Tested

This article is about the punk music album. For the online technology channel, see Tested.com.
Tested
Live album by
Bad Religion
ReleasedJanuary 1997[1]
RecordedApril 17–October 14, 1996
GenrePunk rock[2]
Length65:49
Label
Producer
Bad Religion chronology
The Gray Race
(1996) 		Tested
(1997) 		No Substance
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Great Rock Discography5/10[3]
Punknews.org[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.

Background

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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

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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

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording date and placeLength
1."Operation Rescue"Greg GraffinJune 26, 1996; The Arena, Berlin, Germany2:11
2."Punk Rock Song"GraffinJuly 10, 1996; Olympic Stadium, Rome, Italy2:24
3."Tomorrow"GraffinJuly 10, 1996; Olympic Stadium, Rome, Italy1:54
4."A Walk"GraffinJune 27, 1996; Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark2:27
5."God Song"GraffinSeptember 19, 1996; Metropol, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States1:48
6."Pity the Dead"GraffinJune 22, 1996; The Amphitheater, Loreley, Germany2:59
7."1000 More Fools"Brett GurewitzSeptember 7, 1996; Holidome, Melbourne, Florida, United States1:39
8."Drunk Sincerity"GraffinApril 24, 1996; RPM Warehouse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada2:17
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 BentleyJune 19, 1996; Circus Krone, Munich, Germany2:54
18."Ten In 2010"GraffinJuly 7, 1996; Tallinna Lauluväljak, Tallinn, Estonia2:24
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 SchayerOctober 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

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Adapted from the album liner notes.[11]

Bad Religion
Technical
  • Bad Religion – production, recording, mixing, concept
  • Ronnie Kimball – production, mixing
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Steve Raskin – art direction, design
  • ION Design – art direction, design, photography
  • Peter Hayes – cover stamp, flag stamp
  • Jerry Mahoney – backdrop
  • John Allan – photography
  • Thorsten Martin-Edingshaus – photography
  • Olaf Heine – photography
  • Rob Myers – photography

Notes and trivia

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Charts

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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

References

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  1. ^ Ruland, Jim (2020). Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion. New York City: Hachette Books. p. 199. ISBN 978-0306922220.
  2. ^ a b c d "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. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b 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.
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