It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

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Smitty
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Smitty »

Duke Silver wrote:I love the "new" bluesy stomp GFR but not the talky part.
The story part is my favorite thing about it.
E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by beantownbubba »

I love this album. Even more than that, I love the idea of this album.

The album:

The album is beautifully and unerringly curated. Sure, there are any number of songs you and I might have liked to see included but that just speaks to the depth of DBT's catalog, not to any weakness in the actual selections. To my mind, the only even arguable inclusion is "First Air of Autumn" but (a) many people would disagree and (b) the band was still touring behind English Oceans at the time of the recording so it makes sense to err by that small amount in favor of recent material. But even if you agree w/ me that "First Air" is a slight underperformer, 34 out of 35 will get you to the Hall of Fame in any league.

The album is beautifully and thoughtfully sequenced. We all know how much effort Patterson (and Barbe?) put into this subtle aspect of album making, and it shows here. The album has the arc of a DBT show, giving it a real "you are there" feel. Songs that belong together are kept together, even if they come from different shows. Patterson knows what's important and made the right choices for the right reasons.

Patterson's singing is the best it's ever been and it's not even close. Great work throughout.

The vocals are astonishingly clear. For those of us who try to explain to the uninitiated that at the end of the day the real difference between DBT and the other guys is the lyrics, this is the proof. Virtually every word can be heard, and generally far better than on the studio versions which I think is pretty incredible.

For my money, this is the best version of the band and they play their hearts out on this album. No, the band will never recapture the raw energy of the "punk albums" but it still has energy to burn plus a level of playing that the early incarnations of the band just can't match. No, there are no Jason songs but while they're missed for historical reasons and because they're really good, the quality of the album does not suffer. Yes, the country side of the band is downplayed w/out Neff's pedal steel, but I think the song choices implicitly recognize this (for example, no "Love Like This") and overall I think the pluses outweigh the minuses. We all take Brad Morgan for granted to some extent which I guess is the lot of drummers not named Keith Moon. But his playing is terrific and he both anchors and pushes the band in every direction it takes. I suspect that EZB really enjoys playing w/ Matt and it seems to have goosed Brad's playing to another level. Matt is a great player and his influence on the band's sound is evident to anyone who has listened to the band evolve. His playing is inventive, original and soulful. Jay's multi-instrumental virtuosity just knocks my socks off and adds so much to the band's sound. His "supplemental" keyboards have become the signature sound of more than a couple of songs, his guitar playing is fiery yet tasteful and like the rhythm section, he can effortlessly play in a variety of styles. The renewal of Patterson and Cooley brought about by the addition of Matt and Jay has been much discussed so I'll just say it's evident here in both men's playing and singing. There's no way one would guess that they've been playing some of these songs for 20 years.

There are definitive versions of numerous songs and no false notes or less than excellent takes.

The album captures the excitement of the live rock show w/out artificial devices like endless clips of cheering crowds - there's just enough crowd noise to add atmosphere w/out being boring or annoying and the electricity of the music and the enthusiasm of the players/singers shines through clearly. While I've already commented on Patterson's vocals, it seems to me that Cooley's excitement, energy and pride practically jumps out of the speakers.

I love horns. I'm glad they make an appearance on some tracks.

The idea of the album:

This is a statement album in the same way that football teams sometimes have "statement games." Not that we Heathens need it, but it is proof positive that these guys are big leaguers and ready for prime time.

The album is a breathtaking declaration of ambition but even more satisfying and thrilling, it is proof of ambition achieved. It says, no, it screams "We came, we played, we conquered and if you can't hear it, it's you, not us." I don't see how one can be any kind of fan of rock music and not hear this album as an assault on the title of "best band of the last 20 years." It's the best kind of proof: All one has to do is listen.

The album manages to perfectly capture the band at a particular moment in time AND serve as a career retrospective. That is no easy thing to accomplish. It's kind of jaw dropping, actually. And it says in yet another way that not only are we this fucking good, we've been this good for a long fucking time.

