No comments about Hit Self-Destruct.

No comments about BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert.

5 comments about Suck on This.

1. 3 1/2
   
   Cool alternative to their studio debut, this nine song live set highlighted the band's eccentric appeal and notable chemistry (LaLonde and Alexander being one of the few guitar and drum sections able to compliment Claypool's one of a kind technique), apparently only two months into it's current incarnation nonetheless.



2. Energy. What a great vibe. The audience on this live album is having a time of their lives. The chemistry is just as good as it gets on this record. One reviewer called this a "challenging" listen. To find it "challenging" would mean to ignore the feeling - to ignore the feeling is to cease living. This album is so charged they'll just come and get you, you don't have to do a thing.



3. Primus seems to split so many opinions.
   
   My own is that this is a weird recording by a bunch of guys who are seriously into what they are doing. How many other bands could put out stuff like John the Fisherman and Groundhog Day. This is great stuff in terms of being challenging listening, it certainly won't ever make an appearance on an easy listening station!
   
   Bass heavy as you would expect - though the drums are also prominent and the production is fine, no problems with the fact that this is a live offering. All Primus fans should buy this, the reason I give it only three stars is that it is hard for the newcomer to get into. Perhaps one of the studio albums would be a better intro to this interesting band. Otherwise you may feel like you've wandered into a party where everyone is talking a different language to you!
   
   Certainly different.



4. I'm not a primus fan obviously, or at least a "true" fan by any means. But, I do have a liking for this album. John the Fisherman is my favorite Song on this, and I only like the live version of it on this album. Didn't like it on the other album, frizzle fry I think it was, could be wrong. Vocals are so funny, the minute I turn on the album, I can't but laugh at claypool's vocals. They CAN'T be taken seriously, this band has a big joking manner. But a serious note about the band is the bass playing of Claypool which most people know him by. I give the other members credit too of course, they play good music. Overall, 3 stars for me. Not a primus fanatic.



5. I could give a f*ck about faith no more...I could give a f*ck about the red hott chille pu*sies but i do give a f*ck about primus because i've always supported these psychos. Let's just say if you like heavy bass and music that sounds like it was made from people that left an asylum place ? Then be my quest and buy primus's "Suck on this" or any other album from primus specialy their early ones. Nutcase music best discribes their music. Highly recommended.

1 comments about Endless Party.

1. Agreed, most Johnny Thunders live albums sound pretty much the same. I consider that a good thing because his sound was never really captured well in the studio. This release compiles some of his best songs with performances more spirited than most. "In The Flesh" is a better starting point for a new fan, but this album is a must have for any real Thunders fan.
   Also try to get the "So Alone" & "L.A.M.F" albums...true classics.

No comments about Survive, Pt. 2.

No comments about We're Outta Here!.

5 comments about Now It Can Be Told (Devo at the Palace 12/9/88).

1. Yes,this is a very good live devo cd i definatley recommend this plus it has many many good songs on it.



2. "Somewhere in Time" is really the clincher on this CD--addictive, even--, but if you've seen the spudboys in concert (and I have, three times!), this CD is the next best thing and may even give you goosebumps! (shiver) Better than their 1980 Live CD, fer sure.



3. I am preparing to see Devo live this October, and while searching through their catalogue I saw this CD. I never knew this CD existed, and while I should be fair in mentioning that I don't actually have it, I WAS AT THIS SHOW!! This was the last time I saw DEVO, during my college days, and this show is/was still one of the best I've ever seen. First, they blew the audience away with an opening acoustic set - imagine DEVO in the yellow suits sitting on stools - that included some unpredictable numbers like "jocko homo." Second, they left and returned with the flower pots (okay "energy domes", and played an electrifying tour through most of their greatest songs. Remember, this was a time when DEVO was waning. Most of us original fans exited after "Shout" - it was just too, well, synthesized and without edge. But this show restored the faith, at least for their live performances. I'm looking forward to seeing them again after 16 years. Oh yeah, I still carry a scar on my right hand from taking a stage dive at this show and landing on some broken glass on the floor. Memories.



