2 comments about Missing in Action.

1. I'm just curious as to why this...thing was released when Chrysalis released the same thing in 1980 (OK, that's the "Collateral Damage" edition of this thing.) The sound is horrid, the material is even worse, and Ian and Ronno deserve so MUCH better. MY guess is that this crud was rush-released in 2000 to coincide with that "Once Bitten Twice Shy" thing, which itself was justifiable only because of the inclusion of the 3 movie soundtrack songs. Buy the INFINITELY superior "Welcome To The Club," it's worth what you'd have to pay for its "import" status.



2. After listening to MIA I'm a little surprised that Ian allowed this to see the light of day. The song selection is good, the performances are great but the audio quality is horrible, a bad bootleg at best. If you can overlook the sound it's a great addition to the Hunter collection. Interestingly enough the Import with the bonus disk Collateral Damage, the sound quality is much better!

1 comments about Ten White Stones.

1. If most of the Green PJs albums are underappreciated, for some reason this album has gone especially unnoticed. It's certainly eclectic, from the countryish opening track, the fuzzy pop psychedelia of Mrs.Cafferty, to delicate ballads, like She's Still Bewitching Me. And yet for all its variety, this is a routinely strong batch of songs. I bought this over a year ago and find myself going back to it over and over again. It's worth noting that this was recorded live in the studio, which is not to say it is lo-fi, and part of its charm is its first take professionalism. Like most of the PJs work, this deserves more recognition.

No comments about On Fire: Live at the Bowl.

5 comments about The Last Waltz.

1. Of course, the music for this concert CD rates a "5", but with the remastered version out, this version (pre-2002) is shown to be very limited in its fidelity. I own this and just heard the remastered version (2003, 2-CD set) and I am blown away by the high quality of the remastered Last Waltz. If you love The Band and The Last Waltz concert, the difference in sound quality of the remastered CD is worth the expenditure.



2. Quite simply The Band were one of the greatest Rock N Roll bands ever. This is a recording of their farewell concert in 1976 (at least in the classic line-up with Robbie Robertson on guitar). The Bands music on its own would merit purchase of this disc. They run through a 'best of' set, that as a concert would be hard to beat.
   
   Add to this the guest list, and you have one of the best rock concerts of all time. Van Morrison in his hey day belting out 'Caravan'. Joni Mitchell singing 'Coyote'. Dylan with Robbie Robertson burning incendiary guitar licks behind him. Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Neil Diamond, Neil Young, Dr John, Eric Clapton... The list goes on and on.
   
   A few extra numbers were recorded after the concert and these are included on the CD as well. The best of which is a magnificent version of 'The Weight' featuring The Staples singers. If you haven't heard Mavis Staples, and you like gospel influenced music this takes what was already a great song to a new level.
   
   The same year this was recorded Punk came on the scene and changed music for ever. But it doesn't matter whether you were brought up on Elvis Presley, The Sex Pistols, Nirvana or Coldplay, this music is as essential now as it was 31 years ago.



3. I loved the movie, The Last Waltz, and had to get the CD that goes with it. Of course, it's wonderful, just like the movie! So much talent in one place! I skated through the 70s listening to other types of music, so I missed out on a lot of what was going on with these artists. But it's never too late, in my opinion. I'm very happy to have this historic concert in my collection!



4. This is the Holy Grail of North American music. Definitely in my top 5 albums of all time. To give you some idea: Eric Clapton (yes he's British, but he was living in America and playing in an American band at the time) and Bob Dylan both show up--and, what are the odds, each one plays the BEST live set of their lives. Not to mention about a dozen essential songs by lesser-known artists like Dr. John and Paul Butterfield, and The Band doing their own songs in live versions that range from "good" to "inspired." Tacked onto the end of the concert are three new studio songs by The Band--in my opinion, all three rank among the best The Band ever did. I will gripe a little bit, that "Baby Don't Do It," one of the best songs on the DVD version of The Last Waltz, was not included. There seems to be no excuse for this. That said, one really can't complain about a CD's potential to have been better when it is already one of the greatest ever made. 5 stars aren't enough.



