I’m not quite ready to write a review on this album, but my impressions so far are not quite as positive as I had hoped.

A lot of tracks hold the truly psychedelic feel from the original, including a few of the newbies. In fact, the album as a whole is absolutely a stunner, but drawing the comparison between the original and this is inevitable, and this is what I am most disappointed by.

All tracks hold a strength in the sense that the back drop for 5 of the 9 tracks is from one of the most spectacular psychedelic dub masterpieces of all time. That being said, the bass guitar that replaces a lot of the original bass from those tracks is, in my honest opinion, an epic failure.

The first track, a new take on LSD, is absolutely the best example. The complex and driving bass rhythms which really held the entire song together have been replaced by a very, VERY simple bass rhythm which lacks imagination and complexity. The problem I have throughout this entire album is that the same kind of simple bass rhythms dominate at least a third of the (albeit very short) album, and I can’t help but be distracted by them whenever they are around.

Solstice is another great example of this… the first three minutes of the song, originally entitled the Warwick Bassmonkey Remix, are (again, in my opinion), ruined by a simplistic take on a bass line which was very intricate and (originally) created the build to an epic piece of music. The song is only redeemed when Ott throws in the bass line from the original tune at the climax in order to drown out the weak sounds of the bass player.

I am very sorry to Youth for being so critical, but quite honestly this live performance could have been truly spectacular with a bassist willing to more closely replicate the intricacy of Ott’s original work, and build upon those with live improvisation.

In every other manner, this album is really awesome. And the new tracks, which were more designed to fit with simple bass lines are good, but not the psychedelic ride that was created by the original Hallucinogen in Dub, and seem tailored to fit a live crowd rather than for at home listening.

While I consider this album a success, it is not a worthy predecessor to the original, as the ways that it differs offer not more complexity, but a sense of simplicity which leaves me feeling like something is lacking, particularly having seen the bar raised so high by not only Twisted records but many other musicians in the psychedelic music scene up to this day.

In short, the album is fucking outstanding, but it sounds like there is an amateur out there practicing the bass guitar while everyone else is doing their best to create a fucking amazing audial experience. I appreciate all the mastering that was done which delayed this album, in order to make it sound as great as possible. The problem is it simply needs to be re-recorded with a bassist who has style, enthusiasm and skill that competes with the likes of Jimi Hendrix.

That’s my two cents…

*edit* as I keep listening.. the bassist seriously makes this music feel like a Grateful Dead concert… in a bad way… same shit, over, and over, and over… Again, everything else is spot on…

im enjoying listening to it. perhaps you were expecting too much from this album ? the new tracks sound like they are just live jams and as such i think this was a great gig to be at. live recordings are never going to be comparable to a properly produced and engineered studio album. the detailed bass lines you mention in previous tracks probably come from a computer not a live person playing bass guitar on a stage? to replicate that would take 6 months of 247 practice to learn the notes i would think but i cannot be sure about that.

Oh my goodness. This is simply outstanding. The mastering is superb. The new tracks are SO good.. I’ve already taught myself the guitar part in “Spiritual Antiseptic”.

Mark my words: Twisted Records is in a completely new phase. They’re absorbing the London clubby dubby underground vibe and without failure incorporating it in their otherwise very electronic music. Shpongle Live with a full band, Hallucinogen In Dub as a Live band, Younger brother as a band… See the patterns?

At the end of the day, little things such as these albums are what makes life really great.

I absolutely have to catch these guys live.

Astrognomix - 14 May 2009 02:40 PM

That being said, the bass guitar that replaces a lot of the original bass from those tracks is, in my honest opinion, an epic failure.

That’s funny, because the first thing that came to my mind when I was listening to Angelic Particles was “this sounds really cool with a live bass” when the first few notes kicked in.
I like the feeling that live instruments add to the sound. It doesn’t sound as “perfect” compared to clean electronic engineering, but how could it (unless we replace the musicians with robots, and we would end up with Robot-Posford, Robot-Youth, Rob-Ott, haha that’s a good one ... ok, enough of this)? In my opinion, that’s one of the good things about Live albums, the small flaws, the human feel to it.

More opinions later. Five stars for now!

I do still like the album, and I was definitely being harsh due to my unrealistically high expectations. I agree with you that the live bass adds a really nice feel to some tracks, Angelic Particles being maybe the best example of the remakes on the album. I would say my greatest disappointment still lies in the remake of LSD, though… I can’t even listen to it without humming the original bassline in my head.

And I’m not asking for all of it to be done by robots. Most of the bass lines in the original HiD could easily have been replicated by a bassist willing to practice them and use a bit of effects on the instrument. I really feel like Youth did not try hard enough to pull this one off.

When I first heard this album I was disappointed because of the very high expectations that had built up over the long anticipation for its realease. But after a few listens now I do love it. The only problems I could complain about would be some of the songs do have simplistic basslines that dont compare to that of the HiD album. Rent Boy…what happened here, im sorry I feel terrible for saying something bad about anything Twisted puts out but Rent Boy in my opinion is an “epic failure”. But for the other new songs HiD, amazing tune my favorite off the whole cd. Dark Persuasion is also very good, the name fits the feel of the song for sure. Cicada isnt too bad either I think its just that the distorted guitar turns me off from a song. As for the classic’s, they are all amazing especially Solstice.
Well thats my thoughts and opinions on it.
If i was to rate it…7/10.

