I MIGHT BE WRONG - LIVE RECORDINGS

What makes a great live album even if it's an E.P.? One that can stand on it's own as an album. One that has enough differences from the studio recording that it is interesting, but still recognizable in some aspect. And one that captures the excitement of the crowd without it overshadowing the performance so that it gives you the desire to go see them live yourself. Does this album accomplish this? I really believe that it does in every way.

The versions of the songs, for the most part, are different enough to make this album worth it's price and worth it's purchase. The tracks are interesting in that you can hear how they treat their songs in a live setting, and some of them get quite a different treatment. The E.P. is great enough to listen to on it's own and has it's own qualities over the studio versions of the songs in that it is satisfying enough on it's own and has enough elements to make it even superior to the studio versions in some aspects, but it doesn't take away from the original recordings of the songs at the same time. There are also times like in "Idioteque" where you hear the crown singing along to the lyrics and how they get excited through the build up and release of the song. Sometimes, the audience almost disappears under the music, but you can always hear their appreciation of the show and their excitement between the songs. I know it makes me want to see one of their live shows.

One thing I have admired about Radiohead, especially on the Kid A and Amnisiac albums is their impressive way of building tension and release in their music. Since 7 of the 8 songs on this E.P. are from these two album and are recorded in different venues through 2001, you get a nice dosage of the tension and release of the songs, and the crowds are definitely appreciative and it show. The last track on this collection is an acoustic version of a previously unreleased song called "True Love Waits" which is quite lovely enough, but I don't consider it the highlight of the album. There are better tracks like the beautifully performed "Like Spinning Plates", the amazing tension of both "Idioteque" and the extended "Everything in it's Right Place", the latter having some very great effects.

Oveall, this is not a masterpiece because of a few inconsistencies in the recordings, but for a short live album, it is excellent and should be considered one of the band's best albums. Because of the passion of the songs and the uniqueness throughout most of the album, it is definitely deserving of 4 stars.