Customer Reviews

Best of Hanson Live & Electric

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Any way you cut it, these guys have got a tough row to hoe. They had the immensely bad luck of becoming huge before their voices broke, making them the darlings of pre-teen girls worldwide. Since then, they have grown into talented and respectable musicians, but the net result is that the corporate (read ignorant) world of pop music has no idea how to perceive them, and has abandoned them. Left to their own devices on an independent label, the three Hanson brothers must earn credibility all by themselves, and it is going to be one heck of an uphill battle. This live CD compiles some of their better tunes, and displays the legitimate musicianship and songwriting of the band, but I wonder if anyone over twenty is willing to listen.
For starters, you should understand that these guys are for real. They are credible musicians, who want respect as much as they want commercial success. They do not want to lose the fan base that made them famous in the first place, but they need to attract adult fans if they want a lasting, lucrative career. Leading off this live disk with a version of Radiohead's "Optimistic" is a reasonably logical way to do this. Fact is, they do the song justice, too, although I doubt that anyone would choose this version over the original. Their own songs, like "Where's the Love" and "Strong Enough to Break" have great hooks and are sung incredibly well, but I'm not convinced that they are gritty enough to attract 20-35 year-old males, either. Quasi-inspirational lighter ballads like "I Will Come to You" and "Underneath" only make matters worse, especially when programmed back to back. A cover of U2's "In a Little While" will, like the Radiohead song, spark recognition, and perhaps a nod of respect, but they need more if they want to cross over.
There are moments that work beautifully, though. "Penny and Me" is nearly impossible to deny, and "Hand in Hand" supplies the necessary muscle, while giving oldest brother Isaac a chance to stretch out on guitar and vocals. Funnily enough, "MMM-Bop" still sounds great, too, and "This Time Around" also gets close to the groove that they need. "Rock and Roll Razorblade" is an obvious attempt in the right direction, too, but ultimately sounds more like a Bryan Adams outtake. Surprisingly, the most credible moments occur on the bonus DVD disk that accompanies the live CD. The video clips are all excellent, and the live bits should surprise naysayers who insist that Hanson is akin to Milli Vanilli, or some such ignorance. I for one liked Hanson in the "MMM-Bop" days, and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt now. Besides, I love rooting for the underdog, especially when they're a bunch a nice guys. B Tom Ryan

Hanson has been around for almost a decade and while they are no longer a huge act on the charts, they have matured nicely from a teenybopper band into a tight live act as evidenced by this album. The songs have a definite live feel; they aren't merely carbon copies of their studio versions. The brothers open the songs up and jam while retaining the catchy melodies that made them famous. This a very good live album that won't disappoint hardcore fans and may even convert some Hanson doubters.

This cd is an excellent range of songs and can really show anyone what Hanson is capable of. Many songs off their first album are included, even Mmmbop, and having a recording of these songs from 2005 shows how the band has grown and matured, while also proving what excellent song writers they were as children. Almost all of the songs hold up as wonderful pop gems alongside the band's stellar new material.

The inclusion of one of the band's best songs, Every Word I Say, as well as the fun, energetic new concert standard, Rock N Roll Razorblade, are especially worthwhile for the more casual fans who may never have heard these tunes. The Radiohead cover, Optimistic, is terrific and lets the band really flex their rock sensibilities. But for my money, the song that would sell the album on its own is the amazing cover of U2's In A Little While. This is when you understand how truly talents these young men are. Only the most talented musicians could do a U2 cover that would hold its own against the original song.

The main reason this cd doesn't get more than three stars is the recording quality. Sometimes an echo from the speakers is noticeable, and I have never felt that the screams of the crowd add anything to my listening enjoyment of a live cd. Neither of these distractions was seriously enough to detract from my overall pleasure of the cd though. This is an excellent recording for fans old and new, and a great introduction for though who think of Hanson as nothing more than "Mmmbop".

13 years, 9 albums, 6 Top 40 hits, 5 World Tours, and 16 million albums sold worldwide comes The Best Of Hanson: Live & Electric. The 15 track album includes most all of Hanson's hits from MMMBop to Penny & Me. Hanson delievers one hell of a performance recorded live this past June down under. The haunting opener, Radiohead's "Optimisitc", is killer. Taylor Hanson nails every note showing that he and his brothers aren't screwing around, they are a rock band in every sense of the word. "Every Word I Say" starts off slow, but moves into a powerful ending. The classic hit, "Where's The Love" is always a rocker. R&B driven "Look At You" is funky, rocky and is nothing but the best. "Strong Enough To Break" is no doubt a highlight of the album with its acoustic yet very electric feel. The album truely shines thru with Isaac Hanson's "Hand In Hand" if any doubters are out there, this track will make a believer out of you. Though the band's cover of U2's "In A Little While" never really takes off, it is still a nice addition. Bouns tracks "If Only", and "A Song To Sing" are essential to this album.

