Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reliable live album for Waifs fans, January 14, 2005
If you are a Waifs fan, you may well be awaiting this album. For the most part, it provides most of the songs the Waifs include on their US tour play lists, taking songs nearly equally from their four previous albums. There are one or two new songs, specifically "Bridal Train" that you may have heard at their concerts. There are two versions, a studio and a live version. The band planned to take some older performances along with newer ones to show how the band's performances have changed or grown over time. If you have become a Waifs fan, you will really enjoy having this set in your collection.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brief review, March 28, 2005
From their early days busking outside supermarkets in far north Queensland, gigging in remote pubs and mines to their recent sell out shows around the country, the Waif's career encompasses music that has been forged in the fires of long days and months on the road, crappy day jobs and an honest and admirable desire to make uncompromisingly good music at the expense of an easy living. They have paid their dues and now, it would seem are reaping their just rewards. This double live album is a synopsis of their career to date and, in contrast to it's eulogical title, gives the unacquainted a splendid insight into what has gone before and more importantly what, possibly, is yet to come.
Recorded in venues as diverse as the Athenaeum in Melbourne, the Metro in Sydney, the Belvoir Amphitheatre in Perth and Tilley's in Canberra, one could expect the sound to be a little patchy over its thirty one tracks. These fears however are quickly dispelled by the sparkling clarity of the opening track, right on through the duration of the album whole. Either because of the intimacy of some of these venues or as a testament to the bands selection process these tracks sparkle with crystal clear acoustics and a bright balanced tone. All of those Waifs mainstays are here, London Still, Lighthouse, Crazy Train and the musicianship, groove and interaction they are performed with here is nothing short of sumptuous.
There are moments of musical splendor here that, for me, rise above the others, like Vikki Simpson's jaw-dropping harp solo at the start of Crazy Train (ala Sonny Terry's "Hootin' Blues"), that even after dozens of listens, still gives me goose-bumps. Josh Cunningham's bright, twangy acoustic guitar work here is tasteful, lavish and full of that major key warmth that permeates much of these tracks. I am surprised at how he has slipped under the radar for so long as he is simply, an astonishingly accomplished guitarist. This is evident on some extremely elegant solos in songs like "Lies", "Brain Damage" and a rollicking version of Dylan's "Don't think twice it's alright".
There is none of the twee `audience participation' moments one would expect from a double live album, rather there is a superb and witty dialogue, not only between the audience and band but between the band members themselves. Listen to the raucous appreciation from the female portion of the crowd, for Vicky's tongue in cheek pontificating during "Haircut" or the downright hilarious moment when Josh Cunningham's mobile phone starts buzzing the mike reception during the still intimacy of one of Donna Simpson's more somber vocal moments.
I cannot praise this album more highly, it faithfully encapsulates the mood and swinging momentum of this amazing band. It actually feels like a good night out in a buzzing venue listening to great music - which, after all, is what a live album should be all about don't you think ?
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New favorite, March 8, 2007
I can't remember now how I was introduced to The Waifs in the last few years, but I think I heard one of their songs on a local public radio station. I tried hard to find any Waifs albums, and finally found this one on Amazon. I LOVE it, and I am now a huge Waifs fan. I hope they come back to the US on tour soon.
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