5 comments about Viva!.

1. The biggest flaw with this album is that it isn't longer. I'd love to hear more music from this great live unit. The song selection leans heavily on the first two Roxy albums, when Eno was part of the band.
   
   Those numbers, here played live by the Eddie Jobson version of Roxy (Jobson was Eno's replacement), are effectively reworked versions and are great. Not necessarily better, though Do The Strand and Pyjamarama are way more energetic then the originals, just different and very well done. For me, a highlight is the expanded If There Is Something, with its beautiful instrumental passages and powerful drumming. Great music and a great complement to the studio albums.



2. When I was 12 or 13 I saw pictures of Roxy Music in Creem. They seemed like a gimmick band, a circus troupe, a costume party, a joke band. Then I took a risk and bought Viva. I've been a fan ever since. Out of the Blue combines everything great about The Doors, VU & King Crimson, and yet is totally original to Roxy. Pyjamerama is more funky yet relaxed than studio version & rocks harder. Both Ends Burning is THE version of the song. I give this 4 stars because it's a single record/CD (you know there is more stuff in the can). I recommend any fan seek out 1975 bootleg from NYC with a jaw-dropping version of Mother Of Pearl & other material from Country Life through Siren. Also, the 1976 show bootlegs from Stockholm, Sweden are excellent. Some of those songs can be seen in recent DVD collection The Thrill of It All. Force this CD on Avalon fans, or people who think of Roxy as a mellow 80's euro-pop band.



3. "Viva" could be called Roxy Music's "Get Yer Ya Yas Out," were it not for the fact that it is the final offering from the original Ferry-Manzanera-Mackey-Thompson-Jobson era. The music is tight, crisp, (and some reviewers here have noted that renditions of songs on the album are superior to their original "album" manifestation. I agree...) After this, Roxy, sadly, would become but a dreaded "AOR" vehicle for Bryan Ferry.



4. Not bad at all - but the studio versions are perfection. I don't think I will be listening to this much.



5. I agree with many others that this is Roxy Music at their prime. I thought I'd share a couple thoughts about why. Aside from the band itself being in top form, the energy of that time came into play. Phil Manzanera was also in a band called 801 Live with Brian Eno, which kept his guitar on fire, and the bass player for the tour was John Wetton, recently of King Crimson! So that powerful bass/guitar jam in "Red" by King Crimson seems to be flowing through this tour as well. Fascinating dynamic!

3 comments about Welcome to the Future.

1. Use the cd's for flying frisbies. That will be your only Space Ritual.



2. The CDs in this collection sound so muffled that the music is barely audible. Save your money.



3. Save your money and get a better selection. Disc 1 is identical to Disc 4 and the quality of all discs is awful. It sounds like someone put a microphone up to an old record player and put it onto CD.

3 comments about Rock in Japan: Greatest Hits Live.

1. I love this Cd! Only thing i wish was different was that "sentimental street" was not just Kelly with the piano. Don't get me wrong this sounds excellent on this Cd but i like the "7 Wishes" video version a little better cuz of the guitars by Watson ang Gillis. Sing me away is my favorite song and glad they put this on the Cd! Get it everyone!



2. I could not believe how incredible this live cd sounded the first time I heard it. It is incredible! Just look at the track listing! This is one of those cd's that you have to crank, or you won't get the full effect. If you are curious about Night Ranger, or are just looking for a great cd to listen to, here it is! Highlights are: Touch of Madness (rocks!), Sing Me Away, and the acoustic set consisting of Sentimental Street and Goodbye.



3. Great album! The sound is crisp and clear with no distortion or feedback, like in a lot of live albums. It sounds so good, you'd swear the band was live in your living room, or you were up on stage with 'em! The selection of songs is superior to their old "Greatest Hits" album, since it includes some of their more recent hits. I considered giving this 4 stars simply because I loathe guitar solos on live albums. However, after several listens to the album, I realized that the solos fit well into the context of the concert. They are also mercifully short! Nice to listen to some good, catchy, guitar-driven rock for a change, instead of the drivel being produced today. These kids today don't know what they're missing! If you miss the thumping, fist-in-the-air rock of the 80's, you'll love this album. I highly recommend it (if you can find a copy!)

5 comments about Live Killers.

1. This is a decent live album, but I won't repeat what many others have already said here. I would, however, like to warn you of a censored version. I'm listening loudly in headphones to a 2003 remastered version from Parlaphone/EMI (although mine is in a jewel case and not a digipack). During the introduction to "Death on Two Legs", there are three loud beeps, much louder than Mr. Mercury's voice, which nearly caused me to go deaf, not to mention the insult to Queen's art and their fans' intelligence. I don't remember the Hollywood Records remaster being censored, but this sort of thing should not be tolerated. Shame on EMI.



