March, 2009: Honestly, there is nothing to compare with seeing a live rock 'n roll show: the volume, the stage presence, the excitement, the human element. It's the ultimate embodiment of a musician's presence, the truest way to experience the music with all available senses. Anyone who tries to equate buying a live album to attending a show has a lot to learn about music. Live albums aren't meant to replace or even duplicate the authenticity of the show. Ideally, they provide a glimpse into how the band constructed the material, offering captivating alternatives or raw, stripped-down versions, scrambling up the songs you thought you knew into bold, new compositions.
While the late 1970s seemed to be the ultimate heyday for live records, we've tried to include titles that stretch over different time periods and rock genres, pitting titles against each other that may appeal to the same audience. While none of these albums would ever replace a live show, it's curious comparing the sounds that actually made it onto the tape as the releases are compared head-to-head. Now, grab your ticket, find your seat, take a swig of your beverage and let the show begin!
A brace of 1978 releases that find one man at the height of his career following the success of "Cat Scratch Fever" and the then-young Australian outfit embarking on a reputation defining series of albums that even an enforced change of singer couldn't derail.
"Double Live Gonzo" sits firmly in the classic mould for a 70's live album. Originally a two record set it captures the best of his career up to that point, bridging the early AMBOY DUKES years with a stellar "Great White Buffalo" to selected tracks from that then recent album. Nugent of course hogs the limelight throughout. Rarely are opportunities to extend the guitar solo passed up with the overall effect placing the listener somewhere inside an enormodome, with plenty of time if they so please to nip off and browse the merchandise stall, grab a pint or empty out the last one without missing too much. "If You Want Blood" on the other hand, finds AC/DC then blessed of course by the presence of BON SCOTT but also importantly relatively unencumbered by the individual song expectations that make later set-lists predictable. With most of the slack cut to fit the confines of a single disc the urgency and vibrancy has you feeling that you're right down in the sweaty front rows of a much smaller venue. There's no buggering about waiting for Angus to drop his shorts or ride a lift up some huge stageside prop. Instead it's just a consistent blast of the band doing what they do best... back when they did it best.
NUGENT's is a fine album, although he has always been more palatable in compilation or live format, but AC/DC's is electric. It breaks the accepted rules of what format a "classic" live album should take but is better for that and remains an essential snapshot of the earlier days of one of rock's biggest acts.
WINNER: AC/DC
MOTÖRHEAD is one of the most recognized, true rock 'n roll bands on the planet, and their string of consecutive strong records is rival to few. 1981 brought us "No Sleep 'Till Hammersmith", a dose of live metal with a punk attitude that didn't just kick you in the teeth, it danced on your grave. This live gig featured perhaps the best MOTÖRHEAD line-up of all (the classic Kilminster, Clarke, Taylor) pummeling and beating until there was nothing left. Tuning and precision were never a MOTÖRHEAD priority, but with the sheer emotion and sweat, what did it matter? The fact that weakest track here is called "The Hammer", well...doesn't it just tell the tale? Lemmy's Richenbacher sounds as if he made a deal with Satan himself, exploding as thick as molasses in the dead of an Alaskan winter. Eddie Clarke plays like he has not a care in the world, bashing out classic after classic, and Philthy Phil holds everyone together, which is no small feat - kinda like holding a beach umbrella in a hurricane. "Bomber", "Overkill" and "Iron Horse" are killer tracks, but for this writer, bringing a roadie up on stage to scream an introduction to "We are the Road Crew", and the evil feedback after the ultra-classic "MOTÖRHEAD" are both astounding testaments to the band's early live sound. Thirty years later, Kilmister is still doing it night after night, with no end in sight. If sheer volume were an Olympic sport, the string of gold medals around Lemmy's neck would've made Mr. T look underdressed.
RUSH is the classiest of bands, their many years of music-making easily divisible into distinct phases; the early work featured on 1976's "All the Worlds a Stage" is their rawest, most blues-driven of all. Recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto, the album showcases RUSH's ability to bring some very long compositions to life, including the epic "2112". "Lakeside Park" and "Something for Nothing" are two of the shorter tracks, balanced out by "By-Tor & the Snow Dog" at 11+ minutes, and the "2112" masterpiece at over 15 minutes! How much confidence and skill does it take to keep your audience entranced for that period of time? Lifeson's guitar prowess shines all over this slab, as does Geddy's early-era wailing, but the real star that shines is drummer Neil Peart. His drum solo in "Working Man" is a friggin work of ART! No one can touch the man when it comes to skin bashing, and he's got a knack for composition as well. Dare it be said that this is the grandfather of all drum solos here, and any drummer that experienced this audio ensemble probably returned to the drawing board. Fans must have walked away from Massey Hall in a dazed, trance-like state. No disrespect to MOTÖRHEAD, but RUSH in their prime stood down to no band.
WINNER: RUSH
Where the majority of notable 1970s live album offer a snapshot of a band at a point in time, collecting together the best of the past few previous albums, this brace take a notable different route, for differing reasons, but then given the artists involved was anyone surprised?
