Customer Reviews

More Miles Than Money: Live 1994-96

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my favorite solo Escovedo record -- it catches his world-weary sound much better than his studio recordings. The live versions of his own songs, particularly _Pissed Off_, and _Broken Bottle_ are riveting, and his choice of covers nothing short of inspired. And, it's great to hear his punk rock roots showing on _I Wanna Be Your Dog_ and _Street Hassle_.

Put this one on late at night, with a smoke in one hand and a double-scotch in the other. Trust me, you'll feel better.

this album is only a shadow of what alejandro escovedo is like live. his music is moving...he has a gift that enables him to really touch your soul when you here him. overall, a very good album. if you are lucky enough to have him visit your town, please give him a listen...it will be entirely worthwhile.

The arrangements are masterful and the storytelling is mesmerizing. If this is what his live shows are about I can't wait to catch one.

This CD is representative of Alejandro's live shows which are amazing. Be sure to catch him now while his current line up of excellent musicians is intact before he gets frustrated and quits touring. He is truly an "alt" country artist of the highest caliber. My stepson plays in a punk rock band (PULPIT RED (new release) ==>> LURK in Norman Oklahoma soon & a very good disc) but loves Escovedo, my daughter is a new age music lover but loves Escovedo, in short an artist whose appeal defies categories. His recordings have been woefully neglected but here is an undiscovered gem, not to be missed. His greatest achievements are the discs Thirteen Years & With These Hands (an outstanding disc with guests like Willie Nelson). I rate both those discs at five stars, get them you won't be disappointed! P.S. The above live disc is at least four stars but I couldn't edit it to reflect it.

Although often lumped into the "alt-country" grab bag of styles, Escovedo's music defies simple categorization. He deftly navigates the disparate influences of folk, rock, punk, country, and many other styles. The whole, however, stands far greater than the sum of it's parts.

A great album. Of course it doesn't capture the pure, raging range of Escovedo's live shows, but it comes close. (And in any event, what one album possibly could? Of the ten best concerts I've ever seen, nine of them were Escovedo, and virtually all of those featured a different instrument line-up, from 7-piece punk ensemble to string quartet.) Besides, the cover of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is virtually an out of body experience.

really nice disk from austin-based alt.country rocker alejandro escovedo. actually, the alt.country label may be both overly confining and misleading: escovedo started out as a punk (the nuns) and subsequently moved through a variety of bands including punk-country (rank&file) new romantic (the troobs) revivalist (buick mckane). his bands often feature strings (as in violin and cello). so what we've got is a middle-aged singer-songwriter with a punk background and string players in his band. uh-huh.

one could argue with some of the song selections (where's "put you down"?) but the covers are interesting (the stones "sway", lou reed's "street hassle" and a violin/cello driven version of the stooges' "i wanna be your dog." yeah, you read that last part right. he turns the string players loose on that one and they make like the second coming of john cale.

This is indeed a fine live album with a great song selection. Escovedo's "Sway" is one of my favorite covers, of probably my favorite Stones song, except that he replaces the bluesy drunken swagger of the original for a more contemplative, but no less powerful, reading. "Pissed Off 2AM" is a beautiful, sad song as well. I saw him back in '98, where he also played a rollicking "Hot Legs" cover, not included here.

See him live if you can.

This CD was a real surprise. First, I had never heard of the genre that this artist is supposed to represent. I was looking for Latino music when I came across "Por Vida-A tribute to the songs of Alejandro Escovedo" Of course the music was not Latino, the songs were similar to the Americana genre.I mix all styles of music for atmosphere play during friendly gatherings; this music was unlike any styles I had collected. The stories in the songs that belonged to Escovedo was intriguing so I ordered this one because of some of the glowing comments provided in reviews. There will be no disappointment for a want of orignal music with "More miles than money". I am a great lover of blues and folk and the whole unplugged genre. This artist brandishes contrast and emotion in every song he sings using a variety of vocal intonation and melodies. Obviously, Por Vida was recorded by friends to honor Escovedo after his death. Escovedo served his role well, he has left this world a gift of his rich talent.Bravo!