post reviews for SFBM here Options

[Wambangalang]

If anyone finds a review for the album post it, this way we can get an idea of how the album is recieved if anyone cares about that. I found two, one alright, one bad.

http://www.xpressmag.com.au/archives/cd_reviews/

http://www.theage.com.au/news/cd-reviews/s...4521394712.html

enjoy!

[Denmark]

http://gaffa.dk/anmeldelser/view.php/mrevi...ist_focus=19128
It's in danish so I suppose most of you don't understand it but they got 3 out of 6 stars and the rewiew is positive.

[NectarDan]

Here's one that was posted on the Illout boards...
__________________________________________

There's nothing more disappointing than slipping a new album on and loving the first thing you hear, only to be unenthused by what follows.

Live's seventh album fires up with the catch first single, "The River", a gentle, three-minute gem that promises so much for the remaining 40-odd minutes of "Songs from Black Mountain". Unfortunately, it doesn't deliver, and coasts at a mundance pace.

When Live arrived on the mainstream rock platform in the early 1990s, it was all about raw, emotion-charged energy, combined with aggressive guitars and killer choruses led by Ed Kowalczyk's superrb pipes.

But the warning bells chimed with the last album, V, when the band inexplicadbly ventured towards fusing some hip-hop with it's brand of rock. The album was a dud. Even worse this time, with a new promises of a new beginning and all, frontman Ed and cohorts have dived smack into the middle of a chunk of cheese.

With more listens come more annoying moments, a la Bon Jovi in "Where Do We Go From Here?" as Ed sings: "I wanted a mountain/You gave me a sea/I wanted a hurricana/You gave me a breeze", and Creed as spiritual Ed spreads his wings, er, arms wide open with face to the sky in "Wings": "The weight that lays on your shoulders/Could be the wings that carry you home".

That's not all.

In "Sofia" comes the defining moment of lyrical brutality: "I need ya/Like a junkie needs a vein" (Jovi again, anybody?).

Then, in a blatant case of scurrying about in an old bag of tricks, the Live lads keep the cliche count ticking by serving up "Home", yet another average anti-war song doing the rounds.

Ed claims his explored the ideas of "personfying my creative energy as females in the songs" for this, if that's the case, Ed, can you stop being a girl and bring black the bloke?

-Scott Podmore
Two stars. Sunday Herald Sun, April 16.

[NectarDan]

Ed and cohorts have dived smack into the middle of a chunk of cheese.

Gotta admit that that's a good one.

[NectarDan]

Here is a review that someone forwarded me from Melbourne's Herald Sun a few days ago...
___________________________________

For a band that goes all out to be uplifting, there's nothing like listening to the latest Live CD to bring you down. Fifteen years after they emerged, the days of their "idealistic chest-beating being married to a good rock tune" are long gone. In fact, giving Live the title "rock band" is even a tad generous these days - Black Mountains vapid, over-produced excuse for guitar rock is enough to make James Blunt sound raw. But more than anything, it's Ed Kowalczyk's lyrics that turn up the ewww factor. Hearing him growl: "Darlin' I'll show you free" on Show is lose-your-lunch material.

The Verdict: half a star
In a word: repellent

Neala Johnson

[seriakiLLa]

This is in German, and the review isn't nice..

http://laut.de/lautstark/cd-reviews/l/live...ntain/index.htm

[Costakoui]

These reviews, though presented as official (whatever that means), do not say anything at all to me. By any means, they cannot be objective reviews that have their own reality. Instead, some individuals who either like Live or not have evaluated the album based upon their own preferences, biases and expectations. We all have done so in this forum. To me, arguing that the new album is horrible is a horrible review.

[Maggie]

These reviews, though presented as official (whatever that means), do not say anything at all to me. By any means, they cannot be objective reviews that have their own reality. Instead, some individuals who either like Live or not have evaluated the album based upon their own preferences, biases and expectations. We all have done so in this forum. To me, arguing that the new album is horrible is a horrible review.

