We Love 'Em Tonight (Live at Tipitina's) [Live]

1. Crazyhorse Mongoose

2. Moog Marmalade

3. Bobski/Jeffe 2000

4. Villified

5. I Get Lifted

6. My Mind Is Hazy

7. Baker's Dozen

8. Blue Pepper

9. Lumpology

10. Working In The Coal Mine

11. Shibuya

12. Two Clowns

13. Sweet Leaf

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
New Orleans musicians have a long-standing tradition--no doubt brought on by the need to fill up that fourth set of the evening--of playing unlikely covers that end up transcending the original hits. The Meters did it with "Wichita Lineman." Irma Thomas did it with "Wind Beneath My Wings." And Galactic set out to do it on this live collection, peppering their homecoming concert with groove-laden covers torn from the songbooks of Duke Ellington ("Blue Pepper"), Allen Toussaint ("Working in a Coal Mine"), Chocolate Milk ("My Mind Is Hazy"), and even Black Sabbath ("Sweet Leaf"). While those tracks earn points for novelty and eclecticism, the keepers here are unreleased originals like "Moog Marmalade" (think vintage Meters funk with lots of modal sax and analog synth tossed in for good measure) and fan favorites like "Two Clowns," which is arguably Galactic's most interesting song to date. The album is not without its excesses (the 90-seconds of applause baiting at the end of "Lumpology" wears thin quickly), but New Orleans's answer to Medeski Martin & Wood wouldn't have earned their place in the jam-band pantheon without an implicit understanding that anything worth doing is worth overdoing. --Bill Forman

We Love 'Em Tonight (Live at Tipitina's),Galactic,Volcano,Acid Jazz,Fusion,Jazz-Funk,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

We Love 'Em Tonight (Live at Tipitina's) [Live]

Average customer rating:

It was good suff, yeah!
A great live representation of the classic lineup
Hot funky jazz
A solid disc worth having
Not Galactic? Huh? Great disc!

We Love 'Em Tonight (Live at Tipitina's)
Galactic
Manufacturer: Volcano
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Acid Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Funk Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music

Jazz Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music

Jam Bands | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music

Jazz Funk | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Late for the Future
Crazyhorse Mongoose
Coolin' Off
Vintage Reserve
Flyin' the Koop

ASIN: B00005LN6O
Release Date: 2001-08-21

Tracks:

Crazyhorse Mongoose
Moog Marmalade
Bobski/Jeffe 2000
Villified
I Get Lifted
My Mind Is Hazy
Baker's Dozen
Blue Pepper
Lumpology
Working In The Coal Mine
Shibuya
Two Clowns
Sweet Leaf

Amazon.com

New Orleans musicians have a long-standing tradition--no doubt brought on by the need to fill up that fourth set of the evening--of playing unlikely covers that end up transcending the original hits. The Meters did it with "Wichita Lineman." Irma Thomas did it with "Wind Beneath My Wings." And Galactic set out to do it on this live collection, peppering their homecoming concert with groove-laden covers torn from the songbooks of Duke Ellington ("Blue Pepper"), Allen Toussaint ("Working in a Coal Mine"), Chocolate Milk ("My Mind Is Hazy"), and even Black Sabbath ("Sweet Leaf"). While those tracks earn points for novelty and eclecticism, the keepers here are unreleased originals like "Moog Marmalade" (think vintage Meters funk with lots of modal sax and analog synth tossed in for good measure) and fan favorites like "Two Clowns," which is arguably Galactic's most interesting song to date. The album is not without its excesses (the 90-seconds of applause baiting at the end of "Lumpology" wears thin quickly), but New Orleans's answer to Medeski Martin & Wood wouldn't have earned their place in the jam-band pantheon without an implicit understanding that anything worth doing is worth overdoing. --Bill Forman

Customer Reviews:

It was good suff, yeah!.......2007-07-14

Excellent composition backed by solid beat. Everyone does their part to put together a combination sound that moves the soul.

