5 comments about Reckoning.

1. the guys really tapped into something special during these sets. The music comes alive and the sound quality is phenomenal.This is One album I return to again and again, and i always come away with a deeper appreciation of the talent and genius of all the guys in the band. Cassidy is one of the best, but then all the songs on here have a little something extra that makes it so listenable and truly enjoyable on many levels. One album I would have in my stranded on an island survival pack.



2. Whenever you think of what your "favorite" album is, it's always a very tough, or basically impossible, decision. This album consistantly tops my list. Every track shows the Dead at their best; heartfelt vocals, beautiful solos and instrumental work, a set list that seamlessly blends original and traditional material.
   
   Critics of the Dead will often complain of miscues due to the live performance, excessive "diddling", or sub-par recording quality. You'll have to stop complaining with this album. Was it edited? Who cares.
   
   If you're a fan of acoustic, folk, country, or classic rock and roll, you owe it to yourself to pick up this phenomenal work.



3. I dont know what you are but dont put swastikas on light shows. It offends my sensibilties. Microsoft had its' head exmained. Their video light show that plays when you listen to the music is a real outrage!
   
   Viva Toledo!



4. This was my first Dead album (live or studio), and I still enjoy it. I love American folk/old country music, and the Dead were great practioners of this music (check out their studio work on American Beauty and Workingman's Dead). Their live stuff usually concentrated on long jams (some of which were wonderful, others not so good), but here (and on Dead Set, a companion piece to this album), they concentrated on great arrangements and singing with soul and depth. There are a lot of wonderful songs here, such as Dire Wolf (better than the studio version), George Jones's The Race Is On, Dark Hollow, the hilarious, wonderful Monkey and the Engineer, and a fine version of Ripple that concluded the original album. For those who don't really dig the Dead's long jamming (there are a lot of people who fall into this category), I suggest buying this album. I don't have the CD reissue, just the original LP, but the original LP is wonderful.



5. I had an album recording of this on cassette tape years ago. Then in the early nineties I bought a CD version, and was a little (just a little) dissapointed to discover that "oh, babe it ain't no lie" wasn't on it.
   Not only does this double CD have it, but it also has an alternate take.
   In addition to all that, I found the second disc a great addition, particulary tunes like "sage & spirit," and "heaven help the fool." This is a great buy!

5 comments about Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses).

1. Good indication of the period sound of this iteration of the band. More of the bluesy sound that they started with than on later live releases.



2. If you are a Deadhead then you'll love it, especially Bertha, it's an immaculate performance. Some may find the middle of the album a bit slow and excessive on the drum solos, but this leads into some great stuff. A purchase that has been well appreciated and great value for money. If you want a strong bluesy jamming album, I'd suggest Fillmore East over this one.



3. I found the record version of this in my basement. Sadly, for about 3 years I could not listen to it and other amazing grateful dead records because it seemed that no one in america had a record player anymore. But I finally bought the cd and good god Is this good! it truly is an awesome piece of music, it can stand the test of time, and it is really good to listen to for whatever occasion. This is by far one of the best live albums the dead released, it is up there with "Live/dead" and "truckin up to buffalo july 4th 1989" But it as soon as humanly possible.



4. This is a great live album dispite that it doesn't really represent the period right. Spring tour 1971 featured alot of Pigpen tunes in the setlists but only one appears here. Due to Pigpen's illness, most of his parts are erased and overdubbed by Merle Saunders. Vocal overdubs were also added. On all of the lp copies you hear Phil singing backing vocals on Bertha. For whatever reason, on all the new remixed, remastered and newly released albums for this period this also happens. Buy this disc with Ladies and Gentlemen and get a good dose of the Dead from spring'71. Not Fade Away/Goin' Down The Road is one of the all time best.



5. For their second `official' live album, the Grateful Dead switched gears a bit from their previous endeavor. While "Live/Dead" accentuated the jamming aspect of the band, spreading five songs over four sides (the three tracks on side four really constitute one performance), this collection goes for a breezier feel. Here, eleven tracks fill out four sides, allowing room for only one meandering jam ("The Other One"), which does little to add to the legacy already created by "Live/Dead". When performing their own original material, this album succeeds completely on its own terms. "Bertha" is one of the chirpiest jam tunes the Dead ever came up with - enough to inspire Los Lobos to do a faithful cover version - while "Playing in the Band" gives Bob Weir the opportunity to indulge in some rock and roll. It's only when the band attempts to incorporate songs previously made famous by others that the album veers out of bounds. "Me and Bobby McGee" is a pointless endeavor, especially in light of Janis Joplin's definitive version, while there really aren't too many people who would consider a Grateful Dead version of "Johnny B. Goode" to be essential listening.
   
