5 comments about Steve Miller Band: Live!.

1. Steve Miller Band live is with no doubt the best recording of a live performance I have ever heard.I,m not saying that all of the other LIVE recordings we have loved for years are not as good of a music experience,such as ALLMAN BROS filmore,BOB seager,FRAMPTON.What I,m saying is this STEVE MILLER is by far the best example of how a live recording should sound.After working in the live music business for 15 years I heard many types or styles of live mixing,S m LIVE is the best.Just listen you can hear the mixing changes as they should be,everything or I should say all of the instruments have their position in the mix and then BAMM another lead jumps out to the front of the mix or MR> buffalo with his dynamic harp,it just seems each feature of the song just keeps jumping further out front never loosing anything into the background.Its all there,my hats off to the front of house tech on this project,hope to hear mor of your work and of course lets hear more from STEVIE miller.



2. Steve Miller live is a decent live album. The song than what is missing on the CD is available on the cassette version.Steve Miller live is a live CD containing hits mainly from The Joker,Fly like an Eagle, and Book of Dreams, with a few songs thrown in from other albums. The song choice is excellent in my opinion,but the performances of on the album aren't very good. Fun if you enjoy live albums but not essential.



3. I'm searching for that missing tune which I had on the original tape version. A real pity it's missing. That tune alone would have been reason enough to purchase this cd. Still, great versions of the songs that are included here.



4. This CD is fine as far as it goes. However, there is a Laser disc available of the same title (and cover art) leading one to believe the CD contains the same music. Not true!! There is a great Norton Buffalo tune at the end of the laser disc version which is painfully absent from the CD. Those who've never seen the laser disc version don't know what they're missing!! The CD is still worth the money but I felt somewhat cheated.



5. I first heard this on tape years ago and have worn the tape to death. Now, I've got it on Cd so it can last. I think these are the best versions of the songs. I looooooove this Cd. It is really awesome. Try it, you won't regret it!

4 comments about In Concert.

1. This was originally released as a double LP in 1980. There were no liner notes and the two LP's were crammed into one sleeve. The first LP is from a 1970 concert and the second is from 1972. It was long for LP standards, with each side lasting 25 to 28 minutes. For the CD, two songs have been added to the second disc, Highway Star and Mabye I'm A Leo. The sound quality is OK but not great. The first disc has hissing noises during quiet spots and the second CD doesn't have great dynamic range, especially when compared to Made In Japan. Deep Purple has had better live albums, unfortunately, one of them is not currently available.

   The first disc comes from the tour to support the album In Rock. At this time, Deep Purple was really a jamming band, with almost no boundaries. On this disc, Wring That Neck and Mandrake Root are stretched to 18 minutes each. The performances are good, but not the best on record. At only 18 minutes, it sounds like Wring That Neck was cut off half way through. The version of Child In Time is fairly bland and short at only 10 minutes.

   A much better album from 1970 is called "Live and Rare". Do not confuse that with the "New Live and Rare". On "Live and Rare", Wring That Neck is 35 minutes long. There are some slow spots, but there are areas of genius. Mandrake Root is just under 30 minutes and is completely intense throughout. The version of Speed King blazes for 10 minutes, and is the best I have ever heard. Child In Time is 17 minutes long and really rocks from beginnig to end.

   The second disc comes from same tour as Made In Japan, only it is earlier in the tour. I think the band got better during this tour as time went on. I think Made In Japan is far superior in the performance and the sound quality. The only thing In Concert has going for it is 2 extra songs that don't appear elsewhere live.

   Live and Rare is currently out of print. If you can't find Live and Rare and don't already have Made in Japan, this is a good CD to get. But get the domestic version, which is half the price.

   Note that Deep Purple admits to "borrowing" the beginning of Child In Time from It's A Beautiful Day's Bombay Calling. Wring That Neck is a rip off of It's A Beautiful Day's Don and Dewey




2. The album is very explosive and spontanious.
   Ian Gillan's singing makes the album
   worth listening.
   The only spot where the ensemble of the band
   is really at their potential
   is the song Mandrake Root.
   In short, Deep Purple is at their best
   when playing instrumentals.



