The Sugarcubes’ 1989 single “Birthday” represented the biggest Icelandic hit outside of Iceland up to that point, by far. The success of that song and the band’s three studio albums, in the opinion of Björk, the band’s memorable lead singer, had an adverse effect on Iceland’s literary development during that era.

In 1989 the Sugarcubes released Live Zabor, a document of approximately a year’s worth of touring as a headlining act. The live clips, of which there are many, come from three gigs. The core of the footage are several tracks recorded in London in May 1988 when they were supporting their debut album Life’s Too Good—which are surrounded by footage from 1989 taped in Reykjavik, which include several cuts from Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! A single track, “Speed Is the Key,” was taped in Auburn, Alabama, in October 1988.
 

 
Sprinkled in among the live cuts are individual interview clips with each member of the band. Keyboardist Margrét Örnólfsdóttir or “Magga” takes viewers on a tour of a typical Icelandic supermarket, while drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson or “Siggi” essays an imitation of an Alabaman preacher that is fairly cringeworthy. Björk’s contribution is a clip you may have seen in which she dismantles a TV set.

For reasons I can’t fathom, SPIN gave the DVD release a negative review in 2006. In truth, Live Zabor is an essential document of an outstanding pop band in an era—the late 1980s—that sorely needed more stuff like it.
 

Track listing:
Einar Interview
Planet
Cowboy
Magga Interview
Mama
Siggi Interview
Coldsweat
Bragi Interview
Cat
Birthday
Björk Interview
Delicious Demon
Thor Interview
Motorcrash
Dear Plastic
Eat the Menu
Speed is the Key
Deus
Luftgitar

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Watch this essential Björk documentary from 1997