Reckoning [Live]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This 1980 live acoustic collection may be off the beaten path, but it's a worthy addition for anyone who wants to explore the Dead's musical roots more thoroughly. Laced with folk, country, and bluegrass influences, Reckoning showcases Jerry Garcia's crisp acoustic flat picking as well as the band's warm vocal harmonies. Traditional blues and folk songs intermingle with an assortment of Dead originals, many of which are featured in reworked acoustic arrangements for the first time. For those familiar only with the intensity and endless groove of electric Dead, this pure, honest, heartfelt recording will be a revelation. --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

HarborcOat
7 ChineSe Bros.
so. Central Rain
Pretty Persuasion
Time After Time (annElise)
second GuessinG
letter Never seNt
camerA
(don't Go back To) ROCKVILLE
little america

Amazon.com essential recording

The 1984 follow-up to R.E.M.'s brilliantly murky debut features Michael Stipe's ambiguous moan, drummer Bill Berry's strong backbeat, and guitarist Peter Buck's endless wave of catchy, jangling riffs. They wouldn't fully beef up their hard rock until roughly 1986's Life's Rich Pageant, but the swimming melodies of "Pretty Persuasion," "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" and "Rockville (Don't Go Back To)" recall why the band frequently earned comparisons to a power-pop Beatles and the country-rock Byrds. Also, the jittery rhythms and deceptively simple guitar lines make the underappreciated "Harborcoat" and "7 Chinese Bros." worth revisiting. --Steve Knopper

Album Description

Mid-priced reissue of the foreign edition of their 1984 & second album with five bonus tracks added, 'WinD OuT (With Friends)', 'Pretty Persuasion' (Live In Studio), 'White Tornado' (Live In Studio), 'Tighten Up' and 'Moon River'. 15 tracks total, also featuring the chart hit 'So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)' and the college radio anthems 'Pretty Persuasion', '(Don't Go Back To) Rockville' and 'Time After Time (Annelise)'. 'Reckoning' reached #27 in the U.S. 1992 release.

Album Details

Includes 5 rare B-side bonus tracks: 'Wind Out (With Friends)', 'Pretty Persuasion (Live in the Studio)', 'White Tornado (Live in the Studio)', 'Tighten Up' & 'Moon River'.

Customer Reviews:

Second album is still their second best.......2007-07-06

R.E.M.'s follow-up to Murmur is nearly as good, and although it lacks the distinctive edge that marked the debut, it's even catchier with pulsating riffs and the familiar Stipe mumble-to-plead vocal style. Also like Murmur, the two halves vary in quality (the first side is top-notch from start to finish, the second a bit of a grab bag with filler like "Letter Never Sent" and the somnolent, sometimes dull "Camera" mixed in).

They still hadn't directed themselves toward the beefier and harder sounds that would identify later work, nor had they perfected (or resorted to?) capturing delirious pop hooks. "Harborcoat" is still one of their all-time best songs and "Time After Time" is a delicate and iridescent dirge. Little known outside of the fan base and college rock listeners, it deserves as much, if not more, attention than their 90s mainstream hits like Out of Time and Automatic For the People.

Best cuts: "Harborcoat," "So. Central Rain," "Time After Time (Ann-Elise)," "7 Chinese Brothers," "Little America," "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville," "Pretty Persuasion," "Second Guessing"

A Band To Be Reckoned With.......2007-06-11

Murmur wasn't a smash hit commercially, but rocks critics praised it to the high heavens. Rolling Stone even named it the Best Album of 1983, a year that also featured a little album from Michael Jackson called Thriller. So R.E.M. must have felt some pressure when they went back into the studio to record their second album, right?

The band again proved they were wise beyond their years when they didn't try to record another Murmur. As great as that album was, any attempt to recreate the same album probably would have been a disaster. So they recorded something completely different. Instead of pouring over every note and meticulously layering each track as they did on Murmur, the band recorded Reckoning quickly with as few takes and overdubs as possible. The entire record only took two weeks to record. The result was a studio album that sounds like a live album.

There are many people out there who prefer Reckoning to Murmur. I'm not one of them but it's easy to see why they think that way. Reckoning is far more accessible, chock full of blistering head-on rockers like "Harborcoat," "Pretty Persuasion," "Second Guessing," and "Little America." The album also features two certified R.E.M. classics in "So. Central Rain" and "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." There isn't a stinker on the album, which is the case for pretty much every album before Bill Berry retired from the group.

The only complaint I have about Reckoning is that all of those head-on rockers sound similar to me. Don't get me wrong, they're all great songs (especially "Pretty Persuasion") but they also sound like songs R.E.M. can bang out in about five minutes, which may very well have been the case during the Reckoning sessions.

There are several surprises here, however. "Camera" is a tear-jerker about a friend of theirs who died in a car crash. "Time After Time" features some really cool tribal-sounding drums. And "Rockville" is an honest to goodness country song with a great, singalong chorus. Then there's "7 Chinese Bros." which is a great song in itself but perhaps more memorable for leading to the legendary "Voice of Harold," which is featured on the b-sides compilation Dead Letter Office. "Voice of Harold" is the "7 Chinese Bros" backing track with Michael improvising the lyrics by reading the back of a gospel album -- in one take. It's funny but it's also really amazing.

Speaking of Michael Stipe, I've always thought he was the "star" of Reckoning -- the same way I've thought Bill Berry and Mike Mills were the "stars" of Murmur. Peter Buck would get his chance on later albums, too. But Stipe really stepped to the forefront on Reckoning. The lyrics were just as great (if not better) than on Murmur, and his vocals were clearer and more audible on the second album. And some of his performances here are just spine-tingling. On "So. Central Rain" (my favorite song on the album), he desperately pleads "I'm sorry" and even though you have no idea WHY he's sorry, you really feel his emotion. The song ends with Stipe just yelling in agony. Great stuff. And it's hard to forget his country twang on "Rockville" or his powerfully understated vocals on "Camera" or whatever the heck it is he's doing on "Letter Never Sent." Michael Stipe is just fantastic on Reckoning.