This album joins a rarefied tradition of great multi disc albums, often but not always live, that established or cemented reputations and transcended their genre of "greatest hits" or "live concert souvenirs": Neil Young's Decade, The Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East, The Band's The Last Waltz, etc. I'd argue it's as good and impactful as Decade and stakes just as outrageous, ambitious and deserved a claim to greatness.

Best case: The band finally gets its due. Worst case: This album becomes legendary.

Edited once to correct an embarrassing mistake
Last edited by beantownbubba on Thu Nov 05, 2015 9:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

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Jonicont
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Jonicont »

beantownbubba wrote: There's no way one would guess that they've been playing some of these songs for 20 years.
THIS
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Vincent
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Vincent »

beantownbubba wrote:
The vocals are astonishingly clear. For those of us who try to explain to the uninitiated that at the end of the day the real difference between DBT and the other guys is the lyrics, this is the proof. Virtually every word can be heard, and generally far better than on the studio versions which I think is pretty incredible.
This 2.
Dave

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by PeterG »

Damn Bubba, your write up is awesome and is making the wait for the Lp's seem a lot longer...
It was bad enough, that as I pulled up at my girls school to pick them up yesterday,
I get back in my car, and here the opening notes to 'Where the devil don't stay' coming over the radio,
Not to shocking as the station has been playing the STP ad for a couple years from time to time.
But, I can here a raw crackling energy to it, and before I know it, I'm hearing the live version from the release,
Since I was at all three shows, I've been patiently waiting to hear how it sounds with the technical treatments done.
Well, Oh My! I had that up to 11, blasting it of the open windows of my ride as I made my way through the parking lot and it sounded Glorious! I cannot wait to hear the complete deal, but I will, being a west coast DBT Fanatic, has taught me a lot about waiting for the RAWK Show. But I could tell, from the 1 track, that it'll live up to Bubbas write up no problem.

Might even go buy the single disc right now just to get a taste before the LPs get here, then I can use it as a loaner to help get a few more devotees onto the greatness....Long Live the RAWK Show!
take a deep breath and throw yourself into it with everything you got...it's great to be alive!

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Smitty
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Smitty »

[quote="beantownbubba] Yes, the country side of the band is downplayed w/out Neff's pedal steel, but I think the song choices implicitly recognize this (for example, no "Love Like This" or "One of These Days") and overall I think the pluses outweigh the minuses.[/quote]

Great writeup bubs, but I'm guessing you were thinking of something other than "One of these Days"?
E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by beantownbubba »

Smitty wrote: I'm guessing you were thinking of something other than "One of these Days"?
Do you know that's not the first time I've made the same mistake? I seem to have some crossed synapses that file those songs together under "country." Very strange to say nothing of embarrassing.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by jimmyjack »

Great write up, btbubba. I think you nailed it.

Count me among the "First Air Of Autumn" fans, fwiw! Great song, great lyrics.

And I agree with PeterG that you just made the wait for the vinyl seem a little longer. :D

headhunter
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by headhunter »

Thanks Beantownbubba for the truly fantastic write-up. Better than just about any "professional review" I've yet read.



"The album is a breathtaking declaration of ambition but even more satisfying and thrilling, it is proof of ambition achieved. It says, no, it screams "We came, we played, we conquered and if you can't hear it, it's you, not us." I don't see how one can be any kind of fan of rock music and not hear this album as an assault on the title of "best band of the last 20 years." It's the best kind of proof: All one has to do is listen."

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Jonicont »

Just got an email from Musictoday--my vinyl has shipped
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by dogstar »

beantownbubba wrote: The vocals are astonishingly clear. For those of us who try to explain to the uninitiated that at the end of the day the real difference between DBT and the other guys is the lyrics, this is the proof. Virtually every word can be heard, and generally far better than on the studio versions which I think is pretty incredible.
This was the main thing I noticed too. I guess this was a conscious decision when they mixed the album but it's a nice surprise - I've actually found myself listening to the words to the songs again.

I've also discovered lines in some of the songs that I never knew existed - "fuck off if you can't take a joke"
"Guitars talk. If you really want to write a song, ask a guitar." Neil Young

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

dogstar wrote:I've also discovered lines in some of the songs that I never knew existed - "fuck off if you can't take a joke"
Honestly I didn't realize that was there either. I'm giving myself a DBT demerit for that one.