NEIL YOUNG turns the accepted hallmarks of a great live album on their head and delivers a disc full of new material that although recorded on his previous tour, benefits from unashamed overdubbing, includes two studio recorded tracks including the notable "Pocahontas", and goes as far as removing most of the audience noise from the record completely. Consequently, rather than reliving the Canadian's live experience it proves more like a reward for creeping unnoticed into a rehearsal then later hearing the finished article. Its a damn good reward of course, with a side each of acoustic and electric recordings, bookended by contrasting versions of the excellent "Hey Hey My My". In contrast VELVET UNDERGROUND's disc was/is in desperate need of some audience noise removal, not because of excessive cheering but between song conversation caught on the tape recorder. Little better sounding than a decent audience recorded bootleg this is warts 'n' all fare, notable for being one of (if not the) final performances of the band featuring LOU REED. That it was released at all was a measure of the band reducing stock post REED's exit however for all its foibles it proves enticing in the same way THE BEATLES low-fi "Hamburg Tapes" do. You feel placed within the venue, but frustrated that the sound of the audience often has more clarity than that of the band your watching. The pay off is that you hear enough quality in tracks like the excellent "White Light/White Heat" and two versions of REED classic "Sweet Jane" emerging from the stage to seek out opportunities to hear the band in better surroundings.
Ultimately then neither fully satisfy as live albums, both unworthy of describing as an accurate representation of either artist in concert, and both falling short of being the best live albums in either artists discography. With "Live At Max's" one train of thought actually considers whether you should have to pay for a bootleg recording no matter how much source improvement has taken place, albeit one released via a legitimate record company. An important period document it is, but set against what is one of the finest collections within NEIL YOUNG's long discography it falls short. Accept the studio enhanced polish and lack of live atmosphere on "Rust Never Sleeps", consider it merely (!) another set of new songs and it wins this comparison hand down.
WINNER: NEIL YOUNG
As legend has it, UK glam rockers SLADE may have actually inspired CHEAP TRICK's choice of a band name. Both bands had two studio releases under their respective belts when their first live albums saw the light of day. But while SLADE would go on to become a household name in their homeland during the 70s, success in the USA was elusive for them. CHEAP TRICK's live document in front of the screaming girls at Budokan would become one of their most successful albums of all time.
"Slade Alive" definitely sounds like it came straight from the sound board without any studio trickery, while 'Live at Budokan' has more of a studio feel. SLADE's offering includes tuning breaks, and even a belch is left in for "Darling Be Home Soon". The crowd seems somewhat reserved; during the early spoken parts on the SLADE album, it sounds like there are about ten interested people at the show. In contrast, CHEAP TRICK are treated as major stars with huge applause from the introduction of "Lookout" . SLADE frontman Noddy Holder encourages the crowd to yell out anything they like to add to the atmosphere. The clapping on the breaks in "Need Your Love" gives "Live at Budokan" more of a convincing live feel. Hell, I always feel like clapping along to the power pop of "Big Eyes" although the cheesiness on "I Want You to Want Me" is somewhat cringe-worthy. Eventually, SLADE's "Keep on Rocking" reveals a decent-sized crowd with a participation track. Years of seeing bar bands covering STEPPENWOLF's "Born to Be Wild" have made it a difficult song to get excited about, but during the seventies SLADE's standard ending was obviously a treat, as the crowd laps it up. When CHEAP TRICK plays "Good Night Now"; it's easy to place yourself in the crowd begging for an encore. When all is said and done, "Slade Alive" is just a night out with a band whereas "Live at Budokan" is an actual event.
WINNER: CHEAP TRICK
Ever hear a live album that doesn’t sound like a live album? HAWKWIND’s “Palace Springs” could probably pass for a studio record, and there are a couple of TANGERINE DREAM discs that aren’t exactly looking to oust the MC5. Maybe we should define the things that make a live album sound like a live album: fuckups, speeding up and slowing down, bad notes, lengthy improvisations, off-key vocals, hollering drunks and hecklers, guitar strings breaking, and so on. You can polish these things up a bit, but the point of diminishing returns is quickly realized when you fuck with the attitude and spunk of a real live recording.
Envisioning a live PUSSY GALORE show is enough to make one’s head spin. The guitars everywhere / no bass purveyors of noise rock started contaminating the punk concept as far back as 1985, staining and disgracing the face of rock ‘n roll with feedback-drenched train-wrecks like “Groovy Hate Fuck” and “Corpse Love”, even going as far as to re-record their own trashy, lo-fi take on THE STONES "Exile On Main Street” in it’s entirety. Blasphemy! So what does this live album sound like? A lackluster cassette bootleg that sat under somebody’s bed for ten years, that’s what. It’s a crime, because the sound quality is actually pretty decent (the drums come through exceedingly crisp, and you can hear the guys stepping on guitar pedals to up the trash level in “Pig Sweat”). You’ll detect some feint hoots and hollers, a mumble here and there between tracks, and some tuning up, but that’s about it. To make matters worse, it sounds like there were about twelve people in the club to see Jon Spencer and crew that night. In terms of pure rawness, “Dial M For Motherfucker” buries this release several times over. A studio album should never out-raunch a live record, amigos.
In the other corner is a fire-breathing, three-headed, beer-guzzling slop monster called THE OBLIVIANS (another band forgoing the bass player), recorded live in Hotlanta back in 1991. The shouts and bawls of the inebriated audience are amped-up to the same levels of the band as the threesome saw through track after track of Little Richard / Gories obsessed three-chord hellraising tunes. The band is forced to stop a couple of times after re-starting the intros to “Blew My Cool” and “Someday You’ll Be Loved”, but it’s all explained away when Greg announces, “The problem is, we’ve run out of beer onstage.” Jack’s obsessive, tribal drum-pounding fuels the crashing, stripped-down racket, laced with hilarious between-song banter, occasional instrument-swapping, and some absolutely sinful confessions during “Shake Your Ass”. No contest whatsoever.
