Customer Reviews

Live: Back On The Bus, Y'all

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

 

 

While I am normally not a fan of cover tunes (as they are usually not performed well at all, i.e. they are RUINED), I was blown away by the Indigo Girls' cover of the Dylan tune "All Along the Watchtower." It's even better than the Hendrix version, which is saying a WHOLE LOT about the raw power and talent of this incredible female duo.

The entire album is intense, with lyrical power, guitar work that blows me away, and a certain presence that makes one feel as if he or she were really at the concert.

I recommend that this album be played at HIGH volume, preferably with a group of screaming Indigo Girls fans present. It's not a CD you can listen to sitting down.

Once again, I was thrilled out of my mind to get my hands/ears on yet another piece of work by the girls, but I was a bit disappointed when my least favorite song ("1 2 3") was on this not only once, but twice! It's not just a personal bias, but the song itself sounds least like what the band usually comes out with.

Hearing the crowd sing with the performers and the live sound made it worth it, however... not to mention the song "All Along the Watchtower" which was not released as a studio version. Great for collectors and fans, but probably not a good "intro" into the band's music.

The Girls' record company must have been impatient for more product from them, since this (mostly)live EP appeared in 1991, only 9 months after their third studio album, "Nomads, Indians, Saints". The first six tracks are live versions of songs from their first three albums. They don't differ significantly from the studio cuts in arrangements. But, the Indiogos and their backing band perform them with a lot of passion and soul, sounding more raw and immediate. The seventh track is a raucous cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" performed by just the two Girls, evidently as an encore. It's somewhere inbetween the folky Dylan acoustic original and the energy of Hendrix's electric cover. Done well enough, although I could have done without Amy Ray's improvised new lyrics at the end. This is the only Indigos CD which has this song, for all those collectors out there.

The most annoying thing about this release is the last track. For some reason, they tack on the original studio version of "1-2-3", from "Nomads.." The CD opens with a live version of the same song, which is just fine. Maybe they were trying to promote it as a single or something, but it's entirely unnecessary.

That's a small nitpick, though. This CD is a nice sampler of the Girls live. A better suggestion, though is the "1200 Curfews" double live disc which came out four years later. You get two full CD's of performances which cover a decade or so, a much better sampling of their live talents with originals and covers. That's well worth the money. If you're in love with that one, then come back and get an inexpensive copy of this. It makes a nice companion piece to "1200 Curfews."

Note the four stars. The only thing that keeps this from a five star review is its brevity. A good CD leaves you wanting more. This one does that in spades. Of course, if it were a double CD (read: 1200 Curfews)it would still leave you wanting more because the Indigo Girls are THAT good.

Every fan should have a copy of 'Y'All'. 1.2.3 is a scathing commentary and Amy belts it out with a lot of energy, on both the live and studio tracks (we could have done without the studio version - and put another tune on the disk). She brings that energy to a fever pitch in her rendition of All Along The Watchtower - Dylan should be proud.

Emily Saliers doesn't disappoint either. Her somber 10,000 Years and redeeming Prince of Darkness are a pleasure to listen to.

I suppose if this disk were longer, or if it was released as a double CD we would not have gotten the exquisite 1200 Curfews. So, Ok, I can deal with the dearth of material on "Y'All" because I know greater things are to come from this wonderful duo.

Questions? email me

If your are not already an Indigo Girls fan then this will make you one. Amy and Emily's voices are fabulous and transport me back to their concerts!!! I love it and you will too!!!!

The cover of "All Along the Watchtower" will blow you away. The Girls give it all they got; which is a lot!!!