Ben Weasel - The Brain That Wouldn't Die (2009) RENEWED & RESTORED

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Ben Weasel - The Brain That Wouldn't Die (2009) RENEWED & RESTORED

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Ben Weasel - The Brain That Wouldn't Die (2009)
FLAC+CUE+LOG or MP3 CBR 320 | 31:31 min | 241 or 73 MB
Recorded Live at Reggie's Rock Club, Chicago, August 2008

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Ben Weasel - The Brain That Wouldn't Die (2009) RENEWED & RESTORED

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It may be extremely nerdy to debate your favorite Weasel album, but we’ve all been there before, and I think many come to the conclusion that it is in fact My Brain Hurts. Released in 1991 as their debut on Lookout Records, My Brain Hurts is where Screeching Weasel found their new poppier formula while still adding that raw energy found on albums such as Boogadaboogadaboogada. This is the sound that even today countless bands are continuing to try to emulate. The record itself has even been covered in its entirety by pop punk veterans John Cougar Concentration Camp in 2008, so now 18 years after its release, My Brain Hurts proves to be just as relevant as when it was released.

And that is why we are here today, celebrating the release of The Brain That Wouldn’t Die, Ben Weasel’s first live release where he, Danny Vapid and his new band blast straight through the album, even adding in two additional tracks, recorded at Reggie's Rock Club in Chiago over two days last summer. Two songs that appear on My Brain Hurts are omitted here, "Fathead" and "I Can See Clearly Now", assumedly because of copyright issues.

One of the extra added tracks (culled from the encores at the shows) is the fan favorite "Cool Kids" from Bark Like A Dog,, and the other a personal favorite of mine, Boogada's "This Ain’t Hawaii" (which I am kind of bummed he didn’t play in 2007 when I saw him at Insub Fest). The songs have the raw intensity that they were intended to have, Ben’s voice sounds as strong as ever, Vapid nails all the backups, and you can tell the crowd was into it by hearing them sing along at times. What else can you ask for? The quality is even top notch, not just for a live album but also for any album in general. If you haven’t been lucky enough to see Ben since he started to do shows again, this is the next best thing and is a must have for any true fans.

The artwork is top notch and the title itself comes from an MST3K film, which is a theme he has continued to use on the new Riverdales album Invasion USA. As Jim Testa says in his introduction to the set/album, Ben Weasel is "the grouchiest man in the world", but with all the grouchiness aside he sounds like he is having a blast and is finally able to enjoy all the work he put into Screeching Weasel years ago. Good for him.

~ Review by Noah WK, jerseybeat.com