Sloan: Australia 1999

Sloan
Australia 1999
Murderecords [2012]









Fire Note Says: Second release in Sloan's bootleg series will be another fan favorite type of listen.

Album Review:
Australia 1999 is the second release in Sloan's bootleg series as this show was recorded live off the soundboard at Goldman's in Sydney, Australia October 23, 1999. The track list is heavy highlighting songs off Between The Bridges [1999] as its release date was September 12 of that year and finds 7 of the 10 tracks here on the vinyl coming from that record. Fans of course won't care about that as the recording is clean and a solid representation of what the band typically offers on stage.

The bootleg series will probably not attract too many people outside of Sloan's fanbase but it wasn't really released with any other people in mind. With that said, Australia 1999 is a solid almost 40 minute show as it captures all of the typical live Sloan energy. Songs like "Take Good Care Of The Poor Boy" and "Losing California" especially rock on a bit harder compared to their studio versions which I think is always the case for Sloan's live show. A seven plus minute "Sensory Deprivation" is also included here that shows off the bands guitar skills and probably will surprise even fans with this more gritty version shredding up the end of Side A!

Overall Australia 1999 is not an essential listen but if you can get your hands on one of the limited vinyl it is definitely worth checking out. The digital version of the release also adds 4 bonus tracks from the beginning of the concert which is a fine listen and adds another 16 minutes to its total time. This is the type of release which is a nice treat for fans as live Sloan always finds the band in their element and Australia 1999 is no different!

*For the collectors out there make sure to seek out the limited hand-numbered translucent pacific blue vinyl release of this recording as there were only 500 pressed which sold out quickly!

Key Tracks: "Losing California", "Take Good Of The Poor Boy", "Sensory Deprivation"

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Zumpano
The Guess Who
The Odds

Sloan: Is That All I Get? [Fire Note Review 11/29/11]
Sloan: The Double Cross [Fire Note Review 5/5/11]
Sloan: B Sides Win: Extras, Bonus Tracks And B-Sides 1992-2008 [Fire Note Review 10/20/10]
Sloan: Hit & Run [EP] [Fire Note Review 12/9/09]
Sloan: Parallel Play [Fire Note Review 6/9/08]
Sloan: Never Hear The End Of It [Fire Note Review 12/22/06]

Sloan Website
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-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony