5 comments about The Best of Woodstock.

1. Woodstock for those of a "certain age and time" is a place of awe. The album is something we listened to when we were in our twenties and now we listen to rememeber the times.



2. Folks, there's a reason why this CD is called "Best of" - It's only a very small sampling of the one and *only* Woodstock Arts and Music Festival held the weekend of August 15-17, 1969 in upstate New York. Let it serve as a primer to more in-depth recordings from the event.
   
   From beginning to end, this little CD is chock-full of music legends gone and still alive. Anyone not knowing or hearing of just about every artist on the CD just doesn't know music.
   
   It's interesting that Woodstock was the second appearance of a new group called Crosby, Stills & Nash. The Who rocked with their rendition of "We're Not Gonna Take It" (I like the live version better than the studio version) and Santana's instrumental "Soul Sacrifice" was out of this world.
   
   This is definitely *not* the be all and end all of the greatest outdoor concert ever held but it's a start.



3. All of the tracks on this CD are extracted from the classic 2CD (originally 3LP) soundtrack of the film which has been available since June 1970, ten months after the August 1969 concert occurred. Why bother getting only half of that awesome soundtrack which offers so much more in the form of excellent music, funny stage announcements, the actual sounds of the thunder and chaos during the storm, the crowd rain chant, etc.? Woodstock was about so much more than "just" what was happening onstage which this music-only CD misleads you to believe. I suggest getting this *only* if you're a completist like me and have already purchased the *real* 2CD set - otherwise you run the risk of getting this and never realizing just how much fun you've conned yourself into missing. The 2CD set is worth the price just for Sly And The Family Stone's unbelieveably incredible 12-plus-minute medley. Besides, this really isn't "The Best Of Woodstock", IMHO. For that I had to break out Audacity and stitch together my own custom set of tracks from both the original "Woodstock" and "Woodstock Two" follow-up release. If you absolutely must have "The Best Of Woodstock" on one CD, try this instead! :)
   
   1. Canned Heat, "Going Up The Country"
   2. Stage Announcements
   3. Country Joe & The Fish, "Rock And Soul Music"
   4. Arlo Guthrie, "Coming Into Los Angeles"
   5. Country Joe McDonald, "The 'Fish' Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag"
   6. Joan Baez feat. Jerry Shurtleff, "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man"
   7. Joan Baez, "Sweet Sir Galahad"
   8. Stage Announcements
   9. Crosby, Stills & Nash. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"
   10. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, "Sea Of Madness"
   11. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, "Marrakesh Express"
   12. John B. Sebastian, "Rainbows All Over Your Blues"
   13. Ten Years After, "I'm Going Home"
   14. Max Yasgur's Address To The Crowd
   15. Sly & The Family Stone, "Medley: Dance to the Music / Music Lover / I Want to Take You Higher"
   16. Jimi Hendrix, "The Star-Spangled Banner / Purple Haze / Instrumental Solo"



4. Granted this is not the original soundtrack in some regards, this album offers for me the best of Woodstock. Seeing as though I wasnt around in 1969 (I wasnt born until 1977), first seeing the Wadleigh film got me interested not only in 60s rock but also the whole odd (yet captivating) social experiment that was hippie counterculture. This soundtrack (as well as the film) helped form my rock music tastes for now and forever. Santana's Soul Sacrifice, the Who and Hendrix at the end are songs that I definitely use the Repeat button for!



5. Overall this is a good selection from the first Woodstock-Double-CD (or triple-LP), but it should be retitled:

   "Best of Woodstock, Sly Stone not included...".

   So my advice is to buy the Double-CD, because Sly's performance (almost 15 minutes, so that is maybe the reason why it isn't included on this CD) is absolutely essential!

5 comments about Heart Greatest Hits: Live.

1. This was CBS' first compilation of Heart material, and the result is unique among the many 'greatest hits' releases that have come since. Maybe it was because of the digital remastering (a relatively new thing at that time). Maybe it was the running order: going from 'Silver Wheels' into 'Crazy On You' in the same manner as they were doing in their live shows really gives Nancy a showcase. Maybe it was the sheer power of 'Mistral Wind' which only increases in the live setting. Certainly it wasn't 'Hit Single' and 'Strange Euphoria' which were blessedly dropped when converted to CD. Maybe it was the original band (yes I know Roger isn't on the live tracks) at its height before the slide of 'Private Audition' and 'Passionworks' and the revamping of the band into 80's hair, cleavage, and power ballads. Whatever it is, nothing sounds like this disc, and it's worth having in your collection even if you've got all the discs that led up to it.