Reckoning proved, once and for all, that R.E.M. was a band, well, to be reckoned with. Had they stopped after two albums, I think people would still be talking about them today. Luckily, though, they didn't stop there.

More of the same, but it's good "same".......2007-05-25

First the bad news: this sounds a lot like Murmur. Not an album I'd blame them for wanting to imitate, of course. But my only real problem with R.E.M. is that some of their stuff sounds exactly the same. Since I like the group's sound, I can overlook that at times for their other virtues. But after awhile they kind of painted themselves in a corner after a while. Plus Camera bores me silly, while Little America and Second Guessing seem like mere recasts of Reckoning's several triumphant moments.
So what are those triumphant moments? About five classics. I assume you've heard So. Central Rain (you know, the one that goes "I'm SOOOOORRRY! (doo doo doo doo doo) I'm SOOOOOOOORRRY!") - if you haven't, try to find a recording, fast. You probably also know (Don't Go Back to) Rockville. And if you haven't, that's another one to try and hunt up. You've also got your folk/worldbeat fusion (Time After Time, which has nothing to do with Cyndi Lauper if you were worried), you've god an eerie ballad with plenty of mandolin (Seven Chinese Brothers), your ethereal, complexely harmonized ballads (Harborcoat, Letter Never Sent, Pretty Persuasion) - enough to make this one of their best ever - maybe even better than Murmur, which would make it second to only Document. Good, good, good stuff.

Solid R.E.M. for fans of Murmur or Document.......2007-04-21

Great follow-up to sounds like Murmur and others. Creative, fun folky pop-rock, tunes in the style of Bob Dylan/Beatles and 70s folk-rock. FANS .... Add to your collection. Casual Listeners... great listen throughout album.
Some impressive advancements from earlier works. Great prelude to Document and Out of Time

Life-Changing Album.......2006-11-20

I seldom go on the record for ANYTHING. But the song, "Time After Time" really did change my appreciation for music. I can't say "for life" because I didn't change that much. I had smoked some world-class pot, I had listened to "Time After Time", and I had UNDERSTOOD. The richness of Michael Stipe's voice and the melody really did hit home with me. It ranks as one of the top musical experiences of my life (Sonny and Cher on "Letterman" and REM on "Letterman" also qualify, so be warned...) and, dare I say it, it is THE most musically transportative moment of my life. Timing is everything and the song and my mindset were "just so" (thank you, Rudyard Kipling) on that fateful day (eh, Pincus, poor little ERIC Pincus) so that it resonated with me-and still does to this day. It moved me then, it moves me now, and it will move me til the day I die.

Average customer rating:

are you kidding me?
Another solid Threshold album
A funny thing happened on the way to the studio...
Decent But Not Spectacular Metal
Amazing find!

Dead Reckoning
Threshold
Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000N3SSR6
Release Date: 2007-04-24

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Customer Reviews:

are you kidding me?.......2007-07-15

Dream Theatre they are not... not even close. The only great song is 7 tracks in and the rest is very mediocre. The writing is ammaturish, the vocals are laid down with a beat syncronous to the rythm of the melody pathetic. It goes on and on with the lilt of kids nursery rhyme... da na, da na, da na, da nananana da na. And what's up with the gutteral groans scattered carelessy through out. I like in your face metal as much as melodic rock, but throwing down growls in an AOR tune is too weird.

Save your money

Another solid Threshold album.......2007-06-28

Threshold seems to be one of those bands (Vanden Plas is another) that are perpetually on the well, threshold (sorry) of reaching a wider audience. You know that if just half, or even a quarter of those who bought Dream Theater's latest album checked out Threshold, they would have the fanbase their music deserves. I didn't discover them until I saw them perform at ProgPower USA III in 2002 (which is captured on the Threshold - Critical Energy DVD), but once I did I was hooked.

With 2007's Dead Reckoning, Threshold continues their run of high quality melodic progressive metal albums. Threshold is probably the best band in the genre when it comes to balancing great melodies with technical proficiency. As proggy as the music may get, there are still plenty of great guitar hooks and songs that stick in your head and make you sing along. They also manage to keep your attention throughout the entire album, whether it's through aggressive pacing or avoiding the kind of self-indulgent instrumental passages that are all too common in the genre. These guys are all obviously very talented musicians, but they have the good sense to realize that the song is more important than the solo. I think having such a unique and competent vocalist in Mac helps in that respect.

My only real complaint about this album (and pretty much all of their albums since Hypothetical) is that the band hasn't really done much to progress their style. To be sure, they've improved their skills with each release, but the basic formula is largely unchanged. It's a minor complaint when you consider just how good each album is, but still, you expect some evolution from a progressive metal band. The brief inclusion of death metal-style vocals on Elusive (courtesy of Nightingale mainman Dan Swano) was a nice touch, and showed that the band is willing to experiment a bit.

If you're a Threshold fan, I doubt you'll be disappointed in Dead Reckoning. If you're a progressive rock/metal fan just now discovering the band, then kudos to you! You're now in on a (too) well-kept secret.

NOTE: The limited edition version of Dead Reckoning comes in a nifty digipack with a foil cover and includes one bonus track - a very unexpected cover of the Muse single Supermassive Black Hole. It's about the same price as the regular version, so it's well worth searching for.

A funny thing happened on the way to the studio..........2007-05-28

First let me say that previous to "Dead Reckoning" I considered Threshold to be my favorite group/music, but something is missing with this CD. Maybe it's the absence of Jon Jeary and Nick Midson combined, that finally account for the lack of grandeur and epic qualities in the songwriting that defined Threshold's music over their past four CD's. This isn't a bad effort, but it doesn't have anything that reaches out and grabs you like their previous releases did. I really looked forward to hearing this CD and now that I have, I'm left bored and disappointed.

