4 comments about In the Beginning (A Live Anthology).

1. The first 6 songs are intense riot/punk stuff,live in 77,and they rule.The 7th song is "acoustic" though it features nothing but an acoustic guitar and dual Ari Up&Nina Hagen vocals.The "dub era" songs are downright boring and don't even sound like dub to me (at least in the reggae sense of the word).I guess the cd is OK for the first 6 tracks,just not exactly the best bang for the buck.



2. There are two halves to this CD - one of the early, pre-Cut punk stuff, one of the later more overtly reggae/African influenced stuff. This is an accurate depicition of the band at these stages, full of irreverance and spastic musical joy. I love the Slits and saw them several times, this is more like what they were than any of their studio recordings manage to express.



3. These live recordings are much more interesting than the studio versions. The "punk era" performances are best, the later versions are less exciting. Overall, a good introduction to the band. It's just a pity that Budgie doesn't appear.



4. These live recordings of the slits are pretty awful, even by punk standards. The music plods and Ari, lead singer, sounds ghastly, like she doesn't know what to do with the mike. A very disappointing (& I would say exploitative) CD.

No comments about Live.

5 comments about Big Ugly Mouth.

1. This spoken-word release is exactly what you'd expect from Rollins. Funny is some places ("Peach") comes to mind, and thoughtful in others. It will make you laugh at yourself and the foibles of Mr. Rollins, and may actually make you forget that Gap ad.
   
   I've been a Rollins fan since his Black Flag days. His spoken word often has the same intensity as his music, and that's what makes him worth paying attention to. If you've never experienced the spoken word side of him, this is a great place to start.



2. First in the series, recorded on a walkman from shows in 1987-88.

   Many people have said here that the sound quality is bad - not true. The quality of the sound is reasonable, it's the recording quality that's poor. The material on this CD was recorded on Rollins' own battered walkman which was placed on a table in the crowd, and that's exactly how it souds.

   Basically, you can hear people in the crowd a bit louder than Henry in some places, and there are plenty of examples of either folks in the audience having conversations of their own, or background noise coming from a band apparently playing next door. Even so, you can hear everything that's said, though people with low-end stereo systems may find headphones a better way to listen to this CD. Also, some of the tracks are taken from a show where the microphone sounded so bad that Henry couldn't use it; this doesnt help things either but it's not a huge drama.

   For the hardcore fans, there are some references here to stories that have featured in a few of his books (such as Get In The Van) but it doesnt detract from the performance - even if you've heard it before. Peach is an example of this and it's still a riot anyway. Hiya Handsome and Boy On Train are standouts and the closing track New York Story is Champagne Rollins in my opinion.

   First-timers should probably go for a later release as the recording is pretty lousy and you can do better in terms of content and comedy (if that's what you're after) with other CDs, but for any devotees who are wondering if it's as bad as most people say; it's not fantastic but you CAN hear it.

   One for the dedicated fans, this.




3. These are recordings of Henry Rollins after he left Black Flag.
   Some of the tracks: "Peaches" is really funny and has no real message, while "Boy on the train" is thought provoking. But Rollins always keeps a positive message, especially the inspirational "Dehuninization". "Hiya handsome" gives more insight about into Rollins mentality towards macho-men, which ironicly most people see him as. Here he points out their obvious insecurities towards talking to women. "Short Story" is a hilarious short story he wrote in the middle of the night.
   You won't want to stop listening to this either because it's so funny, so intruiging, or probably both.



4. DON'T GO HERE IF YOU ARE ONLY LOOKING FOR COMEDY. THIS IS COMPLEX SPOKEN WORD BY A GUY WHO HAS LIVED THE MOMENTS. "BOY ON THE TRAIN" OPENS YOU UP TO JUST HOW MUCH THIS GUY HAS TO SAY. COMMENTS WELCOME AT nick82e@hotmail.com



5. I've said it before, I'll say it again... I'm a huge fan of Henry Rollins. My brother gave me "The Boxed Life" in '92, and since then, I've gone out of my way to find all of Rollins' live spoken word material. "Big Ugly Mouth" is the earliest recorded of these, and in my opinion, the worst.

