Live at Easy Street Review

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(More customer reviews)If you prefer Pearl Jam at their most aggressive, this is an absolute must buy. Seven steamroller performances. The sound quality and mix (record by Brett Eliason but mixed by John Burton) on this album is the best of any Pearl Jam live release (and they've released like 200 of them).
I almost skipped this one, since I've spent way too much on PJ live recordings already, but I'm so happy I didn't. And this version of Porch is fantastic (not the marvelous eleven minute versions of the 2006 tour such as on the Albany and Cleveland releases, but great nevertheless at about 6:30).
Tracks are 1) Intro, 2) Half Full, 3) Lukin, 4) American in Me (Avengers cover), 5) Save You, 6) Bleed for Me (Dead Kennedys cover), 7) The New World w. John Doe (X cover), 8) Porch.

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Pearl Jam played a surprise show at Easy Street Records in West Seattle on a Friday night, in support of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores(CIMS) and in celebration of CIMS 10-year anniversary. The result of that once in a lifetime performance has been recorded as an EP entitled LIVE FROM EASY STREET. This 7 song EP contains three never before released cover songs.

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Live Facelift (1991) Review

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(More customer reviews)As of 2002, in the wake of Jerry Cantrell's continuing solo career, Sean Kinney and Mike Inez's new band, Mike Starr's book, and Layne Staley's endless drug problems, it is clear that Alice in Chains is history. It's a shame, considering their music was the most personal and harrowing of the Seattle Big Four. Even worse is the fact that music "historians" will center the grunge movement around Nirvana and Pearl Jam in years to come.
That being said, there's no denying what a devastating band Alice was. Thus, this video is an absolutely essential addition to even the most casual Alice fan. The video is even more essential since the band has not launched a proper tour since 1993, and half-hearted performing and Staley?s increasingly frail singing voice highlighted their final live performances in 1996.
Live Facelift captures the band in all their glory, showing how powerful the band was in their younger days, before drug addiction put serious limitations on the band's capabilities. Staley's voice is in full force in this video, and Cantrell's guitar playing is among his most expressive.
Unfortunately the performance is far too short (the band only knocks out about 5 songs on stage, followed by 3 music videos), and the black and white provides a rather grainy quality on what is an otherwise exceptional live performance. The video also could've benefited from some backstage features, as anyone who has seen the Nona Tapes knows that behind the drug-addled music lies a band with a huge sense of humor.
All in all, Live Facelift is a must-have for Alice fans, an essential footnote in the career of a band that was probably Seattle's most unfulfilled talent.

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Immagine in Cornice - Live In Italy (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)There is little doubt that Pearl Jam is one of the best live rock bands in the planet, as anyone can confirm by listening to any of the 150+ live bootlegs they released in the past few years.
'Immagine in Cornice' is actually a documentary about the band's tour of Italy. It does a great job showing the backstage activities, together with commentaries and interviews with the band. However, the music is still the most important part, with superb performances of new songs and old classics. It also helps that the italian audience is very enthusiastic - they really make the concerts even better to watch.
Another highlight of this DVD is the picture quality and cinematography. Although the DVD is not Hi-Def, everything was shot in Hi-Def and it pays off - the picture quality is stunning.
You will not be disappointed.


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Concert Film Chronicling Five DynamicPearl Jam Shows in Italy From September 2006. Shot In Hi-Def By Noted Photographer Danny Clinch,DVD Gives An Intimate Look At Pearl Jam's Amazing Live Performances And Behind-The-Scenes Footage From The Tour. Concerts were shot partially in hi-def in Bologna, Verona, Milan, Torino, and Pistoia, Italy in September 2006. DVD captures Pearl Jam's phenomenal live performances, as well as exclusive behind-the scenes footage of the band on tour.Directed by renowned photographer/filmmaker Danny Clinch and produced by Lindha Narvaez. Stereo and 5.1 music mixed byBrett Eliason and recorded by John Burton.DVD concert highlights encompass standout songs from their 2006 Billboard #2 album Pearl Jam,including Severed Hand, Life Wasted, and World Wide Suicide. Plus prime stage versions of Pearl Jam classics Corduroy, Even Flow, Comatose, Porch, BetterMan, and Neil Young s Rockin In The Free World. Features three bonus performance clips: Yellow Ledbetter, Throw Your Arms Around Me, and A Quick One with My Morning Jacket.

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Sweet Oblivion Review

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(More customer reviews)I hadn't heard of the Screaming Trees in the Summer of 1993, after I'd just gotten my driver's license. My sister told me she'd buy the ticket for me, if I drove her up to the Orange County Fairgrounds to the Screaming Trees, Spin Doctors and Soul Asylum concert. I balked for a couple of reasons, but mostly because I hadn't heard of the Trees and the Spin Doctors made me nauseous. The Spin Doctors did little to turn me around that night. The Screaming Trees, however, did good work. Very good work. I picked up Sweet Oblivion the next day.
Mark Lanegan's hoarse voice, which at times is barely audible, gives this essetially Seattle grunge band a full force push in the right direction. "Nearly Lost You," (off of the Singles soundtrack) is the obvious standout here. However, I was just as impressed with several of the other songs on the album, including "Dollar Bill," "Winter Song," and "Shadow of the Season." They are an extremely talented band, with the Connor boys backing up Lanegan on guitar and bass.
The Trees never reached the height of popularity they should have, based mostly on poor timing. Sweet Oblivion was released prior to the Singles soundtrack, rather than the other way around, which didn't allow the band to build anticipation for a new release. Add that to a 4 year break before releasing a new album. Mix liberally and you have a band that was musically capable but unfortunately didn't become as successful as they should have.
What you do have here is a great album with a great sound, solid guitar work and a bonafide would-be hit. Buy this album.

