Live Monsters

by

Big Head Todd & the Monsters

Edit

Ever buy a CD and think "why did I buy this?" afterwards? Having not been a big fan of BHTM before I bought this album, that's exactly what I thought. However, it only took a few listens and I was hooked. This album is fantastic! Especially if you like the blues or old-time rock & roll. The music selection comes primarily from three of the band's studio albums but what makes it work is the energy they generate in the performances. Simply awesome. Todd Park Mohr's guitar work is excellent and Squires and Nevin's rhythm section is fantastic. The backup singer has a voice like a church organ. If you are a fan of John Lee Hooker, Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits, or Blues Traveler you should give this album a shot.

EDIT: It's been four years since I wrote my original review and I felt a need to to add this thought: this is one of a handful of albums that I have encountered in my life that I would rate with 6 stars if it were an option. It's THAT good. There is not another album on the planet that I could recommend more.

This is the kind of album that would rank about 7 out of 10. It is very good.

When you start to listen to Big Head Todd and the Monsters, it's the tinge of the delicate guitar work that affects you first. This album is no exception, as "Bittersweet," the band's largest hit, starts things off in a slow, patient groove.

As the collection moves, the songs begin to alternate between delicately laid-out blues tracks and crunching numbers like "Circle" and "Resignation Superman."

Inside all of it, Todd Park Mohr hurtles a certain beauty and dignity into all the songs, from the doomed but breathing relationship tale of "Bittersweet" to the angry and pained "Resignation Superman."

There are many songs that leave you singing along hours later, "It's Alright" and "Tangerine." There are songs that leave you spellbound by their hooks, "Bittersweet" and "Circle."

There are also a host of groove tunes that aren't much more than passable, "Vincent of Jersey" and "Leaving Song."

All in all, it is still more than worth a listen, though, showing what a good rock band does best, play guitar loud, play drums loud, play bass loud, and play them all well.