No comments about In the End.

5 comments about Concert: The Cure Live.

1. I was reading the reviews on this & I think that the reviewers are listening to a different album.
   This lp was made to look & sound like a bootleg & althought the track listing is mouth-watering, the actual recording is dull as ditch-water.
   I have heard amateur bootleg recordings that blow this LP away completely.
   The Cure are one of my favourite bands & will do almost anything to get to see them live, as I think this is when they are at their best, but this LP is a huge letdown & not a good advert for the Cure in concert.
   Sorry folks, but there it is :o(



2. These songs taken from 4 different shows in May of '84 show off the Cure with a terrific line-up that wasn't around for too long (even by Cure standards). M.V.P. Robert Smith is in fine form and his guitar is often massive, sometimes employing an effect that makes it sound like a jet taking off. Drummer Andy Anderson favors heavy-hitting beats and keeps everything very uptempo. Founding member Lol Tolhurst's role on keyboards, questionable as always, seems to be largely relegated to elongated notes, although they are often useful and effective. Multi-instrumentalist Porl Thompson rejoins the fold here, a super-talented guy who would go on to spend many years with the Cure. Abandoning his previous role as a control room wizard, Phil Thornally capably rounds out the quintet on bass.
   
   The breakdown:
   
   "Shake Dog Shake" - Taken from an Oxford, England show. This version substitutes the churning swirl of the dense album cut for a more tightly wound kind of menace. A sick song, but the definitive take remains on THE TOP. Of course, Smith can't duplicate all his trippy vocal overdubs in concert (which, by the way, are brilliantly applied all over THE TOP - see my review, if you so choose). Instead, he stutters and spits them out which compliments the song's deranged air. ****1/2
   
   "Primary" - A lesser Cure song in my view, because it sounds almost like an ordinary pop song and the Cure are capable of much more than that. Still, this is a fun version with "jet-taking-off" guitar flying all over the place. ***1/2
   
   "Charlotte Sometimes" - good version dominated by keyboards and a great bass line. ****
   
   "The Hanging Garden" - killer version - intense beat from Andy gives it a more dangerous edge. Notes are frantically scattered to keep up the pace and a heady climax is reached "as the animals die," then Smith's Japanese guitar weaves back and forth across the auditorium. *****
   
   "Give Me It" - Talk about frantic - this one is off the hook. I might prefer this version to the one on THE TOP. Porl lays down the definitive sax part for the song on this take. *****
   
   "The Walk" - Brilliant live translation of this synth-manufactured oddity, thanks in large measure to Thornalley's skillful interpretation on bass. Longstanding member Simon Gallup would soon refill the bass shoes, though. ****1/2
   
   "One Hundred Years" - a great live song, this is a classic slab of doom n' gloom grilled to perfection with Smith's hovering, harrowing guitar - "thrashing in the water, thrashing in the water . . ." *****
   
   A larger London crowd greets the opening chords of "A Forest" (complete with its lovely intro) with a rabid roar. This is the Cure's signature song. A testament to the power of minimalist rock, it solidly rocks here. While this is a very good version, I saw them on the KISS ME tour and they hit a truly heart-stopping climax (right when Smith got to that last "again!"). *****
   
   "10:15 Saturday Night" - This is a totally wired version, a different beast from the original studio recording and altogether heavier. It rocks hard and fluidly even during the hushed ("drip drip drip") moments. The band sounds like they've blasted through this song hundreds of times, yet it still sounds fresh. *****
   
   "Killing an Arab" - Great version of this cool Japanese/Middle Eastern flavored tune. Not actually racist, it's a tongue in cheek nod to The Stranger, a short novel by Albert Camus. The song is a riot. For the finale, Smith warps his guitar into the fourth demension, pulls everything through a wormhole, and the CD abruptly ends. *****
   
   All kinds of people would dig this, but it's an absolute must for Cure fans!



3. THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN FOR ME, AT 16 IN 1984, WHEN THIS WAS RELEASED. I WAS SEARCHING FOR NEW MUSIC, STUMBLED UPON THE CASSETTE VERSION ( MORE ABOUT THAT LATER ) OF "CONCERT" AND PLAYED IT TIL THE TAPE LITERALLY HISSED. COMPARING THE VERSIONS OF THE SONGS ON THIS CD TO THE STUDIO VERSIONS IS OFTEN LIKE NIGHT AND DAY. WHAT IS OFTEN MECHANICAL AND HEAVY SOUNDING ON RECORD, IS HERE ROLLICKING, AND YES, GROOVY, AT TIMES. TAKE FOR INSTANCE "CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES". THE ORIGINAL VERSION WAS SLOWER, PLODDING, FULL OF ANGST AND JUST A LITTLE TOO SERIOUS. THE LIVE VERSION HERE MAKES THE SONG AN ALMOST JOYOUS POP OCCASION. AND NO, THAT ISN'T AN ENTIRELY BAD THING. THE BAND HERE IS TOP NOTCH, AND STRIP THE SONGS DOWN TO THEIR BASICS. THE CURE HAD FINALLY GOTTEN A COMPETANT DRUMMER (POOR LOL JUST DIDN'T HAVE ONSTAGE "CHOPS" ) IN ANDY AnDERSON, AND HE IS LIKE THUNDER BEHIND THE KIT. ALL THE SONGS ( ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT HAD USED WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A DRUM MACHINE ON RECORDS ) BENIFIT GREATLY FROM HIS SKILLS. MY ONE AND ONLY COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS CD IS THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE IT LONGER, BY THE INCLUSION OF THE ORIGINAL CASSETTE B-SDE CALLED "CURIOUSITY". FOR THE UNINITIATED, IT IS A COLLECTION OF THE CURE'S VERY EARLY, SOMETIMES MORE ESOTERIC MATERIAL, ALL OF IT LIVE, TAKEN FROM ROBERT SMITH'S PERSONAL TAPE COLLECTION. OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FIND MOST OF IT ON THE INTERNET. BUT AN OFFICIAL RELEASE ON CD WOULD MAKE THIS "CONCERT" WHOLE, AT LEAST FOR ME.



4. For those that associate Cure live shows with limp, if faithful, reads of their later synth-heavy stuff, this disc should open your eyes. They play the hell out of these songs; and, this album really shows that underneath all the production on their studio stuff is a band made of rock-n-roll fans. This album is also great because it makes a compelling case for the quality of the album THE TOP (which is the tour from which this disc comes). They totally sell that material on this, and show why stuff like Give Me It and Shake Dog Shake are A-list early Cure material.



5. For years this CD was near-impossible to find (I listened to my old vinyl version way longer than I should have). BUt now that it is available, get it! The thing that blows me away about this album is how, despite the fact that the Cure had already started down the long, dull road of studio overproduction, synthesizers, horns, mood music, and all of the strange sounds that to me make their 1990s material so flat and dull and whiny, even as late as 1984 on stage they were able to transform the songs into brilliant stripped-down performances with just guitar, bass, drums, and maybe an occasional synthesizer on stage. "The Top" was not exactly one of Cure's better albums, and yet even the tracks from that album are transformed on stage.

   The Cure started off as a British late 1970s rock band and as late as 1984 on stage at least they still preserved that sound. My personal favorite is "The Forest." the studio version of that track will forever strike you as flat, shallow, and uninspiring once you here the incredible 7 minute performance Smith et. al. give here. This is one of the greatest Cure records of all. Anyone who likes the early Cure should buy this before buying any other Cure records. This is the one.

5 comments about Schrei X.

1. This is the perfect cd to play in the dark,if you literally want to scare the hell out of someone.This classically trained artist,really shows us how daring and horrifying she can be,on this album.Some of the ideas for schrei x came from studying the case histories,behaviors,and speech of patients,in mental hospitals.
   Truelly one of the most frightening cds ever produced.
   
   Give it a listen and see what I mean.Diamanda gives a masterclass in avantgaurd,operatic,schizo singing.Some of the tracks sound like what you would hear inside the demented mind of a serial killer locked in a padded cell.This is a very moving work,it gives you a deeper understanding of what people with serious mental disorders go through.It is almost a window into a schizophrenic's soul.A highly original and well produced work.
   
