl Jam concert is quite special. Before the Beatles achieved world-wide recognition they performed at several clubs around Hamburg. It seems fitting that PJ should cover one of their tunes from that era on this show from the same city. The song, SOLDIER OF LOVE, (lyric Cason/Moon; melody S Mark Gunther) was recorded 2 July 1963 with Arthur Alexander. Mercifully, PJ has discarded the "sha la la's". Mr McCready has a powerful, edgy performance which drives songs such as BREAKERFALL, GO, ONCE and PORCH. Mr Vedder brings a sensual pathos to the melancholy BLACK and DAUGHTER. The latter has an extended call & response with the audience which erupts into trance-inducing riffs from the guitars. After a rousing ovation, the band returns for an encore but not before singing Happy Birthday to Mr Jeff Amnet (b). The well-known cover of the WHO's BABA O REILY is dispensed with in a hurried fashion. The band does an admirable job with it, however, the song is such an anthem, it is hard to meet expectations. Mr Vedder sends a postcard home with CRAZY MARY. From a "town that has always been nice to this band," is a very nice concert. Enjoy.



5. This CD is a must have for all Pearl Jam fans! I once went into a local indie record shop and asked an employee for their opinions about the Eurpoean series. A guy there pointed out that this show is one of the best. After buying this CD there and listening to it, I totally agree with that employee. This show really rocks! It's far one of the best show ever recored in Europe. This CD has a few great cover songs and classic originals as well as stuff from 'Bianural'. I was a little disappointed that "Alive" was not in the set for this show. It's one of their best song ever. Overall, this one stands out to best show in Europe, in my humble opinion.

No comments about Rare Live & Bladdered.