2 comments about Donovan - Greatest Hits Live Vancouver 1986.

1. This is a real find! Donovan might be best remembered for stages covered in flowers with lot's of incense in the air (along with our smells of the illegal kind). But to be real about the whole thing he was and is an ARTIST of real TALENT... and this CD is proof that he delivers the goods in his live shows.
   This gem is from Vancouver, BC, Canada in 1986, it is solo Donovan with just guitar, voice & harmonica. The first thing to discover here is that this CD has AMAZING SOUND QUALITY, it's crystal clear and its sounds like you are sitting front and center in a small room with Big D... this disk rates a for real big Five Stars for sound quality... STELLAR
   Second thing to note, Donovan sounds fantastic on this one, This is a great performance, with a few stories thrown in to set the 60's tone for all listening. "Catch The Wind", "Mellow Yellow", "Universal Soldier", "Lalena","Jennifer Juniper", "Hurdy Gurdy Man", "Atlantis", "There is a Mountian", all big hits way back when, are included and in this acoustic / solo setting they all sound fresh and new.
   Four Bonus Tracks have been added to this edition of "Greatest Hits Live" and the are nice, but they just a touch lower on the Sonic scale than the first 14 cuts.
   All Donovan fans must add this one to their collections as it a great Disk.... A Real For Real 5 Star Disk... BUY IT.



2. This recording is an example of live recordings at their very best. Donovan sings many of his popular hits and even introduces a few of them. In addition, this recording has very good sound quality and it is probably the second best thing to being at the concert. However, the thing I like best about this recording is the audience participation. Donovan includes the audience in "Happiness Runs," "Mellow Yellow," "Mr. Fluteman," and "There is a Mountain." If you are not familiar with his music, this recording is a great introduction. However, even if you already own several recordings of him, you should get this collection.

5 comments about Yesterday & Today.

1. Styx was at their peak in the 1970s and early 1980s. Their music was simply incredible. From Dennis DeYoung's roaring keyboards and powerful vocals to Tommy Shaw's great guitar lines and vocals, they were really popular back in the day.
   
   This CD, however, isn't what you may think it is. Previous reviewers have pointed out that the 'Yesterday' songs were recorded live pretty recently. Yeah, the versions are pretty good, but it's not one of their best efforts.
   
   The studio tracks are the 'Now' years. The highlight, to me is 'Best New Face,' a nice pop-rock track with the old Styx style mixed with sort of the modern day sound.
   
   So, if you like Styx and are a big fan, than add this to your collection. If your starting out, '20th Century Masters,' 'Greatest Hits,' or RCA's early years collection 'The Best of Styx' are all great starting places. This isn't the best place to start. But, it's enjoyable, nonetheless.



2. It could've been a lot worse i'll tell you that right now they could've used a couple more songs but that's why I'm not in the band. These guys really are aloud to do whatever they want. They are he greatest band of all-time. 5 consecutive multi-platinum albums. Top Ten Hits in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000's. I think they were just trying to help promote Lawrence Gowan when they put this together. He does do a good job but he definetly isn't no Dennis DeYoung.



3. OK, I do admit, I wouldn't actually buy this album for myself, since I have the three that structure it, but it's not that bad. Like any other compilation in the world, this is not built up for the big time fan. Think about it, would you give a Led Zeppelin box set a bad rating because you have half of it on vinyl? No, this is an album more fore somebody who's heard Styx, or doesn't have "Return to Paradise", "Brave New World", or "Arch Allies" anyway. Jeez, people need to lighten up.



4. First of all, this cd has one glaring misrepresentation; saying that the songs were recorded live. Only "The Grand Illusion", "Edge of the Century", and "Fooling Yourself" are "live" tracks. The remaining songs are studio versions. Tommy Shaw sings all of the songs except for Lawrence Gowan's version of "The Grand Illusion", while Glenn Burtnik sings "Edge of the Century" (at least he actually wrote that song himself). James Young has no songs on the disc.
   
   Styx has been in a state of steady decline since Dennis DeYoung left the group in 1999. Lawrence Gowan is no match for Dennis, as evidenced by is weak performance on "Grand Illusion". Tommy Shaw still manages to hold his own, and this disc even includes one of my favorite Shaw songs; "On My Way". "Fooling Yourself", a Shaw staple, is included as well, and it always sounds good with Shaw's melodic 12-string acoustic playing in the background.
   
   The rest of the disc is mainly filler material from the "Brave New World" cd. This disc is ok, but be wary of the "recorded live" tag line on the cover.



