Roseland NYC Live

If you don't own this album, you should buy it right now.


My first Portishead album, and not my last   July 21, 2004
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I bought this Album some year's ago, and to be honest I really did'nt know what to expect, as it was a live recording, but what an album it is, and they are the only group in my opinion that realy sound better in a live environment than in the studio, and my all time favourite track is Roads, so I really don't think youd be dissapointed!


5 Star music in 3 star recording   September 9, 2002
 7 out of 17 found this review helpful

Portishead play their best tunes in a live environment. Great songs spoilt by audience whooping.

Yes, yes - I know you're not supposed to treat live music as a funeral but such vigorous huzzahing just sounds so incongruous. If you love Portishead, buy the studio albums or the singles.


Sublime and Stunning Live Album   March 31, 2001
 22 out of 22 found this review helpful

It amazes me that more people haven't discovered the absolute brilliance of this album.

Firstly, Portishead take the best tracks from their first two landmark recordings and improve upon all of them. In every area you hear virtuoso performances. The vocals go to places you've never heard before, the orchestration is perfection and every single instrument is both played with both technical perfection and masses of passion.

Secondly it is one of the finest productions you will ever hear. Every single sound from that day in NYC is captured with breathtaking fidelity and and delivered in a perfect mix. I've worked in some of the best studios around and know what I'm listening to. Records doesn't sound any better than this.

If you like Portishead then buy this album. If you haven't heard them before then buy this album. Roseland NYC Live was my introduction to the band and it took my breath away. The studio recordings, as groundbreaking and influential as they were, can not compete with the depth and emotion of this live album. A pinnacle of music in the nineties.


An evocative 4 Star.   September 22, 2000
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

For me, this is one of the better live albums I've heard. In the same way Johnny Cash managed it At Folsom Prison, Portishead connect with their audience. As the first notes of Roads ring out, an ecstatic audience is taken to new heights - the power of music is so masterfully shared with us here. In her own way, the emotion the lead singer (Beth Gibbons) conveys in Mysterons and Roads I would put only a few steps down from king Otis Redding. Supporting the honest vocals, the combination of the creepy modern instruments works excellently with the sheer power of emotion generated by an orchestra. Depressingly good for their competitors, and good but a tad depressing for their listeners.