5 comments about The Complete Studio Recordings.

1. This box set delivers as promised; it's the 6 studio albums by The Doors while Morrison was alive. Perfect. Plus a 7th disc of rare and extra stuff that is a nice bonus. I'd rather have regular CD cases over the paper "LP" sleeves because of durability, but the little cardboard album replicas are cool while they last. The book contains some good essays on each album, but I would have liked more studio notes and details about the sessions and recording. This is a five star box set because it's all of the Doors' albums, of which most are five star albums themselves. I got this box set used here on Amazon for $24 - a great deal for 7 CDs in all. I've been a fan of the Doors for decades, and am very happy I finally got them all on CD to replace my old, scratched, worn out LP records. If you love the Doors and want all of their albums at once, this box set is perfect. The remastered CDs in this box set do sound better than my previous Waiting For The Sun and self-titled debut The Doors CDs and are a clear upgrade in quality.



2. El producto es muy bueno. Para los fanaticos de The Doors es algo invaluable. Lo único es que se habla de las grabaciones completas en estudio, pero los que compramos el box set sabemos que no es verdad. Hace falta los dos lanzamientos que hicieron The Doors luego de fallecido Jim, full Circle y Other voices. Así Jim halla muerto y sea una figura representativa del grupo, The Doors continuó su obra, la cual en mi opinión sigue siendo muy buena. Por supuesto, se debe evitar comparar la voz de Jim con la de sus compañeros. En conclusión sugiero la compra de este producto y adquirir por aparte los trabajos faltantes, incluso se puede añadir American Prayer. Para compensar la ausencia de los dos discos, el box set nos trae un CD con rarezas musicales del grupo.



3. I have this and The Doors Box Set, both are awesome! For the car I have Legacy: Absolutely The Best. The complete studio recordings is 7 cd's. 6 remastered studio albums and an Essential Rarities disc culled from the other 4 disc box set. It's a great bonus disc for this set. Alot of the "hodge-podge" box sets (as I call them) have an Essential disc such as Janis 18 Essential songs which is culled from a box set. In this case it gives this box set some non-studio stuff to spice it up. And it does just the right trick!
   
   Originally, I bought this to replace my Doors cd collection. A friend of mine got this and I was able to compare sound quality between what I had on cd (first generation discs) and what was now available. I was also concerned 'Would this be the last time I'd need to upgrade?' And the answer is yes. I think I'm hearing as close to what was on the original albums (vinyl) as possible. That and the benefits of the digital media, it's all good.
   
   The box set itself is nice with full-color artwork, a nice booklet, 7 cd's in what appear to be their original album artwork complete with little slipcases for the cd's like the vinyl used to have. If I only had ONE box set, this one was done right.
   
   Personally, I like both types of boxsets. The ones including a bunch of remastered cd's are always nice for an upgrade or first place to start. The hodge-podge style is more for the die-hard fan and includes studio, live, alternate cuts, previously unreleased goodies, warts and all. These type generally make the artist more tangible in a human sort of way.
   
   All and all this is a very good set and worth every penny.



4. Im surpised at the rating of this boxset. This is a 5 star boxset. Each album as it was originally released. Each album comes in a cardbox replica of the original LP with a paper sleeve. All lyrics are included. Many photos inlcuded, some unreleased. Good liner notes. Top notch remasters. Complete studio recording of the Doors with Jim Morrison (lets face it folks, without him, is a different ball game). That is my definition of a 5 star package. These are the minor flaws I found. 1) Still, we dont have any mono mixes of the albums. 2) The booklet is glued and comes apart after a few readings. 3) I also had to re-glued my mini LPs, not enough glue was applied. 4) I think 100 dlls for 7 discs is a little pricey for Cds that can be purchased separately at a lower price. All things considered, the box set is the way to go to get all the Doors albums.



5. A band like The Doors rarely ever comes around, a band so original, inspired and of such abstract thought that they cause your jaw to hit the floor in awe. Though you can get a mild interpertation of what the band is about through a greatest hits disc, your money is better spent investing in a box set as such, which contains all six of the bands stuido albums and a bonus sampler from another box set which contains several rarities including an unreleased song. The set itself is beautifully packaged, each CD in an LP like case including a protective sleeve around the disc complete with the artwork on it each disc cover is that of the original record label. Depsite what many have said and will say this is worth your money, and if you go and look at your local CD store the prices of these CD's individually are much more expensive contrary to the belief that this set is not even a value.

4 comments about Cristo Redentor plus Selected Sessions.

1. On a hot August night at the Fillmore in San Francisco 1967, the Charlie Musslewhite Blues Band featuring a young Harvey Mandel on lead guitar opened for Cream. The second act before the top bill (Cream's first US appearance!) was the Paul Butterfield Blues Band with Bloomfield and Bishop. Obviously, this was an incredible show - especially for your reviewer, a 21 year old UC Davis college kid. Clapton let Harvey use his "wall" of 100 watt Marshall amps and he ROCKED! The esteemed music columnist for the S.F. Chronicle, Ralph Gleason, said Mandel had never sounded better.
   I remember Harvey prowling the Fillmore stage, rocking with Charlie and his band and SOUNDING F***ING awesome! Needless to say, the other acts were mind-blowing....but this review is about Harvey. "Cristo Redentor" blew my mind when it came out. I am thrilled that it is available on CD. It is one of the few "lost gems' from the 60's that still stands up to scrutiny.