5. The powers to be at this label, BMG, are trying to take your money, by fooling you again, into thinking that this is a "new" STYX cd. Just like they did before,on EXTENED VERSIONS, BMG has lied about this cd, saying recorded live. Some songs are, but they are taken form the STYX/REO live cd ARCH ALLIES, released a year earlier. Rest of the songs are studio versions, that all ready appear on RETURN TO PARADISE, and BRAVE NEW WORLD. So if already own these three cds, you are simply adding to you collection as a STYX fan, or wasting your money, thinking your getting something different.
   But as far as the songs go, Glenn's Edge of the Century and Dennis' The Grand Illusion, as song by Lawarence, are the only non Tommy songs. JY has no songs on this cd. Hopefully, Tommy will remember that STYX is a group effort, not just one person, after all, wasn't that what he and Dennis were into it about?

3 comments about Extended Versions.

1. Probably the best of the extended version series I've Heard. Most aren't the respective bands greatest performances. But, this one by Humble Pie is great. Bargain for the price. Note: Must be played loudly!



2. Let's get one thing straight here: The Extended Versions series, which produces live albums by bands for budget prices, is not truly a rip-off if the buyer knows and accepts the process by which these albums are made. Humble Pie's Extended Versions disc is taken from and may utilize most of the same recordings as the King Biscuit Flour Hour Live offering recorded at Winterland in 1973 and featuring the Smokin' band. Steve Marriott's singing is wonderful throughout and he and the band give blistering renditions of "C'mon Everybody", "4Day Creep", "Up Your Sleeves", and "Stone Cold Fever." Clem Clempson is no Peter Frampton, but he sure is hot and nasty on the guitar, particularly on "C'mon Everybody," with it's blistering, hard-rock riff intro. Yes, the Blackberries are present, and though they don't really mesh too well with the Pie's harder rocking sound, they sing wonderfully on "30 Days in the Hole," and exchange playful banter and song with Steve on "Blues I Believe to My Soul". Their most shining moment comes on a soul cover very close to their roots, Ray Charles "Hallelujah, I Love Her So", a ragged-but-right version topped by Greg Ridley's fine vocals. On the down side, "Honky Tonk Woman" never quite works as a tribute to the Stones (they started it off with a snippet of the Stones "Shake Your Hips;" they should have just finished that song instead), and "Road Runner" is simply too long and boring, with Steve's usually delighful banter taken to extreme; he just won't stop! Still, there's enough tasty bites of this "day-old" pie to make a satisfying snack, and at this low price, it's really a bargain!



3. The truth is that this is just a rehash of the King Biscuit Live recording - minus a couple of tracks. It is taken from the same source.

5 comments about Go To Nassau.

1. I actually enjoy a lot of the 1979-1981 period. Yes, a lot of the freeform exploratory jamming of the 1977-78 period is not there. But there are some good crisp shows from this period. Brent has not come into his own yet but he is a welcome addition to the fold after the way Keith played(or I should say not played) during the 1976-79 period. His vocal harmonies are a welcome change as well. Let's face it, Donna's live vocal harmonies were atrocious. This show is good, not great. It will not blow your mind by any stretch. The sound quality is very good and it has some good moments. A lot of people were bashing 1980 as a horrible year, it had some great moments too. Let's not forget the Warfield/Radio City run. 1982-1984 were some horrible years. Talk about uninspired playing. Yikes. Jerry was such a mess during those years it is painful to listen to. His health wasn't much better during 1985 but the shows got better. Has anyone ever noticed (or is it just me) that during the 1983-1986 period there are very few pictures of Garcia taken. If you look at say an old Relix from that period they will have a lot of pictures of the rest of the band and very few of Garcia. It's almost as if they were trying to protect him by omitting his pictures. There was no denying the guy was a complete mess. Look at the cover of the book Playing in the Band by David Gans. You can actually see all the soot and residue of the tips of his fingers from the heroin that he was smoking. All in all this CD is worthwhile to have in your collection if you're a head. The Nassau from 1981 that became a Dick's Picks is much better show from this period.



2. 1980 was the last year I saw the Grateful Dead. The two shows I caught in Springfield, MA and New Haven, CT that year were underwhelming. The Spingfield show was embarassing, with Garcia flubbing lyrics, forgetting lyrics, stumbling through solos, and stumbling on the stage. The following night in New Haven was "ok" ,with Phil saving the evening. But still, pretty bland and slow. So I was surprised when a friend lent me this two CD set. Somebody must have brewed up a batch of double expresso for the band on these two nights, because these performances really move. The songs from "Go To Heaven" get a kick in the ass, and the "Althea" is the best that I've heard. The one critisism I have is Brent's keyboard sound. That Fender-Rhodes sounds like a door-bell. Otherwise, this set is a pleasant surprise and worth adding to your collection.



3. People seem to have two problems with this album: it's not a complete show, and it's from 1980 (many people say "There is no good Grateful Dead after year x"). First, while it is not one full show, it flows nicely and has the feel of a show. Second, there is good to be found in every year of the Grateful Dead's career. I'll agree the later years were far less kind to them than the earlier, but in 1980 they were still rockin out just fine. If you're wary because "Dead Set" is also from '80 and you're not happy with it, know that this album has something that one lacks: it's brimming with energy. The Jack Straw>Franklin's Tower is great, the China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider is one of my favourite versions, and the run on the second disc from Playing in the Band to Good Lovin' is like the Dead of old. Give this a chance, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
   
   Edit of this review(5/18/05): After owning this album for a while and listening to it more, I feel that my original review, while accurate, was a bit generous. I would now give the album four stars instead of five (I'd change it, but I don't know how). There is some filler or songs that sound kind of cheesy, such as Far From Me and Lazy Lightnin' (although the Supplication jam is very good). In all, this is still a great album with the highlights for me being the ones I originally mentioned, but it's not perfect.



4. After becoming obsessed with the Dead about two months ago, I've obtained in various ways a fairly large number of their live CD releases, though seeing as there are about sixty of them released, I am nowhere CLOSE to having them all. So far, I haven't found a "vault" release that I like better than this one, including the famous Closing of Winterland and England '72 4-disc sets.
   
   Sound quality: Excellent. The instruments all come through clearly and are perfectly balanced in the mix. As an added bonus, some of the audience noise is mixed in. This adds a lot to the songs; the opening strains of "Franklin's Tower" sound especially powerful when the crowd cheers loudly after hearing them.
   
   Song choice: Again, excellent. Most of the "classics" are here, along with some rarities. Pretty much every song from Go To Heaven worth listening to also makes an appearence, which is really convenient for those of us who want to hear them without wasting money on a studio album with a notoriously tacky cover. There's also a welcomed absence of some of the more obnoxious "cowboy songs" that can make the first sets of some performances quite tedious and hard to sit through.
   
   Performance quality: Excellent for the third time! The band is clearly not "dead;" in fact, they seem more vibrant than usual. Lots of great jamming in pretty much every song, especially "Franklin's Tower" and "New Minglewood Blues," plus no little mistakes that can drag down an otherwise exemplary performance (see "The Other One" from Dick's Picks 5). Granted, there isn't any free form, "Live Dead" kind of stuff, but there's plenty of CD's out there filled with it (see Dick's Picks 16 discs 2 and 3), so I don't see it as a necessary addition to a Grateful Dead live album.
   
   Bottom line: This is one of the few Dead albums that I'd rate as completely essential. Perfect for someone who likes Live/Dead, Anthem of the Sun, and/or Blues for Allah but isn't quite comfortable with the "roots rock" that defined a good deal of the Dead's playing. This sounds more like a "jamming" version of Radiohead than the better-than-average Southern rock band that recorded Europe '72. Recommended for anyone interested.
   
   Oh. And don't get all intimidated by the fact that this was recorded in 1980, depsite the fact that the Dead arguably hit their apex in 1969. Just remember: in the same year, Pink Floyd released The Wall... and they'd been around for just as long.



5. This album has not left my cd player in months. It is simply amazing. Although I am a big fan of the earlier dead recordings, my favorite era of the dead is the late seventies, early eighties shows, when their catalog of tunes was getting huge. With this release, there is no sense in buying their studio album Go To Heaven, as it takes all the notable tracks and improves them greatly. This is a mostly Bob Weir album with stellar versions of Lightning-Supplication, Sailor-Circumstance, and Althea. Not to mention a slightly rare Peggy-O. This album is unbelievable and I HIGHLY reccomend it to anyone!

5 comments about 24 Nights.

1. The premise of Eric Clapton's live double compact disc, `24 Nights,' to quote Derek Taylor's liner notes, was an undertaking "to celebrate his (Clapton's) music at the Royal Albert Hall over 24 nights with first a four-piece band and then a nine-piece and then a batch of blues giants and finally a mighty orchestra..." For any fan of rock, but especially for fans of Eric Clapton, there is lot to like about `24 Nights.'
   
   Recorded live in 1990 and 1991 at about the same time as Clapton's studio release, `Journeyman,' `24 Nights' includes classics such as `Badge,' `White Room,' and `Sunshine of Your Love' recorded with the four-piece band, blues standards `Have You Ever Loved A Woman' and `Hoodoo Man' with the blues band, `Pretending' and `Bad Love' with the more contemporary nine-piece band, and `Bell Bottom Blues' with the National Philharmonic Orchestra.
   
