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Live At Massey Hall

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I received my (signed) copy Wednesday morning, so pretty good turn-around (though I live pretty close to Toronto, so that only makes sense).

 

I was also at the concert, which as awesome!

 

Having said that, it was mostly awesome because I got to see Matt play. The biggest problem with hiring professional supporting musicians in that way is that they are playing the notes, not the music. So many of Matt's songs have a really strong emotional attachment, and a lot of that just failed to come through in the concert.

 

In particular, I wasn't very impressed with the lead-/slide-guitarist. He was an excellent technical player, but he just plain lacked the emotion required. As a prime example, take a listen to the recording of 'Blue Skies Over Bad Lands'; it is utterly and completely dry!

 

Oh well, at least we got a full-band tour again; it's hard to compete with nostalgia =P

 

-Aikon

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Yes! I was lucky enough to get a copy of this cd thanks to a Walmart a couple towns over actually having it and my mother getting it for me as an early Christmas present. It was the only copy they had from what I saw so I'm glad to have been able to get it. I have only listened to the samples on iTunes at this point but I'll probably listen to it in full on Monday.

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id have to agree, partially, though wether it was matts best voice, is really his opinion.

 

the solo matthew good songs, were great, and soem og the MGB songs, like blue skies over bad lands, were amazing. but giant, and load me up, though a classic.

 

could have been better switched with fine art of falling apart, smoke and mirrors, tripoli, the kind of songs in a live performance i would kill to see, do to their acoustic properties, that only can be sung in a accoustic version, like matts i, throw away on youtube...ive lost track of wear i was going with this, but ya, thats what i think.

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I just got mine today. I haven't had the opportunity to listen to anything until now. I've just come back from hearing these songs live in the past 3 days, so I'm comparing (perhaps unfairly), but I find the sound to be quite hollow on the CD. There isn't enough "push" for lack of a better way to describe it. I don't think the audio is loud enough for some of the instruments. The drums in particular seem lacking to me. It's not the skill of the drummer, but the recording. I guess I'm just used to bootlegs...they're far less polished, but they better capture the volume and scale of the live performance than this clean finished product.

I've only listened to it twice through. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have it and it might grow on me, but these are my initial thoughts. Anyone else have a similar feeling and perhaps a better way to describe it?

 

*edit*

It sounds great in the car. Perhaps it's the all-encompassing sound that does it. Or perhaps I need a better home stereo...

Edited by Nearfantastica
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I've been listening to the album on a pair of Shure SE110 earbuds and the songs sound flawless. Unforunately, after listening to each of the songs, the album versions just sound dull to me. Great album though!

 

One complaint I do have with it is the case. It's so flimsy and small, I wish it would have come in a standard jewel case.

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Kachapman89:

One complaint I do have with it is the case. It's so flimsy and small, I wish it would have come in a standard jewel case.

 

I like the cardboard digipack cases, but not so keen when the CD/DVD is secured in a paper sleeve. My copy of "An Inconvenient Truth" is all scratched up a bit cuz you gotta slide it out of a tight paper sleeve.

 

But this packaging doesn't seem quite that bad.

Edited by Moonlight_Graham
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It just doesn't seem like the case is supposed to last. Once I get my copy (I only saw a copy in the store and downloaded the album off of iTunes) I'm sure I'll just rip it and put it away.

 

It just looks so cheaply produced, which is a shame since I'd imagine Matthew Good would be one of the top canadian artists, almost every time I turn on the radio I hear a song of his.

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I bought the first side on iTunes when it first came out last month and then picked up the hard copy cds a couple days ago.

 

I think that the recording is pretty good. It might a little bit more polished than I would like, I guess I just wanted more crowd noise and atmosphere on the recordings. Although that could just be because the crowd wasn't very loud that night (I know it wasn't a loud crowd at the show I was at). Also I know Matt said that the crowd mics failed, that was why they had to add his voice from the previous night to the chorus of Automatic, that might have something to do with the lack of crowd noise during the songs.

 

To me the best songs are the Hospital Music songs. I think the best preformances on there are Champions, Single Explosion, Black Helicopter, 99% and She's In It for the Money. It's funny because some of those songs weren't my favourite of the studio recordings but I love these live versions. The older MGB songs on there don't seem to have as much emotion put into them, but I guess that is partly because they are pretty much all standard singles. I think Giant and Apparitions are great though, Weapon and Avalanche are also stellar. Overall I think its a great live album. Although it was be nice if Matt toured not in support of any one album, played some more obscure songs and then made a live album out of that.

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This album just solidifies something I'm nagged with every time I see Matt live: I hate his setlists. On this album, I despise Weapon, Apparitions, Load Me Up and Strange Days. I just don't like those songs. I'm also very apathetic towards HTB, Devil's in Your Details, Put Out Your Lights, Everything is Automatic and True Love.

 

So I really don't enjoy like 3/4 of this album. What's good is amazing, but the songs which form the reasons why I love Matt Good aren't the songs he plays at concerts, so...yeah.

Edited by Prometheon
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I am looking forward to a day when Apparitions doesn't make the setlist. I've seen 48 shows, and only one of them without Apparitions. It was supposed to be in the set, but he got his teeth knocked out and never made it to that song. I realize that Apparitions is *the* song, and it's the song people pay to see, but someday....just maybe, he'll shock the hell out of the audience and not play it. I hope I'm there to see it.

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You have to admit though, as he's playing it over the years, it's evolved quite well. When he plays it accoustic, it has such a sparse, emotive feel to it.

 

You know Owen, there were several songs I would have liked to have heard at the show, and on the disc...but all in all, I'm extremely pleased with it. The arrangements for a lot of these songs, take on a life of their own over time. Let's be honest, just like playing Apparitions live, he couldn't release a live disc without a lot of those tracks on it.

 

Nearfantastica, it definitely sounds better when you can surround yourself with the sound. The system I have in the van, makes it feel like you're front row center.

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Oh, I agree 100% with you guys. No ill will to Matt. Personally though, I just find it a shame that I don't enjoy most of his "popular" songs.

Yeah you pretty much suck. Just joking.

 

I like the songs on the disc, he's gotta put in the hits. And of course, there's always a few songs i'd rather have in there.

 

Not a huge fan of The Devil's In Your Details, and Odette is just "ok", but thats just me nitpicking.

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Hehe, love this line from the second review: "Matthew Good Live at Massey Hall is the methadone for my live concert habit."

 

And I liked the Ottawa Sun's "Welcome back, Matt" (aww) even though it is just a blurb.

 

Did anyone read the favorable Vancouver Sun review Matt mentioned? I looked for it on their website and couldn't find it. (Or when Matt said The Sun did he actually mean The Ottawa Sun?)

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