3. Some people may disagree with me, but this is my favourite Deep Purple Cd, I like it better than even Made in Japan primarily due to the earlier disc recorded BEFORE the first Mk2 album. The recorded and mastered sound isn't the best, but both Cd's never fail to make the hairs on my arms stand on end.



4. I bought this as an expected upgrade for a vinyl copy that I've had for years. I wasted my money for the most part. While the set is tight and the content of this album include some of the most amazing playing by the MK II line up of Deep Purple, the mastering for digital is horrible. Every instrument is a separate entity removed the other 4 band members. Instruments sound flat.

   As I've stated, I own the vinyl version of this album released in the early 80's. On that recording, the band sound like a single unit. Each instrument is overlayed perfectly. All players working to weave together the ultimate sonic tapestry. Blackmore and Lord interplay masterfully. Each let the other solo, within the excess that made Deep Purple the ultimate jam session band. What's great, though, is the mix. Each solo instrument comes out of nowhere. Each rhythm instrument holds a steady place and binding the solos together. The vinyl version deserves 5 stars just for the version of Lazy. On vinyl, the recording of Lazy maybe the best live version of anything ever recorded. Anything! It is incredible. For those true collectors of excellent recordings, you should look for the 2 LP recording. While finding a vinyl recording of this release may be almost impossible late in the 90's, this is worth the search.

   While this recording offers some bonus tracks not included in the vinyl release, it ultimately fails. This recording deserves better. I'd love to see it remastered. Remastered to sound like the LP. That, with the bonus track would allow me to give it the 5 stars, this recording deserves.

5 comments about Live at Leeds (Quick One: 25th Anninversary Edition).

1. The Who's Live At Leeds, recorded on February 14, 1970, is unquestionably deserving of its reputation as one of the greatest live recordings in rock 'n roll. One should put aside whatever reservations he or she might have about live albums and embrace it in all of its bombastic glory. As rightfully skeptical as one should be of a live album as an introduction to a band, however, Live At Leeds might be the best disc in The Who's catalog to serve as such. True, more succinct and more comprehensive compilations are available, but Live At Leeds - released the year prior to the masterpiece Who's Next and the compilation Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy - contains hits, covers, and epics. Plus, at the time the album was recorded, The Who had one foot on either side of the dividing line between their early R&B-influenced pop songs and the ambitious, larger-canvas rockers of the late 60s and early 70s.
   
   The first of the hits on the album is "I Can't Explain", which (although it isn't here) was and continues to this day to be the opening number to almost every Who concert. About halfway through the CD's set list come what Pete Townshend calls "three selected hit singles...the three easiest": "Substitute", "Happy Jack", and "I'm A Boy". They might be easy and simple, but they are also catchy, intelligent, and even - in the case of "I'm A Boy" - a bit risqué. Each of these songs is presented in a no-frills fashion.
   
   Two epics follow on the heels of these less-than-three minute pop songs. On their second LP, "A Quick One, While He's Away" was impressive but a bit brittle. In this live setting, however, it is pumped up significantly. The spectacular "Amazing Journey/Sparks" is arguably the highlight of the set. At the original Leeds concert, "A Quick One", "the story of Tommy's parents", led directly into a performance of the double LP Tommy. The Who was wise to select this one particular track for expanded CD version. (Tommy as a whole is available on disc 2 of the deluxe edition of Live At Leeds.)
   
   Two other classic hits are given mammoth treatment at the end of the show. "My Generation" runs for almost fifteen minutes, and is interspersed with lyrical and musical references to songs from Tommy (including some riffs that had originally appeared in "Rael I" from The Who Sell Out). I have never personally cared much for "Magic Bus", which runs for nearly eight minutes. However, it was definitely a crowd pleaser, and the band did a fine job of mixing it up here.
   
   Finally, the band revisits its roots with four covers throughout the disc. These are the obscure blues numbers "Fortune Teller" and "Young Man Blues" and the rock `n roll classics "Summertime Blues" and "Shakin' All Over". The Who make the former two tracks very much their own, but the latter two feel a bit perfunctory and surprisingly uninspired.
   
