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| Pitchfork |
 Up to this point, the bounty of extracurricular Björk releases-- the live DVDs, remix albums, live LPs, odds'n'sods box sets, surround sound packages-- have all orbited around an astounding centerpiece, whether it be Debut or Post or Homogenic or Vespertine. Such bonus materials were meant to augment the primary artifact and, more often than not, did just that-- even the hilariously excessive Surrounded Dolby 5.1 set came in an irresistible cotton candy-colored square. But Voltaïc's task is tougher. Björk's latest foray into the deluxe edition world not only has to bolster 2007's Volta, it has to save it. Because even the dude with the Homogenic tattoo on his leg has to admit-- Volta is Björk's worst solo album.In his review of the album, Pitchfork's Mark Pytlik keenly observed that it sounded "almost unfinished," and the heftiness of the Voltaïc package almost seems to acknowledge this fact. Of the five available versions of the set, the most maxed-out boasts a live DVD chronicling two Volta-era gigs, a DVD stuffed with Volta music videos, a CD of Volta remixes from the likes of Simian Mobile Disco and Ratatat, a Volta-heavy CD recorded at London's Olympic Studio with Björk's Volta tour ensemble, and three LPs that reiterate the tunes on the aforementioned CDs. Voltaïc isn't a victory lap as much as an attempted rescue mission....full text |
| Rateyourmusic |
| This is a strong live album and possibly Björk's best - up there with Homogenic Live. You could call this the more essential of the two because it does a good job of salvaging the good songs from Volta, proving that although that album was weaker than average, it added some solid tunes to Björk's repertoire. The performances are all reinterpretations to some degree, although there aren't any really radical departures. Mostly it's just a very good performance. HIGHLIGHTS: Innocence, I Miss You, Earth Intruders...full text |
| Virginmedia |
| Björk sets out to milk… sorry, give her fans an amazing treat As well as composing some of the most idiosyncratic electronic music extant, Björk also has a penchant for releasing ever-more elaborate and exhaustive box sets to part her more besotted fans from their hard-earned cash. Voltaic is a fine case in point. A two-CD, two-DVD, three-vinyl-album extravaganza, it features highlights from her two-year world tour promoting 2007 album Volta, a recording of an exclusive private concert in London the same year, every video made for the album and a selection of esoteric remixes....full text |
| Pitchfork |
| Oh you don't know the half of it." Said in an over-the-top manner, this was David Bowie's inauspicious kick-off to an over-sentimental start to "Life on Mars". Like the rest of his 1999 performance on "VH1's Storytellers" series, it poses a question, or more accurately, suggests the audience will be privy to inside information. But the answers don't come during a mostly tepid eight-song set. Broadcast in August 1999, a quarter-century after he hung up his Ziggy Stardust kimonos, this episode teased fans with a rare chance to hear the shape-shifting artist discuss and deconstruct part of his mythology. Bowie was running on the fumes of what was a disappointing decade-- between albums like Earthling, Outside, and the then forthcoming Hours...-- but if anybody had an iconic back catalog, a colorful personal narrative (or narratives), and an amazing supporting cast to draw stories from, it was Bowie. Sadly, only flashes of his wit and gregarious storytelling come out during this CD/DVD release of his television performance....full text |
| Blogcritics |
| Recorded on August 23, 1999, David Bowie’s Storytellers could have been a classic, instead it falls far from greatness in many ways. I wonder why VH1 decided to release this edition instead of others that are in the can such as CSN&Y or Steely Dan? Bowie’s Storytellers has some good tracks, but none that will leave you begging for more. Unless you are a Bowie maniac, you may want to pass on this live CD for the only one or two decent songs. Bowie opens with “Life on Mars” from his 1971 album Hunky Dory and is off to a promising start. He then teases us with arguably the best song in this performance, “Rebel Rebel.” Unfortunately, either in good fun or because he is bored with performing the song after all of these many years, he ends it abrubtly a short way into the number. David! Please cut something else, something that isn't “Rebel Rebel.” Next is “Thursday’s Child,” a good, but unimpressive newer song, followed by one of the best songs on the album, “Can’t Help Thinking About Me.” It’s a song from early is his career and Bowie has fun with what he believes are less then perfect lyrics. It’s at this point though that I begin to wonder what was going through his mind when he chose this track listing. I can dig obscure Bowie songs, but for Storytellers I want to hear and learn about the nuggets, those great Bowie tunes that everyone knows and loves....full text |
| Popmatters |
| David Bowie made his formidable reputation by being ahead of the musical curve. His expressive voice, his idiosyncratic use of language and melody, and his deft manipulation of his image frequently set precedent. The high level of quality in the majority of Bowie’s music from the 1970s alone still boggles the mind. This period was as fruitful as it was turbulent for Bowie. Fantastic music, famous friends, drugged-out behavior, and bizarre public appearances only contributed to his mystique as a tortured, pop chameleon. By 1983’s Let’s Dance, Bowie found sobriety and multi-platinum success but had lost some of the most challenging aspects of his music and image. The following years brought hit-and-miss dalliances with industrial music, electronica, and (gulp) Tin Machine. This is a man with stories to tell. It is therefore a shame that with so much classic material to his name, and with so many stories to tell, that VH1 Storytellers feels so pedestrian. The underwhelming effect of this album is due to some poor choices. Among them, Bowie chooses to highlight his most recent album at the time, 1999’s adult contempory-sounding Hours…. Two of the scant eight songs that provide the primary set, “Thursday’s Child” and “Seven”, come from this uninspiring album. These tracks are tailor-made for the VH1 crowd, so it is no surprise that Bowie, ever the astute businessperson, knows where to pedal his wares. The trouble is, these songs are horribly bland. Watching the DVD, with the crowd stiffly “rocking out” in their chairs to these atrocities offend both eye and ear while killing any momentum that Bowie and his band manage to conjure with more familiar material....full text |
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