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5 comments about Live from the Hard Rock.

1. First of all let me say if you are going to write a review but do not like the artist do not put your personal views into it. The idea is to sell someone on the album NOT what you think of the artist.
   This being said. this album is great. I actually like SP's older material, however I have seen them live and they are amazing. Live is always better than an album, however live albums are the best kind to get. The song choice they made for this concert is great and sound quality is very good. You can either do very well or fail horribly when making a live album. Recording concerts is difficult enough but then to reproduce them into a CD with excellent sound is even harder. I have heard a few that failed miserably and I can safely say these guys did a great job with this album. If you like Simple Plan (even the older stuff like I do) you will love this album, Also, you will probably find new songs you like if you haven't heard their later albums. For the price this is a great deal pick it up today!



2. BMG sent me this by mistake and I have never heard of the band so I thought I'd give it a listen. I couldn't even finish a single track, let alone the entire album. All I heard was the same generic rock (can this be classified as rock?) that has been polluting the music industry in recent years. Where are all the new innovative bands? If this is all kids have to listen to these days I feel sorry for the youth of America.



3. This CD is great, even for people who don't like the sound of a live show. Most of the songs sound the same as they do on the albums, and some sound better. Pierre really is a "hyperactive cheerleader," but that's not such a bad thing when you're playing for a few thousand people. There are sing-alongs (Perfect), and screaming contests (I'm Just a Kid). Many funny moments, like David yelling at all the guys in the crowd to "grab their balls and make some noise," Pierre saying that he wants to make out with the crowd, and David calling their first record "No Pads, No Helmets, Just Bizzles." The CD is also enhanced with two live videos, Shut Up and Jump.



4. Now SP is my favorite band. This cd actually shows the above excellent music... but it also lets you listen like you were ACTUALLY at the concert. It has funny parts and it cracks me up everytime.... it has new songs and old songs.... in MY OPINION this is one of the best cds EVER!!! next to the real cds... so if you want a cd that you would like to listen to over and over again.... buy this cd.....



5. SP rocks on this CD because they are excellent live performers! This CD is my favorite because they don't hold back and just unleash with the vocals and music and really show how amazingly talented they all really are. I saw them in concert after hearing this CD and WOW!!! They give 100% out there for their fans, and it's awesome to have a CD to capture a little bit of that. The music blew us away and I can't say enough about this band. I have all their albums now after seeing them live. Hard Rock Live is still my favorite one. Check it out!

2 comments about Live from the Limo, Vol. 1.

1. This would have been a great show to have witnessed. Very few live recordings have the quality of sound that we are so accustomed to these days and this is no exception. This recording does convey the spirit of the event and the sheer enjoyment of the musicians in performing. Hopefully their studio recordings have the same good qualities and good recording as well. That is what I am purchasing next and advising whoever reads this to do.



2. Since I live in Austin, Texas, I was one of the lucky ones that was able to attend both shows from which this album was recorded. As with most live CDs, the recording cannot meausre up to the live show, but the music on this CD is great.

   I agree with Amazon's review that it tends to skip around too much. I don't understand why they don't just put the songs in the order the band played them. (Nothing was better than them opening the show with the "tornado" sound and "Hey Baby Que Paso?" but here it is the last track). However, this is the only fault I can find with the CD and I will listen to it for years to come.

   My only other hope is that there is a Volume 2 on the way!!

1 comments about Truth Will Out.

1. I saw this tour too. I love this avant garde stuff. The thing I especially love about Pigface is that when these guys leave their respected acts to get together and do this there seems to be some sort of hypnotic synergy. There are very few bands this hard I can listen to with my headphones at work and concentrate at all. Time seems to fly and things seem to get done with this music on.

3 comments about Must've Been Live.

1. I own A LOT of live music with many different bands in my collection. But exactly NONE are as good as this! A flawless and priceless recording from The GREATEST Rock N Roll band in the world as they play Country hits. Mostly originals, but covers mixed in here and there. The sound quality on this album is second to none! If you want to hear an incredible band do whay they do best, then you absolutley need this CD in your collection! Just like a previous reviewer stated, these guys enjoy what they are doing and it shows!