2. I usually judge my appreciation of live albums in two ways: 1) is it a significant historical document and 2) are the live versions better than the old studio songs? As far as the latter goes for me, `Live Killers' is somewhere between `Love You Live' and `Live! Bootleg!' A good live record not a great one, and most definitely not the album I grab when I want to here Queen. I would much rather have the Rainbow concert for early 1975, but then again the 1974-1975 era is my favorite of Queen's. This record still rocks but I don't know why I don't love it. Maybe "Brighton Rock" is too long and just not as impressive as the studio recording, surprisingly since Brian May is an all-time favorite of mine. The original side one is probably the best with the killer version of `Rock You' that blows away the original and serves as a great concert opener. "Rhapsody" and "Tie Your Mother Down" just don't go for the jugular enough for me. Freddie is bleeped out on "Death..." ? I guess Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger can drop f-bombs on a live album but Freddie can't? That's a head-scratcher. Queen fans will love `Live Killers' but for me its pretty ordinary and I am a Queen fan!



3. I was lucky enough to have seen Queen live on four separate occasions (1977, 78, 80 & 83) Amazing shows! It is quite different when you are actually there as opposed to listening to a live recording.
   This CD is OK. The performances range from good to lackluster. If you are looking for the sound they make in their studio releases you won't find it here. What you will find is more of a rendition of their 70's work. They rework most of their material so that they can perform it live without much difficulty. Sometimes it works well, other times you feel disappointed. (The medley part is a big disappointment for me)
   It says that this CD was "Remastered" but after comparing it to the original vinyl release, it sounds exactly the same. The original mix was not all that good anyway. It tends to sound dull most of the time. Also this is not a complete show. "It's late" & "Fat bottom girls' are not included.



4. Queen performs their special magic but the recording quality is simply poor. The miking is miserable with many vocals distant and weak sounding. Ruins a thoroughly memorable performance for the CD listener.



5. I never was so fond of Queen the way they sounded studio-like.
   When I bought their album "Queen Live Killers" in 1980, however, this only confirmed my opinion that Queen is an excellent live-performer of the songs which had seemed so dull, with all due respect, in the first place before hearing the "Live Killers"-album.
   Therefore, I pay my respect to Queen's studio-albums of the 1960s-1970s including the "Live Killers"-album which forms an indispensible kind of bridge between the old and new Queen to come.

5 comments about Live Bullet.

1. I was at the second (and original) night of this concert. Bob had been on tour opening for BTO and said he owed Detroit a party for supporting him over the years. Tickets were only $4.50 for main floor seating. My girlfriend and I ended up against the stage.
   
   This was the best concert I've been to other than the Goose Lake Festival. The energy was just incredible. The band was perfect. If there was ever a dictionary definition of a live concert this was it. The only thing better was the times I saw Seger at the Birmingham Hideout.



2. This was what I grew up with. Seger was amazing. It was in the time of of rock at it's best. Lynard Sknyrd (spelling), 38 special, Jeff Beck, back when there was just rock, Allman Bro's, list goes on..........



3. If I had a nickel for each time I played this album front to back, I'd be a rich man. I've got a lot of music, of every genre, but this never leaves my cd player. When I want to rock, I mean really rock, this is what I play. It is amazing how few people know about this album and how good it is. Bob has a new album coming out in August. Early reviews are it is vintage Seger. I finally saw him live in 1996, after waiting almost 20 years to see him. What a show. Rumor is he may tour on limited schedule. Hope I can hook up.



4. First off let me say that I LOVE this recording! For 28 years I have just dug this thing to death ... its real rock and roll ... but I have to agree with "doublehighc" (below) that there is something strange about this remastering. Yes, it is clearer, but there is an odd sometimes unsettling quality to it that pops up now and then.
   
   Note this particular version (one of those mini LP things ... no plastic case) came out October 5, 1999 and that there was another remaster of Live Bullet released on December 7, 1999. Perhaps that was a correction? There are no negative comments concerning remastering under the 12-7 release?
   
   Regardless, I highly recommend this album ... even with the mastering quirk this thing kick booty!



5. Imagine getting off work, jump in the Road Runner with your buds (both figurative and literal) Southbound I-75 to Cobo...
   You've got to push it cause you worked till 6:00!