4. This is a live CD with very good sound quality and little audience noise. There is some cheering and talking between tracks, but it does not get in the way of the music. The CD is 60 minutes long. All of the tracks, but the last is under 4 minutes. The last is an 11 minute medley, jam. They were better off sticking to short songs.
   
   To calibrate my views on this: I was never a huge Devo fan, but I did like some of their tracks, and enjoyed the novelty of the group and whole new wave movement for a few years. I like about half of the songs on the CD. The group does a very nice job of playing them, but it isn't much different than the studio versions. For a big Devo fan, this would probably be a great album, because there is a little bit more fun and energy the group put into the songs when playing them live.
   
   This album came out when the whole new wave movement was already dead. Most bands had disbanded, and were already going on reunion tours. Devo was the same. This CD is somewhat of a surprise, because the reunion tours of many other new wave bands were poorly done, and the live albums were poorly recorded.
   
   The best thing that can be said for Devo and New Wave is that they created a new buzz and excitement in music, back when things were going stale. It is like alternative that followed in the early nineties, or rap in the late nineties. (I'm not a fan of rap, but at least it was something enegizing music in the time of the boy bands).



5. A very very good album. My favourite versions of many songs.
   An awesome medley at the end. You don't own all their albums if you don't have this one ( duh ).
   
   Consume, Sleep, crack that whip!

2 comments about Eclectic.

1. Big Country's "Eclectic" is as mixed a live album as the band has ever released (including their many internet-only releases). This is an acoustic live show (the excellent "Without the Aid of a Safety Net" featured seven acoustic numbers and seven electric numbers and is, by far, the better album) with some mildly annoying female backing vocals and violin (fiddle, really) accompanyment in an effort to make up for the missing electric guitar solos that made this band so easily identifiable (and enjoyable).

   Nevertheless, this album does have some shining moments. "River of Hope" and "King of Emotion" translate very well to this medium and are actually rendered some new, toe-tapping life on this set. Additionally, "Winter Sky", "Where the Rose is Sown", and "Come Back to Me" sound as emotional as they ever have. This alone makes the album worth owning.

   On the downside, the covers are good and bad. The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", Springsteen's "I'm on Fire", the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", and the Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" are all competently rendered and enjoyable. However, the decision to include Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" with Carol Laula singing lead vocals is a bit of a mystery (and downright annoying). Similarly, Steve Harley's lead vocals on his self-penned (although very much "All Along the Watchtower" sounding) "Sling It" detract from the overall enjoyment of this release. Also included is a curious rendition of "Summertime" and an acoustic, somewhat unemotional version of "Buffalo Skinners" (the original, on the "Ships" cd-single is one of the most powerful songs the band has ever performed and includes an electric guitar solo of emotion unsurpassed in the band's history).

   Overall, there's enough to recommend this cd--just be prepared to hit the skip button for the tracks not sung by Stuart Adamson. The music is generally emotional and will get your toes tapping like Big Country was prone to do.




2. The band breathes new life into "River of Hope", "King of Emotion", and "Winter Sky" with this live acoustical album. The version of "The Buffalo Skinners" presented here even outperforms the studio recording on the "Ships" CD single. The covers of The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", and Springsteen's "I'm On Fire" are excellent listens.

   Unfortunately, the cover tracks on which Stuart Adamson does not sing lead drag the album down. Such tracks, "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Sling It", contain nothing to define them as Big Country tunes. In addition, the light and airy arrangement of "Where the Rose Is Sown", while enjoyable, betrays its dark subject matter of facing death in a war zone.

   If you're already a BC fan, as I am, you will enjoy this. If not, this is not the place to start. Try "Without the Aid of a Safety Net" (the same concert is also sold as "Greatest Hits Live") if looking for a consistently solid live BC album.

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.

1 comments about Hai! (Live in Japan).

1. It is worth having as there are 2 tracks here you won't find anywhere else plus 2 new versions of Yashar and Taxi Music and finally 2 songs that would later find themselves on The Crackdown. All in all it's good and you can really get into them but the problem is that the CD is too short.....you don't really get a thorough feel for the songs and the feel of the album because it's over before you can really get into it......they really should have put the rest of the gig on the CD because that way there would be more of an atmosphere surrounding the songs but as it is you'll have to make do with 6 rather good songs but it would have been better to have just a little bit more