Search - Laibach :: Mb December 21 1984

Live aural torture!

drzava | Ireland | 03/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD contains live recordings taken from three Laibach concerts in 84/85. The main one (from which the album takes its title) took place in Ljubljana on Dec. 21 1984 in memory of the deceased band member Tomas Hostnik. The coverart of the CD is the actual poster for the gig, and you may notice that the name of the group is nowhere to be seen; this is because at that time (82 - 87), Laibach's name itself was banned from the public arena by the authorities - the liner notes contain a great deal of interesting info about the historical significance of the concert. What about the music? Well, this is definitely niche listening, being light-years removed from Laibach's sound today. Even those familiar with some of their earlier work may be surprised by the viciousness on display here. This is hardcore pounding early Industrial with a searing lower end that reverberates in your skull, complete with Neubaten-esque sheet metal sounds. To top it off, the band were experimenting with free jazz at the time, and so the tracks here also feature a shrieking clarinet being played pretty much at random along with the rest of the chaos. This may sound like a recipe for disaster but leads instead to musical nirvana (in my twisted opinion!), but is NOT for the meek! Standout track? 'Nova Akropola', here given the raw energy missing from the studio version, and featuring a monumental, slightly off-tune, bass line to die for!I have every Laibach album (except for 'Neu Konservatiw) and this is my favourite. Recommended for those who like their music atonal and harsh."

Exreme Harshness

Matt J. Gilbreth | Laguna Hills, CA USA | 04/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD contains several tracks that were recorded live in 1984 and 1985. It is definitely Laibach's harshest, noisiest, and most grating recording. As with many of their live recordings, the songs appear in a somewhat different form than what appears on the studio albums--some, in fact, are so different that they bear little resemblance from the studio versions apart from the titles and lyrics. The most unique aspect of this recording is the inclusion of atonal saxophone playing, which (as far as I know) cannot be found on any other Laibach recording. At extremely high volumes one can hear some fans chattering; this does not detract from the music, but it does become slightly annoying after a little while. The CD booklet contains excellent notes, two concert reviews (one from '84 and one from '85), some beautiful pictures, and a even a short glossary of persons and places mentioned in the notes. Highly recommended for anybody with even a passing interest in their earlier work--this CD does not contain techno, so it may not appeal to those who prefer their later work. Get this while there are still copies available--absolutely essential!"