Decent But Not Spectacular Metal.......2007-05-15

This review is a tough one for me to write...I first heard Threshold years ago during the release of their amazing album "Critical Mass", a heavy, intelligent, and original progressive metal tour-de-force that left me wanting more. After picking up some of their older material ("Hypothetical" is also very good) as well as their next release, "Subsurface", I was very excited when I first heard about their latest.

The problem I am having is not one of style or musicianship; I would not change a thing. All band members are very good at what they do. Threshold is not as complex (or convoluted, as the case may be) as other metal bands usually lumped under the "progressive" moniker, but they play very heavy, well-written riffs, great melodic solos, and memorable melodies. Their style is quite singular, most of that having to do with their excellent singer, Mac; he has a very powerful and unique sound that I love. The problem is the degeneration of the lyrics. "Critical Mass" and many of their other releases were full of interesting philosophical musings- reincarnation, subatomic universes, the relationship of those who serve the powerful to their own apathy....very heady stuff. Not for everyone, but I find philosophy and metaphysics fascinating. More and more, however, I find myself wincing painfully or skipping ahead to avoid painfully contived, cliche'd lyrics. "Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams"? Not that I'm some tough-guy that doesn't like sensitive lyrics or emotions, but my god....there is a point at which it's just cheesy. I feel like I'm listening to Journey. So, to summarize, I love Threshold, and wanted to give it five stars, but couldn't. Other than that, it's cool stuff.

Amazing find!.......2007-05-11

If you liked the early more commercial sounding Dream Theater, you'll really enjoy this album. It's probably my favorite CD this year, of all genres.

Average customer rating:

Change those psychedelic light shows
A live album for Dead fans who don't like the long jams....
Grateful Dead's Reckoning is even better!
If you have the old arista set & are wondering...
4 stars for disc 1

Reckoning
The Grateful Dead
Manufacturer: Grateful Dead / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Change those psychedelic light shows.......2007-06-24

I dont know what you are but dont put swastikas on light shows. It offends my sensibilties. Microsoft had its' head exmained. Their video light show that plays when you listen to the music is a real outrage!

Viva Toledo!

A live album for Dead fans who don't like the long jams...........2007-06-19

This was my first Dead album (live or studio), and I still enjoy it. I love American folk/old country music, and the Dead were great practioners of this music (check out their studio work on American Beauty and Workingman's Dead). Their live stuff usually concentrated on long jams (some of which were wonderful, others not so good), but here (and on Dead Set, a companion piece to this album), they concentrated on great arrangements and singing with soul and depth. There are a lot of wonderful songs here, such as Dire Wolf (better than the studio version), George Jones's The Race Is On, Dark Hollow, the hilarious, wonderful Monkey and the Engineer, and a fine version of Ripple that concluded the original album. For those who don't really dig the Dead's long jamming (there are a lot of people who fall into this category), I suggest buying this album. I don't have the CD reissue, just the original LP, but the original LP is wonderful.

Grateful Dead's Reckoning is even better!.......2007-03-09

I had an album recording of this on cassette tape years ago. Then in the early nineties I bought a CD version, and was a little (just a little) dissapointed to discover that "oh, babe it ain't no lie" wasn't on it.
Not only does this double CD have it, but it also has an alternate take.
In addition to all that, I found the second disc a great addition, particulary tunes like "sage & spirit," and "heaven help the fool." This is a great buy!

If you have the old arista set & are wondering..........2007-01-30

... if it will be worth it to shell out the extra bucks for the new double cd version of Reckoning, allow me. I think that the second cd of bonus material is actually the BETTER of the two discs now! The first cd is and has always been a treasure -- songs from sets recorded in the fall of 1980 in NYC and SF. It's all played acoustically and easily one half of the songs are from the Dead's earliest influences (can you say "Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Band?"). The second set has just fantastic alternative live versions of nine of the 16 original songs and contains one studio rehearsal with a little bit of talking going on among the players -- working out their parts. The alt live versions have a little more audience interplay with the band and may be why they were ultimately rejected. On disc two, I think that Brett gets into the singing a little more and he sounds great. His piano playing really added a nice dimension to the Dead too. The new live songs that are on disc two but never were on disc one are iko, heaven help the fool, el paso, sage & spirit, little sadie, & tom dooley. If you liked the original "reckoning, the proceed and buy without hesitation.

4 stars for disc 1.......2007-01-16

I'm giving 4 stars for disc one, the estra disc 2 of alternate versions is not good, don't waste the extra dough on it, just get the single disc version, but disc one is great - really good.

Average customer rating:

Melodic metal
Beautiful.
More Great Sonata Arctica
Excellent
I Reckon(ing) They're Out of Ideas

Reckoning Night
Sonata Arctica
Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 2004-11-01

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White Pearl Black Oceans...
Shamandalie

Album Description

Details TBA. Icarus. 2004.

Customer Reviews:

Melodic metal.......2007-07-14

Best album this group has produced so far. Previous albums were good, but in this one, every song is special. Specifically, "White Pearl, Black Oceans" is amazing. When you want to relax and listen to something different, this fills the bill. Not for your hard core power metal fans. Rivals "Nightwish" albums.

Beautiful........2006-12-28

If you've never listened to Sonata Arctica, understand that SA are storytellers. Every song is a story unto itself and honestly told like a story. Most bands make some songs which are tales of some kind or another; usually what you get, however, is "I lost my girl" or "I found a girl" or "I hate life."

Not exactly original.

