5 comments about Farewell: Live from the Universal Amphitheatre.

1. They were just a joy and delight, and certainly one of the best live acts of the '80s and '90s. I only give this farewell perfomance 4 stars, because I would have given anything for a live version of "Elevator Man." But if you never saw them live, or if you did, and miss them like crazy, don't deprive yourself of this CD (or the DVD). They went out at their fierce, funny, joyful best.



2. I used to go to Boingo every Hollween-- I'd still be going if they were still jamming. I went to the last show at the Meadows (which was the est place to see them)-- and I had the pleasure of being at the very last show at the Universal Amphitheatre-- I remember the last show being alot longer (like 4 hours)-- But hey this CD is great! If your a fan you'll get some goose bumps.



3. Samual noted that this album contains one song, "Water" not available elsewhere. There are actually four songs.
   
   "Water" was actually the easiest song of the four to obtain. It was recorded for an album, but never released. However, bootlegs of the studio recording are pretty common.
   
   "Burn Me Up" and "Piggies" were introduced during the 1994 tour, after the last album was recorded. "Burn Me Up" is pretty much a throw-away- it might have been better if the horn parts had actually been played by the horns instead of on keyboard. The '94 tour had no horns, so I suspect they just didn't have time to learn the new songs for this brief Farewell tour.
   
   "Piggies" is a little better- it proves that Elfman had been listening to a lot of Primus at the time. (Priums themselves were playing a piece of Elfman music from Pee Wee's Big Adventure before their shows the same year, and Elfman mentions this on the PWBA DVD.)
   
   But the big get here is "Clowns Of Death". This song MAY pre-date the 1994 tour, but I'm not aware of any studio versions. (OB sometimes played secret shows under the name "Clowns Of Death") This is one of my favorites of OBs heavier material.
   
   Along with those tracks, the album contains 3 songs which have never been released on CD- "I'm So Bad" and "Ain't This The Life" from their debut EP, and "Helpless", which appeared only on the cassette version of their final album. And, as mentioned, the live version of "Change" is a great improvement, turning the meandering 16 minute mess of the studio version into one of my favorite OB tunes.



4. This isn't just a "best-of" collection or "useless compilation" like the person below me says, it's the final show EVER of the almighty Oingo Boingo, making this more of a historical artifact. If that seems a bit extreme to say it's because I really believe Elfman and company to be musical geniuses who were never really given their due or much respect at all. Why? Just because they were quirky and (God forbid) FUN?! Get this cd and the DVD of the show as well to get the full experience of what these guys were like live. I would give almost anything to have been there for this show, but at least I have this great sounding cd to listen to for all time. Boingo STILL rule!



5. Oingo Boingo had more compilations than any band has a right to and they all suck. Godawful songs like "Wild Sex In The Working Class", "No Spill Blood", "Piggies", "Sweat", "Grey Matter", "Little Girls", "Insects", and "Nasty Habits" ruin this one along with the necessities and marginal filler. This is one group where choosing the highlights should be easy. OK so you have to choose the overused and rather bland "Dead Man's Party", the fun "Wierd Science", and classics "Who Do You Want To Be?" and "Only A Lad". From there you pick "Nothing Bad Ever Happens To Me", "Winning Side", "Gratitude", "Stay", "Just Another Day", "No One Lives Forever", "Help Me", "Only Makes Me Laugh", "On The Outside", "Wake Up, It's 1984", and "Same Man I Was Before". From the new direction you can choose from "Where Do All My Friends Go?", "My Life", "New Generation", and "Home Again" from Boi-Ngo and the first 3 songs and maybe some others from Boingo might be OK to fill out the CD. Easy!!!

1 comments about Locked 'n' Loaded: Greatest Hits Live.

1. This CD has been one of my favorites due to the fast-paced performance of this seemingly comedic band. Its a great thing when bands will turn up the tempo for a live show - that is exactly what this is. Put on some coffee, bounce around, clean the house, and air guitar your socks off.

1 comments about Ruder Than You: Best of British Ska.

