Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bad Brains at full throttle, April 21, 2006
The Bad Brains: four rastas, ex-jazz-fusion musicians, turned into one of the most powerful and creative punk bands of all time. Some claim that they were the inventors of the Hardcore genre.
This live album captures the Brains at what they did best, play mind-blowing shows. Being masters at both light-speed hardcore riffage and playing chilled out reggae and dub. This album combines both genres giving you a breather from the amazing and brutal hardcore assault with reggae interludes in between.
The Bad Brains' lineup was filled with talent in every instrument with Darryl and Earl providing a solid and groove filled rythm section, Dr. Know on lead guitar riffing and soloing at the same level or better than any metal guitar gods. Finally, HR on vocals which are correctly credited on liner notes as "throat". Indeed, HR uses his voice as another instrument: shaman-like chants, crooning, wailing, screaming, reggae stylin' and sometimes even barking. HR is on pair with Mike Patton and Maynard James Keenan when it comes to vocals.
Separeted like a three act play, the album is divided into sets of hardcore tracks separated by reggae interludes: Day Tripper / She's a Rainbow, The Youth are Getting Restless and Revolution. It is worth noting that Day Tripper / She's a Rainbow has one of the gooviest bass lines, better than anything put out by Marley or King Tubby.
All hardcore tracks are amazing, a few standouts: House of Suffering, Coptic Times, Banned in DC, Big Takeover.
Hardcore is an acquired taste, like a fine wine, the first time you sip it out of a glass the taste might be kind of nasty but with time it becomes a greate pleasure. The same thing happens with the Bad Brains.
It is a shame that the Brains don't tour anymore, it would be amazing if somebody would put live footage from this tour on DVD.
Enjoy.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bad Brains at their height, December 18, 2003
Bad Brains were easily one of the best bands in the early U.S. hardcore scene. Maybe even the best. This album perfectly captures their sound. This album is all about Dr. Know though. He tears it up on guitar. In some of their later albums H.R. lost the agressiveness in his vocals. On this song you can just hear everyone going insane to "I" in the opening. There are a few reggae songs in the mix and Bad Brains were always masters of both genres. The setlist is a great mix of all of their albums from the 80s. Stay away from some of the later live Bad Brains releases and pick this one up. The sound quality is great as well.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the Brains Live, April 1, 2003
Of the collection of live Bad Brains albums, this is head and shoulders above all else. The set has great sound, which for hardcore shows, is a rarity, and HR is absolutely at the top of his game. Their smoking version of "House of Suffering" gives me chills just thinking about it. Sonic blasts played at lightening speed and with staggering musicianship; the Brains were perhaps the tightest quartet in hardcore history, with Earl and Darryl providing the rumble and rhythm, and Dr. Know blowing contemporary "hair metal" axemen out of the water. And yeah, they can cool I down wid de roots riddims, me dready. "Day Tripper/She's a Rainbow" is a lovely excursion into King Tubby-esque dub and sing-jay stylee. Overall, this is the Brains at their best. Superb renditions of their early gems ("Banned in DC") as well as later classics ("At the Movies"). You just wish people could wake up from their MTV-induced love affairs with new wave "punk" bands like Sum 41 and Blink 182 and rediscover the geniuses of the genre (see Minor Threat, Black Flag, "Sold Out"-era Gang Green). The Brains were the real deal.
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