Live Fast Die Fast Comes Alive! "Iron Maiden - A Real Live One/A Real Dead One"

"Here's a little somethin' from a God to a slave. I never should have been let out the fuckin' microwave. I'm on this planet, I'm runnin' amuck, I should give a shit but I don't give a fuck."

These were originally released as a 2 CD set.

Are They Really Live?

Yuh-huh! Overdubbed probably and stitched to together from different performances but whatever.

Where Were They Recorded?

Hoo-boy!. Let's say all over Europe; Copenhagen, Rome, Essen Germany, Lausanne Switzerland, Moscow, somewhere in Holland, Paris, Brussels, Stockholm, Donington Monsters o' rock, at least 6 from Helsinki Finland.

What are the Details? (CD 1)

These two records are from the period around 1992. Bruce Dickson had announced he was leaving the band after a massive European tour supporting the "Fear of The Dark," album. It was the first official maiden live recording since "Live After Death," but then, curiously followed immediately by "Live at Donington," which included many of the same songs.
The way the songs are pieced together makes it sound a bit off, with Bruce starting out saying "Scream for me, Helsinki," then speaking French, then saying "good night, Moscow." 

"Live One," consists of songs from the period post-"Powerslave," (1985-1992)  

You get "Tailgunner," and "Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter," from "No Prayer For The Dying,"

Five from "Fear of The Dark," the decent "Be Quick or Be Dead," and the uh .... sort of whatever ... "Afraid To Shoot Strangers," and "From Here the Eternity," as well as the ballad "Wasting Love." The title track is amazing, with the live crowd absolutely making the whole song with their participation, chanting along like a soccer crowd. It'll give you goosebumps.

From "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son," the overly slick "Can I Play With Madness," the so-so "The Clairvoyant," and "The Evil That Men Do," (my favorite track from that particular album.)
"Heaven Can Wait," is the lone offering from "Somewhere In Time," featuring another awesome crowd sing-a-long in the middle, which is the reason they play it live, "The band sounds a lot fresher playing these (at the time) newer songs. The quality of the material is a big step down and, really, 1990-1992 isn't an era I'd prefer to concentrate on for Maiden. It's still interesting to hear a couple of live tracks that disappeared relatively quickly from the set list.
The Set:
1. Be Quick Or Be Dead 
2. From Here To Eternity 
3. Can I Play With Madness
4. Wasting Love
5. Tail Gunner 
6. The Evil That Men Do
7. Afraid To Shoot Strangers
8. Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter 
9. Heaven Can Wait
10. The Clairvoyant
11. Fear Of The Dark

What are the Details? (CD2)

For a band as committed to filling the majority of their sets with material from the album they're touring to support, rather than greatest hits packages, they are pretty rigid about playing the same 5 songs at every concert until the end of time "The Trooper," "Number of The Beast," "Hallowed Be Thy Name," and "Iron Maiden," often in that order. This record includes those and a couple of less favored tracks from the Paul Di'Anno era

"Number of The Beast," has an especially hot crowd reaction, as with the chants of "maiden!maiden!" finishing off the final track. As Wesley Willis might have said "The crowd roared like a lion. It whipped a spider monkey's ass."
This record has a number of things going against it; the mundane-ness of the song-selection for one and also somewhat sluggish performances, since many of these tunes are saved for the end of long-sets full of running, jumping and shrieking. It is natural that Bruce sounds a bit out of breath during "Hallowed Be Thy Name," and the band in general sounds not as fresh as they would have earlier in the night.

Secondly, Bruce's renditions of Di'Anno's songs has been a bit lackluster. "Sanctuary," doesn't sound very good and  there should be a court injunction against him ever playing "Remember Tomorrow."He pulls off "Prowler," pretty well.
Likewise, most who consider themselves "real," Iron Maiden fans object Janick Gers' re-interpretation of Adrian Smith's solos. Gers' style is more noisy off the cuff and he often plays whatever the hell he feels like instead of Smith's more melodic composed style. He noticeably screws up leads on "2 Minutes To Midnight," (the rhythm as well) and "Where Eageles Dare."

 Due to the staggering number of live maiden recordings and live albums, in general, I wouldn't put any of these versions on a "must have list." The "Live/Dead," concept is an interesting idea but the presentation doesn't make either album especially satisfying.
The Set:

1.  Number of the Beast
2.  The Trooper
3.  Prowler
4.  Transylvania
5.  Remember Tomorrow
6.  Where Eagles Dare
7.  Sanctuary
8.  Running Free
9.  Run to the Hills
10. 2 Minutes to Midnight
11. Iron Maiden
12. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Live Fast Die Fast Come Alive! - "Melvins - A Live History of Gluttony and Lust"

"He spent fifteen years gettin' loaded, fifteen years 'til his liver exploded now what's Bob gonna do now that he can't drink?"

