(Steamhammer) Total Time: 97:10
I have been anxiously expecting this release for many months now and I cannot describe to you the happiness I felt and the impatience I had to hear it, when I was given this album to review it. Fine, I admit it I am biased! FU MANCHU are one of my all time favourite bands and to me one of the three best heavy rock bands that the 90’s produced (the other two being KYUSS and MONSTER MAGNET). Biased I may be, but there is one thing unanimously agreed about FU MANCHU: Every one that has ever seen them on stage can assure you that they their songs sound better and with more volume when played live (i.e. they are a kind of MOTORHEAD phenomenon to put it otherwise) and this explains in a big part the impatience I had to listen to this recording. Well, to the point: Scott Hill and his gang after six studio albums, one EP and various singles (most of which were included in the “Return to Earth” early singles collection), decided to record a double live CD during the tour for their last studio album “California Crossing”(in particular this live was recorded on two live shows in California and Stockholm). This by itself is a very significant event for doom/stoner and heavy rock fans, as neither MONSTER MAGNET nor KYUSS have ever released a live album (both have occasionally included a few live songs in single b-sides though). Yet, before even pressing the “play” button in my CD player I had a smile on my face. And that was because I had already seen the playlist, shown in the back cover. FU MANCHU did themselves justice, and to us a favour, and included songs from even their earliest studio albums creating a playlist representing as evenly as possible their career. The 22 songs included in this double CD are representative and as far as I am concerned excellent choices and probably as close as it gets to what their fans would want, although if I had a choice I would prefer a triple CD (he-he!). To the music now or better their live performance, since all songs are known and to me all are diamonds. Well, I can safely say that this live CD is successful in capturing the live atmosphere of the band. FU MANCHU in the 97 minutes of this double album deliver their fuzzy-heavy-groovy-riff rock unstoppably in the way that only they can, and they do so remarkably well. The sound is top-notch, their volume is HUGE, their performance is super, and they really succeed in transferring their feeling-just-fine attitude in this live. Just listen to songs like “Ojo Rojo”, “Asphalt Rising”, “Hell on Wheels”, “Boogie Van”, “Anodizer” (with the drum solo) or their unbelievably heavy (heavier than Godzilla himself!) masterwork cover version of BLUE OYSTER CULT’s classic “Godzilla” and you will understand. Even the songs from “California Crossing”, which was more polished and digestible than their previous albums, are so much heavier, rawer, massive and closer to the classic FU MANCHU, which makes them many times better than the studio versions! Concluding, this is a must for all stoner and heavy rock fans (FU MANCHU fans will buy it anyway) and an extremely good opportunity for those fans of heavy metal and heavy rock that are not familiar with the band to experience the phenomenon called FU MANCHU. Time will tell, but for me this live album is already up there with AC/DC’s “If You Want Blood…” and MOTORHEAD’s “No Sleep ‘till Hammersmith”, but then again as I said I am biased so better have a listen and decide for yourselves about that. It’s a good thing we do not rate live albums cause I am sure I would run out of skulls (marks)!
