Artist Info:Discography Album length: 11 tracks: 49 minutes, 10 seconds Street Date: September 21, 1999
It's hard to say goodbye to someone or something you love... even when it's
a favorite band. But there all comes a time in a musician's career when the
guitars must be put down, the sticks put away, and the mics turned off. But
occasionally these musicians will consider their adoring fans and supply them
with a memorable work of art that they can take home. Thankfully, Grammatrain
did just that.
Even a year after their break up and after their former lead singer, Pete Stewart
put out his first solo album, Grammatrain is still breathing it's last breaths. Although
these last breaths are only existening in the form of a final recording, it's an appreciated, well-crafted,
praiseworthy effort from this Seattle Christian rock band. And it's none other than... a live
album.
I have to say, most of the time, I'm disappointed in live albums. Sure some of them capture the raw
live sound of the band (Audio Adrenaline, dc Talk, Steve Taylor), but they aren't as listenable
as a studio recording. With Grammatrain, live, the listener is treated to live
renditions of the band's best and most memorable songs from their two albums with raw one-take
restrictions yet resulting in near-studio quality sound. These songs include "Jonah," "Pain," "Execution," "Believe,"
their cover of Larry Norman's "Six O' Clock News," among other hits.
Live in Germany on December 7th, 1998, Grammatrain recorded their final performance during "Rock Fest."
Live begins with a female announcer introducing the band
in German with Pete's lead of "Less of Me" immediately following. Each song flows neatly into
the next, sometimes separated by mini-monologues by Stewart and crowd noise. Unlike some live albums
who try soley to capture the feel and energy of a live show, Grammatrain made the wise decision of not
mixing in the crowd noise till in between songs only (at most). This effect leaves some of the songs
to sound like raw in-studio live recordings. The listener is bound to forget they're listening to a
live album until Stewart tries to, without succeeding, communicate with the crowd in what little
German he knows.
Grammatrain live is essential for any Grammatrain fan, and an appropriate way of saying goodbye
to a band who made an impression on the Christian rock music scene even though its existence was anything
but lengthy.
- Review date: 9/26/99, written by John DiBiase
Artist Info:Discography Record Label:Forefront Records Album length: 11 tracks, 49 minutes and 10 seconds
Street Date: September 21, 1999
Artist Info: 