   Grateful Dead works mostly because it presents a fairly accurate overview of the band's strengths (and weaknesses). Energetic `cover' songs such as "Mama Tried" and "Big Railroad Blues" provide an opportunity for the band to get down to basics and play like a fully integrated bar band. "Wharf Rat", meanwhile, shifts moods, sounding simultaneously desperate and hopeful, allowing the band to grease its improvisational tendencies to full effect. Most telling is the jam that ties Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" to the public-domain folk song "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad." This segue pretty much summarizes the best bits of the album, combining instinct, tradition and energy into a unique synthesis that transcends either basic song. Coming on the heels of two exceptional studio recordings, more people were listening to the Dead, and this album does an excellent job of retaining old fans while seducing new ones. Combining elements of their `traditional' jamming with a batch of nicely constructed new songs, Grateful Dead does a laudable job of offering something for everybody.
   B+ Tom Ryan

5 comments about Made In Japan: The Remastered Edition.

1. It was hard for me to rate this cd recording. I really don't like it. It is live performances I guess from Japan. I don't consider it the best of Deep Purple. That is my fault for not listening to the tracks before I bought it. So I am not sure how to rate it. Will be buying a different best of Deep Purple cd though.



2. Yes everyone this is the real Deep Purple! This is the true LIVE Purple Album. Once you hear this there is no turning back. Talent, quality, professionalism, power, etc...its all here. This is the album that shows the abilty of Ritchie Blackmore/Jon Lord/Ian Paice/Ian Gillian /Roger Glover. I first got his album when it originally came out, now I needed to get it again for my music library. It is a MUST!



3. Deep Purple is the best band of all times...Why Made in Japan is considered the best live album ever made? Because The Purples are the Best, the best Zep or Sabbath song's haven't the level of this tracks...
   Ritchie, John, Roger and Ians are the maximum....



4. With Deep Purple, the LOUDER the better. Had it in vynyl. Now in cd format. Great from start to finish.
   
   
   
   
   
   Just when You thought it was safe to go back in the water..........



5. This is the famous line-up of Mark 2; Ian Gillan on vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitars, Roger Glover on bass, Jon Lord on keyboards and Ian Paice on the drums.
   
   This is absolutely one of the best recorded live albums for me. Recorded live in Japan in 1972! Just buy the album and listen! If you own it in vinyl (LP) like me, it's better that you own it also in the form of a CD coz it's expanded with extra tracks like Black Night, Speed King and Lucille. These songs didn't appear in the first release of the album and even in the first release of the CD.
   
   This is my third copy of this album already. I've got my first copy in the mid 70s and again in the 80s. Actually in the Philippines it was released as Made in Japan Volume 1 and Volume 2 in separate album.
   
   All songs in the LP Volume 1 and 2 are in one CD only in this edition and the other CD contains the extra tracks from the same Japanese tour in 1972.

5 comments about Sweeping Up the Spotlight: Jefferson Airplane Live at the Fillmore East 1969.

1. This is not "Bless Its Pointed Little Head," but I am so happy I purchased it. The recording is a mixed blessing - some songs are first rate an inspired and Jorma and Jack soar - inspired by their Hot Tuna collaboration. Very interesting to hear "Uncle Sam Blues (Live)" having owned it for years on the Hot Tuna live recording. The Other Side Of This Life (Live) is the best performance on the record and "Volunteers" and "Good Shepherd" are also solid. You Wear Your Dresses Too Short (Live) has vapid lyrics (what was Marty thinking), but there is a moment of frenzied perfection in it, so I will not delete it from my iPod. Four and a quarter stars. School of Rock album, honestly.



2. We found It to be in very good condition and was very pleased with the transaction. My grandoughter made this purchase as we both use the Account.
   thank you bev nichols and brandy cooper



3. Having always been a huge fan of Bless It's Pointed Little Head, I've been disappointed again and again by other live Airplane releases. Thirty Seconds has its moments but, well, the Airplane was dying a slow death, and it's for that reason that I haven't bought Last Flight. Then there are the various Monterey releases, which are good but marred by off-key vocals, and then there was that truly awful Fillmore compilation a while ago. This one, though, has it all, with incredible versions of Good Shepherd, Pooneil, and Other Side. Yes, there's a bit of embarrassing stuff--Marty on "Dresses", though the jam behind him isn't bad (which, actually, is a preview of later Airplane, with Jorma and Jack jamming away, apparently oblivious to the lame material they're playing behind. Or perhaps they were all too aware, hence Jorma's "my body's getting tired from carrying others' loads"). In addition, 3/5 and Plastic Fantastic pale compared to the Pointed Little Head versions, and Jorma's blues tunes make me want to listen to Hot Tuna instead. Take those out, however, and you've go an album of around the same length as Bless Its Pointed Little Head (no, I haven't actually counted the minutes) and arguably as good or better.



4. What an incredible disappointment this disc is! With each new Airplane "live" release I anticipate the sister album to "Bless its Pointed Little Head," one of the greatest concert albums of that era, alas it is not to be, sadly again. Which I don't understand, because as a devoted fan of the Jefferson Airplane I firmly believe there has to be more seminal "live" material of the perfected quality heard on "Pointed Head" locked away in an RCA vault somewhere in California.
   
   I know, because I (sort of) clearly remember hearing the Airplane play one of the greatest concerts I ever attended in the gymnasium of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia on about, Nov. 25, 1969, a few days before these New York recordings were made. I am still naïve enough at 54 to purchase this CD thinking this would capture "my J.A. concert" and I was going to trip back in time to a magical night in Philly when the Jefferson Airplane were soaring in full flight, instead I get this bummer of a crash landing.
   
