No comments about Live at Sturgis.

5 comments about Some Time in New York City/Live Jam.

1. I love the album,every song on it is really captures the era gone by. To me it just seems like yesterday...However , Why did they shorten Were All Water by Yoko? I really was excited when the CD came in and I took a listen to it and the final high pitch scream by Yoko was edited out to a gradual fade....I have been listening to this album since I bought it in 1973 (I had to sneak it in the house because if my parents had seen or heard it I would have been finished) I was very disappointed when I listened to the CD to discover this climatic end to a great piece of work had been altered.



2. I avoided buying the album for years and years. The songs got little radio play, and the cover just didn't make it for me. It struck me as "this is one album where Yoko's pulling all the strings". When I finally bought it along about 2000, I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. Like many of the reviewers, the album features some good stuff from Yoko.
   
   Angela, John Sinclair, and Born in A Prison provide haunting melodies to rival George Harrison's most melancholy moments.
   
   I will have to agree with the general review of CD2. I do love the live version of Cold Turkey more than the studio version. And, "Well (Baby Please Don't Go)" almost redeems the entire second CD. A real gem.
   
   Thanks to reading these reviews, and the CD notes a little more closely, I now realize that George Harrison appears on the Live Jam - will listen more closely for him today. I may even go and buy the remaster and see what new stuff is there.
   
   Hey, what's the deal with "Live Jam" and George's "Apple Jam" anyway? The Beatles were good arrangers, songwriters - but not great solo instrumentalists. The only way George and John could have pulled this stuff off, in my view, was to have Paul and Ringo in and not all their other mates. They need each other for this sort of thing.
   
   I do enjoy listening to the CD in its entirety. But hey, John's an ex-Beatle and has much higher standards than this! Buy it if you are a Beatles completist, pop history buff, or John Lennon nut that kinda likes Yoko. The rest of you, don't risk it.



3. This record is so bad, it's embarrassing to think it was ever recorded, must less recorded by a rock legend of Lennon's stature.
   
   The politics are hokey (I'm as left-wing as anyone and Lennon - well he's no Lenin folks), the musicianship sloppy, the attitude humorless. Yoko's "tortured child" screech mars nearly every cut, making the album refuse on those grounds alone. The only listenable song is Lennon's homage to his new home, "New York City" on which Yoko does not vocalize. The live cuts are poorly recorded, overlong, half-baked jams, in the manner of the extra disc on Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" album.
   
   It's astounding to think this is the same musician who wrote all those songs on the White Album. But then again, Dylan followed up his best 60s work with some horrid early 70s releases too.



4. I'm gonna make a bold statement here, and say that Yoko ono has the worst singing voice in the history of mankind. Maybe it's not true, so if you can find one that's worse let me know. Still, somehow, on disc one there is actually a...(here we go)good yoko song. AAAA!! that's right. I was pleasantly surprised to not here her screeching and wailing, like a cow in heat, and instead actually trying to sing. The song is "Born in a Prison," and is probably my favorite song on the album. As for the Lennon songs, they are pretty good, as most of his solo stuff is, lacking a tad bit of originality, and with too many horns. What's with lennon and the horns? All the songs are social protest songs, which i have no problem with. I just thought i'd let you know. It's very 60's though it is from the 70's. At least it's ideas. The second disc is awful and full of yoko wailing; it hurts the ears. You can't help but skip it. The songs are long, and full of so much pointless jamming that it drags on. Truly, the songs are just not enjoyable. Sort of a mesh of monotiny. I spelled that wrong, but anyways...overall, not bad



5. I haven`t heard this since around 1983 or so .I loved this record as a teenager in the 70`s ,I wasn`t into all the jam stuff back then,maybe now I would like it.Angela is a great track as well as John Sinclair,Born In A Prison is a great track too.I just bought this cd and can`t wait til it gets here so I can hear it again.

1 comments about Live!: Extended Versions.

1. This is a really good, solid live album, guaranteed to warm the heart of any Billy Squier fan. It's undoubtedly a recording from the "Emotions In Motion" tour, with plenty of gems from "Don't Say No" and "Emotions In Motion". The set list for this performance also includes some of his early rarities, like "Rich Kid", "Young Girls", and "You Should Be My Love". Excellent!
   
   I actually prefer this particular live recording to Billy's King Biscuit Flower Hour concert cd. If it stands up to a King Biscuit Flower Hour recording, then you know we're talking about quality.
   
   If you're a fan of live albums and of Billy Squier you can't go wrong with this cd...
   
