Post by otherhalf on Feb 13, 2015 11:09:42 GMT -5
I've had my copy of this a week now and, taking riffraff's tip (directed at Leigh Stephens album really) I've sent a review off to Amazon UK. Thanks for the comments on the other thread...I'll try and review Leigh's album in due course.
Here is the text of my Amazon review (assuming they print it!...it's a really great album.
As this CD represents the fifth live Blue Cheer album to be drawn from different concert recordings during the “Duck” MacDonald era (1988-2009) it could easily be perceived as surplus to requirements. That would be a shame as it is easily one of the best.
Recorded at the final and celebratory 1989 Anti WAA festival in Germany, with Blue Cheer topping the bill, this is a fine bluesy set. Bearing in mind the nature of a Blue Cheer gig and that it took place in the open air, it is also well recorded. Tracks are:
1Intro Announcement 0:38
2 Babylon 4:25
3 Girl Next Door 4:11
4 Parchman Farm 6:45
5 Ride With Me 8:04
6 Second Time Around 6:03
7 Duck Thing 7:05
8 Out of Focus 4:29
9 Heart of the City 6:17
10 Red House 9:17
11 Voodoo Chile Intro 1:44
12 Hoochie Coochie Man (feat. Tony McPhee) 8:25
13 Summertime Blues
There are several things that mark this set out from the preceding live albums. Firstly, it is recorded with the guitar set slightly further back in the mix. The different mix isn’t bothersome, in fact (given the availability of all those other albums) it’s an advantage, allowing better appreciation of the way that Dickie Peterson’s sinewy bass pushes the music onwards and more impact for Paul Whaley’s heroic drumming. It is quite a small change in balance, but enough to provide a slightly different perspective on a Blue Cheer performance.
Another difference is the lack of Dr. Please in the setlist. Again this is a benefit, because instead there is Duck Thing and a lengthy version of Hoochie Coochie Man. Noodling guitarists can be a bit of a bore, but Duck Thing is a well constructed solo piece and makes a refreshing change from the usual set. I can just imagine it floating out over the festival audience (I don’t have the dvd!). Hoochie Coochie Man is an entertaining mess-around of a jam, with Tony McPhee grandstanding on slide guitar and sledgehammer drums from Whaley.
Other highlights include the seriously heavy version of Ride With Me with a long hypnotic rollout at the end, and a very long and nicely nuanced version of Red House where you can hear exactly how Peterson and Whaley manage to invest power and interest into a slow and steady beat whilst Duck loops around over the top. Despite being compromised by drifting guitar sound (just on this one track) Second Time Around still manages to sound suitably wild, due mainly to Whaley’s relentless, headlong drumming.
The final big difference with this album is the packaging and sense of occasion. After a run of CDs with seriously unattractive skull/skeleton artwork, the restrained and attractive textured digipack that Live At Anti WAA Festival 1989 comes in harks back to the band’s classic sleeves of the early days. There are band photographs in the centre and a mauve insert that tells the story of the festivals and Blue Cheer activities around that time. The whole package gives off a feeling that thought and concern for quality has gone into it and, together with the one-off nature of the gig, the story of the festivals and the audience reaction, gives the music and its release a strong sense of occasion. I would say it’s an essential purchase for any Blue Cheer fan.
A DVD of the concert is also available and there is an indication that the CD is limited to 2000 copies. So it may be subject to non-availability or changed packaging in due course.
Footnote.
As regards the four earlier live releases mentioned above, Hello Tokyo Goodbye Osaka 1999 (later released as Live in Japan and Extended Versions but the original Captain Trip label packaging is preferable) stands out for its fine live versions of material from Highlights and Lowlives and it’s devastating version of Dr. Please. Again, it is an album taken from gigs with a sense of occasion. This one and Live at the Anti WAA Festival make a must have pairing.
Blitzkrieg over Nuremberg (1988) was the first live Blue Cheer album to be released (some 25 years ago) and is therefore an old favourite for many. Featuring Dave Salce in place of original drummer Paul Whaley, it is now an interesting anomaly really, but definitely a good performance and worth having.
Live Bootleg London/Hamburg consists of audience recordings from early 1990’s gigs. There is nothing wrong with the performances but, with its lower recording quality and indifferent packaging, it is a less attractive set.
Rocks Europe recorded in Bonn 2008 (Rockpalast show) is a fine record of the band’s final touring days and includes live versions of 3 songs from their final album plus a couple of studio outtakes. However, as Blue Cheer took a relaxed attitude to their gigs being recorded, unofficial recordings abound and the very best record of 2006-2008 would probably be a compilation from various sources. The Malibu Inn recording from 2008 contains an incredible version of Dr. Please (a really spacey 24 minute exploration with plenty of rolling thunder from Whaley) and and the recording from The Earl, Atlanta (2006) contains a magnificent Second Time Around which encapsulates live Blue Cheer: anarchic, brutal even, but with a soulful blues heart.