Seriously though that particular song benefits most from the performance here. It's always a great song to hear live, especially if the unbridled enthusiasm of CG & UR is present, but on this record it's a tour-de-force. The bonus track version only hinted at how good a song this could be.
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by roland »

Jonicont wrote:Just got an email from Musictoday--my vinyl has shipped
Got my email last night and found the package on the front porch when I came downstairs this morning. It looks beautiful. Great pics, some mini show posters, a cd sleeve the size of the album inside. Unfortunately, I've got the heat guy on the way, then I have to blow leaves before I can jump in.

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by RolanK »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:
dogstar wrote:I've also discovered lines in some of the songs that I never knew existed - "fuck off if you can't take a joke"
Honestly I didn't realize that was there either. I'm giving myself a DBT demerit for that one.

Seriously though that particular song benefits most from the performance here. It's always a great song to hear live, especially if the unbridled enthusiasm of CG & UR is present, but on this record it's a tour-de-force. The bonus track version only hinted at how good a song this could be.
Clams mentioned Cooley's "ridiculous shredding" over in the Mercy Buckets thread. I love how they lumped Birthday Boy, Girls Who Smoke and 3DD together om the 3rd disc to form a mini shred-o-rama. Never mind that Jay's slide is a tad flat here and there on BB. It's punk!
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Duke Silver »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:
dogstar wrote:I've also discovered lines in some of the songs that I never knew existed - "fuck off if you can't take a joke"
Honestly I didn't realize that was there either. I'm giving myself a DBT demerit for that one.

Seriously though that particular song benefits most from the performance here. It's always a great song to hear live, especially if the unbridled enthusiasm of CG & UR is present, but on this record it's a tour-de-force. The bonus track version only hinted at how good a song this could be.
That line is ad-libbed, isn't it? I remember reading somewhere that Shonna had some issue with the song.
ain't no static on the gospel radio

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Zip City »

So let's play curator for a moment. Below I've listed the 15 songs that they played over the 3 nights that were NOT included on the release.

Pick 3 songs to remove from the official release, and add 3 from the "leftover" list



1 Daddy Needs a Drink
2 Everybody Needs Love
3 Let There Be Rock
4 The Part of Him
5 Bulldozers and Dirt
6 That Man I Shot
7 Daddy Learned to Fly
8 The Distance
9 The Opening Act
10 Buttholeville
11 Play it All Night Long
12 Pulaski
13 Love Like This
14 The Southern Thing
15 72 (This Highway's Mean)


I'm swapping out Primer Coat, Pauline Hawkins and Gravity's Gone for That Man I shot, Play It All Night Long and Love Like This
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Clams »

RolanK wrote: I love how they lumped Birthday Boy, Girls Who Smoke and 3DD together om the 3rd disc to form a mini shred-o-rama.
Yes! Those three sound so good together. Bubba mentioned in his review about the great sequencing and pairing of songs and those three might be the best example. (With Goode's Field Rd-->Uncle Frank-->PPOTM right behind it).
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by 211poundsofpork »

Sure, except I will keep Primer Coat over Play it All Night Long. I have been liking that song more and more ever since EO came out and Natural Light less and less.
Zip City wrote:So let's play curator for a moment. Below I've listed the 15 songs that they played over the 3 nights that were NOT included on the release.

Pick 3 songs to remove from the official release, and add 3 from the "leftover" list



1 Daddy Needs a Drink
2 Everybody Needs Love
3 Let There Be Rock
4 The Part of Him
5 Bulldozers and Dirt
6 That Man I Shot
7 Daddy Learned to Fly
8 The Distance
9 The Opening Act
10 Buttholeville
11 Play it All Night Long
12 Pulaski
13 Love Like This
14 The Southern Thing
15 72 (This Highway's Mean)


I'm swapping out Primer Coat, Pauline Hawkins and Gravity's Gone for That Man I shot, Play It All Night Long and Love Like This

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Duke Silver »