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Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. 1992 album from the Alt-Rock band considered to be one of the Godfathers of Grunge. Although they were one of the best Seattle bands of the early '90s, they never achieved the commercial success of bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. Lead singer Mark Lanegan started a very successful solo career after the Screaming Trees, working with the likesof Queens of the Stone Age, Greg Dulli (Afghan Wigs), Isobel Campbell (Belle & Sebastian) and UNKLE.--This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

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Riot Act Review

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(More customer reviews)Sigh.
Every post grunge-era Pearl Jam album resurfaces these kind of talks. Why isn't X better than Y? Why couldn't they have done X like Y? Why isn't Ed/Mike/Stone/Jeff/Current Drummer better than they were on Y?
Honestly, I'm surprised people want to talk in circles about something like this.
I can remember when Vitalogy came out, listening the hell out of it, while many of my friends/contemporaries/whatever said that it stuck. "What's with all the punk stuff? Why did they put crap on there like "Bugs" and "Foxymop"? It ruined the album." At the time I can remember thinking that these once flannel-clad individuals, who just a few years prior had gobbled up any shred of music made available by the band, were now turning a deaf ear because there is a two minute musical/vocal track where Eddie repeats P-R-I-V-A-C-Y, and a couple great little experimental tracks (one of which, was placed conveniently at the end of the album for easy skip-over). This astounded me, because nearly all my friends hated Vitalogy, and I thought it was their strongest work to date. If you went in and cut out all of the experimental stuff, you still have one of the best 45 minutes or so of rock produced in the '90s. But no matter. This was the beginning.
No Code followed up a few years later. Barely a blip on the pop culture radar. "Who You Are" came and went as a first single, and nobody was left around for the following two radio releases "Hail Hail" and "Off He Goes," which rank (to me) as two of their best. No matter, thought I, their my band now. "Not For You" indeed.
Yield came and went, no biggie. No videos, no promotion. Maybe the best rock album to come out in the late '90s, totally ignored, except for some hardcore PJ fans & some great reviews.
Then came the tour, which I had the opportunity to see a couple of shows. People said things to me like "They're still together?" and "I sure wish Eddie would write something more like Yellow Ledbetter." Meanwhile, I was more than satisfied w/ performances of "Evolution" and "Given To Fly".
Between "Yield" and the next album was the "good intention paving the path to hell" single that was "Last Kiss". Sure the proceeds went to the Kosovo refuges, and it was kept from the #1 spot on Billboard only by "Livin' La Vida Loca", but the die was cast, and the band was reluctantly thrown back into the spotlight. Still, no video, no promotion.
Binaural came out in 2000. Good songs. Overproduced? Under-produced? Maybe. Still, "Grievance" and "Insignificance" alone made the album better than good. "Eddie's voice doesn't sound as strong," and "Why doesn't he belt something out like he did on Vs," and "Where's my Limp Bizkit album" were heard at the record stores. The 2000 tour that followed was one of the best to date, maybe the best. Unfortunately the tragedy in Europe occurred, and briefly brought the band back into the spotlight. "Pearl Jam was playing a festival in Europe? Must be the only place they can sell tickets anymore," I heard.
Now comes "Riot Act". Once again, same old story, same old song and dance. 15 songs, some funky, some experimental, some traditional, and still the same comments. "Well, 10 years ago, they'd have never done an album like this," and "Why can't Ed sing like he did on X, Y, or Z?" Well, there's your answer. 1991, by my last check, was nearly 12 years ago. In 1991 you had some great bands, like Nirvana and Faith No More, and Soundgarden, and PJ. You also had a ton of crap and pop on the radio (hair metal, NKOTB, etc). The more things change the more they stay the same. 2002 we get a new Nirvana single (not their best-effort, but I'll sure as hell take it), a new album w/ vocals by Chris Cornell (backed by RAGE...what a concept!), as well as a brilliant single by Pearl Jam, and a new album that (what a frickin' surprise) doesn't bow down or bend over for anyone. What brilliance! Pearl Jam doing something their own way? Whodathunkit? And still we hear..."Eddie, why can't you sing like you did on X? I miss those days."
Well, I wish the Beatles would put out another "White Album", but it's not going to happen.
Pearl Jam is here. They're still putting out damn good music. They didn't kill themselves, they didn't succumb to drugs, they didn't marry super models and fancy cars and run them both off cliffs. They haven't done commercials for soda, or for car companies, and they've yet to release a over-hyped, over-marketed greatest hits collection in order to pacify all those who should have been buying their albums all along.
To Quote a track from Riot Act: "I've seen it all before... bring it on, cause i'm no victim ...."