The music doesn't stop with track 15, the DVD bouns track "Crazy Beautiful" is nothing short of an anthem. Some bands release Best Of or Greatest Hits albums and then disappar. If anything, Live & Electric proves that Hanson will be around for years to come. Truely The Best Of Hanson.

This album lets you listen to Hanson at their best, playing live, doin what they love to do: make great music. I'm a big fan of Hanson since 1997, and this is a pleasure to my ears, as a music and rock lover. From songs from "Middle of Nowhere" to songs from the new album "Underneath", you can blast it on your sound system and take a trip to Hansons work trough the years. Great songs like "Where's the Love", "Look at You","I Will Come To You" and "MMMbop" that were huge hits for them in the late 90's, get wonderfully played live and electric, harder like never before, along with new tunes from earlier work like "This Time Around" "Penny & Me" and "Underneath". Finally a "Best Of", finally a new live concert after 1998's "Live from Albertane", and yet again they sound perfect playing live, better than never! It's amazing how they sound live! Hanson music is great. Go out and buy this!

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Being a fan since I first heard MmmBop on the radio, I've really enjoyed this album. It's by far the best I've heard of them. I am their age and I really feel like they've (musically) evolved with me, we're all grown up now and it shows.

I know some of you are probably looking at The Best of Hanson Live and Electric and worrying, somewhere along the lines of, "What if this is too much like Live From Albertane?" Rest assured. These two albums couldn't be MORE different! A: The song arrangement on this album is much different than that on Live From Albertane, B: the music is played a little harder (really sounds good!), and C: there is much more variety to it! Included are covers of Radiohead's "Optimistic and U2's "In A Little While". Both are brilliant! New songs like "Every Word I Say" and "Rock'N'Roll Razorblade" only add to the excitement! Rock'N'Roll Razorblade is my favorite of the two. I've watched it played live, on Underneath Acoustic Live (the dvd) and needless to say I fell in love with it! I'm thrilled it's on this album! Every Word I Say is good too. I can't help but wonder if Taylor wrote this for his wife? Sweet song! And don't forget all of those hits from Middle of Nowhere, Underneath, and This Time Around! They sound brand new and better than ever! You don't know what you're missing out on until you've heard Hanson's latest!

P.S. Read the poem inside the cd case! It's inspiring. Also, the bonus DVD is a blast! Six music videos and a photo slideshow! :)


My favorite songs off this album: Every Word I Say; Very sweet ballad! I like how it's sung., In A Little While; Wow! They sure know how to play U2!, MMMBop; Honestly, how could they leave this out?, Rock'N'Roll Razorblade; This song has a really driven attitude to it. Whenever Hanson sings "Watch me bleed!", it's almost like they're daring you to!, If Only; I really REALLY love this song! So good!

This album is fantastic!!! it has songs you know and lonve from Middle of Nowhere This Time Around and Underneath, along with some new songs. When I saw the tracks, i was thinking that some songs like "Where's the Love" was going to be the same as Live From Albertane. Boy was I wrong. The songs you've heard on Live From Albertane are in a different arrangement, which makes it more interesting because you dont know what the next song will be like. Thank you Hanson for another amazing live album!

I get chills down my spine listening to this album, reliving the concert I was once at. I especially love Look at You's guitar solo and Hand in Hand which has older brother Isaac shining on stage.

The Best of Hanson Live & Electric showcase a range of songs from their early days of '97 to current releases such as Penny & Me. It even gives a taste of their cover abilities by opening with Radiohead's 'Optimistic' and U2's 'In a Little While'. This is a great buy for someone who is curious to know what Hanson is really about.

To quote Hanson themselves: 'For some, music is not just a pastime, It's an undeniable fact of living'

I have been a fan of Hanson since the MMMBop-days and loved their new fresh sound that they introduced to the world. And because of them, we got the pop-era.
Now fast forward past those years, and you get this new and wonderful album: *The Best of Hanson: Live and Electric.* This album by far showcases their vocals and talent as young rockers. I thought that this album was going to be like Live From Albertane, but I was completely wrong! Their voices have gotten mature and they have refined their instrument playing skills. And the two covers that they do, *Optimistic - Radiohead* and *In A Little While - U2* are done brillantly! I was shocked to hear how much they sounded like the originals. I'm amazed at how much Taylor hits the same notes key for key. And that's just the beginning. Isacc really showcases his guitar-licks on the songs *Hand In Hand*, *Where's The Love*, and *Look At You.* And Zac continues to impress me as he pounds away on the drums. Each and every song truely shows that the guys have grown up from their MMMBop-days to the mature, rockers we love to see and listen to. All the songs from MON, TTA, and Underneath are just shown better live on this album with the twists and cuts that they guys have put into it and I appreciate each song more so than before. I hope to hear many more albums from them and to attend more shows from them because, if they are anything like this album, then we are only in for a good, long, and wonderful music ride with them for years to come.