Is It Official?

She's an officially sanctioned, Ipecac release, Cap'n'.

Is It Really Live?

The album was record live in a sound studio, with little or no audience.

Where Was It Recorded?

2005 in Vernon California.

What Are The Details?

After putting together a live set, recreating of all the songs from their "Houdini," record, for the "All Tomorrow's Parties" festival, the band decided to go ahead and record it and release it as a live album. Their interpretations of several "studio-only," compositions, as well as hearing the older, more seasoned band, this time featuring fill-in live bass player Trevor Dunn of Fantomas and Mr. Bungle makes it an interesting listen.

Is this record worth owning for anyone already familiar with "Houdini?" Well ... not necessarily owning but worth listening to.

The Set:

Subtle changes in the song order are interesting. With the original album, obviously sequenced to emphasize possible hits, the "live set," is allowed to build to a crescendo, pushing back "Honey Bucket," and "Hag Me," and leading off with "Pearl Bomb," the most noticeably different track, with more discernible lyrics, actually drums, instead of whatever that weird type-writer sound was on the original and the main riff on instead of bass. An even more sinister "Night Goat," gets a longer build up and "Set Me Straight," gets part of  a Cream song (?)  "DCH," tacked on the end.

The weird percussion track "Spread Eagle Beagle," seems like it would be the most difficult but they pull it off pretty well, even if it sounds quite a bit different from the original. Again a record that could probably seem unnecessary to the average listener but worthwhile for rabid members of the Melvins Army, especially those who didn't get to see them pull it off live.

1. Pearl Bomb

2. Hooch
3. Night Goat
4. Lizzy
5. Going Blind
6. Copache
7. Set Me Straight/DCH
8. Sky Pup
9. Teet
10. Joan Of Arc
11. Honey Bucket
12. Hag Me
13. Spread Eagle Beagle

Live Fast Die Fast Comes Alive! "Judas Priest - Unleashed In The East"

"Blood stains, speed kills, fast cars cheap thrills, rich girls fine wine. I've lost my sense I've lost control, I've lost my mind."

Is It Official?

Affirmative, captain

Is It Really Live?

Debatable: according to the band, there were a few guitar touch-ups and  

some of Rob Halford's vocals were redone because he had the flu during the recorded shows. Opinions range from this official answer to the more skeptical, "it's all fake."

Where Was It Recorded?

February 10th and 15th 1979, Tokyo Japan

What Are The Details?

I love this album; from the cover photo, which has just the right combination of camp and awesomeness and  captures the band at the very beginning of their leather period., to the name of the record, which makes the entire title nearly impossible to say.

So this record is from the period around, "Hell Bent For Leather/Killing Machine," the band's turning point album. Previously the band produced their debut, "Rocka Rolla," then their true masterpieces "Sad Wings of Destiny,"  "Sin After Sin," and "Stained Class," "Hell Bent," is the bridge between these and the dumbed-down, pop-metal poop, which inspired the movie "Heavy Metal Parking Lot," on "British Steel," and every subsequent album.

As far as the material on "Hell Bent," itself, "Delivering The Goods," is kind of a guilty pleasure, and the other songs included here( "Running Wild," the title track and "Rock Forever,") are decent but they have obviously turned the corner lyrically. This album also includes their cover of  Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac, "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)" my personal pick for best song ever written. (Priest's version is decent).

I should also point out that the original release was only 9 songs, with only "Running Wild,"and "Manalishi," from that album, the rest mainly consisting of songs from "Sad Wings of Destiny" and "Sin After Sin." 

The "Victim of Changes/Tyrant/Genocide," is especially cool.
In a nutshell, before they were slick sounding and cliched, the band wrote smart lyrics, featured greasy, NWOBHM style riffs and epic songwriting, featuring a bad-ass guitar duo and soaring vocals second only, perhaps, to Ian Gillan. (For anyone interested, Glenn Tipton was a more traditional/melodic rock n roll style player, while KK Downing pioneered the more modern metal "dive-bomb," style of soloing.) 

This album is a great introduction to the band's earlier material, for anyone only familiar with "Livin' After Midnight" and "Breaking The Law." 

Check it out.

