5 comments about Just One Night.

1. Eric Clapton's Just One Night is a classic live album. This is not one of those greatest hits live albums. This is just Clapton rocking out and kicking butt on the guitar. The whole album is great! I saw where a couple of people gripped about Wonderful Tonight being on the album, I think it's a great song. All the songs on Just One Night are great. This is a live album that other live albums should be compared too.



2. I have had this album for for 20 years. I continually come back to it and amazed. For the record, I am a huge Clapton fan. What I love about this album is that it is Clapton in his pure state. Guitar, Amp and occasionally a Wah-Wah pedal. It's a good mix of his blues and country tunes. For me, it is a must have, one I would take to the moon with me. The version of Double Trouble is phenomenal, and one of the best representations of Eric's blues virtuosity.



3. This is a great CD. This has Eric Clapton's last great guitar solo.
   After this concert he recorded several good songs but he has NEVER
   been this good again (so far).



4. I've got this album on my mp3 player, and everytime a track comes on I'm back in my vinyl days.
   A mixture of Blues and Rock with Clapton regular Chris Stainton on Keyboards and Albert Lee on Guitar/Keyboards/Vocals.
   From the first track Tulsa Time you know you're in for a good time. This is a proper live album, no overdubs, no backing tapes just 5 guys and great music.
   Recorded in 1979 in Japan, neccessarily the sound quality isn't as polished as some might expect these days. Personally I prefer some rough edges and this double album gives it to you raw.
   Great stuff.



5. well known, Ec, great perfomer. Why do I buy this old record? Like "24 nights", the value added is the mix. I'd like to emphazise on the unique best perfomance of "Cocaine" in addition with S.Ray cover. Obviously the rest is extremely enjoyable.

5 comments about 1962 Live at the Star Club in Hamburg.

1. This is a great CD for a someone that truly likes everything Beatles. The sound quality is low but to get to hear raw live Beatles is worth it.



2. This is a collector's item of the Beatles at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany 1962. However, there are so many recordings that add and omit songs done at this destination. So if you're a die-hard Beatles fan this is worth it because it is rare, but you have to watch out for the songs that are included on this CD and on the other Star Club Hamburg CDs.



3. Though I am certain that there is some material missing from the actual performance on this CD, what is here is fantastic- fairly clear, considering the conditions under which they were recorded, and a vital look at The Beatles in their early years. "Shimmy Shake" is an amazing piece to hear them perform... so different than the material that made them famous. I wish the CD was complete, but what is here is fantastic. If you're serious about The Beatles, you NEED this CD!



4. I HAD the original two-LP set; my favorite song was the one chosen as the opener for the LP: "Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry Over You". With THAT song missing! this CD is pointless to me. When are they gonna release the WHOLE thing??!



5. The Star Club performance has bounced around in some form since the 1970s, initially as a double-album import on the Lingasong Records label. The sound quality was very rough, but the liner notes and photographs were outstanding and the gig featured the lineup with Ringo on drums.
   
   The historical significance was immense and I believe it still remains the earliest released live recording of the Fab Four. If I recall, The Beatles were unaware that the gig was being recorded and plans to release the performance once Beatlemania swept through England was nixed because of the poor sound quality.
   
   The tape was stored for years in a Liverpool office - certainly not helping to retain the already bootleg-like recording - and was recovered from a building that was slated to be torn down by original Beatles manager Allan Williams. He sold the recording to Lingasong.
   
   It then got interesting once the double-album was released in Europe and available as an import in the U.S. The record company ended up in litigation over ownership issues of the tape and I last saw the performance split into two separate albums on another record label.
   
   And the Star Club performance seems to have a lifespan tied to the court system; it pops up in some form, then becomes unavailable due to a tug-of-war, only to resurface again years later.
   
   But through it all it remains a gem, since there are few opportunities to hear the early stages of what became the British Invasion.

5 comments about At Carnegie Hall, Vol. 1-4 (Chicago IV).

