Customer Reviews

Feast on Scraps [Enhanced CD & Live DVD]

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

"Feast On Scraps" is a fantastic compiltation of her material on the road 2002.

I shall start by reviewing the CD.

It has 8 incredible songs culled from the "Under Rug Swept" sessions...and some of these make u wonder...WOW!! If this is what didn't suit the album, then I don't know what.. but then again, these songs are rather different from the URS songs. these sound a bit darker and more personalized drama...instead of the universal popular tone of URS..for example.."Unprodigal Daughter" and "Offer", both included on FEAST ON SCRAPS...they are much more personal and egocentric than anything on URS. Both speak of her inner feelings about her own existance..and in the case of "Unprodigal..." , speaks in narrative about her experience and culture clashing of her arrival in L.A. in 1994.

THE DVD.

Incredible, absolutely amazing to have such raw visions of what its like to hang out with Alanis and give you a piece of her mentality. The most satisfying and cutest part of the DVD is the interlude before "So Unsexy" where she is having her hair braided, and speaks with a cochney English accent, speaking of "beware those nu-age books that try to tell you that you're born beautiful! It is incredible. let's all give our thanks to Alanis for thinking of this concept.

Alanis entitled this CD appropriately. It is, indeed, a feast on scraps. That is, the majority of these songs were released as b-sides on her import singles. For those who purchased those imports solely for the b-tracks, sorry, you may be a bit disappointed. However, in defense, it was no secret that she was going to release this a year after "Under Rug Swept." As for the music, it is perfect. Exactly, where "Under Rug Swept" left off. Songs "Bent for You," "Sorry to Myself," "Simple Together," and "Purgatorying" are my favorites. Everyone seems to really enjoy "Sister Blister." I have to admit, I'm not too fond of that song. It's great and all, but not the highlight of the CD in my opinion. The acoustic version of "Hands Clean" is surprisingly good. Almost better than the original. Food for thought...
Anyway, "Feast on Scraps" isn't just a CD. The enhanced DVD is amazing. I believe you'll enjoy the many live performances. Alanis always gives a great live performance. That's always been one of her strong points.
Altogether, a great buy for Alanis fans.
Even for those who did not particularly enjoy "Under Rug Swept."

"Feast on Scraps" is a 2 disc (one DVD, one CD) set. The enhanced CD contains unreleased tracks, and you can put it in your computer and do something with it, as well. I haven't bothered much with it. The DVD includes concert performances of 20 songs, a studio performance of 1, as well as interviews and backstage footage.
The 'problem' with the DVD is that all of the components are intertwined together throughout the DVD. The tracks are easy to find as they are separated by chapter, and the beginning of the chapter is the beginning of the song. However, when the song ends, fade to black and then the candid footage begins. Unless you manually skip to the next chapter you may have to wait up to 5 minutes before the next song begins. The footage was apparently "scrapped" together from various concerts and, with the exception of six songs, it is relatively seamless. The "poor sound quality" occurs on six of the twenty-one tracks, when the "scrapping" is exaggerated as the camera angles change from audience to stage and sometimes to studio. It was done intentionally, it's not as though they are trying to pull the wool over your eyes. I guess it's supposed to be creative or something, but I agree that it's annoying. So yeah, it would have been nice had the footage all been separated into neat little categories and devoid of the creative sound quality, but it's not. That being said, there are still fourteen concert tracks on this DVD that make me wish I had been there. Here are the tracks on the DVD:

Intro 1. Baba 2. Right Through You 3. 21 Things I Want In A Lover-(POOR SOUND) 4. Hand In My Pocket-(POOR SOUND)5. Purgatorying 1 6. Unprodigal Daughter 7. Flinch 8. All I Really Want 9. Precious Illusions-(POOR SOUND)10. Sympathetic Character 11. Purgatorying 2 12. So Unsexy 13. Head Over Feet-(POOR SOUND)14. Purgatorying 3 15. You Oughta Know 16. Hands Clean-(POOR SOUND) 17. Uninvited 18. Ironic-(POOR SOUND)
19. You Learn 20. That Particular Time(this one sounds fine but it's not concert footage)21. Thank U 22.

Feast on Scraps is an excellent little feast; it is appropriately titled, even though it gets its name from BENT 4 U. The audio CD here included is great. SORRY 2 MYSELF and OFFER are two of her best songs ever recorded, PURGATORYING and SIMPLE TOGETHER are also quite good. The acoustic version of HANDS CLEAN is beautifully done, and the remaining 4 tracks are all delicious Jagged Little Pill throwbacks which are sure to please.

