Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning (Re-release) (Album)

I’m sure I am not alone when I admit to getting annoyed when record companies re-release albums with bonus material months (even years) after it was originally recorded. Personally, I don’t see why I should be punished with a lesser product just because I am the diligent fan who will go out and buy the album straight away. And I know I shouldn’t succumb to this re-purchasing, but I will admit that I am the owner of multiple copies of the same record and begrudgingly have a new bone to pick.

Liam Finn’s I’ll Be Lightning has been recently re-released with a bonus live disc and is again housed in eco-friendly packaging provided by the LA-based, Kufala Recordings. No doubt everyone sees the irony in providing “green” packaging for a record that is in part redundant.

But I digress; because the album itself was a somewhat overlooked one in 2007 and if things like this help Finn gain some momentum and the accolades he rightly deserves, then so be it.

For those unfamiliar with the original album, it is positively brimming with catchy melodies and harmonies similar to either The Beach Boys or The Beatles. A combination of fine pop ditties and some mature ballads, it is simultaneously perfect to listen to on a dance floor and in more softer, contemplative moods. In addition, the lyrics read like a diary of Finn’s life and are almost partly borrowed from his dad, Neil Finn’s songbook- whose own oeuvre of work includes both Crowded House and Split Enz.

The live disc was recorded in April 2008 at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, and is a fair introduction to Finn’s live show. However, to fully appreciate the raw power and stunning visual scene of the gigs (namely when Finn departs from the security of the norm to explore new tangents or flourishes while sounding like a full-blown band despite his sole accompaniment being from EJ Barnes;) it therefore, goes without saying you really need to see him live to be truly grateful.

The live component opens with some applause, guitar wails and odd notes before launching into what was presumably a live jam on the night. Now captured for prosperity it is titled, I’m Liam and This Is Eliza Jane. It is a great piece of music punctuated by frantic screams and the only lyrics are the track’s title. A time change occurs and after an abrupt stop, some slow-building drums create suspense before the resultant distortion-fuelled frenzy.

Also included is the title track, which sees Finn lyrically segue into The Beatles’ Dear Prudence near the end. The pace then slows down with Wide Awake On The Voyage Home before things pick up again with Better To Be and Second Chance. The climax is Lead Balloon which flows off into so many different directions encompassing laughing, screaming, singing, drums and crunchy guitar, and leaving no stone unturned.

In all, the second disc could have been slightly improved by the inclusion of a few more live songs, but overall it is an excellent offering of live tracks that accentuate the original album’s finery. So in hindsight, perhaps I shouldn’t whinge so much about re-releases after all...

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