   As one would expect, many of the musicians with whom Clapton surrounds himself are legends in their own right. The various line-ups feature such Phil Collins, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Jimmy Vaughn, and Johnnie Johnson. There are quite a few names familiar to the fans of "Eric Clapton and His Band" releases and tours, including Greg Phillinganes, Nathan East, and Ray Cooper. Even Jamie Oldaker, who was a part of Clapton's bands during the 1970's and early 1980's on the studio release `Backless,' among others, is the percussionist for the `24 Nights' blues band.
   
   Each of the bands produce a sound that combines both Clapton's blues and "Cream-y" roots as well as Clapton's mature and confident style reminiscent of the more recent Clapton releases. The `Sunshine of Your Love' track is the Clapton/Bruce/Baker edition on steroids. The energetic `Pretending' and `Bad Love' jump right through the speakers, while the version of `Wonderful Tonight' featuring vocalist Kitty Kissoon is literally erotic.
   
   The only criticism for `24 Nights' is relates to the collaboration with the orchestra. While other rock band/orchestra associations really seemed to have clicked, Clapton's effort just misses the mark. On the `Bell Bottom Blues' track, in particular, the band and the orchestra seem to be about a half or quarter note off, although `Edge of Darkness' is fairly powerful and quite a bit more on. Maybe it just took a while for the band and the symphony to warm to one another.
   
   In all, `24 Nights' is bottled lightning. Clapton's guitar riffs shoot right out from the tracks and, with the exception of the symphony tracks, the music and the musicians are tight. `24 Nights' provides just about any music fan with a great listen, while dedicated Clapton fans will appreciate both the classic style as well as the experience and the maturity of a true rock legend.



2. 24 Nights is a concert that was recorded over the period of 9 evenings at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
   During the couse of the 24 evenings he uses essentially 2 bands and a band with an orchestra.
   The fist installment is his current band at the time.
   They do songs from his latest CD. The songs include, Pretending, Bad Love, Old Love, and Wonderful Tonight.
   The second phase is a blues phase with Robert Cray and Buddy Guy playing guitar with Chuck Berrys piano player Johnny Johnson.
   The Blues tracks in my mind are the best on the CD.
   Clapton does Watch Yourself, Worried Life Blues and Voodoo Man, as well as Have You Ever Loved A Woman.
   The third phase is with an orchestra that includes Bell Bottom Blues, Hard Times and Edge of Darkness.
   The version of Wonderful Tonight is haunting. He slows the song down and with Katie Kasssons vocals the song is outstanding.
   If you like Blues or if you like EC you need to get this one.



3. Solid and powerful music. The live recording quality is A+. A reminder that EC still has it. Make it part of your collection.



4. I love live Clapton releases. This is a good release but I feel the songs are rushed and bland compared to other "live" versions. I cannot stomach the end of "Wonderful Tonight", especially if you ever seen the video of it, sounds like a cat in heat...but there are highlights including the songs released during this time period "Pretending", "Bad Love", and a nice version of "Bell Bottom Blues"....maybe this was the 24th night, I just feel the energy had left the building.



5. This is an excellent compilation taken from 24 night run at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1990. This is a great CD for hardcore Clapton fans or for the unfamiliar music lover. The sound quality is top notch and the whole band is in fine form.

   Disc one- Badge is a great opener with a cathcy little piano riff that will bring a smile to your face and get your head boppin. White Room and Sunshine kick as usual although a little more soloing from Clapton and few other insturments would of been appreciated. A fun Watch Yourself and interesting Edge round out an overall solid disc that you will leave in your player for a long while

   Disc two- Pretending is my favorite song on the whole album and this song prooves that Clapton hasn't lost contrary to what some of his fans think. He still has the ability and the drive/energy, he just displays less often which is a little unfortuante. Both Bad and Old Love are good follow ups and the rest finish suit nicely.

   Bottom Line: a great two disc set. If you are new to Clapton than go with Crossroads 2 instead but if you don't want shell out a 50 than you might want to consider 24 nights although there are decent Clapton offerings for the rookies that might be better.

1 comments about The Weird Tapes No. 1: Dave Brock, Sonic Assassins.

1. One of the better Weird Tape collection,first five tracks "Over The Top","Magnu","Angels Of Death","Freefall" and "Death Trap" are a great sounding concert segment that was pulled from a live 1977 gig in Devon,UK.Then there's an outstanding version of "Nuclear Toy",that's a totally different and WAY better mix than the bonus cut that's tagged onto their 'Levitation' reissue.Tracks "The Dream 1","The Dream 2","Assassination" and "Satellite" are all Brock's solo work with "Satellite" being the best.This CD really kicks.Recommended.

