Live In Brussels 1986 [LTMCD 2358]

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Blaine L. Reininger \ Live In Brussels [LTMCD 2358]

Live In Brussels was originally released by Les Disques du Crépuscule in 1986 as TWI 637.

Recorded at the Beursschouwburg in February of that year with a four piece band, this powerful set includes versions of several of Blaine's best known solo numbers, including Broken Fingers, Birthday Song and Mystery & Confusion, as well as early Tuxedomoon classics What Use? and Volo Vivace. The centrepiece is a gritty take on Uptown, an extended essay on urban paranoia.

This expanded remaster includes 6 bonus tracks not included on the original Crépuscule vinyl edition.

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Volo Vivace
3. Night Air
4. Birthday Song
5. What Use?
6. Uptown
7. Broken Fingers
8. Ash & Bone
9. Paris en Automne
10. Radio Ectoplasm
11. Burn Like Rome
12. Mystery & Confusion

Available on CD and digital (MP3 or FLAC). To order CD please first select correct shipping option (UK, EU or Rest of World) and then click on Add To Cart button below cover image. Digital copies are delivered to customers via email link.

Reviews:

"Reininger's music has a strong autobiographical element, and Tuxedomoon often creeps up in the songs. Ash & Bone is about their travels together, and a later song was dedicated to Steven Brown, whose birthday it was. The set grew in power with powerful drums from Daniel Wang and the scorched guitar playing of Alain Goutier. Blaine's voice was strong and confident on songs like Windy Outside, and he even went so far as to sing in French on Paris En Automne. The climax of the show was a long hypnotic take on Uptown, which started with Blaine invoking Satchmo, and grew to an almost orchestral finale that had the audience clamouring for more" (The Bulletin, 02/1986)

"The extraordinary thing about this recording is its freshness and relevance. You can hear all the Bowie, the Scott Walker, the (later to become) Jeff Buckley passion for European high art. A real plunder chest for any contemporary band on the lookout for fresh ways of upping the pop-rock ante. It would sit well in any serious collection that doesn't already know about this stuff" (Whisperin' & Hollerin', 03/2004)

"Blaine L. Reininger had a fairly rough time of it getting solo shows together after the move to Brussels - the incident that the song and album Broken Fingers refers to happened after one of them- but the two shows that provided the tracks for Live in Brussels found him perhaps at his live solo peak. The help of his soon-to-be-dismissed backing band didn't hurt, making this both an unintentional farewell and a distinct calling card for all involved. Though a short album is originally released and reworked slightly in studio after the fact, Live In Brussels hits the ground running with a winner, the brawling Volo Vivace (Reininger's hyperactive violin is flat-out marvellous) and after that makes it's sometimes bemusing way. Night Air walks a slightly uneasy balance between a too-pristine recreation and a fiery instrumental break, while the introduction to Uptown in particular comes across as a personal tribute to Tom Waits that veers between the sharp and the silly, but on the whole the performances are mighty fine, with Alain Goutier's work on keyboards of special note. Reininger's occasional drawling interjections make for a nice personal touch as well - check his introduction to The Birthday Song for a prime example. LTM's 2004 reissue once again does the expected killer job - right from the start, as the otherwise unreleased instrumental Intro shows. A lovely meditation focused on a central keyboard melody and Reininger's part-drone violin work, it could almost be his own contribution to Brian Eno's On Land. Four other songs from the shows appear as bonuses. There's one further addition, a take on Mystery & Confusion" from a French show a year later" (All Music Guide, 2004)

"This record is a prime example of New Wave electronica from the 80s. Reininger was a member of experimental group Tuxedomoon who relocated to Europe. Both with that group and solo he has produced some incredible records. This live set from Brussels is simply mind-blowing. It contains a spectacular version of Tuxedomoon's What Use?. The live version of Night Air is also incredible. The quality of the recording and the strength of the performance makes this an absolutely must have and must hear record. While the use of synthesizers is very dominant, the music is extremely melodic and the whole record is a pleasure to listen to. It is much better recorded than Tuxedomoon and gains from the high production values. This shows that challenging music can still be almost commercial" (Amazon, 2011)