1. 5 stars for the band but not on the technical merits of this album..Ok, right off I'm going to admit that at this point I'm considering picking up the remastered-remixed re-everything version Of Chicago at Carnegie hall just to see what total miracle the digital age boys could possibly do to make this album listenable... I bought it when was released in 1971. It was the worst, most awful sounding piece of crap I had in my collection at the time. I'm not one of those nose-in-the-air sterile audiophile types but you have to believe at the original release, it was a bust. Recording in a place like Carnagie must have been a nightmare for the engineers of the day. The mics on some cuts sound like they're placed out in the audience somewhere a mile away. If you ever attended a concert at an NFL domed stadium (one of those concrete things) you know what can happen to the sound. I was (and still am) a huge Chicago fan and couldn't wait to take my saved-up 13 bucks and go buy this 4 LP set. Right, I said 13 bucks. That was a bloody fortune at the time not to mention a waste of money and a major disappointment when I put it on the turntable. It sounded like crap. This could have been a monster live album from the hottest band of the day, but no, sound quality killed it on arrival. This is not a commentary about the band. This album and those before it and a couple after, was Chicago at top form before they went to market with all the later stupid pop garbage and were basically ruined as a major rock group. I'm going to give the CD version a go and drop in a few extra notes of commentary later about what quality changes were made by the remaster people. It had to be a big job.



2. I know there are lot of you who have issues involving the original mix/master of this 1995 Chicago Records re-issue, as well as the 1990 Columbia CD release, such as the "kazoo"-sounding horn section.
   
   I chose this particular issue, along with the Group Portrait box set (sadly not reissued/remastered when Rhino picked up the Columbia/Chicago back catalog), and Chicago IX 1995 CDs, for the purpose of making an expanded version, a true anthology, of this legendary band in their "glory years" (1968-75, I-IX), in which I will include two tracks ("25 or 6 to 4", this live version absolutely smokes the studio cut from II, and "I'm A Man") from this ignored masterpiece as well as tracks from III and XIII (also ignored on Chicago IX) to add onto it.
   
   Note about the mix, especially the brass section, don't forget, this album was recorded in 1971 (yes, 1971!!!), and the legendary Carnegie Hall's acoustics were never conducive to electronic amplification, as one reviewer mentioned, but it is raw, first take, and the way a live album should be, not remixed beyond recognition to the point of it sounding TOO perfect, but instead one done with passion, heart, and something missing, especially in this day and age of "homogenized" live albums, which are mostly loaded with overdubbed tracks, "crowd noise" enhancements, and too-perfect-lip-synced vocals: integrity and respect for their loyal die-hard fans, the music business, and 100% effort in every note played and sung! It's not perfect but it is all real, with none of the enhancements!
   
   Most bands on today's "live" albums are simply going through the motions, and not really pouring out their heart and soul into making one, they just simply do it to make money, rather than do it for the fans, who they now resort to gouging out of $25.00 a ticket to see what winds up as garbage, and in agreement with one reviewer, this is the best of the 3 live sets Chicago has recorded. No matter what issue of this album you choose, original or remastered, if you are old-school as both a music fan as well as a musician like me, get this one! Highly recommended!



3. while im not a big fn of live albums i really do enhoy this one and cant wait till it's re-released on cd in august ill be all over that



4. while im not a big fn of live albums i really do enhoy this one and cant wait till it's re-released on cd in august ill be all over that



5. This was the second Chicago album I ever heard... right after Chicago 17. Talk about culture shock! I first thought "how full of themselves can they be? Four albums?" Then, given the fact they sold out a week at Carnegie Hall and being the first rock band to do so then I understand. The packaging for the album was fantastic: a full booklet complete with all concert listings from '67-'71 and three posters. As far as the music, the venue has more to do with it than anything. Carnegie Hall isn't friendly to electronic amplification. The engineering is not quite up to par. On the first night, Peter Cetera stated the recording crew were still tooling with their amplifiers during the first night's concert. Shouldn't that have been done ahead of time?? "In The Country" sounds great, as does "South California Purples", "Introduction", "I Don't Want Your Money", and "I'm A Man". "25 or 6 to 4" does sound a bit slow. Kath sounds like he's just going through the motions on vocals on "Make Me Smile". His guitar work is great as usual. The stereo mix on the vocals is intriguing. The dialogue between songs is genuine; especially the part where a audience member requests "Make Me Smile" - Lamm says, "Keep sitting there man".
   I believe the vinyl records sound better than the CDs. For an album of this magnitude, they should at least remaster it somehow and improve the sound a bit. There should be lots of master tapes for a week's worth of recording.
   If you can get your hands on it, LIVE IN JAPAN is a better sounding album. Recorded at Osaka in '72, the double disc is not as good as "Carnegie Hall". Sony recorded the shows using 2 eight track machines, giving producer James Williams Guercio 16 tracks to work with. The sound is great but the playing is not as tight as it was in New York.
   If you like live recordings, this is an interesting find. While not the greatest live album of the seventies (I believe that distinction goes to Neil Diamond's HOT AUGUST NIGHT), it is the best of Chicago's three live album releases.

