2 comments about Super Soul Fighter: Live & Rare.

1. LK has been purposely catching my attention over the years with his eye catching CD covers and grooves. I can't avoid him. I just have to take notice. Like not expecting Mr. K to pop up with his guitar on stage at The Artist's concert in Holland last December. "There he goes again", I thought to myself. With the current cuts on this particular CD, he gives me what I want right now, creativity. He really has alot of style.



2. LK has been purposely catching my attention over the years with his eye catching CD covers and grooves. I can't avoid him. I just have to take notice. Like not expecting Mr. K to pop up with his guitar on stage at The Artist's concert in Holland last December. "There he goes again", I thought to myself. With the current cuts on this particular CD, he gives me what I want right now, creativity. He really has alot of style.

5 comments about Urgh! A Music War.

1. It was released on two cassetes, I only have one



2. While this is an EXCELLENT album, and the MOVIE is super rare, I don't believe the record to be worth so much! I just recently bought my copy at Wax N Facts in Atlanta for less than ten dollars, and I've been seeing it on Ebay for five bucks. $90 is just a little much... however, if you don't agree and want to buy it for $50 bucks, just contact me.



3. The best ever panorama of the alternative (then) music scene in the early 80's. The Police in top (then) form. Devo when Devo WAS Devo. The Cramps in a completely obscene performance. Lost gems like Au Pairs, Athletic Spizz, Alley Cats and others lost in the battle to limelight. Can't recommend it enough. I do have the double-vinyl (not for sale) AND the VHS but we really need the CD (extra, previously unreleased tracks???) and DVD.



4. Please Please Please, this cd is a classic for new wave and punk lovers. Re-issued please



5. URGH! a Music War was first a film and double LP soundtrack. It was released back in 1982, when I was first getting my feet wet in British and American post-punk music. The film itself is great,showcasing a variety of acts all under the loose umbrella of "New Wave" from the power-pop of the Police, the Go-Go's, and XTC, to the electro musings of Gary Numan, and the totally uncatagorizable, sadly missed and WAY ahead of his time Klaus Nomi. Each group was shown playing one song each, and the film hops all over the globe, from New York, Santa Monica, to Paris and London. Unfortunately, there are several groups in the film not on the original double LP ( which I still have ) such as Invisible Sex and Spodgness Abounds ( I think I spelled that correctly, my memory fails me ) and more than that, there are several artists on the original double Lp that were left off the CD release, such as Toyah Wilcox. I suppose this was done in order to fit all they could on one compact disc, but it is a disservice to both the artists and the fans of the original movie. Why can this movie not be re-released on DVD?? Is there not an audience for it? I have seen several used copies of the VHS cassette on E-bay and the like, going for upwards of $100.The original film and double LP format I would give 5 stars. It is an invaluable document of early eighties alternative rock. However, I dock the CD release a few points for leaving out so many great songs and artists. Until this is re-released on DVD, I will hold on to my LP, thank you very much, and play it, scratches and all, and re-live those early, crazy days of my youth.

5 comments about King Biscuit Flower Hour.

1. As huge of a fan of shows put out on the King Biscuit label, I've only discovered this particular title in the last couple of months. Was recorded in the band's home country of Glasgow, Scotland on New Year's Eve 1983. Best described as 'new wave', although I've always considered them almost like alternative. Better cuts include "Angel Park", the rocker "The Storm", "Fields Of Fire" and the only song {that most music fans from that era seem to remember} "In A Big Country". Line-up: Stuart Adamson (R.I.P.)-guitar, ebow & vocals, Bruce Watson-guitar & vocals, Tony Butler-bass & backing vocals and Mark Brzezicki-drums. I've heard a patron or two mention before that Big Country could've 'easily' become like another U2 - had they ever received a major break. I was fortunate enough to catch the guys playing in a small club in the early '90's. They were good at what they do.



2. One of the most powerful rock bands to come out of the '80s
   produced by Steve Lillywhite, who also produced U2's first 3
   records (Boy, October, and War). Fans will tell you that their
   early tours were the best. I would agree. This will leave
   you breathless as it captures them in full stride during
   the Crossing tour. Stuart has left the building, but this
   time capsule completly reminds us of what was....This is a
   truly great live album and probably their best live release.



3. I've been a fan of Big Country since their 1980s heyday. If you too loved the sound and style of their music from that decade, and if you enjoyed their first couple of albums, you will love this CD as much as I do! It has all their old hits, as well as some other hits.