2. The Supersuckers are the greatest rock band to ever do country music. I accidently found out about the Supersuckers through the Free the West Memphis 3 site about 2 years ago. They are by far the best rock band I have heard in a very long time.
   Must've been live sounds great for a live album and its about 70 minutes long so you get your money's worth. If you are a Supersucker fan, you don't need to read this crappy review because you have probably already bought it.



3. My buddies and I were lucky enough to check these guys out playing a country set at the Tractor Tavern, just down from where they live in Seattle. One of the best shows I've ever seen. These guys love what they do and it shows everytime they play. I heard an advance copy of this album out at the Lucky 13 in SF, and I gotta say, I got just as excited (and drunk) and I did when I saw them live.

5 comments about Les Bains Douches 18 December 1979.

1. wow! i was very impressed with this album having listened to the preston gig first. this is a much better performance and recording, with a better track selection. tracks such as these days (blew me away!), atrocity exhibition (tons of energy), and atmosphere all exceed the studio versions in my mind. i'm usually not one for live albums, but i highly reccomend this album to any joy division fan.



2. While the title of this record would bring a chuckle to the lips of any American teenager, the recordings inside (taken from three live shows) are anything but laughable. The sheer manic energy of this album should amaze any fan of Joy Division. Of note is live take on Atmosphere--whereas the studio single is meticulously engineered and spacious, this version has a primeval energy and warmth that makes up for its lack of deliberation; and this is true for much of the rest of the album--one could almost feel that the members of Joy Division were in the room, trying so hard to reach out to the rest of us.



3. Having spent almost 20 years scraping by on the 2nd half of "Still" and various bootlegs of generally hideous quality, I didn't know what to expect when this was released. WHAT A TREAT! Many of these songs work at least as well as the studio versions, and if you're like me and generally prefer a good live version of a tune to studio work, some are definitive versions. "These Days" is absolutely stunning. "New Dawn Fades" also sounds amazing. This stuff is vastly superior in both sound and performance quality to either "Still" or "Preston (whatever date that show was)".
   
   You get a killer selection of titles, including an early, incomplete version of Passover and obscure titles like "Autosuggestion." There's not much inter-song banter, but Ian wasn't that type of frontman really.
   
   Only the first 9 songs are actually from Les Baines Douches; the other stuff is from a Holland show and the sound isn't quite as good, but overall this is an absolute gem for Joy Division fans.
   
   Seriously, it's worth the purchase price just for the incredible version of "These Days." I can listen to that track five times in a row, easy.



4. I hate most live CDs. I hate the sludgy sound, I hate not being able to hear the singer- I hate the mushy production and recording, the obnoxious crowds... I just don't go for bootlegs. As they so often are, Joy Division prove to be the exception here. I obsess over their live material. In part because they were one of those bands that either you don't get at all, or they change your life. Not much middle ground. No middle ground, in fact.
   
   They thrived onstage- and their mesmerizing sound comes through on much of the recorded shows.
   
   Of the shows you can get in here: This would be a keeper. The beekeeper, so to speak. This is one tight show (actually, two tight shows). Of the two Factory re-release CDs of Joy Division live ish (the two that you can buy on amazon- many, many more await you on ebay if you're in it for the crawl...): This is MUCH, MUCH more faithful than the Preston gig. take that as you will. Better sound, more urgency (but less fire) in the vocals, better recording, plus their equipment. is working so they're not playing through Hook's bass amp, a la a couple songs on Preston. Moreover, there's No 8+ minutes of "The Eternal," here...
   
   It's also much more intense than The BBC recordings, which all-too-obviously lack Martin-Zero-Hannett's production skills (as much a part of the band's studio sound and legacy as the other contributors...) and aren't so spectacular.
   
   Anyway- The set lists here are a good mix of Joy Division's maturing styles. Opening up with a fast-paced, raw, break-neck rendition of "Disorder," (a personal fave) and then segueing quickly into the CD's sole low points- A truly awful "LWTUA" (the synthesizer's pitch is WAY to high- like someone's record player is playing the original at pitch 4% faster than it should be. Ugh.) and an disco-ed out version of "Candidate" that alternately bores me to death or bugs me to death (that Galaga-esque disco pow-pow-pow!). So, tracks 2 and 3 I loathe.
   
