Search - Moe :: Warts & All 3

Not the best, but some good earlier moe.

Matt VanHoosier | St. Louis, MO United States | 09/15/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Warts & All v3 is a pretty good glimpse into some older moe. than we have seen with the other two releases. That can be a good and a bad thing though. Good because it helps remind you how quirky and playful these guys really are, but bad because it reminds me how much Al overused the "surfing" effect on his axe. It's great on songs like "She Sends Me" (which isn't on this set), but it's on a large portion of the tracks here.D1 starts off good with a pretty raw "32 Things." Raw is exactly how this song should be played, and the jam in this one gets things started very well. Pretty standard version of "Nebraska," followed by a Timmy > CalifornIA > Moth that is just nasty! This segment is definitely one of the highlights of the 3-disc set. Only downside for this is Timmy has been on all three W&A releases so far, but then again they play the song quite a bit (and admit that they do) and so it isn't too surprising.D2 jumps into "Plane Crash," which I'm glad finally made it onto these releases. "Threw It All Away" isn't a favorite but OK. I really do like "Hi and Lo," too bad this version didn't segue out to "Head." I've heard it live twice (H&L that is) and the outgoing segue has been great both times. A good "Buster," glad to see this one got an "official" showing in the W&A series. Segue into "Sensory Deprivation Bank" is pretty good, but I don't much care for the song itself.D3 starts up with "Big World." I like this song as well on Tin Cans, but this version is lacking a bit. I also don't like it much as a closer - guess I just like a bit more band with a show closer. The banter is certainly witty, and then we get "Tambourine" and "I Know You Rider." I love the intro to Tambo, and this is a doozy, but the song itself is pretty standard. Also a pretty straightforward Rider (but then again, it's a pretty straightforward song itself). If they are going to continue doing shows with cover closers then when do we get a Sweet Emotion show?The extras on this disc are tracked this time, which is nice. Starts of with Dr. Graffenburg > Four. Right there I'm biased because I don't like either of these songs one bit. HOWEVER, last up is Rebubula, which I like very much, and the talk-box intro to this was fantastic! So I came out on a high note overall.I'd say if you are debating which W&A release to try if you just want to hear some live moe., then go with v2. Unlike many other reviewers, I liked v1 quite a bit as well, but v2 is definitely more moe. for your dough."

So far, the crispest board in the series

attentive listener | Joysey | 09/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Soundwise, this is the cleanest WAA yet. Filler of Dr. Graffenburg>Four, Rebubula is from Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Or. 9/12/98'. If you enjoy moe., this one grows some hair in a hurry."

The Best of the moe. live releases

Kevin Carville | San Diego, CA | 03/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As someone who really got turned onto the jamband scene by Phish, whom I will always use as a benchmark to compare others to, I was reluctant to get into moe. I purchased No Doy in 2000, but I really wasn't inspired to check out their shows by that album, which by the way is a fantastic studio album for a band that is best listened to live. Only when I was given a free ticket to their last late night show at the House of Blues Las Vegas on 4/17/04 did I have a revelation that moe. is in the same class of performance artists as Phish, or any other jamband currently on the scene. Now I have every one of their releases, including five Coca-Cola Instant Live releases, with the exception of their Christmas album. Warts & All Vol. 3 is the one that I play most, which I sometimes regret because I really beleive the addition of Jim Laughlin's percussion really adds a new dimension to their music, and he joined some time after this show. My personal highlight for this release is the Timmy Tucker > CalifornIA > Moth sandwich on disc one. If you're interested in checking out live moe then this is your best bet, outside of seeing one of their shows. If you're interested in their studio efforts definitely get Dither."