official bootleg is their first live album to date, their effort to "put an end to low quality, overpriced recordings which do not represent the vision of [Neurosis'] music," is at once both amazing and, to a minor extent, disappointing.

The first time I heard Neurosis was in the late Spring or early Summer of 1992. I was lying down in the back of some station-wagonish car — the seats being otherwise occupied. I was travelling with a group of friends from Lincoln to Grand Island, Nebraska, to see a punk rock show at a skate park featuring the band Slide, arguably the only hardcore punk band in the area at that time. Joel Gibson, the drummer, was driving the automobile in question and was blasting Neurosis' third album, "Souls At Zero", at top volume for the duration of the trip. Being relatively isolated from the others in the car — making it difficult to participate in conversation — the only thing I could do was lie there and listen to this music that was, honestly, scaring the bejeezus out of me. Over the next few years, after the initial shock had worn off, I learned to not only love the music, but to appreciate Neurosis for the creative force of genius that they are. Because I have never witnessed Neurosis live in concert, I could barely contain my excitement when I noticed the release of this live album.

official bootleg.01... is the first in a series (!!!) of "specially priced quality recordings of neurosis' live performances." The series (!!!) is designed to "put an end to low quality, overpriced recordings which do not represent the vision of [Neurosis'] music." Aside from this brief statement, that appears on the back of the album, there is no information regarding planned future releases on either the Neurosis homepage or the Neurot Recordings homepage. Judging from the length of the album (approx. 57 minutes), this is (or appears to be) an entire concert (as opposed to selected concert snippets).

As for the nitty gritty ... the album is at once both amazing and, to a minor extent, disappointing. In my experience, most bands must be seen and heard in concert simply because the live dynamic and energy are nigh impossible to recreate in the studio. Additionally, live performances provide the opportunity for improvisation ... one concert never really sounds the same as any other. In the case of Neurosis, the studio recordings are so powerful that I never imagined a live concert would add any intensity. Here, the only noticeable difference from the studio recordings is sonic/acoustic. The mix isn't as perfect, it's incredibly loud, and the venue "shapes" the overall sound. In addition, Neurosis use a lot of keyboard sampling in their music and incorporate a film/video presentation into their live show. As a result, the songs must be carefully structured leaving little (if any) room for improvisation. This isn't, of course, just a louder version of previously recorded songs mixed imperfectly. It's a deafening, laudable experience will enrapture fans and (likely) confuse or terrify the unitiated.