2. Why is there only 1 other review of this album--it's only one of the finest CDs ever made by a musician!



3. As well as this cd has stood the test of time, try to imagine: A very young, unknown Chicago guitarist, releasing a non-jazz, (and really not quite any other style music known up to that point),all-instrumental album ,in the late 60's, with an entirely new guitar sound. Astounding..one the major breakhoughs in modern guitar.///(6/3/2006, afterthought): ///As a rock/blues/experimental, mainly instrumental artist , Mandel's been in the shadow of Jeff Beck's greater renown. With that in mind, I ask you to listen to this '60s recording,(and his others of this period), and compare them to much of the very recent work by Jeff Beck. It's beginning to look more and more as though Mandel was the one truly ahead of his time.///



4. The editorial reviewer said it all. If you like guitar wizards, jazz rock, how to be Flash without being leadfooted (oh if the drummers of today could learn from the restraint of earlier masters...) and have an appreciation for historic recordings which opened new possibilities for the evolution of popular music, then for you this album really is indispensible. And the title cut, which is mostly vocal with a very restrained guitar part, is a glorious arrangement with soaring wordless voices singing with heartbreaking purity. It is one of those cuts which can bring conversations to a halt as people stop everything to listen. If you were around in the glory days of underground FM radio, you probably heard it at 2AM some nights, gently framing the end of the day with majestic serenity.

5 comments about Dick's Picks, Vol. 13: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, 5/6/81.

1. I quite enjoy this show. Brent Mydland's keyboards are prominent in the mix. He is a much more appropriate and productive player for this band than Keith Godcheaux had been for 7 or so years, and he helps to keep this set moving along nicely.

   The song choices are nice, the peformances good, the fidelity is good if not definitive. The jamming on discs 2 and 3 is pretty good - again, Mydland helps to keep things moving. On the whole a very good night for the Grateful Dead and for the audience.




2. YES!!

   But buy DP 5 first




3. The list price shown on this page says .... The price over at the Grateful Dead store is only $.... Save yourself a ... and go directly to the source.

   However if you choose to use Amazon, I would give this album 5 stars, it rocks like most of the Dicks Picks Collection.




4. This is a popular tape that's been circulated since... 1981. Ha! It's a good show with some unusual transitions and breakdowns that lend to its longevity as a favorite tape. Also, the entire performance has an ethereal quality to it... that is... for lack of a better word... enchanting. Maybe this is why it's such a popular tape? So now it's officially on CD. Brent's keyboards are a bit too forward in the mix, but overall, these CDs beat listening to old hissy cassettes. Disk 2 has a bonus Scarlet/Fire which lasts 30 minutes and, in my opinion, is OK but nothing special.



5. The review of this show in the Grateful Dead Compendium states that it is one of the strongest shows of the Dead's career. I attended the previous night, 5/5/81, and that was a great show. But this one--5/6/81--is awesome. Fully deserving of 5 stars in my opinion. A must have.

3 comments about Dance to the Music.

1. The title song was a breakthrough, not just for the group (though it was their first hit), but for the world of popular music in general: it was an early example of a funk song, and it has some elements of rap (the percussion-and-voice part in particular). And then there's, um, a lot of recycling: good as it is, the twelve-minute "Dance to the Medley" is pretty much a twelve-minute rewrite of "Dance to the Music"; "Ride the Rhythm" and "Are You Ready" are similar, only lame: unlike "Medley", they don't work as dance tracks, so all their flaws (simplistic lyrics; predictable chord progressions; dull melodies) come to the fore. And "Higher" is notable only for being an ancestor of "I Want to Take You Higher" - it's truly a boring song outside of its minor historical importance. And "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is a pained soul ballad. That leaves a couple pretty good songs: the soulful "I Ain't Got No One (for Real)", and the group's first pro-integration anthem, "Color Me True".



2. After the relative commercial failure of their debut record "A Whole New Thing", Sly Stone was pressured by his record company to put out a pop single, and he turnd out a monster. "Dance to the Music" charted well, introduced by its shouted declaration ("get on up and dance to the music!"), vocal breaks, and great funky backbeat while the band introduces themselves to get going, it's about as strong a pop hook as anyone could hope for and a great song. But as great as it is, it ends up being pretty much the undoing of the album that shares its title. I don't know if Stone was afraid to stray from the formula the label wanted or if he was pressured to do so, but "Dance to the Music" (the album) ends up using the title track's chord progressions for half a dozen cuts, creating a pretty stunning lack of variance on the record. Making matters worse, some of the other material is so weak that you actually find yourself wishing it used the same chord progression as everything else.
   