   Quick note: Don't be misled by the "Extended Versions" label. The "Extended Versions" label is an extensive series of affordable LIVE recordings, NOT remixes or extended versions. If you know that, you're all set. If not, you're going to get a shock...
   
   Lastly: Billy Squier's first solo album, the long out of print "TALE OF THE TAPE" (yes, there was an album before "Don't Say No") has been re-issued on cd at last on the BGO label!! BGO has packaged "Tale of the Tape" & "Don't Say No" together on one cd. Nicely done. Even better considering that up until now used "Tale of the Tape" cds have been ultra rare and commanding prices of up to $100 on ebay. Thank you BGO! Now if only the Piper (Billy's old band before he went solo) albums would be released on cd too...

2 comments about Greatest Hits Live.

1. Add this to my infinite collection of compilation and repeated releases. What the heck....I've got money to burn. I hear they are going to re-release all their CDs in corn husks. Guess I'll have to shell out more money for those.



2. This is another re-issue of the King Biscuit Flower Hour album of the 1989 concert in Philadelphia with all the same tracks in the same order, but a bit cheaper.

5 comments about Rust Never Sleeps.

1. Coming off of the harrowing power of their lamenting "Tonight's The Night", Neil Young and Crazy Horse later proved their tenacity with this clever concept album. It's interesting how the spirit of rock and roll can be captured by merely turning up the distortion for each consecutive track, until the first song is practically remade with a scratchy, loud, and almost total revision. The tracks in the middle, unfortunately, seem like filler for this concept and not much else. But the message of "Rock and Roll Will Never Die" is made clearer with each turn of the effects dial, and the result is almost scary.



2. This is the sound of someone adapting to modern times. In the tradition of Dylan, Neil Young persues the half acoustic, half rock album. The songs foremost deal with change and transition into a new era of music. "Sedan Delivery" and "Welfare Mother" and nearly the rest of the second half have a raw sound that mimics the rough sound of punk. However, I feel the acoustic tracks are the treat. "My, My, Hey, Hey" is the reaction to the new puck scene and other songs such as "Thrasher" are very surrealist that recall a sense of nostalgia as they do for fans who liken more to his folk period. But the ablum closes with a bang. In my humble opinion this is his greatest album, but by no means is it his last great one.



3. If you like Neil, this is one of his best, hands down. Star Wars roadies, huge speaker setups, classic songs both acoustic and electric. Probably the pinnacle of Rock & Roll. Buy this immediately if your a Neil fan. 5 STARS!!



4. 
   A while back, Warner Brothers Japan re-released 12 Neil Young titles. The surprise was that remastered content appeared for the first time on most of them.
   
   The titles & WB-Japan catalog numbers are:
   
   Neil Young WPCR-75086
   Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere WPCR-75087
   After The Gold Rush WPCR-75088
   Harvest WPCR-75089
   On The Beach WPCR-75090
   Tonight's The Night WPCR-75091
   Zuma WPCR-75092
   Long May You Run WPCR-75093
   American Stars n' Bars WPCR-75094
   Comes A Time WPCR-75095
   Rust Never Sleeps WPCR-75096
   Live Rust WPCR-75097
   
   I picked up most of these, A/B'd them, and found them to be superior to the domestics. However, having purchased the domestic 2002 remasters of "Beach" and "Stars n Bars", I declined the Japan versions of those two titles.
   
   Unfortunately, while the Japan version is remastered, Live Rust is not restored to the original LP's running form, and remains still the bastardized version.
   
   If you own the U.S. versions, and you're a NY fan, I would seriously consider replacing them with these.



5. Probably my favorite Neil Young album,yet I only listen to the first six song's.Rust Never Sleeps really showcases Young as a truly talented all around musician,songwriting,crisp,clean acoustic guitar,Neil's unique singing and harmonica(Neil Young plays harmonica like nobody's business.)Listening to the original vinyl,I purchased when it was first released,I never realized this was a live album with the audience dubbed out,until recently.As I recall this was some sort of a comeback tour for Young and it was a good one,and I also remember the acoustic version of Hey Hey My My alway's constantly playing on the radio at the time,never did like the hard rock version. Nothing special about this Warner cd,just a good Neil Young and Crazy Horse recording,Rust Never Sleeps.

1 comments about Greatest Hits Live!.

1. Great Sammy Hagar album, has all the hits, LIVE, RED, TRANS AM, BAD MOTOR SCOOTER, I'VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU, worth the price just for RED Alone, great to play in your car, I am very happy with mine.

2 comments about Turns On, Vol. 1.

