5 comments about 101.

1. What a challenge it must have been to the recording engineers when they were asked to capture a defining moment in the rise of Depeche Mode stateside.The culmination of a gruelling tour of the United States at the 60,000 seat Pasadena Rose Bowl.Even those of us with just a cursory knowledge of audio technology would do well to avoid making a recording in an open air stadium.Your environment is against you from the word go.Not only do you have the problem of sound bouncing off the seating stands,you also lose a large amount of audio signal to the very air around you.Also add to that the problem of recording a band that at this point in their career were very technology/electronic reliant.A format that does not lend its self to ambiance or atmosphere!
   
   So it was no mean feat that this document of what must have been a fantastic nights entertainment exists and what a treat to our ears to have it remastered and released in 5.1 SACD surround sound.If you close your eyes,turn the volume up nice and loud,you almost feel like you're there.
   
   Which leads me to what this recording sounds like.Unlike other SACD 5.1 mixes that are out there,this one is purely been mixed to give you the concert experience rather that bury you in the instrumentation.So the band is front and centre,and the crowd is left and right surround.
   
   As far as quality goes you could not ask for a better mix and the stereo mixes also benefit from the remaster.So if you want to feel what it was like to see Depeche Mode live in the 80's.Then "101" is what you need.I can also recommend the DVD version of this release which contains a great doco and part of the show as well as the other more recent DVD releases(eg."Touring The Angel") by the Mode.
   
   "Good Evening Pasadena!"



2. I'm not a big Depeche Mode fan, electronica fan, and I never buy the "live"CD. That said this is an amazing collection and showcase of there best! I have never owned any of the music except a 45 of People are People and thought I should fill the gap in my library. I reviewed all of their albums to see what I wanted and this CD set has more than the singles and best of CD's combined! paired w/ Violator only Walking in My Shoes is missing. Since it arrived I have not been disappointed. If not for the fan noise they are as "on" as any studio session. BUY IT!!!!



3. This was an awesome concert and a great live cd. It brings back great memories! If you didn't attend the concert it will still be a great CD to listen to. You can feel the energy of the audience, and if you were at the concert like I was it takes you back in an instant to one of the best concerts I've ever been to.



4. I can still remember when I first heard this album. I had it on cassette tape. I had an immediate positive reaction to the music. I was very glad when the cd version was released. this is a wonderfully documented account of a truly original band.As I listen to it, this many years later, the magic still remains. Some live albums fail in the attempt to keep the music fresh. This album succeeds in not only keeping the material fresh it also keeps it exciting!



5. Originally I had 101 on tape, years ago. I had to get it on CD, and I still love it. Nothing has changed, I just remember being in high school and loving Depeche Mode, they helped me through my angst,and the music has really stood up to the test of time!!

5 comments about Gotham.

1. This album does a great job of capturing the feel of the concert. I was able to attend both shows in San Francisco, once from the floor, and once from the balcony. What a fantastic spectacle! If you have not seen the DVD, you must also get it. Right from the start, everything about this album is stark, gripping, and pure Bauhaus. Time did nothing to damage the power of the greatest goth band to walk the planet - they played brilliantly, and it really comes out in this CD. Sure, there were some minor screw ups, as with all live albums, but all in all it is fantastic. My only comment is that I wish they had included 'Burning From the Inside' on this recording. They played it at one of the SF shows, and I'm not sure if they tried it again after that. It appeared to be a fluke...Daniel started playing it while Peter was over talking to David. At first it sounded as if they were just messing around, not really intending to play it, but then the crowd went wild, and so they played out the entire song. Masterful. Anyway, maybe a bootleg will turn up one of these days...



2. This was my first forray into the world of bauhaus, and I must say that I've come out extremely impressed. I like to think that I know a fair bit about the goth scene, and bauhaus has become one of my favorite bands..



3. This serves both as a great "Best of.." Collection and a great Live performance from one of the most influential bands of the days of yore. I wouldn't recommend picking this up as an introduction to Bauhaus, but if you're like me, unfortunately too young to have seen them in their hay-day or most likely ever see them again, then this is a great way for you to get the idea of a live Bauhaus show without being able to be there in person. My only complaint is that this Two Disc set, which cost me the same as a FULL two disc set, only has about 19 tracks all together and is basically just a live version of collection 1 and 2. I was hoping for two discs with 15 songs a piece that would serve as a career spanning live document, featuring four or five select songs from each of their albums (See: Death To The Pixies). All I'm asking for is a live version of "Exquisite Corpse", is that really too much to ask? Oh well, such is life. Anyway, this album is definitely worth checking out if you're interested in hearing Bauhaus live...And you have the 23+ bucks to throw away on 19 songs....God that burns me.



