stereolaboratory

I just saw stereolab live for the first time when they came through on sound-dust. This is definitely not the first time I've seen them criticized for being a boring live act. For me, while the show was by no means exciting, I liked it for two reasons. A-to see how they were handling some of the electro songs (i.e. dots and loops songs) and B- hearing the drone rock songs REALLY LOUD. In particular I loved hearing 'French Disko' live

When I saw Stereolab, I had gone to a "meet the band" in-store appearance a couple hours before the show and talked to them a little bit. And while it was a total fan-boy indulgence and ultimately forgettable, it DID enhace that night's performance. On record, they're not a band that exudes much personality, but after having talked to each of them that day, I had much more fun switching my attention from member to member and seeing what each was contributing to the performance. The only low point of the evening was that "Crest" was not on the setlist.

But I don't know that I'd really want to hear them cover anything. Too bizarre a thought.

They've actually done some covers in the past--"One Note Samba" comes to mind.

When I saw Stereolab, they were jumping around & stuff (in a polite way, natch) and appeared very personable. Perhaps i have been lucky? I enjoyed them loads anyway. I would like to hear Stereolab cover some of Hawkwind's more drone-rock-ist piesces, esp. "Masters of the Universe", "Brainstorm" or "You Shouldn't Do That". "Opa Locka" from "Warrior on the Edge of Time" is practically proto-stereolab anyway.

When I last saw them -- just after Emperor Tomato Ketchup, maybe? -- I thought their live show was ideal: it didn't quite strip things down, but it managed to reduce their embellishments into this very combo-like feel, a bit like the way "Metronomic Underground" compares to "Cybele's Reverie." Since they seem to have gotten more boring overall since that point, I'm unsurprised that the live show has headed in the same direction.

Minna - I saw them about a week or so prior to when you saw them, and I found that there was quite a difference between the scientific precision of their more recent records and the live set (lot more guitar). Apart from getting the impression that Laetitia could have played her Moog parts in her sleep, I found that their live set harked back much more to their pre-Emperor Tomato Ketchup sound, in style if not in choice of material. AND in breaks during the set, the keyboardist played the themes from Rainbow (!!!!!) and Grange Hill, and the bassist mucked around on Paint It Black.

there was quite a difference between the scientific precision of their more recent records and the live set (lot more guitar)

yes, it was a more guitar-based show, but that didn't change the dispassionate tone for me at all - there was no more emotion in the guitar drone than in any of their more digital sounds (and it was just as perfectly executed). but it is quite easily possible that we saw two very different shows, even if they were only a week apart - for instance we didn't get any of that playful tinkering (not that i can remember). i make it sound as though the bandmembers themselves were cold and unpleasant - that is far from the truth, they came across as quite friendly and personable. it was their playing style that lacked warmth.

but i couldn't help but wonder about ways by which they could liven things up a bit... i decided that i would like them to do some covers.

yeah right, nearly their entire catalog is covers of progessively more obscure sources. Initially there was the "Hallo Gallo" meets "Roadrunner" one chord grooves, then the Faust rip, then nods to The United States Of America, Silver Apples, Pop Group, and The Free Design... all the while stylistic nods/rips to/of Perrey Kingsley, Wendy/Walter Carlos... etc.

Anyways, there's probably some page online that meticulously catalogs each of their many indebted "tributes/homages" to various sources, I'd recommend taking a peak.

I saw them at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence in... May of 1996 and something about it clicked for me... may have been the fact that I was in the very front, or that I was in love, but I remember the show feeling kind of loose and wild... the guitar player went OFF a couple of times into static noisejam land, daring the loungerock expecters to follow,,, very rock n roll... I don't think they do that anymore really. it would be cool to hear them cover "funkytown"