Ministry – In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live)

I really, REALLY love this show. It is an important piece of music history, and I wanted to preserve it as best as I could. So, I bought the LaserDisc and made a DVD and CD from it. Now I have a CD that has all of the LaserDisc/VHS content and a DVD that is better than VHS. Matter of fact, people are still enjoying this project and it brings a smile. I absolutely HATED Live Necronomicon, which is nothing but a raw tape dump with no production. Every little screw up and not-so-perfect nuance can be heard, and for me, it really screws up my perception of the music. The screwup on the drums in the intro to Breathe is the biggest offender for me. I recommend for anyone that wants to listen to this, please listen to (or watch) it before listening to Live Necronomicon. It doesn't represent Ministry very well at all. ICYDFLSU is here to stay!

Breathe (Live from the Gulag) is an outtake from this set. It can be found on the Sire - Just Say Da CD compilation.

Never seen the US Pressing. Ever.
The Brazilian Pressing is a monster. So raw. So good.

First I heard "Jesus Built My Hotrod" and dismissed the group - for I didn't like the sound of it. And then, a friend lent me his cassette containing this live album. At first I was equally horrified of the contents because up to that point I just started to accept the early 90's dance-type aggressive sound with some caution (discovering selected songs by NIN, NE, TKK and Front 242, some of whose discography now remains permanently as part of my collection).

With Ministry the thing was, it reminded far more of a Slayer-ish wall of noise, therefore it was far more my elder brother's cup of tea than mine (and as a result, he immediately responded to tracks like "Thieves" and "Burning Inside"). At first I was irritated by so much over-the-top aggression and used to make fun of "Thieves" in particular, which being played at such speed, sounded like an ugly bloodthirsty parody. But slowly, it started growing up on me, there was something fascinating behind the Ministry concept - it was all guitar and drums fueled frenzy but there was also samples and drum programmes that added to the fascinating madness of one's such live album. The first song that attracted me to Ministry here, was "So What". It delivered something more familiar with selections that I religiously started listening - like, say Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole" or "Sin". Slowly, I started paying attention to the rest of the live set - and maybe I'd still had a hard time accepting it, if it wasn't for the bonus track included on this cassette, called "You Know What You Are" (mind you, it was actually a Sony C-90 copy, not the original release tape). This was when I realised the eclectic nature of Ministry at the time. I simply coudn't put two + two together, it was a mixture of disgust and fascination. To reach "You Know What You Are" as the ultimate standout, placed at the tail end of the C-90's a-side space, I simply decided to listen to the whole thing while awaiting my favourite moment of destruction (which is not even related to the live album as a whole).

In the end, thanks to Ministry, I got more tolerant of selected crossover music types that dominated early nineties' alternative scene (yes, I also became infatuated with Nirvana but Ministry actually gave me more in of mercilessly blending electronics with thrash/death/black/call-it-what-you-want metal sound)... Today Al Jourgensen might lack this much energy or creativity, but I don't expect much from Ministry these days - the metal-dance-electronics crossover turned into a horrible cliche and seems to have sadly taken Ministry with it as well. However, there are nice mementos and "In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up" stands as a powerful testimony of Ministry the live act (as well as their then-established, amazing studio act). To imagine that this band once upon a time toured with groups like Culture Club, and sounded just as soft in comparison, was as shocking as the overall aggressive soundscape we know them for most of their commercially astonishing 1986-1992 discography. The list of musicians involved hear pleads for breathless gasps alone. After that, I discovered their work in retrospect - most of their newer stuff I missed for some reason, so I cannot judge any of it. But one thing I am certain of is that "In Case..." is undoubtedly one of the finest live albums there'll ever be in modern rock - sizzling blood, energy and atmosphere. You couldn't see it but listening to it, you couldn't escape your wild imagination of how big and spectacular an alternative concert might get. The golden era of underground, prior to it's wild mainstream breakthru scream - and inevitable demise onwards.