   I don't always like "live" albums, because sometimes groups don't seem to perform nearly as well on stage as they do on their albums. However, Big Country is a consistent and excellent band that has no such problems! :)

   Plus, there is a beautiful intermission in which a bagpipe band takes the stage and performs several songs. (I love the skirl of the pipes). What a tribute to this great Scottish group! Another bonus is the interview with the late (and great) Stuart Adamson at the end of the CD. It provides some interesting insights into the man and his music.

   I promise you will not find this album a disappointment!




4. Let me say it straight out: I'm a Big Country fan. I enjoyed their studio studio work, and I loved their live albums. I think that by any standard, the live albums "Come Up Screaming" and "Without the Aid of a Safety Net" are among the best live albums ever recorded. That's why it pains me to think so badly of this album. Yes, it's a good insight into how good they were even early on in their career. I have no quarrel with their talent or the fire with which they performed. So much for the album's good points.

   The sound on this album is horrible. The performance was recorded on New Year's Eve 1983 at The Barrowlands in Glasgow, but don't take that as an excuse for the abysmal sound quality; the previously mentioned "Without the Aid of a Safety Net" was recorded in the same venue almost exactly ten years later (12/29/93), and the sound on that album is crystal clear. Here, it sounds like the album was recorded in a boiler factory. The guitar work is muddy, some of the backing vocals are almost totally lost, and in some places the drums are so loud that they distract from the rest of the performance. If this was the only available live recording of Big Country I would probably overlook all of these faults. But with so many good live recordings in their catalogue, why tolerate something that's second rate?

   I have one other criticism, but it's much smaller. In introducing the song "The Storm", the late Stuart Adamson tells the crowd that it's one of his favorite numbers (and it's certainly one of mine, as well). That makes it twice as infuriating when the band abandons the song in the middle to stop and celebrate the New Year! Oh well...I didn't like the album anyway!




5. On the King Biscuit Live cd, Big Country is energetic, young, full of fire and verve, and rocking their homeland. If you only know their few stateside hits, this is a great intro to the bands early sound, and a real representative of their first few records. If you already know the band, it is a great moment in time, caught before a frenzied hometown crowd on a celebratory New Year's Eve, complete with a (?!?) live pipe band helping to stir the crowd up even more. Rocking hard start to finish, with mid-tempo numbers mixed in, the band literally tears through the early songbook, pumping "Wonderland" and "Fields of Fire" with life and injecting emotion and feeling into my personal favorites, "Chance" and "Harvest Home". Also for the fans, old and new, the fairly interesting if not so necessary interview with songwriter/ singer/ leader/ activist Stuart Adamson is a nice little bonus. While these are live versions, they differ eno! ugh to interest a fan while staying faithful enough for the curious or the new convert. And the sound quality is good, too. Not a SINGLE bad song, at least NINE, yes NINE great songs, and some others which are at least good to near-great, if you wanted your MTV in '83, and loved the bagpipe rock tune "In a Big Country", this will NOT disappoint, and should only enlighten and delight.

No comments about Dynablob 3: 26th March 1999.

5 comments about BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert.

1. As another reviewer noted, like many live albums the appear of this might be lost on the casual fan. It's a pretty good disc. Again, as others noted it sounds like Bernard Sumner is wasted, and as he never had a strong voice...it's probably not their best show of the tour. Recorded live in Glastonbury '87, it's not the usual BBC session disc in a studio with a live audience, but a regular concert.
   
   The other New Order BBC discs (Peel Sessions and In Session)feature better performances and better sound, but this has a strong and attractive setlist. The recording isn't the best, either--the lead bass guitar is a bit drowned out, and Barney's drunken playing and lyric-spewing are downers. But it's not bad. If you want to hear these songs in a live setting, it's a good deal. There's a different quality in some of these tracks away from the cold, tinnier studio sound. Material from Brotherhood appears alongside Age of Consent, Temptation, and a cover of Sister Ray.
   
   The disc first appeared in 1991, presumably it was remastered or something in the later editions (this one from 2000). I'd recommend the other two New Order BBC albums before this as they sound better and the band is tighter, but still a good disc for fans. However, the set list and the era do sell this one.



2. This album is what made me fall in love with New Order once again. The people who dislike this album fall into two seemingly opposing categories: Joy division fans who don't like Bernard Summer's higher voice and synthesizer usage, and New Order fans who think every performance should soudn just like the studio. No man this is New Order singing with a heavy Manchester Accent putting forth all the passion and emotion their lyrics hold. You know how when that song you like is on the radio, but you always seem to tune into the middle part of the song. Then one day you hear a odd but familiar intro, and you finally realize that you are goign to hear the song the whole way through and it's awesome. That is what this album is like. My favorite track on this is Perfect Kiss, which is played in entirety, both verses and the little canto at the end of the second verse with the most elaborate and moving performance of Stephen Morris's Frog Croakings. My only complaint is wanting more.