The Set: 

1. Exciter

2. Running Wild

 3. Sinner

4. The Ripper

5. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)

6. Diamonds & Rust

 7. Victim of Changes

8. Genocide

9. Tyrant

10. Rock Forever

11.  Delivering The Goods

12. Hell Bent For Leather 

13. Starbreaker

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive! "Kiss - Alive!"

"Excuse me Monsieur Eightball, who told you to get me high?"

Is it official?

As official as they get.

Is it really live?

This has been the subject of debate, even amongst the parties directly involved.

Gene Simmons, the man who claim he "invented breathing and shoes," according to the late, great Ronnie Dio, is one of these parties, so there's likely a hefty amount of bullshit being shovelled
 Gene says only obvious mistakes were overdubbed, while producer Eddie Kramer has stated that only Ace's guitar was live and the rest tracked in studio.
May 16 at Cobo Arena, Detroit, (Rock City)  June 21 at Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio (Greater Regional District of Rock)
June 20; two nearly sold-out shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Davenport, Iowa (Independent Municipality of Rock) and July 23 at TheConvention Center in Wildwood, NJ, (Metropolitan County of Rock)
What are the details?
Allegedly record, if it was recorded live, during the "Dressed To Kill," tour March-July 1975 in????Perhaps more than any record, except "Frampton Comes Alive," this is a live record that defined the artist completely. The live versions have much more energy than the more sterile sounding studio records. "Deuce," "Parasite," "Firehouse," and "Cold Gin," benefit especially from the live treatment. Paul Stanley's soliloquy at the beginning of "Cold Gin; ("I heard some of you out there live to drink vodka and arrange juice..." is legendary and, of course the definitive, hit-single version of "Rock 'n' Roll All Nite," comes from this record. A few of the hokier (in my opinion) doo-wop flavoured numbers, "Got to Choose," "Nothin' To Loose," are here, but no real crap.
Whether it's an actual live recording or not, it's the sound of Kiss at their peak, the bloated dinosaurs, back when they were a real lean, mean rock band.
Above all, "Alive!" is Ace Frehley's finest hour. It's become popular to slag the spaceman, and in retrospect, he's a lot less likely to have become a guitar hero if his guitar didn't shoot rockets out of it, but if you're looking for a greasy bar-rock primer, this is it. Ace adds his slightly wasted, sloppy swagger to the handful of Jimmy Page licks in his arsenal and squeezes every note from his Les Paul with his patented bluesy vibrato in a way perhaps only Angus Young could rival. 

I hereby officially proclaim this to be the best Kiss recording

The Set:

1. "Deuce"
2. "Strutter"
3. "Got to Choose"
4. "Hotter Than Hell"
5. "Firehouse"
6. "Nothin' to Lose"
7. "C'mon and Love Me"
8. "Parasite"
9. "She"
10. "Watchin' You"
11. "100,000 Years"
12. "Black Diamond"
13. "Rock Bottom"
14. "Cold Gin"
15. "Rock and Roll All Nite"
16. "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll"

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive!: "NoMeansNo - Live + Cuddly"

"My head's not empty, it's full with my brain.

The thoughts I'm thinking, like piss down a drain."

Is It Really Live?

 Yes.

Is It Official?

Yes. Alternative Tentacles release but out of print.

Where Was It Recorded?

 Live at the Vera, Groningen and Effenaar, Eindhoven, Holland, Spring 1990

What are the Details?

 Recorded on what I believe was the "Wrong," tour, in Holland, where Andy Kerr eventually decided to settle after he left the band and got married a couple of years later.

 The band is so tight and note perfect that it doesn't make this recording super essential if you got the original albums. The song selection is from,"Wrong," "Small Parts," "The Day Everything Became Nothing," and "Sex Mad," and "You Kill Me," all of which can be purchased on 3 CDs, since the last 4 are paired with each other. Andy's banter during the middle section of "Two Lips Too Lungs and One Tongue," and the weird announcer intro are the only real standouts. It's a testament to a great live band but not a record I'd find myself compelled to listen to very often.

The Set:

1. It's Catching Up
2. Two Lips, Two Lungs And One Tongue
3. Rags and Bones
4. Body Bag
5. Brother Rat
6. What Slayde Says
7. Some Bodies
8. Teresa, Give Me That Knife
9. Victory
10. Dark Ages
11. The End Of All Things
12. The Day Everything Became Nothing
13. Dead Souls
14. Metronome
15. No Fucking

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive! "Black Flag - Who's Got The 10 1/2?