Sonata Arctica's songs are vivid paintings of a fantastic nature; somehow in four to nine minutes they can give you a setting, some unnamed characters which they still manage to make you resonate with, and a satisfying (if not always happy) conclusion. On this album, for example:

*Ain't Your Fairytale - Told from the perspective of wolves who must fight to maintain their world against the growing threat of men.
*Don't Say a Word - A man obsessed with his love takes it to very creepy extremes.
*Wildfire - A boy, cast out and reviled by a town for the deeds of his father, takes his revenge by condemning the people to a horrible doom in the flames of his hate.
*White Pearl, Black Oceans - Their masterpiece. Of all the songs they've done, this is easily the most epic in its scope (at least to me). A lighthouse-keeper, always alone, ventures into town on New Year's Eve and subsequently suffers a heartbreaking series of events that shatter him.

Technically they are precise and inventive on Reckoning Night; lyrically, as I've said, this is the most accomplished of their work. If there's a complaint to be had about their work it's that their English is flawed (they're a Finnish band), although I doubt it'll bother you unless you're an English major.

Also, though it has nothing to do with the music - Reckoning Night has some of the best artwork in its packaging that I've ever seen. If you like the album's cover you'll like the rest of it.

More Great Sonata Arctica.......2006-09-08

This band brings depth, quality, and skill to the table for our enjoyment. They can go fast, like Dragonforce, but they also know how to make a ballad. I prefer their harder stuff though, but don't have to skip tracks because it is all very good. Sometimes you can hear Tony Kakko's Finnish accent, but it does not detract from the music in my opinion. I have Ecliptica and Winterheart's Guild (in addition to Reckoning Night) and they are also worth getting. If you like Sonata Arctica's style, make sure you pick up all 3 titles that I mentioned. They are very satisfying.

Excellent.......2006-08-24

Sonata Arctica is one of the best things that ever happened in the musical world, and this album took them a step further, showing they can bring more sofisticated pieces then their previous material.

Highly recommended, although previous albums might be a better start for those who are not (yet) fans. I'd only recommend this as a first album to those who can appreciate the relative complexity, such as progressive metal fans.

I Reckon(ing) They're Out of Ideas.......2006-05-19

It seems alot of Euro power metal bands that started off promisingly have quickly run aground. bands like Nocturnal Rites and Edguy have taken to treading the same tired waters, having seemingly lost the spark of their earlier albums. Add Sonata Arctica to that list. If anything, SA lost a step with this release, which sounds completely uninspired. They were showing signs of fatigue on their previous album (Winterheart's Guild) but it at least kept pace w/ the first 2 albums. If you're a total SA fanboy, you'll be fine with this album, but if you're an older power metal fan who's tired of hearing bands just re-make the same album every year, this is definitely not the one for you; i'd recommend trying Dragonforce instead (no, they're not all that original either, but they play with 100% more balls and conviction than what you'll hear on Reckoning Night)

Average customer rating:

A Welcome Sound
I've just got to disagree..
Very disappointed...
Some great songs and mutch more mainstream than usual.
Pillar evolves again

The Reckoning
Pillar
Manufacturer: Flicker Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Album Description

In the six short years since the band formed in a dingy dorm room in Wichita, Kansas, Pillar has become a rock force to be reckoned with. And while the band has earned its fair share of accolades and admiration, Pillar is ready to set the record straight with their latest The Reckoning.

Customer Reviews:

A Welcome Sound.......2007-03-05

I cannot claim that I have been a fan of Pillar since their forming days. However, I can say that, without a doubt in my mind, The Reckoning is spectacular. Its not often that I find a CD that remains in my stereo for well over a month. I am going to say that as someone who enjoyed Where Do We Go From Here, I believe The Reckoning surpassed it. Many will question Pillar for producing a a so-called mainstream album. Mainstream? Obviously, whoever made such accusations did not take into account that the band has grown from Where Do We Go From Here's nu-metal influences. I will say with all honesty, I am not Christian. I do not believe in God, but I can say that this album has made a difference to me. Every song has given me a sense of hope and generally a feeling that life will always go on. Thankfully, Pillar can create great music, without sounding preachy, or giving way to what the "fad" currently is. Enjoy the album for its music and its message!

I've just got to disagree.........2007-01-29

This is the best Pillar album yet altogether. It's got everything, literally, from soft to heavy. And this time they actually do alot of them pretty good and rap free. Best Song is without a doubt Crossfire.

Very disappointed..........2007-01-23

I have been a big fan of Pillar since I discovered them with the Fireproof album. I enjoyed listening to Fireproof and Where Do We Go From Here over and over, which is against my norm of listening to an album a couple times and ditching it.

I have to say that Pillar definitely took a step backwards with this album. Certainly not the quality, or the hard-core sound I enjoyed in their previous two albums.

Hopefully they figure it out for the next album, if there is one. I'll give them another shot because I know they can be great... If you are into metal, and into Christian rock, I have so far found few that can match their sound.

Some great songs and mutch more mainstream than usual........2007-01-13

A good CD with some great songs, usaully I like all there songs but with this one I only like about 70% which is more than most cds for most bands so still definitely a great CD.

Pillar evolves again.......2006-12-26

After listening to Fireproof, Where Do We Go From Here, and now the Reckoning, Pillar's tremendous evolution in the melodic metal genre becomes apparent. Going from generic rap-rock in Fireproof to the soaring choruses and intricate riffs of a band ascending beyond what was expected in WDWGFH, Pillar has now morphed into a mature and confident rock band that is unafraid to abrogate the suffocating taboos of hard rock. They are constantly on the move, one step ahead of where everyone is at the time, and have truly become trendsetters in hard rock.
It's hard to imagine any other band pulling off the hard-rocking, earth pounding, southern riffs of `The Reckoning' and then following it up with `Angel in disguise' with any credibility. But Pillar is so mature as a band, so unafraid to take risks, and confident in their vision, that there able to go from high voltage rock in `Crossfire' to a melodic song your mom could fall in love with in `Wherever the Wind Blows'. And that's the niche of this album, it shows a band constantly moving forward without deferring to convention or expectations. That they can put together an album with such diversity as `The Reckoning' and not be laughed off the face of the earth, is a testament to that. Pick this album up, its definitely one of the year's ten best.

