Rob Zombie - Zombie Live
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Free Music Notes for Zombie Live
Free Music Review: LIVE ZOMBIE CD
Hit: 4 Stars
Rob Zombie's band plays his best material on this live disc, the sound quality is rather good as well. It's just what you would expect, if you've never heard Rob Zombie Live before.Free Music Review: WOULD HAVE SUB. A FEW SONGS
Hit: 4 Stars
I LIKE IT, JUST WOULD HAVE SUBBED A FEW SONGS HERE AND THERE. BUT RECORDED WELL, SHOULD HAVE COME WITH A DVD OF THE SHOW, AS WELL.Free Music Review: Mixed bag
Hit: 3 Stars
To be fair in some way, live performances are a mixed bag for many of my favorite bands. What really disappoints me is when a band (like System of a Down or Marilyn Manson) go into a recording studio, pour out a masterpiece of vocals, instruments, and the use of overdubs, then go on stage and basically piss on the masterpiece by giving an amateur performance. Rather than accentuating the positives and hiding the negatives, they play up the negatives by instrument replacement (such as having an electric guitar play a part originally meant for some odd instrument or such).
The absolute worst for me was Blind Guardian's "Live" album from 2003. Blind Guardian famously uses a chorus in the studio for their albums, and this time there was none on stage for the live album. And so Hansi Kürsch sang alone, and they relied on the crowd to give the songs that chorus-sound. And it failed miserably.
So for Zombie Live, I'm highly impressed by the superior sound quality, and the clear dedication to making the songs as peerlessly resemble the studio tracks as possible without making a lazy effort of "hey, lez jus go out thar n' strum out a kewl tewn fer th fanz ta' rock out on".
But that comes with a mixed bag.
I do not like John 5's guitar playing, personally, but he is indeed a skilled guitarist. Unfortunately, I don't believe his guitar playing is the right style for Rob Zombie. "Educated Horses" fits his style because it was written for his guitar playing, but his guitar playing for old Zombie songs is very occasionally weak, hollow, or sounding far too much like Marilyn Manson (since he was in Marilyn Manson for two albums).
I fully believe the live performance would have benefitted incredibly from the addition of another guitarist. Most of Rob Zombie's songs, it seems, have guitar overdubs, and when played live, the difference in quality is almost overwhelming, particularly in "Superbeast" and "Thunder Kiss '65". It's almost sad to here the powerful chorus and bridge lines of "Superbeast" suddenly lose their foundation as the guitar is forced to do the melody, and with a weak bass to utterly fail in making up for the thunderous rhythm guitar part.
Another con is Zombie's voice. As of late, he's been using his throaty singing voice (like in "Dragula" or "Thunder Kiss 65") a lot less, and relying more on his soft singing voice (like in "Foxy, Foxy" and "Dead Girl Superstar"), and it's a neat fit to hear that sort of voice adapting to the older songs with the harder vocal styles.
However, as another reviewer mentioned, it does seem like Zombie's out of breath a lot of the time, as he more often than is audibly satisfying ends up singing off-beat, missing vocal cues and either rushing the lyrics along (example: House of 1000 Corpses "This is the house........ nobodylives") or relying on the audience to fill in the gaps with their singing.
It also hurts when in songs like Dragula, rather than stick with the throaty, thundering low tone of voice, he squeals instead and clips out words from the lyrics (small, but highly noticeable), such as:
Original: "Dig through the ditches n' burn through the witches I slam in the back of mah Dragula!"
Live: "DIG! th ditches. BARN! through witches. SLAYAM! back of mah Dragula!"
For some odd reason in 1998 (and similar to Rammstein with "Herzeleid"), Rob Zombie recorded the album "Hellbilly Deluxe" in such a way that the guitars were a very weak and muted sound, and the album was not nearly as loud and powerful with heavy bass as it could have been at the time. As such, a solid live performance like this could have helped those of us looking to hear Superbeast with a bass line like thunder, or hear Dragula like it could with a huge bass boost. Instead, we only seem to get half of that, as the lack of a rhythm guitarist leaves John 5 responsible for only so much, and a weak, weak bass to pick up the lower parts almost inaudibly.
