Live in Zurich was the second Chuck Ragan live album I bought and remains to be one of the nicest coloured records I own. It sometimes seems wrong to rave so much about the packaging, but they've done a really nice job on this one; the colours used in the sleeve and on the vinyl match brilliantly and the splatter looks great. Discogs tells me there are 500 like this and a further 1000 on two other colours/patterns.
Anyway, I bought this record the night of the second time I saw Chuck Ragan. He was playing TJ's in Newport and it was my last day of work in my old job. I went with my then-colleague Aled and it seemed like a nice way to end my last day in that job (as it happens the first time I saw him was nearly two years earlier, shortly before starting that job). The gig was great and at the end I bought this live album along with his newest album at the time, Gold Country. I still remember opening the records when I got home and being amazed by the colour of the vinyl of this one.
Musically, it comes across a more sombre set than on Los Feliz, but that was the feeling I got about Gold Country in general, so they seem like a good pairing (the exception on Gold Country being Glory, a fantastic and uplifting song). The set-list still has some favourites on (Between the Lines and a cover of Hot Water Music's Old Rules). Chuck is accompanied by his now-regular collaborators Jon Gaunt and Digger Barnes and they fill out songs like Geraldine and Rotterdam brilliantly. There's also a nice version of Revival Road, the song that came to the theme-song of the Revival Tour.
Two points of little significance: the photos inside show the crowd at this particular show, and it looks like it would have been a great show to be at. I've seen Chuck play huge venues like Shepherds Bush Empire and The Roundhouse but also tiny bars and record shops and they've all been excellent, but the small shows always seem more special; his music is suited to places where you can buy a drink and be just a few meters from the front of the stage at the same time. Secondly, the "thank you's" on the insert finish with the words "pura vida" which, after a recent holiday, I only describe as the Costa Rican for "cheers" (it literally translates to "pure life", but they use it in a similar way to the way we use "cheers"). All the other times I've looked at that insert those meant nothing to me, but now they do.
So all in all, another nice live album from Chuck, but I'm saving my favourite for tomorrow...
Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 12
Cost: £8 new
Bought: gig
When: 26/08/09
Colour: White with blue and black splatter
Etching: none
mp3s: no