   Superb sound quality,frighteningly realistic!



2. This a very difficult album to take ( then again what Diamanda album isn't difficult ). Her 4 octave voice is so convincing on it's own that you would be hard pressed but just submitting yourself as a slave to her. Her voice is that really that powerful. The only thing though is that about this album is that it is a vocal acrobatic work out for her. There's nothing else but her voice and when it hits the right notes.....what's left for you is to shrivel up in the corner of your bedroom and pray that her voice doesn't eat you up alive.

   Venture if you dare but be warned.......Mummy ain't here to save you




3. Make no mistake, this is a totally mindblowing record. More proof that Ms. Galas is an incredibly gifted vocalist, and more proof that she has a knack for capturing the psyche's state in horrible situations... but let me warn you now, while it says "Play At Maximum Volume" on the liner TURN YOUR STEREO DOWN DURING TRACK 8 !!!! It blew out my speakers, and it will do it to yours. I looked at the levels on various equipment and Track 8 (Hepar) slams them to the maximum and keeps them there. BE WARNED.



4. This is an exceptionally good album to play as background noise--and I mean that literally; elevator music for the insane asylum.

   It's not that it doesn't bear close scrutiny. As usual, Galas has unleashed another psychological assault on us that is without peer in non-classical music anywhere that I know of. Consider the last track, "Hee Shock Die". At first glance, it is 7 minutes of Galas auditioning for (and being a shoe-in) for the next cackling witch role in some Hollywood movie. It's all the more surprising, since Galas laughing, however sarcastically, is a rare thing to hear in her music. The only discernible words, meanwhile, are "Okay go" and "Kick my head." Then more of that, now a bit disturbing, laughter. What a chilling shock it is to realize that one is actually hearing 3 people in a room, two of which are torturing the third, and laughing, laughing, laughing as they do. Yikes. And for those who think that Galas is just randomly laughing, note the modulations of the laughter--from the "Deliverance"-style inbred hickness on the one hand, to the hints of Nazi German laughter and the Japanese or Vietnamese POW camp laughter. These details are there if you can stand to listen closely.

   Only Diamanda Galas can take us to such places; at least, I know of no one else who does. And not because she is morbid or fixated, focussing on a creature trapped in a space and repeatedly subjected to torture, as the liner notes tell us, but because those darkest corridors of the human psyche are still at work in other countries and in our backyard. And are, moreover, at the heart of the human condition, as the quotation from Job reminds us as well, since in one sense we are all creatures trapped in the cage of the earth, that are repeatedly subjected to tortures. The fact that Galas depicts this, and transforms it into art and artistic expression is, by the way, the refutation of the apparent hopelessness of our condition. As always, her work is about overcoming, creating meaning out of senseless suffering, and so forth.

   Meanwhile, I still like to listen to this, one of Galas' most challenging works, as background screams. My mood doesn't call for this often, of course, but when it does, only Diamanda'll do.




5. Well this is an album of screams, groans and other assorted noises that cannot be described. I know that all Diamandas records have a strong message but on this one it's hard to find. If you want to her the full capabilities of her voice or simply want to scare your friends senseless this is the album to get. If you want something that you can stand listening to all the way through whitout getting a headache and need of theraphy I suggest some of her other albums like the singer, Malediction & prayer. when it comes to the pure vocal stuff i prefer Vena Cava. I pretty much only listen to this one or two tracks at a time. but i'm still glad I own it for those REALLY bad days.

5 comments about Live!.

1. This double live CD is a fair and good snapshot at a couple of their tours. It was nice to hear their live performances cleaned up after listening to countless horrible bootlegs over the years. These discs are not definitive as it would have been nice to hear some of the live material from the 1982 tour and the 1984 concerts at the end of the Synchronicity tour. The live performance that hit Japan TV from February 2008 is a good alternative to the official release of the final New York show.



2. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R87V3WUK7W9I5 I own more live albums then I will ever bother to count and this set is exactly what I want out of any such set. Rather than being cobbled together from several concerts in a short time frame and then having the instruments and/or vocals overdubbed to sound less "live" (WTF?) as so many bands do, The Police gave us a true live album -blemishes and all- consisting of two very different concerts from two very different eras of the band's career. This highlights the extreme musical growth of the band in a relatively short time and proves that they could harness some serious energy playing live. Anybody unhappy with the sound obviously is not a fan of live music and should stick to studio recordings because this is as good as a genuine live album gets (aside from a slight sound problem during the first verse of "Next to You"). There can be no argument.
   
   The sampling of songs is spot-on on both discs; the first representing the band's early years aspiring to harness the energy of punk rock and reggae, the second showing the band at it's creative peak. Both are wonderful documents of where the band was at musically at the time and both absolutely rock. Sting's voice sounds killer and his typically solid bass-playing is on full display. He works the crowd and occasionally ad-libs during songs, adding some flavor to the proceedings. Andy Summers' guitar playing is the missing link between the firey punk attitude of Mick Jones and The Edge's soundscaping virtuosity; at times allowing his solos to devolve into distorted feedback that would make Greg Ginn (Black Flag) smile and other times letting subtle arpeggios and the ambience of his guitar effects work their magic -sometimes in the same song. It only takes two words to sum up Stewart Copeland: drummer's drummer.
   
   This is easily one of my favorite live albums and if you share my enthusiasm for concert recordings and The Police then this is a no-brainer. All it wants is to be next to you.



3. It is hard to believe that a band can become a Hall of Fame band with just five studio albums to their name, but the Police are such a band. This is an honor that the Police are most worthy of. The Police were sort of an off-shoot of the Punk Rock movement of the late 1970s. The band would eventually encompass other influences - namely Classic Rock, Reggae, Jazz, Dance, and even Folk. For the most part, it is fair to say there was a Punk Rock and Reggae influence on the band for their first two albums" - "Outlandos D'Amour" and "Regatta de Blanc". Both of these albums were terrific efforts - mostly because The Police used applied their unique style to a formula that worked. The Police would soon transform their sound to a more Classic Rock sound. With each successive album ("Zenyatta Mondatta", "Ghost in the Machine", and "Synchronicity"), the Police would continue to grow as a band and incorporate a variety of genres into their sound. When the Police would disband in 1986, they did not have a live album in their portfolio - despite the fact they had emerged as one of the great live bands of all-time. It would be nearly a decade later when the Police would release their first live collection - 1995's "The Police - Live!". Despite some negative criticism, this collection is worthy of the Police's Hall of Fame career as well as prove to be worth the long wait.
   
   "The Police - Live!" is a very unique live collection. It consists of two concerts - one from 1979 and one from 1983. Each concert is on a separate disc. The concerts show a great reflection of the Police's career. The November, 1979 concert, recorded in Boston at the Orpheum Theater and broadcast on WBCN radio showcases the Police's early Punk Rock and Reggae roots. This concert has much more of a "raw" edge, but you can also tell that the Police were performing in a more intimate setting. By 1983, the Police had progressed their sound and had much more of a Rock edge. The November, 1983 concert was recorded at Atlanta's Omni Arena and this concert definitely has more of an Arena Rock feel. The 1983 concert showcases a good amount of material from the "Synchronicity" album (this was the tour in support of that album), while the 1979 concert is drawn from the band's first two albums.
   
   I've heard a lot of people complain about the sound. It is important to remember that a live album will never have the audio standards of a studio album. This CD set was recorded in ADD format - meaning an Analog tape recorder was used during initial recording and a Digital tape recorder used during mixing/editing and for mastering. Overall, I think the album was well mixed and well engineered. Compared to many live albums, I consider this album to be one of the better sound qualities.
   
   Here are eleven things to look for on this collection:
   
   1-The 1979 Boston Concert contains all of the tracks from the Police's debut album with the exception of the instrumental track, "Masoko Tanga". This includes rare performances of "Peanuts", "Born in the 50s", and "Be My Girl/Sally".
   
