Ryan Adams Live After Deaf Box Set

$

390

"LIVE AFTER DEAF chronicles the 15-date June 2011 UK/Europe tour that marked Ryan’s return to live performance. Sandwiched between the completion of his acclaimed Ashes & Fire and its October 2011 release, the shows were the first of a solo acoustic tour featuring Adams performing to arguably the best reviews of his career–The New York Times called it a “Gorgeously hushed communion… One slow, perfectly poised song after another” while the SF Weekly raved “Shows rarely get more revealing — or more engaging — than this.” With setlists featuring tracks covering the breadth his career – from Whiskeytown through early solo landmarks Heartbreaker and Gold to the Cardinals era and about-to-be-released material from Ashes & Fire–RYAN ADAMS’ LIVE AFTER DEAF is a rare and intimate document of an artist reconnecting both with his fans and his own body of work. Now, in celebration of its one-year-anniversary, LIVE AFTER DEAF provides fans a way to re-live that tour–or experience for the first time." (from the Pax-Am Records Website)
Produced by Ryan Adams Recording by Kris Poulin Post-Mix by Ryan Adams and assisted by Mike Edge
The first live collection in Ryan Adams' long and prolific career was well worth the wait. These 15 LPs and 218 tracks document his first solo tour in more than five years and features some of the most consistent, focused, and well played shows of his entire career. On top of that, the sound quality on these recordings is phenomenal! 
Completely unplugged, these solo shows include many songs that were played live for the first time ever! Fans were given a first taste of the at-the-time unreleased Ashes and Fire album, as well as classic Whiskeytown songs, and deep cuts like "Cannonball Days" (a bonus track on Gold), "Halloween" (bonus cut from Love is Hell)and "Withering Heights" (from Jacksonville City Nights). Many of the more well known songs are re-arranged. "New York New York" is slowed down and played as a crooner piano ballad. While stripped down versions of songs like "Crossed Out Name" and "Two"  shed new light on the Adams' catalogue and craft as a songwriter.
These shows also feature plenty of funny banter and songs made up on the spot. "Goodnight Bob" from the Glasgow show is a classic improv folk song about the disgruntled owner of a laundromat. While the show in Porto features a black metal/prog-rock/disco jam titled "Jesus/Cougar", and "Mr. Booger Man" - a funky number started after Ryan stops to blow his nose.