Customer Reviews

Vespertine Live

5 star:		(9)
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I received Bjork's "Live Box" as a Christmas present for 2004 and was so excited to finally have my hands on it. I had, after all, wanted to own this box set a few months prior to actually owning it. The four CD's contained within it are live versions of Bjork's first four solo studio albums "Debut," "Post," Homogenic" and "Vespertine." It's taken me quite a while to truly appreciate them all as individual sets, but it's been worth it because it is truly an exceptional piece of music to add to any Bjork fan's collection.

The fourth album in the collection is "Vespertine Live," which is my personal favourite from the entire series. Out of the four live albums we have, this is definitely my favourite. I suppose I'm a little biased because Vespertine is far and away my favourite Bjork album and up there as one of the best albums I've ever heard. However, there's something about hearing this album live which sends chills down my spine. Bjork said she didn't want the listener to hear this live music and just feel it directly from the speakers, but she wanted the sound to slowly creep out and envelop them in its warm embrace. She definitely succeeded in her aim, because if you curl up in a ball and listen to this live performance in full then you'll be transported to another realm. Bjork manages to create such a sensual and intimate atmosphere in these songs that you won't want to go anywhere else. There are a total of 16 songs on this live album which were all taken from the Vespertine World Tour which ran from August to December 2001.

The album opens with "Frosti," the cute little music box instrumental which divided the original album. Here it is used to open the show. Bjork gently caresses the hand made music box before moving into "Overture." Taken from the "Selmasongs" album, this is, I suppose, a second intro. The full orchestral section on this song is very powerful and sets the tone completely, before we move into the third song. This is the majestic "All Is Full Of Love." As the song gradually swirls in, Bjork arrives to sing her classic lines of this beautiful masterpiece. This is and always will be one of my favourite Bjork songs ever, and hearing it live is such an overwhelming experience. A complete assault on the emotions. "Cocoon" follows and is so gentle and fragile it could break in the light of day. This version is amazing and almost better than the original. Bjork's character shines through so much especially as she sings "A train of pearls..." The next song is the stunning "Aurora" which is a beautiful piece that opens with the sound effects of crunching snow under foot. Bjork sounds amazing as ever as her vocals rise to the angelic harp that flutters around the set.

"Undo" is next and is such a beautiful live piece. This could very well be the best performance on the album, because it achieves the effect that Bjork was hoping for - hear those opening notes of this song and you can't help but be drawn in. This has always been one of my favourite Bjork songs and credit has to be given to the amazing all-female choir from Greenland. "Unravel" is the second of only two songs from "Homogenic" here, and it fits in beautifully where no other songs from that album would do. This sparse and mournful ballad is short and sweet singing a story of lost love to the Devil. Bjork fans know it, but hearing it live is a complete revelation. "I've Seen It All" is amazing live and receives a generous reception from the audience. Thom Yorke is not here to provide his vocals on his parts so Bjork fills them in. Maybe he wasn't asked to sing them because a male voice might shatter the fragile tenderness of this intimate setting. Who knows.

"An Echo, A Stain" is an amazing song, but this live version is a bit of a letdown for me. The album version is one of my favourite songs ever, but this live version is a bit too sharp for my liking. The electronica can be a bit overpowering at times for me, and this was, in my opinion, the most relaxed and serene song Bjork has ever recorded. "Generous Palmstroke" is a great highlight of this album due to the harp played beautifully by Zeena Parkins. I've not actually heard it many times before so I'm a little unfamiliar with it, but it fits in perfectly here. "Hidden Place" is amazing live. Not quite as structured as the album version, but amazing nonetheless. The intimate audience setting really love this song judging on the reception it receives. The female choir is great here and Bjork weaves her magic web around the arrangement to create something completely enchanting. "Pagan Poetry" is great live and the mixture between hi-tech, electronic blips and crackles with older, more traditional instruments is very appealing. Bjork doesn't sing quite as powerfully as she does on the original which suits the setting much better.

