Viva Wisconsin
Violent Femmes
Sigmund Snopek III
Engineer: David Vartanian,
Producer: David Vartanian
Shout! Factory, 2005
1 CD
Catalogue #: 30525
EAN: 0826663052527
UPC: 826663052527
You save: 20%
Violent Femmes: Gordon Gano (vocals, acoustic guitar); Brian Ritchie (vocals, shakuhachi, conch, harmonica, soprano saxophone, Theramin, xylophone, acoustic bass); Guy Hoffman (vocals, bugle, snare drum, tranceaphone).
The Horns Of Dilemma: Sigmund Snopek III (vocals, flute, Native American flute, bass clarinet, oboe, trombone, piano); Mike Kock (saxophone); Shane Derstl (trumpet); Ray Cribb (trombone, bass); Eric Markstrum (trombone).
Recorded live in Wisconsin from October 25-31 1998.
The Violent Femmes: Gordon Gano (vocals, acoustic guitar); Brian Ritchie (vocals, shakuhachi, conch shell, harmonica, soprano saxophone, xylophone, acoustic bass guitar, Theremin); Guy Hoffman (vocals, bugle, snare drum).
Additional personnel: Sigmund Snopek III (vocals, flute, Native American flute, bass clarinet, oboe, trombone, piano); Mike Kock (saxophone); Shane Derstl (trumpet); Ray Cribb (trombone, bass instrument); Eric Markstrum (trombone).
Recording information: Grand Opera House, Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Grand Theater, Wausau, Wisconsin; Barrymore Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin (1998).
Recorded live before an adoring and extremely vocal crowd (guess where), VIVA WISCONSIN is the Violent Femmes' return to basics album. With "no overdubbing, no electronics, no crap," the Femmes tear into their impressive back catalogue of tracks with a fervor that has been somewhat subdued on more than one of the more recent studio albums. The performances here go a long way to suggesting that the best way to hear these songs is live. Nearly every track is at least as good as its studio counterpart, but there are some standouts.
"Life Is an Adventure," from ROCK!!!, was always a nice song, but here is looser and it seems even more heartfelt. Though "American Music" is a song that is good enough to withstand even the most uninspired performance, the version here truly shines, far outstripping the album version that appeared on WHY DO BIRDS SING? To give you an idea of how good these versions are, even an elongated drum solo on "Black Girls" somehow manages to sound as though it ought to have been in the original version (from HALLOWED GROUND). And how can you fault an album that ends after more than 72 minutes with "Kiss Off"?
Tracklist
Violent Femmes
What do you do when your first album is the CITIZEN KANE of alternative rock? Spend the next two decades living in its shadow. Inspired by the Modern Lovers and the Velvet Underground, the Violent Femmes pioneered the use of acoustic instruments in post-punk/new wave, with great success straight out of the gate. The band continued to record and perform into the 1990s, releasing albums with a consistent and familar sound.
