Customer Reviews

So Alive

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I usually steer clear of live albums, but as a half-crazed "Love and Rockets" fanatic, I'm glad I didn't pass this one up. Freakingly outstanding in every way. This goes down as one of the best concert albums of all time rivalling anything I've heard including The Cult, Talking Heads, Bauhaus, et al.........

this cd shows the progression of Love and Rockets.  the newer material shows a rock band with glam influences..ie, current dance, sampling, and drum and guitar.  this version of the hit "So Alive" is the "dirty" version which is stripped down to just drum and guitar, no samples.  a lot of the "newer" old songs are stripped down, guitar and drums.
I wished it was 2 discs: Disc 1, circa 1989, when Earth Sun Moon came out, so you can see their glam/ psychedelic period.  Disc 2, circa 1996, the stripped down rock and roll period.
I have seen Love and Rockets live 3 times and this covers everything.
ps...there is even a "shout out" for Heartbreak Hotel which was covered by Daniel Ash in Tones on Tail.

Good news first: a very powerful CD. Quality recordings (high signal to noise) that come across your speakers clear, clean and loud. If you ever had the privilege of seeing Love and Rockets live then you know they were, without doubt, one of the best live bands ever.

Not so good news: play list is skewed to their latter work, which, while very good, probably isn't as popular as work from the first three albums/CDs.

Regardless, if you're a fan you should have this CD in your collection. It's worth purchasing just for "Ball of Confusion" if nothing else.

Love and Rockets are my favorite band of all time, and have been for 22 years. Thus is it with a heavy heart that I caution the prospective listener with this review.

First, while the performance itself was passionate and well-executed, the sound quality of the recording is that of a bootleg at a Grateful Dead show by a guy who's had waaaaaaay too much acid. Indeed, poor Kevin sounds like he's taking out his frustrations on some abandoned luggage, and David is barely audible at all. Finally, Dan's guitar appears to be filtered through a tin can.

Please note: I saw the lads live at The Metro in Chicago, and the sound quality of a live show is several orders of magnitude better than is represented on this cd, so I know the problem isn't my ears.
Also: I played the cd in a Music Hall CD25.2 player with a state-of-the-art Burr-Brown DAC, so I know the problem isn't the playback hardware.

If I could, I would mail this cd to the band, with a note saying they can bloody well keep it.
It's too bad they aren't interested in contact from the fans, because they could benefit from some feedback.

Ironic, for me, that this is the only official live Love & Rockets document. I saw them in April 1996, nine days before this concert was recorded, and made a bootleg of the show - which I loved and listened to a million times until, sadly, the tape got lost somewhere in the shuffle.

Then - behold! - they released this live CD, which is essentially identical to my beloved home-made recording.

Now, on to the music.

Love and Rockets were an awe-inspiring live band, and this CD shows why. Although an audio recording gives no hint to their mind-blowing light show (of course), you do get a high energy performance with tons of great songs. It's almost impossible to believe only three guys were on stage to make such atmospheric-to-blasting music, but all the elements are clearly defined: Daniel Ash's cool-as-hell vocals and shimmering guitar, David J's solid and sometimes ominous bass, and Kevin Haskins' clockwork drumming, with Haskins also supplying some special effects (OK, pre-taped sounds) from his drums.

I won't get into a song-by-song review here, except to say - L&R had an ability to take a song from a whisper to an explosion in a truly unique way, sounding nothing like the soft-!!!LOUD!!!-soft blueprint so many grunge and metal bands mistake for dynamics.

Buy this CD. I saw L&R many times back in the day, and this disc gives ample evidence of what kept me coming back.

This album jumps out to a great start, and keeps it going. What a fantastic album! To be perfectly honest, I was expecting to hear something a little more electronic (I thought it was from their last tour), only to find out that this recording came on the heels of their "Sweet F.A." album, which rendered some amazing tunes. What can I say about this album? Raw, pulsating, frenetic -- classic Love and Rockets. Of course, I could listen to Mirror People again and again at incredible volumes until my ears bleed....

This is the LIVE version, way too fast of SO ALIVE. I wanted the other version.