Mmm...recently, I haven't been so intensely feeling music in general, including this one's, mostly because of the current severe oppression being caused by Thesis and coursework.[*] At this particular moment (a moment which has extended over the last couple of days), though, I'm in no state to be doing any substantial writing or thinking, and so it's an opportune time for this live dvd/cd set, made up of performances from a three night stand somewhere in Brooklyn, New York, to have arrived in at Basement Discs for me (some weeks after I first started stalking/awaiting it there). Last night I sat down and watched the dvd, and while it's pretty bare bones (shot on digital video, unadorned show footage, not much cutting or editing), I enjoyed it muchly and fell in love with the music afresh (and, to the extent that I'm in love with her, with Aimee, too).
Actually, there's a rather good review of this set which I read a while ago: here. The opening paragraph sets the tone and is worth the price of admission in its own right:
As to specifics, the dvd and cd set lists overlap closely but not perfectly. I'd heard this version of "Long Shot", and it was that which made me certain that this would be worth listening to all the way through; it's probably the highlight, with Mann and her band really ripping it up in style. Of all the songs on the set list, it's the most markedly different from the original studio version (though "Red Vines", which appears on the dvd is also subtly stripped back). Also, have been reminded of something I already half knew - that "Stupid Thing" is great. And enjoying the "Wise Up"/"Save Me" double; the glorious fragility of both comes through extremely well in the live performances.
It's actually notable how similar these live takes are to the studio recordings - they're not similar in the sense of being facsimilies [sp?] (which is, say, how I felt about the Interpol live concert experience), but more in that the underlying elements come across very strongly, most notably Mann's singing, which is almost note perfect. Listening to her sing 'live', too, has made me realise how expressive a singer she is - it's striking how clearly that expressiveness is reproduced.
I mostly wanted the cd, really - I was very much of the attitude that I could take or leave the dvd. But it's actually kinda neat to be able to see the musicians, even if they're basically just standing in place and sometimes shuffling-shaking-swaying a bit - it's nice to see Mann singing the emotional bits with her eyes shut, and to witness the swapping of instruments that goes on (realising, say, that she's on piano in "King of the Jailhouse", at least in these concerts/recordings), and to be able to hear the banter (including a nice line in self-deprecation on Mann's part, regarding the habitual subject matter of her compositions). Plus the extras are pretty endearing, especially the interviews with Mann and band.
* * *
[*] [ Edit 22/5/17 - more than a decade on, having just re-read while listening to this year's (2017) Mental Illness, edited to remove several paragraphs of more personal reflections for housing somewhere more appropriate. ]
Actually, there's a rather good review of this set which I read a while ago: here. The opening paragraph sets the tone and is worth the price of admission in its own right:
I love Aimee Mann in ways you could never understand. I love her big blinking frog eyes and her reedy skeletal body and her white suit coat and the metallic sky-blue tie she wears. I love the creepy deep lines that are gathering around her mouth and connote a certain unfriendly kind of Wasp woman--you can see her elderly mother frowning with disapproval at Christmas dinner. And most of all I love the mini-sized blue-eyed-soul melismas that make every Aimee Mann song an adventure in irony.
As to specifics, the dvd and cd set lists overlap closely but not perfectly. I'd heard this version of "Long Shot", and it was that which made me certain that this would be worth listening to all the way through; it's probably the highlight, with Mann and her band really ripping it up in style. Of all the songs on the set list, it's the most markedly different from the original studio version (though "Red Vines", which appears on the dvd is also subtly stripped back). Also, have been reminded of something I already half knew - that "Stupid Thing" is great. And enjoying the "Wise Up"/"Save Me" double; the glorious fragility of both comes through extremely well in the live performances.
It's actually notable how similar these live takes are to the studio recordings - they're not similar in the sense of being facsimilies [sp?] (which is, say, how I felt about the Interpol live concert experience), but more in that the underlying elements come across very strongly, most notably Mann's singing, which is almost note perfect. Listening to her sing 'live', too, has made me realise how expressive a singer she is - it's striking how clearly that expressiveness is reproduced.
I mostly wanted the cd, really - I was very much of the attitude that I could take or leave the dvd. But it's actually kinda neat to be able to see the musicians, even if they're basically just standing in place and sometimes shuffling-shaking-swaying a bit - it's nice to see Mann singing the emotional bits with her eyes shut, and to witness the swapping of instruments that goes on (realising, say, that she's on piano in "King of the Jailhouse", at least in these concerts/recordings), and to be able to hear the banter (including a nice line in self-deprecation on Mann's part, regarding the habitual subject matter of her compositions). Plus the extras are pretty endearing, especially the interviews with Mann and band.
* * *
[*] [ Edit 22/5/17 - more than a decade on, having just re-read while listening to this year's (2017) Mental Illness, edited to remove several paragraphs of more personal reflections for housing somewhere more appropriate. ]