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Ten Collector's Edition (2CD/1DVD/4vinyl/1 Cassette/Memorabilia) Review

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(More customer reviews)Pearl Jam has surpassed the competition with this Super Deluxe Edition of the Ten reissue. Though the cost may appear to be restrictive, and to some in this economy--insulting, note that the band has put everything into this box. A lot of bands today are releasing increasingly-priced deluxe editions of varying widths and lengths, but this set feels the worth. They clearly put every bit of their respect for the long-time fans into this box set.
The cloth-bound box is rather heavy and is the shape of a vinyl record. The slip box that pulls out of it contains everything except the vinyl records. In that is an envelope that includes reproductions of Pearl Jam memorabilia including postcards, a Mookie Blaylock playing card, concert ticket, sticker, etc. Additionally there are card-stock quality photos, all of which contain the box's liner notes/credits on the back (for the set, the concert, the original album and the remix).
Underneath a composition book is fastened into the box. The book, designed to perfection by Jeff Ament and Eddie Vedder, is exactly what a Pearl Jam would expect to see. It includes notes, doodles, designs and memorabilia seemingly fastened onto the page (though every page is actually just a flattened reproduction). The book is exhaustive with memorabilia, including backstage passes, newspaper clippings, pictures of the actual Mookie Blaylock. The box also contains a full sized poster of the album cover. It's a visual history of 1990 to 1992, a peak into the band's unique design sense, thanks in large part to Ament's meticulous craft. (As a designer, I took special appreciation in seeing the sketches of t-shirt designs or posters with notes about font styles and sizes). The band eschewed the self-serving biographical liner notes that typically champion a band in these box sets, keeping to their reluctant and humble image. If you're buying this box set, you probably already know the stories.
Underneath the book, are the sleeve for the CDs/DVD and the reproduction of the infamous Momma-Son cassette tape that brought Eddie Vedder to Stone Gossard's attention. The demo includes Vedder's vocals for Alive, Once and Footsteps over Gossard's music demo (with help from future drummer Matt Cameron). The demo is of the quality you would expect of the time, but is a fascinating peak into the band's formation. (Especially hearing Vedder's spot-on vocals prior to ever meeting any of his future bandmates.)
The first CD is a remaster of the classic Ten (which doesn't need to be reviewed here). The second CD is a Brendan O'Brien remix of the album, along with six bonus tracks. The remix doesn't mess with the essential basics but crisps up the original mix and improves the production value of the recording. (Whether a fan wants to remain completely loyal to the original mix is unessential since both versions are included.) The bonus tracks include rough mixes of two favorites from the Singles soundtrack ("Breath" and "State of Love and Trust") along with four other notable additions...all in the spirit of the first album's delivery. Additionally, a DVD captures the full unedited set from Pearl Jam's famous appearance on MTV Unplugged from 1992, a nice preview to the band's increasing skillful dabblings in acoustic-performed rock in later albums.
Vinyl productions of both Ten and the Ten redux are included along with a double-vinyl of Drop in the Park, a famous concert Pearl Jam performed in Seattle. (The latter has been mixed by O'Brien.) It's a gripping peak at Pearl Jam in their raw infancy...tearing through their early tracks with the same reckless abandon of Vedder climbing the scaffolding. (The Drop in the Park vinyl includes a poster fold-out for the show.)
Pearl Jam have outdone most bands with a perfectly themed, honest-to-their-roots set celebrating their much-heralded debut. And like they did back in 1991 they are now forcing other bands to get real and give their fans what they want: more bang for our buck. SPECIAL NOTE: In all of the literature in the box, the set is called "Pearl Jam 1990-1992" which follows up on the rumblings that the band plans to do the same with much of their back catalog.

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Ten, the debut album that sold 12 million copies and introduced the world to Pearl Jam in 1991, will be reissued in four (4) new and expanded editions on March 24, 2009. The reissue of Ten serves as the launch of a planned two-year catalogue re-release campaign leading up to the band's 20th anniversary in 2011. Each Ten package will include two versions of the album: the remastered version of the original album PLUS an accompanying remixed version done by the band's long-time producer, Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen,AC/DC, Audioslave). "The band loved the original mix of Ten, but were also interested in what it would sound like if I were to deconstruct and remix it," says producer Brendan O'Brien. "The original Ten sound is what millions of people bought, dug and loved, so I was initially hesitant to mess around with that.After years of persistent nudging from the band, I was able to wrap my head around the idea of offering it as a companion piece to the original - giving a fresh take on it,a more direct sound." COLLECTOR'S EDITION BOX SET (2 CDs plus DVD, 4 LPs and Cassette): CD 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix) CD 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O'Brien, plus six bonus tracks:"Brother," "Just a Girl," "State of Love and Trust," "Breath and a Scream," "2,000 Mile Blues",and "Evil Little Goat." DVD of Pearl Jam's previously unreleased 1992 MTV Unplugged performance including never before seen bonus performance of "Oceans" with 5.1 surround sound audio remix. LP 1: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl LP 2: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl and remixed by Brendan O'Brien LP 3 & 4: Drop in the Park - Live at Magnuson Park in Seattle on September 20, 1992 (audio mixed by Brendan O'Brien) "Even Flow," "Once," "State Of Love And Trust," "Why Go," "Deep,", "Jeremy," "Black," "Alive," "Garden," "Porch" Cassette: replica of original "Momma-Son" Pearl Jam demo cassette featuring "Alive," "Once" and "Footsteps" Package also includes an Eddie Vedder-style composition notebook filled with replica personal notes, images and mementos from the collections of Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament, a vellum envelope with replicated era-specific ephemera from Pearl Jam's early work and a two-sided print commemorating the Drop in the Park concert.