WINNER: OBLIVIANS
Unlike Lloyd Bentsen, I may have never known John Kennedy but I did see JUDAS PRIEST in 1979. Long story, but the place was Louie's Rock City in Falls Church, VA & it was within a month or so of when they played the set in Japan that would yield "Unleashed In The East." The players were the same, the set virtually identical but…well, it sounded a lot different. What I saw was a raw, plundering bar metal band, complete with howling feedback during quiet parts, Les Binks sporting a decidedly Bonham-esque "Hell Bent…" sound and Halford already straining in the upper register. What "Unleashed…" features is, in essence, the "Stained Class" sound live. That is, a surgically precise laser of a band, Glenn & KK in sonic lock-step, Binks spraying his "feather-touch" rolls everywhere & Halford stunningly on-point. Now, darlin', I love "Stained Class" but even I often reach for my bootleg cassette of the Falls Church massacre for the rough & tumble version.
By another token, my closest live encounter with IRON MAIDEN was the "Number…" tour, well before the recording of "Live After Death." All that being said, once again, the rugged post-NWOBHM flashpoint I witnessed live was a long way from the refined clarity and technical precision on offer with this sprawling 2 record deal. The set-list, like PRIEST's is hard to fault, with "Powerslave" getting a generous dollop (including a 13+ minute "…Ancient Mariner") and stretching back to DiAnno-era faves like "Iron Maiden" & "Phantom Of The Opera." While both of these records are surely cool listens, I'd have to go with "Unleashed In The East" as the winner. Bruce Dickinson's vocals on "Live After Death" display an occasionally-annoying out-of-breath quality and there is one other thing. MAIDEN simply can't match PRIEST's kick-ass quotient on their ending trio of "Victim Of Changes," the extended "Genocide" & "Tyrant." Tipton & Downing rule!
WINNER: PRIEST
Oh, to have been young and living in New York City during the late seventies. Each night offered a myriad abundance of opportunities to catch new and revolutionary bands tearing apart the local scene. How do you choose between the RAMONES at CBGB's or the HEARTBREAKERS at Max's? PATTY SMITH. BLONDIE. TELEVISION. THE TALKING HEADS. The choices were endless and mindbending. What we're going to do then is look at some of the live recorded output of two of these seminal bands and use that as a gauge to direct our ever eager 1970's ears for the evening.
First up is this double platter of masterful guitar histrionics from TELEVISION. Recorded in 1978, just before the band's break-up, this gives a taste as to what it was like to see the boys live, crammed into the grungy confines of CBGB. Putting out more muscle and amped-up rawness than on their studio albums, live we hear why Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd were considered the guitar heroes of punk rock. Eschewing the blues for frenetic bursts of spasmodic guitar interplay, Verlaine and Lloyd simply tear it up. Just listen to the tone of the first big solo on their U.K. hit "Prove it," the spasms of guitar interjection during "Elevation," or the intensely anxious, guitar free-form abandon of the 15 minutes improvisational epics, "Little Johnny Jewel," and "Marquee Moon." This is how reputations were made, layered and complex, and nothing short of stunning. Despite the poor sound, the band being a little sloppy, at times stopping just short of anarchic, and a rhythm section that faded in and out of the mix, this is still an essential platter from a band flying on all cylinders. Playing just down the street, however, is the TALKING HEADS, taking control of the stage as if their lives depended on it. As the definitive HEADS live album (forget about the overly commercial "Stop Making Sense") this double album captured the band at two stages of their career, both before they reached mass acceptance. The first disc, recorded during 1977-1979 features the original four members tearing through songs from their first two albums. Immediately, it's clear, this was a band hungry, and headed for bigger things. The sound is huge, the drums being particularly gigantic in the mix. Despite the plethora of time changes and mood swings, the foursome are immensely tight, an absolutely fluid machine. Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz just don't get nearly the respect they deserve, but as a rhythm section they propelled the band with mesmerizing abandon. David Byrne's voice is in exceptionally provocative form, particularly on the subversive "Psycho Killer," and the flailing neurosis of an early rendition of "Air." The second half finds the band expanded to include Adrian Belew and Bernie Worrell joining for the 1980-81 "Remain in Light," tour. If the sound of the band previously was huge, here it's massive, literally obliterating the polyrhythmic dance fest of "I Zimbra," or the essential "Life During Wartime," from my favorite Head's album "Fear of Music." Screams of Belew's guitar punctuate the mix like an arrow tearing through armor.
Two impeccable displays by some of NYC's finest. But when it comes down to buying tickets for the show, a decision still has to be made. Seeing TELEVISION at that time, I would've stood there with my mouth agape in awe; seeing the HEADS, I would've died from dehydration from the unfightable urge to dance.
