Samhain – Live 1984 Stardust Ballroom – Review

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Live 1984 Stardust Ballroom (MVD)
by Craig Regala

Glenn Danzig ran this band around the country a few times. I caught’m a year and a half or so after this, in Columbus, Ohio, before going for a bit of a rethink-metal retooling. Thing is, this stuff would’ve worked with his shit-hot metal unit: Take it back out, Glenn! As it was, this energized the music and strikes as a U.S. “post-punk” band the way, say, Joy Division was a UK one. It’s the old Stooges/Sabbath difference between the native language home turf of the American boys and the absorption of that language by the Brits. The songs are slower, more textual, and less cartoonish in their execution, but definitely traceable to the core interests and focus of Glenn Danzig’s brutish brooding. Many Misfits fans didn’t like the records but would go see’m. They trotted out a handful of ‘Fits covers when I saw’m, and the segue was natural.

The shoot was done by Al Flipside during Samhain’s first trip to Los Angeles (I’m referencing the promo material here), and looks to be part and parcel of the official bootleg kinda thing you see continually now as shooting technology has become widespread in the digital age. This is good, the warts and all proof. The songs are handled well, and are catchier than I remember. Fifteen cuts clock in at 50 minutes, and out-the-door you go. Really, once again, the kinda thing every decent-size city should have in its library cuz we have a reasonable economy and this is a part of history. Over 20 years ago, Samhain began to play, and I’ve heard Mr. Danzig has done his last tour. So I reiterate: It’d be cool for a week-long stand with a full filming gear to relaunch the era.
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