   The rest of Les Bains veers between rollicking good and sublimely badass! Perhaps the roughest most brutal version of "Shadowplay," I've heard. A frenetic, pulsing "Transmission" that kicks up the intensity. Sumner's guitar playing is pretty choice. One of the few live versions of "Day of The Lords," (the closest JD ever got to Black Sabbath): it's sooooooo damn fine. The sludgy churning guitar and crashing beats with Ian (sometimes plaintive, sometimes furious- "Where will it end?") guiding the insanity. Wow. Great song. Great version.
   
   Tracks 7, 8 and 9 ("24 hours," "These days" and "A Means to an End," respectively) are also great. All are faster than their studio versions, kinda smokin... "a means to an end," is a particularly good one. Ian sings it a little differently. So far the CD is consistently gooder than good.
   
   Now then, only the first 9 tracks are from Les bains Douches. The remaining 7 are from another show they did in Holland, a month or so later. The sound suffers a little bit, especially on "Passover." Short song, not one of their best- drums are kinda quiet... BUT. Things pick up for the remainder of the set. Really great version of "New Dawn Fades," followed an overly long "Atrocity Exhibition." If you like that song- you'll like this very clear version of it. I don't like it, and it's about 6 and a half minutes long. "Digital" and "Dead Souls" more than make up for it, though. Scathing, vicious, and idiosyncratic performances of both tunes! "Autosuggestion," is a song that does little for me. The live version has the vocals buried at first, but the guitar is razorsharp, it builds furiously, around the 1.40 mark... I dig this version more than the studio version that I've heard.
   
   Ends with "Atmosphere," a song that I don't think lends itself to live performances, especially given that they couldn't recreate the full studio sound of it, in its entirety (the shimmery synth sounds and guitar chords). Having said that, this is an admirable attempt at recreating the song that succeeds for the most part. Sublime. A great closer to the CD, and a great closer to a burned Joy Division live-show compilation, should you be moved as I am to do stuff like that.
   
   A final caveat: I recommend this for fans who KNOW THE LYRICS. This is a live set- unless you're familiar with the music or are reading the lyrics from a book... you won't be able to hear some of the words.



5. The intense atmosphere of Unknown Pleasures outranks it slightly, but only by a smidgen. Here the songs have been completely stripped of any of Martin Hannett's BS, and are allowed to stand on their own two feet.
   
   Songs that I was never all that fond of suddenly make sense on this recording. I could never get why folks of the first punk generation raved about "Shadowplay," which I always thought was the weakest track on UP. On this disc, I finally heard it for the wicked piece of intelligent heavy metal that it is.
   
   The best tracks are actually not the ones at Bains Douches, but the three songs recorded from an Amsterdam gig. All three performances blow the original album versions out of the water. Everything is perfect. Ian's vocals are more desolate than they've ever been. The intrumentals are masterful, particularly the brilliant use of feedback and distortion, which I don't think any band ever manipulated so brilliantly. Even the lo-fi recording adds to the horror--like you stumbled onto an old recording of Satan's house band in your grandmother's attic.
   
   The last chunk of recordings, from another European performance, are less impressive due to poor sound quality. Still, there are some gems, particularly the muscular renditions of "These Days" and "Dead Souls."
   
   Why this album is almost completely unavailable at stores is beyond me.

5 comments about Live at the Key Club.

1. Pennywise have always been one of my favorite 90s Punk Bands. And this live cd f*ckin kills. Most of their best tracks on 1 cd
   
   1. Intro
   2. Wouldn't It Be Nice 10/10
   3. Living For Today 9/10
   4. Final Chapters 10/10
   5. Can't Believe It 8/10
   6. Unknown Road 10/10
   7. Homesick 9/10
   8. No Reason Why 20/10
   9. Fight Till You Die 9/10
   10. Peaceful Day 10/10
   11. Society 10/10
   12. Straight Ahead 10/10
   13. Pennywise 9/10
   14. Perfect People 10/10
   15. Minor Threat 10/10 Great Cover
   16. Same Old Story 10/10
   17. Alien 10/10
   18. Bro Hymn 15/10
   
   Get this for an intro to Pennywise or if u want the best live cd/recording ever



2. Wow!..What a live album by an awesome punk band. The energy displayed here by Pennywise is incredible and should not be overlooked by any Pennywise fan. Most of the material played is older songs, but that says nothing. All of them are great in their own way. Their fast and aggressive style is clearly seen on every song.
   