WINNER: TALKING HEADS
There is no overstating the influence of SODOM and DESTRUCTION to death, black and thrash metals. Just about every bulletbelted raw metal band of today owes its existence to these German maniacs and drunkards. "Mortal Way of Live" is one of the most famous live documents of the era and "Live Without Sense" is infamous because of its GLENN MILLER and HENRY MANCINI cover bits. It might come as a small surprise that when listening to these back to back, I noticed that in this case DESTRUCTION is simply pounding SODOM to dust. Their set list is a perfect array of hits from the classic DESTRUCTION albums and EP's and some of the better cuts from the mediocre "Release from Agony". It's apparent from the crowd noise that the gig pleases them very much and it's not hard to see why, as the band is in top form. I never realized how much Mike Sifringer and Harry Wilkens slayed as guitarists during this era, even though the genial solos of "Infernal Overkill" have remained iconic for their simple, even naïve melodicism. I'm not sure if even KREATOR has ever pulled off the sharp metronomic rhythm riffs so ably in a live setting as Mike and Harry do here.
The songs also show that the band was overall more complex and innovative than SODOM. The most powerful aspect of SODOM is the militant, alerting beat of Chris Witchhunter (R.I.P.) which builds the simple, hysteric hardcore-like statements in classics like "Blasphemer" and "The Conqueror". Vocals of both bands teem with crudely barbaric teutonic accents, and while Schmier pulls it off sounding cool as hell, Angelripper sounds goofy with the mix being distorted, overemphasized and dry. Frank Blackfire's guitars lack sharpness and the infectiousness exhibited on the albums. SODOM were sloppier musicians than DESTRUCTION, but that's not the root of the problem here. "Mortal Way of Live"'s red hot blasted sound does little to convey the mystique and range of emotion that made early SODOM a bringer of esoteric prophecies of apocalyptic war, only managing to bring forth the aggressive side of it. The video version of "Mortal Way of Live" is better and more multi-dimensional as it shows the amazing haircuts, especially in the audience, and the general outlook and atmosphere of the day.
WINNER: DESTRUCTION
Behold, the Alpha and Omega of Motor City proto punk. Whether or not you agreed with the politics of the MC5's John Sinclair era, it's tough to deny the rib-cracking thunderclap of "Kick Out The Jams" as one of the most potent, high-energy rock shows ever captured on tape (Ironically, Wayne Kramer later admitted that he wasn't pleased with Elektra's original mix of the shows at all, and even requested a do-over!). Fast forward to the Michigan Palace, January 1974: a tired, heroin-crazed version of THE STOOGES plow through an ugly, hissy recording of some "Raw Power" classics and unreleased numbers. The MC5 were out to change the world, energize the populous with their eardrum-shattering Detroit flower power. THE STOOGES were knee-deep in disgust, disillusionment, and bitterness, but "Metallic KO" is still a landmark live recording, capturing the true essence of those final shows.
High points abound during "Kick Out The Jams"; the massive three-chord crush of "I Want You Right Now", the sexual tension and release of "Come Together", the overpowering vocal attack of the entire band at once, etc. One naughty word in Sinclair's liner notes and introducing the title track bought a world of trouble for the record (many record chains refused to carry it). Curiously, "Metallic K.O." is rife with profanity, Iggy spewing abuse at the audience before, during, and after every track, perfectly embodying the band's antipathy and revulsion with their circumstances at the time. James Williamson delivers endless guitar slash and flash during "Rich Bitch" and a rousing version of "Gimme Danger", complete with those godly clean guitar melodies. But it's the aforementioned monologues from Iggy that really set the tone, claiming for example that "Cock In My Pocket" was co-written by his mom. Other memorable quotes include "You're payin' five bucks and I'm making ten thousand - so screw ya!" , "I've been egged by better than you", or the best of all: "A good song for you would be a 55 minute version of 'Louie, Louie'. "Kick Out The Jams" may be the better album, but "Metallic KO" will invoke your morbid curiosity like slowing down to peek at a roadside accident.
WINNER: MC5
Sludge metal heavyweights take into battle with an amount of manly angst unmatched by Henry Rollins himself. You can hear from the vocals and music that these are enormous guys bigger than most pro wrestlers creating the musical equivalent of beating upon concrete walls with their spiked fists! GRIEF's chromatic, disturbing riffs collide with CROWBAR's slow hardcore pound. GRIEF's claustrophobic comments on a disturbed society are well captured by this live recording but as with early doomdeath bands, the balance between aggression and apocalyptic atmosphere is a tricky bird. Listen enough to this frustrated anger and you want to scream to the band to stop complaining. CROWBAR's thuggy heaviness is immensely propulsive and catches your attention with short bursts of explosive anger that make you understand why the genre was invented.
GRIEF gets credit for some well thought out death metallic riffs but with their somewhat muffled, unaesthetic live sound lose the battle for the consistency of pain and pleasure. CROWBAR sizzles in the ears like molten lava, raging but with a deft sense of style. The compositional influences from BLACK FLAG to BLACK SABBATH merge delightfully on this live soundscape on par with their studio recordings. The only downside is that it's only EP length, compared to GRIEF's full-length gig, but that's a small complaint since it leaves you craving for more, which is what good music tends to do.
WINNER: CROWBAR
VOIVOD and SWANS: Both formed 1982 and boast extensive discographies, material ranging from uber-primitive and noisy to sweeping and immense. Both stretched and redefined genre boundaries throughout the 80s and 90s, making them impossible to pigeonhole and both absolutely dominate our essential albums pages. But while SWANS lamented, writhing in misery like an open wound, VOIVOD conquered and explored hideous, imaginary dimensions. Curiously, despite both bands’ flair for detail, from music to artwork to packaging, their approach toward live albums couldn’t be further apart.
