1 comments about Jumping at Shadows: The Blues Years.

1. This collection should gain Peter Green accolades upon
   accolades!His tasteful use of tone, and dynamics are lessons
   in expression- without histrionics.It's just a truly amazing
   corpus ,by someone who deserves the same esteem that Django,
   and Hendrix command.From early electric , through acoustic
   ( incl. violin/guitar), and rockier things ...a magnum opus!!!

5 comments about Live Peace in Toronto, 1969.

1. A good time for John, this a good live cd to have. The down side is Yokos on it and it's a little short.



2. A CAVEAT: THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW! Be forewarned! OK, I've looked all over for a DVD of this performance, just absolutely lusting after the opening acts, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, et al. And the band that Lennon cobbled together for this gig is nothing short of spectacular, Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Klaus Voorman on bass, and future "Yes Man," Alan White on drums. STELLAR, wouldn't you say? WEll...unfortunately...Yoko's on this too. And after a heart-wrenching performance of Lennon singing his signature song, "Give Peace A Chance," Yoko..."takes over." EXCRUCIATING screaming, that is ALL the woman is capable of doing. I can certainly understand why Eric & Klaus just put their guitars against the amps and just...walked...away, because "feedback" is the ONLY appropriate "accompaniment" for Yoko. & much is made of Lennon's performance (yeah, I still have the album...side one is almost worn smooth, but that side two is pristine) of "Cold Turkey," but with a wife like Yoko, one simply cannot but wonder if John still "dabbled" occasionally...Eric, Klaus, John, & Alan are just FANTASTIC, but remember, now, that it's going to take some super-human effort to "listen" to Yoko bellow if you even PLAY her..."material."



3. After reading the reviews here, I was inspired to get Plastic Ono Band. I was reluctant, since it had not been remastered, but I did anyway. After buying at a local retailer, opened it to find the calendar dated to 2006! Looking on the back, I realized it was a new remaster. I will leave the rest to the great reviewers here, but this is noteworty
   
   NB it is a mobile fidelity remaster, 24 karat gold. Never heard any others, but this one sounded great.



4. I'm pretty much in the "can't stand Yoko" crowd, especially when it comes to this performance. I try to be empathetic and happy that Lennon truly found the love of his life in her. I would even say she had a positive effect on him overall (I think some of his very best music was written while he was in harmony with her). I even have a lot of appreciation for avant-garde music (like Faust). And Rock n' Roll isn't always meant to be pretty . . . I just don't care to be subjected to Ono's main performance from LIVE PEACE again, thank-you.
   
   The other reviewers covered the good stuff from this show quite well on this forum already, as well as the basic background info. It's some of the rawest, rockin-est stuff any of these guys has ever done. I just want to add that Clapton in the video footage looks VERY annoyed at Ono and flashes her some scathing looks. Now, I can't claim to know what the man was thinking of course. Another reviewer who claimed to be AT this show said the crowd was booing, so maybe Clapton was teed off at that. Whatever the case, he looks like he's in sheer agony, playing through clenched teeth. Fortunately for us, he channels his feelings into some kick-ass guitar playing.



5. The Toronto show which this album comes from was John's first real concert away from The Beatles. He had already appeared on The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus but that was more of a TV special than it was a concert, so this pretty much constitutes his first non-Beatles gig.
   
   It's a truly wonderful performance with Eric Clapton, brilliant as usual, on lead guitar, breaking into some great solos, Klaus Voorman (an old German friend of The Beatles) on bass, Alan White on drums, and John on lead guitar. They start off with som great rock and roll covers. The band, newly named the Plastic Ono Band, breathe great life into these covers, and they all sound very rough and loud. After they go through these covers, they perform the fantastic Beatles song Yer Blues, which sounds even better here than it does in its studio version. They also premiere John's song about his heroin habit, Cold Turkey. It's not nearly as good as the studio version, or the version the Plastic Ono Supergroup did at the Peace For Christmas concert during Christmas of 1969, but it's still enjoyable, although it basically falls apart during the end. They then do a great version of Give Peace A Chance. Although I love the original version, it's fun hearing it in this electric version, even if John forgets the lyrics occasionally, which he actually does during some of the early numbers as well.
   
   Of course, then it goes into Yoko's section of the concert. Before you start reading, I'm going to tell you that I'm a huge Yoko fan and I think she did "punk" before it was "punk". The two songs she does here, Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow) and John, John (Let's Hope For Peace), are wonderful numbers, especially the first one, which has some great guitar courtesy of Eric Clapton. Eventually, the band starts leaving the stage until it's only the scream of feedback left.
   
   Live Peace In Toronto is a great album, but it's also very rough and if you prefer the polished studio versions of these songs, then you might want to listen to them again instead of listening to this album.

3 comments about Bootleg Series, Vol. 1: Live At The Forum, London '94.