   2-Despite the fact that "Reggata De Blanc" was the newer album, there is less material played at the Boston concert. "Message in a Bottle", "Walking On the Moon", "Bring on the Night", and "The Bed's Too Big Without You" are the only songs that are represented. The instrumental "Reggata De Blanc" is played as part of "Can't Stand Losing You" - a tradition the Police have done throughout their careers.
   
   3-The Boston concert plays two early singles not found on albums - "Fall Out" and "Landlord".
   
   4-Sting has said he had been battling laryngitis at the time of the Boston concert, but for the most part you can't tell it. The only exception seems to happen during "Peanuts" - where it definitely sounded like he was having some issues with his voice.
   
   5-The 1983 Atlanta Concert contains eight songs from "Synchronicity", including a rare performance of the Andy Summers tune - "O My God". Unfortunately the albums "Zenyatta Mondatta" and "Ghost in the Machine" end up being the big losers in this collection as only three songs total are found on the two CD set.
   
   6-I love the segue from "Synchronicity I" into "Synchronicity II" at the Atlanta concert. The segue seemed almost natural. Both performances showed the Police at the top of their game.
   
   7-The best song on the two disc set is found on the Omni performance with "King of Pain". I've always considered this a great song - and this live version is even better.
   
   8-The Police "wrap-up" the Omni concert with two songs from their first album - the traditional extended jam of "Can't Stand Losing You" (featuring "Regatta De Blanc") followed by "So Lonely".
   
   9-The Omni performance has the Police using outside singers. I had mixed feelings about this because I always liked the fact the Police would make "every sound" on their recordings. Yet, the outside vocalists add a new dimension to the band.
   
   10-One thing that is great about the Police is how they improvise during their live performances as well as create new arrangements of their songs. Both concerts showcase how well the Police has been able to do these things.
   
   11-For the most part, both concerts appear to preserve the order of the songs and give the feeling of being at the 1979 and 1983 performances respectively. It's hard to tell whether these are "complete" shows. Usually with live CDs, some songs are not included when recorded from the show.
   
   Overall this is an outstanding collection. The two concerts really contrast the early days and the latter days of the band - with both performances being outstanding. It is a live album that is truly worthy of a Hall of Fame band.



4. If you listen to this product you'll definetly consider the police a very weak live band. Actually, they are very good musicians, this is their only official live album, as far as I know and in this compilation the first disc, recorded live in 1979 is VERY painful to listen to, the band hurries through the songs, copeland constantly overplays on every song, example: the beds too big without you: it gives the impression that copeland is rearranging the song live to make it more interesting but neither Sting nor Andy seem to be able to catch on, and sting finally comes into the first verse after three attempts, Roxanne seems to fluctuate and flutter all over the place, cant stand losing you loses steam as it goes on. Overall the first record sounds like an unrehearsed police cover band. The second disc is pretty standard though absolutely not exciting, even their big hit every breath you take sounds very weak compared to the studio version. I have never seen the police live, but have heard people commenting on how great they were. I guess if this was them at their worst their best was overrated.
   
   PS: after watching the Stu Copeland movie "everybody stares" about the police, I can finally say that they were really pathetic live. very very bad, thus this album is not a fluke, the police were really this bad.



5. I bought this album after hearing the Police on Live Earth. The first cd is horrible. The band sounds like they are rushing through the concert and would rather be somewhere else. The second cd is much better.

5 comments about In the Flesh.

1. Has a few moments that are great, but the moments where he's slurred by dope give the understanding why he's not discussed in the same breath as Clapton, Hendrix, etc. Great choice if you're a fan, as I am.