   Several better-known songs - such as "The Kids Are Alright", "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", and "Pictures of Lily" - were not performed at the Leeds concert. However, they are not that noticeably absent on the disc. The Who wisely treated Live At Leeds as an opportunity to present themselves in not-so-obvious ways. John Entwistle's "Heaven and Hell", the opening number, was never included in a studio version on a Who album. The Who Sell Out, the band's first great album, is represented not by the ornate hit single "I Can See for Miles", but by the poignant "Tattoo". Tommy is represented by "Amazing Journey/Sparks" rather than by the classic single "Pinball Wizard".
   
   The greatest thing about The Who in a live setting is that each member played as if he were the only one on stage. John Entwistle and Keith Moon don't just keep the beat, they rise above the surface of the songs. Pete Townshend was never quite the soloist that his contemporaries were, but given the chance to spread out, he proved himself to be at least as good of a riffer and every bit as inspired as his fellow axemen. Roger Daltrey literally and figuratively speaks for himself, especially on "Young Man Blues", which might be his finest performance of the show.
   
   Live At Leeds was pretty much by accident the first Who concert made available to record buyers. The band had done an extensive tour in support of their 1969 LP Tommy, and planned to release a live album afterward. Townshend balked at the idea of listening to and sifting through all of the shows, so he scheduled two dates to be recorded specifically for a live album. When the mics failed to record John Entwistle's bass at Hull City Hall on February 15, the concert at Leeds University became the show for the live LP by default. However great any of the shows might have been, it is hard to imagine them being as good as or better than the one at Leeds. Whatever the case might have been, rock fans of every generation are lucky to have at least one of them preserved for prosperity.



2. First time I heard this was over FM radio wearing headphones lying in bed, listening. They played the whole thing and they had short interval of somthing weird and then played the next cut, did this for the whole album, it was 1970 somthing.
   IF you havent listened to this whole thing with real headphones without distraction, do it, trust me, do it, I would not lie.
   Good lesson for guitar players also.



3. It's The Who. Live. At Leeds University. Duh. How come you haven't bought it already? Powerful live set from seminal rock four-piece, blah, blah, sizzling energy, innovative songwriting, blah blah....Keith Moon....buy it. Listen to it. Have mind blown.



4. Amazing live album is all that i have too say for this. The drums are absoutley amazing Keith Moon is probaly one of the greatest rock drummers of all time his peformance is great here. Pete Townshends guitar is great and everybody in this is really doing great on there instruments.
   
   This may just be one of there greatest peformances of all time it has the energy and they sound just really great here i think all the live versions sound great on here
   
   If your a big Who fan like me buy this album today you wont be dissapointed...



5. Really horrible sound quality, and the band must have been totally wasted...Apparently with so many for sale , others thought the same.

5 comments about Device, Voice, Drum.

1. The easy part to review here is the music and sound quality. It is all top notch, except with Livgren being noticably missed. But everything there is still really solid. But Steve Walsh's voice is a whole other story...
   
   Steve Walsh's voice is - in a word - PAINFUL to listen to. That sweet tenor is long gone, having given away (unfortunately) to the shreds of the vocal chords he has left. How other Kansas fans can even listen to it is more bravery than I can muster... Really. This is not listenable.
   
   One reviewer said Steve's voice "is still at 80%". Ummmm, no. At best, he is at 10%, and maybe less. It is too bad... Because with his voice intact, this could have been amazing. But - instead - it is just painful.



2. Let's be honest. Kansas have not done any new music since "Somewhere To Elsewhere", and that was virtually a Kerry Livgren solo album as performed by Kansas, good as it was.
   
   Steve Walsh has admitted he is having trouble writing music for Kansas, and he is doing solo albums.
   
   Robby Steinhardt was recently "asked to leave" the band.
   
   All Kansas have put out recently are repackaging of their old songs (much like Black Sabbath).
   