   Park and walk toward Cobo, the crowd growing larger and larger with every step you take. You pass thru the ticket gate and enter the smoke-drenched outer arena. Stand in line for beer, walk around scoping out the babes.

   The crowd begins filing into the inner arena...
   the lights go out, see the shadows moving into place up on the stage, the band tunes up, the spotlight on the emcee introducing the band, stage lights come on...everyone is in place.
   You are you are about to witness a performance that will DEFINE the term "concert experience" for decades to come!
   The opening guitar chords, the percussion and bass line kicks in... the arena came alive...it was breathing, pulsating, crushing

   Close your eyes and listen to the opening ~15 seconds of Nutbush City Limits and you will be transported back in time.

2 comments about Are You Ready to Testify?: The Live Bootleg Anthology.

1. Simply,a repackaged 3-CD box set that brings you live recordings by the Detriot hard rockers, that most of you long time fans likely already have. Disc one: 'Starship:Live At Sturgis Armory', disc two: 'Teenage Lust' and disc three: 'Black To Comm' (see my reviews of those first two). Good to have, but pretty much aimed toward the completists and live album nuts, like myself.



2. Don't get me wrong, some of the material on this set is first rate (though the sound quality is always mediocre at best...), but the bulk of this 3cd set is material already available as "Teenage Lust" and "Starship". The remaining "EP" CD is from the Unitarian church show of September '68. I haven't checked yet to see if these last tracks are the same previously released on various discs including "American Ruse", but it seems probable.....
   
   Nice little package, but nothing the MC5 collector doesn't have already.....

No comments about Live in Germany '76.

2 comments about Instant Live: Meadows Music Theatre - Hartford, CT, 8/3/03.

1. And then there's disc three, which is 14 minutes long and only contains "Whipping Post". There is really no good reason to make a three-CD pacakage when the entire concert only lasts two hours, but it must sell better or something. Or maybe the producers feel that they can ask for a couple of dollars more for a three-disc set.
   
   Anyway, depending on how you like the 16-minute instrumental from the then-recent "Hittin' the Note"-album, "Instrumental Illness", disc one is practically perfect. Very good sound, excellent playing by the entire band, and a magnificent track list:
   A tight "Don't Keep Me Wondering". "Ain't Wastin' Time No More", including two great, sizzling solos, real slow burners. The slow, soulful "Worried Down With The Blues", a great vocal performance by Gregg Allman and more excellent guitar playing. "Statesboro Blues", gritty slide guitar and a wonderful, rollicking boogie piano part. The dark, bluesy, swampy funk of "Who To Believe", perhaps the best song from the uniformly excellent "Hittin' the Note"-album...wonderful to hear that one live, and the solos are beautiful; lyrical yet completely within the blues-rock-funk-frame.
   And then comes a fine, if slightly ragged, rendition of "Soulshine", before the disc winds down with the aforementioned "Instrumental Illness". Saxist Karl Denson guests on that one.
   
   Disc two is a bit more of a mixed bag. I've never loved "Dreams" or the band's excessive half-hour performances of "Mountain Jam", and those two take up almost forty minutes.
   The opening "Stand Back" is excellent, though, not least thanks to the supple but powerful rhythm section. Tough, muscular funk and more terrific guitar playing. And blues singer Susan Tedeschi, the current wife of ABB guitarist Derek Trucks, does a very good cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice".
   The semi-acoustic "Melissa" is quite beautiful; good long guitar solo, too. But "Rockin' Horse" is a bit like the disc itself, a mixed bag. Warren Haynes does a Bob Dylan and significantly alters part of the melody, and it's not an improvement, quite frankly. Neither is the l-o-n-g instrumental interlude particularly inspired.
   
   Again, a 14-minute disc three is somewhat silly, and the second disc is not uniformly strong, even if it does have its moments. But disc one a clean five stars, no reservations at all, and, hey, maybe you like "Dreams" and half-hour "Mountain Jam"s. This is quite a good, restrained "Mountain Jam" as far as mountain jams go.
   
   All in all, this is a fine set of music. The rare cover songs that make some of the "Instant Live" CDs stand out are largely missing, sure, but you really ought to hear the magnificent first disc, at least. If that one had been put out as a single-disc live album, perhaps with "Stand Back" tacked on to it, it would have been dynamite!



2. I was lucky enough to attend this show, and it blew me away. I had skipped them in Hartford in 2002 in protest of them kicking Dickey Betts out, but a year later I had forgiven them enough to see the show. Am I glad I did! I've seen them a bunch of times, and this show stands out as one of the best.

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!

No comments about Five Live Yardbirds.