2. I stopped going to Johnny Thunders' shows some time in the mid-80s when it seemed each performance was sadder and more macabre than the previous one: Thunders would start a familiar Dolls/Heartbreakers/solo song, stop singing, and/or playing after a verse or two, and leave (usually) Jerry Nolan alone at the drums while one of rock 'n' roll's great unrepentant geniuses abused, or deflected abuse from, an increasingly frustrated, or voyeristic (and ever diminishing) audience. "In The Flesh", a live set from 1987, is as potent as other reviewers here indicate, and took me by surprise.
   The added pathos comes from the fact that the three ex-Dolls captured rocking the house - Thunders, Nolan, and Arthur Kane - are all dead. But tight, loud, and hot versions of "Pipeline," "Blame it On Mom," "Personality Crisis" a hard, bluesy, and passionate "Sad Vacation," and the closing "Born To Lose" will blow away all doubters. Thunders sings with fire and soul, a far cry from the dissipated moments issued during his lifetime on the live portion of "In Cold Blood," or "Stations Of The Cross." "In the Flesh" also captures marvelous rarities like "Ain't Superstitious," (based on the Jeff Beck Group version on "Truth"), "In the Midnight Hour" (inspired!), and a medley of "Too Much Junkie Business/Pills" that never falters.
   The acoustic segment in the middle is touching and powerful, and when after a brief snippet (unlisted) of "It's Not Enough" he says to the audience "I'm gonna bring the boys back on," you sense both his slyness and vulnerability. He does, of course, but not before the crowd cheers him on to two more solo performances, including a terrific take on the Stones' "Play With Fire."
   If you're new to Thunders, get those Dolls albums (on vinyl, as the cds need to be remastered), the classic solo debut "So Alone," and the Heartbreakers' "L.A.M.F." There are other gems, like the acoustic studio set "Hurt Me," but this fine cd - with terrific notes by "Creem's" Bill Holdship - proves that even fifteen years after the Dolls came to our attention, and long after many had written him off, Thunders (and Nolan, who was his perfect foil, and held it all together) could still sing, play and rock with the very best.



3. I am a diehard Thunders fan and must have 20 subpar live performances on CD, both commercially released and bootleg. From the Heartbreakers to Gang War to the Living Dead, it is nearly impossible to find a show where he sheds his junkie stumble-bum persona. Well my friends, this is IT!
   
   He is about as close to sober as he can be and performs like his soul is on the line. No blathering between, or in the middle of songs. There is nothing embarrassing here at all and it is such a pleasure to hear. For all the critics who tossed him away as another Rock and Roll junkie, well this is a big middle finger to all of you! J.T. as 100% Maximum Rock 'N' Roll Animal!!!!
   
   The recording quality is great and the performance is among the best live sets you'll find in his massive catalog. You WANT this. Ask your mommy for it, steal it...hell, do whatever you have to do to get this CD.
   
   UPDATE: THIS SHOW IS NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD!! "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory", Thunders, Kane & Nolan!!



4. In 1987, relatively late in his career, Johnny Thunders went to L.A., and with fellow former New York Dolls Jerry Nolan and Arthur Kane, recorded one of his best-ever live sets.

   Johnny begins and ends with a couple of his signature tunes. The opener is a blistering "Pipeline"; capping things off, he wrings the life out of those opening chords to introduce "Born to Lose." In between is an acoustic interlude, and more notably, Johnny lets loose full-throttle electric blues on the lesser-heard covers of "I Can Tell," "Superstitious," "Green Onions," and "Midnight Hour." Johnny Thunders, the 1970's glam-punk, could play the blues.

   An aside: There's a video of this performance floating around, too. Johnny Thunders was a unique artist, mesmerizing, and every inch a rock star.




5. With alot of live recordings, the listener deals with terribly recorded music. The band might be on, but the person doing the recording is not. No bass, no drums, tinny guitar etc... With Johnny Thunders it's just the opposite. There are dozens of soundboard quality recordings available, but very few where Johnny is lucid enough to give a quality performance. This album, recorded at the Roxy in 1987, is rarity in that the sound quality and Johnny are both firing on all cylinders. The band features 2 of Thunder's former New York Dolls bandmates; the late Jerry Nolan (arguably punk rocks greatest drummer)and Arthru "Killer" Kane on bass. Any rock fan needs one Johnny Thunders live album in their collection and this one will do just fine.
   But let me warn you, once you hear Johnny...there's no going back.
   Rock on & R.I.P>

3 comments about Live January 7, 1978 at the Palladium, NYC.

1. While this recording is absolutely essential for any real Ramones fans, this package is not. The whole 27 track concert has already seen a legit release as "Ramones NYC 1978", KBFR 400192. While I'm always up for any live recordings from Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Tommy, I hate being sold something I already have.