   Not to say that it's _bad_ at all! At this time, Henry was still polishing his style, working on timing and other apsects of his talking show. "Peach" is a hilarious track, as is "Hiya Handsome". B.U.M. gives us a sense of how good Rollins could be (and in fact became) with a few years of practice.

   One thing that exemplifies Rollins' spoken word is the breadth of his experience as a hard-touring musician and old-school punk rocker. His life has been incredibly packed with things that just HAPPEN, and it shows in this as all of his other spoken word albums.

   One final note: the sound quality on a lot of Rollins' early spoken word is horrendous, usually because the early shows were taped with a walkman. B.U.M. is no exception. Later albums have better sound quality.

   Bottom line: not an essential recording unless you're a Rollins addict -- like me.

No comments about Live at the Boston Gliderdrome.

1 comments about We Aren't the World!.

1. This was the first Dickies album I ever listened to, and it hooked me. This particular set includes all of the classics "trisha toyota", "If stewart could talk", "the banna splits theme", Simon & Garfunkle "Eve of Destruction" and "pretty please me". The live energy is overflowing, the talk with the crowd hightens the enjoyment. the sound mixing is not too bad either. This band never took themselves to seriously (possibly why more kids don't mention them as oftern as the clash or the sex pistols today), but it was all for the good of us. Pick this album up if you want some old school punk served the way it should be, LIVE, FAST, AND LOUD.

No comments about Penelope Flowers + Live At Stache's.

1 comments about Live in Japan.

1. this is the best of all the chaos uk cds ever! chaos uk is definitely the best hardcore anarchy punk rock bands ever. theyve been around for forever and are more talented than most punk bands and it shows. if you like them you would definitetly want to check some of anti-flag stuff. chaos uk is one of the best bands ever because theyre hardcore and they sing about things that matter, also their live energy is amazing you if you havent ever seen them live please get this cd to hear their live energy. get this cd i love it!

5 comments about Wide Awake in America.

1. The version of "Bad" on this album is one of the definitive U2 live cuts. The rest of the album is ok, but meant for serious U2 fans only. Those new to the band should go pick up the Joshua Tree album.



2. As a die-hard U2 fan and collector (I have at least 40 bootlegs of theirs), their 1985 EP 'Wide Awake In America' remains one of my favorite efforts from U2. While it does only contain 4 songs total, it's still something that U2 fans should not overlook.
   
   'Bad' was recorded in London in early 1985. It is an awesome version of the song, one of the best I've heard; it is by a long shot better than the studio version that appears on 'The Unforgettable Fire' (1984).
   
   'A Sort Of Homecoming' is even better than 'Bad.' This version is a lot heavier than the album version from 'The Unforgettable Fire,' but it's probably better. It's a cool version; you can hear the crowd getting involved.
   
   The last two songs are outtakes from 'The Unforgettable Fire.'
   
   'The Three Sunrises' is a song that should have easily made the cut for the record. It's got a great bass line from Adam, and Bono's vocals are spot on, as are Edge's rocking guitars. Larry's drumming gets pretty heavy at times.
   
   'Love Comes Tumbling' is a song that reminds me of one of their early efforts. It would be great to hear on 'Unforgettable Fire' as well, but it fits great here too. (Note to U2 collectors: On 'The Best of 1980-1990,' there is a bonus disc containing B-sides and outtakes from albums. Both 'The Three Sunrises' and 'Love Comes Tumbling' appear on that. But 'Love Comes Tumbling' comes with a guitar intro from Edge that doesn't appear here. If you can, try to hunt down that version as well.)
   
   Overall, if you've never checked out this record, than you need to. It rocks, and it's one of my all-time favorites from U2.
   
   Highly recommended for any U2 fan. A classic EP.
   