"When they kick out your front door, how you gonna come? With your hands on your head or on the trigger of your gun?

Y'know ,considering this record is composed mainly of songs from, "Loose Nut," an album I never cared for, and features the Greg/Henry/Kira/Anthony Martinez line-up, from a period during their slow decline, it seems a given that it would be a step down from "Live '84." Actually these songs come off so well that I almost want to re-think my take on this era. Henry rages in a way Spot was never able to capture in the studio . Martinez is no Bill Stevenson; or Robo; and certainly no Biscuits, but fuck it. The band is in fine form and there are a lot more highlights than low-lights. "Annihilate This Week," "Wasted,""Drinking and Driving," "Bastard In Love," and "Modern Man," all sound amazing. The title, of course, comes from Henry's introduction of the band by dick-size, (I'm Henry and I've got a one and a half) during a lame improvised middle section to "Gimme Gimme Gimme." I remember reading in Henry's book how sexually frustrated the band was on the road, at this point in their career. This clumsy, pointless dialogue confirms it. The answer to the question, of course, is that Kira's got the 10 1/2. Mildly amusing.

This record is far better than it has any right to be. Check it out, even if you think you don't like the later stuff. Tell 'em I sent ya.

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive!: "Ramones - It's Alive"

"You need an escort to take a piss. He holds your hand and he shakes your dick."

Is it really live?

Yes. Except for the ... uh .. guitar, bass and vocals which are overdubbed.

Is it official?

Yup.

Where was it recorded?

 The Rainbow Theatre, London, December 31, 1977.

What are the details?

This wasn't officially available on CD for awhile. I have a bootleg version of it from Austria or somewhere. It's probably been released now that all the Ramones are dead.

If you were to ask me my favorite "desert island," Ramones album, I would probably cheat and pick this one. (I feel much the same way about "Live After Death," by Iron Maiden.) It includes most of the songs from their three best albums and no crap whatsoever. Much in the same way "Alive!" was a better representation of Kiss, since the first studio recordings were a bit flat by comparison, "It's Alive," sees the song played noticeably faster and with more energy. It was still too early for them to start going way too fast or for Joey to start screwing around with the vocals. Any sort of crowd interaction or discussion about how "live," the record is actually not really an issue. To my ears, this is as good as the Ramones ever sounded.

The Set:

1. Rockaway Beach

2. Teenage Lobotomy

3. Blitzkrieg Bop

4. I Wanna Be Well

5. Glad to See You Go

6. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

7. You're Gonna Kill That Girl

8. I Don't Care

9. Sheena Is a Punk Rocker

10. Havana Affair

11. Commando

12. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

13. Surfin' Bird

14. Cretin Hop

15. Listen to My Heart

16. California Sun

17. I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You

18. Pinhead

19. Do You Wanna Dance?

20. Chain Saw

21. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World

22.Now I Wanna Be a Good Boy

23. Judy Is a Punk

24. Suzy Is a Headbanger

25. Let's Dance

26. Oh Oh I Love Her So

27. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue

28. We're a Happy Family

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive! "Slayer - Decade of Aggression

"I've had scag, I've had speed. I've jacked up until I bleed."

Is It Really Live?

Yeah. I haven't heard any discussion about studio fakery so I assume it's pretty legit

Is It Official?

Yes. Good ol' Rick Rubin.

Where was it recorded?

Disc 1 - All songs recorded at the Lakeland Coliseum in Lakeland, Florida on July 13, 1991

Disc 2 - Tracks 3-6 and 8-10 recorded at the Orange Pavilion, San Bernardino, California, March 8, 1991.

Tracks 1, 2 and 7 recorded at the Wembley Arena, London, England, October 14, 1990.

What Are The Details?

Cool double CD retrospective of Slayer's career, which features many of the tracks from the "Show No Mercy/Haunting The Chapel," which previously appeared on the "Live Undead," record.

It's cool to hear the old tunes mixed in with the new stuff, played by a band that's now a bona fide legend instead of young upstarts, playing for some wasted friends.

Included are all good tracks from all the good albums, up to and including, "Seasons In The Abyss," with no crap, which is nice. It captures Slayer at the height of their powers as the foremost purveyors of tight, brutal thrash.

 I could quibble slightly on the set list ( "Piece By Piece," for a little "modulistic terror," would have been nice. Their cover of Priest's "Dissident Aggressor," would have been great too, but I'm getting greedy.) 
This album should satisfy anyone's live Slayer craving.