2. If you liked It's Alive, which you damn well should have, you will LOVE this! This is the Ramones at their most raw and finest.



3. If you've been to one of their early live shows, this will being you right back. I just got it today, and I am right back at the Agora in 1978, first time of many I saw them. Johnny Ramone died this past week, I was seriously bummed, and I just had to hear this. You do, too. You'll feel better hearing him do what he does best.

3 comments about Rockin n Reelin in Auckland New Zealand.

1. SMOKING!!I've been wanting to get a copy of 'Rockin'...' for a few months now.Was recorded at the Galaxy in Aukland,New Zealand on Aug.30,1986.Notice the recording has some fuzz and slight distortion intact,but maybe the producer of the disc meant for it to be that way.Really doesn't deter from the quality of the CD,at least I didn't think so.A lot of this live set draws from the band's 'Date With Elvis' album.Lux,Ivy&crew rip through a set of classic rambunctious psychobilly as ONLY they can.So many upbeat tracks to mention here,like "Hot Pearl Snatch","Sunglasses After Dark",an Elvis cover of "Heartbreak Hotel","Do The Clam" and "Can Your Pussy Do The Dog".The three bonus cuts tagged on are okay.Better than their 'Smell Of Female' CD(see my review of that disc).A must-have for any true Cramps fan.



2. OK, the sound quality on this isn't the best, but it ain't half bad either. Not quite as good as Smell of Female. The psychotic CRAMPS energy is definitely there, manifested by massive chunks of guitar spew and big drum beats and Lux's maniacally musical vocals. Having seen them live I can picture what was happening on stage when this was recorded, and it must have been a blast of a show. Definitely recommended for Cramps fans.



3. When I started buying the remastered recordings made by the Cramps, my collection had included this live album. I thought it was good at first because it introduced me to some of the songs from "A Date with Elvis" and "Songs the Lord Taught Us," but after a while I realized as a live album it lacked something. Maybe it was low on excitement or it was just plain cheesy.
   If you are a Cramps fan currently looking for a live album, buy "Smell of Female," because that recording is so much better than this one. "Smell of Female" not only has a lot of original songs, but it is fueled by the adrenaline "Rockin" lacks.

3 comments about The Occupied Europe Tour 1985.

1. Slovenia was the first state to break free from the Yugoslav Federation. For years, Serbian nationalists tried to slander Laibach as "pro-German" and even "neo-fascist." This explains the band's adoption of totalitarian trappings as a mocking rebuke to Yugo-/Serbia's "new socialist man" (what we might call "P.C.").
   The first Occupied Europe Tour took place at the critical last stage of the Cold War. Ronald Reagan had given his speech in Europe calling for a United States of Europe (printed on the cd cover). Within four years the Cold War would be over and shortly after that the House of Yugoslavia would go up in flames.
   Laibach's self-titled film is a hysterical documentation of this period; it's scary stuff. Shame it's hard to find.
   The music here is scary, and the performances are quite good. This is probably the best introduction to Laibach. Indeed the CD was distributed in the months before the Slovenian unilateral declaration of independence. "Vier Personen" is dancey war music if such a thing exists. A nice compliment to Macbeth.



2. This CD and Laibach's "first studio release," 1985, are contemporaneous but very different. Whereas 1985 lacks definite structure in places, Occupied Europe is an album in the true sense. However, fans who already own Nova Akropola may be slightly dismayed to realize that this album contains most of the same material in different versions or states of development. In contrast to Nova Akropola's version of Nova Akropola, which I believe is about 4 minutes long, Occupied Europe's version is about 10 and lacks vocal treatments. Die Liebe on Occupied Europe has less brass and more bass.

   As far as I am concerned, this CD is worth buying. Laibach are good.




3. Very interesting CD, esp. track 3 which is 13 minutes of repetitious drum patterns. The songs on the CD are kinda creepy which, in my opinion, is cool. If you like drum-beating chants and the such, get this.

5 comments about Paintin' the Town Brown: Ween Live '90-'98.

