Scab Dates: Live Album

The Mars Volta | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 8, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Umvd Labels
• ASIN: B000BLI3IY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,154 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. abrasions mount the timpani

2. take the veil cerpin taxt a) gust of mutts b) and ghosted pouts

3. caviglia

4. concertina

5. haruspex

6. cicatriz a) pt I b) pt II c) pt III d) pt IV

Editorial Reviews

MARS VOLTA THE SCAB DATES

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Less Exploration More Exhilaration, November 15, 2005

By 

doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Scab Dates: Live Album (Audio CD)

Most reviewers are talking about this album as if it's a standard live recording, but this is not the case. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has clearly started with some live tracks but used them as a jumping-off point for more studio work with sound collage. This includes studio-assisted mixing with outside sources – which is a major tactical mistake by Omar because it damages the listener's experience of live Mars Volta. This is especially true of the exasperating segment of "Cicatriz" near the end of the album, where the band's playing fades in and out with real audio that sounds like several people sitting in an echoey room and channel surfing. That makes this album a larger work of art that does not work as well as Mars Volta's two stupendous studio albums.

Those original albums feature expert musicianship of great intensity, and mindboggling song structures and achievements in progressive songwriting. But here, much of that magic is strangely missing, especially if you've willingly had your mind blown and perceptions blasted by De-Loused and Frances. One possible way to look at this disc is that it is full of sonic exploration – some live, some constructed – but it is low on the exhilaration of the studio discs. A very large percentage of this album is noise and dissonance. Of course, Mars Volta are incredible improvisationalists and that is the key aspect of their existence as a band. Their concerts feature jam sessions that erupt into entire new songs practically every night, and you'd swear the five core members of the group can read each other's minds as they explore their way into unknown territory.

On this disc, that improvisation works in a few places, such as the sinister funk groove that the band works into a frenzy during the second (third?) part of "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt." But once again most of the improv here is directionless noodling, as every time the band erupts into full rock fury, they (or this recording project) lapse into multiple minutes of ponderous noise. This actually happens several times during the 40+ minute suite listed as "Cicatriz." One guy who manages to keep the noisenik-ing interesting is wicked keyboardist Ikey Owens, but bassist Juan Alderete de la Pena and (especially) drummer Jon Theodore are tragically under-represented here, while Cedric Bixler-Zavala shows that he is better at all-out emotional singing than trying to improvise his way through the band's wanderings. Instead of a true live document, Mars Volta have tried to reward the fans with another artistic statement, but it just doesn't completely work. [~doomsdayer520~]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eh, March 17, 2006

By 

Hans Gruber (AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scab Dates: Live Album (Audio CD)

It should be said first and foremost that The Mars Volta amaze me, album after album, song after song, and to have to give anything of theirs less than 5 stars is truly heartbreaking, but in this case, necessary. While Scabdates has been marketed as a live album, it drifts away from that in the traditional sense, opting more towards a live recording mixed in with various sound effects, samples, and recordings of noise such as babies crying, people talking, and just overall ambience. This detracts from the expectations I had prior to hearing this, and while TMV are very much an improv-band and never ones to go the predictable route, the fact that more than half of Scabdates is Omar Rodriguez-Lopez looping his guitar through various effect pedals and mixing live jams with static and unnecessary noise makes most of this release a rather undesirable listen. I would have much rather heard the band improvising through the 80 minute set that this CD could have allowed, stopping in between the spacey wanderings to play some of the amazing songs which got them to the point they are at today.

Another terrible tragedy of this CD is, as has already been noted by other reviewers, the terrible mixing failing to encompass the performances of Juan Alderte and Jon Theodore, on bass and drums, respectively. While Juan's bass is audible, it is far too muddy and drowned out behind the guitars and keyboards to get an accurate representation of just how damned good this guy is. As for Jon Theodore, the man is a beast on a drum kit and the fact that his skill has been pushed to the very back of the mix is a grave error of production. Basically Omar needs to quit be so self-indulgent with his random guitar meanderings and focus more on the band playing in the pocket rather than screwing around with ambient noise and studio mixing tricks.

Don't get the wrong impression, the album isn't entirely made up of the noise usually reserved to fill the spaces between songs on their studio albums and there are actually a couple of sweet spots which really are jaw-dropping. Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt, which closes the De-Loused album unpredictably opens up the set on Scabdates and is probably the feature moment of the performance, and Concertina, an early version of Eriatarka, soars with melody and technicality.

If you're a die hard fan of The Mars Volta I suppose this is a nice addition to your collection, if only for completist purposes, but newcomers will be tempted to shy away from the band if this is their first impression, and should probably opt for the safer, nay fool-proof route, sticking to De-Loused In The Comatorium and Frances The Mute.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At The Drive In...... Who?, November 11, 2005

By 

Emmanuel (Brownsville Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scab Dates: Live Album (Audio CD)

I am a big fan of at the drive in. And very disappointed when they split up. But for the first time i am glad they split up, or else we wouldnt have this album. Even though some of the songs i have heard before, they are completly different. On selection 11 Cedric says "Aver Confesa Omar" then Omar starts to sing with his guitar. You cant help but to listen and drool. Now with couple of great albums they are the best band out right now. The Mars Volta is on their way to become one of the greatest bands ever.