1. Firstly, be aware that these songs are all live performances (which is not mentioned anywhere) and as such the sound quality is probably less than it should be to make it worth putting out on DVD-A.
   Other than that there is a good selection of songs with some lesser known numbers mixed in among the radio hits.
   It is probably not worth paying the premium for DVD-A if you can find these songs on a CD.

No comments about No Sad Faces.

2 comments about Are You Ready to Testify?: The Live Bootleg Anthology.

1. Simply,a repackaged 3-CD box set that brings you live recordings by the Detriot hard rockers, that most of you long time fans likely already have. Disc one: 'Starship:Live At Sturgis Armory', disc two: 'Teenage Lust' and disc three: 'Black To Comm' (see my reviews of those first two). Good to have, but pretty much aimed toward the completists and live album nuts, like myself.



2. Don't get me wrong, some of the material on this set is first rate (though the sound quality is always mediocre at best...), but the bulk of this 3cd set is material already available as "Teenage Lust" and "Starship". The remaining "EP" CD is from the Unitarian church show of September '68. I haven't checked yet to see if these last tracks are the same previously released on various discs including "American Ruse", but it seems probable.....
   
   Nice little package, but nothing the MC5 collector doesn't have already.....

4 comments about Live at the Roxy London: Jan-Apr '77.

1. I have no idea why I bought this when it came out in 1984 or 85. Reflex, I guess. It is recorded well, but is a completely unnecessary record. There are better versions of all these songs, except maybe "Pipleline". Nothing new.
   
   Not worth it.



2. When I first heard this album back in 77 as an impressionable 15 year old ABBA fan, I ripped up my clothes, tore down my glam posters and stuck a safety pin through my nose.
   
   Johnny Moped featured on this outstanding album. Johnny Thunders of Heartbreakers did not make the cut!



3. This is indeed one of the WORST live Heartbreakers performances documented. This album is basically the full live soundtrack to the 1984 reunion concert movie, "Dead or Alive." While it sucks just as equally in the movie, at least you get a visual idea of a Heartbreakers show with the film (Not a good one, but an exciting "reunion" one nonetheless). If you want these songs, I would recommend the double disc "Street Trash," because at least with that, you get a disc of early Dolls demos to help cleanse the pallette.
   
   Please don't see my criticism as too negative: As a Johnny Thunders/Dolls fan with over 40 solo Johnny bootlegs, I'm just trying to help save you some money. I have this only to fulfill my sick completist thing.
   
   For your money, for quality live Heartbreakers, I suggest "Live at Max's '79" (the full band with Jerry Nolan does the last four or five tracks of the album, including my favorite version of "So Alone." As well, "DTK - Live at the Speakeasy" has some classic live JT and boys.
   
   Also: Food for Thought: A lot of discs are packaged as the special Reunion shows and all that kind of garbage. The band was predominantly junkies, and had these "reunion" shows about as common as rent parties. Cool nonetheless, but don't be dooped. "Heartbreakers" live shows pretty much after 1984 need to be taken with a grain of salt.
   
   L.A.M.F.



4. With the vast number of Johnny Thunders post-mortem releases, it's hard to know which are any good. Having picked up my fair share of them already, I can honestly say that "Live At The Lyceum" is one of the best 'live' Heartbreakers albums on the market.

   One thing that doesn't go wrong (but which could have) is the handling of Johnny's solo material, which sounds just as good as any of the studio releases. The recording mix sounds a bit unbalanced, but it's a lot cleaner than most, and the song selection is above par.

   It might have been '84, but the album sounds as raunchy as it might have been back in '77. Although it takes a few numbers to get into their groove, the reunited band kicks it into high gear throughout the set and never looks back. Particularly the closer "So Alone" which includes a very weird recitation and blazing guitar solo by Johnny.

   My CD cover art is a different photo than this one, but it's all about the music anyway. Definitely worth buying.

No comments about Rubber Legs.

5 comments about Live 1977.

1. Hearing these versions of Token Of Your Love and Teenage Dream makes you wish there were more "live" T. Rex available from this era. These two songs alone are worth the price. A video of this gig would have been great to see.



