4 comments about Live Plus One.

1. this much punk pop on two discs you cant go wrong at ALL.this is the first live album but either the descendents or ALL in nearly a decade.two things at once ALL over again.so first on disc one you have a great live performance of ALL.i bet when they played this show they were the openeing act but a solid opening act they must of been .these guys are as tight as a rock blasting threw some 22 songs .with no energy lost threw the entire thing.ALL the classics are played(shes my ex, skin deep,educated idiot) and a couple or rare tracks(bubble gum,cant say,birtday iou)these guys must keep the coffee going to play this great.
   than up next is the descendents a band that already has two live albums.but they havent had one in some 13 years prior to this one.so this performace has some of the best songs ALso .with ALL the classics they have put one there other two live discs .but the only difference is that it up to the standards of todays modern sound production.which just blastes out of your speakers.lots of coffee lots of fun.
   so to put it this is the best deal of the century for the price getting some almost two hours of pop power punk from the 2 best bands aroound also to give you something to do when you are hanging around the house feeling o so bored with the cd collection in front of you.So get a big bag of coffee a lot of food and break up with your girl friend its party time..



2. Well, these are not Awesome cds, but they are good.
   The sound quality is not the best.
   Anyways, the songs selection is pretty good. If you want to hear good live stuff buy this.
   Also I recomend Liveage, which I think is better than this cd.



3. Another Live Album from the All / Descendents front. Contains some songs that apear on Trailblazer and no doubt the others too.
   Live albums are always a bit of a gamble, what this album does for me is capture a moment in the life of one/two of the best PROPER punk bands around....Dont buy this if you want a studio quality album, although saying that it's not as bad as some bootlegs which some people will willingly pay more for. this will live in my autochanger for some time....Nice touch that the encore isn't included in the album time on player...the timer just stops counting while people scream for more. They enjoyed it and so shall you. Readingpunk UK.



4. Being a faithful follower of the DescendentsALL saga I was excited for this live stuff. Not too mention the songs were picked by the fans. The song choices, for the ALL cd anway is so-so. The sound quality for both is worse. It doesn't mean I will stop loving both bands but I reccomend Liveage, Hallraker and Trailblazer for the true live experience.

5 comments about MTV Unplugged in New York.

1. The clarity of this "soundtrack" is simply amazing. MTV did a superb job with the setup of this event. I was blown away when I heard the cd version, but hearing it with my cheap Yamaha equipment in DTS took it to another level. It is a shame he is still not around; what an amazing talent this guy had. RIP KC.



2. It's amazing, but not unexpected, to see such a lack of pretense throughout these acoustic translations of much heavier material. The entire concert was bathed in Cobain's tragic warmth and frazzled soul, injecting a tremendous amount of integrity into nearly every strum and vocalization, while the band backs up at their restrained best, revealing a side seldom seen, and one fans were most fortunate to have seen before the end.



3. In my opinion, the greatest MTV Unplugged album ever. They proved that they were more than just a grunge band, and Cobain brought his pain briefly to the surface.



4. When I first got this album I simply could not stop listening to it not only one of the best live albums but one of the best albums ever and that says a lot since before i got this cd I wasnt into acoustic cds i liked my music load and heavy and now because of this cd I now love acoustic songs , which I think its a good change of pace.even thou I hate Mtv ,its nirvana so what the hell here are my favourite songs
   1 jesus dont want me for a sumbeam
   2 come as you are
   3 polly
   4 lake of fire
   5 were did you sleep last night
   be sure to pick up the dvd of this classic album



5. Nirvana was a rock band. Their style was loud, raw, aggressive. Kurt Cobain abused his guitars. Dave Grohl pounded the living daylights out of his drums. Krist Novoselic jumped around on stage like a madman.
   
   So what happens when you hand Cobain an acoustic guitar, tell Grohl to play his drums with brushes, and force Krist to sit still?
   
   Well, you get a very interesting album. I will agree with many of the glowing reviews on here, this performance has alot of emotional punch - in places. But I wonder if perhaps too much of this emotional stuff is read into these performances in light of Cobain's death. Yes, he screams and plunks his guitar with great vigor, but he was also high on herion.
   
