December 02, 2001

This is an odd one. It was performed live, but recorded for the Dunhams’ radio show (see 5/6/99 and 10/20/02). There is a three song first set, but it does not circulate. Run Like Hell does not really have an intro jam or mid-verse jam. The main jam has Magner using the 90s synths, giving the jam a real old-school feel. After a breakdown around the 8 minute mark, the jam builds up on a bliss theme that fakes out the Run Like Hell ending before dropping into Pygmy. Pygmy starts off standard but soon breaks down, first into dub, then into sparse rock. This builds up to the King of the World bass line. King of the World isn’t really played, it’s more of a tribute to the FLAB SLAB jam from 5/6/99 (performed within a Pygmy >>> I-Man no less). Both jams in I-Man are pretty perfunctory. The Ladies is a straightforward version, but it packs a hefty punch. House Dog seems like it would be too short to do anything, but the second jam has a cool bliss theme that floats just outside of Party Favor proper before returning home. It isn’t earth shattering or anything, but it’s enough to register as a highlight. Lai, in contrast, is vastly disappointing for its timestamp. There were a slew of interesting Lais in the fall, but this version is totally standard with about 5 minutes of advertising tracked on.

1/5. Probably a solid introduction to the band, with short and well-executed versions of staples. Run Like Hell and Party Favor paint outside of the numbers, but not by much.

Stray Observations: Pygmy > KotW > I-Man is likely an homage to the very first KotW jam, 5/6/99. There are Crickets teases during Ladies.