2 comments about Live.

1. this is not the same TSOL out on the road and active.they broke up after like 3 or 4 lp's. after jack and todd left a guy name joe woods took over vocals and played a little guitar.the new drummer escapes me mitch dean maybe.they made 2 good lp's(change today and revenge}and 1 decent lp(hit n run)and 1 kinda bad(strange love) with this new line up.most die hard fans did not like this stuff.i like it a lot but would agree it is not true TSOL.its good and if you know this stuff like i do grab it up. if anybody reading who knows what joe woods is doin email me at jse420@yahoo.com. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR STUFF BY THE REUNITED ORIGINAL TSOL TRY LIVE 91.IT HAS ALL THE TRUE CLASSICS.



2. This CD is one of the best put out by TSOL. It has all the best songs that they have done and it is a really good live recording. The best songs are "Sixteen" and "Red Shadows". The band and the CD are the best!

No comments about Live at Zed.

1 comments about Alive & Amplified.

1. Let's get this out of the way: Mooney Suzuki has collaborated with The Matrix. Yes, that infamous trio that wrote the bland songs for pop starlet Avril Lavigne -- in garage rock, the equivalent of sacrificing babies on a fiery altar. But don't panic -- their latest album, "Alive & Amplified," is not that bad. But it definitely isn't good.
   
   In "Electric Sweat," the music seemed to almost ooze feeling, sweat and grit. That's been cleaned up by the Matrix in favor of generic rock numbers and boring musical backdrops, although Mooney Suzuki force their way through in "Sometimes Somethin'," a slice of pure rock'n'roll, and "New York Girls," a fun poppy number that escapes Matrix slickness.
   
   Even taken apart from their breakthrough album, "Alive & Amplified" is just not that good. It feels halfhearted and overpolished, grabbing the grimy heart of garage rock and scrubbing it raw. Does this sound fit Mooney Suzuki? Frankly, no -- it's too tame, too polished. It sounds like wild, untamed rock that is being held in... or like every other garage rock band spawned by the success of the Strokes and White Stripes.
   
   The scruffy sound has been cleaned up until it's almost unrecognizable as being the same band -- it's sort of the reverse of what happened to Phantom Planet's sound, where they took fun pop and made it dark and gritty. The Matrix has nothing that can benefit a high-octane, hard-rockin' band, and they wildly overproduce the album, until the greasy aura has been washed away. You can hear hints of the new York Dolls, the Rolling Stones and (of course) the Stooges, but they feel glossed over.
   
   At least one thing hasn't changed: Sammy James Jr. His endearingly awkward lyrical abilities are unchanged, but they are more front-and-center. But the songwriting has the sound of something scribbled down in a day and a half, on a tour bus, between groupies (which is also the focus of three songs). "Let's get in a primitive position/We're just fancy animals with hands/And animal glands." Ewwww...
   
   Since the band have since vowed to never ever ever touch the Matrix's efforts again, Mooney Suzuki fans can breathe a sigh of relief -- whatever comes next from these talented guys will surely be far better than "Alive & Amplified."

3 comments about Listening In: Radio Sessions 1978-1982.

1. This about doubles the amount of songs from the Peel Sessions CD released about 15 years ago by the British label Strange Fruit; in addition, this reissue contains informative liner notes. I had the original Peel Sessions CD, but decided to upgrade based on so many more sessions that had been resucitated. It sounds as good as you'd expect--assured as the tracks accumulate and the band learns its chops, but the earliest four songs are, well, punk. The pop, as this CD makes clear, comes on gradually to dominate.
   
   Is it worth it? If you're happy with the four studio albums, then this is the logical purchase. If a casual fan, then this provides a livelier, necessarily more modest and even raw sound for the band live-in-studio than their last two albums, which relied on elaborate production that couldn't be replicated on the BBC. This may sound suited more to a transistor radio than pristine digital duplication, anyway! My favorite tracks are four from the first session, which shows a aggressive, tinny, but endearing sound already. I'd recommend taking the album in a couple of hearings in part, as the album tends to blur if heard non-stop. The band succeeded at the succinct delivery of catchy singles, rather than albums, in my opinion, and many of their best songs are here.
   
