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Collide0scope (DVD Audio)
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|  | This review concerns the surround mix on the DVD-Audio only, as I haven't heard this album on CD.
The sound on this DVD-Audio is absolutely terrible and representative of most, but not all, DVD-Audio discs I have gotten from Silverline. As with Jack Bruce's album from the same manufacturer, there is so little treble you may think all your tweeters have died. This isn't just a case of "too much bass", but a severely muted sound that is utterly unlistenable to me. The bass is very, very powerful, but it is also muddy and poorly defined. This is a shame, as the music is wonderful. But wonderful music that is unlistenable may as well not exist. In addition, the surround mix is far from stunning. There is very little center channel information, and the rear channels get only occasional and minimal use. It is therefore a predominantly stereo mix.
I brought this back to the retailer and they opened and played all four of the discs they had in stock. All five (including mine) sounded the same.
| | It lives up to Living Colour, for sure | |
| | I've listened to this record attentively many times, and I think it's wonderful, a great addition to their catalogue. The compositions are all over the map but retain the sublime Living Colour signature throughout. There are grooves, hooks, and blistering guitar pyrotechnics from Vernon Reid as always; but I also take satisfaction from subtle shadings and textural effects he put in to dress up the tracks -- it's as if he's opting to use the guitar as a paintbrush as much as well as a weapon of mass construction. Listen with a good set of headphones and take it in like a cinema show for the ears. There are strong vocal variations across the playlist from Corey Glover -- a powerful, versatile presence amidst all the layered mayhem Vernon runs through his Mesa Boogie cabinets. Their cover of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" and ensuing instrumental jam is great and and too brief; I wanted it to go on for an hour. Living Colour is an inspiration, one of the great bands of our time, and this album keeps the good thing going. Please, guys, don't pause here and wait six years to make another one. You bring a lot of joy into this world and many folks are grateful. I'll buy this one for my friends at holiday time.
| | A solid return, with a few goofs and clunkers mixed in | |
| | | When last we left our heroes, they'd given us STAIN, a record that rocked harder than ever but whose lyrics often snarled with a brooding misanthropy. You get the idea pretty quickly from titles like "Go Away", "Leave It Alone", "Mind Your Own Business", "Get Out Of My Face You Stinking Jerk", and "People Suck." Okay, I made those last two up, but still, you get the idea. Starting with 1988's brilliant VIVID, Living Colour made a name for themselves as an excellent hard rock band, a musical force to be reckoned with well aside from the novelty value of the fact that all its members are African-American. Race consciousness did come out strongly in their lyrics, though STAIN took a decided turn inward. Maybe it's not surprising that during the Clinton years of (relative) peace and prosperity, the band took a long break. Now that the "brutal system that knows no pity" is back in full force, so is Living Colour, with an album that re-summons all the crunch and stomp of their glory days. There are definitely tracks that wouldn't have sounded out of place on STAIN, like "? Of When," in which lead vocalist Corey Glover shouts "I don't have a clue / And neither do you!" There's also the despairing "Pocket of Tears," and "Great Expectation", which laments "Once I tried / Yeah I tried but now I've given up", and "I couldn't change the world / I couldn't save myself." More exciting, though, are the songs that hearken back to the politicized activism of the band's earlier days, songs like the searing, reggae-tinged "Nightmare City", which sports the best line on the album: "Here comes the crawling politicians on their ghetto safari." The greatest standout, one of the best songs Living Colour has ever done, is "Flying", a 9/11 song that's not the least bit maudlin, and in fact feels mostly just bemused, and is consequently very, very powerful. Though it's often overlooked, there's also always been a strain of humor in Living Colour's work, surfacing in songs like "Elvis Is Dead." Even STAIN took time out to muse that "Everybody loves you when you're bi." The comedy on this release comes in the cover tunes. Yeah, it's a funny idea for the "black hard rock band" releasing their first album in 10 years to cover AC/DC's "Back In Black," but if you think the idea is funny, wait until you hear Glover screech his way through an enthusiastic but very silly Brian Johnson impersonation. At least he doesn't yelp "outasite!" over the intro to the second guitar solo. (And speaking of guitar, it would be criminal of me not to mention that Vernon Reid hasn't missed a step, and does stellar guitar work throughout the album.) As for the other cover, of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows", it just seems like an oddity, a relatively faithful rendition (albeit with the psychedlelia machine cranked up a little higher) that sits uncomfortably alongside the other tracks. Though most of the album is great -- even the covers grew on me after a while -- there are a few parts that wear out their welcome more quickly. "Operation: Mind Control" seems altogether too hamfisted, and easily the worst song on the album is "Sacred Ground", an awkward stab at Native American rights spokesmanship that quickly grinds into painful repetition. Overall, COLLIDEOSCOPE is a solid album, a long-awaited and welcome return to form for one of the best hard rock bands of the last 20 years.
| | | Yeah, this album is great, and this band is as amazing as they were in the early 90's- maybe better! I'll never forget seeing them for the first time at a small venue in Upstate NY in 1990. They nearly blew the roof off the place. And seeing them just a couple weeks ago in DC, they were just as intense and their sound has matured and progressed. This material will take some time for a lot of people to digest- they're very creative in the studio and I think a lot of their ideas will not sit so well with most people on the first few listens. There are a lot of good tunes here, but "Flying" and "Mash Up Choices" stand out the most for me. This is serious Rock 'outside the box' : ) But I would say this album ranks up there with their second LP, Time's Up. I really think this is one of the most inspiring bands out there. See them live, buy this album and give it some time to grow on ya. Four and a half stars.
| | Thank the lord they're back! | |
| | The bad...
The songs are excellent, but the sound quality isn't. The low end is really bad on most of the tracks. It rattles the speakers even when the stereo's bass and volume are set low. The quality of "Operation Mind Control" is so bad it prevents it from being the best track on the disc. It's actually much worse than any other track on the cd, which leads me to believe that it was intended. If it was intended, I'm not getting it. To me its a waste to have such a kick ...song sound so bad. (OMC is however one of their best songs live, so go check them out when they're in your area.) I think they should bring in a pro to help with production on the next cd instead of taking on the task themselves. Now the good...
The new material is wonderful. "Flying" might be their best song ever. "Song w/o Sin", "Lost Halo", "Nightmare City", "Pocket of Tears", "Holy Roller"... it doesn't get much better than this. "Back in Black" is ok, but not my favorite. Its good for a laugh. I can't get used to the new version of "Sacred Ground" for some reason. The original version off of Pride is much better in my opinion. They did a great job with "Tomorrow Never Knows". This song is ridiculous live too. So even though the sound quality isn't the greatest, the high quality songs make up for it. This disc could have been a 4.5/5. Get this disc. It won't disappoint...too much. And if LC is in your area you have to check them out. Their shows are downright insane. ...
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