The SWANS discography is chock full of live albums, typically serving as bookends between different phases of the band, and offering fans a chance to experience their amazing live intensity, often scatter-shot with surprise covers and soaring retooled interpretations of earlier songs. This final live album pushes their live template to the max, packing two discs to the absolute brim with lengthy, dramatic texts like “Helpless Child” and walloping, repetitive punishers like “Not Alone”. The sounds of the crowd are warm and receptive; Gira’s disaffected dread is harrowing as ever, and Jarboe’s gorgeous crescendos ebb and flow with fluid precision. Despite VOIVOD’s fantastic back-catalog, the band waited until 2000 to release their first official live album. As strong as the Eric Forrest-fronted “Phobos” and “Negatron” material is, his interpretation of Dennis Belanger’s songs like “Tribal Convictions” lacks the trademark robotic vocal approach that seemed so steeped in CRIMSON and FLOYD, instead opting for a gruffer run-of-the-mill metal vocal. The band’s take on the thrashy material like “Voivod” sounds fantastic, but this handful of classics and emphasis on the “Negatron” record doesn’t come close to satisfying the urge for live material building for 16 years. While “Swans Are Dead” hits the bulls-eye, “Lives” is a pamphlet that should have been a textbook.
WINNER: SWANS
Nobody here's gonna argue against the fact that both THIN LIZZY and GRAND FUNK were without question two of the hardest-rocking bands of the 70s. Besides both bands' earliest origins as trios, each also offered up a generous helping of soul in their tunes, not to mention some of the most impressive bass work in rock history courtesy of Phil Lynott and Mel Schacher respectively. When it comes to these two live efforts, however, this is more or less where the similarities end. For one, we have to look at the time period in each band's history in which these were recorded. "Live Album" took place only three albums into GRAND FUNK's career, which might deter some casual fans looking to rock out to the Flint trio's radio hits like "We're An American Band." On the other hand, "Live and Dangerous" was recorded well into the career of LIZZY and is therefore double-stuffed with much of the Dubliners' best-known material, from "The Boys are Back in Town" to "Jailbreak" and beyond.
Putting both releases side by side, it becomes clear that execution is another huge dividing point. As previously alluded to, "Live and Dangerous" is a live recording that thinks it's a Greatest Hits compilation. Choosing to forego the lengthy jam sessions that were commonplace at the time, these tracks generally retain the tight 3-4 minute length of their studio counterparts, along with, of course, all those signature guitar harmonies we all know and love. With the roar of the crowd behind 'em, heavy hitters like "Don't Believe a Word" and "The Rocker" are left sounding even better than they did the first time. Meanwhile, there's just the right amount of crowd participation in the mix, as Phil's showmanship leaves no soul unsatisfied. Just listen to him ask the crowd "Is there anybody here with any Irish in them? Is there any of the gals that would like a little more Irish in them?" Fucking classic! "Live Album," on the other hand, tries a little too hard to transport the listener into the auditorium in which it was recorded. We won't take anything away from Mark Farner's spot-on vocals or the well-balanced playlist, from the raucous boogie of "Are You Ready" and "Mark Says Alright" to the bluesy ballads "Mean Mistreater" and "Heartbreaker." Still, the band winds up taking its fair share of soloing time and then some, so folks that don't have the endurance for 10+ minute cuts like "In Need" and "T.N.U.C." should probably stay home. Also, the tracks "Introduction" and "Words of Wisdom" are utterly worthless. Let's face it: Hearing both the band and promoter scold the audience on how close they are to the stage isn't very rock and roll, is it? And while "Live and Dangerous" may have, according to legend, been given more post-production polishing, it's "Live Album" that suffers most from being tampered with, as the awful crowd mixing in the intro sounds about as organic as Tupperware. In the end, "Live Album" is limited by the listener's willingness to have an experience forced on them, while "Live and Dangerous" is a seamless transition that begs to be experienced again and again.
WINNER: THIN LIZZY
Not all music is readily accessible. Sometimes the bands are so challenging, so underground, you 've got to dig through the mire of strata just to unearth them and allow the barest of light to shine down. Such is the case with these two behemoths of in-your-face, absurdist noise rock, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY and FLIPPER. Hailed by critics, alternately loved or reviled by listeners, both bands attack their recorded output with enough noise and atonality to induce vomiting in the uninitiated. So how do these noise mongers rate live? Let's eschew our earplugs and give a listen.
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY led by the inestimable Nick Cave positively decimate the audience with this compilation of dirge-like, live recordings culled from a few shows in 1981 and 1982. Just listen to Cave's wild, flailing vocals, verging on unmedicated mania, running through, "A Dead Song." This is the music of a man becoming mentally unglued, captured live for our pleasure. Intensely maudlin, deeply disturbing, and altogether frightening, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY raze through their dark classics like "Junkyard," and "Release the Bats," as well as a few covers like a raving version of "Funhouse." Huge looping base lines and frantic tribal drumming propel this baby, barely keep the Cave LOCO-motive on the tracks. Intensely primal listening and absolutely addicting. FLIPPER attack their primitive punk distortion with the same unidimensional focus. At one time deemed the saviors of rock for their intentionally dumb, outright confrontational noise-punk, this disc slams through their live output from 1980-1985. Led by the wailing atonal lead vocals of Will Shatter, this is a face-tearing blitzkrieg of discordant, chaotic, feedback and fuzz drenched caveman punk. Never missing an opportunity, the band go after their audience with aplomb, criticizing them, ("don't dance, I don't give a shit,") demeaning them, and holding them in as much disdain as possible. (At one point the band hold the audience hostage, refusing to play "Sex Bomb" until they get four beers). Songs like "New Rules No Rules," "I'm Fighting," and "We Don't Understand," pummel with intentional obnoxiousness. This is about as slammed-down-your-throat and abrasive as post-punk gets.
