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Radiohead
I Might Be Wrong - Live Recordings
label: capitol
released: 11.13.01
our score: 3.0 out of 5.0
buy it: here
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When a group
as high-profile as Radiohead announces they are releasing their
first official set of live recordings, the world takes notice.
After all the years of touring and recording, countless bootlegs
have floated around their fan communities. However, as with most
bootlegs, fans have had to suffer both the pains of finding such
recordings and the horrid sound quality many of them demonstrate.
I Might
Be Wrong - Live Recordings
marks the first official live "album" from Radiohead.
Featuring a selection of songs from their past two albums, Kid
A and Amnesiac, the band demonstrates that even their
recent turn to the avant-garde in the studio can be translated
to live rock performance. Many of the songs have been stripped
of some layers, giving fans the live versions they have craved.
From the fuzzed-out
bass of "The National Anthem" to the Kaos Pad tripped-out
sampling in "Everything in Its Right Place," Radiohead
have proven their ability to translate these songs for live perfomance.
Even "Like Spinning Plates," which was based on a song
played in reverse with new (forward) layers of vocals and instruments
over the top on Amnesiac has been reworked and revamped
for live performance, replacing the backward samples with simple
piano.
But even though
the recordings are top-notch soundboard quality and the new interpretations
are interesting listens, the album should have been more. Composed
of only 8 tracks taken from different shows on their recent tour,
one can't help but feel a bit ripped off. Why not release a full
show on a double-disc album? There is a feeling of lack of continuity
here, like it's just a few live tracks tossed together.
There is one
true gem here however. A gem that makes the album worth it's purchase
price. That gem is the inclusion of "True Love Waits,"
a song that has been around since the time of OK Computer,
yet has never seen the "official" light of day. This
live version is the only official version to exist and fans have
clamored for it for years. And rightfully so - it's a splendidly
beautiful track of just Thom Yorke on vocals and acoustic guitar.
The I Might
Be Wrong - Live Recordings EP started out as a great idea.
Unfortunately somewhere things went wrong. What could have been
an excellent live album became a fairly forgettable disc of a
few live tracks. For a band who has surprised us so much in the
past, it is disheartening to see such a half-hearted release.
15-Nov-2001
2:00 PM
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liked I Might Be Wrong...
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