Alive 1997by Daft Punk

Daft Punk is probably at its best when the French duo gets to remix their various tracks together into mind-melting live shows accompanied by epilepsy-inducing lighting. "Alive 1997" is "Alive 2007's" little brother, and as its title might indicate, took place 10 years earlier.

The age of the album shows. Consisting of a single, 45 minute long mp3, the two albums perfectly illustrate just how far electronic music has come in a decade. Alive 1997 features some catchy tunes, but it lacks the organic touch that electro has later come to acquire. Alive 1997 is more a mindless rave fit than something the larger public can appreciate. It also lacks quite of few of the recognizable Daft Punk tracks, by virtue of them simply having not been released at the time.

If a Daft Punk live recording is what you seek, I suggest you go buy Alive 2007. Not only does it actually allow you to skip tracks as opposed to simply listening to one big mp3, the tracks on there are simply more evolved and sound better. Alive 1997 finds most of its worth in simply being a showcase of how much Daft Punk and the industry at large have evolved since then.