   Part of what made the U. Penn. Concert so memorable was the song selection from the Airplane catalog,, gems like "If You Feel", "Young Girl Sunday Blues", "Triad" and "Lather" as well as the (then) new stuff, "We Can Be Together" and "Hey Frederick". None of which appear on this cd, consisting of a tired rehash of songs that are better performed elsewhere. The songs on "Sweeping Up The Spotlight" (you know they have lost control of their music with such a lame title) sound rushed, as if they are very nervous (doubtful) or hopped up on too much speed (more likely). The exception is a bad version of "Good Shepard" that is so lethargic (with Jorma singing like he is in the john) it begs to be put out of it's seven minute misery. Two other mediocre time wasters are tepid renditions of "Uncle Sam's Blues" and "You Wear Your Dresses Too Short". The later was supposedly written for Otis Redding before he passed, and was wisely turned down by other soul music greats. Though Areatha Franklin did a version of "Come Back Baby" written by that famous guy, Traditional, that leaves Jorma's arrangement staring into the punchbowl at the Kool-Aid Acid Test.
   
   So what is good about this recording? Jack Cassady saves the day with a bass solo in the middle of "The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil" that will make you stop what you are doing and lose track of time--he is a master. They all are, which is what made the Jefferson Airplane so great. But it deepens the sorrow of their passing into music history when decidedly less-than stellar efforts are released and offered up as part of that history.



5. There seems to no middle ground on live Jefferson Airplane cd's. I've loved this band for 40 years but this material sounds perfunctory and uninspired to me. I think "Live at The Fillmore East" is their best concert cd, followed by "Live at Monterey." I also dislike "BIPLH."

5 comments about Goodbye.

1. ...when it is remastered by the chucklehead who did "Goodbye" by Cream (the latest remaster). Don't get me wrong this is a fine album and unlike some people here, I feel that the trio of studio tracks demonstrated continued growth for the band. Eric Clapton and George Harrison's "Badge" features a sublime melody for the chorus and Harrison himself reused the bridge of the song (which is how it got its title--Clapton read "bridge" as "Badge")for "Here Comes the Sun" for The Beatles' "Abbey Road" (in fact all of the guitar playing up until the solo is Harrison playing rhythm guitar). Jack Bruce and Peter Brown's "Doing That Scrapyard Thing" is wonderfully eccentric and points to the direction of his second solo album (although it was released first--confused? So were fans!)"Songs for A Taylor" and Ginger Baker checks in with one of his most accomplished songs the tense "What A Bringdown" closing out the album.
   
   What's really interesting are the live cuts that open the album. All three feature Cream at the top of their game and compliment the other live tracks from "Wheels of Fire", "Live Cream Volumes 1 & 2". In fact I personally feel that these are among the strongest live cuts that the band committed to record (along with "Live Cream II")but your milage may vary.
   
   
   This remaster sounds a bit shrill, harsh and compressed to me. If you can find an original first CD issue go with that or as another choice the Mofi Gold Edition (which isn't the best one admittedly but it's pretty darn good). Both are better than the latest CD editions that have been littering the stores. The music is the most important part of course but also keep in mind HOW it is presented in terms of sound also can be important as well.



2. This is the final release of new material along with live tracks by the late great Cream.I bought this on vinyl when it came out and it has had a special place in my heart ever since.The live tracks,I'm So Glad,Politician and Sitting on Top of the World are excellent.Apparently I wasn't the only budding guitar player to dig this album as a kid.I saw both Eddie Van Halen (1984 tour) and Yngwie Malmsteen (Trilogy tour) quote the opening phrases and the first cycle of the solo to Sitting on Top of The World as part of their Spotlight Solos.Of course I was in Git-nut heaven both times.A Wikipedia search revealed that Joe Bonamassa listed Goodbye as one of the records he was most influenced by.I also like the studio tracks,Badge being the hit but What a Bringdown smokes as well(I love the breakdown here,good headbanging material-ha).I also was impressed with the mastering of the CD reissue.I always felt the level was a bit low on vinyl(especially the live tracks) and this was corrected for the CD.The sound is totally full bodied and present.Cream is gone but not forgotten.



3. I picked this up because it was the last of the original four of Cream's albums, and was dissappointed. I loved the mixture of studio and live music on Wheels of Fire (my favorite), and so I thought this would be wholly worthwhile. To my dismay, I found that the live recordings were uninspired, boring, and unimaginative. The vocals aren't powerful and the jams don't go anywhere. That's where the live material differs from that of Wheels.
   Also, the studio material was far from spectacular. Badge is very good, but the others are so-so. I got the version with Anyone for Tennis, and it's pretty good also; it's along the lines of Coffee Song and Wrapping Paper.
   All in all, I have no clue as to the reason this album exists. The live material is so much worse than that of Wheels (which I find outstanding) and the studio songs should be outtakes for Wheels at best (whether or not they were recorded in this era). Badge is the only exception. I gave this three stars because it's still Cream, but compared to their other releases, it deserves a two at best. If you don't have Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, and/or Wheels of Fire, get those first. If you have all three, you'll probably get this anyway, and you'll see what I mean...



