5 comments about Hardwired in Ljubljana.

1. This album is remarkable for really capturing a lot of what makes Dead Moon the best live show ever. Toodie's remarks about the WC, the band thanking the opening band - these are so indicative of Dead Moon. Song selection is excellent, the set list captures most everything from a standard Dead Moon Show. The mix works too, a bit scratchy at times, but its all there. The enhanced CD is fun, but I really want a full length concert-documentary on this band. Truly an inspiring group, and worthy of five stars. ...



2. I just saw this band last night, and their energy on stage is amazing. Hard Wired is a great collection of their older songs, and definetely captures what makes them so good live.



3. The Ramones meet AC/DC. A live record with the song covered by Pearl Jam. Not a great recording. The songs are good, would rather hear studio versions. If you are looking to buy cause of the Pearl Jam song.. don't waste your money. Otherwise they are a good band but the production is no good!



4. Fred Cole has been around since he was the lead singer for the Lollipop Shoppe when he was 16 years old in 1966. Him and his wife Trudy formed the Rats in the mid 70's, some great well written punk music. I have a couple of the records. Then they did some country punk before it became popular. I have seen Fred and Trudy live a few times and they are great. Dead Moon has put out a bunch of stuff since the 70's, try to find the out of print stuff. have fun,EVL.. PS. The Rats and Dead Moon had a great impact in the NW with Punk and Country Punks.



5. If it is called Hard Wired in Ljubljana, why was it recorded somewhere in the Netherlands? Ljubljana is in Slovenia--a country on the other side of Europe...

No comments about Oi!/Skampilation, Vol. 1.

1 comments about Left for Dead: Alive in Holland '86.

1. Sure this album presents a reason for you to bob your head. It allows you to have fun. but on the other hand the lyrics are so bad that i feel dumb for tuning in. While many view the uk subs as punk pioneers i feel they are in all essense just another band. The album drones on for what seems like hours, and is so rendundant that i find it hard to distinguish one song from the next. There are maybe a few fun spots such as "cid", or "new york state police but other than that the hub bub is wrong.

5 comments about Hardwired in Ljubljana.

1. This album is remarkable for really capturing a lot of what makes Dead Moon the best live show ever. Toodie's remarks about the WC, the band thanking the opening band - these are so indicative of Dead Moon. Song selection is excellent, the set list captures most everything from a standard Dead Moon Show. The mix works too, a bit scratchy at times, but its all there. The enhanced CD is fun, but I really want a full length concert-documentary on this band. Truly an inspiring group, and worthy of five stars. ...



2. I just saw this band last night, and their energy on stage is amazing. Hard Wired is a great collection of their older songs, and definetely captures what makes them so good live.



3. The Ramones meet AC/DC. A live record with the song covered by Pearl Jam. Not a great recording. The songs are good, would rather hear studio versions. If you are looking to buy cause of the Pearl Jam song.. don't waste your money. Otherwise they are a good band but the production is no good!



4. Fred Cole has been around since he was the lead singer for the Lollipop Shoppe when he was 16 years old in 1966. Him and his wife Trudy formed the Rats in the mid 70's, some great well written punk music. I have a couple of the records. Then they did some country punk before it became popular. I have seen Fred and Trudy live a few times and they are great. Dead Moon has put out a bunch of stuff since the 70's, try to find the out of print stuff. have fun,EVL.. PS. The Rats and Dead Moon had a great impact in the NW with Punk and Country Punks.



5. If it is called Hard Wired in Ljubljana, why was it recorded somewhere in the Netherlands? Ljubljana is in Slovenia--a country on the other side of Europe...

2 comments about Welcome to Mexico...Asshole.

1. I must admit, as an industrial music fan, I was certainly not prepared for this album. It was the first Pigface album I was able to find, and I was blown away. This was the first time I heard the song "Suck" and this is likely one of the best songs you have never heard. Martin Atkins is a good guy; he makes good rhythms, and when I wrote to him in high school when I wrote an Advanced English paper on them, he wrote me back, complete with a coffee cup stain on the letter. "Blood and Sand" rules, and still speaks to us now, since we are killing off people in the Middle East again for no logical reason. I find that Pigface helps me to reach a place that no other group is capable of doing; a strange, rhythmic bliss. Crack open a Newcastle Brown Ale, and turn up the stereo. Pigface will take care of cracking open your head.