"Harm Of Will" always had one of the best intros to any Bjork song I'd ever heard. The violins are so sweet and fragile that you feel they would bend and break if there was any tension in the room. This beautiful song doesn't feature the 'cut and paste' style of vocals which Bjork achieved on the album version, but works much better for it. "It's Not Up To You" is a song I was obsessed with at one point. When listening to the album, I would keep this on repeat for many times. I love how the song opens up really closed and shut off, before just unfolding and creating this large space, by use of the choir of course. This isn't quite replicated live, but it's just as enjoyable a listen. "Unison" is superb live and proved me wrong when I thought Bjork wouldn't be able to pull this off live. The song has such a gradual build up and I wasn't sure she could achieve it, but she does. The album closes with "It's In Our Hands," which was a brand new song at the time. This song is a bit more alert and upbeat than anything else on the album. Bjork said she enjoyed performing this, because it was almost like she could rock out at the end after performing all these slow - albeit beautiful - songs. This has grown to be one of my favourites on the album. There's a sound like an aeroplane that powers up as the chorus approaches, it's quite incredible.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

I was so impressed with this live album that I went out straight away yesterday and bought the "Royal Opera House" DVD which is Bjork's amazing performance in London opera house of the songs on this CD. I have yet to watch it in its entirety, but I have been very impressed with what I've seen so far. The aim for Bjork's studio albums is to have everything perfectly synchronised and in place to make the most of her stunning music. When everything's in place, it will take your breath away by the second. However, singing the songs live, Bjork breaks them down and allows the listener access to all the little sounds that nestled in the corners of the original songs, but couldn't be accessed because of the album's tight structure. It's like once you heard those little sounds, they were gone because something else had replaced them, such was the complexity of the album. There's a definite acoustic element in these live recordings, which should be respected and commended. If you buy this live album then I suggest you buy the DVD of the concert too, as a sort of companion. Either way, if you love Vespertine then you must own this.

Okey, I've got every CD Bjork has recorded in the last 20 years. I think she's just totally amazing. So I got this CD too, without really knowing what it would sound like, because you know every time Bjork releases a new CD it's like opening the book of a totally new story. Sure you recognize her voice, but her special sound is very variating. So, what would it be this time? Electronic industrial like on Homogenic, or Houseindiepop like on Debut? Maybe the jazzy triphop-sound that dominated Post? No idea.
So I got the CD, right, and the first noices on the first track just caught me. The whole song just like the sound of a toyharp. Lovely. And than the miracle followed. Her voice, the sounds, the instruments, everything just made sense (even the wacky breathing on track 9 "An Echo A Stain"). When I try to think of a song I don't like on this record, I realize it's impossible. It's like entering a forest of fairy tales or swim in the sky. LOVELY! I could write a book about this CD, but I'm sure the very thought of it makes you tired. So I'm gonna end this review right here with the words: this is amazing. Totally amazing. Get this music as quickly as you can! =)

For some reason some reviewers I've read on amazon seem to have a problem with Vespertine. I have been following Bjork's career since I was a kid listening to the Sugarcubes and I generally think her solo albums have progressed for the better. Homogenic was an undeniable classic and, for me, Vesperine was the next logical step. It's an incredible record. Perhaps less accesible than her previous efforts, but artistically just incredible. Matmos did a beautiful job complimenting her work and they bring a more minimal IDM feel to the beats than Mark Bell or Graham Massey, etc. Should there be any doubt that Vespertine is a triumph, this live CD should put all of it to rest. I got this CD as a part of the live box and I consider it the crowning jewel of that set. This album actually comes across better live in my opinion. The lengths she went to in order to reproduce this record are very respectable. A full orchestra, an inuit choir, and matmos creating beats by among other things mic-ing shuffling cards or stepping on crushed salt. The live version of Vespertine is really exquisite. Even "Hidden Place" which is my least favorite song on Vespertine comes across much better live. And the CD reaches its peak from there. The last few tracks are mind-blowing. The live version of "Harm of Will" brings me to tears and is one of the best examples of Bjork's outstanding vocal range I've ever heard. Among live versions of songs from Vespertine are incredible renditions of "Unravel" and "All is Full of Love." This is a must for any Bjork fan. Anyone skeptical about Vespertine should really hear this CD, it may change your mind.

