Homogenic Live

Homogenic Live is a live album by Icelandic singer Björk, collecting her favorite performances from her 1997–1999 Homogenic Tour. It was Björk's first tour to have soundboard recordings and thus the first of her live CDs to feature a wide variety of performances taken from different dates and venues throughout a single tour. Originally released in the five-disc Live Box set in 2003, Homogenic Live was later released separately on 1 June 2004 by One Little Indian records.

Homogenic Live
Live album by
Björk
Released1 June 2004 (2004-06-01)
Recorded1997–1998
GenreElectronica
Length68:58
LabelOne Little Indian
ProducerVarious
Björk chronology
Post Live
(2004)		 Homogenic Live
(2004)		 Vespertine Live
(2004)

Background

Björk did not have soundboard recordings for her first two concert tours. When compiling material for those tours’ corresponding live albums,[1] she had to use audio taken from pre-mixed videotaped performances.

Beginning with the Homogenic Tour, she began collecting soundboard recordings with each section of her touring band mixed separately. During the Homogenic Tour, several microphones captured the Icelandic String Octet (as evidenced on the concert film, Live in Cambridge) while Mark Bell's electronic equipment was fed directly into the mixer. This recording technique allows for a greater clarity of sound and a certain deal of control in the mixing process, allowing the audio technician to raise or lower the different elements, be they the performer's vocals, the different sections of the touring band or even the crowd. Homogenic Live is Björk's first live album to be mixed in such a way.

Reception

Critics praised Homogenic Live. Comparing it to Björk's previous live albums, Scott Plagenhoef for Pitchfork complimented the stripped down strings and electronics setting, saying it "could have left (Björk) potentially vulnerable, but she fills the empty space with the full force of her voice... In the end, the renditions seem more assured and well-conceived" than on both Debut Live and Post Live.[2] AllMusic wrote that "the relatively spare instrumentation allows Björk to take her songs down slightly different paths while retaining the heart of the studio recordings" and that "Björk's voice shines throughout".[2] PopMatters criticised the slew of releases Björk was putting out at the time but agreed that the live album was a historical record "of the beauty and majesty of Björk's voice and her compositions", while ultimately concluding that as a companion project to its "landmark" parent album Homogenic, it "failed to offer any new insights into the inner workings of Björk and her live experience".[3]

Track listing
Homogenic Live track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Recorded[4]Length
1."Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu"
Cambridge, 2 December 19981:52
2."Hunter"BjörkParis, 6 June 19984:17
3."You've Been Flirting Again"BjörkWashington, D.C., 15 May 19983:34
4."Isobel"
Prague, 13 June 19984:55
5."All Neon Like"BjörkSpain, 9 August 19984:56
6."Possibly Maybe"BjörkSpain, 9 August 19985:43
7."5 Years"BjörkLondon, 17 September 19974:09
8."Come to Me"BjörkPrague, 13 June 19984:20
9."Immature"BjörkTourhout, 4 June 19982:59
10."I Go Humble"
Vienna, 14 June 19984:24
11."Bachelorette"
  • Björk
  • Sjón
Later with Jools Holland, 29 November 19975:17
12."Human Behaviour"
  • Björk
  • Hooper
Montreux, 10 June 19983:52
13."Pluto"
  • Björk
  • Bell
Prague, 13 June 19983:55
14."Jóga"
  • Björk
  • Sjón
Later with Jools Holland, 29 November 19974:25
15."So Broken"BjörkLater with Jools Holland, 16 October 19984:27
16."The Anchor Song"BjörkCambridge, 2 December 19985:53
Total length:68:58
Notes
  • "You've Been Flirting Again" included here is the Icelandic version of the song.
  • "I Go Humble" interpolates "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", written and performed by Michael Jackson.
  • "The Anchor Song" interpolates "Um Akkeri", written and performed by Björk.

References
  1. grapevine.is (20 July 2009). "A Conversation With Björk - The Reykjavik Grapevine". grapevine.is. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  2. "Björk: Debut Live / Post Live / Homogenic Live / Vespertine Live Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  3. "Björk: Homogenic Live". PopMatters. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. "Björk - Homogenic Live". discogs.com. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
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