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Pearl Jam - Live at the Garden (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me preface this by saying that I have been to maybe 150 shows in my life, and the 7/8/03 MSG show is the best show I have seen by any band, ever. Coming from a huge music fan, that's saying a lot.
Ok, here goes. I'll try to write it for the casual fan who may not know every song.
First let's start with quality. The video work is fine. Nothing fancy. It's a little jumpy sometimes, but good overall. The 5.1 surround sound is quite nice as well. There are lots of extras on the DVD as well, including an easter egg. It includes lots of tour montages, bonus clips (Ed pre-show solo stuff), etc. But the main part of the dvd, the show itself, is probably what you want to hear about so I'll try to be specific. I'll do a song-sy-song review below:
set:
Love Boat Captain: Good opener. The sound is a little off, but gets better during the next couple of songs. This is off the latest album. It references the 9 people who were killed during their set at the Roskilde Denmark show in 2000
Last Exit: Good rocking song that gets the crowd going.
Save You: Same as above. Good version. Off the last album
Green Disease: Also off the last album. You'll notice that the crowd doesn't go insane for some of the newer stuff, but because the MSG shows had such a high fanclub turnout, the reaction is better than expected. This is a fun, hard song.
In My Tree: This is a new, slower version of the song off of No Code. This is one of my all-time favorite songs, and they nailed the new version this time. This was the first tour they tried it this way, and it worked.
Cropduster: Also a new song. Good, but for the casual fan nothing spectacular.
Even Flow: Mike totally owns the middle jam, and the crowd goes nuts for it.
Gimme Some Truth: John Lennon cover. It was nice to see.
I Am Mine: This is prefaced by a nice speech from Eddie about Sept 11. You have to rewind to the end of the previous song to hear it. Good version as well.
Low Light: Had I not seen it a few days earlier I would have gone nuts. They broke it out in Boston on 7/3 for the first time in 5 years and the place went nuts. They also went nuts at MSG.
Faithfull: Great hard-rocking song from "Yield"
Wishlist/(Why Can't I Touch It?): Great light show for this, and the tag at the end is a Buzzcocks cover. Before the show, 3 members of PJ came out when the Buzzcocks finished their set and played this song with them. Great crowd singalong!
Lukin: 1-minute rocker from No Code that goes right into the next song
Grievance: Good hard song, was nominated for a grammy 3 years ago.
1/2 Full: Gotta love Ed w/ the mirror during this one. Great guitar from Mike on this song...very bluesy.
Black: Decent version. Great solo at the end from Mike. There are better versions, but this is pretty good.
Spin The Black Circle: Great hard song circa 95. A crowd pleaser.
Rearviewmirror: Awesome first set closer. Insane ending, crowd and band going nuts w/ the strobe lights.
enc 1:
You Are: Nice light show, great vibe to this song.
Thumbing My Way: Good slow song from the last album.
Daughter/(With My Own Two Hands): This was around the time I realized it had gone beyond being just a great show to being something special. Ben Harper comes out and sings the Two Hands tag w/ the band. I still get chills watching it. The crowd loves it.
Crown Of Thorns: Crowd going nuts by this point. It is a Mother Love Bone cover, which is Stone/Jeff's band before PJ that broke up when the lead singer died of an overdose. They played it twice on the 2000 tour (the first time being at their 10th anniv show), and twice on the 2003 show. I never thought I'd see it.
Breath: Yeah, the band is on fire at this point. Breath was the song they broke out at the MSG II show in 98 for the first time in years. It's special to see them play it there again.
Better Man: Not a particularly great version, but the crowd singing the first verse alone makes it worth listening to.
Do The Evolution: Watch the band during this...they start freaking out. Eddie gives a speech after the intermission explaining why. Considering Roskilde 2000, it's totally understandable. You could literally feel the floor moving if you stood still. MSG is raised off of ground level, and the crowd was going so nuts that they caused the whole place to shake. Watch Ed in particular.
enc 2:
Crazy Mary: 1 word: RIP. That's all I have to say
Indifference: Ed re-introduces Ben Harper. They have played this with Ben a couple of times before. This was my first time seeing this older song and I was loving it.

Sonic Reducer: Buzzcocks' member comes out. This is an old Dead Boys cover. I had never seen it live either and it was great. Maybe not as intense as it was on the early tours, but still rocking.
Baba O'Riley: Another Buzzcocks' member comes out. I will *never* forget the look on the usher's face next to me when the crowd sang the middle bridge part. He just had this huge grin on his face, like "wow, that was freaking cool as hell!!!"
Yellow Ledbetter: Nice closer, with Ed mumbling some new lyrics. Not a great version by any means, but different which is always good.
I'm not sure I can say enough about this show. I have never seen so many people leave a show speechless with their jaws on the ground.

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The entire concert at New York's Madison Square Garden filmed live on July 8, 2003.No Track Information AvailableMedia Type: DVDArtist: PEARL JAMTitle: LIVE AT THE GARDENStreet Release Date: 11/11/2003