Average customer rating:

give it a few listens
The album that made me an Ani fan
politically apathetic fans' rantings
A very mixed bag...
Give the jazz shtick a rest Ani

Revelling/Reckoning
Ani DiFranco
Manufacturer: Righteous Babe
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Evolve
Dilate
To The Teeth
Up Up Up Up Up Up
Educated Guess

ASIN: B000059XKZ
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Tracks:

Ain't That the Way
O.K.
Garden of Simple
Tamburitza Lingua
Marrow
Heartbreak Even
Harvest
Kazoointoit
Whatall Is Nice
What How When Where Why Who
Fierce Flawless
Rock Paper Scissors
Beautiful Night Reckoning

Tracks:

Your Next Bold Move
This Box Contains...
Reckoning
So What
Prison Prism
Imagine That
Flood Waters
Grey
Subdivision
Old Old Song
Sick of Me
Don't Nobody Know
School Night
That Was My Love
Revelling
In Here

Amazon.com

As she has become both indie icon and industry force, Ani DiFranco has grown more unpredictable, savvy, and restless with every release. On this sumptuously packaged double set, DiFranco often pours her brutally personal and political images into summery, horn-based jazz arrangements--Maceo Parker even takes one gorgeously funky sax solo--and yet somehow still keeps the focus on her own minimalist guitar and vulnerable, emotionally strung-out voice. Her jittery, jazzy phrasing deconstructs the pleasure and poison of her lyrics, so that even vicious lines like "our culture is just a roughneck / teenage jerk / with a bottle of pills / and a bottle of booze" resonate beyond easy condemnation. This is a dark, brooding, but ultimately cathartic work of confessional art. On nearly every track, DiFranco pursues the kind of defenseless honesty and personal vision that few other performers today would dare. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

give it a few listens.......2006-04-09

i love this album. at first, it sounded quite a bit like elevator music. it takes a few extra listens, i think, to really unfold it. but once you do, it's a feast for the ears and soul.

The album that made me an Ani fan.......2005-07-10

I enjoyed Ani's sound before Revelling/Reckoning was released, but I was not a serious fan. After several albums, her folky sound was starting to bore me... even the live releases were becoming mundane. After several jam sessions, spoken word rants, and live guitar strum tantrums, I started to wonder, "Is this the only thing that such an innovative musician is willing to experiment with? When is Ani going to put a spin on her sound?"

Then I heard Revelling/Reckoning, and got what I wanted with songs like "O.K." and "Heartbreak Even." The horns and flute create a fabulous blend with Ani's style of guitar playing. I was pleasantly surprised with the sophistication of the music. It sounded like a sweet fusion of jazz and folk, not an experiment gone wrong.

I find it appalling that so many Ani fans have looked down upon this album with contempt. It is fresh, funky, and still full of the things that Ani fans love about her...

Fierce Flawless brings you back to the "righteous babe" feeling that Ani's music tends to induce. Marrow is there for those of us who appreciate Ani's ability to twist and mold the English language like play-dough.

Obviously, Revelling is my favorite CD out of the pair, but both pieces of the album compliment each other. Ani DiFranco is a very talented musician. Revelling/Reckoning was a bold step away from her "norm", but it was a step in the right direction.

politically apathetic fans' rantings.......2004-07-09

what is it with these people reviewing ani's albums and bitching about ani's left-wing politics and how that makes the albums go from great to just good?!?!

other than her great song-writing ability and ultra-personal lyrics that strike a chord with listeners, what makes ani ani is her unapologetic criticisms of mainstream and conservative politics...... i dont think she'd appreciate knowing that some of her "fans" are apparently politically apathetic and complacent.... It's one thing if you don't agree with her politics, but the impression i get from these reviewers is that they'd rather live in a self-imposed bubble where they can view life through rose-colored glasses. if you want that go listen to avril lavigne or someone equally as vapid.

other than that though i am one of those people that prefers her earlier stuff. I dont think she pulls of this jazz/fusion direction she's taking, there aren't hooks to the songs and her lyrics just don't carry the same punch that they used to.

A very mixed bag..........2004-05-09

This album contains everything that I love about Ani diFranco. And everything that infuriates me about her.

Let's start with the bad news: the unadulteralted rinky-dink left-wing whining is in full force here. "Your Next Bold Move" is SO full of potential, but it alternates thoughtful writing with drivel about the plague of Reagan and Bush or the left wing being broken or... god, I don't know, just a lot of political ranting that diFranco doesn't even try to dress up as art. And much later comes "Subdivision," which starts out "White people are so afraid of Black people that..." Gee, thanks. Tell me something I don't know...

But then -- bam! Interspersed with this self-indulgent political nonsense are some of the greatest lyrics my ears have ever had the pleasure of hearing. "Garden of Simple" and "School Night" just blow me away; she must have sold her soul to come up with those metaphors. The "back" button on my car's CD player is now worn out because I repeat these two songs so frequently. And then there are so many other great images scattered throughout the rest of the album ("her Picasso face twisted..." is a favorite).

Ani, how could you sing a line like "you are a party and I am a school night," such a sweet, simple and PERFECT metaphor, and then give me drivel like white people are so cared of black people that white people have to live in subdivisions? AAARGH.

But still: you have to respect this woman. If I had nuts, I'd give my left one to be half the writer she is.

SO: GET THIS CD. Then master your own version, and treasure it forever. The really good stuff here should fit easily on one CD. And, oh, that one CD should have "School Night" and "Garden of Simple" twice each.

Give the jazz shtick a rest Ani.......2004-04-12

I am a huge fan of mid-career Ani. Out of Range through To the Teeth were brillant albums. I think that the success that she enjoyed cultivating the funky side of To the Teeth (probably with the help of others) gave her an inflated impression of the scope of her abilities. She is not a jazz musician and the music that she creates when she is trying to be jazzy/funky just plain sucks.