1 comments about Sweet Forgiveness.

1. This live set by Joe Cocker was recorded on May 2, 1981 in Denver, Colorado. The liner notes give a historical perspective on Joe Cocker's career. After Luxury You Can Afford, Joe was dropped by his record label, which as I recall was Asylum. This two-year period without a recording contract before Sheffield Steel was released on Island was when this concert was recorded for American radio as Joe embarked on a world tour. While I've been totally enjoying Joe's new CD Hymn for My Soul, I thought I'd check out this live import. The live recording "Live in New York" that was recorded a year earlier sells for as much as $200; so this is certainly a more affordable choice.
   
   B.J. Wilson who was the drummer for Procol Harum played on this set with Joe and results in what I can find of the only recording of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Joe that I can find. Joe does some of the hits that made him famous like his signature song and first hit, the Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends." "Hitchcock Railway" from his second album also sounds joyful here. Soul classic "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" that appeared on "Luxury You Can Afford" gets a live workout here. Also from on that release is Joe's version of Bob Dylan's "Watchin' the River Flow" which boasts some stinging electric lead here on the live version. Ashford/Simpson's song "I Don't Wanna Live Without Lovin' You" is here as well as Dave Mason's classic hit for Joe, "Feelin' Alright." Joe loves the music of Jimmy Webb and recorded two tracks, "Just Like Always" that was on "Sheffield Steel" and his soulful version of "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" from I Can Stand a Little Rain. "The Letter" that was a 60s hit by the Box Tops before appearing on "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" shines here too.
   
   Joe rips a searing version of the title tune for this live set. "Sweet Forgiveness" appeared on the "Live in New York" set. While I found the song credited to Bonnie Bramlett & Leon Russell, I think that may be incorrect. Cocker often recorded songs by his friend Daniel Moore. Bonnie Raitt's title track recording from Sweet Forgiveness is credited to Moore; so I imagine this is the same song. Moore's "I Can't Say No" is on this live set. The sound quality is good on this 2-CD set from one of the all-time great rock interpreters. Enjoy!

No comments about The Animals with Sonny Boy Williamson.

2 comments about The Weird Tapes No. 5: Live '76 & '77.

1. Starts off with "Back On The Streets", a tune that several diehard fans I've touced base with do not dig this song at all.Maybe 'cause it's got a vibe similar to Saxon or say,Motley Crue.I,personally liked it.Next is a good version of "City Of Lagoon".Both are from a live 1976 gig,along with "Where Are They Now?".From an unlisted 1977 show,there's "Brainstorm","Wind Of Change" and a jammin' version of "Assassins Of Allah".One can really hear Simon House's violin playing on "Forge Of Vulcan" and "Steppenwolf"



2. If you're reading this review you're obviously famaliar with Hawkwind since this series is really for collectors, not the casual fan. I don't know what the original wierd tapes sounded like, but these reissues have a great song selection and fair to good sound quality. It isn''t Space Ritual or the 1999 Party but I'm happy that this series is available....

   1. Back on the Streets - I'm not crazy about this song but they do a good job and the sound quality is pretty good.

   2. City of Lagoon(s) - Nice

   3. Brainstorm - Different take on the Nik Turner Classic (to hear a REALLY different version check out Inner City Unit's Passout album feat. Nik Turner)...I really liked this version, the sound quality is very good

   4. Wind of Change - Definite drop in sound quality and playing - studio version is much better.

   5. Assassins of Allah (Hasan-I Shaba) - Very good version of a classic track. They pull it off well.

   6. Forge of Vulcan - Good playing, too bad I never liked this song

   7. Steppenwolf - AWESOME!! Almost worth it to get this CD just for this track

   8. Where are They Now - Never heard this before...Horrible sound quality but good song.

   Like I said, this series is meant for hardcore collectors who don't mind suffering a little quality. I own a ton of Hawkwind albums so watch for my reviews on a bunch of these albums in the near future. I'm glad this series is available.

1 comments about Dead Set.

1. I love this album. I am a (not so) old Deadhead, and this is probably one of my favorite albums of the Grateful Dead. The tracks keep you grooving right along, with an incredible start in Samson and Delilah, rockin right on through Friend of the Devil, Feel like a Stranger, Rhythm Devils, Fire on the Mountain - all these tunes are knocking on the gates of heaven. A MUST HAVE for any Dead Head or individual in need of a lesson in what music is REALLY all about.