'18 and Life' -- From ABachalypse Now

ABachalypse Now, the CD/DVD package from Sebastian Bach, is out now. To promote the package, Bach released a "video" for "18 and Life." The DVD is footage from Graspop in Belgium and Hellfest in France. Basically, Bach sounds amazing. I'm definitely getting this package.

Comments

[Evilmike]

Wow is this live or is it Memorex?? Haven't heard Bach sing this well in years. Probably because it is NOT live. Or at least a good portion of this anyway I'd say has had the ol' studio spit n' polish...

[Him]

Quite a bit of talk about this issue already on the Interwebs, so much so that Bach himself came out and discussed it directly.

He came off as a touch defensive (and didn't even really need to tell people what most of them already knew). But he was also very candid about the whole process. While I wouldn't go as far as Bach did in suggesting that it is an industry standard to "clean" tracks for live releases (or to do so in such an obvious way), he make several good points.

As with many things, there is an artistry to juicing live tracks, a balance, that can quite easily tip in the other direction and spoil it for the fans.

[Kixchix]

Who cares. Like it? Buy it. Have studio version and it suffices? Fine. Wanna see all the live clips you want on YouTube. Cool.

My fav live clip from Skid Row is from their Wembley show in like 1990. I Remember You is the tune. Baz was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event. The band was in their prime. The song is one of the best ballads of our generation. Check THAT out.

To me live albums were a phenomena from before the digital age. When I was 16, I could turn on unleashed in the studio from priest close my eyes and be in Japan, at the show! Now all is at our fingertips. Different world to me now. Better world? I dunno.

Not blowing cash on rehashed tunes. You love it? No problem from me. Market dictates what we want and all is well.

[Metalboy!]

Agree with Kixchix. I see know need to buy it. I might buy Wembley 1990 if it popped up, however, as that's a different beast entirely for a multitude of obvious reasons I don't need to waste electronic energy on, especially to most of you who are savvy to the pros and cons of purchasing of legacy act live performance CDs or DVDs.

And HIM is right to point out the acceptability of "cleaning up" live recordings for release. Take "The Song Remains The Same". The way Page fixed it all up in post is never a distraction when listening to it.

Still, Purple's "Live in Japan" -- one of the greatest live Hard Rock albums in history -- Was that cleaned up? Same with The Who, "Live at Leeds", which some claim is THE greatest -- Was that cleaned up? Same with Cheap Trick's quadruple platinum (take that, Christian) "Live at Budokan"... I know the original release was edited but was it cleaned up?

Please inform should anyone know about these or any other live recordings (i.e. "KISS Alive II", etc.) and if they were cleaned up or not.

[Bryon]

Agree 100% with Kixchix & Metalboy. Live albums are very rarely left untouched, and I don't see what the big deal is. I listened to the album on Tuesday and sounds good.

Also, @Kixchix: you mentioned the 1991 Wembley Skid Row show and it's one of my favorite performances to watch from any band. I believe it's their last show opening up for GNR, and Slave to the Grind was selling like gangbusters after reaching #1 on Billboard. The band is at its absolute peak in this show and it's a snapshot of everything that was great about the rock/metal scene back then. For anyone interested, a great recording of their full set is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnqAFtMtteg

[Bob]

Mr. Metalboy! sir, I can tell you from my reading that KISS Alive II was so cleaned up that it's almost a studio album with dubbed-in applause. As for the other monster live albums from the super 70s you mentioned, I don't know how much cleaning up went on with them, but you can bet there was at least some. To me, this is why ROIOs are so important. I refuse to call them bootlegs because it cheapens their value for the serious music fan. Musicians are human beings too, and are thus going to make mistakes in live performance. to me, these mistakes are far more interesting to listen to than an overly-cleaned-up commercial live album. that's not to say that I don't enjoy commercial live albums, but I know going in that my milage will vary from album to album as to how "live" it actually is.

[Rita]

Love the title. What a riot he is.

[Gary]

I can tell you from my reading that KISS Alive II was so cleaned up that it's almost a studio album with dubbed-in applause.

I will second what Bob says,as Ace mentions exactly that in his book.

[Bob]

Oh wow, Gary, I haven't read Ace's book, so I didn't know he confirmed that. Several years ago, I read somewhere a very lengthy interview with Bob Kulick in which he spilled the beans about Alive II. According to him, some of the tracks weren't even performed in front of an audience, and Eddie Kramer dubbed in the applause later. I guess I just always figured Kulick knew what he was talking about since he played lead guitar on a few of the new studio tracks instead of Ace. Sad as it is, it's nice to know that Kulick's story is on the level.

[Him]

If I might second Bob's observations about Recordings of Indeterminate Origin and go a bit further . . . the relatively new process of recording a show and having it available almost, if not immediately, after the show for release is a great use of technology for the bands and the fans. And it tempers some of Bach's observations as well.

As Rita said, those who want it will buy it. Simple. But the larger discussion of what counts as "live" is an interesting one to me.

I started seriously thinking about it when I was first listening to _If You Want Blood You've Got It_. Simpleton that I was then, I couldn't figure out what was going on with the sound during the chant section. And pre-interwebs, I didn't have a lot of access to information on why it faded in and out like it did. Learning, long after the fact, that it was an issue of cleaning, did and does nothing to detract from my enjoyment of that "live" album.

[Roy]

Metal Sludge posted this so I thought I would share..

Sebastian Bach explains his LIVE (over dubbed in the studio) recordings "I am not hiding anything."

http://www.metalsludge.tv/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3190&Itemid=42

[Rita]

Wow. He sounds refreshingly candid and honest. He made a lot of sense, to me anyway.

P.S. have always heard Alive II was really doctored. Sure it's not the only live CD KISS did this for. To me, the vocals on Room Service on You Wanted The Best always sounded like Paul was making a big effort to sound like he was singing live when he really wasn't. But totally agree that it never ruined the experience for me. Alive II was my first album ever and to this day, I still love it.

[dj]

I love the title and im a huge bach fan, i defenately will buy this

[Metalboy!]

Thanks for the info, all, with a special shout out to Bob!