2. This is old Pigface, when they recruited some of industrial music's heaviest hitters. Amongst those were Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy, Bill Rieflin and Chris Connelly of Ministry/Revolting Cocks, William Tucker of Thrill Kill Kult, Michael Balch (formerly of Front Line Assembly), En Esch of KMFDM, and Nine Inch Nails contributors Chris Vrenna and Jeff Ward, as well as Trent Reznor himself. They've even got Becky from Lunachicks and Black Francis (the guy from Pixies?). The songs range from decent to excellent, with one of Pigface's better-known songs, "Tapeworm", on it. Also of note are two songs that also appeared on albums by Pigface contributors: "Suck", which was one of the hidden tracks on Nine Inch Nails' "Broken" and "T.F.W.O.", which is on Skinny Puppy's "Too Dark Park". Although I'm not a big fan of live albums, this one has its shining moments.

No comments about Sphinctour.

5 comments about Stop Making Sense.

1. I have a soft spot for this album, since it was what turned me on to the group in the first place. This isn't as good as the film (which, as several have stated before, is as good as concert videos get), or the full-blown soundtrack, but so what? Very cool. For one, it's got my favorite Talking Heads version of Take Me to the River - excellent studio version, but if you ask me it sounds better here, if just for the decrescendo/unexpected crescendo ending part. Also great is the acoustic Psycho Killer and an excellent take on Byrne's solo tune What a Day That Was. These are the bset, but really, everything's good: Swamp is as bizarre as ever; Slippery People, Girlfriend is Better and Burning Down the House are still funky, and will always be; Once in a Lifetime is... Once in a Lifetime, though that's one of those tracks where you NEED to see the accompanying live video footage. Life During Wartime is a bit of a disappointment, but that's only because the tense, suspenseful studio version makes for something hard to create on stage. My only problem is the lack of a couple great performances. I understand the limits of vinyl technology, but they had sufficent room to throw in Heaven and probably Cross-Eyed and Painless as well. This is almost useless now that the full-blown take exists, but it still has its purposes: it makes for a great start for the band if you're looking for something on the cheap; and it's a lot of fun.



2. If you can only have one Talking Heads album, then get this one. Frenetic energy, fabulous changes, perfect pacing, it captures the entire Talking Heads legacy. "Life During Wartime" and "Take Me to the River" are unbelievable to end the set. I wish The Clash had something like this for posterity. This compares to The Band's "Last Waltz" for best rock performance in a live setting. Daniel



3. I love Talking Heads. I do. But I love them in the way that someone who knows them mainly through hearing his older siblings constantly playing them as he grew up loves them. I don't own many of their albums, and I've never even see the film "Stop Making Sense," though I've watched David Byrne's "True Stories" dozens of times. I picked this CD up out of a bargain bin a couple of years ago, and though I like it, I just don't feel it's Talking Heads at their best.
   It's got a great version of "Psycho Killer," played the way David Byrne would play it back in art school--with recorded music played on a boombox kicking off the song--some okay tracks by the Tom Tom Club, and some genuinely clever liner notes ("In the future women will have breasts all over").
   But, almost all the songs here aren't as good as their album counterparts, and overall the CD feels erratic and irregular. If you love Talking Heads, you should own this. You probably already do. But if you're just looking to get into them, this probably isn't the album to start with. Check out their "Popular Favorites" compilation instead, or either of their first two albums. Those are much better.



4. When he came out in that big suit and started with the funky chicken type stuff. Man, I'm still laughing. Great music too.



5. This is essential because it draws from their very best material, and the songs have never sounded this good. "once in a lifetime" is particularly improved, giving it a harder edge compared to the studio version, but you will find all of the songs are very well arranged live. It doesn't really sound like a live album, its so good. If you are new to the band get this and the newly released The Name of the Band is Talking Heads, another great live album. Or you could opt for the Best Of disc instead. I am having a hard time deciding between the two, actually. But I have no doubt that this is a necessary musical document of the greatest band of the 80's.

No comments about Live at the Phoenix Festival 95-96.

5 comments about Concerto.

1. This is a re-issue of the single CD called Concert Classics. Concert Classics was an hour long CD of a concert from Denver. The sound quality was not great. The low end was faint, and there a screechy quality to the high end. There was also a background buzz on some of the tracks.

   For Concerto, the sound quality was improved somewhat. The low end was boosted so you can hear the drums and bass better. The squeal at the high end was removed. Must of the background buzz is still present. The quick introduction of the band at the beginning of the concert was removed. Two bonus tracks from an Oakland concert were added on the end. The bonus tracks were blended in with the old material, so it sounds like it comes from the same show. But they are out of place. Brian Ferry says they will do one more track, but end up doing three tracks.

