I ran across this disc on eBay and bought it straight away. I won't tell you how much I paid because it's quite a bit for one used CD. Especially this one. Don't get me wrong, I love this album, but it's not up to the standard you're normally accustom to with E6.
This is a live concert set performed by The Wildbunch back on November 26, 1997 at The Gold Dollar in Detroit according to the insert. What makes this release so interesting is the fact I get to hear one of my favorite bands of all time when they were first starting out. I get to hear the live progression of their sound. I also get to hear a bunch of early songs they didn't use when they changed their name and started releasing as Electric Six. Some of these songs survived but many of them didn't.
Dick Valentine delivers another inspired performance and you can hear him commit to the material just as strongly then as he does today. This is a vocalist who does more than just sing. He adopts a persona and performs not just as a singer, but as a character. His ability to completely transform himself is one of the most amazing qualities an artist can have. He leaves the pretentiousness and pomp of Dick Valentine on the stage when he's not performing and becomes one of the most genuine human beings you'll ever meet. It's inspiring.
There are a few covers included in this set. The first is 'The Model' by Kraftwerk. A most unusual song to find on this record, but one I think is also pretty cool. It's followed a couple tracks later by Alice Cooper's 'Clones (We're All)'. Another great number performed here. The Verve Pipe's 'The Freshman' is performed acoustically by Dick sort of as a joke. Earlier in the set, he tells the crowd if they don't get $100 in merch sales, he's going to perform the song and because they fail to make the target, he does the tune. First off, it's a great cover, Dick does an excellent job, I don't know why it would be so horrible to hear him perform it and seriously, I drop $100 bucks just by myself at the merch table when I see them perform. It should also be mentioned, it's not listed on the tracklist even though it has a dedicated track on the disc. Meaning, the tracklist on the album cover lists 22 songs but there are 23 on the disc. I'm guessing it's because they didn't have the rights for the song. But that's just a wild guess.
Discogs.com lists 'I'm A Demon' as a cover and I had to look it up because it seems like such a perfect E6 title to me. However, it seems it is Roky Erickson's track, 'I'm A Demon' is from his 1986 album, "Gremlins Have Pictures". I listened to his version on Youtube and it's definitely a cover. Darn it. Great tune.
There's a lot of Greatest Hits material here from Electric Six's first record, "Fire" including the international smash hit, 'Gay Bar'. So much to consume and consider. A lot of this material ended up on "Fire" or subsequent albums. Some of the tracks ended up as single b-sides. A few of them show up in demo form on "Sexy Trash" and some of them just sorta disappear into the ether.
This isn't a highly polished live outing. It's a rough and hard explosion of a band cutting its teeth and paying its dues. The songs are super short and there are a couple obvious cuts letting you know without a doubt, you aren't getting the full show. I'm not sure how many songs they actually played that night, but this is amazing for a young band. This is an epic moment in the development and history of one of America's greatest Independent bands. And a true treasure! My final words: ONE OF MY PRIZED MUSICAL POSSESSIONS! EXCELLENT GLIMPSE INTO EARLY ELECTRIC SIX!
THE WILDBUNCH - DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE ROBOT LIVE AT THE GOLD DOLLAR
01. Nuclear War (On The Dance Floor)
02. Speak English
03. Naked Pictures
04. The Model
05. Computer
06. The Ballade Of MC Sucka DJ
07. Clones
08. Immolate Me
09. Taxi To Nowhere
10. Don't Be Afraid Of The Robot
11. Breaking Up
12. I'm On Acid
13. R U Afraid Of The Devil?
14. Meat The Band
15. I Am The Knife
16. I Am Detroit
17. I Lost Control (Solo)
18. The Freshman
19. I'm A Demon
20. Tiny Little Men
21. Take Off Your Clothes
22. Gay Bar
23. I Know Karate
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