Battle of the live albums Part2 (Minutemen vs The Replacements)

Minutemen “Ballot Result” vs The Replacements “The Shit Hits the Fans”

The Minutemen and The Replacements: Both bands formed with their rooted in the punk scene while it would be call difficult to either strictly a punk band as both stretched from the genre’s confines.    Bobby Stinson’s guitar and Paul Westerberg’s snotty attitude drove The Replacements rock edge.  The Minutemen blended funk, jazz and classic rock into their punk mix. The Minutemen live album was intended but was impossibility, due to singer/guitarist D.Boon’s untimely demise in a car accident.  The Replacements album is an album that really should never have happened.  An intending bootlegger, who was discovered recording in the crowd, recorded the band’s show only to have the cassette taken and offically released on cassette only by Twin/Tone Records.   Unlike The Minutemen double album where their fans picked the songs they wanted to hear, The Replacements must have pissed off their attending fans by playing a large number of covers.

 The vocals on the first few Replacements songs feature slurred vocals and the holding of the guitar sound like a battle and the band is losing by more than a country mile.  The drumming on songs like “Saturday night Special” is sloppy at best, whereas on “Ballot Result” the musicianship is stunning throughout.  Mike Watt’s bass and George Hurley’s drumming shines through radiantly on songs like “I Felt like A Gringo”. Occasionally The Replacements start covers like U2’s “I Will Follow” only to abandon them not even getting past the intro. Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” is butchered and beaten in a transformation into “Iron Man”.   There are fleeting moments on the band’s originals where a beautiful guitar sound comes through.  In contrast, all the Minutemen songs are all their originals and some of the songs are live in a radio studio. Before playing “Jesus and Tequila” D.Boon explains the preceding song live to an audience that he couldn’t see or hear.   The Replacements are expecting a reaction from their unsure audience. Heckling and clapping both mean the band is getting noticed.  The Minutemen album “Ballot Result” has a scrapbook nature with cut and pasting of mostly live clips over five years with a studio remix of “No one” while the “The Shit Hits the Fans” is a snapshot of a night out with a very drunk band.    Paul Westerberg and crew’s off night inspires cracking open a beer or preferably more to enjoy the recording in the same manner as the band. “Whem the Shit Hits the Fans” is a curiosity rather than a great live representation of The Replacements works.   From the start,The Minutemen album was about satisfying the desires of their fans and here it succeeds although it lacks the same flow as a night out with the band.

Winner: Minutemen

Battle of the live albums (part 1) Cheap Trick vs Slade

Slade “Slade Alive” vs Cheap Trick “Live at Budokan”

Slade and Cheap Trick: UK Glam rockers Slade are said to have inspired US hard rocking power poppers Cheap Trick’s choice of band name.  From the 70’s, Slade were a household name in their homeland but US success eluded them.  Cheap Trick’s success really hit in 1978 when they played in Japan and “Live at Budokan” is a documentation of the event.  Both bands had two studio releases under their belts when their first live albums saw the light of day.   Today Slade have a trio of live albums whereas Cheap Trick still has only the one.

“Slade Alive” definitely feels like the live album taken straight from the sound board without any studio trickery and Cheap Trick’s ‘Live at Budokan’ has more of a studio feel with the band’s music blasting clearly over the speakers. There’s a short tuning break on “Slade Alive” which adds to the rawness and gives a genuine live feel.  It may well be due to the year it was recorded.  A belch is left in on “Darling Be Home Soon”.  The crowd seems somewhat reserved.  During the early spoken parts on the Slade album, it sounds like there are about ten interested people at the bands show however from the intoduction of “Lookout” Cheap Trick are treated as major stars with huge applause.  SLADE frontman Noddy Holder encourages the crowd to yell out anything they like to add to the atmosphere.  The clapping on the breaks in “Need Your Love” gives “Live at Budokan” more of a convincing live feel.    Hell, I always feel like clapping along to the power pop of “Big Eyes” although the cheesiness on “I Want You to Want Me” is cringeworthy.  Eventually on the Slade, “Keep on Rocking” convinces that the crowd was bigger with a participation track.    Years of seeing bar bands covering Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” has made it a difficult song to get excited about but during the seventies Slade’s standard ending was obviously a treat as the crowd lap it up.  When Cheap Trick plays “Good Night Now”; it’s easy to place yourself in the crowd begging for an encore.    “Slade Alive” is just a night out with a band whereas “Live at Budokan” is an event.

WINNER: Cheap Trick