Live [LIVE]

Erykah Badu

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 18, 1997)
• Original Release Date: November 18, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Umvd Labels
• ASIN: B000005B0L
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,968 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #4 in	Music > R&B > Live Albums > Contemporary R&B
  #24 in	Music > R&B > Neo-Soul

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
There is always cause for concern when a promising new artist follows up a solid debut with a live album rehashing all the same material. After seeing Erykah Badu steal the "Smokin Grooves Tour" summer of 1996, however, it only makes sense that her record company decided to release Live as a stopgap between her next studio recording. To put it mildly, the Badu live experience is anything but typical. There is a kindred bond between the singer and her audiences which translates wonderfully onto the disc. It's in the warmth of the songs, the intimacy with which Badu addresses the crowd, and the constant chants of "Erykah!" emanating from the masses. For her part, Badu does a wonderful job revisiting the material from her superb debut Baduizm. She also takes on an assortment of covers, ranging from Roy Ayers's "Searching" to the Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long," making each one sound distinctly her own. The most captivating moment, though, is a new number called "Tyrone," in which she most eloquently tells a dense boyfriend to take a hike. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stay, indeed, November 27, 2000

By	Pharoah S. Wail (Inner Space) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This cd is a wonderful companion piece (with great new stuff as well) to the Baduizm studio cd. I wouldn't exchange one for the other though, both have their strengths and show a side of Erykah that the other does not.

This cd starts with something that I imagine many of Erykah's fans may not pick up on. The first minute or so of "Rimshot" is actually the Miles Davis masterpiece "So What" (originally appearing on the album, "Kind Of Blue"), with Erykah's backing vocalists chanting Badu over it. This leads to my only complaint... The liner-notes should have acknowledged the Miles tune, if for no other reason than to allow someone with no jazz knowledge to seek out the original Miles album if they are so inclined.

"Other Side Of The Game" and Chaka Khan's "Stay" both get incredible, all-out, going-for-it vocal fluorishes. These two songs alone would make this cd worth purchasing. "Ye Yo" is a song that says all the words that every child deserves to hear coming from their mothers lips, and it says them without being sappy and stupid. Again, this song sets Erykah far above the great majority of the R&B world. While others are yet again singing of wanting to get someone into bed, Erykah unleashes an emotional blessing for her unborn (at the time this was recorded) child.

I read a couple of the previous reviews that basically made it sound like this cd has no new material. That's incorrect. "Ye Yo", "Searching", "Boogie Nights/All Night", "Stay", and both versions of "Tyrone" (one is Live and one is studio) are not found on any of Erykah's other cd's. "Tyrone" is the ultimate kiss-off song, and her unique and spiritual vocal phrasings and lyrics permeate this great cd.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This CD is much better than the studio release., June 26, 1998

By A Customer

I didn't own the studio album when I bought this CD. My only exposure the Ms. Badu was through the video for Tyronne that I just happen to catch. But never before have I truley heard an artist bare their soul the way that Badu does on this recording. Along with a voice sent from God, Badu's engagement with the audience, and a spiritualism that reaches back to her African heritage, Ms. Badu has taught the music world a lesson in what it means to love your craft. My advise is skip the studio album it is extremly flat in comparison and go straight to Live.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore reviewer luke, this is LIVE!!!!!!!, April 30, 2006

By	Melancholy "Gymnopedies" (Pico Rivera, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews

Just wanted to point-out to those of you out there who are hesitant to purchase this because of the god-awful review by (luke).

What I'm reading from reviewer (Luke) about this gem is that he's reading the final credit's and coming to a false conclusion & totally overlooking the most obvious point that there are two recording crew's on this project. It's almost laughable that amazon let his review exploit falsehood's to us buyer's of real music.

(First)ofcourse is (The Live Recording & in-house Mixing Crew) which is stated (on the disc itself mind you) the vocal's(front & back)/instrument's/band & the wonderfully captured particapation of the audience which to me is just as important as the muisc in this case becasue the whole vibe is perfectly in sync.

(Second) is the Sony Music Stuido he's is talking about where they proceed(just like any other live show) with the final mixdown of this timeless (LIVE) cd.
This is the smoothess Live cd of 97'no doubt. Come on luke relax baby and don't mess with the structure and authentcity of grown folk's music, this is the real deal yah...