   ENJOY!!!



3. This is the best version of "Bad" that you will find, short of the Live Aid performance. Canned audience or not, it's fantastic.



4. The live version of "Bad" is my pick for the best thing U2 has ever released. It's an utter revelation, far surpassing the studio version in immediacy and power. The other live track is a worthy version also, much different than the atmospherically-rendered studio version of "A Sort of Homecoming", though not necessarily better.
   
   The two studio tracks are worthwhile for U2 fans, and are better than some of the songs that actually made it to The Unforgettable Fire album. "Three Sunrises" mixes 60-ish psychdelic pop with some more aggressive signature-U2 touches, while the final track "Love Comes Tumbling" is a little too mumbly-morose for my taste, but is a nicely crafted song nonetheless.



5. Thsi is just a mini CD, but it contains the best Live version of "Bad" and "A sort of Homecoming" that you can find. The drum on "A sort of homecoming" is simply amazing. An incredible energy emerge from this song. "Bad" is also incredible. The two studio tracks are quite good also.

No comments about The 76 Club.

5 comments about Wide Awake in America.

1. The version of "Bad" on this album is one of the definitive U2 live cuts. The rest of the album is ok, but meant for serious U2 fans only. Those new to the band should go pick up the Joshua Tree album.



2. As a die-hard U2 fan and collector (I have at least 40 bootlegs of theirs), their 1985 EP 'Wide Awake In America' remains one of my favorite efforts from U2. While it does only contain 4 songs total, it's still something that U2 fans should not overlook.
   
   'Bad' was recorded in London in early 1985. It is an awesome version of the song, one of the best I've heard; it is by a long shot better than the studio version that appears on 'The Unforgettable Fire' (1984).
   
   'A Sort Of Homecoming' is even better than 'Bad.' This version is a lot heavier than the album version from 'The Unforgettable Fire,' but it's probably better. It's a cool version; you can hear the crowd getting involved.
   
   The last two songs are outtakes from 'The Unforgettable Fire.'
   
   'The Three Sunrises' is a song that should have easily made the cut for the record. It's got a great bass line from Adam, and Bono's vocals are spot on, as are Edge's rocking guitars. Larry's drumming gets pretty heavy at times.
   
   'Love Comes Tumbling' is a song that reminds me of one of their early efforts. It would be great to hear on 'Unforgettable Fire' as well, but it fits great here too. (Note to U2 collectors: On 'The Best of 1980-1990,' there is a bonus disc containing B-sides and outtakes from albums. Both 'The Three Sunrises' and 'Love Comes Tumbling' appear on that. But 'Love Comes Tumbling' comes with a guitar intro from Edge that doesn't appear here. If you can, try to hunt down that version as well.)
   
   Overall, if you've never checked out this record, than you need to. It rocks, and it's one of my all-time favorites from U2.
   
   Highly recommended for any U2 fan. A classic EP.
   
   ENJOY!!!



3. This is the best version of "Bad" that you will find, short of the Live Aid performance. Canned audience or not, it's fantastic.



4. The live version of "Bad" is my pick for the best thing U2 has ever released. It's an utter revelation, far surpassing the studio version in immediacy and power. The other live track is a worthy version also, much different than the atmospherically-rendered studio version of "A Sort of Homecoming", though not necessarily better.
   
   The two studio tracks are worthwhile for U2 fans, and are better than some of the songs that actually made it to The Unforgettable Fire album. "Three Sunrises" mixes 60-ish psychdelic pop with some more aggressive signature-U2 touches, while the final track "Love Comes Tumbling" is a little too mumbly-morose for my taste, but is a nicely crafted song nonetheless.



5. Thsi is just a mini CD, but it contains the best Live version of "Bad" and "A sort of Homecoming" that you can find. The drum on "A sort of homecoming" is simply amazing. An incredible energy emerge from this song. "Bad" is also incredible. The two studio tracks are quite good also.