Colin Meloy Sings Live! [LIVE]

Colin Meloy

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 8, 2008)
• Original Release Date: April 8, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Kill Rock Stars
• ASIN: B0013P6TK6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,145 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A fourteen-song set documenting The Decemberists' lead singer/songwriter's 2006 solo tour. Meloy was heralded by Rolling Stone as "a master of improbable juxtaposition: arcane, detailed fictions of star-crossed passion and avenging bloodshed dressed up in indie rock jangle, la-de-da choruses, and vintage prog-rock bombast" in a review of The Decemberists' show in NY's Central Park last spring. By contrast, the live solo album presents him in a stripped down, acoustic setting. Of the thirteen Meloy originals, two are previously unreleased compositions, "Dracula's Daughter" and "Wonder". Along the way, he employs snippets of songs from The Smiths, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, and REM. The collection also captures ample between-song banter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, it works, May 2, 2008

By	John Provis - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

On this album (a collection of live recordings), Colin Meloy manages to do something that takes quite a bit of talent: taking songs from a full band with diverse and sometimes pretty deep instrumentation, and make them work in the singer/acoustic guitar format. It doesn't quite have the quirkiness of the full Decemberists lineup, but it doesn't need to - Meloy obviously knows which bits of the songs absolutely need to be there to back up the vocals, and puts them there while leaving out everything else. He's obviously enjoying himself (as shown by "Dracula's Daughter", described as 'the worst song I ever wrote' but played with a wink), and he quotes a couple of sections of well-known and less well-known songs almost seamlessly into the middle of his own songs. Particular highlights for me are "We Both Go Down Together," and the 12-minute version of "California One / Youth And Beauty Brigade" with just a little bit of the Smiths thrown in for good measure. All in all, it's a great album.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great album for Decemberists fans, February 2, 2009

By	C. W. Hacker (Placentia, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love all of the albums from The Decemberists. Though a big draw is the instrumentation, the main attraction is the lyrics and I do really like Colin Meloy's voice, so of course I didn't hesitate too much in listening to this album. As someone else put it, it does work really well, even without the extra instrumentation.

Though recorded across several concerts it is put together like one coherent show, so if you listen to it straight through it's a nice experience. However, I imagine after the twentieth time some of the banter - which I like and think is amusing - might get old. Fortunately, the longer bits are separate tracks, so you can skip them.

The music is all excellent, great guitar work and his singing is in top form. Of course, we expect this being that they must have chosen the best performances from the recorded shows to compile here :)

The best part for me is that while some of my favorite Decemberists songs are here and sound great, some of those that I didn't like or pay attention to as much on the albums work better here. Specifically, I'm referring to Red Right Ankle and The Gymnast, High Above The Ground. I liked these songs on the albums, but often found myself skipping them for whatever reason. Hearing them on this album made me appreciate them much more. There are no poor tracks here. The non-Decemberists songs are very good, with a similar but slightly different feel, as you would expect. The weakest song is probably the opener, Devil's Elbow, but I still do like it. Just not as memorable as most.

Bottom line, any Decemberists fan should have this, but I wouldn't give this to someone as their introduction or only exposure to the band.

4.0 out of 5 stars Meloy's Solo Talent On Display, March 1, 2009

By	Schmo (Rockford, IL) - See all my reviews

There are not many artists that can entertain an audience by simply singing and playing the guitar as a solo act, but Colin Meloy is one of them (Willy Porter & Tony Furtado are a couple others).

This album contains recordings of live performances in intimate settings, where he interacts very well with the audiences by virtue of his clean, crisp, acoustic guitar playing, his stellar vocals, and his witty sense of humor.

This is a must for acoustic fans, whether or not you are familiar with Decemberists' music. If you are a Decemberists' freak, you may somewhat miss the accompanying influences of other mainstay instruments such as the floor bass, accordian, violin, and keyboards, too name a few. But Meloy keeps your attention throughout the CD with his captivating lyrics and trademark vocal intonations.

This is a very entertaining CD that won't, of course, rock the house down, but will keep you humming along and reaching for the "replay" button.