Tested

Last updated
Tested
Bad Religion Tested.jpg
Live album by
ReleasedJanuary 1997 [1]
RecordedApril 17–October 14, 1996
Genre Punk rock [2]
Length65:49
Label
Producer
Bad Religion chronology
The Gray Race
(1996)
Tested
(1997)
No Substance
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Great Rock Discography 5/10 [3]
Punknews.orgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]

Tested is the first official [2] live album by punk rock band Bad Religion. [5] [6] It was recorded in the USA, Canada, Germany, Estonia, Denmark, Italy and Austria, in 1996, and released in 1997. It is Bad Religion's second live album.[ citation needed ] Instead of using crowd microphones and mobile studios like most live albums, the band tapped the inputs, for a result that portrays Bad Religion's live sound without crowd noise. [5] It also includes three new songs; "Dream of Unity," "It's Reciprocal," and the title track.

Contents

Background

Bad Religion's US label, Atlantic, turned down releasing Tested; however, the band's German label, Sony, agreed to release the album in Europe and the rest of the world through its imprints Dragnet and Epic. [7] The album was released in January 1997 in Australia, followed by a European release in February. [8] In March, it was available as import-only in the US. [5] [8]

"Dream of Unity" was released as a single in Germany in 1997. [9]

In 2008, Tested was reissued in Europe by Epitaph.

Critical reception

Dave Thompson, in Alternative Rock, wrote: "Disconcerting the first listen, energizing thereafter, few live albums have been this brave." [10]

In his review for AllMusic, Jack Rabid called the album "a bit of a letdown." He felt that the album lacks a "you are there" feel and that the overall sound is "merely average." He concluded, "Nonetheless, with a band this top-notch, even such a merely passable, perfectly clear recording demonstrates their awesome punk prowess enough (especially that of singer Graffin, whose phenomenal pipes soar all over this) to make Tested a large pleasure just the same." Rabid said of the three new studio tracks: "Dream of Unity" is uncharacteristically half-baked and slightly dull, but both "Tested" and "It's Reciprocal" burn the laser off the player." [2]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Recording date and placeLength
1."Operation Rescue" Greg Graffin June 26, 1996; The Arena, Berlin, Germany 2:11
2."Punk Rock Song"GraffinJuly 10, 1996; Olympic Stadium, Rome, Italy 2:24
3."Tomorrow"GraffinJuly 10, 1996; Olympic Stadium, Rome, Italy1:54
4."A Walk"GraffinJune 27, 1996; Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark 2:27
5."God Song"GraffinSeptember 19, 1996; Metropol, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States 1:48
6."Pity the Dead"GraffinJune 22, 1996; The Amphitheater, Loreley, Germany2:59
7."1000 More Fools" Brett Gurewitz September 7, 1996; Holidome, Melbourne, Florida, United States1:39
8."Drunk Sincerity"GraffinApril 24, 1996; RPM Warehouse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2:17
9."Generator"GurewitzJune 30, 1996; Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, Germany3:23
10."Change of Ideas"GraffinApril 25, 1996; State Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, United States0:59
11."Portrait of Authority"GraffinJune 26, 1996; The Arena, Berlin, Germany2:52
12."What It Is"GraffinApril 17, 1996; Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York, United States2:20
13."Dream of Unity" (studio track)GraffinSeptember 4, 1996; Polypterus Studio, Ithaca, New York, United States2:50
14."Sanity"GurewitzSeptember 11, 1996; Button South, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States2:43
15."American Jesus"Gurewitz, GraffinJune 22, 1996; The Amphitheater, Loreley, Germany3:15
16."Do What You Want"GurewitzSeptember 19, 1996; Metropol, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States1:15
17."Part III" Jay Bentley June 19, 1996; Circus Krone, Munich, Germany2:54
18."Ten In 2010"GraffinJuly 7, 1996; Tallinna Lauluväljak, Tallinn, Estonia 2:24
19."No Direction"GraffinSeptember 12, 1996; Hammerjack's, Baltimore, Maryland, United States3:07
20."Along the Way"GraffinMay 3, 1996; PNE Forum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada1:38
21."Recipe for Hate"GraffinApril 28, 1996; Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, United States2:15
22."Fuck Armageddon... This Is Hell"GraffinMay 8, 1996; Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, California, United States3:00
23."It's Reciprocal" (studio track)Graffin, Brian Baker, Bobby Schayer October 14, 1996; Polypterus Studio, Ithaca, New York, United States2:04
24."Struck a Nerve"GraffinSeptember 8, 1996; Shades, Jacksonville, Florida, United States3:36
25."Leave Mine to Me"GraffinApril 22, 1996; Verdun Auditorium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada2:13
26."Tested" (studio track)GraffinSeptember 2, 1996; Polypterus Studio, Ithaca, New York, United States3:05
27."No Control"GraffinSeptember 8, 1996; Shades, Jacksonville, Florida, United States2:03
Total length:65:49

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes. [11]

Bad Religion
Technical

Notes and trivia

Charts

Chart performance for Tested
Chart (1997)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [12] 67
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [13] 49
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [14] 25
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [15] 74

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References

  1. Ruland, Jim (2020). Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion. New York City: Hachette Books. p. 199. ISBN   978-0306922220.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Tested - Bad Religion | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  3. Strong, Martin C. (2002). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 53. ISBN   9781841953120.
  4. "Bad Religion - Tested". www.punknews.org.
  5. 1 2 3 "TrouserPress.com :: Bad Religion". www.trouserpress.com.
  6. Buckley, Peter (May 24, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN   9781843531050 via Google Books.
  7. "Bad Religion - Tested". The Bad Religion Page. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Kaufman, Gil (February 3, 1997). "Bad Religion Live Album Out Now". MTV . Retrieved April 11, 2024.[ dead link ]
  9. "Dream of Unity". The Bad Religion Page. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  10. Thompson, Dave (May 24, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   9780879306076 via Google Books.
  11. Tested (Media notes). Bad Religion. Dragnet/Epic. 1997.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. "Bad Religion chart history, received from ARIA on June 21, 2024". ARIA . Retrieved June 25, 2024 via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number indicates the release's peak on the national chart.
  13. "Austriancharts.at – Bad Religion – Tested" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  14. "Finnishcharts.com – Bad Religion – Tested". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bad Religion – Tested" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts . Retrieved April 11, 2024.