4. This is an all time classic. If you a younger type looking for "finds", this would be one of them. Every song is excellent.



5. It's always a strange album that features both live and studio recordings, as it so clearly shows the capabilities of a band in both settings. Some bands were studio masters while others were only truly captured on stage. And, though they did some very good studio work, Cream is clearly one of the latter, as this album shows. The live effort is very good...bluesy, soulful, and possessing a very rich, full sound. The studio work, on the other hand, isn't up to par with their best material, and sounds out of place after the live tracks.
   
   It adds up to a bi-polar album, but one that is still worth spinning.

5 comments about Bongo Fury.

1. Muffin Man is certainly a Zappa classic. Though it is not as well-known as some of Zappa's other works, it certainly embodies many Zappa themes of mad scientists, conceptual continuity, and general absurdity. It also features some of Zappa's best guitar solos, and not to mention Captain Beefheart's vocals, harmonica solos and occasional saxophone and madness. This is one of the few albums (along with Hot Rats) that have both Zappa and Beefheart playing at the same time.



2. Fantastic lyrics and recitation by Captain Beefheart and lots of music reminiscent of One Size Fits All - both were release around the same time. I had this on 8 track tape back in the day! I also had the Lp. I don't recall what happened to them. This CD is worth the price just for the 3 pieces where Beefheart does his wonderfully bizarre poetry readings. Roll skreek! Roll skreek! Sam was a basket case! I just love this stuff. Sadly, this is right around where Zappa's career to a turn that I didn't care for... I think Zoot Allures was the next release. I own every single Zappa release up to Bongo Fury except for Overnight Sensation - I never really cared much for that one for some reason. I'm also a musician and have been playing for about 40 years, seriously for 20. With respect to the actual music (lyrics are very subjective by nature, aren't they?) and the performance of that music, I would not call this Zappa's best release (as one reviewer called it). I don't think it even comes close to being his best (that distinction probably belongs to The Grand Wazoo & Waka Jawaka and there are many others I find more... exciting as far as the music goes) but it is very, very good and very, very entertaining. If you like Zappa's mid 70's catalog (Roxy and Elsewhere, One Size Fits All, Apostrophe (') to name a few) you definitely want to purchase this.
   
   Anyway, this is a great CD. If you aren't familiar with Beefheart, think of Tom Waits rough voice and poetry reading a piece like Ninth and Hennipen (from Rain Dogs) and Zappa array of great guitar licks, impossible lines played in unison by the band, and an assortment of hilarious sounds made by the players on their instruments. Yes, of course Louie Louie is in here too! Bongo Fury!



3. This is one of the final Mothers' lineups, mostly live, in Austin, 1975. As usual, the musicianship is excellent, althought not as intricate as a lot of what you hear on "Roxy & Elsewhere," or "Live In New York." It opens with the raw, gritty "Debra Kadabra," a showcase for the bizarre vocal delivery of Captain Beefheart, the band playing coordinated multiple rhythms to compliment the seemingly rambling subject matter presented, although anyone in the know can tell you, there's never any rambling in a Zappa performance. It's all been rehearsed to sound the way it is. The sound smooths over with "Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy," the usual weird-story telling put to music, the voices of George Duke, Napoleon Murphy Brock, and FZ chiming together in a tight mini chorale, and the obligatory mid-70's Zappa fuzz-tone guitar solo.
   
   "Sam With The Showing Scalp Flat Top" is a Don Vliet original, Beefheart's poetic recital fronting The Mothers' imitation of Beefheart's "Magic Band," but somehow sounding better than Beefheart's usual band. "Poofter's Froth Wyoming Plans Ahead" is about the upcoming (at the time) 200th birthday of the United States and all the hoopla and marketing of said event; call it social anthropology. Beefheart was an ideal voice for a lot of this band's music, too bad there isn't much more.
   
   "200 Years Old" is a studio cut same band as the live tracks, except for the drumming. Terry Bozzio is replaced with Chester Thompson, later of Genesis fame. Once again, it's about the Bicentennial, and other things.
   "Cucamonga" is from the same sessions, typical Zappa-Brock-Duke vocals and the usual smooth production, really great sounding. "The listener is then transported back to the stage in Austin for "Advance Romance," a longtime live staple performed by every live band after, up to, and including, the 1988 Self-Destruct band... too bad Ed Mann decided to convince the whole band they hated Scott Thunes. The seedy atmosphere of this live staple is set by the first line: "No more credit from the liquor store!" It drags along, too long for some tastes, but live recordings are supposed to have extended jams, and, myself, I don't mind it.
   
   
   We then re-enter Beefheart's world with "The Man With The Woman Head," a throw-back to the beatnick days, imagine this being delivered in some smoky coffeehouse, "...as a straw fell out of the coat, and cartwheeled into the gutter; so this was a drive-in restaurant in Hollywood, so this was a drive-in restaurant in Hollywood...so this was a drive-in restaurant in Hollywood..."
   