Here is the text of my Amazon review (assuming they print it!...it's a really great album.
As this CD represents the fifth live Blue Cheer album to be drawn from different concert recordings during the “Duck” MacDonald era (1988-2009) it could easily be perceived as surplus to requirements. That would be a shame as it is easily one of the best.
Recorded at the final and celebratory 1989 Anti WAA festival in Germany, with Blue Cheer topping the bill, this is a fine bluesy set. Bearing in mind the nature of a Blue Cheer gig and that it took place in the open air, it is also well recorded. Tracks are:
1Intro Announcement 0:38
2 Babylon 4:25
3 Girl Next Door 4:11
4 Parchman Farm 6:45
5 Ride With Me 8:04
6 Second Time Around 6:03
7 Duck Thing 7:05
8 Out of Focus 4:29
9 Heart of the City 6:17
10 Red House 9:17
11 Voodoo Chile Intro 1:44
12 Hoochie Coochie Man (feat. Tony McPhee) 8:25
13 Summertime Blues
There are several things that mark this set out from the preceding live albums. Firstly, it is recorded with the guitar set slightly further back in the mix. The different mix isn’t bothersome, in fact (given the availability of all those other albums) it’s an advantage, allowing better appreciation of the way that Dickie Peterson’s sinewy bass pushes the music onwards and more impact for Paul Whaley’s heroic drumming. It is quite a small change in balance, but enough to provide a slightly different perspective on a Blue Cheer performance.
Another difference is the lack of Dr. Please in the setlist. Again this is a benefit, because instead there is Duck Thing and a lengthy version of Hoochie Coochie Man. Noodling guitarists can be a bit of a bore, but Duck Thing is a well constructed solo piece and makes a refreshing change from the usual set. I can just imagine it floating out over the festival audience (I don’t have the dvd!). Hoochie Coochie Man is an entertaining mess-around of a jam, with Tony McPhee grandstanding on slide guitar and sledgehammer drums from Whaley.
Other highlights include the seriously heavy version of Ride With Me with a long hypnotic rollout at the end, and a very long and nicely nuanced version of Red House where you can hear exactly how Peterson and Whaley manage to invest power and interest into a slow and steady beat whilst Duck loops around over the top. Despite being compromised by drifting guitar sound (just on this one track) Second Time Around still manages to sound suitably wild, due mainly to Whaley’s relentless, headlong drumming.
The final big difference with this album is the packaging and sense of occasion. After a run of CDs with seriously unattractive skull/skeleton artwork, the restrained and attractive textured digipack that Live At Anti WAA Festival 1989 comes in harks back to the band’s classic sleeves of the early days. There are band photographs in the centre and a mauve insert that tells the story of the festivals and Blue Cheer activities around that time. The whole package gives off a feeling that thought and concern for quality has gone into it and, together with the one-off nature of the gig, the story of the festivals and the audience reaction, gives the music and its release a strong sense of occasion. I would say it’s an essential purchase for any Blue Cheer fan.
A DVD of the concert is also available and there is an indication that the CD is limited to 2000 copies. So it may be subject to non-availability or changed packaging in due course.
Footnote.
As regards the four earlier live releases mentioned above, Hello Tokyo Goodbye Osaka 1999 (later released as Live in Japan and Extended Versions but the original Captain Trip label packaging is preferable) stands out for its fine live versions of material from Highlights and Lowlives and it’s devastating version of Dr. Please. Again, it is an album taken from gigs with a sense of occasion. This one and Live at the Anti WAA Festival make a must have pairing.
Blitzkrieg over Nuremberg (1988) was the first live Blue Cheer album to be released (some 25 years ago) and is therefore an old favourite for many. Featuring Dave Salce in place of original drummer Paul Whaley, it is now an interesting anomaly really, but definitely a good performance and worth having.
Live Bootleg London/Hamburg consists of audience recordings from early 1990’s gigs. There is nothing wrong with the performances but, with its lower recording quality and indifferent packaging, it is a less attractive set.
Rocks Europe recorded in Bonn 2008 (Rockpalast show) is a fine record of the band’s final touring days and includes live versions of 3 songs from their final album plus a couple of studio outtakes. However, as Blue Cheer took a relaxed attitude to their gigs being recorded, unofficial recordings abound and the very best record of 2006-2008 would probably be a compilation from various sources. The Malibu Inn recording from 2008 contains an incredible version of Dr. Please (a really spacey 24 minute exploration with plenty of rolling thunder from Whaley) and and the recording from The Earl, Atlanta (2006) contains a magnificent Second Time Around which encapsulates live Blue Cheer: anarchic, brutal even, but with a soulful blues heart.