Psycho Circus
Tour Edition
February 1998
At 13 quid Psycho Circus Tour Edition is
an absolute bargain.... providing of course you don't already own Psycho Circus. Obviously
most KISS fans will have Psycho Circus by now, so you may well be feeling a little miffed
at having to shell out for another copy (if you want to hear the new 6 track live cd that
is). However if you want to get a sneak preview of the forthcoming Wembley show then
this'll be the best 13 quid you spend in a while!
Okay then you all know what the Psycho Circus album sounds like (click here for a review), but what about the live cd? KISS recorded this on the North American leg of their recent Psycho Circus tour, the songs are from two shows - Terre Haute (12/12/98) and Indianapolis (13/12/98). The first thing you can't help but notice is the crispness of the sound, much much better than any of the bootlegs that are floating around (but then you'd expect it to be). If you thought Alive III was over produced, then you'll certainly feel differently about this, the sound is very raw.
The show opens with 'Psycho Circus', and although it doesn't quite
have the same power as Deuce as an opener, it's still a great track. The only thing
letting it down is the backing vocals during the chorus, somebody is singing out of key,
the rest of it sounds just great though - 'Welcome To The Show'. Next up is 'Let Me Go,
Rock 'n'Roll', this sounds perfect possibly the best version I've ever heard (yup, I ever
prefer it to Alive), if you doubted Peter's playing on the last tour then just listen to
this track - he storms though it! 'Into The Void' is next and is possibly the best
sounding of the 3 new songs featured on the cd, very much like the studio version,
brilliant. The whole of Ace's solo is played at the end of the song.
If I had to pick my least favourite track then it would be 'Within', this sounds very
much like the
Dodger stadium version - I didn't think it pulled of very well then and I
still feel the same way (it's not awful or anything, just not the greatest). Don't get me
wrong, I love the studio version, it's just that the chorus on the live version sounds
nowhere near as powerful. Strangely, Peter's solo is now featured at the end of Within
(it's been dropped from God Of Thunder). Next is '100,000 Years' followed by 'Black
Diamond' both of which sound every bit as great as they did on the Alive Worldwide tour,
very clear, great drumming and brilliant guitar work.
Overall this is a brilliant cd that could have easily have been released on it's own, but hey I can cope with having an extra copy of a great album. A lot of fans have commented on how this is worth the 13 quid on it's own - at 40 minutes in length I'd tend to agree with them. Buy this now and get yourself in the mood for the best show on earth......
Track listing:-
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