2. The description of this cd is very very misleading. I figured the title
   Heart "Greatest Hits:Live", would mean all songs were live but only a select few are and there not even great hits IMO



3. Don't get me wrong, they looked a lot better in the 80's with stilletos and all that make-up, and puffy hair that could raise any skyscraper, but old Heart is a hell of a lot better than their newer stuff. I thought they sounded like they meant it like: Crazy On You, Barracuda, Straight On, Heartless (my favorite from them). Yep these vixens who were compared to Led Zeppelin as a hell of a rock band, boy oh boy, pretty damn close I might add. Anyways this album kicks serious butt.



4. "Strange Euphoria" was the one of the "new" songs on this recording but it was deleted from the CD of this late 1980 release. Call Strange Euphoria" what you want, but it is a cool song and sounds like Ann and Nancy are on a LSD trip while singing. It was a great song which was not replicated on 1997's Whirlygig even though Heart tried.
   
   The cover sports one of my favorite photos of Ann Wilson with the stand-off-ish, jacked up, over-confident look.



5. Greatest Hits Live originally recorded in 1980 was one of my early CD purchases during early 90s but I happened to miss simply because it was dubbed as "Live" and I thought that was not I had been looking for. (At that time I was looking for Definitive collection of Heart including 80s hits). Time has changed and I happened to uncover this CD from the heap of my dusted CD collections.
   
   It has nine best tracks from their early works such as Dreamboat Annie(1976), Little Queen(1977), Magazine(1978), Dogs and Butterfly(1978), Bebe Le Strange(1980). On the back jacket name of the albums the each tracks are from are shown. Then the album become live recording collection during August and September 1980 tour. Live recording of BEBE LE STRANGE takes place at the stage side where the chat among members before the show can be heard. Interesting intrigue. TELL IT LIKE IT IS is unusually not live but studio recording and became single cut from this greatest CD. And then the ending live performance is LED ZEPPELIN classic ROCK'N ROLL. Alas, it shows their rock spirit.
   Yes, it misses PRIVATE AUDITION(1982) and PASSIONWORK material to be the early Heart collection. But the timing for the release was excellent because it was made when HEART was at their artistic height.
   
   Verdict: It is no doubt Heart fans' essential and 70s rock fans' paradise. Showing well how HEART had been during their early prime.
   Rating: 88 out of 100. Well-edited (particularly Silver Wheel and Crazy On You combination just as their live performance) and consistent. Transition from studio recording part and live recording part has been done excellently.
   Recommended for: Every Heart fan. Lots of 70s rock fans and the appreciators of recent Heart releases such as Desire Walks On(1993) and Jupiters Darling(2004).

2 comments about Frampton Comes Alive!.

1. To date,this is the biggest-selling live album of all-time. I went through two copies of this album,one cassette and one 8-track tape. As a destructive child,I removed the magnetic tape from the outer shell of the cassette. The 8-track tape was sold at a garage sale I had years ago. Peter Frampton was promoting FRAMPTON while recording this album. This album was released in early 1976,so this concert was recorded sometime the previous year. Frampton,late of Humble Pie,was driven to superstardom with this album. His 1977 follow-up I'M IN YOU,shows Frampton on the cover displaying his masculinity,thus making him a teen idol. This album spawned three hits,SHOW ME THE WAY,BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY and DO YOU FEEL LIKE I DO?. He covers the Jagger-Richards classic JUMPING JACK FLASH. I really love BABY(SOMETHING'S HAPPENING) which opens this album. Other electrifying live albums that I love are Bob Seger's LIVE BULLET and NINE TONIGHT,the Bee Gees' HERE AT LAST and ONE NIGHT ONLY,Billy Joel's SONGS IN THE ATTIC,KOHUEPT and 2000 YEARS:THE MILLENIUM CONCERT and Elton John's LIVE IN AUSTRALIA. When this album was released,Frampton was in the limelight with A&M Records labelmates The Captain & Tennille whose album LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER was on the pop/rock charts at the time as well. Many classic rock fans will love this album,if they don't already own it. When the compact disc became increasingly popular in the mid-80's,this album debuted on the CD. Because this was Frampton's all-time best-seller,none of his other albums were on CD back then. Now they're all available,digitally remastered,on CD,including this album. A 25th anniversary deluxe edition of this album was released in 2001.



