Special Moves [Import]

Mogwai | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B003TY14YU
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,580 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead

2. Friend Of The Night

3. Hunted By A Freak

4. Mogwai Fear Satan

5. Cody

6. You Don't Know Jesus

7. I Know You Are But What Am I?

8. I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School

9. 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong

10. Like Herod

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. The Precipice-Burning DVD

2. I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead-Burning DVD

3. Hunted By A Freak-Burning DVD

4. Like Herod-Burning DVD

5. New Paths To Helicon Part 1-Burning DVD

6. Mogwai Fear Satan-Burning DVD

7. Scotland's Shame-Burning DVD

8. Batcat-Burning DVD

Editorial Reviews

Review

It's stylistic black and white aesthetic, almost film noir-esque shots of New York emerge through the music, reflecting and augmenting the band's sound, visually matching the intensity the band creates onstage without overshadowing it. --Relix Magazine, August 2010

...the black-and-white footage does the talking without standard theatrics...there's atmospheric beauty in the close-ups of hands shredding at guitar strings onstage and applauding in the crowd. --Spin Magazine, August 2010 --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Product Description

Seminal Scottish rock band Mogwai are thrilled to announce their first official live concert film release, Burning, with accompanying live album Special Moves. The film, directed by Vincent Moon and Nathanael Le Scouarnac of the world-renowned La Blogotheque s Take-Away Shows, was shot at the band s sold-out three-night residency at Brooklyn s Music Hall of Williamsburg in April 2009. These creative powerhouses in film and music have come together to produce something undeniably unique and mesmerizing, grabbing the audience from the first opening seconds and never letting go. The 45-minute film presents itself as a modern urban noir thriller, a black-and-white journey, starting on the same electrifying New York streets Bernard Hermann scored for Martin Scorsese. Manholes hiss steam, taxi headlights flare in the camera lens and strangers wait in street corner shadows. Moon and Le Scouarnec call their film an experience of the senses... a lifetime of feelings in just one night. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars CD/DVD review, August 26, 2010

By 

Sven Awesome - See all my reviews

This review is from: Special Moves (CD + DVD + download of 6 bonus tracks) (Audio CD)

Mogwai releases its first live album, and it's a can't miss. The album also comes with a DVD as a bonus.

Special Moves (the CD) is excellent overall. The quality of the recording is remarkably better than most concert albums. Mogwai's selection of songs here are great too, with works spanning their entire career. The only drawback in my opinion, is the absence of The Sun Smells Too Loud. A live version of that song would have been amazing.

Burning (the DVD) is also exemplary, and unlike most concert films. It has a unique look for sure. Shot all in black and white, with dark shadowy performance footage and street scenes thrown in between songs. It's not unlike the film that was on the Hawk is Howling's bonus DVD. The only extra feature on the DVD is another performance of Mogwai Fear Satan, at another venue. The DVD's content runtime is only a little under an hour.

The CD/DVD package also comes with an access code that allows the download of six bonus songs.

This is a must-own for any Mogwai fan. I'd even say it would be perfect for introducing someone to the band.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A present for Mogwai fans, August 26, 2010

By 

Stefan "Stefan" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Special Moves (CD + DVD + download of 6 bonus tracks) (Audio CD)

This CD/DVD combo is nothing less than a present for Mogwai fans. It's an absolutely brilliant live album (Special Moves) with an excellent concert DVD (Burning), and as a bonus 6 additional downloadable live tracks.

The "Burning" DVD is shot entirely in black and white, sometimes grainy, sometimes very clear, showing a Mogwai concert in Brooklyn. There are occasional shots of the city, and some takes of the (entranced) audience, but most of the movie focuses on the band on stage. If you've seen Mogwai live, you know what to expect from their shows - and this movie portrays it in all its beauty. For me the highlight of the DVD is a glorious version of "Hunted by a Freak". There's also a blistering version of "Mogwai Fear Satan" that must have been something like a religious experience for the audience. You'll only get a snipped of "Like Herod" in the DVD, but fear not as the entire 10 minute version can be heard on the CD. If I have one minor complaint about the DVD, it's that it wasn't divided in DVD chapters, so it's impossible to skip forward or back to a specific song. Not a big deal, but it would have been a nice touch.

The "Special Moves" CD contains live versions of songs from almost all of the band's studio albums - there's nothing from the "Zidane" soundtrack or the "Ten Rapid" compilation, but every other album is represented. If you take the DVD, CD and bonus tracks together, you'll find that song selection leans heavily towards the band's latest album "The Hawk is Howling", but since that's an excellent album I have absolutely no problem with this. The audio quality is great. I simply can't find anything wrong with this album, and although I own the "Government Commissions" live album, and there are tons of live performances by Mogwai on YouTube, I think I'll be coming back to "Special Moves" very often.

To put the icing on the cake, you also get six additional downloadable tracks with this bundle. At the time I write this, this CD/DVD combo plus 6 downloads is on sale for a grand total of $12.99 on Amazon (though the price may have changed by the time you read this). I'd say this is practically a must-buy for any Mogwai fan. Do yourself a favor, support the band you love, and buy a copy of this thing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars To truly enjoy, make your eardrums bleed, September 11, 2010

By 

Longsworth - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Special Moves (CD + DVD + download of 6 bonus tracks) (Audio CD)

To be fair, this could be my system, but I doubt it. CD is 5 stars, DVD is 3 stars.

Anyhow, the drums on the DVD are mixed fairly low in the mix, which robs us a bit of Martin Bulloch's genius. Doesn't seem to be a problem on the CD tracks, luckily.

Can't say much more. Having seen them a few times in concert, I can report that the CD is a faithful testament to the power of Mogwai in concert (well, as long as you crank the volume to envelope you in waves of sound). Can't say they are in my top ten of all-time bands (not that far off though), BUT they are definitely in my top 3 of all-time live experiences. ATP 2008 was transcendent. The sound overwhelms, coats and devours your mind. It's a beautiful, almost zen experience.