   With the bonus tracks, the total time is a few seconds over eighty minutes. So, it had to be put on two CD's. If you already have Concert Classics, the improved sound and bonus tracks do not make this worth buying (I wish I had known). Mother Of Pearl is one of my favorite tracks from Stranded, but this live version is not very good.

   Overall, it is a fairly nice concert. There a number of blistering guitar solos. There could be some more sax solos from Mackay. A few songs are boring, like the always tedious Song For Europe. And, the concert kind of ends on a whimper, especially with the addition of the two bonus tracks. But, there are enough good tracks to make this worth getting.

   The cover of my CD slightly different than what is shown here. The contrast of the colors on mine is muted so it is really difficult to make out that it is the face of a woman.

   Roxy Music always had the greatest publicist. The group's PR machine has claimed that Roxy Music has invented all kinds of music styles, from glam rock, to progressive rock, to electronica and new wave. In fact, Roxy Music has always a follower of styles and in some cases their music sounded dated at the time of release. Around the time of this album, Roxy Music's sound was moving to the New Wave sound. The group has put out some stunning music, and went out with a bang with Avalon and the concert tour to support it.




2. This is a "must buy" live performance of Roxy Music, recorded in 1979 on their comeback "Manifesto" tour. For real fans of Roxy, this album represented the turning point of the band from the frantic, agressive art-rock band of the seventies to the richly produced, lush, romantic band that most people associate with Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry. I saw the Boston stop of this tour and this CD confirmed all my vivid memories. Some highlights: "Still Falls The Rain" (intense drama of Ferry's vocals), "Ladytron" (powerful Paul Thompson drums), "Editions of You" (Usually last song in set, frantic virtuosity of all band members - Listen for Ferry tap dancing!) Technically, the sound quality is outstanding. (Much better than "Heart Still Beating" or "Viva".) This recording brings this performance and this tour vividly to life. Buy it; you'll like it!



3. I have to defend Manifesto. While not the band's best album by a long shot it has many moments equal to their best work. True, this album signaled a shift in musical direction towards a more "mellow" sound (or one could call it intoxicating sound). The Roxy sound was streamlined and remade/remodeled to fit the new wave explosion that occured in the late 70's.

   The title track is a particular stand out. Alan Spenner (or could it be Gary Tibb?) contributes a muscular bass part that rolls along propelling this song forward. The title track captures what was best about the old Roxy and where they were headed. Trash, Angel Eyes (no, not the disco version added to the album after its release but the rock version)and Stronger Through The Years all have a dark undercurrent to them. They play as dark alter egos to counterparts in the Roxy canon.

   The "West" Side of the album is the more poppy less innovative part of the album. Still the slow percolating funk of Ain't That So and the music box melody of Spin Me Round are both stand out tracks that, again, can easily hold their own against Roxy's best material. Yes, Manifesto does consist of a certain amount of filler but I would hardly call it a bad album. The best moments on Manifesto recall the band in their prime. If the arrangements are streamlined and starker than previous albums that's to the album's benefit; each Roxy album stood apart like some amazing chapter in a very strange book. They rarely duplicated each other beyond making reference to what had gone before.

   Taken all in all this live album captures Roxy in fine form. The sound is an improved on the Concert Classics edition released a couple of years ago. The addition of the two songs not recorded for the Denver show adds a nice contrast to the newer material.

   I do share the sentiments of many of the writers here about the length of the disc. It seems to me that a couple of other tracks from other shows could have been tacked on to the second disc (if nothing else as an example of an alternative performance). If I have access to the Los Angeles show from this tour it seems to me others must have it as well. Why not use the same technology the Beatles used on the Anthology project and present these additional shows?

   These are small complaints. Although not as essential as VIVA (or the band's shows in Sweden despite the thin sound quality of the bootlegs), Concerto 1979 presented the band in their element. Ferry, Manazanera, MacKay and Thompson still cared about the music. The Avalon tour (and the EP and CD released from it) demonstrated nothing more than the passion was gone far before the marriage fell apart. VIVA and Concerto 1979 are nice bookends to a performing career that ended in tatters and indifferent shows.




