A pro-CD-R with embossed label and slick-stock, full-color photocopied artwork (2-panel insert, 1-panel tray). As this was recorded on the Think Visual tour, one should approach it (with apologies to Monty Python) like one would an Australian wine - assume it arrives with a warning along the lines of, "Artistic nadir ahead, proceed with caution." For hardcore Kinks fans, though, the sound is outstanding, taken from a King Biscuit Flower Hour FM broadcast (see some elaboration on this below). Interestingly, a prior CD-R boot entitled simply Chicago Gig (on the GC label) included a slightly different tracklisting, adding "Working At The Factory" and "Think Visual" while omitting "Lost and Found," "20th Century Man," and " 'Til the End of the Day." Now, while sniffing around the Web for some Kinks info, I came across a site that had a review of the show - or, more accurately, a review of the live simulcast of the show. It's worth reproducing here, since the additional info on setlist matters might help you decide if this is something you'd want to purchase or if you'd prefer to simply locate someone that can make a copy of the entire broadcast for you. To wit: "This show was taped for the King Biscuit Flour Hour, which eventually broadcast 17 of the 21 songs played that night. But the show was also simulcast on a Chicago station, and the tape of the whole thing is an improvement on the King Biscuit show. For one thing, the sound is better. It's in stereo, and the King Biscuit tapes I've heard are more or less in mono. Also, and possibly as a result of better stereo separation, Dave's guitar is much more prominent, which is another improvement. And there's much more chit-chat between the songs, some of it pretty amusing. The Riviera is apparently a small place, and perhaps as a result, Ray drops some of his 'arena' routines. (He doesn't shout 'huh' at all, for instance.) The playing is really good -- to my ears, they're more energetic than they were in 1985, at least in the August-September tour. The one drawback is that several of the 'standards' -- Do It Again, Low Budget, State of Confusion, a few others -- are played a bit too fast for my taste. Three of the five new songs from Think Visual sound very good: Lost and Found, Working at the Factory, and Video Shop. And while we're on the subject, Video Shop is one of the four songs omitted from the King Biscuit broadcast; the others are Misfits, The Hard Way, and A Gallon of Gas. If you already have the King Biscuit show on tape, it's a tossup whether you'll want the whole show. It really is an improvement, but whether it's worth the trouble is your call." LIVEWIRE # LW 019 |
