5 comments about United States Live.

1. A vast and sweeping recording, more cohesive than her other albums. The music is challenging and beautifully done and the stories are poinient and at times hilarious. My favorites include "Language Is A Virus" and "Mach 20". Contains versions of her big hits, "O Superman" and "Big Science". Strongly recommended for fans of alternative music.



2. Would have loved to see this live, Can't start it without devoting hours to it , in order to finish it. A truly unique and special recording from one of modern music's finest



3. On this beautifull live recording Mrs Anderson shows her brilliant understanding of storytelling and musical basics in her own invented mix of sci-fi, absurdism, folk, modern technology nightmares, andsoforth. You have to hear it, to understand it.



4. I attended the performances of this at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, in 1983, over two nights, in excellent seats, well placed to see the visuals. (If you were up in the nosebleed seats at BAM it would not have been ideal.) This was quite a riveting series of performances, and I bought the recordings on 4 cassettes when they appeared. (Note that the original performances were around eight hours, so this is just more than half of the total.)
   
   Laurie Anderson was part avant-garde, part carnival huckster, and you could watch and listen to her and never know exactly which side she was leaning toward. It's easy to dismiss her clichés and simplifications, some of which would almost be stand-up comedy; on the other hand, some of her comments and ideas are much deeper and more complex than they seem.
   
   United States was more of a compilation than a thematic performance. She had been riffing about these ideas for several years, and after the success of O, Superman, managed to tie everything together in this longish performance that took place over two nights. Looking back more than twenty years, some of it still stands up, but much of her music and ideas seems sophmoric. Nevertheless, they are a good reflection of an era: when the Cold War was still alive, when music had just shifted from rock to disco to new wave, when a variety of currents had started becoming mainstream (the music of Philip Glass and Steve Reich made it big in those years, notably with a huge Reich retrospective at BAM and a revival of Einstein on the Beach). So there was, even then, a tinge of nostalgia in United States.
   
   I'll agree with what one reviewer says: the visuals were an integral part of this performance. I seem to recall cameras, but I guess there was never enough demand for a video back then. (If it were performed today, there would be a DVD immediately.)
   
   In spite of any negatives, Laurie Andersond had stage presence, had the courage to present some pretty quirky ideas (her style, however, has become mainstream, as can be seen in many movies these days), and was, for a brief period, unique. Unfortunately, after United States, she started repeating the same stuff over and over.
   
   If you lived through the period, and, especially, if you were fortunate enough to see the performances, this would be a good bit of nostalgia. If not, you'll probably be perplexed. It would be interesting, though, to listen to this closely and see just how much the world has changed since then.



5. ALL THE BEST SONGS ARE ON OTHER ALBUMS.
   
   This is an audio recording from multi-media presentations. Much of the material is geared around visuals and Anderson's stage personnae. This is like listening to a television broadcast of a football game without the picture. You get the general idea what is going on, but you miss a lot. It is not like listening to a football game over the radio, where the broadcasters explain what you aren't seeing.
   
   Without the visuals to go with this CD, many of the stories and jokes come up flat.
   
   This CD set is about 4 and a half hours long. It was taken from several years of Anderson's live shows that eventually became the United States. Each CD more or less covers a specific "tour". Her back up band changes from CD to CD. You can tell that as time goes on, she gets more famous (and maybe has more money) she is able to add more to the shows (and her backup band gets bigger).
   
   The sound quality is amazingly good. It is sharp and crystal clear. There is almost no audience noise, which does help create a good atmosphere for her stories.
   
   About 80% of the material is spoken word. There is some music. It is probably less than 45 minutes of the total 4 and a half hour production.
   
   The recordings come from early in her career. She later redid most of the best material and put in on other albums.
   
   I would suggest getting her other CD's. Or if you want to see her performance art work, I would suggest searching out the Home Of the Brave VHS tape (I don't think it has been released on DVD). Don't get the Home of the Brave CD.

1 comments about Live: Anthology.