   -A Pennywise Fan
   
   
   Highlight Tracks:
   
   Fight Till You Die
   Perfect People
   Wouldn't It Be Nice
   Same Old Story
   Living For Today
   Bro Hymn



3. "Hello, we're Pennywise from Hermosa Beach, California!"

   Hey, where the hell are you going? Come back here, or I'm gonna catch ya, tie ya up and force ya to listen to this! This is one case where you can't judge a review by its cover.

   So Pennywise are from California, and they are popular with skate and surf kiddies, but if you're expecting watered down Offspring/Green Day type pop-punk, then you're out of luck. This is faster, more intelligent, and dare I say it, heavier ... If you want Good Charlotte or Blink 182, then go and listen to er... Good Charlotte or Blink 182. And Pennywise deliver live, something the pretend punks only wish they could.

   Unlike the modern day pretenders, Pennywise have one foot firmly in the early 80s, and are damned proud of the fact. Check the cover of "Minor Threat", where Jim lists the bands he grew up listening to. Some of their songs here, particularly older tracks like "Final Chapters" and "Unknown Road" sound like Bad Religion or The Descendents with a rocket ... The song "Pennywise" could almost have come from Suicidal Tendencies. There is an old school Hardcore edge to much of the band's material. Something else the casual observer might also miss is a hint of Thrash, particularly in the guitar playing. Don't believe me? Check out "Fight Til You Die" and "Perfect People" for yourself. It beats most of what Megadeth or Helloween produced in the 1980s.

   Even several years after his suicide, original bass player Jason is still an important figure for the band. If he wrote a song, they let everyone know. The set closer "Bro Hymn" is dedicated to his memory, and what a belter of a song to be remembered by. The distinctive bass riff and classic "whoa, whoa" shoutalong refrains get everyone going, for a raucous all-in finale.

   This is by no means a perfect live album. The odd track sounds a little flat, like there was not much atmosphere at the gig. The overly commercial "Alien" in particular sounds out of place. The crowd do not seem terribly enthusiastic at times, as if they are unfamiliar with the band's back catalogue. The playing is near on note perfect though, and is still definitely live, rather than doctored in the studio. For a summer time beer drinking party hard live album, you could do a lot worse than this.




4. a band that sounds good live.good cd if ur not a big fan of pennywise but want something with some of there best work then this cd is a must have



5. This is the latest Pennywise c.d. that I have gotten and it was shocking to hear how amazing a live show put on by Pennywise can be.My only regrets are the lack of good songs from about time and the fact that the song alien which sounds like it was written by a totally different band was on here.
   Also wouldn't it be nice wasn't nearly as godd as how it is on the self titled album.Pennywise manages to pack a-lot of awesome energy into this album with tracks like fight till you die and cant believe it and the touching Bro Hyhm.
   I would reccomend listening to Pennywise before getting this c.d. Get About time or the self titled but I wouldn't reccomend Unkown for new listeners to Pennywise, I thought that almost all of the songs on Unknown road sounded terrible with the exceptions of Homesick and Unkown Road the song and the vocals get really whiny and annoying.
   So if you really become a Pennywise fan I would reccomend that you buy this c.d. it rocks my socks.

5 comments about Deep Dead Blue, Live at Meltdown.

1. Close your eyes. On the left of the stage sits Elvis Costello, geeky glasses, geeky smile, a microphone in his hand. On the right, Bill Frisell sits on the edge of a little Fender amp, rocking gently, picking his guitar in only the way he can.

   While the audience applause in between each of the tracks on this album leads me to believe the setting was not quite as small as I like to imagine it, my imagination still beats out my reason. And that's what makes listening to this record so exciting. Clocking in at under twenty-seven minutes, and costing over twenty dollars, I had to wonder if this was worth the money. After it sat on my "To Buy" list for a few months, I decided to just spring for it.

   I waited until, given what I'd read about the album and what I've already heard from Costello and Frisell as artists on their own, I thought the timing was right. It was a late night in November, sort of chilly outside. I wrapped up in a favorite blanket and listened to the album.