2. For a listner who first experienced rock and roll two decades after this double cd was published, I was pleastenly suprised by what I found in Frampton's music. The lyrics are a different story, serving only to weigh down what what otherwise be great rock instrumentals. Don't purchase it expecting Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell; the best talking Frampton delivers comes from his guitar during the epic "Do you feel like we do." Do expect some of the best rock of the 70's, music that would move entire arenas even today

5 comments about Bless Its Pointed Little Head.

1. We are transported back in time to the old Fillmore Auditorium. The big room is filled with the hipsters of the day and we're all looking up at the giant screen above the stage where the old black and white film classic KING KONG is being screened. The final moments of the movie come assuring us all that it was not the airplanes that killed the beast and thank goodness for that because another airplane is just about ready to take off.
   Spencer dips into '3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds' followed piece by piece by Paul's rhythm guitar, Jorma's lead and Jack's bass, layering one atop the other and then the 3-part vocals of Paul, Marty and Grace. Marty just ripping through his vocals. Grace complementing at every turn. Jack scorching his bass. Spencer...c o o k i n g on his kit. I have to really take a moment here to praise Spencer's drumming. From the very beginning of '3/5'ths with his alternate light-as-a-feather/sharp as a jack hammer combination I was truly impressed listening to him all through this album. But, it's all there, the whole band. The Jefferson Airplane sound, complete. This has to be the best song on this album, I'm thinking.
   "....some of them chords...." Grace concludes aloud at song's end.
   But just when you think it's the best track 'somebody to love' sets in next. And it's another intricate weaving together of each intrument piece by piece, building till everyone is finally up and running. At first, unrecognizable from the well-known single version. Grace's altered melody definately takes you by surprise. Marty's fast and hard tambourine spanking christens the song with the unmistakeable Airplane signature. "....garden flowers are dead....." . damn what a great version! wow. I've only heard the first two tracks and I'm ratin' this album VERY high!
   Fat Angel begins...again, the slow build-up with each intrument weaving in one by one but with a twist this time. Jack has switched to rhythm guitar chopping out a foundation under which Marty drops in a bass line. Drums building..Jorma's lead bending around. Paul's Donovan vocal-"Ffffly trans-love airways-gets you there on.............time". Excellent black light music. slow and hypnotic. Paul's guitar drone effects. Now I'm thinking this is the albums centerpiece.
   "Captain High at your service".
   Side one of the original Lp concludes with a bit of a change of pace. A slow blues showcase for Jorma. In case you didn't know, not only did Grace, Marty and Paul share lead vocals, Jorma makes his mark with a very versatile vocal performance on 'Rock me baby'. But this song is a two guitar/bass/drums grinder over the length of which.......bass-just....f l y i n g.
   Side two opens with 'other side/of this life'....again, building piece upon piece. Marty's tambourine and integral beat establishment. And here, the return of the 3 part Paul,Grace,Marty vocals. They really loved this Fred Neil song. "would you like to know a secret, just between you and me/i don't know where i'm goin next/i don't know who i'm gonna be. well my whole world is in an uproar/now my whole world's upside down. i don't know where i'm goin next and i'm always runnin around. i don't know what i'm doin half the time/i don't know where i'm goin. i think i'll get me a sail boat-sail the gulf of mexico"
   It's No Secret-only one that starts all together. Little song c o o k s.
   Plastic Fantastic Lover-damn that's some hot bass and guitar! Marty ripping through his vocals--yet again.
   After a brief 'turn out the lights' Paul introduces Bear Melt, the final song on the album-all eleven minutes of it, and, the albums 2nd and final centerpiece. "we'll leave you with this. feel free to sing along if you'd like". Grace quickly zings back a "thank you" for this song will be her showcase as well. this mini-epic is Bless's 'the end'.
   "why not keep the little animals alive". more....just more great 4 piece ensemble playing and when Grace comes back in at the very end....wow. beautiful.
   It took me a l o n g time to discover this album. I'm glad I finally did. great great great.



