Audio CD review:
Violent Femmes - BBC Live

Violent Femmes - BBC Live

Band: Violent Femmes Title: BBC Live Rating: Release Date: 2005-08-02 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Look Like That 2: Promise 3: Out the Window 4: Country Death Song 5: Prove My Love 6: Fat 7: Flamingo Baby 8: Good Feeling 9: Ugly 10: Gimme the Car 11: Blister in the Sun 12: American Music 13: Kiss Off 14: Life Is a Scream

Original formula in full force fourteen years ago. Witness their third (if you count Debacle) best of, the DVD of their performance off the same tour this CD is drawn from, and this. With Victor Delorenzo back in the fold, the proliferation of archival Violent Femmes material seems to be coming out quite fast lately. Two albums into their reformation comes this BBC recording which hits the ground running with "Look Like That," off the Why Do Birds Sing? album (aka first album part II in that it sounded like the next progression from their first album). The concert relies heavily on that album as it was the one they were touring in support of, but just about every album up to that point (except The Blind Leading the Naked) gets its day in the sun on this sonically superior to Viva Wisconsin recording. Look, this release is going to appeal to two different age groups. Those who spent their teen years in the 1990s and are now in their late 20s/early 30s for whom WDBS? has a nostalgiac air to it, and the latest generation of geeks and misfits whose anxieties over why they can't get just one f**k have been voiced by a tiny Baptist guitarist/singer from Wisconsin for a quarter of a century now. If you don't fit into either one, you probably just know them because of the drunken singalong to "Blister in the Sun" that happened at the kegger you went to last weekend. If you fit either of the aforementioned categories, buy this album. If you fit into the last category, do us all a favor and kill or sterilize yourself so you don't breed. A top gear release. Thanks boys. I love it when you're mean. Don't you know it's BORING when it's quiet and serene? Signed, epsteinsmutha. After Long Awaiting This CD...It SUCKS When I listened to it and wasted my money on it I was very dissapointed. Dont get me wrong, I LOVE the violent femmes , but waiting for this album to come out for about three months. First of all most of it is recorded around the time of Why Do Birds Sing which is the femmes' worst album. Songs like Flamango Boy and Life Is A Scream are very sad. The only reason I gave this album a three is because of the very impressive version of Blister In The Sun. It is a great version and is the highlight of the cd. If you want a good live experiance from this terrific folk-rock band. . . go and see them live. Because even Viva Wisconsin, which has Guy Hoffman on drums sucks. The only reson is because Guy lacks energy and enthusiasm when playing drums. Hes boring and I still wander why Violent Femmes used him as a replacement for Victor. So actually dont buy anything with Guy drumming in it. Once again this album sucks dont buy it. You can see a complete list of all Violent Femmes discography, or go back to the Violent Femmes tabs