   Seque into some studio chatter about Zappa's studio, The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, and the vamp which became known as "Muffin Man," the Austin show's finale, and a showpiece for many fans' favorite Zappa solo. I can't pick a favorite, but he was running on all cylinders here.
   
   For the most part, this is a fun record to listen to (stuck in the '70s here, terms like "record") and if nothing else, one gets to hear what was going on with their favorite icon from the heyday of good music from almost everybody in the business.



4. It's fun to have a bit more material with the voice of the beloved Captain Beefheart on it.
   He and Zappa were childhood friends who in time grew to be more like a tired married couple.
   There's a good video out there from the 90's that tells the tale of Zappa giving Beefheart this gig out of the kindness of his heart, the flipside of course is that Beefheart also gave Zappa a vocalist Par excellence.
   
   It's a quirky mix of music and prose, but definitely more on the Zappa side of theatrical composition with electric instruments.



5. This one's a real rarity in the FZ catalog for a number of reasons, the first and most obvious one being the partnership with Donnie Van V...the Captain. More important, however, is the rare hit and miss ratio of two of Zappa's trademark styles, those being comedy and no-nonsense, end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it guitar solos. In many of Franks' releases, one style ultimately wins out over the other...the comedy is top-heavy or it's an afterthought. Not here. This is Zappa's L.A. Pachuco doo-wop humor married to some of the most talented musicians he ever assembled under one roof. In addition to Frank's own fretboard pyrotechnics, we get Denny Walley on slide guitar. Add Napoleon Murphy Brock, George Duke, and Terry Bozzio and you have one of the greatest all-time "stamina" bands. I saw the Berkeley Community Theater leg of the "Bongo Fury" tour...unfortunately, Beefheart never shared the stage with FZ, but he did perform a mighty tasty "Orange Claw Hammer." Zappa tied his hair back into a ponytail and proclaimed "this is SERIOUS music" as he launched into an extended, brutal "Black Napkins." Brock prowled and stomped and roamed the stage like a werewolf under a full moon, honking brilliant solos from his sax. The same power is found on "Bongo Fury." In "Advance Romance," Zappa invites the Armadillo World Headquarters audience to "look what she did to Denny right now," as rips a beautifully aggressive solo, which blends into a firestorm from Zappa himself. In "Muffin Man"...well, what can I say? As impossible and ridiculous as it might be to attempt a "10 best FZ solos of all time" list, if you COULD, there'd have to be room for this one. From the "Mr. Tambourine Man" reference in "Debra Kadabra" to the interspersed weirdness of Captain Beefheart, this is one of the richest, most complex, most rewarding FZ albums of all time. If you are a fan of "Guitar Frank," grab this one.

5 comments about Frampton Comes Alive!.

1. Do You Feel Like We Do is the greatest single piece of music in the history of all mankind, so for that reason alone I recommend this album. Certainly there will be those of you who will think I am mistaken (I'm not), and that perhaps The Beatles, or Elvis or Mozart can be credited with having the greatest music - but rest assured - it is on this album. The rest of the album is enjoyable as well - but it is as if the Hope Diamond were put on display with other, lesser, more common gems.



2. Before the release of this landmark double-album, Peter Frampton headlined a summer community festival in Parma, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. After the release, Frampton was the headliner in a music festival inside Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
   
   The former Humble Pie member had four pretty undistinguished solo releases before this January 1976 breakthrough that propelled Frampton to superstar status on the arena tour circuit. But even this multi-platinum monster did not catch fire when it initially reached the record stores, debuting on the charts at a distant 191.
   
   But once it gained momentum, the staying power was incredible; topping the charts at number one for 10 weeks, remaining in Billboard's Top 40 album chart for 55 weeks and staying on the Billboard Top 200 chart for a total of 97 weeks.
   
   Importantly, the success brought a new gimmick to the music industry, with double-album live sets - or a twist, three sides live and one side of studio material - becoming the rage for established acts and artists looking for a big break.
   
   Because of what this meant to Frampton's career and to the music industry, it will remain as important a release to get a better understanding of the marketing of pop culture during this golden era in rock.



3. Just recently, I've become aware of Universal's "DELUXE EDITION" re-releases of some of pop music's great gems. Case at point, A&M's 1976 phenomenal "Frampton Comes Alive!" Being the owner of all three CD editions...the first one, with 2 discs, completely duplicated the sequence and line-up of the original phonograph album, probably taken from the original 4 analogue tape masters...i.e., 2 albums...4 sides...complete with applause fading in & out between the "LP" side breaks, which can become obnoxious, to the stuffy CD purist. The next edition, the Re-Master for Digital...combined both "records"...all four sides...by the way of "cross-mixing" all four programs together...seamlessly, on one CD disc! But there's one thing that remaster engineers "CAN'T" do very well...and that is to cleanup bad analogue "tape-splices" that were made, back-in-the-day, to compile the songs together over the roaring crowd noise! These "splices" that act as connectivity points for the individual cuts, have no way of "equalizing", if you will, sound levels. If you listen closely to the VERY BEGINNING of the epiconic "Do You Feel Like We Do", a REAL bad hard splice was made over the intoxicated mob noise, that was very audibly apparent, on the record, the 1st CD release & even the 2nd CD Re-Master. NOT SO on this new glorious Re-Mix Edition! When I opened up my copy...I went RIGHT TO that start-up point of "Do You Feel..." and sure enough that horrific SPEED-BUMP had been so smoothly & effortlessly corrected! That short 3 second passageway, went down like a smooth shot of warm Brandy on an cold Arctic day! (And I don't even drink!) So now, it probably sounds the way it ORIGINALLY did, that very day Peter, Bob Mayo, John Siomos & Stan Sheldon, knocked it out, before a mesmerized San Francisco mass of maylaying multitudes. Other cuts like, "Show Me The Way" is cleaned up extensively during the introductory strums of Frampton's guitar, that remained "muddy" over the years on the original mix. As I write...I have the DELUXE CD on my Tascam Pro-CD Player...so there's still SO much more good things to report on...so you'll just have to take your critical ears on a listening journey yourself!
   