2. For collectors only, this is not a very good album. The mix is muddy & the material presented was hardly worth the effort. Save your cabbage & pick up one of JA's studio efforts.
   
   For a similar recording you could record some drunken garage band with a radio shack tape recorder & end up with something of the same quality.



3. The favourite album of each member of the Airplane, Bless Its Pointed Little Head captures the band at the height of their powers in their most natural setting, live in front of an audience at familiar halls. This album was recorded at Bill Graham's two venues; mostly at Fillmore West in their native San Francisco in October 1968, a month after their legendary performance at London's Roundhouse, which I was lucky enough to attend, but a couple of tracks from New York's Fillmore East the following month, though the recordings have been mixed together to represent an abbreviated concert, and presented as was, without any post-gig sweetening or overdubs, and including the daringly improvised combined pieces Turn Out The Lights/Bear Melt from New York.
   
   Although their album Crown Of Creation had just reached the shops, nothing from that album is included, perhaps because those new songs had yet to find their evolved forms in live performance. The live versions of former singles It's No Secret, Somebody To Love and Plastic Fantastic Lover (the B-side of White Rabbit) show that these had been utterly transformed on stage. They are therefore not merely live souvenirs of well-known material, but reinventions, valuable documentations of what the Airplane were all about as a live band. Apart from a startlingly fresh and extendedly transcendental performance of former album track 3/5's Of A Mile In 10 Seconds, the rest of the album features material not available in studio form.
   
   Fat Angel, written by Donovan, was an obvious choice for the band to cover as it includes the line, "Fly Jefferson Airplane, gets you there on time", interpreted at a metaphysical level and accompanied by some fittingly spacey musical exploration. Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady were the Airplane's blues aficionados and led the band through an extended extemporization of Rock Me Blues, probably learned from BB King but a traditional blues developed through earlier recordings by Arthur Crudup, Lil' Son Jackson, Muddy Waters, Big Bill Broonzy and others. The band's folksier origins are represented by Paul Kantner taking the lead on Fred Neil's Other Side Of This Life, an established stage favourite otherwise unrecorded by the band.
   
   Therefore, there was little to deter owners of the Airplane's four albums released to date from acquiring this, their first and best live album, and on release in January 1969 it reached number 17 in the US album charts in a 20-week chart run, remaining a consistent favourite with buyers ever since, having been re-issued on CD several times.
   
   This edition from 2004 has been remastered from the original tapes by Bob Irwin and also includes three previously unreleased live bonus tracks: Today (originally from Surrealistic Pillow), Watch Her Ride and Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon (all from After Bathing At Baxter's). The notes indicate that these were intended for the album but left off due to time constraints. It's noticeable, though, that all three come from a slightly later night at the Fillmore West, namely November 5th, and have a markedly different live sound balance to those on the album, though they are fine versions. This is presumably due to the band's live psychedelic sound man Owsley Stanley III, who also worked with the Grateful Dead, rather than the album's balance engineer Richie Schmitt.
   
   In the CD and DVD-Audio era it would be good to have some of these memorable concerts made available in full, as the Grateful Dead have done with their Dick's Picks and other series. In the meantime, this edition is clearly the one to choose in preference to earlier editions, to enjoy a prime West Coast band at their peak.



4. This album shows what was the real force behind the band. Can anyone think of a rock group before them to build its sound around the bass? Jack's playing on this record is extremely strong. Its no accident that this record was mixed with his instrument making up half the volume, the rest of the band the other half. His playing defined the group, and gave it a foundation which they could swirl around. When I first heard this record, Balin and Slick's voices seemed to me to be shaped to resemble dueling Yardbirds-like guitars, and they still do. The whole group is tight on this record, and very attentive to each other. You just don't hear this kind of work on other SF groups from the period-a mix of well-rehearsed instrumentation and improv. They rocked much harder than the Dead or other outfits.
   I just wish that Jorma's guitar work were more consistant here, my only real complaint.



5. GOT IT FOR THE SONG ROCK ME BABY. HOT AS HELL...GREAT MUSIC FOR A DATE NITE.

5 comments about 1969: Velvet Underground Live, Vol. 2.

