Detailed item info | Track listing | 1. Prove My Love 2. I'm Nothing 3. Country Death Song 4. Blister in the Sun 5. Gimme the Car 6. Don't Talk About My Music (Shut Your Mouth) 7. Confessions 8. Hallowed Ground 9. Life Is an Adventure 10. Old Mother Reagan 11. Ugly 12. Good Feeling 13. Dahmer Is Dead 14. American Music 15. Special 16. Sweet Worlds of Angels 17. Black Girls 18. Gone Daddy Gone 19. Add It Up 20. Kiss Off 21. Outside the Palace - (Bonus Track)
| | Details | | Contributing artists: | Sigmund Snopek III | | Producer: | David Vartanian | | Distributor: | Sony Music Distribution ( | | Recording type: | Live | | Recording mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
| | Album notes | Violent Femmes: Gordon Gano (vocals, acoustic guitar); Brian Ritchie (vocals, shakuhachi, conch, harmonica, soprano saxophone, Theramin, xylophone, acoustic bass); Guy Hoffman (vocals, bugle, snare drum, tranceaphone). The Horns Of Dilemma: Sigmund Snopek III (vocals, flute, Native American flute, bass clarinet, oboe, trombone, piano); Mike Kock (saxophone); Shane Derstl (trumpet); Ray Cribb (trombone, bass); Eric Markstrum (trombone). Recorded live in Wisconsin from October 25-31 1998. The Violent Femmes: Gordon Gano (vocals, acoustic guitar); Brian Ritchie (vocals, shakuhachi, conch shell, harmonica, soprano saxophone, xylophone, acoustic bass guitar, Theremin); Guy Hoffman (vocals, bugle, snare drum). Additional personnel: Sigmund Snopek III (vocals, flute, Native American flute, bass clarinet, oboe, trombone, piano); Mike Kock (saxophone); Shane Derstl (trumpet); Ray Cribb (trombone, bass instrument); Eric Markstrum (trombone). Recording information: Grand Opera House, Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Grand Theater, Wausau, Wisconsin; Barrymore Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin (1998). Recorded live before an adoring and extremely vocal crowd (guess where), VIVA WISCONSIN is the Violent Femmes' return to basics album. With "no overdubbing, no electronics, no crap," the Femmes tear into their impressive back catalogue of tracks with a fervor that has been somewhat subdued on more than one of the more recent studio albums. The performances here go a long way to suggesting that the best way to hear these songs is live. Nearly every track is at least as good as its studio counterpart, but there are some standouts. "Life Is an Adventure," from ROCK!!!, was always a nice song, but here is looser and it seems even more heartfelt. Though "American Music" is a song that is good enough to withstand even the most uninspired performance, the version here truly shines, far outstripping the album version that appeared on WHY DO BIRDS SING? To give you an idea of how good these versions are, even an elongated drum solo on "Black Girls" somehow manages to sound as though it ought to have been in the original version (from HALLOWED GROUND). And how can you fault an album that ends after more than 72 minutes with "Kiss Off"?
| | Editorial reviews | 6 out of 10 - ...Despite their age, the nastiness of their records lives on....[the band] can still make your skin crawl and feet tap... NME (11/06/1999)
...wringing singalong fun from murder, misery and bad sex. A greatest hits, of sorts - black and blue all over. Mojo (12/01/1999)
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