5. Great musicianship from the mainstay of the evening, with guest appearances from a host of the "old school" (rock?)stars during that period in American music (it feels odd referring to that period in a past tense, but it is almost 2 generations ago). The Band couldn't have been rock. Progressive, Alternative... it must drive the critics and catagorizers looney. How about great music from North America. Together this group had a fullness and richness to their sound that others in the field could only envy. I recall that Clapton was reported to have left Cream and wanted to start up a group along the lines of the Band. Clapton gets part of his wish and is invited to join in the festivities of the Last Waltz. Can you imagine being there at this event? It would have been a phenominal experience. This release documents this historic occasion with an evening of stellar performances by all guests. A beautiful release.

1 comments about Live in Hollywood/Absolutely Live.

1. Just to let you know that this "twofer" is exactly the same as the "Absolutely Live" & "Live In Hollywood" you probably already have. The only difference is a cardboard sheath to hold the two cd cases together. I was hoping maybe it would be two cds in one slimline double case & there might be different artwork (especially the original cover for "Absolutely..."), but oh well. You could probably assume the same for "Morrison Hotel/L A Woman, & "the Doors/Strange Days". The three star review is just a warning for fans who don't want to collect "absolutely" everything.

No comments about Motor City Is Burning.

No comments about Live at Monsters of Rock.

5 comments about The Wall: Live in Berlin, 1990.

1. I agree with those who find some of the guest stars to be a bit dated (Bryan Adams, The Hooters) but can you argue with their performances?
   
   To me, not having heard some of these songs since the heady days of high school, this is a revelation. Kudos especially to Garth Hudson, of The Band, who delivers a great sax and accordian solo. Joni sounds amazing, Van The Man rocks it, and while I can do without Jerry Hall, in context it really doesn't sound too bad.
   
   But the songwriting, and arrangements, sound as great as ever.
   
   If you like the original, you really should pick this up for a second look at these timeless classics.



2. I agree with many reviewers, this was one of the greatest album of all time, but if you want to hear it "Live", get "Is there anybody out there?" and hear the real live version of "The Wall". Many guests artist are making a real bad job on this cd, it all begin with Ute Lepter making a bad job on "The thin ice", we really miss David Gilmour voice here. Sinead O'Connor is bad also (Roger was there, so why asking somebody else to sing his part ?) and "The Band" ruins one of the best chorus of this double cd. Horrible ! Joni Mitchel is a real joke on "Goodbye blue sky", again, we're missing David Gilmour here, I don't know what Mrs Mitchell was on, but it doesn't seems to give a good effect ! Bryan Adams is doin' really great in my mind, his voice is the perfect choice for "Young Lust"
   Jerry Hall is also a real joke in the opening of "One of my turns"
   Paul Carrack is just OK on "Hey you". We have a great version of "Nobody Home", even better that the original, with a drum beat and a good guitar solo, good addition in my mind.
   Here we get to the really bad moment of the album, which should have been the highlight, I am talking about "Confortably Numb" Van Morrisson and "The Band" should be sewed for such a disaster. Roger should have asked Paul Carrack to sing David Gilmour's part, it would have been better. This is a total disaster....it is really bad. The Australian Pink Floyd show is doin' a lot better that this ! The closing song has been replaced by "The Tide is turning", I am not sure it was a good idea, again, some guest are doin' great (Bryan Adams) but some are miserable, like Van Morrisson, yes him again ! Overall, the album is a deception for me, and I am a huge fan. Try "Is there anybody out there ?! instead.



3. I was never a huge Pink Floyd fan--which is not to say I didn't like their music or respect their talent. But, I dunno, maybe it was just ALL those annoying sound effects and voiceovers. Even good music can seem a little gimmicky when tarted up with too much extraneous noise. Yeah, I admit I liked the ringing cash registers drawer in "Money," but so much of the other stuff was, well, just a drag.
   
   Literally, all that clutter dragged the music down. How often do I really need to hear that little kid prattle "Look mommy, there's an airplane in the sky" anyway?
   
   But the real reason I never became a such a huge Floydfan was simply their ubiquity. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, it seemed like everybody I knew had every single one of their albums. And they had already become FM rock staples by then. You could escape the Pinks if you wanted to. Resultantly, I think maybe the last actual album of theirs that I even bothered to buy was UMMAGUMMA--or maybe ATOM HEART MOTHER. Can't recall which.
   