1. Originally the second record in a 2-LP set, this is now the companion volume to Live 1969, Volume 1, and it's every bit as good as (perhaps even better than) its predecessor. Lou Reed's songs (and the entire band's playing) sounds absolutely stunning in a live context. The music shimmers with life and humor and emotion, bursting with creativity and grace. It's beautiful and rollicking and harrowing all it once- listen to the lush, epic, and utterly beautiful "Ocean," that goes on for about ten minutes without wasting a note. Listen to the smirking high-speed rockabilly of "Sweet Bonnie Brown/ It's Just Too Much," and the raw, pained beauty of "Pale Blue Eyes." "Some Kind Of Love" is jazzy and playful, and "White Light/White Heat" is a a killer extended noise-driven jam. The true hidden gem of this record is "Over You," which is the epitome of short, sweet, and utterly wistful pop. Everything about the song, from the melancholy riff and hypnotic guitar solo to the resigned, self-deprecating vocal, is simply ideal. The whole album is nothing short of a rock 'n' roll masterpiece.



2. This LP in it's original Double-album form was one my favorites of the era (the early seventies being a little sparse and sometimes unoriginal), but when the CD's came out, they split the thing into 2 separate discs. So this one has lots of dreamy, drug induced pop ("pale blue eyes', "I'll be your Mirror') , and some atmospherics ('Ocean')as well as the classics ("Heroin, White Light/White Heat').
   Good for fans, good for people who liked their studio stuff, also.



3. Basically, if you're into the vu, you'll be into them live. There's almost no other way of looking at it. Their live performances are the most innate I've ever heard. So, if you're having some sort of dilemma regarding which live albums to spend your hard earned currency on, here's a suggestion: 1969: The Velvet Underground Live Vol.'s 1 & 2, Live at MKC, and the Quine Tapes. Those are the best live performances I've heard from the band. My personal favorite is the 1969: The VU Live Volume 1, but it's all personal preference.
   I suppose I've gone off on a bit of a tangent - forgetting this was a review for 1969 Vol. 2. Well, the album is amazing. You're really doing yourself an injustice by not buying it. Trust me, the technicalities don't need to be described: just buy it, listen to it, and be inspired by it.



4. The version of "Ocean" on this album is mind-blowing. You have to buy the CDs just for that. The rest of the Vol. 2 CD is excellent, as is Vol. 1, but that recording of "Ocean"...oh, it's impossible to do any justice to it here.



5. This is one of the rare cases when volume 2 is better than the first. Of course, it would be best to buy both but if you have to pick one, pick this volume.

   This is the album that made me really appreciate the Velvets. I love live music and this album really captures the band as they were meant to be heard -- Jamming, Moody, Rock and Roll. The first 3 songs especially (Ocean, Pale Blue Eyes, and Heroin) have reverberated in my musical memory for a very long time.

   A GREAT FIRST VU ALBUM! If you know the Velvets or even just think you might like them, you can't go wrong with these live concerts.

5 comments about No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded.

1. I like Led Zep a lot, also, I like Robert Plant as a solo artist.
   I was surprised by the Coverdale Page album,I like it a lot.
   I had big expectation for this one, Page and Plant again together...
   It was a big deception. I don,t like the new songs, "No Quarter" is horrible, what a disaster ! I'll give my cd to somebody who, I hope, will like it.



2. robert plant and jimmy page unledded no quarter cd with a great backing band featuring african instruments and a eastern favour to many led zeppelin classics this album is needed in any zeppelin fans collection just for the version of kashmir classic
   robert's voice may sound a bit croaky he still rocks and page hasn't lost his talent both playing with their full alblities
   i love this cd a new light to led zeppelin songs and you thought robert plant and jimmy page would never play together again
   well they did and it was superb



3. At the beginning I was worried, what if Page's guitar or Plant's voice dissapoints me.
   However it was not necessary. Although the first number "Nobody's Fault But Mine" slightly confuses me, but the sound was getting better and better
   Most of numbers originally from Zeppelin are all my favorites, Five of them are from the 3rd album, I am very glad that as a 3rd album lover.
   "Gallows Pole" and "Four Sticks" were even better than the original. I didn't feel it was nice the string section in "Since I've Been Loving You".
   