3. To be fair, I'm not a major New Order fan, but I always liked "True Faith" and "Bizarre Love Triangle", and found others alright. That being said, given the fact the singer never had a tremendous voice in singing in such a bland way, that concert performances are generally not as well played as original versions, and that these performances add nothing to the original versions in terms of interesting reinterpretations, this performance is dreadful. I've read the band were taking drugs heavily during this 1987 tour. Perhaps this is why the singer's hardly difficult singing is off-tune and lazy throughout. I had to return this awful album. Buy "Substance" or the "International Hits", maybe even Joy Division's "Permanent".



4. I never had the chance to see New Order perform live, and having listened to this I'm sorry I never did. New Order on stage is a vastly different proposition than their fussy, perfect production studio albums. The music has a whole different feel live. The spontaneousness actually makes some of their songs more tuneful. The only regret is that the album contains only nine cuts, drawn heavilly from their 1986 album "Brotherhood." That said, this one is definately for fans only. Like most live albums, the appeal is likely to be lost on casual listeners.



5. Especially to those who slammed the album...really, what do you expect from newOrder? Some sugarwalled and perfect concert live sound on stage? Well, just for your info, the music of newOrder is never meant for live anyway.

   They never bother to dress up for their gigs, let alone getting the sound right and studio quality like. Ask any newOrder fan, and this is what they will say too.

   This is newOrder, like it or not. They have those once in a blue room world tour, not because they are arrogant, but they never set out to be some kind of rock stars searching for fame or money (perhaps a little).

   Not convinced? ;) join the Ceremony (only newOrder mailing list on the net)

1 comments about March March Alive.

1. this cd rocks hard core. its worth it to buy the cd even if you just listen to the first song. That song just hits you and makes you wanna get out there and change the world. The singer makes me wanna go start a band and just be the awsome woman she is. There are lots of great songs on this cd and the band is just really rad. anyone calling themselves a punk rocker needs to own a naked agression cd and this is one of the best.

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!

5 comments about Live in Liverpool.

1. Recorded in Liverpool, England {the band's hometown} over a two-night stand, August 17-18, 2001. Truly a brilliant live performance from this long-running post-punk, neo-psychedelic, alternative (call them what you want) five-piece. Some of these cuts I couldn't get enough of were the all-around solid rocker "Rescue", "Lips Like Sugar", the awesome "Never Stop", "My Kingdom", "The Killing Moon" and the essential "Ocean Rain". Never actually thought about it before, but it's obvious that Echo & The Bunnymen are definitely influenced by The Doors and Velvet Underground. A must-have.



2. I picked up the DVD for less than the price of the CD & am glad I did. The sound quality is great (Dolby Stereo) plus the options for Dolby 5.1 & DTS 5.1. The DVD also has 23 tracks (the full concert including encore), plus 2 videos (it's alright & make me shine). In spite of the terrible editing of the visuals on the DVD, it really is recommended over this & if you're tech savy, you can make you're own CD from the audio portion.



3. The sound quality of the recording makes this CD one of the best live albums I have ever heard. I agree with what everyone else has said about the energy of the performance; I just wanted to give props for the recording.



4. I loved this 2001 Liverpool, England concert CD from the still alive and kickin' Echo & The Bunnymen...
   OK, they've got a number of hired guns these days, but originals - Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant get the best out of them and as a result, this record (CD) rocks! I saw this band lineup when they toured the States and they did a great job...this CD captures them well...additionally the sound quality is really GREAT here - thumbs up to the recording / mixing engineer Pete Coleman!
   The well chosen song selection covers alot of ground, from the early days clear up to 2001's, "Flowers".
   I look forward to many more from Echo & The Bunnymen!



5. Live albums today rarely live up to their previously set standards of expectations--so the most we can generally hope to enjoy about them is a polished performance (or excellent post-show mixing) and a 'greatest hits' song-selection. With "Live In Liverpool", the Bunnymen set their sights somewhere between self-parody and brilliance.

   I'm happy to say the album is quite good; material from "Crocodiles" and "Songs to Learn & Sing" mesh well with newer tunes from "Evergreen" and "Flowers", something that's hard for any band to pull off. But they pull out the stops with "Lips Like Sugar", "Zimbo", "Killing Moon", and "Seven Seas."

