BOC: Long Day's Night

[Ted Jackson]

On 27 Sep 2002, at 12:00, John Swartz wrote:

> > Buck Dharma
>
> The man is THE MASTER
>
And he does it so effortlessly...

> > I can hear Allen Lanier's keys! And they sound great.
>
> Can't hear 'em enough.
>
True, but much better than at a concert, where you can't hear them
at all!

> No one has said it, but to my hearing, the mix is not quite right.

"Produced by Steve Schenck...'  The words that cause a sinking of
the heart among BÖC fans worldwide...

  Some would probably argue that the CD faithfully reproduces
> BOC's live sound - and if so, I might agree with you.  My point is
> that BOC is not mixed live IMHO as well as it should be.

No argument here.  Although I do notice that they sound best when
you move back from the stage.  Up front is total chaos of sound.
Get back by the board and it sounds pretty good.  But then you
can't see the band!

> > Perfect Water
> > Lips in the Hills
>
> To have these 2, along with Quicklime Girl, is worth the price of
> admission.  We can all argue about what should or shouldn't be on the
> CD, but it's nice to get something really "different".  Excellent!
>
Agreed.  And QG works so well here that one wonders why the hell
the band doesn't include it more often?

> > Reaper never sounded so good live
>
> Has it ever sounded BAD live?
>
No, but I'm pissed that they truncated BD's neat intro...

> Again, my comments on the mix.  Danny and Bobby are talented musicians
> that bring a lot of energy and "spice" to BOC's sound, but I don't
> think the mix necessarily did them the justice they deserve.
>
Yes for Danny.  Bobby got too much justice!  He's a little loud and
overbearing in spots, but that may be more due to his over-the-top
style than the recording...

> > Negatives:
> > No Flaming Telepaths
> > The Big 3. Again.
>
> No real complaints here - most diehard fans really don't need to hear
> the Big 3, but we can all understand why they're there.  And to have
> Quicklime Girl...well, I won't loose sleep if FT had to go to make
> room for it.
>
Besides, FT is on the DVD, and we get to see the stobe light
effects in all their glory...As great as QG is, I sure wish they
included Teen Archer.  Another song that is VERY effective live...

> > The BOC symbol used to be a cool accent. With the stage set, Eric's
> > guitars and the rest of the album art, it gets a little
> > chronos-crazy
>
> I have no problems - I think the cover artwork is very cool

Yep, I like it a lot...

> > Bobby's fills were overblown at times
>
> Ah, you are perhaps thinking back to the days of Albert Bouchard.
> Albert is a master of the subtleties of the drum kit.

Except for his Godzilla solo, maybe?

 Bobby's
> drumming is about as subtle as the proverbial fart in church.  Don't
> get me wrong, Bobby's great, and I don't have an issue with some of
> his fills. I think you might not think as badly of the fills if the
> drums weren't overmixed as I previously mentioned.

True, BR IS a great drummer.  I find him a bit slick sometimes, and
some of his fills are, IMHO, a bit inappropriate for the songs...
>
> > Minor quibbles aside, this is definitely the live album
> > I've been waiting for from BOC!
>
> I guess after all these years I stopped waiting, and perhaps I've been
> a bit overly-critical of this album.  I do enjoy it tremendously,
> although if I'm still spinning my BOC discs in 20 or so years, "On
> Your Feet Or On Your Knees" may still get more spins.
>
I know OYF...is much beloved here, but I'm not all that in love with
it.  I think BD has progressed considerably as a guitarist since then.
For sheer power and drive, OYF is amazing.  For musical quality, I
think I prefer this one.  And, don't forget SEE for some inspired
moments, viz. DFtR and Astronomy--though the version of
Astronomy here won't disappoint...

> > Eric is already getting slagged on the vocals.
>
> Unfair IMHO.  He sounds pretty good to me (even though he mucked up
> the last verse on "OD'd...")

Yeah, I think EB's vox here are pretty darn good.  A lot better than
just a few years ago when he went into the tank for a couple of
tours...

- but again, it's the MIX.  The vocals
> are not "up front" enough.  I also think that they need to give a bit
> more boost to the low frequencies for Eric's mike and give him more of
> that menacing character he had.
>
Yeap, that quality was best realized when SP was producing,
IMHO...

> >
> > He
> > didn't quite nail Quicklime Girl
>
> Well, he hasn't had as much practice with that one...
>
I sure hope he tries it at next month's gig, though!

> > Godzilla was fine, except for the intro banter. He should have
> > thought out something cooler, and original, before the show.
>
> Perhaps.  It was similar to the same stuff he's been doing for years.
> Would have been better if they could have gotten the taped piece of
> Godzilla from the movie a bit louder (ah, there I go complaining about
> the mix again...)

I guess Godzilla's a necessary evil, more endured than anticipated.
While they're at it, include more of the taped intro at the beginning
of the show.  What is it, Vangelis?

All in all, a pretty satisfying CD.  And the old geezers def. show the
baggy shorts, de-tuned youngsters what showmanship is supposed
to be like, eh?

theo