   Anyway overall, this album has good balance of the sound. Zeppelin was a great band but also I was feeling the balance of the sound was unusual as a Rock Band. Usually the vocalist is a leading part in the rock band, but in Zeppelin each member is so great that Plant's vocal sounded like just one of them. Sometimes as if a back chorus. I always wondered it should be called great features or weakness of them.
   But here, Plant acts as a leading roll and Page's guitar supports him.
   
   So "No Quarter" means the vocalist is not a quarter here?



4. As usual, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have turned out a winner. This album has nothing superflous. Every track is fantastic, from the addictive 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' to sad and beautiful 'That's the Way'. There are the clear eastern influences found in much Led Zepplin, and, and as always the lyrics are poetry in themselves - take:
   "And yesterday I saw you standing by the river,
   And weren't those tears that filled your eyes,
   And all the fish that lay in dirty water dying,
   Had they got you hypnotized?
   
   And yesterday I saw you kissing tiny flowers,
   But all that lives is born to die.
   And so I say to you that nothing really matters,
   And all you do is stand and cry.
   
   I don't know what to say about it,
   When all you ears have turned away,
   But now's the time to look and look again at what you see,
   Is that the way it ought to stay?"
   
   It can be listened to over and over again - No song becomes tired or repetitive despite many many hearings. It's a valuable addition to any collection of rock music.



5. After Live Aid, the Atlantic Records birthday concert, and some other live brief appearances, I was excited to see this effort during the "unplugged" era....I was hoping Plant and Page would tour and tour they did. For fans who were not old enough to see Led Zep in concert, this had to be the closest I would ever get. Although I saw the Firm and solo shows by Plant, and only recently did Plant start to go back to Led Zep tunes, nothing compared to the Plant/Page tour that followed the release of this cd. Fine selection of songs fit real well with all of the backing musicians.

5 comments about Foghat Live.

1. Actually, the album was recorded at the Dome Arena on May 10th 1977. Procol Harem opened up the show. It took longer than normal for the band to come on stage. I remember the announcer apologized for the delay, but then told the audience that they were setting up to record a live album. The place went crazy.



2. Foghat's live record, simply called 'Foghat Live' is simply incredible. There are only six songs here, but all six of the songs are far superior to the studio versions. 'Fool For The City' is just a jam session between vocalist/guitarist Dave Peverett and guitarist Rod Price.
   
   The famous 'Slow Ride' is even better than the studio version. Peverett's vocals are at their finest, and it is the best part of the entire record. Also, Price and bassist Nick Jameson jam as well.
   
   As a huge Foghat fan, I can always recommend this live record. It is one of the best live records ever recorded.
   
   Highly recommended for any Foghat or classic rock fan. ENJOY!!!



3. I read reviews on this disc and took a chance. What are you guys hearing that I'm not hearing. They are fair. But, I find nothing very interesting in their interpretations. Give me Bob Seger.



4. I attended a blues festival at Fort Mason, SF California sometime around 04-05. Headliner was Buddy Guy with special guest Carlos Santana, supporting acts was British Blues allstars aka KIm Simmonds featuring Rod Price, and Norton Buffalo. Rod Price was hands down the monster among legends that beutiful day. This brought me back to "Foghat Live" A blistering live set wheras Rod Price's astonishing lead and slide guitar work has to be some of the finest chops ever recorded. I was heartbroken when i learned that Rod Price passed away about a year later and didnt know until today that Lonesome Dave had succumed to cancer. Foghat seemed to have a knack for commercial succses yet never selling out. This album when released back in the day was commercial in design yet when cued up turned into absolute rock n roll warfare...astonshing to this day...Rod and Dave...r.i.p.



5. Only six songs, but six songs that are incredible. The first time I heard Foghat Live I was simply blown away. Almost 30 years later, it is still a great album. It is too bad that their studio albums never came close to what they did live. Buy this CD and play it LOUD!!!

5 comments about Acoustica.

1. This is a must have album for any Scorpions fan. It includes a couple of their lesser known gems along with some excellent covers! Klaus Meine has never sounded better.



