REVIEW: Various Artists, Live From 6A (Mercury)
- Joann D. Ball
Conan O'Brien has an ear for music - and that's no joke! As the disc jacket suggests, Live From 6A is a collection of "great musical performances" from "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." This live music sampler includes some of today's best artists, others who are now enjoying frequent radio airplay and a few alternative music pioneers. The 12-track collection is the perfect introduction to a wide range of artists, and stands on its own as a cohesive live record.
The incredible audio production quality of Live From 6A puts the performers up front and center to such a degree that actually seeing the bands would be a distraction. The emotion and humor which colors Ani DiFranco's concerts is captured on "Shameless," the record opener. DiFranco's is the rare track here that includes crowd reactions during the performance-crowd noise is kept to a minimum on the collection with applause usually introducing and closing the songs. But there is nothing, however, to distinguish Matthew Sweet 's brilliant cover of ELO's "Do Ya" from a studio outtake since it was recorded at the soundcheck.
The inclusion of Edwyn Collins and David Bowie on the same live collection provides an opportunity to really evaluate the degree to which the former sounds like the rock 'n' roll chameleon. Collins' delivery on "A Girl Like You" only skims the surface of Bowie's vocal capabilities. As the emotional richness of the acoustic "Dead Man Walking" reveals, Bowie is capable of a depth that only a few artists can match. Among this select crowd is Elvis Costello, who performs "All This Useless Beauty" accompanied by simple acoustic guitar and piano.
In direct contrast to the Bowie and Costello numbers is Jamiroquai's slick and sparkly "When You Gonna Learn." Jamiroquai's irresistible funky discoesque pop was captured four years ago, and like the Squirrel Nut Zippers' 1995 performance of "Lover's Lane," is a preview of an artist and sound that has only recently managed to crack mainstream radio. Chart-toppers 311 and Cake, on the other hand, perform their most popular hits to date during 1996 "Late Night" appearances.
Live From 6A. is true to "Late Night's" commitment to introducing audiences to new alternative rock music. The show is also dedicated to promoting critically acclaimed artists from these genres, and this is best demonstrated here by the inclusion of Jonathan Richman's characteristic lounge chic on "Let Her Go Into The Darkness." This sonic gem will hopefully send listeners in search of Richman's solo releases and his earlier work with the Modern Lovers.
Overall, Live From 6A. is a great crash course in current alternative music. The 12 tracks here, recorded on Late Night between November 1993 and June 1997, are enjoyable and memorable chapters in a worthwhile "Late Night" study session. TRACK LISTING [artist in brackets]: Shameless [Ani DiFranco], Dead Man Walking [David Bowie], Do Ya [Matthew Sweet], When You Gonna Learn [Jamiroquai], Human Behavior [Bjork], All This Useless Beauty [Elvis Costello], The Distance [Cake], Let Her Go Into The Darkness [Jonathan Richman], A Girl Like You [Edwyn Collins], Down [311], Soundtrack to Mary [Soul Coughing], and Lover's Lane [Squirrel Nut Zippers]