None of the songs are catchy. The feeble moaning of horns at strange and inopportune times are irritating. The lyrics are occassionally interesting but not what they used to be. The arrangement of the music is amateurish. She could handle a couple of guitars, bass, drums and vocals but she is in way over her head with the jazz ensemble.

In short I think that this album has few, if any, redeeming features. I will proceed with caution with Ani in the future. If she pulls another one of these she will be off of my instant-buy list.

Edge of Night
Average customer rating:

The Best Bargain in the Bin!!

Ditto!

Country music from the edge of the blues

Edge of Night
Mike Henderson
Manufacturer: Dead Reckoning
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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First Blood

Thicker Than Water

Thicker Than Water

Silver Lining

Country Music Made Me Do It

ASIN: B0000021VM
Release Date: 2006-03-20

Tracks:

I Wouldn't Lay My Guitar Down
Wherever You Are
Nobody's Fault But Mine
The Edge Of Night
One Foot In The Honky Tonk
This May Be The Last Time
You're So Square
Honky Tonk Vacation (Tribute To Waylon)
This Property Is Condemned
Take Me Back And Try Me
Drivin' Nails In My Coffin

Customer Reviews:

The Best Bargain in the Bin!!.......2007-06-29

Blues, country, rock, even a touch of soul. Tough to pigeon-hole this offering from Dead Reckoning alum Mike Henderson. Yup, I paid 1$ for this CD. And it is constantly in my computer drive at work, playing through windows media player and stunning co-workers as they walk by. Most want to know when Stevie Ray Vaughan decided to leave the grave and make another album. The playing on Edge of Night is tight and emotive and inventive. There's a raw, bar-room sound that gives this collection almost a live-in-concert feel. Pick a track, "When I Get Drunk" is the perfect opening to the music brawl, with nice guitar chops and beer suds hitting the floor. "Hip Shakin", "Pony Blues" and "Give Me Back My Wig" all have tung-in-cheek appeal, and guitar work that would make Dave Edmunds want to crawl back into the wreckage. This band of Dead Reckoners pulls off boogie-woogie, blues, swing, country, rock and a bit of soul without even flinching.

My editorial comment is this; why has the music industry gone off the deep end? Why doesn't good music like this ever make it to rock stations?
In the end you have to undergound to get the good stuff. And this heres the good stuff!

Ditto!.......2002-08-24

I was going to write a review of this CD but when I saw Redeye's review I realized that I couldn't say it better or even as well for that matter. Mike Henderson is unfortunately an unknown gem. Give his music a shot. ...

Country music from the edge of the blues.......2001-11-30

Mike Henderson's music is tough. It doesn't matter whether you call it "country" or "blues", this music has an edge to it as jagged as a broken beer bottle. That no one has reviewed this album before confirms one of my worst fears: the fear that there are a lot of great records out there that I'm not hearing. This is guitar music so unique, so down and dirty, so threatening that it should come with a warning label: Caution!
Not for those planning on inheriting the Earth.

Average customer rating:

Everyone in my family loves this CD.
The ONE Dead Album you need
Some Magical Nights for the Dead
Holy SMokes this is hot!
nice acoustic Dead

Reckoning
Grateful Dead
Manufacturer: Arista
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dead Set
Europe '72
From the Mars Hotel
Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses)
In the Dark

ASIN: B000002VF3
Release Date: 1990-11-27

Tracks:

Dire Wolf
The Race Is On
It Must Have Been The Roses
Dark Hollow
China Doll
Been All Around This World
Monkey And The Engineer
Jack-A-Roe
Deep Elem Blues
Cassidy
To Lay Me Down
Rosa Lee McFall
On The Road Again
Bird Song
Ripple

Amazon.com

This 1980 live acoustic collection may be off the beaten path, but it's a worthy addition for anyone who wants to explore the Dead's musical roots more thoroughly. Laced with folk, country, and bluegrass influences, Reckoning showcases Jerry Garcia's crisp acoustic flat picking as well as the band's warm vocal harmonies. Traditional blues and folk songs intermingle with an assortment of Dead originals, many of which are featured in reworked acoustic arrangements for the first time. For those familiar only with the intensity and endless groove of electric Dead, this pure, honest, heartfelt recording will be a revelation. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Everyone in my family loves this CD........2007-03-20

My mom is all into Bob Dylan, my Dad likes mostly just opera, my younger sister is into "emo" music. So the only Deadheads are me and my older sister. But that's cool, because EVERYONE loves this CD...buy it for your family, too!

This is on overlooked Dead gem...in my opinion, you should buy this over American Beauty. Reckoning is like American Beauty...with real depth and energy.

It has a wonderful warm sound to it, and I don't know what magic the producers worked on these soundboard recordings, but Jerry's guitar has a really sweet tone that I'll admit I have no found on any of the distributed concert recordings I've listened to. Songs like "To Lay Me Down" and "Ripple" will have an eternal effect on you...you will not be able to forget them.

Five stars, this is the Grateful Dead, live and at their best.

The ONE Dead Album you need.......2007-02-23

What more to say......if you are new to the Dead then look no further. This is about as good as it gets and shows just how good they really could be. If you're already a fan then you really got to have this one to complete the collection.

Some Magical Nights for the Dead.......2006-10-31

I own over 20 Grateful Dead Albums and this one is my favorite! With songs like "To Lay Me Down" and "It Must Have Been The Roses, this album show a little bit "softer" side of the dead, but it has a lot of nice upbeat tunes and jams as well.
I recommend the Remastered CD over this one, for the song "Heaven Help The Fool" if nothing else. It's one of those moments where they are just kind of playing around but it sounds so good.
-Also try "Europe 72" or "Hundred Year Hall" for some old GD classics.