The Set:

Disc One

1. "Hell Awaits"
2. "The Antichrist"
3. "War Ensemble"
4. "South of Heaven"
5. "Raining Blood"
6. "Altar of Sacrifice" 
7. "Jesus Saves"
8. "Dead Skin Mask"
9. "Seasons in the Abyss"
10. "Mandatory Suicide"
11. "Angel of Death"

Disc Two

1. "Hallowed Point"
2. "Blood Red"
3. "Die by the Sword"
4. "Black Magic"
5. "Captor of Sin"
6. "Born of Fire"
7. "Postmortem"
8. "Spirit in Black"
9. "Expendable Youth"
10. "Chemical Warfare"

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive! "Hawkwind - Space Ritual"

"Sometimes girls are a tasty dish. Did you know that caviar comes from fish."

Is It Really Live?
Yes. Various edits and overdubs were necessary due to the lengths of some of the songs on the original version. The full concert is available, on the many subsequent re-releases along with bonus tracks from different performances from the same tour.

Is It Official?

Yessir.

Where Was It Recorded?
Liverpool Stadium, December 22, 1972 and Brixton Sundown, December 30, 1972

What are the Details?

I love Hawkwind. Long before it was ever imaginable, they united punks, metalheads, hippies and science fiction geeks. The thing is, they weren't actually any of those , they were their own weird hybrid of intergalactic space dirt bags. They were also the people who first brought us Lemmy.
My favorite, and probably the most accurate description of the band is, "Pink Floyd with guts." That pretty much says it all, I think
"Space Ritual," is probably the band's most well known and popular album. Even though their albums are all great, live is truly the way they were meant to be enjoyed. They produced several live records over the course of their career, perhaps to try to capture the uniqueness of each performance.
The version of "Time We Left This World Today," on this album clocks in at 5:47, while an alternate nights performance from one of the various bonus discs has a version that is 13:22. There are various songs that are lengthened on the "Space Ritual," album and shortened elsewhere. Some of this is due to edits for length, which someone with more spare time can feel free to document. Other times jam bits or parts of other songs creep in. They were never the sort to interrupt a good groove.
This is the closest most of us will get (the video would be closer, I suppose) to the full experience of the band during their absolute peak. Sadly it can't capture their seizure-inducing light show or the spectacle of 6ft tall dancer, Stacia, whirling around, dressed in nothing but glitter and blue paint
The Set:

Disc 1

1. Earth Calling
2. Born To Go
3. Down Through The Night
4. The Awakening
5. Lord Of Light
6. Black Corridor
7. Space Is Deep
8. Electronic No. 1

Disc 2

1. Orgone Accumulator
2. Upside Down
3. 10 Seconds Of Forever
4. Brainstorm
5. 7 By 7
6. Sonic Attack
7. Time We Left This World Today
8. Master Of The Universe
9. Welcome To The Future

Live Fast Die Fast Comes Alive! "Iron Maiden - Death on the Road"

"There's no way you wanna hear this sleazy trumpet. But I'm gonna play it fuckin' anyway."

Is It Really Live?

Uh huh.

Is It Official?

Uh huh

Where was it recorded?

Westfallenhalle Arena, Dortmund, Germany, November 24, 2003.

What are the details?

Iron Maiden have released a ton of live records and have also been bootlegged extensively. I am naturally suspicious about the purpose of this record, which was released in 2005 and recorded during the band's "Dance of Death," tour.

The crowd seems primed for the opener, "Wildest Dreams," singing along enthusiastically.

The chorus is a bit weak  and it follows the same sort of formula as "Wickerman," but it actually come off okay live. "Wrathchild," is a great choice to follow. "Can I Play With Madness," was never one of my favorites and the "Trooper," is obligatory and done as well as ever.

Big cheers for "Dance of Death's," classical intro. The audience seems stoked, lots of hand-clapping which almost makes you think you're not listening to a mediocre song. It starts of kind of like "Fear of the Dark," and the fast part sounds very close to part of "Hallowed Be Thy Name." The audience sing-a-long "whoas," pop up eventually. I've  noticed new Iron Maiden songs often contain parts that seem designed for large arenas to chant along in unison. The song offers all the typical ingredients but nothing new or memorable. "Rainmaker," is even worse. Are they borrowing titles from John Grisham novels now?

Every song seems to start with a line like, "I was walking down the road." While I'm listening to this I can picture someone - my Mom, maybe - saying

"What do you like about this Iron Maiden band so much?"

