Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beloved MMJ, August 27, 2004
Fans will argue that My Morning Jacket is the greatest thing to come out of Louisville since Abe Lincoln and his goofy top hat. And with how good these guys are, I'm sure there won't be much complaining over that. After plenty of critical acclaim on their latest album It Still Moves, on ATO/RCA records, Jim James and his crew are climbing to the top and it's about damn time. Over the past few months, the band has gone through disappointing turmoil after the loss of the beloved band members Johnny Quaid and Danny Cash. But this band isn't about to quit anytime soon.
So they just released a limited edition, live EP, recorded very close to the departure of Quaid and Cash. If you have heard all the hype or you're just a fan since back at the Twice Told Coffeehouse(in louisville) days (I'm sure those few people already have this disc), then this is an extraordinary preview of the magic of MMJ. You owe yourself to get this and if you live in Kentucky and spend any sort of time with music, I can guess you've already experienced the incendiary band that is My Morning Jacket.
So let's get one thing straight: The few that don't like My Morning Jacket like to say that the drowning reverb over James's voice is a gimmick and he would sound awful without it. A hand holding the Tennessee Fire album should be slapped across their faces, because if you draw back to those days, there were a few tunes on there without reverb that will leave you in awe. This live EP brings back those astonishing moments James takes the stage solo for three out of the five songs.
For the few that were invited to see this intimate live show in Braintree, Massachusetts, you were in for quite a treat that Halloween night. The full band kicked off the set, rockin' on Tennessee Fire's "The Bear" and transferring so comfortably into a rare performance of the Chocolate & Ice EP's "Sooner" to leave the crowd in an evident sense of amazement. As the band leaves, James pulls out a version of At Dawn's "Bermuda Highway" that grabs you immediately. It ends on a high note (literally) from James' melodic voice (and there had to be that one guy who screams "You kick ass!"). The EP ends on two intimate performances of the truly shining version of "Golden" and the southern feeling "Hopefully," where James' voice almost cracks off midway, but he pulls it out and makes it sound, well, even better!
By having a compilation of the past to present, this is a great glimpse of what My Morning Jacket is about. Trust me. This is only ten bucks and I don't think you can get a better 25 minutes of music anywhere at the moment. You owe it to yourself to make the the purchase
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
very personal experience, January 20, 2005
I have always had a very personal experience with this band, from the day I purchased "At Dawn" and realized that for once the hype was real. I hate hype, I hate hyped bands, I have had trouble getting into, say, Radiohead, because of all these critics and knee-jerk fans who insist on prattling on forever about how [insert band here] will alter how we perceive our universe. I would gladly stop reading the press on bands, except for the fact that I am somewhat of a hypocrite and have to rely on somebody to inform me about new music as it comes out because there's no other way to find new music beyond word of mouth. So there.
Anyways, so I avoid hyped bands unless and until I find out that the hype was warranted. Here, we have the real deal at its, well, realest. Jim James has an amazing voice that echoes and resonates even without the reverb effects he so commonly uses. That voice is the center of the music and gives it a plainspoken honesty that makes it touching and comforting even when I don't know what he's actually singing about. I found this disc at an indie record shop and spent a lot of time driving around listening to it, travelling to work and to meet friends in somewhat far-flung locations around San Diego county. I've had it on while driving through barren hills, crowded freeways, urban areas, you name it. Consequently it makes me think of roads when I hear it, and travel. And empty stretches of highway. It is completely timeless, could have been recorded in 1965 as easily as now. I'd almost dare say that this live disc is a classic.
The fact that I have already written two paragraphs of review material about a 25-minute performance should tell you something. Something beyond the fact that I am bored tonight. This is a really great album, worthy of many listens, preferably while driving. I wonder what's on TV?
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
awesome, April 20, 2006
This EP was what made me an MMJ fan for life. While the songs with the band "The Bear" and "Sooner" are good and terrific live performance, its when the band leaves the stage to Jim James that the EP really defines itself. Alone with his acoustic guitar and his indescribable, plaintively melancholy voice Jim James causes the hair on the back of your neck to stand straight up. "Bermuda Highway", "Golden", and the final track "Hopefully" are all truely awesome. Both his rythym guitar style and his vocals are reminiscent of Neil Young and Jim James is just as capable of holding a listeners rapt attention with merely a guitar and his voice. Though only 5 tracks, this EP is truely a bargain.
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