Holy SMokes this is hot!.......2006-10-08

A live recording, acoustic geetars, tribal drumming, phil lesh, what esle could a head ask for? These are all very traditional tunes conjured into brilliant dead jams and garcia highlights. Besides actually attending these concerts at Radio City Hall in 1980 having this album is the next best thing.GOTO SHOWS!

I think that themes of murder, revenge and lost love are prominent on all the songs, except maybe moinkey and the engineer, a hilarious portrait of bobby weir. However the lyrics r only superficial to the music, the sounds of a band deeply exploring within itself are the highlights here. The sound on this album is one of the best of all the grateful dead albums, the other ones, american beauty and workingmans may have decent sound but just don't have upbeat tracks, the kind that can only be captured live. All in all this is the best Grateful Dead cd, not the best moment in music perhaps, but with the name grateful dead we give the tunes some here and there, ok!

nice acoustic Dead.......2006-03-10

This album is from their acoustic period of late 1980... another reviewer noted that the versions of the songs picked for this album aren't the best of that period. I agree with this fully, and was especially disappointed with the Ripple. But overall that's a minor criticism, as this album isn't merely a showcase for acoustic versions of their mainstream songs. Rather, what we see here is another side of the Dead (and Jerry especially) more in tune with folk/country roots. If you liked Jerry's later collaborations with Dave Grisman, you'll find plenty here to like. The sound quality here probably isn't as good as it could have been, but it's not distracting, and in fact has a nice warm tone that fits the music nicely. This title seems to be out of print, but is a nice find if you can dig it up somewhere.

Average customer rating:

"Slow Dance Songs by Pillar" - is the better title of this disappointing cd!!
PILLAR IS BACK BABY!
A Listenable Step Backwards From Where Do We Go From Here

The Reckoning
Pillar
Manufacturer: Flicker Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Comatose
Exit Lights
Scars Remain
End of Grey
Hearts of the Innocent

ASIN: B000I2JTES
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Tracks:

Awake
Everything
Last Goodbye
Resolution
The Reckoning
Wherever the Wind Blows
Tragedy
Chasing Shadows At Midnight
Sometimes
Crossfire
Angels In Disguise
When tomorrow comes
Elysian

Album Description

Customer Reviews:

"Slow Dance Songs by Pillar" - is the better title of this disappointing cd!!.......2006-10-31

Please, save your money and don't buy this piece of garbage. This cd is a joke. I really wanted to like this album because I like Pillar A LOT. To give it a fair trial, I have listened to it about 7 times now and I find myself skipping past most of the songs because they are so booooooooooooooooooooooooring. The "songs" are totally void of any good lyrics, solid Christian reference or musical quality. Who wrote these songs? One of the band members' kids?

Rather, buy "Fireproof" which is an all-out kick-butt album with plenty of hooks and emotion, and great lyrics. That album's follow-up "Where Do We Go From Here" was a little lower quality but still a very good album. "Reckoning" however, a deplorable release, is another HUGE step in the WRONG direction. Another reviewer had the same observations as me, but I will be a bit more honest. There is one great song, "Crossfire". "Everything" and "Reckoning" are pretty good but that does not make an album. The songs are just too darn slooooooooooow and filled with repetative cliche lyrics.

"Angel In Disguise" is another "Janie's Got A Gun" - clone song and who cares to hear that topic beat to death again? This song just flat out sucks and makes you want your money back. Another, "Chasing Shadows At Midnight" should have been called "Chasing A Good Musical Idea At Midnight" Come on guys, you can do better than this!!!

PILLAR IS BACK BABY!.......2006-10-12

PILLAR IS BACK BABY!!!
This cd is incredible!! I have listened to this for over 2 months as I got the stream earlier, and this will go down as 1 of if not the best christian rock cd of 2006. Buy this, even if you hate pillar, you will be fan for life after this cd, it's so diverse in every song, one slow, one fast, one super hard, one pop, you name it. BUY THIS CD!!

A Listenable Step Backwards From Where Do We Go From Here.......2006-10-06

Where Do We Go From Here? Apparently backwards.

The Reckoning is a bit above average compared to some of the more generic Nu Metal plaguing the Rock radio airways these days, but The Reckoning is far below the high standard that Pillar set with their 2004 release Where Do We Go From Here.

Gone are song after song of unique sounding, head bobbin', melodic, kick-ass, hard rock gems like Frontline, Dirty Little Secret, Underneath It All and Bring Me Down. Gone are standout tracks with intricate beats, intricate guitarwork and anthem choruses that you can sing along to.

In are songs where some you can't even tell the track has changed, the guitarwork is mediocre, and they mostly sound like all the other Nu Metal on the radio.

Pillar does indeed put together a listenable 13 songs. But "listenable" versus their last release's "rockin'" classification is a downgrade. Rob Beckley's singing in is mostly clear on The Reckoning and you can understand almost every word. However, in a shift from the last release, Rob uses an angry growl redundantly on the first 5 songs that seems really out of place.

The Reckoning is just absent of a really standout track, while Where Do We Go From Here was full of them. So all in all, The Reckoning is a disappointment for me...an average effort.

If you're new to Pillar, be sure to pick up Where Do We Go From Here with (or instead of) The Reckoning. Where Do We Go From Here Pillar fans will probably see what I mean; devoted fans will just give me a NO vote.