2. this cd is of great quality as to be expected by the scorpions. the acoustic versions of their classic songs are all too brilliant.i will say though that i didnt like the versions of always somewhere and still loving you,much preferring the originals.my last word will be to say that the cover songs are of great standard,dust in the wind,especially.just make a point of listening to the version of queens love of my life and the cars drive,how fantastic.....baz



3. This album is absolutely fantastic. Choice of songs and the performance - out of this world!



4. Scorpions "Acoustica" is a must-have for any true Scorpions fan. But if you're a first-time Scorpions listener, you probably don't want to pick this up as your first Scorpions CD.
   
   The CD is made up of tracks played by the band in a concert in Portugal some time ago and all of the songs are played with accoustic guitars instead of electric. The result is an awesome listening experience as the band does a good job of keeping the crowd energized throughout the entire performance. Some tracks do not come across as effectively as they do in their original recordings, but some come off exceptionally.
   
   The band also does a good job on the some of the covers they perform here such as "Drive" by The Cars and "Dust In The Wind" by Kansas, which, in my opinion, is the best track on this CD.
   
   Pick up this CD if you have additional Scorpions material in your current collection. If you are a first-time listener and are wanting to check out what the Scorpions are all about, you should check out some of their greatest hits compilations first and then come back later to check out this great disc.



5. Wow, the Scorpions are here in 2001, and they still know how to make live music. Acoustic this time, which means almost only ballads are played, well it is very good, and all the songs are have nice acoustic sounds. Catch Your Train is very swinging, with the piano, and Holiday has a very specific sound, which is a little swinging as well. There are some new songs too, so if you can, buy it. you won't regret that.
   Keep On Rocking!!!

5 comments about Captured Live at the Forum.

1. Alot of energy from the group *and* from the audience. The young ladies' joyous squeals in the near-silent intros. to "Eli's Comin'" and the incredible closer "Try A Little Tenderness" bring this ol' rock & souler back to a different time - it was late 1969 and R & R was going back to basics - 4 or 5 guys playing their brains out - playing stuff for Top 40 *and* FM! And Three Dog Night actually had....talent. Taking nothing away from those big, horn-driven, jazz-inflected groups like B, S, & T and Chicago and Chase, the new era had TDN and CCR...and you name 'em. (Where's Casey Kasem?.........).
   Back around '68 a High School classmate enthused over this great group doing "Try A Little Tenderness". Never heard of the group or the song. Well, the great *live* rendition is here, the best track on the album. The pandemonium has built to a point of impossible tension tempered with artistic control.
   Problem is...now go easy on me....I still don't know who's singin'? Chuck?
   No liners with that kind of detail. Another issue is that the CD does not sound "clean" - sounds like it was drawn from vinyl. Bass is still prominent but has a stereo to mono sound. (Gotta listen on the phones to confirm that, though).
   This album-to-CD is a little more about the live experience (in 1969) than about great live "versions*.
   Note that not all the l. p. graphics made it over to CD. Including the photo of that California girl in the front row. jk.



2. I have the LP and I also bought the CD of this concert. It is great fun to listen to this band. The part that is hard to believe is that Three Dog Night was the warm up act for Steppenwolf this night. To me "Chest Fever" is my favorite song of the show which features the whole band and shows how good Three Dog night really was. By the way Three Dog Night made alot of great LP's with with alot of hits and very little filler.



3. This Three Dog Night album is interesting for a couple reasons. One, it shows the world that the band was more than just a vocal harmony band, and two, only one song featured here is played on the radio anymore ("One").
   
   If you grew up listening to this band and expect to hear unique vocal harmonies, think again. While the vocals here are definitely good, it seems to me Three Dog Night wanted to prove that they could also stand tall with all the hard rock bands around at the time. "Nobody" and "Chest Fever" proves this for example. Songs that can rock convincingly.
   
   "Heaven Is In Your Mind" is another great song, and a fantastic way to open this set. I don't know if I'd prefer this version over Traffic's, but you know, the Traffic version sounds pretty old, while the boys in Three Dog Night give the song an updated sound with plenty of energy. Check out that guitar solo in the middle. In fact, check out the guitar work throughout the entire album. Yes that's right- there's PLENTY of guitar on this album (for all you people out there who might think the band was too weak to hang with the big boys, like Zeppelin and Sabbath- think again!)
   
   This version of "Feeling Alright" is quite good too. Again, it's about rocking out with some funk thrown in for good measure. This version is probably just as good as Grand Funk's. Joe Cocker's version can go... in the back of the closet.
   