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Life Turns Electric Review

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(More customer reviews)It's hard not to think of Finger Eleven without thinking of the band they started as. MuchMusic darlings, decked out in baggy jeans and prototypical late `90s/early `00s haircuts, with a unique sound falling somewhere between Our Lady Peace and Korn. But times change, and so to have Finger Eleven, much to the chagrin of their core fanbase. Their fifth album, "Life Turns Electric" finds the band striving to follow up a string of radio-hits that started in 2003 with "One Thing" and continued with 2007's undeniably catchy and unavoidable "Paralyzer". What this means is that they are straying even farther away from where they started, heading down an undoubtedly mainstream path, and it doesn't appear as if they are ever going to look back. Hey, a band's gotta eat, right?
Sure, Finger Eleven cannibalize themselves a bit on "Life Turns Electric" -- most noticeably with "Living in a Dream" which attempts to redress "Paralyzer" in hopes of a quick hit -- but as a direct follow-up to "Them Vs. You Vs. Me" you might be surprised by how strong and consistent it actually is. The album was self-produced by the band's two guitarists, James Black and Rick Jackett, so it should come as no surprise that this is a very guitar-driven record. The album's two opening numbers, "Any Moment Now" and "Pieces Fit" are bursting with energy and tasty licks from the twosome and get things started on a strong note. "Whatever Doesn't Kill Me" and "Good Intentions" find the band mired in middle-of-the-road material, yet singer Scott Anderson comes through with a passionate performance to save the day as he always has. The man sounds just as good today as he did yesterday and is, hands down, one of rock's most underrated and under-heard voices. This album is at the very least a testament to that, as each of the ten tracks seem designed to compliment and show off the bombastic singer.
If there is anything on this record that screams "play me on radio!" more than "Living in a Dream" it would have to be "Stone Soul." A very breezy and catchy ballad, it is unlike anything the band has ever produced before, and yet, it's the most musically interesting song (not to mention the shortest as well). Likewise, "Ordinary Life" is pure Top-40/adult contemporary rock material, but somehow they pull it off. Through songs like these, a different version of Finger Eleven emerges. While this Finger Eleven may be a bit tougher to swallow (innuendo?) for most, it's shocking how well they actually pull it off. Like "Them Vs. You Vs. Me," it's miles away from their origins and is likely to turn off some of the band's more die-hard fans. Taken for what it is, though -- a dynamic and well-produced modern rock record -- it's about as good as they come. Are they still the same band you fell in love with? Hardly. In some respects, they've gotten better -- certainly tighter as musicians -- and you at least have to respect how well they have fared thus far. It may not be the "one thing" you're looking for, but don't be surprised if you are surprised.

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From the early days of the alternative radio hit "One Thing" to the blockbuster success of "Paralyzer", Finger Eleven has established itself not only as one of Canada's premier rock bands, but an internationally recognized name.With their newest album Life Turns Electric, the band takes the rhythmic progression they'd begun with "Paralyzer" and establishes it as the band's signature sound on songs like the album's first single, "Living in a Dream."With a mix of upbeat melodies in tracks like "Stone Sour", heartbreaking ballads ("Love's What You've Left Me With"), and all-out rockers like "Whatever Doesn't Kill Me", new and old Finger Eleven fans alike will find something to love.

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Nobody's Daughter Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow. Who expected this? We all know the back story of Courtney Love. Her personal life has long overshadowed any musical effort that she has put out. And in her own words, she has spent more time being a "celebrity" than an actual musician in the past 10 years. After years of tabloid scandals, celebrity feuds and gossip, even the most hardcore fan could be forgiven for thinking this was going to be an absolute disaster. But it's not. In fact, this is a great record...actually, scratch that. The fact that this was made at all makes this a phenomenal record.
If you are looking for the heaviness of Pretty on the Inside or the roaring grunge Queen of Live Through This, then look elsewhere. Compared to Holes discography, Nobody's Daughter is probably closest to Celebrity Skin, but even that is an unfair comparison. This album is more in the vein of latter-day Marianne Faithfull and Stevie Nicks than any of the above. Some critics would have you believe this is a disappointment. Most seem to want some sort of repeat performance of Live Through This, which is ridiculous. Grunge is dead and Courtney is now a 45 year old woman. Do they still want her to be singing about Pee-Girls and Garbadge Men at 45? As someone who favours songwriting and lyrics above all else, Nobody's Daughter is such a classy, lyrically strong and wonderful record that shows a remarkable amount of growth.
Nobody's Daughter started out life as a solo record, and a folk-rock record to it's core. The re-recorded product (Recorded with and co-produced by new Hole guitarist Micko Larkin) still retains some of the earthy folk of the ditched solo record, but adds some much needed meat to it's bones. Some of the highlights include The title track, which could one day be regarded as her masterpiece. Containing a brilliant riff and equally brilliant lyrics, it's epic. It's sweeping. It's her "Gold Dust Woman" it's her "The Wall" all combined into one. It is truly that good. "Honey" is a gorgeous, heartbreaking scream-along ballad that is quite obviously written about her late husband. It's a very touching song, sung with a passion that has been missing from Courtney's music since Live Through This. "Pacific Coast Highway" is the twin sister of "Malibu"; it's a fantastic track which sounds like it should have been given to Stevie Nicks. "Someone Else's Bed" is one of the true highlights of the album. A song about one night stands, it's like R.E.M's "Country Feedback" meets "Doll Parts". The real highlight for me on this record though has to be "For Once in Your Life". The track is a stunning English pop/Celtic waltz, complete with marching drums and cellos and a beautiful backup vocal from Martha Wainwright and Jenni Muldaur. It is just a phenomenal tune, which very much recalls early Marianne Faithfull. The album ends on a big high note with "Never Go Hungry" which is just Courtney alone with her acoustic guitar. This is a 60s Dylan style folk tune, about survival through the darkest of times.
Some people don't want to see an artist grow. As an album, Nobody's Daughter is possibly lyrically the strongest Courtney has ever been, and as a long time Courtney Love/Hole fan I couldn't happier with it. This isn't Zeitgeist and it isn't Chinese Demoracy. However you feel about Courtney using the band name Hole for this record, Nobodys' Daughter is for the most part an intelligent, mournful, elegant, sometimes angry, but gratifying album that attempts to face some of her past mistakes head-on. In a perfect world this album would be given the accolades it deserves. Unfortunately we will have to wait for the world to catch up with her before it sees the critical praise it is due. Highly recommended.

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NOBODY'S DAUGHTER is the first album by Hole in more than a decade (since 1998's three-time Grammy-nominated Celebrity Skin).It also marks Courtney's first record since her solo album America's Sweetheart of 2004 (with "Mono" and "Hold On To Me," both songs co-written with Linda Perry, who co-wrote the bulk of that album's songs with Courtney).

