Reviews of:
AMETHYST SKIES PRETTY PLEASE COURTNEY LOVE & HOLE PLUGGED & UNPLUGGED ASKING FOR IT THE GIRL WITH THE MOST CAKE RIOT GIRLS
NOTE: These are just my opinions of these CDs, you don't necessarily have to take my word for it

Amethyst Skies
Songlist:
Credit in the Straight World/Plump/Miss World/Jennifer's Body/Softer, Softest/Gutless/Teenage Whore/Asking For It/She Walks on Me/Pretty on the Inside/Beautiful Son/Rock Star
This was the first bootleg I got with a full Hole show from 1993. The show takes place at The Palace, Hollywood on November 11/7/93, probably soon after the recording of Live Through This, and during their fall '93 tour with the Lemonheads. It's a great show, Courtney talks alot with the audience, often insulting them. Evan Dando is in the audience, and is often a victim of Courtney's insults. The band starts out with a fast version of "Credit in the Straight World." Courtney explains how "Jennifer's Body" was written about her friend Jennifer Finch of L7. All the songs, except "Teenage Whore," "Pretty on the Inside," "Rock Star," and "Beautiful Son" were from Live Through This. "Rock Star" was the original version, the "how'd you like to be madonna" version, played live. This song, as Courtney stated, was dedicated to Evan Dando by his mother Janet. Courtney introduces her band, starting with Kristen, saying "That's Kristen, what a fox! And then all of Los Angeles knows Patty. She used to be in every band in Seattle, but I saved her from all that, she'll never be in another band again." Courtney interrupts Kristen in mid-bass line during "Asking For It" saying she wants to dedicate "this song to someone. Our friend Jerry." During "Softer, Softest" and "Miss World" Courtney and Kristen sing together, which is rare. Courtney asks why the "jock meatheads are in front, jock meatheads don't like our band. Jock meatheads don't like the Lemonheads....." Also, Courtney's famous line "Yeah, they're bootlegging this, we're not getting any money for Frances for college. But we've got enough (money), so you can keep it," comes from this show. Most of the songs are played in Hole fashion, distorted and loud, especially the Pretty on the Inside songs. This is a very entertaining show, and a rare one to find.


Pretty Please
This is the best "old Hole" show bootleg to be made into a CD. Most of the songs are from Hole's first release, Pretty on the Inside, but a few "cameo" appearances of songs that later appeared on Live Through This make a live show debut. Those would be early live versions of "Doll Parts," "Softer, Softest," and "Violet." One song is also debuted live, a post-Pretty on the Inside but pre-Live Through This song - Beautiful Son. The packaging states that this show took place on December 12, 1991, but I think the show must of taken place in either late '92 or early '93, in Los Angeles. The setlist printed on the back cover of the CD is in deep and dire need of correction. Bootlegs do that all the time. Courtney is in top form for this show, mouthing off to the audience every now and again. Her screaming is more excelled in this show, definately; she never misses a cue. Her favorite sayings were putting down Pearl Jam or the city she was in. "L.A....should I do some Pearl Jam songs for you? I want to sing you guys some Pearl Jam songs really bad! Yeah, I love Los Angeles, it's my favorite fucking town! Thanks....we're Mudhoney! And we really like you cause you guys are rocking! The audience is likewise hostile towards her, you can make out 3 guys in the audience talking back to her, "Yay Courtney!," "Hole all the way!," and "You can do it good! Courtney had to laugh sarcastically at the "Hole all the way" comment; she asks the guy " 'Hole all the way, is that what you just said?' " This is a classic Hole show for Hole fans who favor Hole's older work and live shows. The songs are played well. The only song not on an release from Hole was "Family Chant," and "Drown Soda." This is a very excellent bootleg, as is the quality and packaging. It could pass off as a commericial release. This bootleg gets an A


Courtney Love & Hole
This bootleg lists the show as a show in 1993. But any true hole fan knows that it takes place in 1991. The songs are mostly from Pretty On The Inside and 2 from their vinyl-only releases. Most songs just sound like they did on record, sloppy and very old- Hole like. The song that is the most rare and not usually heard on many bootleg recordings is "Burn Black." They actually play the song from start to finish. Two other longs came from the album that was released later on, as Live Through This. They were "Doll Parts" and "Violet." The songlisting was all wrong, so I listened to it to get the correct song list. Bootlegs have a problem with incorrect songlisting, it gets irritatiing. Courtney has few quotes in this boot, and as do the other older band members. Inbetween 2 songs, Jill Emery and Caroline Rue start messing around with their instruments, making up a little song as they went along. Afterwards, Courtney goes, "Hey Jill, did you guys just make that up?" The "Jill" comment lets you know for sure that the show did in fact take place in 1991 sometime.


Plugged & Unplugged
Songlist- Miss World/Best Sunday Dress/Softer, Softest/Drown Soda/He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)/Asking For It/You've Got No Right/Old Age/Hungry Like The Wolf/Doll Parts/Sugar Coma/Plump/Beautiful Son/Miss World/Asking For It/Hungry Like The Wolf/Gutless/I Think That I Would Die/Credit In The Straight World/Teenage Whore/Violet/
This bootleg has only 2 performances, the MTV Unplugged show, [see The Girl With The Most Cake review] and a show live at ehe Palladium in Hollywood, California, November 1994. Courtney, for once, doesn't greet the audience, they just burst into a fast version of "Plump." A weird note, a short version of "Sugar Coma" wasn't played after "Plump" which is what most of us are used to. Maybe it was edited out, because "Beautiful Son" was played directly after "Plump." Courtney doesn't mouth off as much as she does at most other shows, though before playing "Hungry Like The Wolf" she claims, "Ok, we are now going to play the best song ever written that you all pretend not to know. Go on." Patty's drumming was kind of slow on "Credit In The Straight World." The band sounded great though other wise, on all songs, and the quality is excellent. Another classic KTS bootleg. I'd give this disc a 10.