So who wins? Although they do what they do well, listening to FLIPPER to me is like sitting at home and watching my parents fight. THE BIRTHDAY PARTY simply scares the shit out of me.
WINNER: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
On the face of it comparing Jerry Lee Lewis with James Brown isn't the most obvious undertaking. The bad-ass rock 'n' roller with a questionable private life or the soul/funk entertainer with a an apparent case of St. Vitus Dance? In reality both can be commended for live albums of some note in the early part of a decade remembered for many things, but not often live albums.
1964 effort "Live At The Star Club, Hamburg" finds "The Killer" forging a living in Europe post those legendary early Sun label singles and attempting to rebuild a career despite considerable adverse publicity in his homeland. Creating an atmosphere that demands you place yourself in the middle of a packed dance floor it's an electric performance that makes you recall all you ever read about the impact of rock 'n' roll. No extended guitar breaks or boring bass solos here as song after song is pounded out with few making it to the three minute mark. They're not all his own classics, dipping as he does into other rocker's repertoire's, but the fact that at least half of these were regulars in the live set of THE BEATLES, another band forever linked with The Star Club, reminds you what an influence he and his ilk were to what followed.
Such is the performance of JERRY LEE that Brown's "Apollo Theatre" set seems initially somewhat subdued. Subsequent listens of course help realize that subdued isn't a word that can be apportioned to Brown and instead "slick" is a better description. At times you feel placed inside an evangelical chapel, with BROWN cast as the preacher and only a few "hallelujahs" missing. Now far be it from me to question an audience, but on occasions the response from this one seems misplaced or inappropriate. Some songs, indeed phrases within songs, are greeted with screams and cheers but they don't seem quite as enthusiastic when the songs end making it quite surreal when trying to place yourself in the theatre. Musically, there's little wrong with Brown's album (if we overlook the fact that two medley's breaks the unwritten rules of a live album) but on this occasion the sheer energy generated by Lewis, a recorded manifestation of everything rock 'n' roll should sound like, wins it... even if there are a couple of occasions when some tuneless pounding of the piano makes you want to shut the lid on his fingers.
WINNER: JERRY LEE LEWIS
The SCORPIONS released this live record that was taped at the Sun Plaza Hall during their '77 tour of Japan, (their last with Uli Roth) and it bridged the gap between the loose, psychedelic SCORPIONS, and their later, tight mainstream metal sound. Featuring what may be the strongest SCORPS lineup (Klaus Meine, Rudy Schenker, Uli Roth, Frances Buchholz and Herman Rarebell) and drawing from their first five studio efforts, "Tokyo Tapes" delivers all the amazing tunes of their guitaristic early days. Roth especially shines; "We'll Burn The Sky" mutates into a different composition altogether when Roth is laying down the riffs live. "Pictured Life", "Speedy's Coming" and "He's a Woman, She's a Man" glow with an aura of majesty and precision, but flecked with the organic spice of a live set. On the downside, 1) Even though his guitar could sing to you, someone should tell Roth that he shouldn't have. His vocals on "Dark Lady" combine agony, drama, and a dying cat 2) I suppose someone convinced the band to sell their souls to Elvis and include the covers of "Long Tall Sally" and "Hound Dog". Why?
Michael Schenker is no stranger to live albums; It seems like every few records, he releases something live. Here we have "Live at Budokan", which includes MSG's first two records almost in their entirety. Sprinkled in are tunes from their third release, which are being played for a Japanese crowd for the first time. Gary Barden tries to get the crowd to sing "Are You Ready To Rock", despite their never having heard the song before, and knowing full well that the Japanese have trouble with their R's! Schenker has always been a great guitarist, but something about MSG has seemed to handcuff him into bouts of sterility. He sounds lifeless and samey on this recording, and with Gary Barden's generic voice, it gets old really quickly; not even the superb drumming of Cozy Powell can save him. The only non-MSG track here "Doctor Doctor" from UFO's 1974 release "Phenomenon", is also made rapidly stale by this crew. With Schenker's departure from UFO , and his brief re-enlistment with the SCORPIONS still fresh, he obviously had something to prove with his solo career. But "Armed and Ready", "Into the Arena", and "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" are average tunes at best, made even duller so by the robotic approach that MSG takes here.
WINNER: SCORPIONS
Two behemoth releases, both ushering in what would become the halcyon era of live records, Hendrix is post-experience, post everything and Townsend and crew are pre-Lifehouse, pre-quite a bit. But both are exemplary in so many ways.