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Nirvana - Live Tonight Sold Out (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to admit, at first, I didn't like this too much. It just seemed too messy and disjointed, as some of the live performances of certain tracks are like cut-and-paste collages featuring bits of footage taken from various different concerts and spliced together - sometimes within a single song. But, after watching this quite a few times, I started to appreciate the artistic quality in this -- as well as having fun watching these three in action.
This footage was mostly recorded during the 1991-1992 era during the release and popularity of their _Nevermind_ album, and as a result, you aren't going to hear any tracks beyond the _Nevermind_ era (_Incesticide_ was mostly recorded in 1990, but released in 1992, so that really doesn't count.) You get to witness the "backstage" or offstage antics of Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, and as you witness their tomfoolery, you realize that these three "weirdos" were meant for each other, as they seem to be in sync with one another, without intent. You also get to hear their feelings on superstardom, witness some nifty performances and other such stuff.
Here's a listing of the live tracks performed on here:
(1). Aneurysm. (2). About A Girl. (3). Dive. (4). Love Buzz. (5). Breed. (6). Smells Like Teen Spirit. (7). Negative Creep. (8). Come As You Are. (9). Territorial Pissings. (10). Something In The Way . (11). Lithium. (12). Drain You. (13). Polly. (14). Sliver. (15). On A Plain. (16). Noise (which is basically comprised of bits from "Endless, Nameless," the hidden track on certain copies of _Nevermind_, added with destruction.)
Some things worth mentioning are: (1). The performance of "Something In The Way" is in a different key than the studio version, as well as being amped-up. (2). During the first clip of the "Love Buzz" performance, Kurt dives into the audience, possibly hoping to do some crowd surfing. It gets a little out of hand as the bouncer is trying to keep things organized, but he gets hit in the head by the body of Kurt's guitar quite a few times, which leaves a bit of a gash in the bouncer's head. I'm not sure if Kurt did this on purpose or not. But, after Kurt returns to the stage, the bouncer comes from behind and punches Kurt in the back of his head, and kicks him once. After that, the concert pretty much stops, as Krist comes to Kurt's defense, and soon Dave is seen flying from behind his drum kit to help out as well.
(3). Anyone wondering where all those concert clips seen in the video for "Lithium" came from, you can find them all on this set. (4). The ending features something Nirvana seemed to love to do: destroy their instruments and equipment. At the end, Krist does a little bit of batting practice - with musical instruments. Kurt chucks his guitar in the air, and when it lands, it breaks in half. Afterwards, Krist picks up the body of Kurt's broken guitar, and uses it as a baseball. He uses his bass as a bat, and chucks the body of the broken guitar in the air and tries to hit it. After a miss on the first shot, he hits on the second shot, and the audience applauds. Some really demented stuff.
Enough of my rambling. Case and point: if you're a Nirvana fan, you HAVE to own this. You get to see other sides of the members of Nirvana that you wouldn't have seen elsewhere. Plus with the fun footage, and performances, how can you go wrong?

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Originally conceived by Kurt Cobain, LIVE! TONIGHT! SOLD OUT!is a video document of Nirvana's rise from a scruffy trio from the PacificNorthwest into one of the most iconic and important bands in the history ofrock music.Combining live material from their `91-'92 "Nevermind" tour, LIVE! TONIGHT!SOLD OUT! has long been the "holy grail" for Nirvana fans... and one thathas never been available on DVD until now. NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME, a worldof Nirvana fans will be able to experience color-corrected and digitallyremastered live performances of songs like "Smells Like Teen Spirit,""Lithium," "Breed," "Drain You" and "Aneurysm" - mixed into loads ofinterview footage from across the world - all as originally viewed throughthe eyes of Kurt Cobain himself. In addition to the complete originalprogram, several previously unreleased performances are included as bonus DVD extras.Features the songs:Aneurysm About A Girl Dive Love BuzzBreed Smells Like Teen Spirit Negative Creep Come As You Are Territorial PissingsSomething In The Way Lithium Drain You Polly Sliver On A Plain Endless NamelessEXTRAS - Live In Amsterdam:School About A Girl Been A Son On A Plain Blew

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Live on Two Legs Review

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(More customer reviews)The songs on this live CD were performed amazingly well. New bass lines, endings and guitar solos turned old songs into new power. I did have a couple problems with this CD however, the main one being I thought the selection of songs was not that great. There were a lot of songs that were too soft to really rock the house off on the album. The only other thing that bugged me was poor sound quality. Any true Pearl Jam fan that does not get this is making a mistake but for newcomers I would reccomend holding off until you are more aquintated to the band.

