Typically I don’t like live albums, but this set actually does kick some major ass. One of the issues I typically have with live albums is the same problem I have with live DVDs… the crowd. On countless live tracks and albums the crowd overpowers the band and when that’s all I can hear it drives me nuts. Thankfully that isn’t the case here. Great sound quality, entertaining banter from the band, a few surprise songs, the comedy stylings of James Iha, and hearing the APC catalog in it’s entirety. What’s not to like?
Being a live album there isn’t much to talk about in the way of progression, changes in styles or anything like that as the albums have been out for many years. Chances are if you’re reading this you’ve already heard the studio albums so instead of breaking down each album I’m just going to dive into the highlights of each one and talk about why each of these albums kick major ass.
Mer de Noms
Ever listen to a live track and all you can say is “what the hell?” because it sounds so much different than the studio version? That’s not something you have to worry about here. Mer de Noms this one kicks off with “The Hollow” and it sounds phenomenal as do the rest of the songs on this album… except “3 Libras” that is. I hate that they played a live version of the “3 Libras” remix. The original is so beautiful, haunting, and enchanting all at the same time and is my favorite track on the studio album. I don’t know why they chose to play this song that way, but hey who am I to second guess Maynard… besides a fan who would have felt completely ripped off because they purposely screwed with the #1 song I would have wanted to hear live. Before we head on over to the Thirteenth Step it’s worth noting that they round out the live album with Ashes to Ashes and it’s pretty damn rad.
Thirteenth Step
No bonus tracks on this one, but it’s an even better performance than Mer de Noms. At least this time they didn’t muck about with my favorite tracks. On the studio version “Weak and Powerless” and “The Noose” are tied for my favorite tracks and it’s no different here. They are both performed very well and carry that same deep foreboding weight to them that hits me just right. I wish I could have seen these two performed and if I had tickets to this show I would have left a very happy fan and would have said they almost make up for what was done to “3 Libras”. Overall this was an absolute joy to listen to and, like the other 3, has been on heavy rotation around my house lately which is a first for a live album.
eMotive Live
This is my favorite live album of all time. I’m dead serious and here’s the kicker… this is my least favorite APC album. There is something about the emotion, feeling, and just rawness of hearing these songs in this format that truly resonate with me in a very powerful way. By far their cover of “Gimme Gimme Gimme” is my favorite song in this box set. It’s quite a bit different than the version on the album, but it’s done in such an amazing way that I don’t care and I feel like it’s how they should have done it on the studio release. This one also doesn’t disappoint with the bonus tracks and they make up for the lack of a bonus on Thirteenth Step by delivering 2 bonus tracks for our aural pleasure. Not only do we, finally, get a good quality version of “Diary Of A Madman”, but we also get to hear a live version of “By and Down” which is their first new song in damn near a decade! If you were to only buy one of these, and I don’t know why you would do such a thing, I would highly recommend eMotive.
Stone and Echo
To round out the collection we end up at Red Rocks. This 20 song power performance makes me really sad that I wasn’t there. The playlist was amazing and the performance sounded stellar. Opening with “Annihilation” was incredible and set one hell of a mood for the rest of the show. “Weak and Powerless” was everything you want it to be, “The Hollow” has some interestingly enhanced bits of guitar work that sound amazing, “Outsider” felt every bit as dark and gritty as it should, “Noose” was perfectly haunting and every other song was just plain perfectly executed EXCEPT “3 Libras”. Seriously… why do they keep dicking around with my favorite song?
“3 Libras” shenanigans aside this is definitely a must have for all APC / Maynard fans and a testament to how amazing Maynard and Co. are both in an out of the studio.
Rating: 5/5 for the whole collection.