A Cluster Of Stunning Live Gems

I received Bjork's "Live Box" as a Christmas present for 2004 and was so excited to finally have my hands on it. I had, after all, wanted to own this box set a few months prior to actually owning it. The four CD's contained within it are live versions of Bjork's first four solo studio albums "Debut," "Post," Homogenic" and "Vespertine." It's taken me quite a while to truly appreciate them all as individual sets, but it's been worth it because it is truly an exceptional piece of music to add to any Bjork fan's collection.



The second album in the collection is "Post Live." The majority of this album is anywhere from good to excellent, with only a few moments which could be interpreted as weak. In comparison to "Debut Live," this is a much stronger body of live material because Bjork has definitely become more aware of her musical capabilities. Her vocal performances are total knockouts and the music itself is very varied. Bjork has said herself that even though "Debut" was very well received, she knew deep down that it wasn't her best and that she could do so much more. She certainly proved that over the next decade, but let's just analyse the Post-era before we delve into Bjork's complex career! There are a total of 13 songs on this live album, 9 of which were recorded live at the Shepherds Bush Concert in London on 27th February 1997. This collection of songs gives a more worldly feel to the phenomenon that is Bjork because there's a proper concert audience in many cases. There's also a brilliant European feel to many of these songs.



The album opens with the beautiful "Headphones." The song that closed the Post album opens the live one here in beautiful style. This amazing ambient piece is the perfect opener. Bjork adopts cool sound fields on this song, showing that she has a stronger grasp over the concept of a concert. Her voice soars in this song, before continuing with the classic "Army Of Me." This song has a chugging beat to open with before crashing and diving after twenty seconds into the funky electro-clash that became a classic staple of 1995. The brash industrial beats fill the arena making for an electrifying performance. "One Day" is taken a step further from the Debut Live album. The woodwind qualities of that version have been perfected here with almost computerised arrangements. A beat all of its own is created just for the live version, showing Bjork's limitless creative edge. "The Modern Things" is an amazing live piece which is memorable because Bjork seems to adopt the accordion! This, of course, gives the song a European flavour. The mixture of this with hi-tech beats and bleeps is something to marvel at. "Isobel" continues with this accordion flavour, which is much more prominent here than before. The song structure is almost the same as in the original, but the instruments are different, allowing the song room to breathe.



"Possible Maybe" is taken from a performance on "Later With Jools Holland" on 17th June 1995, some 18 months before the main bulk of performances on this disc. This version isn't really much different to the original, which has both positive and negative aspects - perhaps Bjork hadn't fully realised the potential of her music in a live showcase, which is a negative, but is positive because it shows the advance her music undergoes over the next few years. "Hyper-Ballad" is a classic Bjork song which is given great live treatment here. This performance is also from the same show as the previous track. I can't really say much about this live performance apart from the fact that it's beautiful. "I Go Humble" is a rare Bjork song which can't be found on any studio album. It's a rather unusual little song which you'll find annoying at first but keeps popping up in your head when you listen to this album. "Big Time Sensuality" is beautiful in this live version. Bjork slows it down a slight notch. Her vocals are more realised and the song features some amazing electronic bleeps and blips. This song is amazing and definitely one of the best live performances she's ever done, because it comes to life in an unprecedented way. It's almost like seeing what you're hearing - 3D Bjork!



"Enjoy" is far and away one of my favourite Bjork songs ever. I find it to be so primal and powerful, and this live version is stunning as well, even if it doesn't live up to the album version. "I Miss You" is another one of my favourite Bjork songs, and this live version is so complex and intricate that it hardly sounds different from the original. Everything is in place such as the beats and the time it takes for them to roll in and set off something else. Bjork sings her heart out here, using all her body and soul to express all the emotions she's experiencing. "It's Oh So Quiet" is one of my least favourite Bjork songs, but it is, ironically (for me), her biggest selling song ever. People who don't like her could only name this as her one song, which annoys me and has resulted in a sort of hatred of this song! However, the live version is rather good. The first "Sssh!" Bjork does is so cute, it makes me giggle every time. The album closes with "Anchor Song." Despite my dislike of the original version of this song, this live version is actually rather good. The bland brass instruments of the original are replaced by the accordion which adds a romantic feel to the song. The little tunes after Bjork's singing are also more muddled which I find interesting.



OVERALL GRADE: 9/10



"Post Live" is a great addition to any Bjork fan's collection and is a great starting place for newcomers who want to experience this genius in concert. Most people would recommend "Debut Live" as the starting point for new listeners, but I think this album offers a more interesting listen on the character that is Bjork. She is many different personas and characters. She is not a single being. Her essence is split into so many different themes and ideas that it's impossible to comprehend, which is why I think this album is a great place to start. The music is stronger as are Bjork's vocals. There's more attitude than ever before, displaying a number of raw emotions - anger, happiness, sadness and a lot of others Maybe she invented some emotions, who knows. She invents everything else! Buy this now, you're sure to love it.

GREAT!!! BUT WHY NOT...

TAKE THE SONGS FROM ANOTHER POST LIVE PERFORMANCES. THESE SONGS ARE THE SAME AS THE DVDs THAT I ALREADY HAVE EXCEPT FROM THE "IT'S OH SO QUIET" BUT IT IS INCLUDED IN THE DVD THAT COMES WITH THE RECENTLY RELEASED LIVE BOX SET SO WE GO BACK TO THE SAME POINT;ARE THIS ONE LITTLE INDIAN TRICKS? SO WE JUST GO AND BUY ANOTHER DVD OR CD BECAUSE IT HAS ONE DIFERENT SONG?. I AM SURE THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF MORE GREAT PERFORMANCES FROM THE POST TOUR THAN ONLY THE ONES THAT I (AND I KNOW OTHER FANS DO) ALREADY HAVE IN THE DVDs LIVE SERIES, BUT AFTER ALL THIS IS BJORK AND I LOVE TO LISTEN TO HER SONGS LIVE ON MY CD PLAYER. HER IMPROVISING IN LIVE TOURS ALWAYS AMAZE ME!!!
I AM HOPING NEXT TIME THEY DO ANOTHER CDs LIVE SERIES THEY COULD INCLUDE NEVER RELEASED MATERIAL =)
***AND FOR NOT ALL BJORK LOVERS I RECOMEND TO YOU TO BUY THE POST CD IN ITS NORMAL RELEASE***

Post Live

I looove this c.d. Post is one of my favorite Bjork cd's so the live version is a real treat. Although all the songs are basically the same from the Live At Shepard's Bush DVD, the quality of the songs are amazing. The version of Big Time Sensuality here is absolutely AMAZING, like nothing I've ever heard and Army of Me is great too. I would recommend this cd to fans of Bjork but would suggest people new to her music should check out Post first and then give the live version a listen.