   So when THE WALL came out, well, I heard it and as I recall my first reaction was something like, "Oh, are they still doing 'concept albums'?" OK, OK, I'm kidding--I did like it well enough, but it wasn't a life changing experience exactly either. The lyrics were intelligent enough, and as a "song cycle," it hung together very well. But it was actually hard to discern any real overarching themes and even the metaphoric "wall" itself seemed, if not "mixed," then perhaps a bit overextended. Was "the wall" a psychological construct, i.e. the protective "walls" we all build up around ourselves to protect ourselves from the vicissitudes of life ("All in all, it was all just bricks in the wall." OR was it a social one, i.e. the pernicious socialization of a rigid educational and, by extension, political system that crushed individuality and turned individual human beings into "bricks" in society's wall.
   
   Well, the answer was obviously BOTH. And that extended metaphor never seemed to bother the fans overly much. There are, as it turns out, all kinds of walls. And so it was that in 1990, THE WALL's main composer--former Floydster Roger Waters--extended the metaphor even further, this time into the political realm. By staging an all-star concert revival of his 70s magnum opus in "post-Wall" Berlin. A brilliant ploy, to be sure, but certainly the "wall" being evoked was not a purely pychological or sociological phenomenon. The "wall" German fans (and they were legion as I recall from my own days in Deutschland) related to was a painful historical reality and legacy.
   
   So the concert added on another layer of meaning to an already ambiguous (but really not overly subtle) work of art. Including local talent like Scorpions and Ute Lemper was then virtually de riguer--or should I say, "notwendig." And of course, Berlin was an international city for so long that adding other British, American AND even Russian acts to the roster was certainly appropriate. (Wait a minute, where are the French?) It's an "open city," and it's now torn down wall is open to new interpretation.
   
   It's not surprising that die-hard Floyd fans see the guest vocalists' interpretations here as something akin to sacrilege. Imagine having a popster like Cyndi Lauper sing "The Wall, Pt. 2." Who'd a thunk it? Well, it's not a song that provides much room for Lauper's patented multi-octave wailing, but hey, the former Blue Angel has deeper rock roots than classic rock fanatics would ever acknowledge. And who better to sing the lines "We don't need no education" than one of popular musics most famous high school drop-outs? Of course, the repressiveness of the British school system is of a somewhat different order than that of the Catholic and public school system of Queens. But the business of churning out more bricks in and for the wall. And that's true whether you pronounce it "classroom" a la Lauper or "clahsroom," as does the chorus.
   
   And there is a certain delicious irony in having a mother-complexed female artist like Sinead O'Connor take on Floyd's "Mother" and give it a delicate, thoughtful reading--while still expressing fears about them breaking, in this case, HER (metaphorical?) balls. And as conflicted as I often am about Joni Mitchell's work, her interpretion of "Goodbye, Blue Sky" is elegant. Her voice was getting a bit smoky by the early 90s, and it was just right for this somber reflection on war in the (post)modern world.
   
   And that's just the women--and only disc one. But it was downright smart of Waters (whom, I gather, has sometimes been accused of misogyny) to fill up the first half of the program with heavyweight women artists (and to throw in a comic turn by Jerry Hall to boot: yes, the album is rife with former flames of Mick Jagger, since Marianne Faithfull shows up on Disc 2,as who else, "Mother").
   
   As for the men, Van Morrison and Paul Carrack offer subtle, distinctive shadings on "Comfortably Numb" and "Hey You" respectively. Roger Waters voice seems, for the most part, shot, but actually that can be a just the right coloration for some of the grimmer, more desperate tracks. Again the hardcore contingent will mourn David Gilmour's absence. The rest of us will find the newer interpretations at the very least interesting, if not quite revelatory.
   
   There are all kinds of ways of becoming "comfortably numb." Refusing to accept any alternate takes on your own personal classic rock canon is likely one of them. Take it from a non-fan, this project is at least worth the attention of you die-hards. Open your ears--and tear down the walls.



4. I rented this concert on VHS one day. I love it.
   
   The goods
   ) Bryan Adams singing Young Lust
   Bryan Adams did this song good. He is one of my favorite singers today.
   ) Sinad o' conner singing mother
   I loved this version of the song
   
   Bads
   ) Cyndi Lauper singing Another Brick in the wall Pt. 2
   It wasn't that good
   ) Hey you
   I miss David Gilmore and Roger singing this song
   
   All and All this was an ok cd.