4. Those of you looking for the sheer energy of 'Viva' may be slightly disapointed.Similarly, those looking for the breathtaking violin/synthesizer solos of Eddie Jobson may find something lacking. However, for those who are 'Roxy' purists, 'Concerto' is a must have. This Live recording is 'Roxy' in the middle of their metamorphis from the cutting edge introspective band of early 70's to the more laid back mellow sound of the early 1980's. Disc One of this set draws heavilly from 'Manifesto, . All songs are strong, however the final trilogy of 'Still Falls The Rain', 'Aint That So' and 'Stronger Through The Years' remind us that this band is so very special . Disc Two takes us through an ensemble of 'Roxy' classics. 'Ladytron', 'In every Dream Home..' Re-make/Re-model(The finest love song to a car ever written!!), and 'Mother Of Pearl' take us back in time to 'Roxy' at their most inspirational. And let's not forget 'Do The Strand' and 'Editions of You', which have long been fixtures in live shows through the years. The sound mix is left lacking in places, however, that is a small burden to carry compared to the wonderful sense of nostalgia and enjoyment delivered by 'Concerto'.



5. Concerto is certainly an improvement over the "Concert Classics" version that was put out a few years ago of this Denver 1979 show. They've removed a lot of annoying ticks that come up during the first few tracks. The sound sounds crisper and refined. The group packs a lot of punch especially with "Out Of The Blue" and the Jeckle & Hyde tribute of "Still Falls The Rain". I only wished they could have squeezed all the tracks on to a single disc. The two add up to a little over 80 minutes with the the bonus tracks of "Mother Of Pearl" & "Editions Of You", which are not from the Denver show but on the same tour. I also felt some solos go on a little too long like in "Ladytron" and "In Every Home...". But anyone who wants to hear Roxy in a strong raw showcase may want to pick this up, especially in lieu of the over polished Heart Still Beating and who think that they've lost a certain edge after seeing them on the 2001 tour. I know I did.

   POSTSCRIPT 2004: Since writing this review, Roxy has put out Roxy Music Live 2004 containing all the songs from the 2001 world tour in pristine sound with the nice bonus of Both Ends Buring from the video "Live At The Apollo". You're much better picking this up instead.

5 comments about Alive Before the Iceberg.

1. R.
   U.
   Kidding?
   3.5 stars av'g? (before I did my bit)
   You know who you are.
   Just get it, and listen...



2. The Posies have a very nice and long relationship with Barcelona. This "Alive before the iceberg" is recorded there and the record company that released the record (Houston Party) was founded there, but the connection goes further: Jon Auer (Co-leader of the band)has lived for a while in this spanish city, he has produced a CD from a local band there (Gallygows) and they (The Posies) have recorded some new material in a studio located on the city. In the "Alive before..." CD liner notes Ken Stringfellow explains a little bit more about the relationship between the band and the spanish character. The recording is not great but it's honest and real and... I really love this guys.



3. It seems some of you out there have been jaded by those shimmering, "just like the record only with clapping and more reverb" live albums that are more overdubs than live. A real live rock band who is jumping off amps and running across the stage with reckless abandon will sound like this record - Raw and Balls Out - especially when playing at the venues described in the liner notes (one had a stage made of sheets of plywood and oil drums). If you are a fan of The Posies beyond Failure and Dear 23, BUY THIS CD! It's loud, it rocks, and it's The Posies, what more could you want? It even sounds like they're having fun! Imagine that, a rock band actually enjoying themselves! I gave it four stars instead of five only because I can't stand the song "Broken Record", but the cover of "Surrender" is hilarious; one unabashed rock show cliche after another, and the live version of "Please Return It" is much better than the album version. Enough said. Except that you should make sure to get the acoustic live album which is excellent (although not as good as they were in NYC near the end of the tour) and also the amazing Jon Auer solo record. Pray to your God that these guys keep putting out records.



4. Happy endings are always nice. It's a good thing that Jon and Ken decided to perform as the Posies again and that we have the Not Lame box set to look forward to, 'cause this here live album really wasn't much of a going-away present.

   Maybe it's the fact that it's taken straight from one show instead of compliled from a bunch of performances. Whatever it is, this album does not do justice to the Posies as a live band. The mix sounds sloppy, the harmonies are off more than they're on, and the song selection leaves a lot to be desired. It seems as if most of the effort was spent on Ken's incredibly detailed (and interesting) liner notes. Even the Cheap Trick cover is uninspiring.

   As a Posies live album, this was better than nothing, I suppose, but not much.

   Check out the far superior acoustic live album, "In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In". It's a *much* better release than this.




5. For those of us who never got to see The Posies live this album brings a true sense of melancholy knowing we never will. Their driving beats and pure pop sound come through as they do things you never thought they could do live. As in most live cd's the quality leaves a little to be desired but the bands amazing musicianship is more then evident. Check out what they do on "Grant Heart" it will leave you breathless.