Scab Dates
by The Mars Volta
User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 34 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 34
  3. Negative: 6 out of 34

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  1. KidA
    Jul 14, 2006
    2
    Wow was this bad
  2. j30
    Mar 22, 2012
    2
    Scab Dates really doesn't do Mars Volta any favors, it actually suggests they're better in the studio than they are live. Which is true to a point. I've had friends tell me they loved and hated the same performance. When I saw them open for the Red Hot Chili Peppers I left with mixed feelings. They have great energy on stage, but the music in some areas felt chaotic and flat-out boring.Scab Dates really doesn't do Mars Volta any favors, it actually suggests they're better in the studio than they are live. Which is true to a point. I've had friends tell me they loved and hated the same performance. When I saw them open for the Red Hot Chili Peppers I left with mixed feelings. They have great energy on stage, but the music in some areas felt chaotic and flat-out boring. Their high points were exhilarating, particularly Viscera Eyes and Roulette Dares (The Haunt of). The Mars Volta need some sort of quality control of their live performances, meaning there are songs that are going to sound awesome live and some that are going to sound like **** In conclusion, Scab Dates is terrible due to it's horrid sound quality and song selection… Expand
  3. Cramped
    Nov 26, 2005
    1
    Have Mars Volta become mainstream or released a live album to complete an album contract? I'd bet on mainstream. Oh wait! Thats not news. I agree with Miss Machine...GARBAGE! Untalented waste of musical time. Mr. Bungle they will never be.
  4. MissMachine
    Nov 19, 2005
    0
    Complete garbage. Mars Volta is not a live band and this is evident in this record. They completely fall apart onstage. Garbage.
  5. WhyDoIt
    Nov 24, 2005
    0
    About what anyone could expect from such a self-indulgent band as The Mars Volta. I loved there first cd, but Frances the mute and this steamy pile of a release truely do show how some people can either lose it on drugs or just become so caught up in there own hype they believe they can record anything, I'm guessing the later.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 3 out of 14
  1. AllMusic
    70
    Scab Dates is yet another intriguing window into the Mars Volta's world, instead of just a live album holdover.
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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    Exhausting, self-indulgent, and also kind of awesome. [18 Nov 2005, p.134]
  3. Pitchfork
    35
    Given which songs are chosen and when this is being released, Scab Dates is a neither a concession nor a step forward, revealing inclinations that feel half as indulgent as they should when following a record like Frances the Mute, and about half as interesting to listen to.
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