A great live representation of the classic lineup.......2007-04-18

Galactic today isn't exactly the same band they once were, with their vocalist Theryl De'Clouet departing a few years ago and the band moving to an essentially instrumental sound. They're now combining their signature spacey funk sound with some hip-hop sounds on a new album, but they're still laying down the priceless live sound that they used to, just without vocals. That's what this album is all about--showing what made Galactic popular in the first place; their relentless touring and fiercely enjoyable and energetic live sound. It's tough to distill such a diverse and sprawling live repertoire into one disc, but I think (having seen Galactic live 6 times) We Love 'Em Tonight does a pretty great job of playing to the band's strengths and representing their live sound--some great jams, an energetic interaction with the crowd, some favorites from their studio recordings mixed with obscure tunes, and about 1/3 to 1/2 of the show featuring the Houseman, their vocalist.

The best part about seeing Galactic live is the ridiculous heights their instrumentals and jams reach--this album shows that right away with the standard "Crazyhorse Mongoose," featuring the improvisational skills of pretty much all the band members (excepting maybe bassist Robert Mercurio)--by the time of this album's recording, Jeff Raines had really improved his chops and improv abilities, Rich Vogel shines on his many keyboards (especially the Moog synthesizer sound that typifies the band's sound on many tracks, as well as hammond, electric piano and clavinet), Ben Ellman's funky, slightly jazzy sax, and Stanton Moore's unbeatable drumming abilities.

This album is a great look into Galactic's restlessness with their classic songs--they turn album classics like "Baker's Dozen" and "Two Clowns" on their ends, adding and changing a lot of elements from the album versions in ways that sound fresh and exciting. It's great to hear the crowd's involvement as the group reaches energetic peaks in the songs--the energy is infectious, and a hallmark of a successful live album. The Houseman's contributions are, for the most part, successful. He sounds a bit rough on "Vilified," but the chestnuts "My Mind is Hazy," "I Get Lifted," and the wicked funky reworking of Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf" are totally essential. A few of the other instrumentals (I'm thinking "Lumpology" and Ellington's "Blue Pepper," for example), though well-played and energetic, seem a bit random and not representative of Galactic's live standards on their sole live disc, but I suppose that eclecticism is accurately reflective of Galactic's live shows. "Shibuya," at least, is a shining example of Galactic's barnstorming pre-encore closers, with Raines' slide guitar rocking hard and Ben Ellman's harmonica matching the groove note for note through a lurching finish.

If you're a fan of Galactic or have seen them live, I wholeheartedly recommend this disc--it's worth the money and didn't let me down as a recorded document of their live shows. It's probably not the best place to start for people who aren't familiar, although Galactic's studio albums often don't really represent their live sound (especially 2003's excellent but unrepresentative Ruckus album). Hope you enjoy the funk!

Hot funky jazz.......2002-08-30

My first Galactic album, and it won't be the last. If some of the other reviewers (who don't like this album as much as Galactic's prior efforts) are correct, I have to get more.

This is extremely hot.

A solid disc worth having.......2002-01-05

Having seen these guys live a couple of times, I know they spare no expense (sweat) in kicking out the groove. This recording is no exception to the fantastic live sound that results. However, I think the creative punch of the band has been tapering since Coolin' Off. Granted, they've produced some gems since that first disc, but have failed to recapture that fresh feel that originally turned me on to their sound. This album is not necessarily a natural progression in that trend, as it does include some very interesting covers, and a previously unreleased Moog Marmalade (which is sick), but I feel like they need to switch gears to retain my interest. Bottom line, you should own this album, especially if you're into galactic, but don't expect it to blow your mind.

Not Galactic? Huh? Great disc!.......2001-12-12

Whoever said this CD was lacking "groove" or "soul" obviously knows little about music. This is Galactic's best release to date, just worlds better than their studio work. It's funky, laid-back, and groovin'. Good mix of tunes, a great "Blue Pepper" and the "Bobski > Villified" is awesome. If you are a fan of this hard-to-classify jazzy funk, Nawlins gumbo, pick this up. It won't fail to put a smile on your face and make all ten toes tap.