1. Basically a compilation of three live albums: Ballroom Blitz - Live at the Lyceum (CD1), Live at Newcastle (CD2. 1-10), & School Bullies (CD2, 11-18). Punk music is all about the attitude and energy, and a live album is therefore the only real way to listen to these tracks. This album doesn't disappoint in that regard: CD 2 includes the concert staple "Sensible's a wanker" chant from the audience along with some other gems. Some sections aren't a continuous recording (the 10 track Live at Newcastle CD was trimmed from a longer version of the same album) but fades are used to make this not too noticeable. Great CD, you're getting 3 albums so you can't go wrong.

2 comments about Not If It Pleases Me: BBC Live 76-77.

1. This is one of the best rock albums I own. I hope these recordings don't go out of print. This is the great Rumour lineup and Parker is at his peak during the Howlin Wind, Heat Treatment, Stick to Me era (of course he did great stuff after, too). I'd get it before it disappears.



2. These songs were recorded in 1976 and 77 when Graham Parker & the Rumour were at their peak. The British Broadcasting Corporation recorded all these tracks. Half in the studio for a radio broadcast and the other half for a concert also broadcast. This CD is a timely reminded of just how good Graham Parker & the Rumour were. Parker may not have been the most powerful singer in the world (and very often his voice is drowned out by the band), but he sang his heart out with a soul inflected style that oozed passion. His main strengths lay in his song writing. Apart from Lieber and Stoller's Kansas City, all the songs are his. Like other songwriters from that period - Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric, Steve van Zandt, - he was swinging rock music away from extended jams and focusing on actual songs, and what excellent songs he wrote: White Honey, Soul Shoes, Silly Thing, Gypsy Blood, New York Shuffle, and many others which all appear on this CD. The Rumour were the perfect foil for Parker. They match his passion with a real ability to play their instruments, especially the lead guitarist, Brinsley Schwarz, who has never played better than on this album. Listen to his blistering guitar on Soul Shoes or his Cooderesque accompaniment on Back Door Love to see what I mean. Graham Parker & the Rumour were always under-rated. Maybe this CD will rekindle interest in him. I hope so.

No comments about Live 1969/70.

1 comments about Live at Convocation Hall.

1. This concert is basically just Hayden himself with no backing band. On a few songs there are are some string arrangements in the background or a back-up singer or two. But for the majority of this album it just Hayden and his guitar (or piano) and a harmonica. Which is all I could ever ask for.
   Some of the highlights are a cover song of Neil Young's "Tell me why", "Bass Song" performed on a piano, and Hayden talking to the crowd almost between every track. There are also four new songs. This cd is a must for any Hayden fan.

1 comments about Live at the Bottom Line New York.

1. A live performance by one of the most renowned bands in the "alternative to alternative", Durutti Column endulges the listener with a variety of outstanding music. Vini Reilly's creativity will simply mesmerize whomever buys this little jewel

3 comments about Spirit Electricity.

1. Spirit electricty is a breathtaking live EP. Return to heaven and Let me Help get all inside your soul, it sounds even better then the recording which was already perfect but you can tell the bad brains at this time were at a special place at a special time and the crowd goes banannas. This version of day tripper is very good, its a rocker. also perfect versions of Banned in dc and attitude. and the youth are getting restless is also amazing, he gets the whole crowd chanting THE YOUTH ARE GETTING RESTLESS and screams out DO YOU HEAR THAT REGAN??
   
   check it out.



2. "Spirit Electricity" is almost worth getting just for this version of "Return To Heaven", and the whole thing is actually very good. But if you're looking for their best live album, that's "The Youth Are Getting Restless". It's a near perfect performance, and 11 tracks longer than this disc is. This one will still shock you though.



3. While Spirit Electricity is not the length of The Youth Are Getting Restless, the live intensity of Bad Brains is there. Any dub by H.R. is worth hearing, and while the studio recordings are great, they are nowhere near the sheer power contained in a live Bad Brains show. Who knows? This may be the only way to hear them live...

No comments about Seven Types of Ambiguity: The BBC Sessions.

No comments about Live in Glasgow 1981.

No comments about Live at the Roxy Club.