"...Leeds" is power, precision, and flair breaking against a fantastic set of songs. Hotspots jump out with impressive immediacy, and continue to reveal themselves for years upon repeat listens. The acapella intro and crisscrossing vocal patterns of "A Quick One" and "Happy Jack" are mesmerizing. Moon's fits of thunder in Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues" are spectacular. The humor and poise between the songs are endlessly charming (discussing the real definition of "fornicate", for example). It’s a band in complete control, and a precursor for live records featuring tracks that bury the studio versions with fuller, rounder tones and late-on-the-beat power.
Ushering in a new decade with a New Years Eve show in 1970, Hendrix re-invents himself again in front of a live audience with a new band, and a deliciously funky set of new blues tunes. But the songs are so catchy, and the band so shit-hot, the crowd is eating out of their hand after a chorus or two. It's nearly impossible to deny your "inner guitar player" as the album plays out. Jimi's simultaneous singing and soloing in "Changes'" and "Power To Love" is the stuff of legend. "Machine Gun" is a genius riff shrouded in an air of tragic funk. There's a danger factor to the performance, compared to the calculated precision of the "Leeds" record - Cox, Miles, and Hendrix are truly walking a tightrope throughout the performance; not every note is perfect, but the groove is otherworldly, and the combination of edge-of-the-seat improvisation and flashy execution give "Band of Gypsys" the edge, and it’s legacy would ripple through disciples from GRAND FUNK to CLUTCH and beyond.
WINNER: HENDRIX
This no-holds-barred contest sees two pop-fueled hard rockers going at it: In one corner, there's the self-proclaimed "Hottest Band in the World" and heroes to kids all across America, and in the other we have England's underrated AOR icons. In other words, these are two bands with a similar approach but with very different audiences. Oh, and there's one crucial element to this battle: These here live albums are largely considered the finest moment in each respective band's career. Since both releases have stood the test of time, this is an especially hard point for us to argue. First, let's identify what's so great about "Strangers in the Night." We gave this one a glowing retrospective way back when, and even the most loyal soldier in the KISS army has to admit that the talent of both Michael Schenker and Phil Mogg demand humility from Ace and Paul respectively. Anyone looking to see what the big deal is with Mr. Schenker need look no further than this sucker rightchere, as his solo work throughout is what really sticks with listeners. As for Mr. Mogg, one would be hard-pressed to find another singer with such a strong sense of melody with just the right amount of huskiness. Not only do we have rip-roaring renditions of "Doctor Doctor" and "Lights Out," two songs that once in a blue moon will actually get played on American classic rock radio, but plenty other memorable moments like the fist-pumper "Only You Can Rock Me," the well-crafted power ballad "Love to Love" (a great one to play for the S.O.) and the otherworldly 11-minute experience known as "Rock Bottom."
So where does "Strangers" fall short? It all comes down to one thing: production. Sure, there's the talent, but there's also… um… keyboards. Lots and lots of keyboards that, sadly, water down the whole damn thing. "Alive!", on the other hand, gives KISS fans two filler-free slabs that even by today's standards deliver obscene amounts of heaviness. But to be fair, here are the facts. The costumed foursome is admittedly helped greatly by a set list that's 100 percent ballad-free (this is pre-"Beth," folks), not to mention the fact that the songs here are actually selected from a series of performances instead of a one-time-deal like "Strangers." Plus, they've got significant help from post-production, cuz despite what "100,000 Years" may have you believe, drums don't naturally sound like that. Even still, nobody can argue with that sound, man! From the opening one-two punch of "Deuce" and "Strutter" to "Parasite" to their signature "Rock and Roll All Nite," each track brings the vim and vigor that should have been on the band's first three records. Hell, even an otherwise fluffy track like "Got to Choose" finds itself supercharged with testosterone. It's no surprise, then, that any time one of these songs is heard on rock radio that it's gonna be the "Alive!" versions that'll be played. And while Schenker still tends to be the guitar player's guitar player, there are plenty of moments like "She" where Space Ace holds his own just fine. But what about capturing the live experience? No contest! From the explosions to the intentional mixing of the crowd's roar throughout the whole thing to Paul Stanley's enthusiastic (albeit painfully hokey) interaction with the audience, the listener feels right there in the thick of it. Don't get us wrong - neither album is bad by a long shot, but there's only one choice for folks looking to have themselves a rock 'n roll party tonight!
WINER: KISS
What a treat! MORBID ANGEL and VADER, two premier high energy death metal acts, make for a good pairing, both showing inspiration from the roots of the genre in the '85 era death-thrashers SLAYER, MASTER and POSSESSED. Where MORBID ANGEL was more into building technical and convoluted invocations filled with guitar fireworks, VADER boasts a more straightforward attack, ejecting sequences of fast, cruel melodic rhythm guitar tremolos the SLAYER variety. MORBID ANGEL's albums have tended to suffer from weird production choices and the overall sound of the band is always under threat to become muddy because of their love for downtuned guitars, plus the human Gatling gun that is Pete Sandoval and his legendary double-bass technique can mess up the sound with his infamous triggers. The panzer-like style of VADER, on the other hand, is perfectly suited for the live club setting.