   The album begins with "Weird Nightmare," an obscure Charles Mingus composition. Costello's voice is haunting when paired with Frisell's sparse lines, and Mingus' creepy lyrics bring out the best in both musicians. The tone is similar through the next three (two written by Costello, one a Lerner & Loewe standard) before picking the mood up considerably on "Poor Napoleon." Though it was originally recorded for Costello's "Blood & Chocolate," it is rerecorded here to a very effective end. Costello's voice is dead on, and (once again) perfectly matched to Frisell's one of a kind style.

   This is music that needs to be heard. The next time you're lonely, pour yourself a glass of red (or two), light up a Lucky Strike, and curl up with a blanket. These twenty-seven minutes might not make you feel entirely better, but they'll certainly make you feel comforted.




2. live at the meltdown is truely one amazing piece of music. the pairing of elvis and bill was nothng short of genuis!! whether they are doing costello's "lovefield" or a mingus song "wierd nightmare" or the odd pair of writes (cait o'riordan/mac manus)"baby plays around" this CD offers nothing but talent from beginning to end. and i for one love elvis's voice



3. Costello and Frisell happen to be two of my favorite artists. I had no idea that this album existed--I happened to stumble upon it one day while browsing through Amazon.com. I think they compliment each other pretty well. I particularly like the rendition of 'Baby Plays Around,' a gem from Costello's 'Spike' album that unfortunately often gets overlooked. The album has excellent sound quality. Fans of Costello and/or Frisell will dig this album.



4. When most people think of New Wave, good singers is probably not the first thing to come to mind, heh if not the last. However, Elvis Costello is one of the few New wave artists to have a simply amazing voice and it is never more evident than on this CD. With only guitar and vocals, the CD seems like it would be empty sounding, but instead it is just the opposite, creating a full lush sound that would actually be hurt by the addition of louder, more crash instruments like drums or bass. Bill Frisell's guitar work lies somewhere between the piano style of Eric Satae and the ambient experimentation of Fripp/Eno bridging the gap between minimalism and ambience to create a smooth, flowing wave of notes that wash over the listener. Costello then softly croons over frisell's work in incredible vocal range going from a gentle whisper to a full falsetto. The subtelty and brilliance of this album is breathtaking and the depth and beauty they can create with only 2 instruments at their disposal is more than impressive. Apart from the music, the sound is A+ quality for a live release and allows every note to remain intact in a concert that truly relies on the important of each and every sound. Finally, clocking in at only about 30 minutes, the CD ends without becoming repetative or boring, which eventually would be inevitable using only 2 instruments, simply leaving the content listener with a nice, concise batch of love songs.



5. I must say this is a delightful cd... only if you are an open-minded listener. I thought every Costello or Frisell fan was such kind of person. Should I say that through the years I realize I was mistaken? I guess both Costello and Frisell ask for the same musical curiosity (or, lets say it: heterodox musical erudition) from the listeners than the one that obsessed them all the way; that is: their opening to different styles in music is not the attitude of a snob --is the rejoice of a musician who let him be surprised by the "new values" as well as by the traditions of their roots. That is the only way you can enjoy this cd: let you be driven into the subtle complexity of Frisell's guitar on "Love Field" and "Poor Napoleon", two underrated masterpieces written by Costello, who sings them as if he had learned the best of Sinatra's or Bennett's style (but remaining himself); or dive for that rare jewel that is "Shamed into Love" just to merge full of charity and self-consciousness; or re-read the Lerner and Loewe classic "Gigi" and realize that every thirty/fourty-some guy is a nowadays Louis Jourdan character is this XXI century world. Of course, there is more: you have "the taste of beauty" (that already was on "Spike") with "Baby Plays Around"; the rare Mingus song facing a darkness that's always lighten; and the original "Deep Dead Blue" version with its real "deep-end" approach, that breathless feeling of ephimeral marvel, that sort-of-satori revelation that can only be captured when a sublime songwriter (and very personal singer --I must admit: the kind of singer I prefer: honest and imperfect like the glimpse of a truth) and a talented musician, both of them as open-minded as faithful to themselves, work together for an open-minded listener with a wide open and sensitive soul. (By the way, excuse me for my English --it is not my everyday language).

No comments about Live Anthology.