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Pearl Jam Review

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(More customer reviews)It's quite possible that Pearl Jam is more revered in retrospect than for their musical offerings from the last 5-6 years. Their name is legendary. And their initial 2-3 albums are considered classics. But what have they done lately that hasn't sounded tired and stale?
Even though I'd been burned by PJ's albums in the past, I took a chance on this new one, simply titled Pearl Jam.
Wow. Am I glad I did. Pearl Jam has been reborn!
This album sounds fresh, alive and -- dare I say it? -- vital. They retained their trademark garage band sound and Eddie's sometimes mumbly (but powerful) baritone. But there are melodies and hooks on this album that are infectious. And the playing sounds like a Pearl Jam I haven't heard in a long, long time. It's energetic and meaty.
The album kicks off with the guitar-heavy, toe tapping "Life Wasted," which sports typical Pearl Jam chord progressions but with more oomph behind them.
"World Wide Suicide," the next track, features a sound and energy reminiscent of anything off Vs. or their debut CD (1993 and 1991, respectively).
"Comatose" begins with a Tom Petty-like guitar riff and then explodes in Eddie's growling vocal and bashing, punk-like guitars that would make the Sex Pistols proud.
One of my favorite tracks follows "Comatose": "Severed Hand," which begins with swirling, mysterious-sounding backward-played guitar noodlings before turning into another free-for-all garage band extravaganza.
"Parachutes," a Beatle-esque song featuring acoustic guitar, a jaunty beat and tight vocal arrangements, is a nice change of pace after so many balls-out tracks.
"Unemployable," the next track, is a great riff. Very catchy and upbeat. It reminds me of R.E.M. Very tasty guitar work.
"Wasted Reprise" is totally captivating. Haunting, even. It's less than a minute long, but there's something about it that I absolutely love. The lyrics are sung with such emotion: "I have faced it, a life wasted, I am never going back again."
I can't say enough about this album. It's chock-full of big, BIG guitar riffs, Eddie's over-the-top screaming, crisp production, and heart-on-sleeve lyrics. It's a Pearl Jam you haven't heard in a very long time.
I strongly urge you to buy this new album from Pearl Jam. You won't be sorry.

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Japanese pressing of their 2006 album with no extras.13 tracks. J Records.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Telephantasm: Review

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(More customer reviews)I was really looking forward to getting this collection, 3 coloured vinyls mastered by Bob Ludwig and a DVD with all the videos on it as well as lithographs, a 7" vinyl of Black Rain also coloured and 2 CD's. The package is very well done, doesn't feel cheap at all. Everything fits nicely together and the vinyl is in a separate side of the box set to the CD's, DVD's and booklets, as it should be. So...where does it go wrong? From the first notes of the first LP or CD you're in for a big disappointment. Another release gets ruined with overzealous dynamic range compression.
Now I wasn't too concerned about how the CD's were going to turn out, I got this first and foremost for the vinyl and secondly for the DVD of the videos. Due to low sales numbers and the methodology in which vinyl records are created, vinyl editions of recent albums have seen better mastering than their CD counterparts. Don't get all defensive and launch into a CD vs. vinyl debate, because this isn't about that. What I'm saying is, the vinyl releases of new albums from Alice in Chains, Dave Matthews Band and others have received less dynamic range compression and less tools that result in dimished dynamics of the master that is to be used to create the vinyl, resulting in a more dynamic performance, one closer to what the producer was hearing in the studio one would hope.
This isn't the case with Telephantasm, the vinyl is as poorly mastered as the CD is, perhaps even worse. The sibilance does not hold up well in Cornell's high notes and Cameron's cymbals and hi-hat, it sizzles into obscurity. There is little in the way of dynamics, everything sounds like your typical 2010 CD. This is very disappointing given that there are supposed to only be 5,000 copies of this. The loudness war sucks wholeheartedly, but with top bands usually only moving between 12,000~25,000 copies of their records per year the vinyl usually escapes as the idiots in A&R at the labels and those musicians who don't know any better usually don't care about the vinyl, it's not getting into enough people's hands, therefore the mastering engineer can master with dynamics intact like most of them want to.
I compared Outshined and Rusty Cage from SIDE THREE of the coloured vinyl with my 2003 German (EU) pressing of Badmotorfinger, man what a MASSIVE difference, the sonics and dynamics of the recording are wonderful on the 2003 edition, which can still be found on the Amazon Germany website, ASIN B000057UWZ.
If you want to order one of the two copies left, just follow through the buttons, you don't need to read German to navigate, it's all the same set-up as Amazon Canada or US. I highly recommend this pressing at 24 Euros, even though you'll have to pony up 14 Euros for shipping to North America it's still worth it to get the best sounding version of Badmotorfinger I've ever heard, although if you don't spin vinyl be content with the original CD, it's also very good.
I was hoping with Bob Ludwig's name attached that the CD's might be okay, but should have know the label and project team probably said "no, we need this to be loud like other bands albums are these days, or kids won't like it" - which is TOTAL BLOODY NONSENSE. You can see a comparison between the Badmotorfinger CD and the Telephantasm CD in a post I made at the Steve Hoffman forums by googling "Soundgarden outshined telephantasm vs badmotorfinger dynamic comparison" and click on the first link that says "New release sounds like crap" and check out post #20.
The 2010 tracks are clearly boosted, well outside the scope of CD's limits resulting in brickwalling and/or limiting to prevent a massive amount of clipping. Dynamics are suffering, what a shame. It's nowhere near as bad as Death Magnetic, but it's still poor.
I will say that the CD actually sounds better than the vinyl to my ears, or maybe it's just that the vinyl sounds so poor compared to the 2003 EU pressing of Badmotorfinger that I don't even remember how bad the CD sounds.
Now maybe there is one saving grace for this package...the DVD. Nope, it suffers too. The audio isn't as bad as the CD and vinyl from a dynamic perspective, but the bitrate afforded the DVD's audio track is poor. They've gone with 2.0 Dolby Digital only at a bitrate of a little over 200 Kbps. No effort was made to visit the studio and create a 5.1 mix, they didn't even add a 2.0 PCM uncompressed stereo mix which would have been much more palatable. I'd love it if they'd included a Blu-ray of all the videos, but really the source material is probably video in most cases and the Blu-ray would only allow for less compression...but a high resolution 24-bit audio track wouldn't have gone amiss. Anyway, that's neither here nor there, it's nice to see some of these videos and remember watching the Buzz Bin on MTV in 1991 seeing Outshined...but the lack of fidelity in choosing only a Dolby 2.0 mix takes away from it. Had they used the full 448 Kbps allowed on DVD for Dolby it would have been a much more enjoyable sonic experience.
Overall I can only give this collection 2 stars. It's well put together and definitely great for collectors, but the sonic misadventures that afflict the DVD, the 3LP's and the 2CD's are just not welcome in my house, I'm probably returning mine to Amazon.


