Faith No More was a breath of fresh air from the Hair Metal that had gotten out of hand during the tail end of the 80's. They were also a band that seemed far more ahead of its time from the coming Grunge movement that would follow soon after. Mixing Hard Rock with Rap and Funk styling to a positive effect along with tasty melodies Faith No More quickly found themselves on both mainstream radio catering to Rock as well as the popular still showing videos MTV. Musically it was a very different time and the people who clamored for some level of difference found themselves enjoying what Faith No More was bringing to the table. Yet despite all this attention others would miss the point entirely. It was a very intense form of Rock, and when the group released The Real Thing they showed that boundaries could be crossed with some level of success and be done well. The double feature DVD release of You Fat Bastards, Live At The Brixton Academy is the perfect addition for your music collection for not only do you get a great concert performance, but you are also treated to a second DVD that collects all the bands videos. Older fans will remember a few of them, especially "Epic" with the struggling fish out of water at the end which caused quite a stir in the world of animal activism. Lead singer Mike Patton is also a character and fun to watch during most of these video segments. The films are interlaced with footage culled from the times of the release which works very well and probably would never have been seen again if not used in this fashion.
The concert part was my favorite and running a full 60 minutes captures most of the bands greats from this early point in their career. The show was filmed at Brixton Academy in London and shot in front of a sold out crowd. The band is energetic and sounds tight. Visuals are limited to close ups and far away shots but that is fine for the performance in my opinion. The best part of this is not only the solid production but also in the chance to see them in their prime. This is also a great place to see some early footage of drummer Mike Bordin who later in his career went on to join Ozzy Osbourne's band. The other members Roddy Bottum (keyboards), Jim Martin (guitar) and Barry Gould (bass) went in numerous directions while Patton reformed his Mr. Bungle group and also formed Fantomas (a band that featured Slayer's Dave Lombardo at one time). The full concert features the performances of these songs: From Out Of Nowhere, Falling To Pieces, The Real Thing, Underwater Love, As The Worm Turns, Edge Of The World, We Care A Lot, Epic, Woodpecker From Mars, Zombie Eaters, & War Pigs. As a show that was in direct support of The Real Thing album it is strong in content from this album. You will get no argument from me on this because its one of my favorite albums.
The world of music was changing in 1990 and Faith No More along with Warrior Soul were bands that explored being different yet only a portion of the people actually got the point. It's an unfortunate thing but at least in this day and age of re-issues and remasters the chance to finally know what scoop was hits a more mature listener and certainly appeases the long time fan who has worn out their vinyl and cassette copies of this material. This is a highly recommended DVD for on top of it featuring two great packages in one, the added plus of being able to find it available at a reasonable price makes it all the more special. For years these were only available as high-priced imports. Fans, the wait is over, now go get it.
DISC 1
LIVE AT THE BRIXTON
ACADEMY, LONDON—
YOU FAT B**TARDS
(Recorded Saturday 28th April 1990)
From Out Of Nowhere
Falling To Pieces
The Real Thing
Underwater Love
As The Worm Turns
Edge Of The World
We Care A Lot
Epic
Woodpecker From Mars
Zombie Eaters
War Pigs
Disc 2
WHO CARES A LOT?
THE GREATEST VIDEOS
Midlife Crisis
Epic
Falling To Pieces
Anne's Song
We Care A Lot
Surprise! You're Dead!
From Out Of Nowhere
A Small Victory
Everything's Ruined
Caffeine
Easy
Digging The Grave
Evidence
Strip Search
Last Cup Of Sorrow
Ashes To Ashes
I Started A Joke
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
