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Rating: From Nick Cave's first band, we have two live albums: "It's Still Living" and "Live 1981 - 82". The theatricality, picturesque despair, and excess of their sound are clear in their studio works. And I am really curious to see the representation of a "Junkyard" or a "She's Hit" at the emphasis of a concert. The exaltation and impetuosity are highly present in their live performances, just watch some videos on YouTube. Howard with his drunken lines and Nick Cave transitioning from delirious litanies to the most dreadful rages.
They are encapsulated in the best live album of the quartet, released in 1999, featuring the 1981 concert held at The Venue in London and those from 1982 in Athens and Bremen. Seventeen tracks that gain more vitality and allure, just listen to the explosive beginning of "Junkyard," one of the peaks of Cave and company, or "Zoo Music Girl," even more raw. "Nick The Stripper" is simply perfect. Nick's harsh vocal line is jolted by the rhythmic lashes and Tracy Pew's panzer-like bass.
"The Birthday Party" grants us other exhilarating moments with "Blast Off" before reaching the neurotic voodoo-billy of "Release The Bats". Another top track that surpasses the studio version.
There's little to be done, this damn genre truly benefits from live performances.
Continuing to slap the astonished faces of the kids in the front row at The Venue with the rude "King Ink" and recalling "Pleasure Heads" from the forgotten EP "Drunk On The Pope's Blood."
After the eleventh track, we reach the six songs from the Bremen live. That is, with the neurotic Texan lands of "Big Jesus Trash Can," the sinister "The Friend Catcher," and the unruly "Dead Joe." There's no drop in tension even with the dragging and sorrowful "She's Hit," while it beautifully concludes with "Funhouse" by the Stooges from the Greek live.
If you were curious to hear a live show by The Birthday Party, this is the gem you cannot miss. Also because, from the Bad Seeds onwards, there will no longer be this exhilarating journey among the ghosts of the mind.
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