Gnome Doser - 15 May 2009 01:54 PM

When I first heard this album I was disappointed because of the very high expectations that had built up over the long anticipation for its realease. But after a few listens now I do love it. The only problems I could complain about would be some of the songs do have simplistic basslines that dont compare to that of the HiD album. Rent Boy…what happened here, im sorry I feel terrible for saying something bad about anything Twisted puts out but Rent Boy in my opinion is an “epic failure”. But for the other new songs HiD, amazing tune my favorite off the whole cd. Dark Persuasion is also very good, the name fits the feel of the song for sure. Cicada isnt too bad either I think its just that the distorted guitar turns me off from a song. As for the classic’s, they are all amazing especially Solstice.
Well thats my thoughts and opinions on it.
If i was to rate it…7/10.

That is definitely a less emotional response to my reaction from the album… I feel the exact same way. First few listens I was annoyed enough about the bass to post about it but now that I give it more of a chance I can’t help but say I really do love it, and it will be in my playlist for many moons.

Great album, impossible to live up to all of the expectations, particularly after all of the delays.  I do agree with Astrognomix regarding the bass issue.  The bass does have a negative impact on several of the songs, primarily Solstice and LSD becuase the original basslines were so insane.  I love the drumming on the whole album though.  HiD is definitely my favorite track by far. Overall I’m really happy with the album and I think most Twisted fans will feel the same way. 

One thing I would say though - Hallucinogen in Dub 1 came out in 2002.  The live album has now come out in 2009.  Please dont’ make us wait another 7 years for a studio version of tracks like HiD and Dark Persuasion.  They’ve gotta be out there if they’ve been playing them at non-live band gigs, maybe release them on a backroom beats comp or something?  Please!

Didn’t want to sound unappreciative in my last post.  I realize this album just came out and I’m already asking for more.  That’s what’s great about twisted though, always left wanting more.  I’m very happy with this album, I’m glad they finally got a master they liked. 

Hopefully someday HiD and Dark Persuasion will be released as studio tracks, but that’s a ways in the future and for now, this album is awesome.

Well i was let down alot, i expected more but this album is NOTHING TO GET WORKED UP OVER. I will list why…
1) “LSD” - track sounds just like the album version pretty much, not bad but nothing too different to get me to play this.
2) “Spiritual Antiseptic” - Alright track, not bad, its 1 of the 3 i actually will play again.
3) “Cicada” - Hell no this track is terrible and doesnt jive well with the album at all…horrid track!!
4) “Solstice” - Once again…its like listening to an unpolished version of the original, toward the end is cool but it doesnt save it in my opinion…YAWN.
5) “HiD” - 2nd best track, i like this.
6) “Dark Persuasion” - Excellent track. The best and probably highlight of the album, could have had some slow down and more acoustic parts but overall not bad i like it alot.
7) “Angelic Particles” - They could have done something really cool with this track, it had potential to be different, maybe different vocals..the guitars are cool but this track bored the hell out of me real quick.
8) “Rent Boy” - Another reason I WONT be listening to any new Hallucinogen ever again..i thought “Bubble N Tweak” & “Strangled Cat” were terrible but this takes the cake…fake rock bullshit and they cant pull it off, BORING & CHEESY. Also it doesnt mesh well with the rest of the album it automatically makes the album lose that ‘chill-out’ flavor.
9) “Gamma Goblins” - If i have to hear this retarded melody again im going to pull out my hair, it was cool on the original album but it has been remixed before and you really think they would have done something to make it sound cooler or less electronic but no…

OVERALL: Major let down, i hyped it up in my mind. I wish people that saw the show live would have warned us that it wasnt that spectacular, i mean it has its moments but i quickly find the album losing my attention. I can honestly say as with hearing the new material i wont be listening to anymore Hallucinogen, OTT was the one that made “In Dub” a classic. We waited 2 years for this? Hell no im glad i didnt purchase this.

Well, studio versions of tracks don’t sound the same when played live, so I kind of expected that HiD live will be different than the album.

Maybe because of that some are disappointed with this gig…dunno.=/

And I too would love those new tracks be released in studio versions. =)

Wow, interesting perspective about the negative aspects of the album.  I do agree with you on some points, I prefer studio versions to live versions - definitely more polished.  It’s interesting to hear these versions, kind of a different take on some of the tracks which may or may not improve on the originals depending on your taste, but tough to wait this long for this. 

One point I definitely do agree on - Rent Boy is probably the low point of the album for me.  Seems like some people are into this move towards rock, not me at all.  Still like the album a lot overall though.

Horus - 16 May 2009 02:55 AM

One point I definitely do agree on - Rent Boy is probably the low point of the album for me.  Seems like some people are into this move towards rock, not me at all.  Still like the album a lot overall though.

It sends chills and reminiscence of the slow collapse of Infected Mushroom… Also not appreciating the rock on the album. While it doesn’t sound that bad, it’s not psychedelic and does sound like it is used to make the music more mainstream.

Anyways, I just wanted to say the more I listen to this album the more it grows on me. I am even starting to like LSD… someone in another forum mentioned how Youth’s basslines, while boring, hold the album together. After listening to it with that perspective I was more readily able to forgive the monotony of them and let them mesh with the other sounds rather than stand out in my mind… really not bad music at all.

Horus - 16 May 2009 02:55 AM

I prefer studio versions to live versions - definitely more polished.  It’s interesting to hear these versions, kind of a different take on some of the tracks which may or may not improve on the originals depending on your taste

I agree.

I always appriciate a live album as it shows an artist in their more raw form, my only grip is that it is only 52mins long and the tracks with the guitar in I’m not sure about i.e. track 3.

update: been listening to it over and over and i found myself really liking