   But this live album, if it's their last real album, is certainly a cracker.
   
   I'm not sure where they got the money to put this on, since it's a full-concert production in Atlanta, and they've been a bar/county fair band ever since the 1990s. But the fact is that it's good. The song selection is good and the band, as always, are some of the best instrumentalists in rock. Steve Walsh shows here that, except to do his frontman bit, he doesn't need a guest keyboardist (apologies to Greg Robert).
   
   Robby Steinhardt's violin and voice were unmistakable, as he shows here (apologies to David Ragsdale).
   
   Billy Greer is not as "showy" a bassist as Dave Hope, but he's solid, on-the-point, and adds vocals as well.
   
   Phil Ehart shows here that he's always been underated and should be listed in the same lists as Neil Peart, Cozy Powell, Ian Paice, Bill Ward etc.
   
   In short, this is a fine disc, well worth getting, better than "Live At The Whisky" and as good as "Two For The Show".
   
   The only caveat is that Steve's voice struggles to hit some of his trademark high notes.
   
   But even with that, this is a fine live epitaph(?) to an American rock institution.



3. I think the concept is weird. 3D animation added to the live performance..eye candy and really doesn't add value for this long-time Kansas fan (38 years). I think the sound was refined and certainly heavier..very nice amber tones. However..what the heck was Walsh doing?? Just sing the tunes like you do...the weird interpretive vocal stuff just didn't get it. It made me wonder if he was hitting the hard stuff again. There something to be said for keeping the fidelity of the music..at least so that the listener knows what you are saying. I saw KANSAS live shortly after DVD. The live show was way better! Louder than it needed to be...there was a threshold of pain that the audience had to endure and some folks had to leave. I will always be a dedicated Kansas fan, but...this effort was misguided. Buy it if you like, but I won't coin it as being well done.



4. Every incarnation of this country's premeire Prog-Rock band, Kansas, has a musical life of its own. This version focuses on providing its diverse fan base with a musical style that is tasteful and timeless. Gone are the days of the trademark Steve Walsh dancing, jumping and gyrating to the infecteous rock beat of this unique and, ever evolving, band. Now, Steve focuses his energy and attention upon playing keyboard parts (originally meant for two keyboardists) while belting out his vocals better than at any time period since the 1970s. This is a must have for every fan of good, solid, rock music. And, for every Kansas fan, it's a dire necessity. Keep On Rockin,' Wayward Sons!



5. First of all, for the fans who have made negative personal comments about Robbie's look (hey guy, Robbie looks the same as he did in 1974, save the clothes, where you been? Obviously NOT a fan otherwise you would have known that), Richard's weight (he has been the size he is for the last 8 years, where you been?), Steve's voice (his voice has been in its current state for the last 15 years, though a lot better sounding now than in a long time, so I ask again, where you been?). My question at the end of all those "where have you been" speaks to why you are negative. You have not bothered to keep up with THIS Kansas for the last 15 years. You picked up Device Voice Drum thinking it was Kansas from 1978 and guess what? It isn't and you should go back to your old records and not bother with Kansas. This DVD is for the fans like myself who have bothered to hang around the whole time, who have supported the band and embrace every thing about it. In that light, it comes through like a champ.

   Sorry for my digression. It just really gets me upset when people come out here who are obviously fans from days long ago and rip on a band they haven't bothered to keep up with.

   My only complaints with Device Voice Drum is that there should have been lots more discussion from the band. A commentary track should have been added, along with longer interviews. This band has been around for 30 years. There is a lot more to talk about than what is given to us on the DVD. Last complaint, and a petty one, not all the albums were covered, especially my favorite, Freaks Of Nature. I still feel that album, even against Somewhere, is their best album since POKR.

   Still, with its faults, I love this DVD and accept it faults and all.

No comments about Procol Harum Live.

5 comments about Live In Boston, Vol. 1.

1. "Rattlesnake Shake" is a steaming, burning, scolding hot, melting, lava-spewing MONSTER of a guitar jam. It's 25 minutes long, and I believe it out rocks Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. It HAS to be heard to be believed. If there was ever a band that was DRASTICALLY different in their early years, it's gotta be Fleetwood Mac. What a jam. Incredible!!!
   
