13th Anniversary Show, Live in the U.S.A.

AMG Review of 13th Anniversary Show, Live in the U.S.A.

Ted Mills
All Music Guide

What was first issued as a very rare cassette (500 copies) of one of the American stops on the Residents' 13th Anniversary Show was then reissued as an even rarer numbered CD edition (of 500) released six years later. It's the only released version that represents the full concert (Live in Japan and Live in Holland are single CD affairs), and is the only place where you'll hear such tracks as "I Got Rhythm," "The Big Bubble," and "Diskomo." Comparatively, the Japan set remains the definitive version -- a listen to this CD reveals flubbed notes, weak vocals, strange audio mixing, and one level less of energy, even though they were on their home turf, so to speak. There are very few copies left of this CD, so locating it will be tough.