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Violent Femmes - Viva Wisconsin Audio CD

A fair review of the Violent Femmes "Viva Wisconsin" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Violent Femmes reviews here, or go back to the Violent Femmes tabs.

Violent Femmes Band: Violent Femmes
Title: Viva Wisconsin
Rating:
Release Date: 2006-11-06
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Prove My Love 2: I'm Nothing 3: Country Death Song 4: Blister in the Sun 5: Gimme the Car 6: Don't Talk About My Music 7: Confessions 8: Hallowed Ground 9: Life Is an Adventure 10: Old Mother Reagan 11: Ugly 12: Good Feeling 13: Dahmer Is Dead 14: American Music 15: Special 16: Sweet Worlds of Angels 17: Black Girls 18: Gone Daddy Gone 19: Add It Up 20: Kiss Off

Great Live Album
These guys really have soul, skill, charisma, and a sense of humor. This recording is so fun to listen to, I couldn't keep a big stupid grin off my face almost the whole time. But whoever mixed this thing really needed to put a de-esser on Gordon's vocals, everytime he sings an "s" it hisses like crazy in my ear and drives me nuts.


Where did the Violent Femmes come from??
. Well, Wisconsin. . This live record is the definitive collection of the Femmes music catalog, as I listen to this considerably more than any of the studio recordings I own. I love the madness of Gordon Gano and company. The record is full of two minute blurbs of craziness ranging from "Dahmer is Dead" to the "Old Mother Reagan Protest Song. "

It does have the radio staples as well. I do not think the Femmes have captured the same kind of fire they did when their hits were recorded. I guess it is hard to write teen-angst when you are coming up on thirty-five. The live versions of "Kiss Off," "Blister in the Sun," and "Gone Daddy Gone" are all great. I think my favorite track is "American Music. "

I love the record it is well worth the money. A must have for the Violent Femmes lover in you or the one in your life!

epc.


mostly like they've always sounded!
5 average it is sitting on as of this writing. I would say this live CD deserves the 4. This the femmes' answer to the unplugged trend as if to say, "We've always played this way. " It is all acoustic, but mostly energetic. All the songs are performed well and it's recorded well. It's the Femmes live in the late 1990's--touring Wisconsin no less! Well, that's their home ground. What else could you expect?

The only drawback is that it DOES sound so much like they've always sounded. Was there no more banter from the crowd? No more talking between songs? More of the event atmospherics would have given it more of a live feel. But, I've never seen them live so I don't know what the interaction is like between femme and fan. I think the crowd applause is even faded out quickly after one song. What exactly do fans mean to live recordings anyway? Thus, the minus of one star (or only a half star if I could).

But anyway, the femmes are the femmes. If you love them and enjoy live albums, then you'll appreciate this. It's the same songs--different takes.


Truly the ultimate Violent Femmes CD
No studio, no fancy equipment, just Gordon and the boys playing their songs--pretty much the same as when they were originally "discovered" outside a Pretenders concert venue. For a Violent Femmes fan, there can be no greater joy than inserting this CD into your CD player. Guy Hoffman has replaced Victor Delorenzo on drums, but the Violent Femmes are basically unchanged over the years. They remain fiercely independent, and they sing their older songs with as much feeling now as they did when they were younger. This live concert (which does sound great for a live performance, by the way) is truly my favorite VF album because it basically incorporates all of their best songs, from Blister In the Sun, Add it Up, and Kiss Off to American Music and I'm Nothing. This CD also features more from Hallowed Ground than does the Add it Up conpilation; the title track from Hallowed Ground is a soulful, powerful song too often overlooked. There are eight classic songs from the band's career-defining first album, and they sound as fresh and defiant now as they ever did. Slower songs such as Sweet World of Angels, Good Feeling, and Hallowed Ground reveal the depths of Gano's vocal talents, while short cuts such as Old Mother Reagan and Dahmer's Dead exude the band's unique take on life and music and the obvious fun they still have performing. I saw the Violent Femmes live way back in 1989, and this live CD is the next best thing to seeing them perform in person (although there is nothing quite like dancing to Country Death Song among thousands of fellow Femmes fans).


If you really like Violent Femmes...
However, some of my other family members heard me play it, and asked how I could possibly stand it. then this CD won't disappoint. I just like the crudeness of the lead singer's honesty about life experiences.


You can see a complete list of all Violent Femmes discography, or go back to the Violent Femmes tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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