   Well, now that my excitement for that wonderful track has momentarily passed, let's talk about the rest of the album. The vocal melody to "Black Magic Woman" comes really close to sounding exactly like Santana's, however afterwards the song explodes into some exceptionally good blues playing. "Jumping at Shadows" is a bit quiet, though quite soon really good guitar work enters the picture and instantly brings me to my feet. Absolutely no complaints with the three songs I've mentioned so far.
   
   "Like it This Way" is one of those party bluesy numbers- the kind of song you'd hear at a birthday party or something. I like it though, mostly because the guitar playing is really good. "Only You" is not the oldies song or the Ringo Starr cover you're probably thinking of (though I guess this album might be considered oldies now, hehe). It's a really heavy track with a guitar riff that repeats fantastically throughout the song. I like that. Peter Green's right- "The Green Manalishi" really does sound evil. Man, it's so eerie, and I don't feel comfortable listening to this song at all.
   
   Reading the little booklet that came with the album, I get the impression Peter Green really cared about the older version of Fleetwood Mac, and because of his Grateful Dead influence, he really wanted the fans to hear one more live album with lots of guitar jamming. He eventually had a bad acid trip while on tour and decided to leave the band. I wonder what he must be thinking right now, knowing there's young people like me who are very happy this album exists. He was apparently having some problems and had to leave the band. Hey, we all have problems. You can't blame the man for leaving. He didn't respond well to fortune and fame, and all the questions he had to face about his religion. They should have left the man alone to sort out his problems.
   
   But I guess it was inevitable Fleetwood Mac was on the rise in terms of popularity. I wouldn't have been able to handle the pressure, and I don't blame Green at all for his decision. Reading more information from the booklet, I get the impression he seemed confident that this was going to be his final album with the band. He wanted to go out on a strong note, and he did. VERY strong. Of course, when I say this is his final album with the band, I mean the final of three live albums (Volume 2 and 3 of this live Boston set are also available for purchase).
   
   Peter Green is a normal person like you and me. He just had a troubled past. Drugs and guilt changed the way he looked at the world. He's allowed to think that way if he wants. It's his right as a human being.
   
   Solid blues and lengthy rock jams dominated with guitars and drums aren't popular in todays world. Nowadays you have... I don't know, electronic music (I guess that's what you call it).
   
   Just a few weeks after this albums release in February of 1970, Peter Green announced he wanted to leave the band (though he actually didn't leave Fleetwood Mac until around April, when the overseas live concert schedule was finally over with- he made a commitment to the band that he'd stay with them until those live dates were all complete).
   
   I'm really happy he gave us this final live performance before his departure. His presence will always be an important one for Fleetwood Mac to me personally. I'm sure more live music from the old version of Fleetwood Mac still exists, and will probably be put on disc one day for our listening pleasure. Hopefully more lengthy guitar jams, because Peter Green, along with the rest of the band, were really good at that.



2. You'll love this. How old was Danny Kirwan when this was recorded? 20? Man he could shake those strings. Peter Green isn't bad either that tone! Those blues riffs he just tosses out--how did he do it? And his scary lyrics..Oh, and Jeremy Spencer's wicked slide playing. Three great guitarists. And the rhythm section, uh ,oh yeah Mick Fleetwood and John MacVeigh. One of the only "jam bands" that doesn't bore me to tears. Cheers!
   Almost forgot...as Jeremy asks, if you believe in prayer, please pray that Danny comes back to us, or at least finds peace one day.



3. In Feb. 1970 the original Fleetwood Mac line up with Peter Green recorded three nights at the legendary Boston Tea Party. Vol. 1 serves up a generous 69 minutes of live music with a couple of extended jams (Rattlesnake Shake at 25 mins. and Green Manalishi at 12 mins.). I'm a huge fan of the blues and early Fleetwood Mac, but I have to say I was a little disappointed with the CD. While I think it is a great show, the recording catches the band at a point of tradition. Peter Green was starting to turn away from traditional blues and becoming more experimental pushing the Blues format in a new direction. That's fine and the music is great, but for folks looking for a live version of their original work this is not it. I much preferred English Rose and the album they did with Otis Spann. If I was to rate this as a prue blues album it would be only 3 stars. As a music fan that appreciates live music I give it 4 stars.



