I don't plan to review multiple albums from the same band, back-to-back, very often, but I'm not making any rules against doing so either. So, as a follow-up to yesterday's review, here is one for the Barenaked Ladies only live (non-bootleg, digital, legal or otherwise) album.
This album really disappointed me. It's one that I remember really enjoying and listening to over and over again. I was very excited to have put this in the CD player, especially after enjoying Stunt the day before. These live versions seem really restrained and clunky; they don't have a lot of life in them and seem to be heavy on the psudo- acoustic side of things. I've seen BNL in concert a few times -- including once in my high school gymnasium after the school had won the concert as a part of some milk promotion -- and they're usually very upbeat, involved, high-energy affairs. This album captures none of that, until about the last two or three tracks. Maybe.
I also don't understand the almost total lack or between song banter on the disc. The Ladies, especially at this point in their career, were known for on-stage improvisation and humourous commentary between the band, between songs. The only time this does appear on the album is, oddly enough, at the very end, after the last song. This is extra weird/annoying because, during their If I Had a $1000000 performance, they make reference to this stage banter... but you have no idea what it's all about until after the song is over!
For a band with such a great stage presence and upbeat catalogue of music, this album didn't do them justice.
| Recommended track(s): | Life, in a Nutshell |
| Worth another listen? | No. |
| Overall rating: | Two-and-a-Half Stars |
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