Fishbone releases on May 10th their first official live DVD. And it inevitably raises questions : What went wrong that we had to wait a good 20 years before this finally happens when Fishbone has always been labelled as the ultimate live act whose records never really matched their stage energy ? Isn't it too late now that the glorious lineup of the early 90s has mostly disbanded and the two remaining original members, Angelo Moore and Norwood Fisher are well into their 40s ?
Answering the first question is almost impossible : Fishbone's errance in the show business is probably a good showcase of everything that can go wrong. My love for Fishbone, besides their incredible music, mainly comes from the fact that when 99.9% of all other bands, confronted whit the same hardships would have called it quits, Fishbone rebounded over and over and is still around today.
Is this DVD still relevant ? Yes ! Of course, the Fishbone of 2009 is no longer the same as in 1991, but it matured like good wine, without diluting the sound nor the energy. To the fans left behind in the mid 90s, this DVD is a great testimony that not only Fishbone is not dead, but it's still red hot as ever. For those who have sticked with the band and all the musical paths they followed in the last 15 years, this live DVD is a must, if only for one thing, because for once Rocky George (guitars) is not buried in the mix. I must have seen 6 or 7 shows with Rocky on guitars, and it's the first time he's audible. (And clearly I'll have to stay in front of his amps next time!). Actually, the whole audio mix is perfect (I have yet to watch the DVD in a decent 5.1 home theater, though), well balanced without being too clean. For sure, this is a live recording of Fishbone without nets. The editing is nervous and generous. It makes you feel right in the center of the Rock School Barbey.
In my view, the song selection is the main compromise of the DVD. It's a best of selection spanning all of Fishbone's career, but four songs had to be dropped for the final 2h10 mix, songs which could have balanced the impression... But all the songs here deserve on their own right their presence on the DVD. This will be the only small spoiler, but the Flamenco-Punk Servitude finale is incredible.
The object itself is a nicely packaged double digipack with a companion audio CD with a subset of the songs on the DVD and an 8 page booklet. The DVD is NTSC and can be viewed on any system, has no zone restriction, and both stereo and 5.1 dolby surround sound.
Is this the ultimate Fishbone live DVD? probably not, but a centerpiece in a quadrilogy featuring these other DVDs: the infamous Hen House Studio Sessions, the upcoming Everyday Sunshine documentary and the underground Live at Warfield PPV from 1992 bootleg.
If you can't wait until May 10th, the DVD will be available starting April 20th from Ter à Terre's webstore at an aggressively good deal.
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