Search - Mitch Ryder :: Live Talkies

Inconsistent, Has Some Worthwhile Nuggets

Michael Strom | Chicago, IL USA | 07/22/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Well, this really wasn't a live disc. It is "live in the studio," which just means the band was all playing at the same time in the studio, & they could recut anything that didn't work. On the plus side, Mitch sounds as great as ever, & assembled an ace band. Covers of "It's All Over Now" and "Subterranean Homesick Blues" are terrific, and ideosyncratic enough that these versions are not superfluous. Mitch does another version of his own "Liberty," available in a traditional studio version on the Rev Up compilation. Both versions are great.The bad news is that Mitch's songwriting abilities are not up to his musical chops. Most of his original songs are OK songs performed well enough to mask the fact that they aren't all that good. Of the 14 tracks here, 5 or 6 are really good & the rest are not all that. If you really like Mitch Ryder, get this CD to enjoy the cuts where the artist & material are worthy of each other. And if you ever get the chance to see him live-live (not studio-live), definitely go see him."

Inconsistent, But Some Worthwhile Nuggets

Michael Strom | Chicago, IL USA | 08/01/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Well, this really isn't a live disc. It is "live in the studio," which just means the band was all playing at the same time, & they could recut anything that didn't work. On the plus side, Mitch sounds as great as ever, & assembled an ace band. Covers of "It's All Over Now" & "Subterranean Homesick Blues" are terrific, & ideosyncratic enough that they are not redundant versions of the originals. Mitch does a "studio-live" version of his own "Liberty," available in a "studio-studio" version on the Rev Up compilation. Both versions are great (& Rev Up is highly recommended).The bad news is that Mitch's songwriting abilities are not up to his musical chops. Most of his original songs are OK songs performed well enough to mask the fact that they aren't all that great. Of the 14 tracks here, 5 or 6 are really good & the rest are so-so. If you really like Mitch Ryder, there are enough solid cuts here where the artist & material are worthy of each other to make it worthwhile. But it's a close call. And if you ever get the chance to see Mitch live-live, you really ought to go."

Subterranean Mitch resurfaces

BB | Whitmore Lake, MI USA | 07/18/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mitch Ryder is an overlooked master of rock and roll. Nine out of ten times a Ryder record comes rolling off the radio rhythm review it's an Oldie wid d'Detroit Wheels. But Ryder's greatest music began with his late '60s solo album DETROIT-MEMPHIS EXPERIMENT and he continues to make hard-bodied, punchy albums. But these are almost totally ignored . . . in the USA. He has continued to be appreciated for his new music in Europe, especially in Germany. A number of Ryder albums were recorded in Germany in the '70s and '80s and have been hard to find here. Now someone has made several of them available. And LIVE TALKIES is a welcome release. This is a live-in-the-studio album featuring Ryder's muscular rearrangements of such songs as "It's All Over Now" and two Dylan songs, "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "Wicked Messenger," as well as several of his own sharp, witty songs---including one about President Ronald R., sung in part in German. Ryder's voice is a powerful V-8 roar, but another of his strengths is his ear for cross-rhythms. There are no simple shuffles here, but pulsing, clashing guitar and drum parts that insist the listener dance or at least smile at the tricky, pulsing life of this music. Some of the music here is so heavy, so angular that you might want to wear a helmet the first time you listen. If you think Ryder calmy slipped away into Oldies-ville, this CD will snap you back into reality."