11/12/13: Live from Melbourne, Australia

Average customer rating:

Americana Music at it's best
A record is for the people who couldn't be there.
An unbeatable combination of talents
Plain good stuff!
Fine, fine Mythologists

11/12/13: Live from Melbourne, Australia
Kieran Kane & Kevin Welch
Manufacturer: Dead Reckoning
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

You Can't Save Everybody
Lost John Dean
Shadows on the Ground
Millionaire
Beneath My Wheels

ASIN: B00004TQTJ
Release Date: 2000-08-22

Tracks:

Intro
Something 'Bout You
Eight More Miles
While I Was Loving You
Four Questions
Train to Birmingham
Table Top Dancer
Life Down Here on Earth
If I Could Be There
Some Kind of Paradise
Ramblin' Man
Sam's Town
Town This Size
Wilson's Tracks
When We're Gone, Long Gone

Amazon.com

With singers and songwriters this involving and accomplished, a voice and a guitar will more than do. As two of Nashville's least compromising artists, Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch have mastered what it takes to make less count for more. On Welch's "While I Was Loving You," Kane provides percussion by squeaking his strings; on Kane's "If I Could Be There," the two sing over thumped guitars; and on the O'Kanes classic "When We're Gone, Long Gone," they harmonize like long lost friends. On these last two nights of their first Australian tour, they swap new and familiar songs with a no-frills intensity, nearly every performance transcending previous incarnations. John Hiatt's "Train to Birmingham" will never sound truer than in Welch's deeply scarred reading, while Kane's "Town This Size" now sounds like a pure country classic waiting to happen. In letting some of their finest songs speak for themselves, Kane and Welch have made a record of Spartan grace and understated but clear conviction. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Americana Music at it's best.......2007-04-04

This is a fantastic live album, and if you like singer/song writters and live you music you'll love this album. Just perfect!

The Mean Eyed Cat
KNON Radio 89.3
Dallas, Texas

A record is for the people who couldn't be there........2000-09-01

That quote is from the, well, let's call them liner notes of this CD. It really fits this CD well, this quote, because you feel like you are there. Experiencing every song and every breath with these two fabulously talented singer-songwriters. From "Something 'Bout You" to "When We're Gone, Long Gone" and every song in between, this CD shows the talent of these two. Kevin's rendition of the John Hiatt song "Train to Birmingham" may well be my favorite on this disc but every song is delivered perfectly. This album is ideal for savvy Americana fans as well as fans of those "writers nights" experienced in a listening room in Nashville. It showcases not only their songwriting skills but also their ability to deliver a stunning and meaningful performance as an artist. This album is truly simple in some ways but terribly complex in others and to write a review of such an album is a diffcult feat.

An unbeatable combination of talents.......2000-08-25

I had the good fortune to be present on one of the nights this CD was being recorded. It was a mesmerising experience for me and one of the best live performances I have ever had the privilege to be present at.

I have had this CD since April this year (it was released first in Australia to coincide with a return visit from Kieran and Kevin) and I have hardly had it off the CD player since. It's one of those timeless and constantly engaging disks that just keep on making an impression.

Kieran and Kevin were wonderful to see live together and this CD displays their remarkable talents for writing exceptional songs and supporting those songs with tasteful instrumentality, as each of them accompanies the other turn about.

Acoustic music is very much my favourite kind of music, and Keiran and Kevin take it to new heights on this CD - the playing is quite exquisite.

It is really hard to choose favorite tracks on this CD as all the tracks have merit and are rendered with taste and (after all) are such good songs in themselves.

If you like good acoustic music with interesting songs, sung by voices that are individual and arresting, I think you would like this CD

Plain good stuff!.......2000-08-25

First off, I have to say I am much more familiar with Kevin Welch's material than I am Kieran Kane's, but suffice it to say they work very well together in this bare-bones live acoustic setting that took place in November 12th and 13th of last year (1999) in Australia. It's two singer/songwriters who display their hearts and souls to the listener. It all comes up trumps, because it's all played with NO pretension and NO gimmickry. It's two guys, their guitars and their songs. I particularly like Kevin's "Something About You", "Life Down Here On Earth", the amazing story-telling of "Some Kind Of Paradise" and the fantastic reading of John Hiatt's "Train To Birmingham." Among Kieran's, I like "Eight More Miles", "If I Could Be There", and, especially "When We're Gone, Long Gone."

I wish Kevin had played something from his most recent album, "Beneath My Wheels", but I can't complain too much. This is really good stuff, especially in an age of OVERproduction and studio wizardry it's VERY NICE to hear what's really most important anyway: it's what it always comes down to in the end: the SONGS!

......and well, these guys get it done right. So, enough's enough! What are you waiting for? Dig in everyone........

Fine, fine Mythologists.......2000-08-25

Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch are two of the finest -- well, "singer-songwriters" is much-too-ordinary a term for these two, so I'll have to borrow a phrase from Carter & Grammer, who claim to play "postmodern mythic American music" -- two of the finest mythologists making American music today.

They are two of the members of the renegade Dead Reckoners collective in Nashville who are dedicated to singing "country music" their way, which does not sound much like Music Row. On this CD, recorded live last autumn in Melbourne, each man takes a turn singing a song, then accompanying the other. None of the songs here are new to people who already know their repetiore, but then, I don't have to preach to the choir.

Kevin is the one with the Oklahoma accent (gen-u-ine). Here he sings "Something 'Bout You" and "While I Was Loving You", up-tempo love tunes that he wrote, and also John Hyatt's "Train To Birmingham" (see if you don't get goosebumps while listening). His own songs "Some Kind of Paradise" and "Wilson's Tracks" are story songs with "edge". I'm very up on Kevin Welch's music. He has the trinity of qualities that make for a lasting musical performer -- great voice, great guitar and GREAT songs.

Kieran, who was half of "The O'Kane's" band some years back, covers his own song (John Prine did the "famous" version) of "In A Town This Size", and does an impressive version of Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man".

They like to joke that together they are a lot like Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin. That's not true. But it's funny.

The notable thing about this CD project is that while it sounds LIVE -- you hear Kevin clear his throat, for instance, and you hear them talk off-mic to the crowd -- it SOUNDS GREAT. No mud, no screeching, no boomyness.

I'm pretty sure if you buy this CD, you will want Welch & Kane's whole catalog. I know I do.

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