Stereophonics - Live From Dakota
Live From Dakota is the Stereophonics’ first live offering and boy does it show the bands real colours. Any Stereophonics fan will agree that when they perform live they are definitely a rock band. The album is also the ‘phonics first double CD album.
The album starts with Superman, a song which is already synthesized heavily on the previous album, Language. Sex. Violence. Other? has just got a bit more overdone; and in my humble opinion it makes the song an awful lot better. The following song, Doorman (again as with the previous album) breaks in instantly after Superman, another fantastic song.
The third song is from the first album (Word Gets Around) and is a fantastic comparison of how the band has changed, from raw guitar thrashing to effects. Despite this the song does sound better than previously recorded live version of it (which were from pre-millennium).
The fourth song is Devil, a song which appears to be about sex. The song is a little more ‘done up’ so to speak (ie. more effects) from the November gig I attended.
The next song on this, so far, fantastic album is Mr. Writer. A song made the band so despised by most, if not all music journalists around the world despite it being written about an NME journalist who interviewed the bands and took lines they said out of context for its continuous insults and lines like:
“I’d like You line them up
Look at your shoes
You hang names on your wall
Then you shoot them all”
And
“You've just enough, in my own view education to perform,
I'd like to shoot you all”.
The next song is Pedalpusher (From L.S.V.O?), a song which I liked but as time went on I began to get annoyed by it’s tune. The live version brings back my love for the song.
Deadhead was one of my favourite Stereophonics song of all time when it was released as a mono b-side on the Madame Helga single (From You Gotta Go There to Come Back) (it was originally called Royal Flush). After a petition from thousands of fans and numerous posts of the forum the band eventually band a stereo-version on their last album (L.S.V.O?). The live version is quicker and has a few more effects thrown in. I would say it’s number 3 on my list of favourite songs of all time.
Maybe Tomorrow, the next song on the album is an acoustic (on an electric guitar, the band swore they wouldn’t use acoustic guitars at all in the near future). Personally I preferred the album version of this song compared to this live version; but that’s most likely because I think drums and bass (guitars) should be in every song to make it rock (feel free to point out examples when this isn’t true on the forum).
Bartender (and the Thief) was one of the first rock songs to get in to the charts in the late 90s and was also the first ‘phonics song I heard that got me hooked for life. It was also this song which made me leave pop for ever. So what can I say, I love this song and it will be one of my most highly rated songs for this main reason. This live version is slightly quicker than the album version (From Performance and Cocktails) and includes the changed line and speed of the chorus (the last chorus has ‘The Ace of Spades’ x2 in it). And in usual Stereophonics the riff is different (but that’s the same for most tracks). It’s got a few more ‘do’s at the end (you have to know the song to know what I mean).
Local Boy (In the Photograph) is the last song from the first album. It’s a excellent example of how the first album was about observations and about word getting around (the albums called Word Gets Around). The song is about a 23 year old lad who while playing on a train track got killed (by a train!) and how his friends sit on the banks of the track drinking every year in memory of him. The song has been done many times live and included as a b-side a few times.
Hurry up and Wait (From P&C) is a slow song from days of Morfa Stadium (the bands biggest gig at the time and still highly rated by fans). There is not much different from the album version of the song.
Madame Helga is a good song from the time (a few years ago) when the band were only capable of making slow music (as they were, admittedly on drugs). It sounds much better live than the album version.
Vegas Two Times seems exactly the same as the album version (minus the intro and maybe it has more bass).
Carrot Cake and Wine is one of my favourite b-sides from the band. The song is another example of young Kelly Jones song writing. The song is rarely preformed and this is the first (from what I can see) live performance of the song and I think it’s great. The song is heavier in the sense of base since the 10 year old b-side was released.
I’m Alright is the title song of You Gotta Go There to Come Back, and like the rest of the album (and title) is about drugs. The song is also the only song on the live album which isn’t really heavier than the album counterpart (in parts it is although most of it seems to have less music and more singing).
Jayne is a previously unheard of song (because it was written while the band were performing their world tour). The song seems different from Language. Sex. Violence. Other? and if the next album (released in 2007) from the band is up to standard I will also be buying that. The song is similar to Devil but a bit more upbeat.
Too Many Sandwiches (From WGA), a song about a ‘typical’ engagement which has been overdone. The song is definitely heavier than previous versions (including live versions) although not much else has changed about it.
Traffic (about surprisingly traffic and from the first album). This is a fantastic song but sadly it hasn’t changed, I would like to have seen it much heavier. But then I guess the saying “Why fix something that’s not broken?” comes in to practice.
Just Looking is, in my view the most popular song from the second album, Performance and Cocktails. It’s slow and melodic and has I think it’s great. This song, unlike Traffic should not be changed in anyway.
Dakota, the bands first number one single (in over ten years). On the album it could be classified as Rock/Pop however when played live (even on shows such as CDUK) it can only be called Rock. It’s only because I know of the live performances I can even listen to the song otherwise I would have deleted it from my iPod months ago.
Overall the album is fantastic and shows the band’s true style and also makes it easier to tell people that they are a rock band and not pop (especially after the likes of Mr. Writer and Have a Nice Day).