1. I am constantly surprised by rock and pop fans who complain of poor sound in CDs of privately-recorded concerts or less-than-perfect source materials. Jazz and folk collectors are used to far worse sound than this, and many rock collectors are just spoiled by the industry's over-emphasis on technical "excellence." The music is what really counts, and the stuff here is superb. Wyatt's drumming is nearly miraculous, and Ratledge's organ is at its daring and explorative best. Plus you will hear a few very early recordings with Daevid Allen (later of Gong fame) who was in the Machine for awhile. Admittedly this is NOT a good intro to the Softs for novices, but lovers of the band who have most of the basic releases will be blown away by the alternate versions here; they are even more daring than the official releases.



2. The Music is very interesting if you are already a fan of both Robert Wyatt or Soft Machine. But the sound is pretty awfull. I've got bootlegs that sound much better than this. The companion cd Turns On volume 2 has a slightly better sound, with embrionic takes of Moon in June and Esther's Nose Job.
   These releases are for die hard fans ears only.

No comments about Live/Early Recordings.

5 comments about On The Wings Of A Russian Foxbat.

1. I'm a fan of Deep Purples Tommy Bolin era. "Come Taste the Band" is a unique record which IMHO far surpasses Blackmore's last try on "Stormbringer" Tommy Bolin was hugely talented- a multidimensional virtuoso who could play metal,funk, blues and latin licks all in the same song and still hold a song together.
   
   Unfortunately, the performances in "Russian Foxbat" are poorly recorded and probably diminished from the excess drug abuse of the times. Glenn Hughes is spacey and horrible on "This Time Around", a song I liked on the album. "Smoke on the Water"- plain boring, a song that may have been given a decent burial (along with "Highway Star")after the departure of Gillan, then Blackmore. Here "Smoke" is first butchered by the new band, then coupled witan unnecessary reading of "Georgia on My Mind" again by Glenn Hughes. Hughes is a fine musician who was great in Trapeze but unpredictable with DP. Some nights, he had great bass runs and lungs that could hit incredible high notes. Here Hughes mind is obviously on that infamous cocoa plant derivative that reigned so popular in the day. It's a shame...
   
   The cuts from "Come Taste the Band" that are performed live here aren't awful, but non-spectacular. There is some good Bolin riffing on disc two, but I would only recommend this one to diehards and collectors..



2. Before buying this album I had very little exposure to DP Mk IV. I knew the studio versions of "Love Child" (which I liked) and "Lady Luck" (which I didn't like). I was unfortunate enough to having owned and listened to "Last Concert in Japan". The latter was enough to convince me that Mk IV was a waste of time and left it at that.
   
   A few weeks ago I came across these reviews of "On the wings of a russian foxbat", and I decided to give it a try.
   
   How is one to approach this document to give it justice? First and foremost: have an open mind. Throw away your memories of Mk II and "Made in Japan". Then forget about Richie Blackmore. Then come to terms with the idea that a hard rock band can pick up funk and soul elements.
   
   Then, if you have a chance, listen to "Live in Paris 1975". Take notice of how lame the Mk II material (Space truckin, Smoke on the water, Highway star) sounds.
   
   Now you are ready. Sit yourself down, turn up the volume, and listen, with both mind and ears wide open. What will you hear? You will hear a somewhat flat David Coverdale sing, and a drugged up (so I presume) Glenn Hughes scream. Someone ought to have put a tight masking tape over Glenn's foul mouth. It would have done the audience' ears good and saved the band a good dose of embarrassment.
   
   But this, my dear music lovers, this is where the bad news ends.
   
   You will also hear why Tommy Bolin blew the rest of the band away when they first heard him play after Richie's exit. You will hear why hard rock, funk and soul can co-exist if approached correctly. You will hear the best version of "Smoke on the water" since "Made in Japan". You will hear great versions of the "Come taste the band" material, and fantastic recordings of "Burn" and "Stormbringer".
   
   But wait, there's more. The sound is great. The band sounds tight. The concert is much more coherent than it did on "Live in Paris 1975".
   
   It makes one wonder what could have been if the guys had been able to keep the drugs out of the band, tone down the yelling and screaming and focus on the music instead.
   
   As a live recording of Deep Purple Mk IV this CD is worth 4 stars (5 stars if you don't mind Coverdale and Hughes). As a document of what could have been this record is priceless.