1. i think you're really gonna like this cd..since it was recored about 10 years ago and it usually takes us this long to catch up to Todd.now when i saw this tour in st.petersburg fl.i wasn't sure what to make of it..i'm not a big fan of rap music,but todd's rap seems to be alot of fun.the way that he allows the fans to participate is really cool too.todd is always reinventing himself and his music.the version of "international feel" has a nice guitar part and a new feel about it."property"is a great song and for the love of todd i cant figure why it wasnt a hit! now this is volume one of the offically released bootleg series,so you get a truely live concert with all the cracks and pops and missed ques.but when todd is having fun we have fun too!there is one part where he invites people up to play guitar and this alone is worth the price of admission...if you like to have fun buy this cd and crank it up,its an unexpected interactive treat.



2. This recording, from Todd Rundgren's tour to support his interactive CD-i No World Order, brings back great memories for anyone who was lucky enogh to attend one of these shows. You can hear it all, as Todd instructs the audience on the proper "red light/yellow light/green light" procedures, as guest guitarists are invited on 'stage' to jam with him, as others are instructed to operate cameras or interact in various other ways with him. Some of the electronic jams (all the music except Todd's live part were electronically done) are a little over-long, but you are treated to a couple of ripping guitar solos from Todd. Another "must-have" for the Todd or Utopia fan!



3. The creativity and sunburst wizard, true star that is Todd Rundgren shines again in this interesting Todd Archive entry. Here, the Hermit is encased in a Music Pod, from which he stands surrounded by computers, keyboards, and various props, including cameras, beach balls, and assorted back up singers. At points he is joined within the Pod by fans, who bang on the drum, play the guitar, and otherwise groove with the Toddster. He was touring on the No World Order cd, a fabulous experiment in sound construction whereby Todd built 4 and 8 second "bits" of music that the listener can modify, re-order, add and subtract tracks, and otherwise manipulate as desired using a special computer (sadly, no longer for sale). Buy this and see why so many who "get" this artist understand the remarkable contributions he has made to music over the last 35 or so years. Isn't it time he was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame?

5 comments about Return to Paradise.

1. This cd really shows hwo awe inspiring styx was in concert and captures them at their best this cd really is something!



2. They can still Rock The Paradise. The unfortunate side is that not too much later Dennis DeYoung would bow out due Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and would leave the band. Which made some people angry. But here is my take on it if you're not healthy enough to go on tour than you shouldn't be aloud to make studio albums either.
   
   Anyway this is a spectacular collection in front of a hometown crowd of Chicago. Where it all started. As you listen to this CD you will notice that their sound has not deteriorated one bit. They still sound great. And if you think the CD is good you should buy the DVD that's even better trust me.
   
   This CD has all of their classic songs as well as 3 new ones "Paradise", "On My Way", and the one song that made me cry the first time I heard it "Dear John". That one has to be my favorite of the three. It's dedicated in memory of the late great John Panozzo my favorite member of the band. Their is no drums or percussion in this song. It made me tear up a little just listening to it. And Dennis' voice is just perfect for this song as well as JY, Dennis, and Chuck's back-up vocals are great too. Using acoustic guitars was great and the string background adds a nice touch.
   
   Truly a great CD. If your going to get any live Styx CD get this one this is the best one. It is definetly worth the price.



3. Remember seeing Styx on this actual tour,believe it was their last with Dennis De Young.Too bad they couldn't ever get him back in the band.Either way,this 2-CD live release is very good.With all the expected classic Styx classics here for our listening pleasure.Tunes like "Rockin' The Paradise","Lady","Snowblind","Suite Madame Blue",the epic "Grand Illusion","Fooling Yourself","Lorelei","Come Sail Away"(also like South Park's Cartmen's version of it)and many more make this release a should-have.Do check it out.



4. Barely able to recognise the song's not much like
   what I thought they sound like when I first heard them on
   the radio



5. This release is great. All the guys are in top shape and ready to rock. The new drummer plays excellent.I really think this is a great compilation where allaspects and highlights of Styx's career is covered. I totally recommend this cd, being a Styx fan from the 70's. Sadly this return only lasted a short while.

No comments about Live.

No comments about I Am Providence: Live At Terrastock '97.

5 comments about Live In NYC 1975: Red Patent Leather.

1. It's the New York Dolls Live, what vcan I say. you're probably dead bored of hearing about the sound quality but it clears up a bit on Something Else. The only problems throughout the record his the guitars are buried by the rest of the band and everytime they do a "doo-doo dodoo" it's fuzzy louder than everything else.
   Closest we'll ever get to a third album. i definately recommend this.

   Hey a bit o trivia I think it was around '00/'01 when a record company offered Sylvain Sylvain 1 million dollars to do a New York Dolls reunion, his reply was "Hey I agreed to do one back in '84. The only one who won't do it is David."




2. The sound quality is lacking but the spirit of the music is fantastic rock and roll. If you can put up with Husker Du's "Land Speed Record," this should be a breeze. Sloppy but magnificent.



3. Listening to this disk will make any Dolls fan frustrated! This is the only known recording of several songs that would've made up the 3rd Dolls album (and did show up later on their solo LPs). The new songs are all awesome--but you cannot hear Johnny Thunders at all (this is a soundboard tape done in a small club, which means the vocals, drums and Syl's keyboards dominate the mix--the guitars blasted out thru the amps, meaning not on the recording). Yet another reason to hate Heroin, as Johnny and Jerry both walked out because they were being deprived of it while on tour before the band could record these gems. (Gawd, and I taught English at the very company that invented it, a hundred years after the fact, back in 1898... a year after they invented aspirin)(!))



