So Alive [Single]

Love & Rockets | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Single
• Label: Psychobaby Records
• ASIN: B00008Z46U
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #313,637 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)

2. Judgment Day

3. Natacha

4. Rock On

5. Fever

6. So Alive

7. Use Me

8. Sweet F.A.

9. No New Tale to Tell

10. Spiked

11. The Light

12. Sweet Lover Hangover

13. Mirror People

14. Bubble Man Intro

15. Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven

16. Love Me

17. It Could Be Sunshine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I was at this show!, April 2, 2004

By 

MantoM "speye_21" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Alive (Audio CD)

The bulk of this album is taken from the Sweet FA tour stop on April 9, 1996 at the Metro in Chicago. If you follow the used bins at your local wax depot, you've probably seen this album labelled as a 'radio only' disc (meaning only meant to be broadcast by radio stations, not purchased by consumers) or maybe even heard it played over the airwaves as part of your local rock station's programming. Anyway, an 8-song version of this album was floating around pretty good as a bootleg in the music stores, so to recoup some of the sales L&R put a proper copy out for all to enjoy. The tail-end of the album comes from a different concert back in the late 80's in California and was previously available as B-sides to a few of their singles. As for which singles the songs appeared depended on whether you were looking to purchase vinyl, cassette, or CD.

I was in attendance of the Chicago show and boy did it rock! Full house, lively crowd, $14 tickets, the "Dandy Warhols" opened, Love and Rockets were "on" that night including 3 encores, and that cute short girl with the retro 60's glasses standing stage left who....I digress. The live sound was almost exactly like the album sound - I'm at a loss as to why these recordings sound so raw and different. Oh well. Still a great show.

For the interested, here's the set list from the Chicago show in case you want to play the tracks back in their original order:

1) Body And Soul (taped intro)
2) Ball of Confusion
3) So Alive (dirty version)
4) Judgement Day
5) Rock On
6) Slice of Life (1st ever playing at a Love and Rockets show)
7) Use Me
8) Sweet Lover Hangover
9) Kundalini Express
10) Clean (David J.)
11) The Light

--- Encore 1 ---
12) No New Tale To Tell
13) Mirror People

--- Encore 2 ---
14) Holiday on the Moon
15) Yin and Yang (the Flowerpot Man) (really long trippy version)

--- Encore 3 ---
16) Sweet F.A.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For hard-core Love & Rockets fans only:, June 8, 2003

By 

Brent A. Anthonisen "Johnny Sideburns" (Alpharetta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So Alive (Audio CD)

Typically compilation CD's that are released after the break-up of a band tend to be career-spanning works that double as "best of" collections stripped down to the necessity of what can be performed live with the obligatory crowd noise back-ups to re-confirm that yes, this album is a live performance that accurately sums up the audio experience of how the band sounds when performing.
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In that regard this Mexican (?!) import CD succeeds fairly well; the songs that are included here were taken from two performances in Southern California 9 years apart, with transition between songs from the older set and those from the newer set being relatively seamless.
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However, the weakness in the "So Alive" Love & Rockets release lies in its rather heavy reliance (7 out of 16 tracks, not counting intros) on songs from their 1996 recording "Sweet F.A.", an album that is far from warmly regarded by fans of the band who revel in their earlier work, particularly "The Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven" (from which only the title track appears), "Express" (from which 3 songs are chosen, including a stinging version of "Ball Of Confusion"), and "Earth, Sun, Moon" (from which another three songs, including arguably the band's signature '80's college radio staple "No New Tale To Tell" are chosen).
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Fans who were turned off by "So Alive" (the band's one Top 10 hit from 1989's self-titled 4th LP) and stopped following the band afterward wil be relieved to know that the song has been given such a fierce makeover (they call it "the dirty version") that it barely resembles the INXS-wannabe strip club fare it once was; even though the band can't seem to remember that the song has three verses rather than two, the truncated live version of this song is still one of the highlights of this CD, as is the (heavily Bauhaus-influenced) interpretation of the David Essex '70's glam anthem "Rock On". Another high point and a terrific start to the CD is "Ball Of Confusion", a track of theirs that bores me to no end in its studio form, but literally comes to life as a far more dynamic live performance. In contrast, "Love Me", one of my favorite songs EVER, comes up flat live (though no less energized); there is simply too much distortion to appreciation the beauty and simplicity of the guitar riff around which that two-chord wonder of a song is based. "It Could Be Sunshine", originally the opening track on "Express" and the last track on the CD ends the show well and lives up to the energy level set by the song's studio version.
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I would have been much happier if Love & Rockets (an '80's band by all standards of the term) would have concentrated more on providing live versions of their '80's recordings; whether or not they were available is another matter of course, but someone who listens to this live retrospective will come away with the wrong impression of this band and will in fact be cheated of their best side. The material from "Sweet F.A." was weak and aimless when it appeared in 1996 and it hasn't improved since.
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On the other hand, at least die-hard Love & Rockets fans who have been searching eternally for bootleg live material will have at least some respite (and a chance to help support the band, as well); the still-underground appeal of this band means that a band-sanctioned live album probably won't get a 2nd chance to be done right, and that is a shame. Still, half a loaf is better than none. Dwell on the '80's material and it's not a bad CD...still, the real Love & Rockets fans know that it could have been a lot better.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I hope this isn't the last we hear of the Rockets, July 17, 2003

By 

linv "linv" (seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Alive (Audio CD)

This album slams! Sure, there are some lackluster moments, but for the most part this is a great live record. Ball of Confusion is amazing and the dirty version of So Alive kicks you right in the nuts.

Unlike some of the more temperamental Rockets fans, I loved Sweet F.A., and I think it compares favorably to the best of the eighties material (like Express). The title track is here as well as a killer version of Judgement Day. Fever was a bit of a dissapointmet though, I kept waiting for the groove to kick in. If you avoided Sweet F.A. due to some spooky prejudice about the eighties, then deal with the pain and go buy the record.

Anyway, never fear, the eighties are well represented, with nice versions of No New Tale, Mirror People and It could be Sunshine. My only complaint is that they didn't include Motorcycle, a track which always punishes my speakers.