Add Zombie's seemingly tired, yet still passionate voice, and you have a mixed bag. Casual fans would like it. Even diehard and hardcore fans would love it. Maybe I'm just insanely picky. And yet still the album's performance ends up somewhere between the Rob Zombie of 2001 who in an interview said that live concerts should be outrageously over-the-top, with almost too much entertainment given to the fans, and the lazy-ass "hey doodz, lez get sum 20 dolla Fendurz t' play live an juz slam on th stringz n drumz like we fergot th song ya!1 that'd be kewl" mentality of some live bands who go all out in the studio, and restrain themselves on stage.
Free Music Review: Night Of The Living Zombie
Hit: 3 Stars
As a unique personality and musical force to be reckoned with for almost twenty years now, it was only a matter of time before Rob Zombie's outlandish and outrageous live show was captured and released on CD (or DVD?). Afterall, aside from Trent Reznor, Rob has possibly the largest selection of non-album releases to choose from in the rock genre. So, honestly, who didn't see this one coming? "Zombie Live" is a fully comprehensive live set recorded during the 2006 "Educated Horses" Tour that spans both his solo career and his past days in White Zombie.
As far as the track listing goes, it couldn't possibly be more jam-packed with hits and classics than it already is. Although more White Zombie material would have been much appreciated -- as it is, we are only treated to five songs from that era -- the fact that we got any at all is a treat. The instantly recognizable, iconic tunes like "Dragula" and "More Human Than Human" sit amongst some more obscure but solid songs like "Dead Girl Superstar," "Creature Of The Wheel," and "Demon Speeding." For the most part, Rob's backing band -- which consists of the legendary John 5 on guitar, Piggy D on bass and Tommy Clufetos on drums -- performs the songs with ease, with the lone exception of "Living Dead Girl" which stutters and stumbles, trying to capture what made the original great. You would think with such a great player as John 5 on hand that the original compositions would be open for some retooling and tinkering, but unfortunately, the band pretty much sticks to format here.
The album is, overall, a pleasant listen for any fan that plays almost like a "Greatest Hits" of sorts. The sound quality is superb, and surely it's worth picking up for the Zombie enthusiast. But it's main downfall is that it does not include the previously promised DVD. A Live DVD would surely be more interesting, especially with all the effort Rob Zombie puts into his live show, and the fact that the DVD portion was left off is a bit vexing. But, the record label promises it will surface in the Spring, and this CD is pretty cheap in most places, so it's kinda hard to knock it.
Free Music Review: delivers the power and energy that you experience in person
Hit: 3 Stars
The Good
If you've never seen a Zombie live show, then your missing out on one powerful experience. The best thing about the performance is the energy it puts out, because the stage show is usually very minimal. There's just something about Rob's band and his stage presence that captivated you for the entire set. Zombie live does a great job of translating that into an aural experience.
For anyone that has heard it, you know that zombie's last album Educated Horses sucked. Somehow the live version of "American Witch" surpasses the studio version by leaps and bounds. The same can be said for "Let It All Bleed Out." In addition to the Educated Horses tracks, Zombie delivers the hits of course; "Demon Speeding," "Living Dead Girl," "More Human Than Human," "Never Gonna Stop," "Thunder Kiss 65," and "Dragula." The other remaining tracks are a mish-mash of newer Zombie cuts and rarities.
The Bad
A hits collection in 2003, a new studio album in 2006...then another hits collection in 2006, and now a live album in 2007. Enough with the old material, fans would rather have new material. And material better than Educated Horses. We can wait.
The set list is a little lop-sided. Four tracks are from Educated Horses, but song like Feel So Numb and any Zombie cover are missing. Also, don't expect Zombie to sound exactly like he does on his albums. It's not easy creating those vocal effects live. It's most noticeable on "More Human Than Human."
The Verdict
Zombie Live captures and delivers the power and energy that you experience in person at your local club or arena.