   It's somewhat interesting to hear Nirvana play "Come As You Are" unplugged - but it's much better played full-force with electric guitars. And it's okay hearing Cobain play "Pennyroyal Tea" solo, messing up the lyrics and hitting the wrong chords - but it doesn't hold a candle to the full electric arrangement.
   
   The best parts of this album are the cover songs. "The Man Who Sold the World" is a fun song, as are the three Meat Puppet covers; and most folks are in agreement that "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" is spine tingling. If you get this album for no other reason, get it for the cover songs.
   
   So while this is an interesting foray into "what happens when you strip a rock band of what made them famous" - it's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. It's the point of "Unplugged" to put a band in unfamiliar waters, but that doesn't mean it always turns out well.
   
   Nirvana made music that was intended to be plugged in. That's what Nirvana was - loud, kick-your-teeth-in rock. "Unplugged" does not do them justice.

1 comments about Living Enz.

1. The Music is excellent but sound is not than good. I adore Split Enz but this double CD need a urgent remasterization.

No comments about Early Recordings: Demos, Acoustic and Live 1965-1966.

5 comments about MXBX 1998: 13,000 Miles at Light Velocity.

1. WOW, this thing is amazing. Im not sure what to call it. Is it japanese-chick-grindcore? I dont know what the hell it is, nor will I try. I avoided giving it 5 stars, because even as a fan, I still can't get into the right mood to listen to it often.



2. This is Fast,fast,fast singin', Melt Banana give they best live and I should shoot myself for missing they concert when I had a chance!!
   It's really hard to keep up with Yasuko's fast screacking-singing, I hardly get the lyrics even with the words in front of my eyes, I can't even follow them but how the hell can she sing so many words by second?
   This is my favorite album of the MxBx and I love it.



3. my friend bought this album about 6 years ago. i listened to it, and cried. everything i thought about Crass and Dead Kennedys seemed to change and i had to face it. these guys were better.



4. Melt-Banana is definitely an acquired taste, and I'm glad I stuck with them past the first few releases. The music on this CD is much more accessible than the previous work and the production is a little better, too. This is just great stuff, quite different than most of the things in my collection and a real treat to listen to. Every time I listen to this one, I try to concentrate on a different member of the band to catch things I've missed. This is a real fun band, and someday I hope to see them live, having just missed them last month.



5. my first melt banana experience was them live when they were opening for mr. bungle on bungle's 'disco volante' tour. my first impression was that this must be improvisational noise music or something just because it was so chaotic and loud. upon repeated listenings i realzied that dispite the chaos and noise these folks were writing crafted and organized songs. unfortunately, melt banana doesn't get to tour the states very often. fortunately there is this live album to give us a taste of what we are missing until the next time they come around.

5 comments about Live at American Music Hall.

1. This is one of the best Radiators CD's! If you're new to the Radiators and/or never been to a show, don't waste your time with a studio CD. It's like a different band. Buy this and share with friends you're introducing to the Rads. Better yet - take them to a show!



2. A brilliant outing and among the best live cds in my collection. This set brings me back to the all night Maple Leaf sessions of twenty years ago. We may all be middle aged now, but the RADS still rule Fish Head Nation.



3. Wow! Did I here the same CD the Amazon reviewer and the other reviewers heard? I've heard that the Radiators were a much better live band then a studio band so I eagerly bought this CD. I have three of their studio recordings and enjoy them all, especially killer tunes like "Zigzagging Thru Wasteland", "Hardcore", and "Red Dress". Unfortunately, none of those songs are on the live CD; that in it's own woudn't make it a bad CD. It's just that the songs that are on the CD are nothing memorable and the muscianship is nothing to get excited about about. I kept waiting for the whole thing to catch fire but except a couple of moments, it never did. Even the crowd seems to have a hard time getting into it. It's too bad because this may be the best live recording of a rock band I've ever heard. Sorry folks, major disapointment!