4. Since there was no official 3rd Dolls album this is the next best thing, as the first 7 songs were intended for the 3rd release, and this is the only known recording of them. The sound quality is'nt THAT bad, by bootleg standards anyway, and is certainly listenable. The rest of tracks are useless as better versions exist elsewhere, but definately worth getting for the first 7. The awesome cover photo alone is almost worth the price! Casual listeners be warned though, this one's for fans only.



5. I would dearly love to recommend this album, having searched for it for ages as a kid--on vinyl, yet--but having obtained the CD version, I have to warn all Dolls fans the world over not to be terribly impressed with this one.

   The performance sounds worthy--ditto for the new tracks--but the sound quality is atrocious. Usually I can take a spotty recording, especially depending on who the artist is. But posterity notwithstanding, even the five songs they recorded on Don Kirschner's 'Rock Concert' (Stranded..., Trash, Chatterbox, Don't Start Me Talkin', Personality Crisis) would have been better than this one.

1 comments about Canterbury Fayre 2001.

1. There are stacks of live Hawkwind albums out there. Some are the greatest of all time (Space Ritual, 1999 Party)and some are just really good (none are bad, despite dodgy recording quality). This one falls in the really good group. It is a recording of a complete concert from 2001 and the band is ON. The music is in the forefront, with the odd poetry secondary. A bit of improvisation here and there, lots of good and old songs. A perfect blend. The closest album to this is 'Palace Springs' from 1991, which was quite underrated. Highly recommended. These guys are not Dead. Good thing!

3 comments about Coma Divine.

1. If you are a new PT listener, already have the previous release or new to the PT universe, you must get this album!

   It is one of the best live "rock" albums ever and the remastering and extra tracks along with new case artwork help it surpass its already impressive former incarnation.

   I have both editions and am not sorry I bought the re-release. No sir/mam, not one bit.




2. The music must really speak for itself because only so much can be said about _Coma Divine_. Pardon the cheesy cliché, but this album is simply beyond words -- and the limited edition two-disc version is even better and YES, it is definitely worth the extra money (even if you have the original!). You get different artwork although you'd have to be ULTRA-hardcore for that fact alone to inspire a purchase (my opinion is that the new art is great, anyhow). The extra music is what is really matters. Okay, it may only be four additional tracks, but they are completely invaluable, completing the perfect set of the original _Coma Divine_ songs and making the album far more fulfilling overall. "IS...NOT" is actually just six-minutes of "The Sky Moves Sideways Part II" and that alone is worth it, but "The Moon Touches Your Shoulder" is pretty much audio sexual chocolate so sublime it could kill. "Up the Downstair" and "Always Never" are narcotic treats that could neatly simulate any hallucinogen. This is easily the best Porcupine Tree album and definitely one of my favorite albums ever. Every song's live version here SLAUGHTERS its counterpart. I'm sure no rock band has ever gotten a live sound onstage anywhere near as beautiful as this. If you have it, you should already know that "Waiting" phases one and two is basically orgasmic, and that "The Sky Moves Sideways" is a kaleidoscopic trippin' epic that truly reaches its potential here, and that "Radioactive Toy" is about as euphoric as a carnal dream of Chyler Leigh....err, ahem. If you don't have it, ARGH you have to have it. Every man dies, but not every man truly lives unless they have _Coma Divine_.



3. I bought it to add to my PT collection.

   The artwork is totally different, which I like a lot. The whole thing is worth having. I always end up buying PT's CDs, no matter how old or new they are.

   Coma Divine is a live PT concert, recorded in Rome. All tracks are excellent, and they sound fantastic. Steve Wilson is a remarkable musician and song-writer. There's no boundaries when he performs live.

   Radioactive Toy has to be one of my absolute favorite PT recordings, live or studio. To have it on this CD adds to the pleasure of listening to them live.

   I went to see PT only twice now, but they get better each time. When they came to Montreal on the 16th of July, 2003, they blew the crowd away. I'm really impresed with their live material. It's more heavy and sometimes more "jamming" than the studio recordings. That's okay!

   Compared to the original version, Coma Divine Expanded looks great, in its entirety. I love the CD design itself. Very plain discs, but with really "revisited" artwork, on both the back insert and front and back covers of the booklet. All interior artwork/photos are the same. Nothing new there.

   I recommend you go and buy it. They won't last too long!

1 comments about Redux 92: Live In Japan.

1. a non-bootleg live Utopia CD at a bargain price. The song selection may not satisfy the prog-rock crowd as it starts from about the time Kasim Sulton joined the band. There is an excerpt from "THE IKON" however. The sound quality is superb as it was mixed and mastered by TR-i. Each band member is highlighted nicely in typical Utopia style. Hightlights for me are "PRINCESS OF THE UNIVERSE" and "BACK ON THE STREET". The DVD is superb as well but the song count has been trimmed. I have both and they compliment each other nicely. The Japanese sure know how to record in a concert setting...very little crowd noise and general audience outbursts.