Customer Reviews

I Am As Pure As Oranj

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As with most Fall, this pisses on 99% of the musical world from a great height BUT DO NOT BUY THIS CD FOR THE VIDEO FILES, as the "enhanced version", which was originally planned, does not exist. Don't believe the product description.

I picked up a used copy of this disc at a local record store. After listening to the opening track in the store which features a stream of conscious style rant about dogs by The Fall's only consistent member Mark E. Smith, I knew I had to have it. Brix Smith picks up lead guitar duty while Marica Schofield covers the keyboards on this set. I was familiar with Brix's contributions from her work on 'Perverted By Language' which up to the point I bought '...Oranj' was the only other Fall album I had heard. The band plays flawlessly, and Mark E. Smith is in especially fine form on 'Wrong Place Right Time', 'Friendz' and 'Dead Beat Descendant'. The glossy booklet included has some beautiful, color shots from the performance, but there are no video files as mentioned in the description.

If you're familiar with I Am Kurious Orange, then i would have to recommend this over the studio LP. Sound quality here is fantastic; the crowd is toned down, the band is first rate, and vocalist Mark E Smith is on fire! The songs have a very necessary energy to them which is lacking in the studio album. I have both, and i always favor I Am Pure as Oranj over I Am Kurious Orange.

This is an inspired performance, despite what allmusic.com says. Mark E. Smith is in great form, spitting out vocals; the rest of the band sounds phenomenal. In regards to the sound quality--the music is clear, the crowd is in no way a distraction, and I would say that this rises above just about any available live show by The Fall. Buy this record! Support the best band in the world!

I guess this is the same album as "I am Kurious Oranj" which I used to have on cassette, but the cassette messed up and I ordered this CD. It is one of the best fall releases and a truly brilliant album. I think they performed a ballet to it in Amsterdam, but don't let that put you off. As with all MES work, it has a diverse variety of music styles and so many of them are truly appealing.