Asking For It

Songlist- Miss World/Best Sunday Dress/Asking For It/Drown Soda/He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)/Doll Parts/Sugar Coma/Old Age/Closing Time/

All 9 tracks of this bootleg were recorded at the Virgin Megastore in London, April 4, 1995. It begins with Courtney thanking the audience for coming, then they start the performance with a shaky version of "Miss World." Courtney does alot of muttering and talking in this boot, mostly complaining about seeing tabloid reporters in her audience, or because Eric kept starting songs with his riffs when she was supposed to start them. Of all the bootlegs, this one is the most comedic. Melissa and Courtney have brief conversations inbetween songs, while Patty and Eric are pretty much the "silent two." Patty's drumming was a little off on some songs, such as "Sugar Coma" but she kept up her own pace. The best performed song on this CD is no doubt "Closing Time." Courtney explains that it was "another song me & Kurt wrote." Melissa and Courtney harmonize wonderfully on this track and most others. Only 3 songs were from their then latest album Live Through This were performed. They were "Miss World", "Asking For It," & Doll Parts." The rest were "songs about jerks" or "fucking twisted songs," like their cover of Carole King's 1965 song, "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)." Other songs were the exact same ones performed at the MTV Unplugged show. Most of the songs performed are sloppily played, but they have a sarcastic twist to them, kindly provided by Courtney. People in the audience were constantly yelling how they loved Eric, so Courtney tells them "Well you can have him in your band then! Julian Cope! Where are you, you can have Eric. I present to you, after 15 years...." The packaging of the disc is very professional, it makes you wonder why the bootlegs aren't official releases. The quality is great, better than another similar bootleg, Virgin Megastar. Kiss The Stone keeps a reputation of great quality bootlegs. Pics from the Unplugged performance and the Megastore performance are in the CD booklet. On a rate from 1 to 10, I'd give this bootleg a 6. But you can rate it however you want. :)

The Girl With The Most Cake

Songlist- Plump/Beautiful Son/Miss World/Drown Soda/No, No, No/Asking For It/Miss World/Best Sunday Dress/Softer, Softest/Drown Soda/He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)/Asking For It/You've Got No Right/Old Age/Hungry Like The Wolf/Doll Parts/Sugar Coma/

This bootleg consists of only 2 shows, the first in Amsterdam, April 25, 1995, and the other, the edited MTV Unplugged show, February 1995. The first 6 tracks are the Amsterdam show, which only lasted 6 short songs because someone on the audience threw water on Courtney, so she stopped right after finishing "Asking For It." The show was actually started when a drunken Courtney coming on stage, apologizing for being late and saying that she didn't know where she was. Her slurred voice told her audience that if anyone wearing a Pearl Jam shirt should leave and then she'd give them their money back. Most of the songs were performed well, Patty in tune with her drums, and Eric doing most of the essential guitar playing. They started out with "Plump." The only rare song was listed as "No, No, No" (a.k.a. Time to Kill, Just Do It). The show ended with Courtney yelling at a girl in the audience, "little Miss Dutch Bitch", then saying that she had "fullfilled my contract, go fuck yourself, go see Nine Inch Nails next time you little fucking goth shitheads.," She walked off, then Melissa, not sounding at all like her self, screams into the mike, "You paid the fucking money for the show you fucking bitch!" Very entertaining. The Unplugged show consisted of 11 tracks, with good ol' MTV editing out "Season of the Witch" and "Drunk In Rio." The band starts with "Miss World" and performs 4 songs from Live Through This. They perform "old" songs like "Best Sunday Dress." The cover songs they played were a last Nirvana song "You Got No Right.", Duran Duran's "Hungry Like The Wolf, (only half of it), & Carole King's "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)." A Cobain/Love song was listed as "Old Age." The best song was "Sugar Coma", a song which Courtney dedicated to "someone who knows who they are, and my friend Michael (Stripe). Melissa and Courtney harmonize well on the show (again). The set ended with Courtney knocking over the drum set, shoving Eric off his chair, and taking over Melissa's mike. Her last words were "Happy f**king Valentines." Bootlegs, always censoring. I'd give this bootleg a 10.

Riot Girls

Songlist- Plump/Beautiful Son/Miss World/Jennifer's Body/Credit In The Straight World/Teenage Whore/Doll Parts/Violet/Plump/Beautiful Son/Miss World/Drown Soda/No, No, No/Asking For It/

This bootleg performance takes place in 2 countries, the first at the Palace, Melbourne, Australia, January 13, 1995, the second in Amsterdam, April '95, [see Girl With The Most Cake]. The Australian show is a great one, and some talking in between songs. Courtney asks the crowd "Is Nick Cave from here? He asked me for a Valium once, and I told him I'd give him one if he kissed me, and he did. I kissed Nick Cave....you can touch me now. It was on the fucking cheek." All the sounds have the same distortion and sound. The quality is great, not as great as a KTS disc, but just as good. The booklet has a lot of "crotch shots" of Courtney....a Riot Girl pose. The Softer Softest single "B-side", "Hungry Like The Wolf" was cut out of this show for some reason. On the single, it was listed as the Melbourne, Australia show song, yet this show cuts off after "Violet." I'd give this boot a 10.

Email: frankie_82@yahoo.com