This live album is a truly great look into the Bjork's great live concerts (which anyone should attend without hesitation). The entire CD brings an entirely new element of sound and life into the "Vespertine" album. Songs like "Cocoon", "Aurora", and "Undo" sound so much better live, not because they were by any means poor to begin with, but because the live performance gives them so much more emotion and intensity. The live aspect brings more warmth and a greater experience listening to many of the songs from "Vespertine". "Harm Of Will" is beautiful with live strings and the entire live atmosphere of the recording. "All Is Full Of Love" is heightened even more than the video version of the song when performed live, and the ending is enhanced by the interpolation of some of the b-side "Domestica". "An Echo, A Stain" is a real highlight of the CD. The live recording adds so much with its great live electronics and the background vocal work of Tagaq. This adds a scary, frantic element to the song and Bjork's vocal performance is nothing short of amazing, turning one of the pretty memorable songs on "Vespertine" into a true classic. Also great is the closer, "It's In Our Hands". The live performance completely adds onto the ending of the song, adding a new electronic and drums clashing effect into the song and creating such a new peak in the end of the song. This is definitely one of the very best live performances of Bjork, coming on the back of the great, choral-enhanced "Unison". This CD will grow on you and stay with you for a while. It is a GREAT live CD and a great album on its own. Definitely recommended to all Bjork fans and even casual or new fans wanting to explore the "Vespertine" sound, as it does provide a complete picture of the era.

I bought this CD not knowing how Bjork sounds live, or aware of how the live experience can truly enhance the life of a song. And boy, i sure don't regret buying this and finally hearing how Bjork sounds live! I swear, i have been playing this CD non-stop. Bjork in concert is truly an organic experience where her songs are more earthly, sweet, introvert, chilling, uplifting, and so much more. Vespertine is one of my most fav. albums of hers next to Homogenic. Some people might think how she could possibly make Vespertine even better than the studio album. And as Bjork always does, she surprises and amazes us by showing that she definitely has no limits, and that yes, she can bring more soul to her music. I almost cried on many of the songs that touched me from the start, such as All Is Full of Love, I've Seen It All, Harm of Will, and Unison. Bjork is at her best in this live version album. I am also going to get Bjork's vespertine live version on DVD as well. I cant wait! If you are a fan of Bjork, or inquisitive about how Bjork sounds live, than try out Vespertine Live! You won't regret it!

Okay, the regular reviews tell us that what's performed live is something of a copy of the studio-sound the CD gives the listener. But oh, you can make the sound of a concert's live performance so much more, you can make it introduce the crowd to a whole new way of listening to the music. Songs are performed in a unfamiliar way which means it get's a whole new meaning. Björk succeeds in doing this, but still she keeps the magical spell put in it, that you may recognize from the original CDs. Many of her most well-known songs are here: from "Hidden Place" to the beautiful song "I've seen it all" from the soundtrack to Dancer In The Dark (but Björk gets to play both parts of the singing). The very rare song "Generous Palmstroke", which at first time sounds a bit like "Like Someone In Love" from the CD Debut (1995,) immediately became one of my greatest favourites. The whole thing arranged on stage with all the strings and choirs somehow, to me, makes the music more arousally alive. You travel into this mystic world of Björk - and you do it live! I'd like to call it music that's wide awake. Like, when you listen to her CDs you enter a dreamworld, but when hearing the concerts and the live performances you wake up and the music flows into you and you're alive in all the melodies of life. How wonderful!
Just can't give it less than FIVE well deserved stars. Magical!

In the Miniscule documentary, Bjork commented that she felt there were moments in the live performance of Vespertine that were better than the album itself. Those moments, for me, are represented very well on this live recording, especially during "Undo." All of the songs are very well done, and the quality is excellent. Bjork also said that one of her goals during that tour was to create an atmoshphere wherein the audience member was sorrounded by the music and all of the sounds as opposed to having music coming directly at them from speakers on stage. I think this album achieves the same goal, especially when heard with your favorite pair of headphones...it seems to be all around you. If you are a fan, and especially if you are enthraled with Vespertine, as I am, you must get this for yourself.

This is a must own for all Bjork fans. The recording quality is superb. Highlights for me include An Echo a Stain, Undo, Unravel, Ect. I listen to this CD everyday with out getting tired. She contines to be a Creative Force in music!

Dare I say that Vespertine is Bjork's best work. With that being said, this live material is a reflection of her at her very peak. She chose to preform this tour only at venues that were acoustically perfect - and this delivers clear, precise sounds - from sharpened strings to merciful horns, from almost harsh beats to her sensual, passionate voice. Because of her choice of venues, Vespertine wasn't as well recorded or attended as the rest of her performances, and for those of us who didn't get to see this particular portion of her live, this is a wonderful gift. Opening with "Overture," a lovely string piece found on SelmaSongs, she sets an intimate tone and grips you. This is a beautiful album and in my humble opinion, the diamond of Bjork's ever-impressive and timeless catalogue.