Spock's Beard CD Review

1. Day For Night
2. In The Mouth Of Madness
3. Skin
4. Gibberish
5. June
6. The Healing Colours Of Sound

Recorded live at the 013 in Tilburg, Holland on 28.9.99

Spock's Beard have released to date four very good, in fact mostly excellent, studio albums. They have also to date released three live albums (four if you count a European re-release with extra tracks).

Last year this site voted Spock's Beard's Amsterdam concert as the year's best, and the last studio outing 'Day For Night' the album of the year. So a CD release of that tour, you would have thought, would be a welcome item. However, you may be wrong…

Statement: Live, Spock's Beard produce almost note-perfect renditions of their studio output.

Well this is not something I personally look for in a live album. OK we do have a one and a half minute acoustic guitar extension of 'June', but for repeated listening I want something that expands the studio take. A good example would be The Flower Kings' latest live release. Also reading about the technical difficulties they had recording this concert raises doubts as to how much of this CD really is live - it lacks any real live atmosphere and was recorded towards the end of a long, hard, punishing tour. Morse's voice certainly has varying /random degrees of hoarseness throughout the recording. However, the sound quality is a vast improvement from The NEARfest and Whiskey set (released barely six months ago!)

Statement: Live, Spock's Beard are terrific showmen who really enjoy themselves on stage.

So maybe a live video would be a good idea and I think that was the original intention at Tilburg. But three live albums covering (almost) note-perfect renditions of four albums? I'm sorry, I just don't see the point…

Statement: Although based on the west coast of America, Spock's Beard have only really toured Europe

… OK, maybe that is the point. Expensive audio postcards to the folks back home, or a way of subsidizing a loss-making tour?

Question: Can I honestly recommend this release?

To anyone that had the pleasure of being there - maybe a nice little reminder, and I do mean little: in these days of mostly hour-plus studio outputs, this is only 50 minutes long.

To someone outside Europe who already has all of their studio output, but has never had a chance to see the Beard - maybe a nice little curio.

But as a full price album and to anyone that has not heard any of the Beard studio output? No, I cannot recommend this release. It should have been a giveaway with the video. Audio alone fails to capture the magic of the Beard live. You really had to be there…

Statement: Don't Try This At Home.

Yes, I'm afraid I have to agree. Perhaps the Beard, before making this album, should have consulted a map and history book. Arnhem is just up the road from Tilburg and like the famous bridge this is just one live album too far.

For a better review and understanding of the live experience please look at Ian's live Amsterdam review elsewhere on BoA…. Amsterdam had the same set and was a just day earlier than this recording.