1. Then what happens, there is a mix up and then you hear "I knew you'd f* it up". Ween is one of my favorites. I really like disc one. i am not a big fan of the long "phish-like" jam sessions, therefore the four star rating. As others have written a 3 or 4 disc set would have been way cool since there is a lot of material they can choose from as the ween internet radio proves. favorites:
   1. bumblebee what a great guitar and its a stich how quiet the audience is.
   2. doctor rock- this is a given.
   3. awesome sound- great guitar again.
   4. mountain dew- pretty funny how they play with the sound on this one.
   5. richard smoker is great recording is real clean.
   6. mister would you please help my pony?- always a crowd pleaser.
   
   It was this record when i first got it in early 2000 that i realized what a great guitar player dean is. If you like this record the live at stubbs is really good too, plus its 3 cds.



2. Every Ween enthusiast should own this, but it is definitely not their best cd (nor their best live cd - buy Stubb's first). However, true fans will not want to miss out on owning the prayer-call intro to ICPMFOI. I saw that preformed live once and it was beautiful! So that song in itself makes it worth buying this cd.



3. I remember when I bought this CD... it was during my post-college, pre-employment phase. I woke up at about 3:00pm, swallowed a handful of asprin to stave off a bad hangover, went to pick up the CD, came home, popped it in and sat on my couch with a bowl of fruity pebbles... the full Ween experience! Anyway, I was pretty disappointed. I mean, I had sprung for the CD instead of another fifth of Early Times whiskey!! The first disc is listenable, with some great moments from their awesome '96 tour (best Ween tour ever??), but also some really badly recorded early stuff. There is a great version of "Mountain Dew" though, that will make this disc worthwhile for hardcore Ween fans. The vastly varying sound quality is what ruins my enjoyment of the first disc overall... if it was all lo-fi (a la "The Pod") I could have dealt with it, but going from crisp, pro-engineered multitrack recordings to amature DAT stuff is just annoying. The second disc has the best version of "Poopship Destroyer" and a hell of a lot of noodling that doesn't sound so good when one is sober.... hmm... A few years down the road, and I'm a respectable member of society. I still love Ween, but this is definitely the disc I reach for the least. This is aimed squarely at serious fans, and newcomers or general listeners should definitely start elsewhere... Not bad, but certainly in the "For Fans" category.



4. Lets face it -- if this album is your first exposure to Dean & Gene Ween's music, your response will probably range from mild annoyance to outright cringing. But for us Ween officianados, and especially for those who have been fortunate to be blessed with a 4-hour live show or two, this album is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Early super-sloppy inclusions such as "Mushroom Festival in Hell" and "Mountain Dew" demonstrates the band's remarkable ability to really rock without really worrying about how they sound (you'll see what I mean). But before you dismiss them as just another over-indulging garage band, check out the hard-as-rock licks by Deaner in "Awesome Sound" or Gener's soaring vocals in "Can't Put My Finger On It" or Claude Coleman's other-worldly drum solo in "Vallejo". Ween rules. God bless the Boognish.



5. i swear i have bootlegs that are longer and better than this, but you have to love it since ween lovingly handpicked the songs themselves. the 26 minute poopship is a masterpiece, and i wish they had the hour long vallejo on another disc making it three but this is just fine. for a live album, ween has so many great live shows and some very old funny ones back in the days when 23 to 12 people were at a live concert, most were held in parking lots, they should have put out a 5 or 6 disc boxset, including all the old concerts, some more nashville material and all the funny stuff. but this is fine, get it or die!

2 comments about Allegra.

1. This album is great. It has to be the best fifteen recording ardound, now even more so that subcity re did it. The whole thing is punk rock. if you want a fifteen CD to try this is by far the one. If you don't have it yet, why did you wait so long? I never got to see 15. live, and missed out on my last chance cause my friend forgot to tell me. This CD is the best ever, and Jeff Ott can sing!



2. Anyone who likes fifteen loves fifteen. few bands have had as much character on and off stage as Jeff and his ever changing crew. this cd doesn't dissapoint, especially since it's just a recording of a live show and anyone who thinks a fifteen show could disappoint needs to go to a fifteen show.