I don't feel strongly enough about what was included/excluded to swap anything out, but I do wish Carl Perkins and Hearing Jimmy Loud were on there.
ain't no static on the gospel radio

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by jimmyjack »

Worth repeating: DD&N

My first favorite DBT song, still in my top 3

But no complaints

Wonder if the vinyl will show up this week

Anyone impulsively buy This Weekend's The Night when they saw it at the shop because they just couldn't help themselves? Because, err...I certainly didn't do that! ;) :oops:

(I totally did, and really do think they chose great songs for this 'abbreviated' version; not necessarily the "best" stuff on the box, but the most representative)

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by heartbreaker1976 »

Anyone notice that someone plays some piano on the end of Grand Canyon while Jay is playing guitar??? Assuming it was Patterson?

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Vincent »

Got the vinyl today, but not before almost being run over by a drive-by fedex trucker. Headed out to lunch and was two seconds from nearly colliding into the fedex guy. Good news is my package was inside.

Only on Side 1, but the packaging is outstanding. The CDs were a pleasant surprise.
Dave

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Zip City »

When this track list came out, I'd have guessed that WWW, Angels and Fuselage, Zip City, etc. would have been the instant highlights. So color me shocked that I find the stand out tracks to be songs like Used to Be a Cop, Goode's Field Road and MUEO

The least surprising stand out is World of Hurt, which is now THE definitive version of the song. Utterly amazing
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by uncle rickey »

heartbreaker1976 wrote:Anyone notice that someone plays some piano on the end of Grand Canyon while Jay is playing guitar??? Assuming it was Patterson?
Yeah, that was Patterson. For me I've always felt the coda for Grand Canyon has provided some of the most thrilling moments of the DBT live show; I'm so glad to have an official document of it. And it always brings a smile when Jay teases "Sleepwalk." :)
jimmyjack wrote: Anyone impulsively buy This Weekend's The Night when they saw it at the shop because they just couldn't help themselves? Because, err...I certainly didn't do that! ;) :oops:
Yeah, um, I may have done that too. ;) :oops:

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Smitty »

Zip City wrote:When this track list came out, I'd have guessed that WWW, Angels and Fuselage, Zip City, etc. would have been the instant highlights. So color me shocked that I find the stand out tracks to be songs like Used to Be a Cop, Goode's Field Road and MUEO

The least surprising stand out is World of Hurt, which is now THE definitive version of the song. Utterly amazing
Agreed, but something must be said for motherfucking Sinkhole. I love that the revised song arrangements.
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Jonicont »

uncle rickey wrote:
jimmyjack wrote: Anyone impulsively buy This Weekend's The Night when they saw it at the shop because they just couldn't help themselves? Because, err...I certainly didn't do that! ;) :oops:
Yeah, um, I may have done that too. ;) :oops:
It's ok. Support group meets at my house Thursdays 8:00pm
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by Clams »

Favorite Tracks (INPO):

PH:
Mercy Buckets
Tornados
Used to be a Cop
PPOTM
Goodes Field
Girls Who Smoke

Cooley:
MUEO
Primer Coat
Sounds Better in the Song
Birthday Boy
Pin Hits the Shell
If you don't run you rust

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jimmyjack
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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by jimmyjack »

OK, OK, you twisted my arm:

UTBAC
Uncle Frank
A Ghost To Most
The Righteous Path
Dead, Drunk, & Naked
Marry Me
Love Like This
The Company I Keep
Heathens
Pulaski

(The 50/50 split is pure coincidence)

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by headhunter »

Jonicont wrote:
uncle rickey wrote:
jimmyjack wrote: Anyone impulsively buy This Weekend's The Night when they saw it at the shop because they just couldn't help themselves? Because, err...I certainly didn't do that! ;) :oops:
Yeah, um, I may have done that too. ;) :oops:
It's ok. Support group meets at my house Thursdays 8:00pm

CD purchased - check
This Weekend's The Night purchased - check

Waiting on the Box set Vinyl but damn, if this ain't the best sounding live album I've ever heard.

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Re: It's Great to Be Alive! Release Date 10/30/2015

Post by schlanky »

This may be the greatest album in rock and roll history.
Let the outside air in

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