The Birthday Party remain as unsettling and boundary-pushing today as they did when they disbanded The Boys Next Door.
Even die-hard fans can admit the mixing on the studio albums can bury the nuances and fine details that made the band so special. This remaster of select European shows in the early '80s is carefully crafted by Howard and Harvey to bring the crushing anxiety of the drug-fuelled ramblings of Cave and the dissonant tones of Rowland S Howard's guitar to the forefront without ever compromising on edge.
The production quality breathes new life into the catalogue of one of the best bands of all time, all the while showing the ferocious live prowess they developed after moving to England and becoming notorious for violent and egregious shows. Tracey Pew's bass yields deeper and richer tones with Mick Harvey's percussion sounding thunderous and crisp.
See opener 'Junkyard' for the yelps of Cave, to the creeping murder of '6" Inch Blade' and the closing cover of 'Funhouse' which marks the wheels falling off the 19 song ride that hides beneath the simple title of 'Live 81-82'.
By far one of the best live albums we have ever heard, from one of our favourite bands of all time.
'Live 81-82' Available in Store Now
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