The DVD is a great addition here. (The one thing that may annoy people is that on about half the songs done, a singular song will drift out of several different concerts, which Alanis did on the Jagged Little Pill Live DVD, too.) Still, it is quite good, and even though the sound quality does lag in places (and I won't say you won't notice it, because you will), it still doesn't matter. You also see Alanis as she's writing and recording songs like SURRENDERING and HANDS CLEAN in the studio, which is interesting to see. You even see her contemplating what the tracklisting will be for Under Rug Swept! At one point, she's even on the floor with her hair all over her face, screaming "What it all comes down to What it all comes down to..." from HAND IN MY POCKET. She says it quite a few times.

The enhanced CD and DVD extras are great too. On the CD enhancement, you get to see 2+ minute film shorts on the makings of BENT 4 U, OFFER, SIMPLE TOGETHER, and SORRY 2 MYSELF, the last of which is accessible on FEAST ON SCRAPS.com, which you are linked to with exclusive access from either the DVD or the CD.

All in all, FEAST will be sure to delight all Alanis fans, and yield many converts as well!

As Alanis was having thoughts of her 'Fear of Bliss' being 'Bent For You,' her groves of fans, she was saying, I am 'Sorry to Myself' for not meeting with 'Sister Blister' but her 'Offer' to the 'Unprodigal Daughter' had her feeling that we would be 'Simple Together' if only we weren't 'Purgatorying' ourselves in our heart of hearts but we do have our 'Hands Clean' in the final analysis!

"Feast on Scraps" the CD is the ultimate accoutrement to the "Under Rug Swept" release earlier in 2002. As Alanis admits, the songs on the CD are many of those that they wished they could've squeezed onto the "Under Rug Swept" release but they were too many for that release and were generally of a different ambience than the other songs on that CD. While these songs "do" have a different feeling than those of the earlier CD, they're none the less quite enjoyable and are quite exceptional additions to her library of emotionally deep and intellectually beautiful lyrics and music. Alanis has been and continues to be a powerful voice in an industry where many artists put out good music but few put out music of this caliber! The acoustic rendition of "Hands Clean," while being a carry over from her MTV Unplugged release is still a beautiful addition to the CD!

"Feast on Scraps" the Enhanced DVD is an astonishing look at Alanis Morissette during a live concert and behind the scenes either in preparation of that concert or in interviews. The concert portions are, to say the least, incredible as she and her band clearly display that they are a very good live band! The interview or just playing around portions of this DVD are quite fascinating as you can quickly see that Alanis "is" the intelligent, thoughtful and funny person in reality that comes out so clearly in her music. What's more interesting are the portions in which you see her during the song writing process and you can clearly see where the depth of emotions she engrains into her songs comes out during that process.

You can put either the CD or DVD into your computer and it will link you to her website or the Feast on Scraps website and you'll be able to see some additional items that didn't make it on the DVD or CD. The CD also includes some enhanced features for your computer's DVD player as well!

Overall, this is another exceptional and highly enjoyable release by Alanis Morissette that I highly recommend to any and all fans of her work. Hopefully her next release isn't too far down the road of life... {ssintrepid}

Let me say right off the bat, I didn't listen to the DVD part of this CD, so I am just going to review the CD part. There may only be 9 songs on the CD, but the songs are very good leftovers. The Cd starts off very well with the very heavy, very dark "Fear Of Bliss" which I think is a very good song, but all the songs on this album, are excellent, like "Bent 4 U", "Offer", "Simple Together" and "Sorry To Myself", but the standouts on this CD are "Sister Blister", "Unprodical Daughter" along with "Fear Of Bliss", also on the album are "Purgatorying" and a nice acoustic version of "Hands Clean"(previously on "Under Rug Swept"), and although "Under Rug Swept" was never given it due "Feast On Scraps", deserves to be heard. This CD is simply awesome and is a good buy for any Alanis fan. A+ for this late season release.

1.) "Fear Of Bliss" A+
2.) "Bent 4 U" A
3.) "Sorry To Myself" A
4.) "Sister Blister" A++

5.) "Offer" B
6.) "Unprodical Daughter" A++
7.) "Simple Together" B
8.) "Purgatorying" B
9.) "Hands Clean"(Acoustic) A.

Excellent CD!

