For Completests Only
Matt Leeds | Boston, MA USA | 10/27/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I picked up this new, live two-disc set, despite the caveat on the back that "these performances were recorded for posterity by hanging two mics from the ceiling of the club." The tinny sound throughout is a definite shortcoming, although it is not the only disappointment. I saw Flo & Eddie in the early-eighties on one of their Happy Together package tours. Aside from a handful of their songs and a Doors parody, I honestly can't remember the material. But I do remember it being one of the funniest things I'd ever seen, similar to the live portions of Illegal, Immoral & Fattening and their work with Zappa. As they moved through the eighties and into the nineties, though, there was evidently a need to progress from the sex, drugs & rock `n roll humor of the sixties & seventies, and keep things current. Unfortunately, I am not nostalgic for the eighties & nineties, as I was for those earlier decades. Much of the material here moreover comes off more as tribute, rather than parody to people/shows/movies such as George Gershwin, Bobby Short, Woody Allen, Mary Tyler Moore, David Letterman, Escape From New York, Halloween, and songs from bad Elvis movies. There are also a lot of in jokes between band members, and visual stunts that I'm guessing were actually funny when seen live. Unfortunately, there is precious little of the hilarity that I have come to expect from this duo, and virtually none of this is entertaining to me, either from a musical or humor perspective. The packaging is OK, although there are no liner notes; not even a picture of our heroes. However, there is a web link to an online "booklet" containing extensive notes, credits & photos. If you listen through the tinny sound, you can tell that the vocals and instrumentals were actually quite good, and that they really were putting their hearts into these performances. Some good material does show up toward the end of disc two, with a nice rendition of Marmendy Hill (from their second, eponymous album) and a Zappa tribute comprised of songs from We're Only In It For The Money, Hot Rats and 200 Motels. There is also a pretty good "new" song, Made It To The Top, from 1984, penned by Graham Gouldman, which Kaylan suggests in the notes sounds like a Turtles record. So I give this set what I consider to be a generous three stars for 1) the nice online booklet, 2) the enthusiasm that obviously went into these shows and 3) about 20 minutes of podworthy material."
Flo & Eddie's Magnum Opus: Over the top under the counter to
Strange Dave | New York | 11/02/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you love The Turtles and wonder what they would have sounded like if they had toured in the 80's and 90's THEN THIS IS THIS ALBUM FOR YOU.
I am only 30 years old. My first live Flo & Eddie concert was in 2002. I missed out on all of those BOTTOM LINE concerts that I heard about from the 80's and 90's. Thank goodness for this album. Listen to it - you feel like you were there.
It has everything you need from Flo & Eddie including an incredibly cool tribute to Woody Allen with covers of "I Happen To Like New York" (from the film MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY) and "Agita" (From the film BROADWAY DANNY ROSE). The Halloween movie theme song cover they do, not to mention the kick ass version of "Bald Mountain", coupled with their live comedy ("we are available for Bar Mitzvahs") makes this c.d. a must have for all fans.
For Frank Zappa fans; Flo & Eddie cover "Peaches en Regalia", pay homage to Frank Zappa's WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY, and they also do a hilarious parody verson of Tracy Chapman's song "Fast Car" (calling it "Fast Career").
Get this album, get it now. It's alot of fun to listen to. The sound is great and the comedy is greater. Enjoy."
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1