4. Superb live album. I could do without the Jeremy Spencer slide guitar and 50's imitations, but Peter Green is top notch. The Green Manalishi solo is some of the best blues guitar soloing I've heard. If you like blues guitar, you must give it a listen.



5. If you get this, get all the volumes. This will make you forget that little band from the '70s that sang Go Your Own Way, Rhiannon, and Don't Stop.

   This is the original Mac, at its very best live.

   Turn it up, and listen to the Mac blown your minds.

   It is definately a Mac Attack!!!

5 comments about Telluric Chaos.

1. With a fired up Iggy (Pop) Stooge, Ron Ashton (g), Scott Ashton (d), Steve Mackay (sax) and Mike Watt (b) make this much more than an ongoing reunion tour by ancient rockers.
   
   It is nearly 80 minutes of hard-edged "proto-punk" that is made loud to be played even louder. The Stooges are in their element and deliver an intensity that captures the period before the band imploded in the early-1970s.
   
   Recorded on March 22, 2004 at Shibuya-Ax in Tokyo, Japan, the 17 cuts are mostly drawn from the band's first two albums - The Stooges and Fun House - with the latter being played in its entirety.
   
   To casually dismiss The Stooges is a mistake. To think the band has nothing left in the gas tank is just plain wrong. This is a highly flammable sonic soundscape.



2. it's not Iggy and the Stooges...it's THE STOOGES...back in action and
   better than ever. not for the faint of heart.



3. Show was recorded at Shibuya Axe,in Tokyo on March 22,2004.Good sound quality.I've heard a few complaints about the sound quality from other patrons.I don't know what these nimrods are whining about,the sound is fine!Get a l-i-f-e!Tracks that should have certain Stooges fans wetting their beds are the total slamming opener "Loose",the blistering "1969","I Wanna Be Your Dog"(how many bands have covered this tune?),"No Fun","1970",new songs "Skull Ring" and "Dead Rock Star" along with the ass-kicking "Electric Chair" and the finale "Not Right".Material here was pulled from '69's self-titled Stooges album,'70's 'Funhouse' and 2003's 'Skull Ring'.Line-up:Iggy-vocals,Ron Asheton-guitar,Scott Asheton-drums,Mike Watt-bass and Steven Mackay-sax.Wanted to also mention this CD has a LOT of cursing.What more could a true fan of proto-punk ask for?So highly recommended,it almost hurts.Heard this title may already be out-of-print.



4. As the other reviews posted here advise: This CD is for dedicated Stooges fans. The audio quality is not what you would hope for. I have advice for those who want a live, contemporary, Stooges CD.
   1) Buy the "Iggy and The Stooges Live in Detroit" DVD from Amazon.
   2)Use your favorite DVD audio editing software or DVD audio ripping software to pull the audio tracks off of the DVD.
   3)Transfer the audio to a CD.
   4)Enjoy.
   Though Steve's sax is mixed a little hot for my taste, the audio is very, very good. Ron's guitar is right there, loud and proud the way it ought to be. The only downside is that there are a couple of songs on Telluric Chaos that are not on Live in Detroit. Believe me, it's worth the tradeoff.
   
   Not that Telluric Chaos isn't a good bootleg - it's better than average for a, well, a bootleg. Look at the back cover if you do buy it. The photo is reversed. Ron is not left handed. What's that tell you about the quality control of the producer?



5. this is a really good audience recording...and i'm kind of a bootleg snob. the performance by iggy and crew is absolutely on fire...the energy is fantastic. iggy pop is the single most important person in rock'n roll history. die-hard Stooges fans DO NOT MISS OUT on this because I've heard its ALREADY OUT OF PRINT. Essential for the hardcores.