3. Hughes wanted to sing lead, Bolin just wanted to be somewhere else, Coverdale was, well, Coverdale and Paice and Lord just did what they did (no more - no less). Five talented musicians, yes and it shows on this album. When in the mood these guys could flat play. The problem was that they were not in the mood too often - which the liner notes correctly points out (as well as their steady drug usage -both Bolin and Hughes were serious abusers).
   So Coverdale and Hughes were already talking about their upcoming solo albums during the tour and Bolin had just released "Teaser" - its hard to say that being 'Deep Purple' was their highest priority - especially on a long tour.
   Which is the pity. On this album these guys rock! 'Come Taste the Band' was a good solid FIRST album for these guys (which is how I think of it). Those not-quite-Deep-Purple-songs showed that these guys clearly had potential as a group. So Live - they simply blew it out on both the old and new stuff. Most nights that is. Or at least some nights.
   One is tempted to wonder 'what if' the name 'Deep Purple' with all its baggage - both good and bad, wasn't just too heavy a load for them? 'Smoke on the Water' and 'Highway Star' are clearly rock anthems, I'm not sure they should be considered as hymns - but the fans did. Old stuff, new stuff, solo stuff, drug stuff all became too much stuff - the band disbanded at the end of this tour.
   Anyway this album is from a 'good night'. Lord and Bolin working against each other, Paice and Hughes keeping it solid and Coverdale screaming the songs along - so forget the 'what ifs' and just enjoy a fine rock album.



4. This is certainly Deep Purple MKIV at their best when you compare this record to "the other record" (Last Concert In Japan). The problem with MKIV was, IMO, first of all that drugs were at this time playing a big part in the band. Bolin and Hughes drug abuse is well documented, and I think that their behavior did much harm to the band. Hughes voice is not on top form here like it was in '74, but he gets the job done even though he, at times, sound a little "tired". Great bassplaying as always! Tommy Bolin gives a very good impression here, but at times it sounds like he is afraid of even trying to fill Mr. Blackmores shoes. On his own solosongs and the songs from Come Taste The Band (a truly great Purple offering) he is amazing, and shows why Billy Cobham chose him to play on his Spectrum album.

   Lord and Paice is great as always. Paice is at his peak here, and Lord is...well, Lord!! Coverdale sounds a little "tired" at times, but does a fairly good job.

   All in all a great Purple record that shows that the MKIV line-up had potential as a liveband. The band sounds really funky, and shows a new side of Purple that I like very much. To bad that someone blew it by living the rock'n roll lifestyle...




5. WHEN I WAS 13 YEARS OLD I HEARD A BOOTLEG WITH DEEP PURPLE CALLED ON THE WINGS OF A RUSSIAN FOXBAT AND WHEN THE FIRST SONG CAME OUT FROM THE SPEAKERS I JUST KNEW THIS IS GONNA CHANGE MY LIFE ... THE SONG WAS BURN ..NOW I GOT THIS DOUBLE CD AND NOW I CAN HEAR THE FULL CONCERT AND WHAT CAN I SAY DEEP PURPLE FINEST WITH TOMMY BOLIN...THE MUSIC IS SO FUNKY AND HEAVY AND TOMMY IS PLAYING LIKE NEVER BEFORE ..DONT BUY THIS TIME AROUND LIVE IN TOKYO(2cd)BUY THIS IT SO BETTER AND THE SOUND QUALLITY IS SO GOOD ::CHEERS DANIEL GARDSKÄR DEEP PURPLE FAN SINCE 1996

1 comments about Live.

1. This CD has been released with a number of different covers. Some have liners notes. This version does not. It comes from a European tour in 1985. The back up band is a fairly impressive list of studio musicians.

   The sound quality is only fair. The instruments are mostly clear and bright, but the mix is bad. The main problem is that Burdon's voice is horrible. It is hoarse and raspy and he doesn't sing very well. The band sounds disjointed and unrehearsed.

   In spite of that, the music is fun and entertaining. He stretches out most of the songs so that they are all 6 to 10 minutes long. The musicians all get to do some pretty long solos. There is a bass solo that has some intereting parts and there is fairly standard drum solo.

   Burdon plays a number of classic Animal songs in different and interesting ways. Although the songs are interesting, they aren't as good as the original studio versions. Normally, I prefer live music over the sterile studio sound. But, the Animals had a great studio sound, and Burdon is just sloppy live.

   He also does a Bruce Springsteen song, where he tries to imitate Springsteen...and comes pretty close. But, he isn't as successful on other songs. His version of Berry Gordy's River Deep, Mountain High is probably one of the worst on record. (The best version of this song was probably done by Deep Purple).

   Note that this CD is also available as a cut out for less than half the price. At full price, I don't think this CD is worth it, but at the cut out price, it is worth considering.