4. Goes through all the favourites and gives a few bonuses as well but I have to say that the version of Bela Lugosi Is Dead is not half as good as the one on Press The Eject And Give Me The Tape. That one has a more claustrophobic nature to it. As for the cover version of the Dead Can Dance song - it's good but I would prefer to hear the original



5. Not many bands can pull off the solid-black thing without eliciting giggles, but this one does. I thought the Bauhaus were great 10-15 years ago, and was leery of getting this disc for fear it would be one of those sad reunion albums that always seem to come out a decade after the "final" tour. But not so! These guys still wallow in existential angst with the best of 'em. If anything, Peter Murphy's delivery is more substantial after a decade of great albums and vocal growth. And the band proves that they can still play rough, even after the pop and polish of Love and Rockets.

2 comments about Fret Buzz.

1. This is such a cool low-key but rockin' band that had it's 15 minutes of fame in the first year or two of MTV but has kept on rockin' very stylishly ever since. This live disc is truly a gem from one of America's most sadly underrated bands. I put this in my CD player every once in a while and it always stays there for several weeks.



2. I enjoyed these songs. I think they're great to dance to. I own two other Shoes CD's and I think the band is great!

5 comments about Live, 1981-1982.

1. I know 5 stars are thrown around very very loosely in here. I've seen some 5 star Katy Perry reviews, so that's all you need to know. Nuff said on that. But this live album is truly deserving of the 5 star review in every aspect. The Birthday Party was a band that was active for a brief period of time (mostly the case with many great bands) from 1977-1983. Their music is waaay ahead of their time in that I don't think people can listen to it and still be somewhat comfortable with content of music. In an era where we've been de-sensitized to almost everything this is still a very difficult and challenging listen. Which is what we need in a time of very watered down and "safe" pop music.
   
   You could even make a good debate for the quality of their live music over their studio recordings. Their studio material is excellent, but you truly hear the chaos and madness in a live setting. The band is all around madness led by the great, but unpredictable Nick Cave and the crazy, swirling guitar sounds of the awesome Rowland S. Howard. But the ace in the hole is the late great bassist Tracy Pew. He somehow keeps the band together with this deep, crushing, catchy, (almost sexual-like) throbbing basslines. Tracy keeps the chaos surrounding him in order and from complete meltdown in my opinion. The true backbone and the glue to The Birthday Party sound. Just listen to his basslines on Six Inch Gold Blade, King Ink, Nick The Stripper and Junkyard. He's the foundation of a seemingly crumbling structure. The lyrics and the content of Cave's screaming is quite disturbing. Dealing topics such as insects, bugs, incest and murder. Very insteresting stuff indeed. This is practically a best of live album and the quality is great. The mastering was done perfectly and great for a live album. In some ways this is the definitive BP release. It captures the soul and fire of this band the best. A true classic and a must get. Really.



2. This is it. This is quite possibly the best band that ever existed doing what they did best- killing us bluntly with their songs (and fists.) The madness of this record makes all the punk-jive, past and present, seem moot. For those uninitiated into the genius of The Birthday Party, this would be a great place to start. And oh yeah- be sure to turn up the last track, a cover of The Stooges "Funhouse", nice and loud. Your speakers will hate you, as will your neighbors/friends, but there you'll be in distorted, deafened bliss.



3. Nick Cave has always been one of these artists who is more than just a singer: he is a performer. He belongs on stage, in recent years with his Bad Seeds ensemble, and in the early years with The Birthday Party.
   More punk rock orientated and with lyrics that seemd to be written more to be of a musical "guiding" function than to have any real literary pretentions, TBP is a live act al the way.
   
   "The Birthday Party Live 81-82" offers two gigs, the first one in "The Venue" in London, the second one in Bremen, Germany. A nice but not all to memerable bonus track is included here, called "Funhouse", performed in Athens, Greece.
   
   The first concerts gives you all the classic stuff: from the mind bending opener "Junkyard" which sets the tone for a "slambang-in-your-face evening", to "A dead song", and from the self-mockery of "Nick the Stripper", all the way to the blasting "Blast off!" and the biting "Release the bats".
   
   The German gig has "Big-Jesus-trash-can", the hymn-for-a-car-wreck "Dead Joe", the theatrical spoof "Hamlet (Pow pow pow)" and a good performance of the hypnotic "She's hit".
   
