''Debut Live'' is a live album by
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
ic singer
Björk. While featuring live versions of songs from ''
Debut'', the album does not feature the songs as performed during the
Debut Tour
The Debut Tour was the first tour by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk, and it mainly focused on her album ''Debut (Björk album), Debut''. She toured from 1993 to 1994. The tour was released on VHS and DVD as ''Vessel (DVD), Vessel''. A separate ...
from 1993–1994. Instead the majority of the CD comes from an acoustic performance of ''Debut'' on the ''
MTV Unplugged
''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...
'' television program. Originally released in the 5 disc ''
Live Box'' set in 2003, ''Debut Live'' was later released separately on 1 June 2004 by
One Little Indian
One Little Independent Records (formerly One Little Indian Records) is an English independent record label. It was set up in 1985 by members of various anarcho-punk bands, and managed by former Flux of Pink Indians bassist Derek Birkett. In ...
records.
Background
Björk was unhappy with the
Debut Tour
The Debut Tour was the first tour by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk, and it mainly focused on her album ''Debut (Björk album), Debut''. She toured from 1993 to 1994. The tour was released on VHS and DVD as ''Vessel (DVD), Vessel''. A separate ...
, her first solo concert series after leaving
the Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes ( Icelandic: Sykurmolarnir) were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Bened ...
. As she explained in the documentary ''
Minuscule
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
'', "I did auditions and hired session people and everybody did what they were told. We rehearsed very well and the first show was like that and all the other shows were like that. So it was very nailed down. And I made a promise through that tour that I would never do that again… because most of all if I had told everybody what to do and how to do it I walk on stage and I'm bored stiff." In 2002 when she began combing her archive of live material to be released the following year, she settled on a special performance of ''Debut'' for MTV's iconic
Unplugged
Unplugged may refer to:
*Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means
* "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014
* "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family''
Albums and EPs
* ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002
* '' ...
series of concerts. This show was performed a month after the Debut Tour concluded in late 1994 and features wildly different instrumentation and interpretations of the ''Debut'' songs.
Several artists joined Björk onstage, including
Talvin Singh
Talvin Singh OBE (born 1970) is an English musician, producer, and composer. A tabla player, he is known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass. Singh is generally considered involved with an electronica s ...
on tabla,
Corky Hale
Corky Hale (born July 3, 1936) is an American jazz harpist, pianist, flutist, and vocalist. She has been a theater producer, political activist, restaurateur, and the owner of the Corky Hale women's clothing store in Los Angeles, California.
Ear ...
on harp,
Oliver Lake
Oliver Lake (born September 14, 1942) is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist. He is known mainly for alto saxophone, but he also performs on soprano and flute. During the 1960s, Lake worked with the Black ...
, the South Bank Gamelan Orchestra, and two artists who would become frequent collaborators:
Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth is an English record producer and songwriter. During his career, he has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian, Alanis M ...
and
Leila Arab
Leila Arab ( fa, لیلا عرب, born in 1971), professionally known as Leila, is an Iranian-born record producer and DJ based in London, England. She has released music on the labels Rephlex, XL and Warp. She has also worked extensively with ...
. Another collaboration would soon prove fruitful, that with deaf Scottish percussionist
Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015.
Early life
Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The in ...
. She and Björk went on to record a session together but only two of the songs have been released: "My Spine" (found on Björk's ''
Post
Post or POST commonly refers to:
*Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries
**An Post, the Irish national postal service
**Canada Post, Canadian postal service
**Deutsche Post, German postal service
**Iraqi Post, Ira ...
'' remix album ''
Telegram
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
'' in 1996) and "Oxygen" (found on Glennie's greatest hits album released in 1997).
The concert was held on 7 November 1994 in London. The set list included all of the songs from ''Debut'' except "There's More to Life Than This". ''Debut'' era
B-sides "Atlantic" and "
Play Dead", regulars on the Debut Tour set lists, were not performed. Many of the songs were taken multiple times to perfect them for the TV broadcast, and the night was capped with a cover of
Rodgers Rodgers is a patronymic surname of Old English origin derived from the Norman personal name "Roger", with the addition of the genitive suffix "-s" and meaning “son of Roger.” The intrusive “d” in Rodgers is either a Welsh or Scottish ...
and Hart's "
My Funny Valentine", a song Björk has never recorded in studio.
Björk's MTV Unplugged concert was released on DVD as part of the collection ''
MTV Unplugged / Live'' on 9 February 2002.
Most of the tracks from ''Debut Live'' are taken from the MTV Unplugged show. For reasons unknown, Björk replaced the MTV show's performance of "
Venus as a Boy
"Venus as a Boy" is a song by Icelandic musician Björk, released as the second single from her 1993 album, ''Debut''. The song was written by Björk and was produced by Nellee Hooper, who produced the majority of her debut album. The single was ...
" with her 1995 performance of the song at
Later with Jools Holland. Her performance of "My Funny Valentine" has never been released, nor has the MTV Unplugged version of "Venus as a Boy". Six songs from MTV Unplugged had previously been featured in a special promotional CD called ''Celebrating Wood and Metal''. It was a free gift to the first 20,000 members of the official Björk fan club in 1997. The two CDs contain noticeably different mixes, particularly the audience applause which is nearly absent from the earlier promotional CD.
''Debut Live'' was originally released as part of ''
Live Box'' in 2003, a collection of Björk's first four live albums, in a period where Björk was releasing several compilations and side projects on CD and DVD. The collection was met with mixed reception; while critics praised Björk's performances and reinventions of her material, many felt the seemingly endless number of releases were simply a way to milk money from die-hard fans. A stand-alone ''Debut Live'' CD was released on 1 June 2004, months before Björk's fifth studio album ''
Medúlla
''Medúlla'' is the fifth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 30 August 2004 in the United Kingdom by One Little Indian Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. After the release of her electro ...
''.
Reception
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
called it "a must for Björk fans" and commented that the eclectic group of instruments, "allow Björk's voice to masterfully guide the songs." ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' was slightly more critical. While praising both Björk and her multi-cultural musicians, contributor Scott Plagenhoef felt that these stripped down versions of the ''Debut'' songs felt "muted" and that the singer let the new arrangements take center stage over her own performance.
Track listing
All songs taken from Björk's ''MTV Unplugged'' concert from 7 November 1994 except where noted.
References
{{Authority control
2004 live albums
Björk albums
One Little Independent Records albums
Albums produced by Björk
MTV Unplugged albums