Both bands capture their respective sounds well on these live albums, but MORBID ANGEL seems to be in an amazing form, electrifying the set with guitar solos straight from hell, sent telepathically by MOZART, HENDRIX and the dead gods mentioned in Lovecraftian stories. It's sad that Erik Rutan, with his possessed abilities matching Trey Azagthoth's on this live document, didn't stick with the band, instead concentrating on the mediocre HATE ETERNAL. Only the slightest bits of crowd noise and a brief thanks are included, so the time is devoted 99% to a blasphemous evocation of death metal masterpieces with a better sound than the overproduced albums have had for ages. David Vincent's vocals sound unbearably brutal, and both Erik's and Trey's guitars clearly distinct, glimmering with cosmic chaos and Pete's drumkit sounding much more organic than the weak and obscure clicking and tapping sounds of their newer albums. While there's really nothing that "Entangled in Chaos" lacks, VADER's live album contains classic cuts in fine versions, but lacks the ultimate finesse and exorcised power of the Florida diabolicians. Piotr's vocals sound a bit forced and the muted, distant soundscape doesn't improve upon the album versions. The earthy club atmosphere and Piotr's greetings to the Japanese fans distract from the evil mood of VADER's recordings. Yet, it also stands as a compilation of essential VADER material conjured in a delightfully brutal and organic live sound.
WINNER: MORBID ANGEL
THE MINUTEMEN and THE REPLACEMENTS: Both bands rooted in the punk scene, but it would be difficult to classify either strictly a punk band, as both stretched well beyond the genre's confines. While Bob Stinson's guitar and Paul Westerberg's snotty attitude drove THE REPLACEMENTS rock edge, THE MINUTEMEN blended funk, jazz and classic rock into their punk mix. The MINUTEMEN live album was intended but became an impossibility due to singer/guitarist D.Boon's untimely demise in a car accident. By way of comparison, THE REPLACEMENTS album really should never have happened - an intending bootlegger was discovered recording in the crowd, only to have the recording taken and eventually released on cassette only by Twin/Tone Records. Unlike THE MINUTEMEN double album, constructed by fans voting for the songs they wanted to hear (hence the title), THE REPLACEMENTS probably pissed off their attending fans by playing a large number of covers.
The vocals on the first few REPLACEMENTS songs are slurred, and holding the guitars sounds like a battle that the band was losing by a country mile. The drumming on songs like "Saturday Night Special" is sloppy at best, whereas "Ballot Result" is rife with stunning musicianship throughout. Mike Watt's bass and George Hurley's drumming shines through radiantly on songs like "I Felt like A Gringo". Occasionally, THE 'MATS start covers like U2's "I Will Follow" only to abandon them just past the point of intro. BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs" is butchered and beaten in a transformation into "Iron Man". There are a few fleeting moments during MATS originals where a beautiful guitar sound comes through, but it takes several listens to pick them out. Subsequently the MINUTEMEN set is all about originals. Before playing "Jesus and Tequila" D.Boon explains the preceding song to an audience he couldn't see or hear. Westerberg and crew seem to be expecting a reaction from their unsure audience - heckling and clapping both mean the band is getting noticed. In contrast, "Ballot Result" exudes a scrapbook vibe with cut-and-paste tracks of mostly live clips over five years, and a studio remix of "No One". "The Shit Hits the Fans" is a snapshot of a night out with a very drunk band, and inspires cracking open a beer or preferably more to enjoy the recording in the same manner as the musicians. It's a curiosity rather than a great live representation of THE REPLACEMENTS works. From the start, THE MINUTEMEN album was about satisfying the desires of their fans and here it succeeds, even if it lacks the same satisfaction as a night out with the band.
WINNER: MINUTEMEN
I was one of the happiest people on God's green earth with LED ZEPPELIN released the brilliant "How The West Was Won" 3 CD set a few years ago. Reason being, we finally had an official handle on how kick-ass this band really was live. See the problem was, up till then (despite some killer bootlegs) the only accepted document of the Mothership in flight was "…The Song Remains The Same…." This record was recorded only a year after most of "How The West Was Won" (1973 as opposed to 1972) and yet while still lethal in the studio, Zep appears to have gotten fat & happy live, with the results here in often confusingly sloppy excess. While "Celebration Day" and "The Song Remains The Same" are concise and powerful, "Stairway To Heaven" features a wandering and, at times, aimless solo from Page & "Whole Lotta Love" and the 27 minute "Dazed & Confused" outstay their welcomes by quite a bit. The booming production only serves to magnify the often energy-lacking monotony.
Everybody knows, however that long songs can light up Ray's Christmas tree. Not only did ZEP themselves prove it was possible on "How The West…," but baby, the star goes up right on top of DEEP PURPLE's "Made In Japan." This is a true recording of a band operating on all 8 cylinders, throwing caution to the wind and coming up trumps in the process. Sure, there is the odd rough spot, like Blackmore's now-famous mis-chording on the intro of "Smoke On The Water." Thing is, these moments are not only entirely outstripped but actually made endearing by the top-level musical fireworks bursting all over this double album. Whether it's Ritchie's sizzling signature solo in "Highway Star," the Blackmore/Gillan duel in "Strange Kinda Woman" or the riveting jazz-like improvs in "Lazy" & "Space Truckin'," (some 28 minutes in total), "Made In Japan" is the definition of what a live album should be. This was an easy one.
WINNER: DEEP PURPLE
Final thoughts: Sure, we've left some out, but hopefully this little exercise has succeeded in getting y'all to think about picking up some great live albums of the past. They seem to exist in a parallel universe to studio records', but that certainly doesn't mean they're not worth comparing, contrasting, and talking up. Now, put your lighter down and go buy some of these suckers. Thank you and good night!
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