   So over fifty percent of the songs come from the quintessential "Junkyard", and, unfortunately, no songs from the last TBP output "Mutiny / The Bad Seeds", which is really a shame.
   
   The live dvd "Pleasure heads must burn" however does contain live footages of songs from the last two E.P's like "Sonny's Burning", "The Six strings that drew blood", "Wild world" and "Pleasure avalanche".
   Both CD and DVD are a must-have for everyone who still cherishes some nostalghia for the years with the maniacle and insane Caveman-with-the-blood-shed-eyes.



4. If you are brave enough to buy this CD, be prepared for this CD to scour your brain inside and out. It's fiendishly noisy. There was an old review I read on the internet with the band and Nick Cave had said that he was unimpressed with some of the recordings of that time because they did not capture the intensity of their live performances. After listening to this, I can see what he means. This is obnoxiously ferocious. The sort of take-no-prisoners live album that shreds it's instruments for an all-out aural assault. Some of the songs are virtually unrecognizable from their studio counterparts. While I've never gone to a Birthday Party concert, this CD would pretty much give me a clear indication about how it would be like. You could probably end up empty headed, sore and in desperate need of paraceteamol to cure that thumping headache. If you are brave enough to listen to this, make sure you have aspirin at the ready....because your headache could get nasty!



5. Every track here is a classic. Better than the studio versions. The bass and drums are set to pulverize, every note sounds like a punch in the stomach. The guitars are chaotic and Nick Cave is brilliant. I first heard the Birthday Party when I picked up the hits album when I was 16. I had never heard anything like it and was hooked immediately and spent the next few years tracking down all the studio releases. I was completed saturated and sated with the Birthday Party albums I had and eventually moved on to other bands. This album again has just blown me away. I'm hooked again. Great stuff.

No comments about Les Bains Douches, Vol. 1.

2 comments about MMIV: Live in the Poppy Fields.

1. I was considering buying this until I heard some of the previews...I've heard better amateur recordings. I guess stick to the studio stuff if you want to support the band.



2. Here we have an epic collection of new and old Alarm songs! All recorded at their St Davids day gig in London (Poopy fields tour). The recording could be better! Its very rough and ready, but the passion and commitment still bleeds through! Stand out tracks are the grinding COMING HOME, UNSAFE BUILDING, and the lovely ROCK'ROLL. Also we have a version of IN A BIG COUNTRY by Big Country! The only down side is that the guitars on CLOSE are VERY out of tune! But its still EPIC!

1 comments about White Cannibal.

1. OK, this will be quick and painless. James Chance: master white jazzbo and punk rocker. Contortions: backing band good enough to support James. WHITE CANNIBAL: one of the last surviving documents of the Contortions. Basics: this is a necessity! the Contortions were a fixture in New York No Wave, and this album shows off their incredible live show! seven songs in 59 minutes! and it doesn't drag at all! the only reason it lacks a perfect 5 is the mediocre sound quality, but hell, it's still worth your dough! CONTORT YOURSELF! WOO!

No comments about Strange Wine: Live at CBGB.

5 comments about 2005 Warped Tour Compilation.

1. Some good tracks on here. Sunshine Highway, Poison, Beheaded, Bleeding Mascara, Yell Out, Selfish Man, Ray, Gyasi Went Home, By My Side, Dog Eared Page, all good entries. Some bad tracks too, but I won't mention Start Wearing Purple by Gogol Bordello because the song is great, and the band is great. Anyone who doesn't like Gogol Bordello has terrible taste in music and should probably kill themselves.



2. I was very dissapointed to read all these BAD reviews about the Warped Tour '05 Compilation. Allow me to set the record straight. The Offspring are one of the best bands of all times, and finally recorded a track especially for this cd. Already making this one better than the previous coupies. To add, we have some of the best punk bands of the past couple decades making a come back, and a couple great new bands. To explain this, We have MXPX, who have been around forever, but justifying their taste of punk to a more mature level that anyone can appreciate. The Dropkick Murphys, quite possible the best irish punk band of all times, with their most irish influenced song they have ever released. Plain White T's have always been a thrash emo sound. Except minus the thrash a little, an put in more of a indie sound. All changes made for a changing society. As for new day bands, Fall out Boy, they won't let any of their pop/punk fans down with the catchy "Saturday". From First to Last, let's just take hardcore and turn it into a roller coaster, this song is very unpredictable, and the sound is rad. The very only thing I can say was malfunctioned in the making of this album was the Gogol Bordello song. WE all know what "Track Skip" is. Enjoy the rest of the 49 songs.