5 comments about King Biscuit Flower Hour.

1. Pat Travers is one uncompromising R&R monster .I saw him play his first show ever in San Francisco @ The Old Waldorf nightclub about 1976 .At that time it was a three man band .Saw him play probably 5 or 6 more times . This is my favorite live recording of him . I have "Go for What You Know" "Live BBC " and "Whiskey Blues" which I believe is also available on a DVD version called "Boom Boom"and under the title "Live at the Diamond Club".This CD , (KBFH) has the best live version of "Born Under a Bad Sign" which he still performs to this day in concert .It also has a great version of "Ready or Not" ,penned and sung by Jerry Riggs ,one of the young guitar slingers Pat brought into the spotlight.Pat's signature songs "Life in London" and "Gettin Better" are also here. The one thing that differentiates this record from "Whiskey" is that the great Peter "Mars" Cowling has left the band before this version of The PTB hit the road .Still ,they pull this performance off with huge powerful versions of the songs.I lost my first copy of this , thanks to Amazon for allowing me to repurchase it at a reasonable price .You cannot touch it on E Bay for much less than $16.00 .



2. I am a huge fan of "Go for what you know" This is better. Maybe because there are more songs, maybe because this band translated the lp that they were promoting at the time better, or it is just one kickass night with Pat Travers. There is nothing trendy in this and the style the record company was trying to get the band to play, the band rebeled and did it thier way. Non-stop rock and roll energy from start to finish with a nifty prelude to the classic "Boom-Boom". A must for any fan.



3. Although this record doesn't have the classic lineup of Pat Thrall, Mars Cowling, and Tommy Aldridge, it rocks regardless. I also own Go For What You Know and the BBC record, but in some ways I like this one best out of the three live records. Part of it may be the more obscure songs done on this set in addition to those that I'm guessing Jerry Riggs sings lead on since it's not Pat singing on a couple of these. I was introduced to Pat's music about 10 years ago as he opened for Ted Nugent during a pre New Years Eve concert in Toledo, OH. I am not sure what lineup that was but it could've been this one since that's around the time of the School Of Hard Knocks CD which I now own and Riggs plays on that one, too. That show was awesome and I have been a fan ever since. This CD is highly recommended.



4. Buy any record that has Jerry Riggs on it. You won't be disappointed. I guarantee it. This guy was put on this planet to change the course of fine guitar playing. Look for vinyl copy of "Riggs". One of my heros.



5. If you are a Travers fan, don't miss this one. Yes, Pat Thrall was gone by the time this recording was made in 1984 but that does not lesson it's integrity. Jerry Riggs teams with the legendary Pat Travers and delivers a fantastic live recording that any fan of P.T. will absolutely dig.....5 star rating.....no question!

4 comments about California Bleeding.

1. There has been a vast amount of concert and studio material finding its way to CD and album from The Stooges and Iggy & The Stooges that it is oftentimes a tough call where to start...or what is actually relevant.
   
   This collection culled from a series of September 1973 gigs at the Whisky a Go Go and a 1974 San Francisco concert is about as solid a release available; Iggy (Pop) Stooge is holding things together, the band is in good form and the audience is enthusiastic. The photo collection from the performances are an added bonus and the entire package is solid.
   
   This is California Dreamin' from a decadent proto-punk perspective, but demonstrates that there were rare moments when an artist who was quickly losing a battle with personal demons could still deliver the goods.



2. If you're a deep fan you won't be bothered by the bootleg qaulity of the tracks. Iggy's speaking voice is heard among the music culled from 1973 and 1974 gigs. Bass is strong, audience resonates.
   It appears that the famous photo seen on the Live In Michigan CD is taken from the '73 show herein. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
   Some hideous, some beautiful photography in the booklet.
   Prince...bend an ear, baby.