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Soundgarden will release their first collection of music since 1996 in the form of Telephantasm on September 28th in the US and September 27th internationally.This multi-label, career-spanning retrospective album includes beloved band hits, deep back catalogue cuts and a never-before-heard unreleased track entitled "Black Rain," taken from the Badmotorfinger recording sessions. Telephantasm marks the first time ever a collection of its kind has been collated in one place. The Limited Deluxe Edition of Telephantasm includes a double-disc with 12 additional tracks, 5 of which are previously unreleased, and Soundgarden's first-ever DVD, featuring 20 videos, 13 of which have never been released.

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On Tour Now (Live In Seattle, 1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)This hard to find CD is a keeper if you ever come across it. A Professionally recorded live EP put out by Reprise in 1993 as a promo in Mudhoney's major label heyday.
Track List:
1. Suck you Dry
2. Make It Now
3. Fashion Forecast (spoken word goof)
4. Dead Love
5. No End In Sight
6. You Got It
7. Stupid A**hole
8. The Money Will Roll Right In


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MUDHONEY 'On Tour Now' Rare 1993 USA Reprise label 8-track CD album (recorded live in Seattle on February 10th, 1993). Housed in a standard stickered jewel case (with tour dates) and a back tracklisting insert. [Catalog# PRO-CD-6171]

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Pearl Jam - Touring Band 2000 (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Having seen Pearl Jam live twice, and one of those times having been the summer of 2000, I was awaiting "Touring Band 2000" with mixed feelings. On the one hand, Pearl Jam play longer than any other band around, with sets routinely running 2.5 hours, and even then you want more. So it is only natural that a fan would want to recapture some of this experience at home. At the same time, though, there is so much energy at a PJ concert, I was worried that the DVD would seem flat.
I need not have worried, because the DVD is superb. There is a great mix of old and new, fast and slow songs. The transitions from one venue to the other are seemless, and the sound is outstanding (note, I'd recommend not using 5.1 channel surround, it sounds a little too processed that way). There is also the unique "Matt Cam" angle, which gives you the view from Matt Cameron's drum riser with a heavier percussive mix.
Where the DVD really shines though, is in the cinematography. It consists exclusively of hand held footage shot by the roadies. As a result the DVD presents a rough, in your face viewing that matches perfectly with the band itself. The mixture of wide shots covering the whole stage, close-ups on individual band members and pans of the crowd almost mimic the view of someone sitting in the front rows. I promise, if you crank this DVD loud enough, you'll feel like you're at a show.
As for the remaining features, the European montages are interesting, and the instrumentals they are set to are pretty cool; it's always nice to hear something new from PJ. Of course, it's nice to have a clean copy of the "Oceans" and "Do the Evolution" videos with decent sound. My personal favorite, however, were the outtakes from the North American Tour set to "Smile". Aside from the fact the song is one of my favorites, and aside from the fact the Pearl Jam dressed up as The Village People is worth the price of the disc, it really captures the essence of the band. They're genuinely having fun; they aren't in it for the money, they're in it because they love the music and they love their fans. In this day and age that's pretty special...and so's this DVD.

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The first Pearl Jam full-length DVD features three hours of live and montage footage from the band's 2000 U.S. and European tours.The main body of the DVD program is comprised of 28 full song performances filmed in various cities on the band's 2000 48-city U.S. tour, reflecting the time and composition of an actual concert set list. The DVD was filmed by Pearl Jam crew members Liz Burns, Steve Gordon, and Kevin Shuss without directors or producers. An additional 50 minutes of special bonus features includes footage from the band's 2000 European tour, backstage footage, previously unreleased music, special consumer-chosen camera angles, the previously unreleased video for "Oceans," and more. Edited by Steve Gordon. Recorded and mixed by Brett Eliason and engineered by John Burton.Track list: Long Road, Corduroy, Grievance, Animal, Gods' Dice, Evacuation, Given to Fly, Dissident, Nothing as It Seems, Evenflow, Lukin, Not for You, Daughter (into "It's OK" by Dead Moon), Untitled, MFC, Thin Air, Leatherman, Betterman, Nothingman, Insignificance, I Got Shit, RVM, Wishlist, Jeremy, Evolution, Don't Go, Parting Ways, Rocking in the Free WorldSpecial bonus features:Stationary "Matt-cam" footage is available with a heavier percussion mix for two of the songs featured on the main body of the DVD: "Evacuation" and "Even Flow" and also for "In My Tree." (The "Matt-cam" is a special camera positioned behind drummer Matt Cameron that the consumer can switch to while viewing the DVD.)European montages: City, band, and fan montages from the European tour with "Yellow Ledbetter" live and previously unreleased instrumentals recorded by Pearl Jam during early Binaural sessions. Instrumentals titled: "Thunderclap," "Foldback," and "Harmony."Outtakes of band on U.S. tour, set to the song "Smile""Do the Evolution" video--animated by Todd McFarlane"Oceans" video--never before released in the U.S. directed by Josh Taft

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