Big Black - Pigpile

(note: I couldn't find the image for the album artwork on photobucket. If someone knows where to find the right kind of link to paste, let me know)

Before Big Black released their final LP, they said they would go on a tour before the album was released. This album is a recording of a show that was done in London at the Hammersmith Claredon and features a collection of songs ranging from the first EP and the final album.

Could you imagine if all my reviews were like that? wouldn't it be boring?? let me try this:

before steve albini was old and fat, he said "hey, im gonna make a live album and then beat some kittens with a sewing machine" and santiago durango said "good call steve, i'll use a bowie knife to cut some lettuce" and dave riley said "HEY! this is a good stew". Roland went "dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum" meaning "why yes david, it makes for a delightful treat. we should be so lucky that steve should have kitties for food underneath his porch at all times". they then recorded it and what you got was this:
songs from almost everything except the headache ep and racer-x ep. other than that, its all there. "passing complexion"? yeap. "pavement saw"? you betcha. "steelworker"?? dont be stupid, of course. "heartbeat"? yes. well, if you own the VHS version, yes. its not on the LP.

hmmm, but why? i certainly enjoy it. it seems sloppy at points, but its still great. stever sounds more hoarse than he does on the albums vocally. the guitars are super loud (yay!) and roland is thumpin and jumpin like there's no yesterday.
the set list could be a tad better. (no big money?) but it actually kinda seems like a big black greatest hits. very strange.

then there's the last song.

"jordan minnesota". we all know what its about and we've all heard the stories about how crazy it could get live, but here, stevan seems more restrained. Instead of acting like a little boy or screaming "all right you little bastards!!!", he just breathes and says "come here, and do as you're told" a few times and it ends with glorious noise.

this was recorded in 87, but not released til 92 when touch and go re-released most of the big black back catalog.

ohh, but those versions of "L dopa" and "pavement saw" sound great. "passing complexion" is much noisier here, and its great.

"dead billy" sounds a little strange, and all the guitars do is make noise while the bass plays the melody (good thinking!)

OVERALL RATING - vampire bats
KEY TRACKS - passing complexion, kerosene, pavement saw