Tin Machine
Live: Oy Vey, Baby

THE REVIEW

At the beginning of the Tin Machine experience, the group had stated that they would produce at least three albums: detractors appreciated that the third attempt consisted of this collection of live recordings, rather than another sonic assault that masked uninspired songs.

David Bowie claimed to benefit from the group dynamic, which returned the enthusiasm and credibility of someone not constantly in the spotlight: away from the gigantism of the performances of the '80s, from the screaming masses, from the responsibility of always being at the center of attention, he could feel free to play, focusing on intonation and instruments (even the sax is dusted off).

The album mainly demonstrates the technical mastery of the musicians and the tendency to improvise, which was an integral part of their live performances, for better or worse: while the energy of "Under the God" and the melodic texture of "Goodbye Mr.Ed" are appreciated, there's not much point in listening to a "Heaven's in Here" over 12 minutes long, or a "Stateside" ruined by the drummer's over-the-top performance.

A missed opportunity for "I Can't Read", perhaps the best song in the band's skimpy discography: dangerously tense in the original version, here it swings between deconstructed verses and thunderous accelerations in the choruses, but doesn't fully convince.

Great perplexities, moreover, are to be reserved for the choice of songs: rather than drawing only from the band's two already published albums, it would have been possible to include covers of "Debaser" by Pixies or "I've Been Waiting For You" by Neil Young, even though they were performed in concerts, to make the offering more appealing.

Dishonorable mention for the title, which combines a Texan slang expression with a mockery of "Achtung Baby", the recent masterpiece by U2.

Ultimately, it is just an adequate product, a snapshot of a band that, despite operating at full capacity, fails to convince either the purists of rock or Bowie's longtime fans: however, the band demonstrates, if nothing else, that they can relate to the new rock heroes of the '90s (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden) with a similar sound vocabulary.

Only for completists.