   Hard to believe the trajectory travelled so rapidly by the band when you hear the later sessions, for this band grew up quickly in skill and ambition and lyrical content. This compilation charts the band's rise and fall well. Yes, no "Teenage Kicks" ironically, but typical perversity from the band, whose career is documented in entertaining and wry fashion by member Mickey Bradley on the band's site. These radio sessions provide a more vivid portrayal of the band than a best-of collection will, and make by its comparative simplicity some of the band's later more baroque (in studio) attempts more stripped down and probably the better for that spontaneity which hearkens back to their humble origins.



2. There's 12 songs on the Peel Sessions album which would be 3 Peel sessions of 4 songs each and there's 27 songs here from 6 Peel sessions, including those 3 and one from the Richard Skinner show. It was common for known UK and foreign touring bands then and today, to play various radio shows live in the studio. This deserves 5 stars given you get a combo of good recording and a chance to hear them live in the studio. 27 songs on one CD. Who could ask for more? chrisbct@hotmail.com
   
   Peel 10-16-78
   1. Get Over You
   2. Top 20
   3. She Can Only Say No
   4. Male Model
   Peel 2-5-79
   5. Listening In
   6. Family Entertainment
   7. Billy's Third
   8. Here Comes the Summer
   Peel 5-7-79
   9. Nine Times Out of Ten
   10. Way Girls Talk
   11. Whiz Kids
   12. Top Twenty
   Peel 1-23-80
   13. Girls That Don't Talk
   14. Tear Proof
   15. What's With Terry
   16. Rock N Roll
   Peel 12-9-80
   17. Positive Touch
   18. You're Welcome
   19. When Saturday Comes
   Richard Skinner 8-26-81
   20. Like That (Song No One)
   21. Bye Bye Baby Blue
   22. Beautiful Friend
   23. (Just Like) Romeo and Juliet
   Peel 12-7-81
   24. Untouchable
   25. Love Parade
   26. Luxury
   27. Sin of Pride



3. This CD (listed several times here on Amazon, but this one at the cheapest price as its the US pressing) compiles the studio sessions The Undertones did for the BBC from 1978 to 1981. Most studio sessions for the BBC are rough run throughs before a band records in the studio. While the cuts here might not be as heavily produced as their commercial releases (with the exception of the earliest session, which also sufferes from a just-adequate sound quality of the master) the tracks here have none of occassional weaknesses (the occasional odd lyric or off-key singing) found on some other artists BBC sessions. Maybe this is why The Undertones were John Peel's favorite band. The Undertones have some of the same instrumentation as The Stranglers, however Feargal Sharkey's voice is quite a departure from most of the other (soon to be) post punk groups, perhaps more akin to Pete Shelley's. And like Pete Shelley, Feargal would eventually delve into synthpop by the mid 80s.
   
   The first 2 sessions features tracks recorded before their first album was released. The sound quality for these isn't great, but with each session the quality improves. The quality of the songs also improves over time on this release (which isn't true for their albums). Ironically, though John Peel's favorite song of all time is "Teenage Kicks" (the song that brought them to his attention & which he played incessantly on his show, giving them much more publicity than playing the Derry pub scene would) The Undertones never re-recorded it for Peel & hence isn't on this release. Some of the versions here are better than their commerical release, particularly "When Saturday Comes" (my personal fave). You can find the full tracklisting at their website or the 2 other listings for this release here.

No comments about Live: My Truck Is My Home.

1 comments about Locked 'N' Loaded 1990.

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 Help Save the Youth of America EP: Live and Dubious.

1. This record isn't really that bad, it's just not all that great, either. Billy Bragg is a great songwriter, and these are all great songs, but there are so few of them, that the purchase isn't really justified. The performances are competant, but a longer track listing would have made a far more interesting release.

No comments about Live in Public in Private.

No comments about Final Damnation.

No comments about The Business Live.