   There's very little innovation to be found here; just a well-rounded, superb-sounding performance that is sure to please old 'where are they now?' fans and newer ones.

2 comments about Live in Stockholm.

1. This rare live EP was originally released by the official Breeders fan club for members only. Most of the songs come from Last Splash, with the exception of "Hellbound" (from Pod) and a cover of Guided By Voices' "Shocker In Gloomtown"..

   That being said, this is a good live EP. "Shocker In Gloomtown" offers a nice buildup, making it a rather good choice for the opening track. The album tracks are performed fairly similar to the studio versions, albeit less polished and with more raw energy. Highlights include an intense version of "SOS", a noisy and energetic "Roi", and a powerful version of "No Aloha".. There is also a bit of entertaining between song banter, including Kim Deal telling us all how to make a mudslide.

   The only major flaw is the length of this EP. It's only about 20 minutes long, and it seems to end right about the point where it has built up the most intensity. Overall, it's a cool live EP, but it's also likely to be an item that only hardcore fans or collectors would want to pick up.




2. This album truly rocks, and is a must for any breeders fan. It definitely is unfortunate that they are no longer around. All the tracks have the ability to pick me up and put me down in an entirely different place every time.

5 comments about The Singer.

1. Very few female voices in my memory have this kind of power and deep expresion of soul. Chavela Vargas is one of them. Edith Piaf, Billy Holiday, Lucha Reyes are some of these great singes that can you make painfluly cry. In other words, Diamanda have a very distinctive way to sing, with great power and deep feelings. Not for all music lovers. This music can be sound bizarre for some.



2. This cd really shows off galas otherworldly,operatic voice.She sings the blues here like nobody else.Her voice usually starts out low,sultry,and wicked,and then she literally jumps two or three octaves,into a frightening and passoniate piercing vocal performance.One of her most haunting and spooky covers,is her version of gloomy sunday.She masterfully accompanies herself on the piano for every song.And her piano playing sounds both sophisticated and spooky simultaneously.Any of these songs could be used in the soundtrack of a horror movie,and yet they still sound hauntingly beautiful.This woman is an underated immensely talented and classically trained musician and singer,who always challenges the listener.Everyone who hears her can't help be moved by her singing,rather they be moved to admire her artistry or to condeme it passioniately.
   Her gloomy sunday is one of the most original and one of the best ever recorded.If you like blues music with a gothic bent than this cd is a must have in your collection.



3. I enjoy this cd very much. Diamanda is definitely on my top 10 of solo artists. However, I prefer the live version of INSANE ASYLUM featured on "MALEDICTION AND PRAYER" than this studio recording. It's less gothic sounding and on MAP it sounds bluesy and her vocals are spunky and just has that "OOMPH." It's clear that she's influenced by blues but also is well rounded and diverse as she tackles spirituals and classical as witnessed on MAP. The cover photo is attractive and I like the blue-gray tint the used. I seem to enjoy Diamanda when she's at the piano and singing-the shreiks and noises(and ya all know what I mean), doesn't bother me as much. But "PLAGUE MASS", "VENA CAVA" and "SHREI-X" are very disturbing and I can only handle sections of those cd's- no disrespect to Diamanda. I do, really admire her.



4. Galas' performance of these songs is simply awesome. Many have sung them before her, but who will dare to sing them after her? Her performance somehow transfigures these very familiar classic blues and spirituals, bringing out a depth of emotion, an awesome power and force, a wonderful subtlety of feeling that was hitherto unknown. Her voice blends perfectly with the piano, her vocals are perfectly balanced, each "scream" and intonation neither too much nor too little, but just perfect. I don't think I will ever again be able to listen to someone else's interpretation of "I put a spell on you" or "A balm in Gilead" without somehow finding it lacking in comparison with Diamanda Galas' performance. She simply outshines them all.



5. This CD is absolutely brillant!
   When I first bought it...I didn't think
   much about it. But.. then I listened
   carefully to the version of "I put
   a spell on you" which she does here.
   Around the same time, there was
   a version of "I put a spell.." by
   Brian Ferry. Brian sings it without
   any feeling. Its like he is falling asleep
   while singing. Diamanda on the other hand,
   gives a real delivery...punctuated ...and
   more like someone who is actually living
   and talking it: "I put a spell on you"...
   pause...becaaaaause "You're Mine!!".
   Absolutely commanding! And throughout this
   CD she keeps her screaming to where its
   appropriate, which I like. I don't see the
   point to some of her other cd's where she
   only screams.