Re-Boot: Live '98

Artist: Front 242
Label: Metropolis Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Live
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 782388010023
EAN: 0782388010023
ASIN: B000009N19

Release Date: 1998-07-21

Re-Boot: Live '98

Related Categories:

Belgium

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Alt Industrial

Industrial Dance

Industrial

Tracks:

Happiness
Masterhit
Moldavia
Melt
Soul Manager
No Shuffle
In Rhythmus Bleibea
Crapage
Body To Body
Religion
Headhunter
Welcome To Paradise
First In First Out
Punish Your Machine

Similar Items:

Live Code
Headhunter 2000
Tyranny (For You)
Still & Raw EP
Pulse

Amazon.com

Front 242 find themselves in a unique position regarding live performances. Since they are one of the founders of a past-its-prime genre, they must make a choice: provide their audience with a history lesson by performing their songs in their original studio format or revamp their otherwise dated material? With :Re:Boot: Live '98, the band decided on the latter, and the results are phenomenal. :Re:Boot is an "alive" live album. The vocal production is outstanding. Many of the sampled vocal tracks are performed live, creating an intensely engaging human energy. They change the lyrics for several of the songs, lending an ad-libbed feel--a pretty tough feat in electronic music. The song choices span across most of Front 242's career up to the release of this album. The club hits "Headhunter," "First in, First Out," and "Welcome to Paradise" are here. The only flaw is that "Tragedy for You" and "Rhythm of Time," both from 1991's Tyranny for You, are absent. It would have been interesting to hear these songs with a fresh buff and polish. Otherwise, this album deserves a heavy-gauge bravo. --Beth Bessmer

Customer Reviews:

nothing beats a 242 live show.......2005-11-04

Simply put, the title of this review says it all. If you're a fan of this band and have NOT seen them live, catch them this fall in the U.S., as they are currently on tour. Front 242 live is an experience you will never forget. Much has been said about 242's ever-evolving musical style, and this cd is a testament to this fact. While their 1980's studio-recorded material sounds cold and harsh, albeit groundbreaking, their live presentation of these songs is both bold and refreshing. Cold, lifeless drum machines have been replaced by a LIVE drummer; sequenced 16th note basslines have been replaced by lush, sweeping synth effects. Standouts on this cd include "Moldavia", "No Shuffle", "Body to Body", "Religion", and, of course "Headhunter".
What this cd does not present is the intense energy that 242 drives on-stage. Everyone likes to see their favorite band perform live, but a 242 performance is like a bomb exploding. I have NEVER seen a band enjoy the live aspect as much as these guys do.
This live cd is a great example of 242's concert sound, but until you WITNESS them live, you'll never understand why Front 242 is in a class of their own.

Live album captures the energy of the band.......2004-01-18

I'm not a big fan of live albums, but I am aware of Front 242's ability to do powerful live shows so I gave this CD a chance.

As live CD's go, the sound quality is excellent. It features all their most known songs, 'Headhunter' is excellent as usual! Many songs are given dramatic makeovers.

What is most evident is the more dance-orientated feel of their live shows than of their stuido albums. They know how to work a crowd and throughout this show Jean Luc De Meyer and, in particular Richard JK, are constantly encouraging the crowd and talking to them. It's nice to see such a strong band-crowd interaction.

Even if you don't usually like live albums, I'd give this one a go. But don't be expecting a sing-along type show. With their emphasis on dance in their live shows, this one is for the danceloor rather than for the mind!

THE ABSOLUTE PINNACLE OF THEIR SOUND!!!!.......2001-11-30

For those who are still stuck in the eighties and what 242 "should" sound like (harsh digital sounds/tribal beats), I say get a life! I have seen 242 live about seven times, each time they defined their live experience by the recently released album. Get it? They're contemporary, that means their sound will change from year to year. In the late nineties this sound was influenced by the 808 and 909 sounds of house and trance. 242 took some of the best songs out of their catalogue and made them contemporary. And, unlike so many bands of the genre, made the live electronic music experience not only sound like it is live, but also aggressive as well. Welcome to Paradise is one of the many that justs begs to be blasted, the arpeggiated beats just seem to get crazy and wild! I can't vouch for what they use during the live sets, to me Re:Boot sounds live, like they're actually playing instruments, instead of a DAT.

And about the vocals. For gods sake, they're Belgian! Of course they're going to sound a little dorky in English! Jean-Luc Demeyer, in my opinion, is an excellent wordsmith, but this is music with slogans. SEX IS GOOD! It also brings to the live phenomina the power of 242. Jean-Luc is the steadying force, whilst Richard is the live wire- absolutley fabulous call and reply vocals that whips up a storm!! Richards dub-style vocals are only complementing the incredibly simple arrangements, and thus making a sound that has more than its share of parts. 242 sound very raw, which gives the overall aggressiveness of this disc a notch ahead of anything else I have heard in this genre. This is mosh-pit music, it's hard dance music, it is motivating music.

My favs. include First In/First out (the juxtaposition at the end is to die for), Welcome to Paradise, Body to Body, Happiness, Punish Your Machine, Im Rhythmus Bleiben, and No Shuffle. Weak links: Soul Manager...

Summary: if you want to hear an awesome band at the very peak of its powers, or the best of the (sickningly weak) ebm scene, pick this jewel up. Get yourself a dark room, blast it and go nuts!

not awful, not awesome: renovation is not always for better.......2001-09-28

When I bought this live cd I was really scared: I had read that my favourite band had now turned into Trance-Techno-Acid music.
When I listened to it, I still recognised the wonderful 242 sound among the renewed techno sounds. The songs are wonderful, so they should have to make it real bad not to deserve a listening. Some versions are very good, such as 'Moldavia' or 'Headhunter', even though there're others, such as 'No Shuffle' and 'Body to Body' which are really sacrilegeous.
I hope their new album, expected for 2002, will be better than this. I know -and I like- that bands are always in constant evolution, but that doesn't necessarily imply that this evolution is good. i don't like techno, so I'd prefer some other evolution. But Front 242 will always rule (together with Skinny Puppy)

Sorry, but this isn't the F242 I used to know.......2000-06-02

Unfortunately, this album lacks most attributes of the true body-synth atmosphere that used to be synonymous with Front 242. Here, they have turned into some kind of techno, which they do not really master. They have tried to create a new image which is inconsistent with the basic culture of EBM and the band itself. The result is a collection of confusing remixes without any real spirit. The aggressive and manipulative feeling is gone. The bass rhythm is far to low and the vocals are not convincingly synchronized with the music. I only find "No Shuffle" somewhat interesting.

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