   NOW...one item that disappointed me greatly...was the new treatment to the number one ballad "Baby, I Love Your Way." During the Re-Mix process, much less (if that's a word) reverb effect was laid on Siomos cross-stick drum action, as he kept his beat time on the snare-rim. That was sort of a shame. Being a mix-down engineer myself (yeah right, if you hadn't already picked up that "humble" part of my personality), when layering effect for "ballads", it's always customary to add more "grace & warmth" to the drum mix, if you sweeten the snare drum cross-stick action, with some longer-lasting decay (echo) of natural reverb...digital or analogue. In this case, is was drastically lessened...taking away from...in my opinion...the beauty of the percussive rhythm track of "Baby, I Love You Way".
   
   Nevertheless...this Universal Music Company's DELUXE EDITION Re-Mix Release of Peter Frampton's musical Blow-Torch of an album, COMES ALIVE, one more time! (Bonuses include, never-seen-before photos of Peter & the Boys in the underground arena tunnel, lying in wait to hop out on stage...all wearing their iconic mid-70's tight, white Disco-Pants, complete with Street-Sweepin' Bell-Bottoms...!!! Man, Oh Man...! What a visual for them hungry Rock-N-Roll gals, out thar in that audience, that night!)



4. If you do not have Frampton comes alive, then GET IT!
   There is a reason this is one of the most important rock albums ever.
   No description I could give would do it justice :)



5. English guitar hero Peter Frampton's fifth album Frampton Comes Alive was released in January of 1976.
   This album, over 32 years on, still rocks and does not only feature Frampton's great guitar solos and vocals and Stanley Sheldon's great bass playing but also showed us what great musicians the late John Siomos and Bob Mayo were. John was what Peter called "the John Bonham of his band" and John's death in January of 2004 was a sad moment and less then a month after John's passing keyboard player/occasional guitarist/backing vocalist Bob Mayo died of a heart attack in Switzerland while touring with Peter. This album is a living testament to Peter's band whom played with him from 1975 to 1979.
   This live album (unlike many live albums of its era) was completely live save part of the vocal of "Something's Happening" (the killer opener), the rhythm electric guitar on the classic Top 10 hit "Show Me the Way" (the voice box came out but the engineer failed to switch the microphones) and the piano on "I Wanna Go to the Sun" (also a classic) but the rest is all live (all guitar and keyboard solos, drums, bass and backing vocals, rest of vocals and rest of rhythm guitars).
   This classic album features the Frampton standards "Show Me The Way" (which hit #6 on the singles charts), the Top 20 hit "Baby I Love Your Way" and the Top 20 epic "Do You Feel Like We Do" in all of its 14 minute plus glory with its famous talk-box section and he and Joe Walsh would have a great talk-box duel.
   The other tracks "Doobie Wah", "It's a Plain Shame", "All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side)", "Wind of Change", "I Wanna Go To The Sun", "Penny For Your Thoughts", "I'll Give You Money", his rendition of Humble Pie's "Shine On", his killer cover of "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Lines On My Face" are all superb classics!
   This classic live album showed Peter Frampton and his band in all their glory. Besides being a excellent songwriter and singer, Frampton ranks as one of the greatest guitarists in all of rock and roll history.
   This live album for the longest time was the biggest selling live album ever and was #1 for a total of 17 unconsecutive weeks making it the best selling album of 1976 hands down.
   It's unfortunate that critics panned Frampton for his good looks rather than his musical talent showing critics are more about pazazz and glitter than music integrity.
   In January of 2001 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this classic album, A&M re-released the album in an expanded deluxe version with an expanded booklet and four bonus tracks bringing to album's running time to nearly two hours.
   The additional material on the expanded edition includes three additional live pieces (including a killer "Nowhere's Too Far For My Baby") as well as an radio broadcast version of "Day's Dawning" which originally appeared on 1975's Frampton.
   This remixed/remastered version was superbly remastered by Bob Ludwig and Peter makes a classic live album sound even more classic today.
   Highly recommended!

5 comments about Bursting Out: Jethro Tull Live.