 Then I'd say "Their older stuff is really good. Seriously!"

Ever have that conversation about a band?

Somewhere around this point I'm wondering if they've manipulated the crowd noise somehow.

"Brave New World," is a decent song but the song from that from that record that remains on the set list should be "Wicker Man," or "Ghost of the Navigator." There's only 3 good songs there to begin with.

Two minutes of pyro explosions and a dumb spoken intro begin,"Paschendale," "D.O.D.'s," "epic," tune. 

Gee... war really sucks eh? Yup, totally.

"Hey Bruce! Steve! Could you guys play "Aces High?" I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

Sample lyric; "no chance to live again." 

Dead soldiers can't come back to life? I'm pretty sure I knew that already. "Paschendale," sucks. Get Over it.

Whoa - crappy sounding guitar intro. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Janick Gers. Here's one you may not know or care about; "Lord of The Flies," from one of the Blayze Bailey albums. Boo! Hiss!

Sample lyric "saints and sinners ... something ... something winners (?) In my dumpster, there's always binners. (I added the last part.)

Even fans who alway buy Maiden and Motorhead's new albums may have to admit they get excited when the new record comes out, maybe listen to it a bunch and then completely forget about it once the next one is released.

Have you ever been at your buddy's place having a few beers and said "Wanna hear some Iron Maiden?"

And he said, "Sure, how about Brave New World?"

No you haven't. You do "Live After Death,"or either of the Di'Anno albums or nothing.

Oh, remember when I said "Rainmaker," was the worst new song? Sorry, it's "No More Lies."

What's with the lyrics? "I was sitting at the table, drinking a glass of wine...." Whatever happened to "You'll take my life but I'll take yours too?" The new songs at a Maiden show should be the piss-break songs except they're so long and there's so many of them you'd spend more time in the can than watching the band. Then we get the songs they are contractually obligated to play; "Hallowed Be Thy Name," "Fear of The Dark," "Iron Maiden," "Journeyman." Oh wait they snuck another new one in there. Geez I must've drank too much coffee the morning, I'll be right back. Oh and I can hear Janick Gers screwing around and I think he messed up on the riff on "Hallowed Be Thy Name," too way to go, cock face. I know you're bored but it's costing the audience money to be there and you're getting paid. Can you fake it a bit better please? Bruce's voice is a bit strained on "Number of the Beast." I imagine it's a real pain i the ass trying to do that epic scream right near the end of every show. Good on him for trying anyway.

Disc One

1. Wildest Dreams
2. Wrathchild
3. Can I Play with Madness
4. The Trooper
5. Dance of Death
6. Rainmaker
7. Brave New World
8. Paschendale
9. Lord of the Flies

Disc Two

1. No More Lies
2. Hallowed Be Thy Name
3. Fear of the Dark
4. Iron Maiden
5. Journeyman
6. The Number of the Beast
7. Run to the Hills
   

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive!: "Slayer - Live Undead"

"The I took out my razor blade. then I did what God forbade. Now the cops are after me. But I proved that I'm no sissy."

Is It Really Live?

Live in studio. To a crowd of friends. You can actually hear individual drunk people.

Is It Official?

Yes. It was released on Metal Blade

Where Was It Recorded?

City of New York, America, 1984.

What are the Details?

Okay, so here's my take on Slayer real quick. One of their first major tours was supporting Venom on their 1984 Combat Tour and the influence is pretty obvious if you watch old footage from the huge spikes on Kerry King's wristbands, to the pentagrams and satan-focused lyrics. One aspect of Venom was that their records all sounded like crap. Bands who emulated them intentionally made crappy sounding recordings because they sounded more "evil," or "mysterious," or something. Slayer did the same, either on purpose or more likely because production was a non-issue in their scene . Slayer went on to carve out their own path as one of the big 4 thrash bands and bigger and better things in terms of both material and production.

Now every retrospective of Slayer's career is required to mention that early Slayer recording sound bad. Yes they do. Let's move on from there.

If Slayer had only made 2 albums and disappeared, ("Haunting The Chapel," and "Show No Mercy,") these records would be regarded as underground classics. "Live Undead," is composed entirely of songs from this period. The production, again is not fabulous and it sounds like they are playing to a crowd of about 50 people which they were. The songs are, of course fast but their fastest, heavy but not their heaviest and good but not their best. It sounds like Slayer and is still 100 times better than any of the bands who try to sound like them. Check out "Decade of Aggression," which I'll get to soon which features many of these oldies alongside later classics. The old stuff generally stacks up pretty well. Tom Araya's dedication to "all the little cunts that like to spread their legs in the night," at the beginning of "Captor of Sin," and his intro to "Die By The Sword,"("They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Well fuck the pen!") are pretty funny as well.