3. This has to be one of my favorite warped tour comps. All the songs are great except the Offspring song "Beheaded".
   
   And for the price you cant go wrong!



4. yea, hmm, what can i say. justin sane, singer/guitarist from Anti-Flag on the front cover. and i think that may be george from the casulaties on the back cover. two punk bands, two good punk bands, and whats on the CD?...EMO. why advertise an emo cd with two punk people on the front and back cover? can you get any more controversial? i have to admit i do like some of the bands on the CD, good songs, good bands. i like it back in the day when there actually was punk bands on a CD that advertised punk people on the covers. if was justin sane, i'd be so ashamed to have my face on the cover of this CD. ever since last year, this CD, no tour, has gone down the drain, more and more crappier bands, and more and more controversy. whoever made this tour/CD is only looking for money and thats all he cares about, he doesn't care about the music.



5. I love almost all of the bands on here, and bought this CD with high hopes.
   
   The chosen songs for this compilation, however, are below par. I can think of dozens more songs for almost every band that would have reflected their talent a lot better. If you're new to these bands, then you won't appreciate this album either, since only one or two of the songs are any good or do the bands justice.
   
   If you really want a punk rock compilation, then I'd get something from the Rock Against Bush series, or Punk-O-Rama. This one really doesn't cut it, not in terms of their choice of bands, but in terms of their choice of songs.

5 comments about 16/6/00 - Spodek Arena, Katowice, Poland.

1. Here Pearl Jam are really just having fun. Its not hard to hear that at all. They just sound like they want to play for a few people and have a nice evening. They most certainly do so. Also in doing so, they create a very solid and for the most part a tight show. There arent too many mistakes or sound problems during this now classic show. There are only a few LITTLE lyrical mistakes by singer Eddie Vedder. Still its quite a great show. Theres no other Pearl Jam show like this one. Like another reviewer wrote, it is very intimate. Thin Air and Sleight of Hand are played very good tonight. Both are tight and emotional. Sweet takes on Animal, Hail Hail, and State Of Love and Trust wake the show up and rock hard. There is also a great performance of Jeremy. It actually has a little lyrical mess up where Eddie sings the pre-chorus the same two times around, but it certainly doesnt make the song worse. There are also rocking takes on Dissident, Habit, Alive, Leaving Here and Last Exit. Slower and more passionate songs like Off He Goes, Smile, Black, and Soldier Of Love are performed with grace and are incredible. All and all its an excellent live show. It may take a listen or two for it to truly "sink in", but its worth it.



2. Stunningly supreme! This is the 2nd night of a two night stay in the birth place of Pope John Paul II. This date was reserved for Budapest, but the group decided to extend their stay in Poland one more day. As a result the band played to only 3,000 people in the expansive Spodeck Arena. The band was clicking on all cylinders, as they charged through a rare assembly of hits and album gems that reminds the listener of an intimate club show. Each song is executed with a groovy precision that makes this CD shine. Pearl Jam has never been known as an exceptional live recording band, but this could certainly be the finest performance of this tour, if not the best of their career. The crowd is delighted to be there. They sing along to many of the songs and are enthusiastic to the in-between song chat - and the band is moved by their emotion. This is an excellent live rock & roll album - essential for any Pearl Jam fan, and fan of live concert records alike, and you should buy it!



3. I bought this one because of the great reviews. But, I am not happy I did. I do not like this one. Pearl Jam sounds too sleepy. And they do not wake up at all. Please try Milan or Praha and find Pearl Jam at their best.



4. This unscheduled show was Pearl Jam's chance to do something a little out of the ordinary, and they made the most of it. Using the small crowd to their advantage, they ease into things, playing some of their more subdued material at the beginning, establishing an intimacy with their listeners that carries through the rest of the show. There is a slight downside to this as it seems to influence the pace of the faster numbers, robbing them of some of their power. Overall, however, this fan favorite is rightfully considered a classic show and can still be easily obtained, unlike many of the other Official Bootlegs. Nothing less than 5 stars will do.



5. They played the same venue the night before, but on this night, 4,000 lucky people in Katowice got to see Pearl Jam put on one of the best shows of their 2000 tour. The deliberate build through four slow songs is completely different from the usual PJ show, but once "Insignificance" starts up, it's got all the energy of their other great shows. "State" and "Leatherman" rock the main set, and "Smile" and "Leaving Here" are both tour rarities. There's 72 of these things, but #16 Katowice is one of the best.