3. 'California Bleeding' brings us die hards three(3) live concert snippets.Two of the three are from a five-night stay the Stooges played at the Whiskey A-Go-Go in September,1973.Stooges fans,please take note:these tracks are NOT of the same that were released on the French label Revenge,titled The Stooges-'Live At The Whiskey'.The show on THAT disc was from the Sept.16 gig.The tunes on THIS disc are from the Sept.15 and Sept.19 gigs.Probably not much difference,but they are culled from another show.Sound quality seems to vary on certain cuts.I,personally was impressed with "Open Up And Bleed",the rarely played "Johanna" and performance art-like "She Creatures Of The Hollywood Hills".Noticed that the Stooges fifth member(?) keyboardist Scott Thurston was playing some pretty mean harmonia here and there.No better than 'Double Danger'.



4. This is raw. This is very nasty nasty rock n roll made by some very intense guys. It's live, and it's desperate. Recorded at various L.A. nightspots, including the Whisky..this album captures Iggy and the stooges and their ferocious, seat of the pants best. "Take it easy brother, take it easy brother.." Buy this cd only if you wanna get down n dirty with the Igster.. if not..check out the slick new remix of raw power. That rocks, but CA Bleeding is truly RAW. Cut down to the bone.

5 comments about Ladies of the Road.

1. I won't repeat what others have already said, but I will add that I think this is an awesome cd. Lots of rock/jazz fusion energy. Mel Collins does a phenomenal job on sax, I don't think I've ever heard Robert Fripp tear it up on guitar like he does here. Boz Burrel is surely an underrated vocalist, he sounds fantastic on this cd.
   
   There are notable editing gaffs on this cd, particulary disc 2, but the opportuntity to hear these live performances is not to be missed. Many KC fans have favorite 'manifestations' of this band, but I would urge any and all KC fans, and even if you just like good live music, to give this cd a listen.



2. The title says it all. The first of the two albums would unquestionably be worth getting on its own--great live music from an under-represented period of the band's history, although personally the jazzier, more saxophone-heavy Crimson isn't to my liking as much as the later, proggier bits. When you stick the second album into the mix, it's a crap shoot. If you really like early 70's King Crimson improvisations with lots of saxophone, you might like that second album. Personally, I've listened to it two or three times, generally wishing halfway through that I hadn't stuck it in the cd player and only listening the whole way through because of some combination of laziness and determination.



3. Look....I am not gonna waste your time by reviewing each song....if you are considering this album....you are already familiar with the studio versions....
   
   What I will tell you is.....forget the EARTHBOUND live album...probably the worst sounding official album I ever heard..and to think...they said it was HDCD.....what a joke...I feel totally ripped off for buying that Earthbound piece of crap...but THIS album.....WOW!!!! It has everything you'd expect from a KING CRIMSON performance.....very transparent...and well balanced....tight drums and bass....and the musicianship...well.....that's what a KC performance or studio album is really all about......it's all here....and you have a front row seat......to experience over and over and over....
   
   Just go order the CD...you wont be disappointed...I promise.



4. It seems recently Robert Fripp has decided to make every bit of recorded material King Crimson has made over the last 35 year available to the public. While a good portion of this unreleased material is only available through the King Crimson Collectors Club (like the wonderful Live At Summit Studios, 1972 album), Fripp has decided to compile some of the highlights of these limited releases for the general public. The disc "Ladies of the Road" is one such compilation. This album is compiled from the 1971-mid 1972 line up of Crimso which featured Boz Burrell, Mel Collins, Ian Wallace, Peter Sinfield and of course Robert Fripp. Originally this line up was only heard on the 1971 album "Islands" and the UK only live release "Earthbound." Neither one of these albums were an accurate portrayal of what this line-up is capable of, and therefore this is probably one of the most underrated, if not ignored line-ups of Crimso. That said, this is in no way the perfect Crimso line-up, in fact they are far from it.
   
   One of the biggest problems with this line-up is they had the tendency to incorporate almost blues based riffs into their already established "symphonic" progressive rock sound. While the marrage of progressive rock and blues jams can often produce wonderful results, that is definitely not the case here. Crimso simply stumbles through and each jam, while trying to remain a tight unit. Probably the most absurd example of this would be the blues interlude in "Get Thy Bearings" or the blues version of "In The Court Of The Crimson King," although you only get about 40 seconds of the latter title before the abrupt end of the disc (you have to get one of the Crimso collectors edition discs to get the whole song).
   
