R.I.P. [ENHANCED] [LIVE]

Murder City Devils

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 2003)
• Original Release Date: April 22, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Live
• Label: Sub Pop
• ASIN: B00008OLZ0
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #171,220 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Following Keyboardist Leslie Hardy's mid-tour departure and bassist Derek Fudesco's announcement that he too would be seeking other interests (in Pretty Girls Make Graves), guitarist Nate Manny and Dann Gallucci, drummer Coady Willis and singer Spencer Moody realized the time had come to call it quits, and that the final show of their tour, played on October 31, 2001 in their home town of Seattle, would be their last. This spirited recording captures the Murder City Devils celebrating an emotional end as they pay tribute to the dedicated fan base that supported them from their raw, yet explosibe 1997 debut on the Die Young Stay Pretty label to their three subsequent Sub Pop releases - Empty Bottles, Broken Hearts, In Name and Blood, and Thelema. The Devils went out in a blaze of musical commotion and drunken glory; no true fan would have expected them to do otherwise.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The last show, and not in a KISS kind of way..., April 29, 2003

By	"[e-mail]" (New Albin, Iowa) - See all my reviews

When the Murder City Devils called it quits on Halloween night 2001, they joined the ranks of the Joy Divisions and the Nirvanas of rock: bands that dissolved at their most promising moments. The release of the Thelema EP just months earlier made if tougher to say goodbye. The sound was just as passionate as on earlier releases, but the songs were more refined and far more accessible. Simple but incredibly catchy moog lines danced around heavy garage-rock riffs, with Spencer Moody's unmistakable roar at the center of it all. The fact that it was only six songs left you thirsty for more.

R.I.P serves as a fitting retrospective to the band, and the intensity of the show makes it a much better idea than putting out a studio "best of" compilation. Although the Devils always played powerful shows, this record showcases a fervor that could only come from a farewell show. As Spencer bellows along with MCDs best songs, you can almost feel the emotions he doubtlessly was going through at the time: the helplessness of clinging to life on the last moments of a sinking ship. As a result, lyrics get moved around, choruses are inverted with verses, and some lines repeated while others are completely omitted, but who can blame him? The setlist is right on target, with most of the songs from "Thelema", the best from "In Name and Blood" and "Empty Bottles...", and the requisite "Boom Swagger" from the self titled. Even if you have all the studio records, the live one is still worth picking up for the two unreleased songs, "Waltz" and "The Grace That Saves".

Interestingly enough, many of the opening acts from this tour have broken up also, with At the Drive-In splitting up and Botch breaking off into Minus the Bear. Let's hope that bands like Pretty Girls Make Graves, Your Enemies Friends, and Dead Low Tide can fill the void . . .

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Missing the Devils, April 29, 2003

By A Customer

What can I say? R.I.P is the perfect title for this album as it is a true documentation of what the devils were. Drunk and Loud. I do mean that in the best way possible. This album pretty much captures the feel of seeing the devils live. If you never got to see these denim demons, this album is the closest you will ever get. One word of caution however, the devils put on a very energetic and sometimes sloppy show. There are missed notes, wrong lyrics, broken microphones and members of the crowd jumping all over the band, all of which you can hear but hey, thats what this band was all about. On top of the classics like "Broken Glass" and "I want alot now" you get two unreleased songs that are actually really good. "Grace that saves" is an amazing song that closed out most of their shows on their last tour. Buy this album and pay tribute to one of the best live acts in a long time. By the way, these guys were ripping through "garage" rock before it involved designer jeans and major labels. Devils rest in peace.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars rest in peace, April 22, 2003

By A Customer

This is a live album that spans the entire Murder City Devils discography. It was recorded at their last show ever, at the Showbox in their home town of Seattle. They had just finished a long tour and were tired, but they also knew that they were splitting up after the show, and would never play together again. This must have created a painful dynamic that is captured well in the recording.
There are times in the recording where guitars cut out, distortion rings out of control, and things trip over themselves. But throughout it all, you can tell that Spencer, Dann, Nate, Derek, Coady, Nick and their roadie Gabe are reaching deep into their rock and roll hearts to lay a fitting epitaph at the head of the Murder City Devils.
For those of us who have been long time fans of the Devils, this album is most welcome. There are many standout tracks but the last three tracks, Broken Glass, 18 Wheels, and a new track, Grace That Saves, split by Spencer's good byes and thank yous, will threaten to choke loose a nostalgic grin. For those of you who are new to the Devils, listen to their studio recordings for a while and then return to this live disc to understand what all the fuss is about.