Search - Rheostatics :: Double Live

Heavy on "Canadian" sounds, light on Japanese pop....

lancashi | Berkeley, CA United States | 03/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"~I've been to two Rheostatics concerts in my life (one of which was actually at the Bathurst Street Theater during the recording of this album - can you hear me???) and can testify that they are "THIS GOOD" live. Simply put, the Rheostatics is one of the best live bands I've ever heard. The stuff here really sounds as spontaneous and genuine as the material I've heard them play live . In other words, this isn't a "studio" live album, like the Tragically Hip's "Live Between Us".~If you're reading this review, I take it you know what the Rheostatics sound like. They don't exactly play "rock anthems" that stick in your head from the first time you hear them. This music is much more difficult, complex, and rewarding when you finally understand where they go with it....If had to compartmentalize their style, I'd say that many of their songs are artificially cheerful in a bizarre, pseudo-Japanese-pop way (Fan Letter for Michael Jackson/Introducing Happiness/etc),~~~ while the rest of their music is quite dark and heavily emotional, both lyrically (Record Body Count) and musically (note the chord progressions in their absolutely phenomenal Blue Hysteria Album). This live album is filled largely with songs from the latter category. If you like their "overwhlemingly-Canadian-and-isolated" sound, you'll really dig this cd.To be honest, I'd recommend this just because it's phenomenally good disc in my opinion. It's literally one of my favourite~~ albums, and I'm not easily impressed (my other big favs are Prokofiev and Bjork, to put this in context). If you only like the Rheostatics for "Introducing Happiness", however - this album is probably not filled with the kind of music you'll enjoy time-and-time again. In that case, buy "Whale Music", which is strong enough on its own accord to merit an equally strong recommendation, and has enough variety to keep anyone happy - and possibly give you a sense of how the band got to~~ *this* from *that*.Otherwise, buy this album and forget the rest. If you don't know much about the Rheostatics, this is by-far their album to get - the songs on it cover most of their career, and provide an excellent introduction to their music. As always, it takes time to *get* their sense of musical style if you haven't heard them before, but once you do, you'll be amazed at how shallow more conventional rock bands are in retrospect.~"

A great live album from Canada's greatest rock band

lancashi | 05/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With seven excellent albums under their belt, the Rheostatics decided it was time to put out a live CD. With so much music to draw from, this album turned into a two CD collection with almost 30 tracks! Recorded in bars, stadiums, and theatres, this album shows the band to be even better live than they are on their CDs. This is more than just a rehash of their greatest songs, the old classics are reworked in exciting new ways, there's lots of between song banter, and a number of previously unreleased songs that are concert classics.This CD is a must for anyone who likes live music. It really captures that feel of smokey clubs, good friends, good drink, and good music. Enjoy!"