   The second disc in this set features the beginning and all of the solos of "21st Century Scizoid Man" edited together to make one enormous 53 minute long song. Why anyone would find this disc nescessary is beyond me. While the sound quality of the first disc was pretty good, the second disc brings back memories of the poor sound quality of the "Earthbound" album. The solos, while they start pretty seemlessly edited together (although the sound quality changes from solo to solo are pretty noticeable), you are later greeted with a huge gap towards the end. Where one would have expected Fripp to have just edited the end of the song on to the mass of solos, he just simply awkwardly ends the disc after the last solo. So essentially the song is incomplete, making this listening endeavor a complete waste of time, unless you find the "21st Century" solos that fascinating, that you have to hear them over and over again.
   
   I would only recommend this album to the most diehard Crimso fan, especially a fan of the Boz Burrell line up. More than likely the Crimso devotee already has these recordings on the individual King Crimson collectors club releases, thus making "Ladies of the Road" rather redundant.



5. OK, I halready hade the collector's club editions, so I had all the material on disc one. THat said, this is terrific stuff, providing a glimpse of the live capabilities of this all-too-underrated incarnation of the mighty Crim (since Earthbound just does not do justice). If you don't have the various collector's club releases, then this provides a superb overview of this period of live Crim.
   
   Now, the real treat is disc 2 - the reason I bought this. Just for this alone, the disc would be worth more! I have always loved the wild improvisational passages that sprang forth from live versions of "21st Century Schizoid Man". This is the Uber-version - a pulsing, churning, soaring amalgamation of numerous performances of the song's central instrumental explorations - It is sick, sick, sick - gloriously crazed jamming at a sustained fevered pitch. I just got this today and have played disc two about four times in a row - man, I think I am growing tentacles - this stuff is so intense! If you love the intensity of the early Crimson, then you owe it to yourself to ingest this one - it is extreme brain food to be taken in healthy doses through the ears. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM

4 comments about Deep Space/Virgin Sky.

1. As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various music supplies and recordings from the 60's and 70's.
   
   Deeper Space/Extra Virgin Sky [LIVE] (Look for this on Amazon with all the extra tracks) Anytime a release can satisfy the old and please the new it has to possess unique attributes. The May 2002 intensified version of "Deep Space/Virgin Sky" is necessary for the Airplane and or Jefferson Starship collector.
   
   From the Airplane camp four members of the band are on stage Marty, Jack, Paul, and Grace makes a cameo! In typical fashion she tells a story prior to "Lawman" that shows she hasn't mellowed with age. Ten tracks are from Jefferson Airplane records through the break-up of 1972. "The Other Side Of This Life (Wrongly called on the CD "Another Side Of This Life") is stretched to eleven minutes. Marty Balin's tribute to Papa John Creach titled "Papa John" is full of sincerity. I know that first hand from the interview I had with Marty for the Jefferson Airplane book.
   
   For the Jefferson Starship fan, they can experience the fabulous and powerful voice of Darby Gould. The predecessor to the brilliant and superlative Diana Mangano, Darby could belt out Deep Purple or Jefferson Airplane with the same intensity and conviction. One of Paul Kantner's most underrated tunes (Especially by Paul) "I'm On Fire" packs a powerful punch. Marty does a stellar vocal on his friend Jesse Barish's tune "Count On Me." The version of "Gold" will have the walls shake.
   
   The fidelity of the newer version gives you a first class seat. This isn't a dinosaur band going through the motions. To this day, (Summer 2007) Paul and the Jefferson Starship are out on the road making it cool to be old.
   
   Get a ticket, relax, and engulf yourself in some of the best rock tunes ever penned.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Enjoy the music and be well,
   Craig Fenton
   Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"



2. Not included as a song but wrote in the lyrics right after Dark Ages is a poem called My Desire For You. If you have this cd don't forget to check out the lyric sheet.If you really like the Starship check out planetearthrockandroll.com



3. I am glad to see that others enjoy this CD as much as I do. This effort to me is the crowning acheivement of a band that was under-rated in their time and whose music practically defined an entire generation (the late 60's and 1970's). Kantner - Slick vocals are as strong here as anytime in their career. I feel this CD was made with the relaxation that stemed from the knowledge this would be the last time this band would play such a venue, and the music flowed with energy. The guitar work is exceptional. I own most of the CD's that Airplane and Starship put out, and this is a definitive view of the power and vision that was......Jefferson Starship.