Audio Disc Breakdown:

1. FEAR OF BLISS - Some trippy rock from Alanis! This track doesn't follow Alanis' standard songwriting formula and is a bit scattered. Nonetheless, a great song. 4/5

2. BENT FOR YOU - Excellent alt/rock effort. This is the song that opens the DVD portion of "Feast On Scraps". Excellent. 5/5

3. SORRY TO MYSELF - This is a spine tingling ballad. Perhaps, dare I say, Alanis' best ballad. This song definitely should have been released as a single. 5/5

4. SISTER BLISTER - This one's a monster rocker! As well as the previous track, this would have been so successful as a single. Not since "You Oughta Know" has Alanis produced such a great rock track. Would have been a huge hit on the Modern Rock Charts. 5/5

5. OFFER - Another ballad here, however, this one falls incredibly short. While Alanis' voice is good, nothing seems to come together and the lyrics and music are to say the least, boring. 2/5

6. UNPRODIGAL DAUGHTER - Another great rock track. It's about Alanis leaving home for L.A. to start her new life. We see a hint of the "angry" Alanis we say on "Jagged Little Pill", maybe because this song is referring back to that time. 5/5

7. SIMPLE TOGETHER - I believe this song was the song sent to radio stations to promote "Feast On Scraps". It most definitely was a poor choice. While it is an ok ballad, it's somewhat dull. 3/5

8. PURGATORYING - This song is magical! It's a very enjoyable and definitely interesting song. There's almost an otherworldly feel to this. From watching this song being performed on the DVD of "Feast On Scraps", it's easy to see the magic of this track comes from the live performance. Nonetheless, great! 4/5

9. HANDS CLEAN(ACOUSTIC) - It's really nice to hear this 2002 hit stripped down to the core. Sounds great. 4/5

DVD Overview:

The full concert on this DVD follows Alanis though her 2002 "Toward Our Union Mended Tour" Most of the footage is from her Rotterdam show. It's loaded with hits, precious rarities and brand new tracks! Alanis has such raw, pure energy in her shows. Most notibly on tracks such as "Purgatorying", "You Oughta Know", "Flinch", "Sympathetic Character" and "Uninvited". This DVD shows us at times the rewarding and struggling process of songwriting in and out of the studio. Contains superb behind the scenes footage showing us Alanis' humorous and wacky side. It's also an excellent facet to understand her and her philosophy to a much greatest extent. 5/5

Overall:

I actually rate this album 4.2 out of 5 stars. "Feast On Scraps" is a great experience for any lover of live music! A great buy!

Discover Alanis as if you were on tour with her. I love the DVD.It's more than I was expected. All her best songs are played on several stages over Europe.You will appreciate how good Alanis and her band are LIVE, how she is natural and down to earth she appears in the interviews and backstage scenes.No bigheaded stars here ! Just a real person who enjoys life and who is thankful for it.You can criticize the sound of some parts on the DVD but in my opinion, it's just done great.It exactly shows how the sound can be different whether you are on stage,in the crowd,in an open air festival,in Roma, in Israel...
I will say BRAVO for the scraps :) 5 stars for the DVD.About the CD,don't think a minute they are certainly bad not to have been added to "Under Rug Swept" because listen ! Sister Blister roxxx and Unprodigal Daughter, Purgatorying are very good songs.
You will also find an acoustic version of HANDS CLEAN ...LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT !!! Alanis rules !

I am a huge fan of Alanis Morissette, I love the things she has to say. I purchased her DVD to see her in her most recent state after the release of "Under Rug Swept". Seeing her in the studio, on stage, and just messing around was very cool. You get to see a lot of aspects of Alanis that you don't see. The sound for the DVD is not very good. Since they used 2 different cameras to film that, she used the sound that went for each camera, and one was really kinda .... That takes away from her sound quite a bit. The Audio CD is totally awesome. There are some very good songs like "Offer" and "Simple Together" that are totally awesome. The music is definatly worth it, and it's all studio recorded, so it sounds great. So for the most part it's a good buy, minus the sound problem on the DVD. =)

If you are a big fan of Alanis you will definitely like this! There are some things that are new and interesting. I wished that there was more music on the CD though. I have not sat and fully watched the DVD, which is concert and backstage footage with a smattering of other stuff, but I am disappointed at the sound quality of the DVD, one of the cameras they used for filming has a bad microphone or something. If you can get a good price used it is worth adding to a collection, but don't pay a lot for this.