The Set:

1. Black Magic
2. Die by the Sword
3. Captor of Sin
4. The Antichrist
5. Evil Has No Boundaries
6. Show No Mercy
7. Aggressive Perfector

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive! : "Black Flag - Live '84"

"John Wayne killed a lot of gooks in the war. We don't give a fuck about John anymore."

Is It Really Live?

It's Black Flag. Of course it's really live.

 Is It Official?

Yes. It was released by SST

Where was it recorded?

At "The Stone," nightclub, San Francisco, CA August 26 1984 

What are the Details?

This is the Henry/Greg/Kira/Bill Stevenson line-up from "My War," (minus Kira) "Slip It In," and all the weird instrumental releases no one likes.

I've always admired Black Flag's conviction in staying true to their artistic vision, despite overwhelming backlash. That doesn't mean that the musical they were so determined to pursue was anything remotely worth listening to. The 7 plus minutes of "The Process of Weeding Out," that opens this set could only illicit a collective "What the fuck?" from this San Francisco crowd. There's always been some question as to whether Greg Ginn was a unique and innovative guitar player of if he was just terrible. I never leaned toward terrible but this song makes me question my point of view. I like noisy, abrasive music but it sounds like he's trying to play the guitar with his face. Not good. Random crappy noodling kills any sort of momentum. Ginn is one of my all-time heroes, bar none but listening to this made me want to chuck a roll of quarters at Henry's head, while I was sitting in my living room, 25+ years later. I suspect the live audience was also annoyed.

This is followed by Henry's version of "Nervous Breakdown,"which is not my favorite, just as I imagine Keith Morris wouldn't be able to pull off "My War." That's mainly just my personal taste.

All the "Slip It In," tunes sound great, as does "My War."

I always thought "Slip It In," is a weird song. It's sort of a gender-reversed "Slave To My Dick," but still sung from the guy's point of view. It's ironic that their first record with a woman in the band (Kira) is the one where they write a song chastising some random girl for not putting out. Or for putting out too much. Or for saying she wasn't going to put out and then putting out anyway. I never really understood what type of position they were taking even though musically it's one of their best.

"Black Coffee," sounds great as does"Wound Up," "My Ghetto." Even the daunting "Three Nights/Nothing Left Inside," benefits from the live treatment. Henry howls his guts out. The sludgy, trudgy songs from side 2 that so enraged the punk rockers sounds exactly like the type of material bands like "Pissed Jeans," are playing now. Greg regains his crown as noise king, his discordant shredding has a tone that slices through your eardrums, even with the treble turned way down on the EQ.

"Live '84," is a great document of a smokin' band doing their thing live with performances that are vastly superior to the studio recordings

The Set:

1. The Process Of Weeding Out
2. Nervous Breakdown
3. I Can't Decide
4. Slip It In
5. My Ghetto
6. Black Coffee
7. I Won't Stick Any Of You Unless And Until I Can Stick All Of You
8. Forever Time
9. Fix Me
10. Six Pack
11. My War
12. Jealous Again
13. I Love You
14. Swinging Man
15. Three Nights
16. Nothing Left Inside
17. Wound Up
18. Rat's Eyes/The Bars

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive! "Black Sabbath Live, 1975, Asbury Park New Jersey"

"I put on my clothes that make me look tall.

I don’t think about it, I don’t think at all."

Is It Official? 

Nope

Is It Really Live? 

Yup

Where Was It Recorded? 

Convention Hall, Asbury Park New Jersey, August 5 1975
Although I could probably do a monthly feature just on Black Sabbath and Sabbath related live records, I'm only doing the double shot to highlight the differences I alluded to between this unofficial live recording and the "official,"unofficial release, "Live at Last."
The concert was recorded for "The King Biscuit Flower Hour," and not used, then widely bootlegged.
It's a longer album, that's for sure. It's from the, "Sabotage," tour, not the "Vol 4." which makes for some awesome set list inclusions.The sound is much better and so is the energy.
Ozzy is on fire;
"Are you high?!" he screams at the top of his lungs that roars back at him. "Are you high?!"
"Well so am I!" Amazing
"You may not know this next number it's from our new album, "Sabotage." It's a number entitled, "Hole In The Sky."
I nearly piss my pants with joy every time I hear that very dry intro and then the thunderous intro and not just the best Sabbath riff but probably the best riff in the world. Neck breaking awesomeness.
Ozzy keeps gushing "We love you!" at the crowd and you can feel that he means it and they love him back.
You can feel the energy building to a climax when Ozzy yells, "C'mon you motherfuckers!" an utterance that, today is used commonly but that in 1975 was shocking to hear on a record.
"Megalomania," is another rare "Sabotage," track and there's the obligatory solos for everybody. Ozzy still shouts himself hoarse but it's endearing instead of embarrasing. His unbridled enthusiasm made him one of the most charismatic frontmen ever. This recording proves it.