4. Jefferson Airplane/Starship always worked best when it could move beyond the personality dynamics within the band. It's when they on tight, powerful 3-part vocalizations (Paul Kantner-Marty Balin-and wheoever the female vocalist is at the time) and polished instrumentation that this band(s) can really shine. This live offering offers just a glimpse of what happens when things do work right. The first half of this disc are new offerings and covers of other songwriters. The strongests tunes are Shadowlands and The Light. The remaining cuts are culled from the best of the Airplane era and the first incarnation of Jefferson Starhip. Grace Slick guests on Lawman, Wooden Ships, Somebody to Love and White Rabbit and she sounds strong and fiesty as ever. My only major complaint is that the bass playing really doesn't come to the surface. A performer as important, influential and distinctive as Jack Cassidy should never be lost or buried in the sound mix!

2 comments about A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado....

1. It's not too difficult to choose which of the three `live' Moody Blues albums (or series in this case) to buy. "Caught Live" is a recording mess actually from a 1968 performance and the latest, "Hall Of Fame" has too many rough points to really impress. This "full" concert from Red Rocks is unmatched by many live recordings, especially now that it has been remastered to near perfect quality. You can actually hear the difference between the original CD recording and this remastered version - it's that good.
   
   The song selection is standard (or classic) Moody Blues, but the Colorado Symphony adds so much more ambiance. It is not a perfect orchestra, which makes it all the more appealing with a rock band. The booklet contains great information with plenty of photos and a thorough essay. Two of the discs contain 23 songs - the full concert and the DVD displays the show with 19 songs. This "SOund & Vision" series is a great idea for the true fan and the ultimate audiophile.



2. I put off purchasing this album for some time. I have replaced all of my albums with CD's now. If you forgot Albums were made of Vinyl at one time and I have many of there albums and use a B&O table to listen to them once in a while. Now I have my CD's on my media center and listening is so easy the CD's are great. I purchased this Box Set to get the latest mastering of the CD's as well as the DVD I found the quality much better than I remember it. The Colorado Symphony is wonderful and sounds so good with them. I have heard that some feel that they over power some songs but I do not. The mix of music is acceptable but would have been nice if more were on it. If you purchase the two disks CD set this is only about $9.00 more and you get the DVD. One thing I did notice a few times during the performance is Ray Thomas has no emotion sometimes or a weird expression. Justin well what a voice and John is great also but not young anymore. My favorite track is with out a doubt, Isn't Life Strange and Tuesday Afternoon. Perhaps I am little bios on this group as its one of my favorites. If your new to the Moody Blues your going to get a treat when you listen to all of there great music. If you not like me you will have mixed feeling about this concert. Over all I think the purchase was well worth it. I like to listen to the Moody Blues Live I think some or most of there music is just meant for it. I only wish I had seen them Live long ago but did not. I would pay today top money to see them at Red Rocks, that I have been to and wow what a place......

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!

2 comments about Budapest Live.

1. Recorded live while on tour in Budapest in the spring of 1993 with Manfred (keyboards and synths), John Lingwood (drums), Pat Waller (lead guitar), Pat King (bass) and Chris Thompson (guitar and vocals). The Earth Band at this point has nothing in common with the original line-up except Manfred himself. The arrangements are simplified and the performance executed with professional anonynimity. There is no passion here, just what sounds like an energetic '80s cover band performing covers of the covers originally covered by the Earth Band(!!). There is not a single original composition here, attesting Manfred's preference at choosing compositions rather than composing his own, a chronic blessing and curse throughout the Earth Band's (and even earlier) career. This CD is best left to completionists (like me) who have to own everything the Earth Band ever recorded, good or bad. Chris Thompson's vocals, as they always are, are beautiful, but even here he sounds almost as cliche as the choice of songs (Demolition Man by Sting, Redemption Song by Bob Marley, and of course Quinn by Dylan and Blinded by Springsteen). There are no risks. The band performs safely within the bounds of professional pop music. Nothing here even remotely is remeniscent of the signature live capabilities of the band as heard on past live cuts such as Waiter Ther's A Yawn... or As Above So Below. Even Davy's On The Road and Spirits In The Night suffer from the generic stamp of simplification and pop homogenization.



2. What a great Cd- perhaps the best composition of Manfred Mann's Songs ever! All of my favourites are encluded. Every Fan of the "Rock" days of Manfred Mann's career should try this one. Still one of the best Live Bands on the world they allways give anything! .