This is a pretty nice looking release...the cover is a close up of a woman but I guess I'm slow as I don't quite what's going on in there. This is a digipak that also has a six panel booklet with photos and an essay from the David Johansen about Arthur "Killer" Kane. Not bad, but to me it's somewhat underwhelming...it's a reunion live album after the band has been broken up for 25+ years, I'd think there would be a bit more...Maybe they kept it somewhat simple as a sort of tribute to Kane. In case you are curious, this show was recorded June 18, 2004...the band also performed on the 16th as part of the same fest.
Musically...well I have a big gripe. I owned this show for a few months as an audienced source bootleg. When I went to the store to buy this album I was really surprised as it's a single disc and the bootleg I have is double. Well, there's a reason why...they cut the hell out of it. The boot I have has 20 songs, this one was 13. SEVEN MISSING SONGS...I suppose the argument is that most of them are covers, but I don't see that as an excuse.
The sound on here is pretty crisp, the mix is evenly balanced, and the band is actually pretty tight which may be part of the reason this sounds weird.
Which brings up a good point...this sounds strange. I have three NY Dolls reunion boots and this one is my favorite but for whatever reason, this just doesn't sound as energetic (and I definitely did verify that it's the same show). Every so often you'll hear a very good audience sourced tape that really captures what the band sounded like and the energy in the crowd...I don't think this does that.
I guess this just sounds too sterile. I can't give this a strong recommendation.
I'm not impressed, but I'm looking forward to the DVD. Maybe they'll redeem themselves.