   For those missing some of Three Dog Night's softer and prettier numbers, "Easy to be Hard" might fit the bill. It's a shame most people will probably write off Three Dog Night without giving some of their albums a chance. That is, most people who grow up today, under the assumption that Three Dog Night was all about old and dated vocal harmonies. Wrong! Pick this album up for proof of that.



4. This is my favorite live album of all time; bought it in early 1970, shortly after it came out. I'm so glad the CD version is available now, because I've absolutely worn the vinyl out! As someone else mentioned, it is a little short, but the energy is fabulous. The versions of It's For You, Nobody, One, "Eli's-a-Comin" , and Try a Little Tenderness are, IMO, much, much better than the studio cuts. Both vocals and instrumentals seem to be a lot more together in this live album. Unbelievable that it was done in '69, seems like only yesterday!



5. I remember when this album (not CD) was popular. This was always close to the top of our play list. For nostalgia, I recently purchased this CD... and at first I couldn't remember why we liked it so much. But after a couple of spins through the CD player, I realized that this is an excellent capture of the Three Dog Night sound. Well mixed, excellent musicians, and a great selection of music. It would have been really nice if they could have included some bonus tracks on the CD not originally on the album. This one really 'Socks it to it'!

5 comments about Warszawa.

1. Porcupine Tree is one of the finest bands around and this cd, recorded during the Lightbulb Sun tour, delivers in a big way. First off the material for the recording was culled from a Polish radio broadcast with a specially invited studio audience and features the bulk of the "Lightbulb Sun" cd (recently re-released in a gorgeous remastered form/5.1 surround) as well as tracks from "Stupid Dream" and "Signify", for me three of their better recordings (although serious kudos have to go to "In Absentia", "Deadwing" and "Fear Of A Blank Planet" all fine recordings of their own especially thanks to Gavin Harrison's absolutely phenomenal drum work). The recording itself is crystalline and a big improvement on the sound rendered on "Coma Devine".
   If you're seeking a fine example of what Porcupine Tree can do live, look no further. this is the recording to have. Trust me on this one.



2. Being an avid fan of Porcupine Tree, I try to see them live every time they tour in my area. I saw them this spring on their recent tour, and the live CD Warszawa captures much of the material from that tour, and has an excellent group of older and newer material which is great "ear candy" I would highly recomment this CD for any fans of Porcupine Tree who would like to add a recent live recording of this awesome band to their collection.



3. This new Digipak version is a re-release of an earlier Madfish Records UK release from 2005. As a Porcupine Tree fan and music listener for the majority of my life, I can tell you, this is one excellant concert recording.
   
   The performance is from a Polish radio show broadcast that included a small in studio audience. The performance was right on the heels of the Lightbulb Sun tour, so most of the songs performed are from that album. A couple more from Stupid Dream, Voyage 34 (Phase One), and the title track off the Signify album. This is a real treat, since the Lightbulb Sun album has been out-of-print for a long time now. This was my first chance to hear the songs (I'm still waiting for the rumoured re-release this fall).
   
   I'm not going to try and give you a full description of the music on this album, if you need that, please see the Amazon Review by "fats al" of the 2005 version dated February 22, 2006. He does an excellant job. I just didn't think it would be right to cut and paste it here!
   
   This cd is also a great bargain: it's packed to the brim with music. 79 minutes and 19 seconds worth of beautiful live PTree music for only $12. I will say track 8, Hatesong, is absolutely the Best! 5-stars!



4. So these guys can deliver that same wonderful sound live is good to know. So many bands' sound is "created" in the studio and you never know where the band's talent stops and the technical wizardry begins. This is a solid live album which shines the light on a talented group of Brits who could very well become the next Beatles. If you like good live music, buy this album. I would even recommend this as an introduction to this band as the songlist goes deep enough into their library to get to know Porcupine Tree as the treasure they surely are. These guys play progressive rock and roll and do it oh so well.



5. Being recently addicted to Porcupine Tree, I found this live album great right from the awesome guitar intro to the first track "Even Less" through to the final song "Signify". "Voyage 34" is perhaps not all that good live but everything else is fresh and solid. Of particular interest is that the album contains 6 songs from the hard-to-get album Lightbulb Sun including the superb "Russia On Ice". I highly recommend this album to all rock music fans!