2. Interesting capture of T Rex live, with mediocre sound quality. Often times the crowd overpowers Marc and the band, but great song selection and energy overcomes some of this. Good addition for folks who already own most of the catalogue.



3. While these live shows do not represent T. Rex at its 1971-1973 peak, the disc is a great piece of history--1) it is one of Marc Bolan's only live discs 2) the main CD is of the final tour of Marc's life, while his career was finally on the upswing again and he was sounding great, just months before the fatal car crash. Docked one star simply because the sound has a few glitches. Had he lived, Bolan would have made far more of an impact in the U.S. than he did. This release shows he had assembled a great group of musicians again (some who had played with Bowie) and still had the genius songwriting spark.



4. Nothing can top hearing Marc Bolan & T.Rex live, except that is... Marc Bolan & T.Rex LIVE!
   But as that (sadly) is never to be again, the next best thing is LIVE recordings of the King of Glam/Bopping Elf/Godfather of Punk.
   This Cd ROCKS! Great quality, when you think that in 1977 the technical equipment was NOTHING like it is today!
   Bolan's unique (and very often COPIED vocal style - Bono:U2 amongst them), reverberates deliciously thru both discs.
   The music is pure Bolan Boogie/Bop/Rock.
   Its very easy to see the Legacy Bolan has imprinted on Popular music, as even today his style has transgressed time and space. His original sound, as is proved by the countless covers, is as actual now as it was in the 70's. Check out the recent & excellent "(Bang A Gong)Get It On" covers by the likes of LONDON BUS STOP or NATURAL BORN HIPPIES, garanteed to get your bones shakin'!
   T.REX fan or not, "Marc Bolan & T.Rex Live 1977" is NOT just a Blast From The Past, but a Top actual account of how Timeless-Music should be played!!!
   Go out & buy this one, and let your kids hear it too!
   Allan-Michael



5. This Live T Rex CD must rate at one of the worst live performances ever recorded. All the eliments people love about Bolan and T Rex are missing. The nice guitar riffs are lost and the Bolan voice is particularly not good . I even asked myself if it was really him singing. No, he didn't try too hard that night,did he? He couldn't have known he was being recorded and that it was going to be released. He would never have alowed it out.A total [upset]. Save your money and buy some of his studio material

4 comments about Live in Orange County.

1. This is horrible,ive been waiting years for a supersuckers dvd and i bought all three that are on Amazon, this was the first and it's rubbish... the recording is flat like your listening to it with a cushion laid flat on top of the speakers with dolby on.. "yes doubly!" it's afull. so give this a miss or youll do what i done and got a few mates round and said sit down and listen to this ,then put the offending dvd in the machine and was saying things like .. erm there much better than this and oh it must be the sound quality!! well it is but you sound like a git saying it so dont get it!
   on the other hand HELLDORADO is the horses kahwhooners!
   there's three gigs on this and the sound quality is brilliant and the shows are great everything the super dooper suckers should and are be.
   buy this and convert your friends to the best rock n roll band in the world?!
   p.s. look at the show from serbia it's a jem as the guitarist"Rontrose heathman" get's spat at by some young upstart who obviously got the punk era mixed up with someone who gives a good god damn and Heathman gives the offending guppy a short sharp clip in the face...ha,ha,ha this made my day.
   so remeber kids The evil powers of rock n roll will allways get ya in the end!



2. The sound quality of this release is just terrible. I've heard bootlegs that sound better than this.
   The band have many live releases and they all sound great, I have no idea what happened with this one.



3. As a huge Supersuckers fan, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with this album. The set list is good, with live performances of some of their newer material. However, the sound quality is not very good. I'd expect this sound to come from a bootleg, not an official band release. Wish I could give this more stars.
   
   I'd suggest you go to a live show and experience the rocking in person.



4. This album is unlistenable. It seriously sounds like they put a single microphone in a desk drawer in the building next door and recorded it that way. I love SS but this album was such a waste of money. Even the DVD sounds terrible.

No comments about Results May Vary.