5. Although many people gave this live concert a low rating due to Roger Waters' choice of substitute singers/musicians for some of the songs from the original Wall recording, after seeing it on video for the first time, it became easier to listen to the recording alone afterward.
   
   What really blew me away at that time was Roger having a "communist" orchestra accompany the music of a rock and roll album!! This was the highlight of the entire event, and their performance was excellent!!!

5 comments about Back to the Bars.

1. Leave it to Todd Rundgren to take what was quickly becoming a tired concept - the double album recorded live - and release a stunning snapshot of his already legendary career.
   
   The 20 cuts - which clock in at nearly 1:44 - were recorded in three magical and smaller venues - The Bottom Line in New York City, the Agora in Cleveland and the Roxy in Los Angeles - and released in December 1978.
   
   Along with his band, Utopia, Rundgren featured special guests Spencer Davis, Stevie Nicks, Daryl Hall and John Oates. By taking what was essentially a project to fuel the arena rock circuit and recording in clubs, the focus is placed firmly on the music and not the spectacle which can easily overshadow any artist.
   
   Rundgren lets his music do all the talking and it sounds fantastic.



2. and I did play this album to death back when I had a turntable... but since the advent of CDs this was one album I had not gone about getting. I figured I had so many excellent Todd CDs and DVDs... but recently something was calling me to go Back to the Bars.
   I am so happy I did! All you Todd lovers out there who have not heard this remastered recording, I beseech you to get it! Crystal crystal clear, you can heard every breathe, every instrument. All the songs we have known and loved and thought had been played to death... NO! This is a collection of gorgeous renditions. Also, to me , Todd tends towards trebly recordings ( The New Cars recent live recording, while great fun, is a little too tinny for example) but this one is rich and real and man... close your eyes and you are there. Truly, Todd at one of his many peaks. Way over 5 stars.
   PS-The liner notes have a good Todd interview.,but I could not find a listing of the performers. I don't think they are listed, which is a flaw in this remaster. The musicians should have been credited!



3. Pretty poor live recording by today's standards ( or then ! ) .
   High points are patchey on this set .
   Most of the material is very close , in performance , to the studio versions ..... so what's the point ??
   Just get your studio albums , turn down the treble , and make a clapping-whistling sound between each track .
   Anyway ... the sleeve IS embarrassing .



4. The performances are nice, especially "A Dream Goes On Forever," which might best the original. For those who thought Todd was going overboard with his Starship Captain persona of the mid-70's, the self-effacing banter is welcome comic relief.



5. Could be the most enjoyable live "non-boot" release of the ol' Toddster in existence. To hear this reminds you of the incomperable connection the artist immediatly establishes with his audience. Excellent quality for a live recording-even on the LP version.

   If you've ever seen his live shows, this one will be a constant reminder of the fun you have. Reminds you of the warm evening in late spring when you saw him at an outdoor venue.

   Buy it. Sing along with every track. Play air guitar or piano in your car! Amaze your friends!

3 comments about Santana Jam.

1. This album is actually a compilation of songs recorded during the Neal Schon auditions in 1970-1971. Neal is actually the main guitarrist throughout the album, most notably in tracks 4-7. At only 16 years old at the time, he really plays like a veteran guitar genius. Travellin Blues is my favorite song on the disc. It's amazing how Neal masters the blues at such an early age. Special mention is also noted for Everyday I Have The Blues. Neal goes off again in this one. Overall, this album is really good to have. The recording quality is not the best, but none of these songs were ever meant to be on an album anyway. Like I said, these were recorded during the Neal Schon auditions for Santana. The low price makes this CD really good one to own.



2. This album is an import or budget cd of Santana's work before their first album was released, while its not as good as their first album, its well worth the good price.



3. (4.5 stars really) This is a really good album. Jam is a little disapointing. not his best album, but still exellent. that is why it got 4.5 instead of 5 stars. i reccomend buying it. it is a great price and a good cd overall. Their remake of "With a little help from my friends" is awesome. Carlos Santana is amazing as always.