Customer Reviews

Live at Maritime Hall Sf

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

 

 

For the new Brains fan, you may find it puzzling that there are nearly as many live recordings of Soul/Bad Brains as studio collaborations. The avid fan, however, knows how the Brains are best served: straight with a twist of live.
If you are just beginning your experience with this D.C. rooted band, this is a good start to your live collection. Grabbing deep into the back catalog, you will find a variety of the early hardcore material, with additional representatives from every Brains studio accomplishment (I do not include 'Rise' because there is no HR). Indeed this is a live journey through a rather bumpy career for the Brains, and what it lacks in production quality, it makes up in soul.
The avid, long-time listener will find this a reasonable effort with a few gems. Severely lacking the ferocity of Bad Brains 'Live' or the highly polished, uptempo flavor of 'Youth are Getting Restless', it will probably not be in your normal Soul/Bad Brains rotation. Nevertheless, there are highlights. HR's playful (and often funny) musings with the crowd and superb renditions of 'Sailin' On', "I n I Survive' and 'I Against I' make this a worthy buy.
One things for sure, if you are old school,you will be spinning 'Rock For Light' on the turntable by the time this one is over. And the new fan...no doubt you will be adding to your Brains collection soon.

If you are looking for the most bad-[buttocks] blitz-speed core and thumpin reggae... get 'The Youth are Getting Restless'(recorded in 1987)...
If you wish to hear a more mature, fun-loving live album by still the most bad-[buttocks] roots-rock-reggae band on Earth (on par with Wailers and Word Sound Power) - the Brains - this time with elements of funk, soul, H.R. having all kinds of fun with the lyrics and his highly versatile voice and jokin with the audience - get 'Live at Maritime Hall'. The range of soundz covered in this hour-long concert is extraordinary. H.R. can sing his rap as fast as ever and then slow it down and send chills up my spinal chord... and he actually is singing, whereas in 80s he was often screaming off the richtor scale. Dr. Know is as perfect on lead guitar as ever; goin from 'super-crunch to super-clean' (as he says)and always awe-inspiring. Darryl Jennifer incorporates the funk and is the backbone of this perfect continuum. Earl Hudson is on point and massive, especially on 'Re-Ignition' whence he lifts the energy level mid-way into the concert beyond what might have seemed possible.

The whole album is uplifiting spiritually and the most enjoyable live album I've heard since Peter Tosh, Live at One Love Peace Concert. The reggae tracks - 'Day Tripper/She's a Rainbow', 'I'n'I Survive', 'Youth Are Getting Restless' are surprisingly mellow and largely improvised by H.R. The heavier tracks are totally rockin and will feed your higher brain stem. However, after evolving throughout the 80s to create the fastest and loudest soundz; the Brains are now evolving as avatars of soul. The album is very danceable; you could mosh to it; yet I feel more like practicing Tai Chi when I hear it.

It feels very beautiful to hear the original Brains still playin with all their guts and Jah blessings after 20+ years. I very much look forward, however, to the release of new tracks. The only new track on the album - 'On Like Popcorn' is so much fun to hear and sing along to; it is about all the beautiful people on Earth; and the track gives a good preview of the new soundz they are producing in the studio; lots of jive and bounce; always totally limitless and uplifting; great for when you just need something loud and extraordinarily positive and heartfelt to boost you through life.

Get this album if you know God or are looking for God and spirituality, if you are a die-hard Brains fan, if you appreciate musicians who are still totally out-going after well over 2 decades, if you wish to hear the most authentic fusion-rock-metal-rasta hard core-rootz reggae-fun(k)-gospel-soul band who first conceived of the math and rythms that most every other positively rockin band has been inspired by, or if you never heard of the Brains and simply need something very positive, fast, loud, (sometimes) mellow, fun, inspiring, that will benefit your body chemistry and positive mental attitude in ways beyond description.
Give thanks and praises; the Brains are doing a beautiful job.
Lovely,
SEBAS.

Okay, so this isn't the BEST live Bad Brains album. When judged against, say, "The Youth Are Getting Restless," this should probably only get 3 stars. But when grading a band's albums, it should be done on what the album sounds like as its own entity, not compared to the artists' other work.
That said, this is a really great live album. The whole band sounds very fresh and energized despite the 20+ years that they've been together. Doc's chops are in full effect; Daryl's bass tone is insanely versatile - from the deep dub-reggae to the punchy hardcore to the "hunna-miles-an-owa" punk jams; and Earl is on point with almost metronomic precision.
Highlights are "Coptic Times," "I Against I," and "Re-Ignition." The end of "I & I Survive" absolutely shimmers, and it's interesting to hear H.R. eschew the personal pronoun - especially in "Sailing On" (good thing they didn't do the song "I"!). HR's crowd banter is hilarious ("Gettin' all moochy on me!") - he sounds like a little kid.
The mix is much better than on the SST Live album. The only problems with the Maritime mix is that sometimes the bass overpowers the guitar and sometimes the snare sounds a bit dead. Not enough to detract from a five-star rating.

I've been a huge fan of the Bad Brains/Soul Brains for almost 20 years. I saw them on the reunion tour in Montreal, and they were really uninspired. This CD, recorded in San Francisco, is sadly, just as mediocre as that Montreal show.

The mix is a little tinny, and the liner notes don't even have all the facts straight.

The playing is brilliant, but HR really sounds bored. If you want some powerful Brains tunes, check out "The Youth Are Getting Restless" on Caroline, or even "Live" on SST Records. This "Live at Maritime Hall" is pretty mediocre in comparison to their other live albums.

i was at this show
this is not bad brains
this is a group of guys who would rather have nothing to do with each other but they don't want to go back to working in the auto shop or whatever other day jobs they have
yeah, they play well, the chemistry exists
but hr, just a puppet
lifeless
hollow
and if you don't have anything new to offer us, why record the same songs AGAIN? how many versions of sailin on do we need?
maybe brains can't move on
but we should
someone out there has a spark that deserves your attention
theory of ruin
last of the juanitas
fantomas
dillinger escape plan
lightning bolt

brains lost the spark YEARS ago
lets not lose it with them

I love love love love love this band. Can't get enough of them so I'll always buy whatever they have for sale. But I am not sure what's going on with HR. Part of his style was a very aggressive, frantic sound which he has abandoned. A lot of the songs on the CD don't sound so great without that. Although this has nothing to do with this record, he also stands motionless during the performances - another shift from the days of stage diving and leaping around.

The mix is not great but not terrible. The band sounds excellent! I wish there was more music from "Quickness." "Soul Craft" doesn't have the same feel as it did on the record, where Mackie replaced Earl. But on "Re-ignition," Earl sounds killing! Especially on the bridge. He kills that sh#t! Generally, the "I Against I" material sounds the best, I think.

This wouldn't make a very good introduction to the group but if you are a fanatic like me, it's worth it.

I think the reunion concert on this cd started off slow but they got going pretty good after about the 5th tract. I read that people are complaining about HR and the band but can u imagine how much HR can only punch out now at his age,the decibels coming outta his throat all these years,the drugs,the arrests,the fights and everyone expects him to sing like he did on the " Lightning Striking the White House" cd as sum have put it.I thought the album was good despite the fact that these guys have been around for a couple of decades and they also have influenced alotta other bands....Take it easy on the Brains!!