Wise words!! !!!!

[Costakoui]

With more listens come more annoying moments, a la Bon Jovi in "Where Do We Go From Here?" as Ed sings: "I wanted a mountain/You gave me a sea/I wanted a hurricana/You gave me a breeze", and Creed as spiritual Ed spreads his wings, er, arms wide open with face to the sky in "Wings": "The weight that lays on your shoulders/Could be the wings that carry you home".

That's not all.

In "Sofia" comes the defining moment of lyrical brutality: "I need ya/Like a junkie needs a vein" (Jovi again, anybody?).

WDWGFH? and Sofia al Bon Jovi.... hum... That's interesting. I used to be a big fan of Bon Jovi (and Def Leppard) before I discovered Live in 1998-99 when I realized the crap I was listening to. Sofia and WDWGFH? as well as most of the songs off SFBM have nothing to do with Bon Jovi sound or lyrics. Such comments show to me that these people who review SFBM have no idea what they are talking about.

[edstipe]

Although I strongly enjoy SFBM myself, these reviews make it pretty clear where Live stands in the realm of music as a whole right now.

You can argue that these people don't know what they're talking about, but hey, for the most part they're people who are paid to write reviews, and they probably wouldn't have a job if they honestly had no clue as to the current state of music.

If the international reviews are this harsh, I'm scared to see what American reviews will say about the album (if it ever comes out, of course).

[alexou]

Don't think you're gonna have good reviews in the US. This will be tough.

I didn't write a review of SFBM, but I understand most of the review. What a listener can do else than complaining when they skip from Lakini's Juice/ Where Fishes go to SFBM. Reviewers don't usually like easy pop albums. We talked about it earlier, but SFBM is a pop album for me.

Remember at the time, SS and TDTH were not that much well received. At least they received some good reviews. Since V, I saw a couple, but they didn't receive a lot of "good job boys"!!

They deserve it. Really sad to say it. I still enjoy listening all the album, but ojectively, I would never, on a reviewer perspective, be able to write a good review of BOP and SFBM. It would be close for V though.

Alex

[seriakiLLa]

If you get bad reviews all over, then something must be really wrong.

And let's think about it. Not all, but most of the reviewers probably would be those who have reviewed Live before. In a way, they would have an idea of what they are talking about, and they would be reviewing this new material based on what they think Live is and was capable of.

Personally though, after a lot of listens, I still maintain my original impression that SFBM is a progression from V and BOP. Nothing awesome, but still, there is a pattern of progression.

This post has been edited by seriakiLLa: Apr 21 2006, 10:50 am

[SJN1279]

Reviews usually mean nothing. Just look at the films that are up for an Oscar. Usually they are the experiemental crap films that nobody wants to see. Reviewers usually like weird crap.

Remember Billboard gave "The River" an outstanding review. Said it was a single on par with Lightning Crashes and The Dolphin's Cry. I agreed with the review, but the single flopped in the US.

[Jennyfoo]

Here is a review that someone forwarded me from Melbourne's Herald Sun a few days ago...
___________________________________

For a band that goes all out to be uplifting, there's nothing like listening to the latest Live CD to bring you down. Fifteen years after they emerged, the days of their "idealistic chest-beating being married to a good rock tune" are long gone. In fact, giving Live the title "rock band" is even a tad generous these days - Black Mountains vapid, over-produced excuse for guitar rock is enough to make James Blunt sound raw. But more than anything, it's Ed Kowalczyk's lyrics that turn up the ewww factor. Hearing him growl: "Darlin' I'll show you free" on Show is lose-your-lunch material.

The Verdict: half a star
In a word: repellent

Neala Johnson

wow, thats brutal.

over produced! That's the words i've been searching for!

[wynken_de]

Well, with all these negative reviews and all, SFBM was still picked as the CD of the week by the online store www.cdon.com Good news for a change!