As a fan of jam bands and jazz/improv music, I have a strong affinity for live albums. There is just really something about hearing people create in the moment, weaving new music and collectively improvising something that no one could plan or write. While I've certainly seen my share of great concerts that had no jamming/improv elements, it's something that, once you get into it, you seem to expect it out of every show going forward. Anyway, aside from this point, what other criteria make for a great live album? Well, there's no objective formula, but I think it can usually be categorized as one of three things:
1) Historic nature of performance-- Jimi Hendrix's various live releases of his Woodstock performance would constitute a good example. It's not a great show by his usual standards but it's historic AF.
2) Excellent performance from one of the best concerts on the tour--Miles Davis's Live-Evil is taken from the last two dates of a multi-night performance. (You can hear for yourself on the Cellar Door Sessions box set, the last two nights were where it all came together, too)
3) Unique tracklisting (rare songs, unexpected songs/covers, different kind of performance than usual)--Phish's various Halloween shows have certainly embodied this. (Bonus points if you include their November 2nd, 1998 concert, which followed their Halloween night performance of The Velvet Underground's Loaded. The band decided to perform Dark Side Of The Moon during the second set as a response to low ticket sales. The show also ends with a rough cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' just cuz)
Some live albums have more than one of these elements, naturally, yet all great live albums have to have at least one. Since Osees have spent the last year and a half saturating us with live albums, let's start seeing how they shake out. We'll go chronologically as per usual, bringing us to Levitation Sessions, which I'll henceforth be referring to as Levitation Sessions 1 so we don't get confused when we get to the second one.
Here's the tracklisting, as well as the release each song is from in parentheses:
1) Carrion Crawler (Carrion Crawler/The Dream)
2) I Come From The Mountain (Floating Coffin)
3) The Static God (Orc)
4) Sewer Fire (Moon Sick EP)
5) Chem Farmer (Carrion Crawler/The Dream)/Nite Expo (Orc)
6) Dreary Nonsense (Protean Threat)
7) The Fizz (Dog Poison EP)
8) Corrupt Coffin (Castlemania)
9) Together Tomorrow (Face Stabber)
10) Night Crawler (Floating Coffin)
11) Terminal Jape (Protean Threat)
12) Rainbow (Help)
13) Heartworm (Face Stabber)
14) Transparent World Jam (Drop)
15) Block Of Ice (The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In)
Before we scuttle on, I need to address a couple things. So, 'Transparent World' is listed as 'Transparent World Jam' on some of the tracklistings, though I'm not sure why. It's the full song with lyrics, and not just a jam on part of it. On the YouTube upload it isn't listed as a jam, so I've no idea what's going on here. Also, after 'Block Of Ice' ends and there's a bit of silence, there's an unnamed short jam the band is playing that lasts for about a minute. Not sure if you'd count this as a bonus track or just something they were tooling around with as a warmup or what. Anyway, I digress.
Levitation Sessions 1 was filmed in the parking lot of Pappy And Harriet's, a bar/restaurant in a pioneer town in (where else?) Pioneertown, California. From the webcast I think they literally did set up in the parking lot while Pappy And Harriet's were shut down for covid-19. The desert minimalist look of their setup reminds me a bit of Pink Floyd's Live At Pompeii. (Intentional, or coincidental? You decide!) The webcast premiered on September 26th, 2020, though it's unclear which day it was recorded on. A digital download release followed on October 9th, 2020, along with physical releases, which I'll get to in a bit. Worth noting first is the March 9th, 2021 upload of the webcast on the Levitation YouTube channel. Anyway, physical releases: so far, other than the obscure cassette release, Levitation Sessions 1 has only been issued on vinyl once. I'll just go ahead and copy the explanation from Discogs.org:
“Each edition includes a 7” with the final track from the show, "Block Of Ice" split over two sides & pressed on Desert Sand colored vinyl.
3 Editions planned to be limited to 1000 each
Due to a very high demand / success and because benefits of specifics release are donated to charity or venue the "1000 each" limitation was lift off
- NIVA Edition - proceeds will be donated to the @nivassoc Emergency Relief Fund. (https://www.discogs.com/release/19149424 )
- ZEBULON Edition - benefitting @zebulonla in Los Angeles, California (https://www.discogs.com/release/19144819)
- HOTEL VEGAS Edition - benefitting @hotelvegastexas in Austin, Texas (https://www.discogs.com//release/191253”
Got that? The important bit is that each edition is still the same color as the rest, so don't break the bank, collectors.
As you can tell from the tracklisting, quite a lot of the band's history is represented on Levitation Sessions 1, albeit filtered through the lens of the modern five-piece, double drummer lineup. That said, though, there really isn't much of the jamming or improv I associate with this live lineup until the typically lengthy workout of 'Block Of Ice.' Sure, the segue from 'Chem Farmer' into 'Nite Expo' is buttery smooth, but there isn't much else that shows off their chops. And much like 'The Dream' has garnered a reputation for being played too often by the band, I'm similarly getting frustrated with live releases that only truly cut loose with 'Block Of Ice.' I know they jam out more often, and on other songs to boot, so why play it safe here? Well, the focus was on other things tonight. Namely, an extremely high energy/heavy rocking set of songs, and a mouth watering tracklist of rarities.
Opening with 'Carrion Crawler' instantly scores points from me, and featuring back-to-back obscure faves 'The Fizz' and 'Corrupt Coffin' with proper full-band arrangements? Take my money! The cherry on top has to be 'Sewer Fire', though, which brings me to my most important point about this live album: if it's not clicking with you the way their others do, take John's advice to heart, “meant to be played loud.” Hearing 'Sewer Fire' on headphones loud as fuck will get you where you need to be to vibe with this live album. Think sativa, not indica: the setlist is leaned very strongly toward high energy, hard rocking songs, with only 'Transparent World' and the aptly named 'Night Crawler' slowing the pace, though maintaining the brutality. Crank the bass and that keyboard/bass combo on the latter song will flatten your chest.
People who loved the brisk song lengths of Protean Threat and the band's earlier harder rocking/punk/garage side will no doubt love this record. While it's not my pick for the band's best live album, Levitation Sessions 1 absolutely sets a high standard for future sets to compare to.
Next time, though, we're headed back: back to the studio, and back to the Face Stabber sessions. Meaning? Meaning, we'll take a mosey around Metamorphosed as well as detour a spell for the singles 'Dark Weald' and 'Blood On Your Boots.'
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