5 comments about Dick's Picks, Vol. 5: Oakland Auditorium, Oakland, CA, 12/26/79.

1. Dick may have said that Nassau '81 was the Big One - but this is the One. This night (and 12/28/79, not officially released) are just Smokin'. I understand what some other reviewers have said about Jerry trying to 'keep up' at times but make no mistake - he's all There on this one. (Case in point - the jam in between Estimated->He's Gone would have been much shorter if Jerry wasn't egging Phil on.) Speaking of that jam - there has never been a more unique 5-6 minutes of music played by anybody before or since, including the Dead. A compeletly different sequence of 'spaces', all woven together seamlessly. If you've ever wondered why people say the Grateful Dead could make magic - the 2nd disc of this set is the one that will answer that question. It's fleeting - but it's There, and it's Wonderful! Steve Urbauer Stephen Urbauer



2. No doubt the Dead of the early to mid seventies was the best if you have to chose a show at random and get lost in it. If you have to restrict yourself. After that, the Dead were less consistent. But the Dead with Brent were great too, different and great in other ways. I love that Hammond B-3 sounds, and I love Brent's voice. He could certainly sing better than Donna. In fact, tuning out Donnna from seventies shows can be quite exhausting. Hart's percussion jams also seem to get more interesting in the eighties.
   
   There were two 80's shows early in the Dick's Picks series, volumes five and six. (OK, I just noticed the date, this show preceded the eighties by about five days, but if you had to classify it, for all practical purposes this is early eighties Dead) Both vol. 5 and 6 provide good historical illustrations of what was wrong with the Dead in the 80's as well as what was right with them. Overall, though, Dick's Pick Vol. 5 is the one I would go with. Vol. 6 has a great second disc but overall the band sounds too haggard.
   
   Volume 5 starts off shaky and we realize there will be too many of those R&B numbers that they were so fond of in the 80's. It hurts to say it but, they just don't do those well. C.C. Rider, Around and Around, Promised Land... I don't know why no one in the organization had the courage to tell Bobby he doesn't sound good trying to belt out soulful numbers. Maybe they never went back and listened to their shows. More likely they just didn't care because the fans have demonstrated that they will continue to pay and show up. But lets not dwell on the negatives. Though off to a bit of a weak start, we have a Brown Eyed Women in the first set in which Jerry sounds great, brings you back to the days when he had the energy for thirty-second notes, ripping off high energy, intense sheets of sound. When disc 2 starts, there's a great Uncle John's Band followed by Estimated Prophet. Phil tries to transition them into He's Gone but Jerry is on fire and takes off in a different direction for a five minute or so track labeled "Jam 1." They finally do get back to He's Gone, which then transitions into The Other One with a massive bone-rattling Phil bomb. We get a good drums>space, a couple other tunes, and then the track that alone makes this a worthy purchase, Shakedown Street. There aren't too many official releases of live Shakedowns, but of them this is the best, better than off So Many Roads for sure (the single best Live Shakedown I own is off a bootleg from a 1990 Madison Square Garden show with Branford Marsalis). It's a high energy jam that eventually transitions a little sloppily into an Uncle John's Band reprise.
   
   Overall, a worthy Dick's Pick. There's enough great music that it would be a shame to miss this. Don't overlook the Brent era Dead.



3. Generally, I concur with previous reviewers who provide spot on summaries. Why write then, you ask? Well, no one has mentioned Bobby's killer slide on disc one's New Minglewood or the great version of disc one's Brown Eyed Women. Disc one's songs have wonderfully played versions of the songs and one may attribute this to the likely lenghty practice sessions that preceeded this tour as the band got Mydland up to speed.

   Disc two especially is just a killer and disc 3 has a great Jam-NFA-Brokedown Palace section. The excitement of the band during disc 2's UJB is simply palable and you will listen drop jawed as you understand that the band knows that the audience knows that they sound great.

   Absolutely, Weir and Mydland and the rythym section steal the show. Jerry is starting to show signs of deteriation and does seem at times to be "trying to keep up" as the Amazon reviewer above wrote.