The Set:

Disc 1
1. Supertzar / Killing Yourself To Live
2. Hole In The Sky
3. Snowblind
4. Symptom Of The Universe
5. War Pigs
6. Tuning
7. Megalomania

Disc 2
1. Sabbra Cadabra / Drum solo
2. Supernaut
3. Iron Man
4. Jam / Guitar solo
5. Black Sabbath
6. Spiral Architect
7. Children Of The Grave
8. Paranoid

Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive!: "Black Sabbath - Live At Last"

"I pull my wire to the 20-Minute Workout. If only the guys in the band looked like that."

I'm gonna take a bit of a break from "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation," starting this month and debut a new feature called, "Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive!"
I love live albums. I realize not everyone shares the same appreciation, but for me it's the chance to experience the raw sound of a band in the live setting and the closest listening experience to being at a real concert. I also find the set lists endlessly interesting.
At their worst, live records can be fakes or cheap cash-grabs. I'll be reviewing at least one live album in depth, monthly, ranging from platinum major-label releases to bootlegs with photocopied covers from countries, whose names I can't pronounce.
Is it an official release?

	Sort of. The band's manager okayed it for release only after they canned him. Is it really live? Yup. Where was it recorded?   Manchester Free Trade Hall, March 11, 1973 and the Rainbow Theatre in London, March 16, 1973 although there is no corroborating "bootleg," evidence to say for sure.  What are the details? So Black Sabbath recorded some shows from the end of their 1972-73 "Vol. 4," tour with the intention of releasing a live album. They didn't like the final product and shelved it indefinitely. Then, in 1980 after Ozzy had left, the band's former manager decided to release the album without their permission, thus making it "official," but "not official." I have a bootleg of Sabbath show from 1975 that is vastly superior to this in almost every way. First off, the sound here is muddy. Geezer's bass sounds especially like dog shit and Ozzy's voice is clearly blown out on some tracks. Now, I'm all in favor of hearing the band as they are, without overdubs but if you can't get a recording that sounds at least as good as a fair quality bootleg, why bother? I have never heard a singer's voice crack repeatedly, like Ozzy's does here, on an official live recording. That doesn't mean it never happened to any other singer, I've just never heard it an album because record companies generally realize that the point of any live record (or studio record for that matter) is to make the band sound good. If you're making a live record and the singer's voice goes wonked, you either overdub it, find a completely different performance of that song or you just edit it the fuck out. The cracks are all during stage banter too, not even during the song. Ozzy was plagued by voice problems as a result of constant touring and wasn't able to sing certain songs anymore. It was a sore spot between Ozzy and the band, hastening their break-up.  Anyway, the point is, nobody likes a fake live album, but you tweak here or there when you have to. There seems to have been almost no consideration given to the sound of the record, they just slapped a cheap looking cover on a shabby recording and released it. Voila. It actually lead to the new "Dio-Sabbath," recording their own live record, which lead to an Ozzy live record and the shit hitting the fan but that's a story for another time. The Set: 1. Tomorrow's Dream 2. Sweet Leaf 3. Killing Yourself to Live 4. Cornucopia 5. Snowblind 6.Embryo/Children Of The Grave 7. War Pigs 8. Wicked World/Drum Solo/Guitar Solo 9. Paranoid "Tomorrow's Dream," and "Cornucopia," are cool to hear live. "Sweet Leaf," is a bit sluggish here "Killing Yourself To Live," was an early version with different lyrics. "Wicked World" becomes a medley incorporating "Into The Void," "Supernaut," and Bill and Tony's drum and guitar solos, respectively. It would have been nice to hear the full versions of those two in the place of "War Pigs," and "Paranoid," but I realize, as a resident of the planet earth, that it's impossible go to a Black Sabbath show and not hear them play "War Pigs," and "Paranoid," even if those who have heard them a million times have to keep hearing them.