1. English prog rockers Jethro Tull's double live album Bursting Out was released in September of 1978.
   The Bursting Out album was recorded on the band's 1978 European tour in support of their excellent but underrated album Heavy Horses. This album captures the lineup of lead singer/songwriter and flute player Ian Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre, keyboard player John Evan, drummer Barriemore Barlow, orchestrator/keyboard player David Palmer (now known as Dee Palmer) and bass player the late John Glascock at the top of their game.
   We begin with Introduction By Claude Nobs who was one of the top music promoters in Europe. We follow with a stellar intro which gives way to a rocking version of the Heavy Horses album track "No Lullaby" which is a superb version. We follow with "Sweet Dream" which rocks alot harder than the studio version. We then have an acoustic portion starting with an excellent reading of "Skating Away On The Thin Ice". Next is an excellent version of "Jack In The Green" which is always one of my favorite Tull tunes. We then end the acoustic set with another track from the Heavy Horses effort being "One Brown Mouse".
   The second side of the album start with an excellent version of "A New Day Yesterday" which has a harder edge than the studio version. Next we get to hear Ian's impressive flute playing on "Flute Solo/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/Bouree" and proves why he is rock's greatest flute player. We then have a short but powerful version of "Songs From The Wood". We end the first disc of this stellar two disc album with an excellent but condensed version of "Thick As A Brick". This version rivals the live version from Madison Square Garden found on the TaaB remastered CD from 1998.
   The album's second disc and third side starts with an Introduction By Ian Anderson which then goes into a powerful version of the Songs From the Wood album cut "Hunting Girl" which is a killer rocker. Next is an excellent version of the title cut to 1976's Too Old To Rock and Roll To Young to Die. Next is the instrumental called "Conundrum" which is the drum solo spot from virtuoso drummer Barlow proving why Barriemore is an excellent drummer and Martin Barre's riff here showed why he is a great, yet underrated, guitarist. The title cut to 1975's Minstrel In The Gallery is next and is a great version.
   The album's last quarter begins with an excellent and heavy version of "Cross Eyed Mary". Next is another exclusive instrumental "Quatrain" which is driven by a killer riff by Barre. We then follow with a killer version of the title track to 1971's Aqualung and is the best version I ever heard though the version from the 1981 video Slipstream (which is a bonus DVD on the remastered re-issue of 1980's A album/CD). Next is a great version of another classic "Locomotive Breath" which just rocks. We end with "The Dambusters March" which gives way into an instrumental which rocks and a reprise of Aqualung to end the album.
   Bursting Out upon release reached the US Top 20 and went Gold immediately and rightfully so as this live album just kicks arse beginning to end.
   The original US 1990s CD release wrongfully and inexplicably deleted Sweet Dream, Conundrum and Quatrain and much of the stage bantering to fit the album on one CD but this remastered 2-CD set released in 2004 restores the full album to its full length and how one first heard it when they either owned the LP or cassette or 8-track cartridge issue. If you want one live Tull album in your collection, Bursting Out is where to go for the best live Tull performance available.
   HUGELY RECOMMENDED!



2. Good to see this has been remastered and given a proper reissue.
   
   I actually have the original one-disc release of this CD, which I originally got to replace my LP. On that edition, not only were a few songs dropped to keep it down to one disc (an all-too-common practice back in the day), but the edits were *utterly* artless. There are literally jarring jump cuts between some of the tracks.
   
   I hope it was also remixed so that the double-tracking Anderson did with his vocals is a little less obvious. I mean, just how did he manage to sing harmony AND lead at the same time in concert? And hey, while I'm at it, did they restore Anderson's naughty words during his witty repartee? Mine were actually bleeped. BLEEPED! HAH!
   
   But I digress. If you are a Tull fan, of course you need this release... Probably already have it... and are reading this review to find something to take issue with.
   
   If you are a new Tull fan, you should have this set, as opposed to any of the countless budget comps out there. It really is a classic lineup and a representative sample of their classic music.
   
   Casual Tull fans, however, will not find much here in the minor live variations to recommend above the studio efforts (sit down, Tullhead, I'm talking to the casual fan). You'd probably be happier with "Living In The Past."
   
   I consider myself a Tull fan -- but apparently not a rabid one -- Since I myself am still trying to decide whether I should bother to shell out for a THIRD TIME for this release. Maybe I'll wait for a 24-carat gold edition with extra tracks and a bonus limited edition weather balloon.



3. I first bought this record in 1978. Great recording, stellar performances by the best line up, in my opinion, that Ian Anderson had ever put together. This CD has the best mix of acoustic and electric arrangements, clearly demonstrating the excellent musicianship of the band members. This CD has been digitally remastered, and it sounds great! I highly recommend this CD for all Tull fans, young and old. Its hard to believe this was recorded about 30 years ago!!! Enjoy a glimps into the dim and distant past...Jethro Tull ROCKS!!!



4. If you are a Tull fan, I completely recommend this album. I have been a fan for 20 years, and owned this originally on album and 8-track. There was an earlier release of this in CD, but poorly mastered. This version is GOOD. I have loved it. It is the entire double-album, nothing editing from the 70s first release.



5. I had it already in LP and want to keep the shwow for as long as I can.
   
   Clovis Jr. - Brazil

5 comments about Live / Dead.

