Search - Phil Manzanera :: 801 Live @ Hull

Painful - like bad, raw bootleg material

applewood | everywhere and nowhere | 08/22/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"First off, this is NOT the same as the original 801 LIVE band/recording (which is clearly 5 star - one of the best live albums ever!). It is something else... And I'm shocked Phil would even release it (although his guitar is about the only good thing on it).



I took a chance on this new release because I love the original so much, and was looking forward to the LISTEN NOW heavy set list. But these versions only make me appreciate the studio wizardry of that slick 1977 album all the more. This sounds like its from early in 801's existence (as only Manzanera seems confident in the playing), it is raw and unpolished, but not in a good way. It is nascent 801. But there is no Eno, no Monkman, no Phillips, no Watson...!, and the LISTEN NOW stuff makes me think it's from the end of 801's existence - on a night when they were exhausted. I'll never know, as there is no clue of when this was recorded in the sparse liner notes. (ps - I just looked up 801 on wikipedia and discovered that while the orginal - classic - show was from 9/3/76, this later line up was from "late 1977", in promotion of the LISTEN NOW release.)



Oh, and the vocals are bad, really bad. (Flight 19 ,one of my favorites on the studio LP, is almost unlistenable.)



And then there's the sound - I save this for last probably because it was the first thing I noticed, and the worst part of it all. It sounds like a muffled (mono?) bootleg from some small tape recorder hidden somewhere up in the rafters (or perhaps some time traveling fan who went back and captured it on their cell-phone). There isn't much hiss, but there isn't much fidelity either.



So what's good about it (worthy of 2 stars)? The guitar work often is. And the case is pretty slick, although lacking in some essential info. And there must be some historic value - otherwise that fan (w/ cell phone) wouldn't have time traveled back there.... (and I wouldn't have paid full price for it).



Save your money, your ears and your memories - stick to the original (September '76 show)."