   However, as an attendee to several Dead shows in the late 70s one must concur that by the late 70s the Godcheauxs were personas non grata and the addition of Mydland who both sang and played keyboards head and shoulders above his predecessors absolutely re-invigorated the band. You will note from the opening of Cold Rain throughout the jamming on discs two and three that Garcia and the others were thrilled with what the personnel change had wrought. This show will please your ears immensely.




4. Good first set! Bob really gets it going with C.C. Rider. But, the 2nd set is awesome!!! Really incredible. Shakedown Street really stands out for me on this CD. Especially the last five or six minutes of it....the jam is .......WOW!!!



5. If your like live Grateful dead albums you have to buy dick's picks all the albums i've listened to are great

3 comments about Text of Festival: Hawkwind Live, 1970 (Live 70-72).

1. From the same people who'd brought us the band's 'Bring Me The Head Of Yuri Gagarin' CD,only 'Text Of...' is much better sounding.I encourage you,if you're able to locate a copy of the 'original' release,which is THIS issue,GET it.Avoid if you can,that 'Entire&Infinite Universe Of Hawkwind' 4-CD release on the Dressed To Kill label,as that first came out AS a 4-CD box set in which two CD's of the four disc set were the SAME bootlegged gig.I believe they LATER corrected the problem and re-released the title as a 3-CD box set.Okay,now 'Text Of...' is a top rate sound quality bootleg-like title that's WELL worth it to any real Hawkfan that doesn't already own a copy.I liked the early '70's live versions of "Dreaming"(which is really "You Know You're Only Dreaming"),"Shouldn't Do That" and "Hurry On Sundown" as well as the 21-minute "Come Home/Improvise/Compromise/Reprise" which is an extended open jam.I heard this disc is actually missing the last,say 15-20 minutes of the extended jam simply 'cause Thunderbolt wanted to keep this a one disc release.Don't blame them on that.



2. Indeed, the sound quality on this release is woefully sub-par, pretty much what you'd expect from a bootleg. But having said that, the music is absolutely great, what you can hear of it anyway. This was one of the first Hawkwind albums I heard, having bought it as part of the 4-cd set "The Entire And Infinite Universe Of Hawkwind" for like .... I understood what these discs were, basically official bootlegs, and enjoyed all of them immensely. You can start anywhere with Hawkind, even here, and find one of the greatest bands around. I find I play "Text Of Festival" the most often of the set; it features a great compilation, assorted tracks from the '71-'72 era which prove how awesome an improvisational band Hawkwind can be, even that ... early on. This is a great little album, full of surprises Hawkwind style, not to mention a brilliant symbiotic title. I could recommend this cd to anyone, as long as they understand what this really is, a bootleg that has become legit. But if you are interested in this cd please make the right decision and order "The Entire And Infinite Universe Of Hawkwind". This previously mentioned 4-cd set includes this disc as well as the other official boots "Space Ritual Vol. 2" (the best sounding of the set--awesome); "Bring Me The Head Of Yuri Gagarin" (the legendary title, not bad at all, quite interesting actually) and "Masters Of The Universe" (halfway decent but easily the most dispensable of the bunch). If you're inclined to buy only one, then "The Text Of Festival" is the one to go with in my opinion. The sound is poor and there aren't any previously unreleased Hawkwind songs to be found here, and to make matters worse, this has inexplicably always been printed as containing 12 tracks, when it only has seven. Huh? Like with "In Your Area" I can perfectly understand how a first Hawkwind printing could be out of whack, but this album was first released back in '83! Anyway, this is great music. The ... sound quality actually adds a certain spookiness to the songs, psychedelic in a familiar, haunting way.



3. Don`t buy this album unless you are (as I am) a Hawkwind fan who has all the other albums. This CD has good music on it, with an awful quality. Buy the others, all of them, they are brill, and then you might want this as `something interesting as it shows what they were like live`. Otherwise stick to the regular releases, not this bad recording!

No comments about Live at the Whisky A Go-Go '69.