1. You can play me any album that opens with a 23 minute 19 second live version of Dark Star. Live/Dead hits the spot; scratches that 40-year old itch; tells it like it was back when it really was. Makes you wish you could've been there or could go back again. Well, you can at least go visit for a while when you're listening to this album.



2. just bought this to replace my 30 year old vinyl. only comment is that the sound quality for some of the vocals was noticably more like the dead were singing in a tunnel. odd!



3. I am a big fan of Psychedelic Music of the late 60s. So that being said you know where I am coming from. I am also not a country / folk fan. I'm a Rock & Roll Fan. So that being said I love the Dead from 1965 to 1969 and after that its hit and or miss.
   I like some of there later songs and some of there live jams.
   This is an Awesome !!! CD if you are into 60s Psych music.
   I consider this the Deads best Album right with Aoxomoxoa then Anthem of the Sun then Live Dead in that order there best four Albums.
   My reaction to Workingman's Dead and American Beauty (Both great Albums if you like that type of music) is this a Rock band? Where are the electric Guitars?
   Sorry I love the Deads early Rock Music.



4. I'll keep this simple -- the Dead had their great performances and had their so-so performances. But this is one of the great ones.
   It's madness to say that Cream or Country Joe and the Fish (or whoever) were better at this. The Dead were in the vanguard, period.
   
   With regard to the Allman Brothers, the Allman Brothers and the Dead were obviously influenced by each other. The Allman Brothers were gods when it came to jams, but after Duane and Berry died, it couldn't be the same. It really wasn't until Greg broke through with "I'm No Angel" and the subsequent Columbia albums that he started to get his groove back with some outstanding new songs and players all the way to this day.
   
   I urge anyone who thinks that the Allman Brothers were out front to pick up "Two From the Vault", recorded August 23-24, 1968 by the Grateful Dead. Listen to "The Eleven", and you will get a preview of what the Allman Brothers were doing two years later in 1970-1971 (often opening for the Dead) with "Mountain Jam" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" at Fillmore East as well as on Dickey Betts' "Blue Sky" on Eat a Peach in 1972.
   
   Duane and Jerry were on a very similar wavelength. But the Dead were formed first and were literally playing Allman Brothers music before there even was an "Allman Brothers." That's just historical fact, but I'm not saying that the Allman Brothers didn't do it better for that brief period of time when they were literally on fire with Duane out front. Live/Dead is belongs in the collection of every Allman Brothers fan and Fillmore East belongs in the collection of every Deadhead, and today's shallow, computer-created teenage bands could learn a hell of a lot from both.
   
   Peace, rock on and don't forget the folk, country and blues/r&b roots of our music!



5. Many years ago during the early 70's, I was introduced to the Grateful Dead and as the years went on I bought most of their albums and attended around 25 (not that many in the world of Deadheads) concerts. Although my interest has periodically waxed and waned through the decades, I consider myself to be a Deadhead for life. My interest went on another upswing when I got an Ipod as a gift and started loading some of my music onto it. Of course I included some Grateful Dead songs leading me to happily see that their music ages well and sounds better than ever. I could have said the same thing throughout the eighties and nineties. They truly are a band for the ages and not an embarrassment from my late adolescence. The best part of my latest reunion with their music is rediscovering the "Live Dead" album. This album does not neatly fit any specific definition. One can call it acid rock, but with is a heavy element of jazz, blues, and even what is now called new age. The music on Live Dead is powerful and throbbing, but at the same time it is mellow with a mystical, playful, and sentimental sense that transports the listener to another world. It starts with "Dark Star" which has a mysterious and probing air. Dark Star is the least accessible piece, but brings the most reward to those who take the time to study it. "Saint Stephen" follows and is like a gently revving engine that tells a whimsical and enchanting fairytale. Next is "The Eleven." It showcases the Dead at full blast in an accelerating and exuberant session that leaves the listener breathless. The remainder of the collection does not seem to be up at the same level, but perhaps I simply need to give it another chance to produce a similar enchantment. "Live Dead" is quintessential Grateful Dead for one to cherish for life.

5 comments about No Nukes.

1. Pretty boring stuff, except for the Springsteen track, which saves the day. Most of the artist featured on this album have concert albums that are far superior to the material found on this album.
   
   If you believe in the cause, are looking at this album as a historical document, or dig Springsteen's version of the Ryder medley, buy this album. If not, save your money.



2. Thank you, I got my item on time & I love it, it brought back many memories!!!!



3. Given the state of the Earth today, the sentiments of many of these songs are still current. This is an amazing collection of artists and songs - no matter how old you are!



4. I really liked this when it came ut on vinyl, but in retrospect, it was the cause, not the music. B. Raitt is grand, G Nash with an excellant Cathedral, J C Young, and the highlight to me We Almost Lost Detroit by the great Gil Scott-Heron. But the second disc is second rate. Edit the filler and it rates higher.



5. As a child of the 70's who grew up in a very "no nukes" home this album was on the turn table every night. What a great find for me all these years later as I start my own family. "Power" is one of the nicest, smoothest, most heartwarming songs every performed.
   
   The geniune love, care and respect these artists had for each other and mostly the earth and it's future generations pours through on every note.