4. Live is always best when listening to the Radiators! No one since the Grateful Dead has there been a more cohesive and fun loving jam session band. I have been listening and attending Radiators concerts through most of the Radiators 20 year existence, and they keep getting better and better. No one can ever equal their late night jams at the Maple Leaf, the Palace downtown, or Tipitina's....when they would come on at 11:00 and play til 3 or 4 am...then go and hang at Fat Harry's for some cheese fries...still excited over the energy these guys can provide....Keep groovin' Ed and the Gang....we love your music.....



5. Perhaps my favorite live Rads cd.Good tune selection and fantastic sound quality make this a must have for any rads fan.

1 comments about 9:30 Live! A Time, A Place, A Scene [2-CD SET].

1. Unique live perfomances by some obscure but excellent 80's New Wave and 90's alternative bands. Sound quality is clean and the performances are tight!
   
   The Urban Verbs deliver their best-ever version of "Ring Ring"--far better than the strange, shrill album version. Vocals a little weak at the start, but rocks out with authority and a fine clear guitar solo that again, puts the original album version to shame. Deserves club play. Also club-worthy is the brooding groove of "In the Heat". For Urban Verbs fans, this disc will be worth the price just for their 4 tracks.
   
   The Insect Surfers play a series of bright, energetic surf-revival numbers, and the other bands provide interesting, atmospheric, engaging and well-executed alternative material.

1 comments about Live Various Years.

1. This is slightly different from the dozens of other Fall live albums in that it contains highlights from four different shows: NYC '93, Munich '93, Bristol '97, and a little Bonus EP disc tucked inside (which Amazon doesn't list) with 3 cuts from an unknown location in '88.
   
   Highlights include: marathon workouts of the seldom performed "Shift-Work" & "Why Are People Grudgeful?," a truly blistering version of "Strychnine," and on the bonus disc: a stunning rendition (with extended ending) of "U.S. 80's-90's" (the other two unlisted tracks are "Yes, O Yes" and "Carry A Bag Man" [sic])
   
   Also, although "Interference" may seem like a rare unreleased track, it's actually just under 2 minutes of tape noise that serves as an intro to a strangely modernized (and shortened) "Hip Priest." Nothing to get excited about...
   
   This is a pretty good value for money, as it really is the best cuts from 4 shows, but seeing as it's only one of a incomprehensibly large mass of live CDs by this group, (surpassing even the Grateful Dead for the number of live albums released) I only give it 4 stars. But there really isn't a dud in the bunch, although i could've done without yet another version of "Big New Prinz"... ;oD

2 comments about I Have Been To Heaven And Back: Hen's Teeth... Vol. 1.

1. I have been to heaven and back serves two excellent functions.
   
   It serves up to you a wealth of recordings previously available only on various artist compilations and a few alternate takes of tracks that have appeared on albums. Some of which I actually prefer; notably a full-length version of Funeral with an additional verse in the last refrain.
   
   The other function it performs well is as an introduction to the Mekons. I'd recommend it to anyone I thought might be curious.
   
   I disagree with the Bitchfork review that says it runs out of steam half way through. I say buy it, spread it out on the bed and roll around in it. All of it!



2. The Mekons staggered their way out of the Manchester UK punk scene some years ago. The best simple descriptive terms for their music is, "cynical, revolutionary folk-punk". Imagine a crazed scenario where The Clash meets Fairport Convention....revolutionary sentiments, drunken reggae beats and bits of quirky folk music coalescing into a new and grand coalition. This band is intelligent and darkly funny, mixing bits of Marxist rhetoric, gay politics, ruminations on the British Empire and stabs at historical figures ranging from Churchill to Nixon to Freud with evident glee. "I've Been to Heaven and Back" is essentially a collection of out-takes. Many of these are culled from "The Mekon's Rock and Roll" sessions, a hard to find album that qualifies as the Mekon's desert island CD, or, "Exile on Main Street" in terms of tattered glory. "Heaven and Back" is notable for the cover version of Rod Stewart's, "You wear it well". The Mekons seem to be a thriving, underground cottage industry these days. Various members are active in the American alt-folk scene. "To Heaven and Back Again" is a fine introduction to one of Britain's great unknown bands.

No comments about Live in London.