   I realize this is a pretty sharp criticism, but the record opens up with the great title track, it's hot and exciting and powerful. The second time I hear it ("Dance to the Medley", a 12 minute rewrite of "Dance to the Music"), I've had enough. When I get to hear it a third ("Ride the Rhythm") and fourth time ("Are You Ready"), I've pretty much had enough. It doesn't help that there's a bunch of subpar songs at the beginning of the record either ("Higher" is actually ok, but it'd get rewritten in a couple years as "I Want to Take you Higher", a much superior cut, "I Ain't Go Nobody" is bland funk). The real notable exception to all of this is "Don't Burn Baby"-- featuring a fantastic vocal from Sly Stone, a great, funky back beat, and an organ dominating the whole piece, this one is highly unique even in the catalog of Sly Stone.
   
   This reissue remasters the album, appends several bonus tracks, and includes both the original liner notes and a new essay on the record. The sonic upgrade is very much worthwhile, the record sounds crisp and clean.
   
   I'm sure it's pretty clear "Dance to the Music" isn't my favorite Sly & the Family Stone record-- the band would go on to a series of fantastic records starting with 1968's "Life". "Dance to the Music" is a single, not an album, this one is really for diehards only.



3. In my humble opinion,the title track that starts off this album is one of the most perfect pop and soul songs ever recorded!!!It blasts right into existance,spotlights each musician and who can't sing it?It's a MUSICAL DIRECTIVE that's been going on for generation after generation.Obviously one doesn't expect the rest of this album to be able to keep up.But BY GOLLY IT DOES and with plenty more to burn;as an album,but purely a single 'Dance To The Music' is leaps ahead of A Whole New Thing in terms of songwriting and even energym,plenty of which is present on that debut.So what exactly does Sly do here?He just makes sure people who loved the classic single and bought this album hoping to hear more got JUST THAT!"Higher" is also enormous fun-so fresh,bouncy and carnavalesqe that Sly elected to UTTERLY transform it for another big hit on Stand! (you know the one).Then there's "Dance To The Medley"-the title track fleshed out and extended into a KILLER twelve minutes jam where the musicians don't just get spotlighted but DISTINCT SOLOS (Larry Graham's crackling fuzz bass being the highlite of course)and what comes next?Yet MORE catchy,hook filled funky tunes to make you DANCE "Ride The Rhythm",Color Me True","Are You Ready",the more creeping psychedelia of "Don't Burn Baby" and "I'll Never Fall In Love Again".And the bonus cuts?Well aside from th single edit of the title song and "Higher" you get "Soul Clappin","We Love All", the amazing "I Can't Turn You Loose" (don't know why it didn't make the final cut) and 'Never Do Your Woman Wrong",so it's all more more MORE!!!!So 'Dance To The Music' is not only Sly's greatest early album but actually not a bad place to get an introduction to his music.And try to listen to this album,stay still and NOT BE ABLE to avoid breaking out in a sweat!If Amazon let me give this twenty stars,that wouldn't be enough!!!Amazing!!

3 comments about The Move.

1. this is an excellent debut record that also includes their early singles, outtakes, etc. the move were an incredible band, among the best of their era. these early recordings are a lot poppier than their later excursions into psychedelia, heavy metal, classical rock etc. i think the stuff that they did on shazam, message from the country, etc. is their best, but it is all great. i would probably give both shazam and message from the country an a+, and this debut and looking on an a or a- for a grade, quite simply, this band's entire output is essential. this first album features a few fine covers: moby grape's brilliant 'hey grandma' from their outstanding debut, and 'weekend' by eddie cochran, who was a big influence on this band. there is also a bizarre rendition of the old standard 'zing went the strings of my heart'! , lead vocals are sung by the band's drummer, bev bevan- with his strange deep voicehe sounds like a troll on this cut. the originals are excellent late sixties pop , such as the big hit 'fire brigade', 'here we go round the lemon tree' (which was covered by jeff lynne's fine band the idle race-jeff would, of course, join a later move lineup), 'useless information'( a quite satirical look at junk culture with witty lyrics from roy wood), and cherry blossom clinic, the most psychedelic song on this album- it would be redone on the shazam album with incredible results. the band plays extremely well together, and the move featured several great vocalists , their harmonizing was superb as well. the lyrics are quite good , too and this debut certainly belongs in the collection of fans of this band and the offshoot bands, 60's enthusiasts, and anyone who likes british music of the era.



2. this is an excellent debut record that also includes their early singles, outtakes, etc. the move were an incredible band, among the best of their era. these early recordings are a lot poppier than their later excursions into psychedelia, heavy metal, classical rock etc. i think the stuff that they did on shazam, message from the country, etc. is their best, but it is all great. i would probably give both shazam and message from the country an a+, and this debut and looking on an a or a- for a grade, quite simply, this band's entire output is essential. this first album features a few fine covers: moby grape's brilliant 'hey grandma' from their outstanding debut, and 'weekend' by eddie cochran, who was a big influence on this band. there is also a bizarre rendition of the old standard 'zing went the strings of my heart'! , lead vocals are sung by the band's drummer, bev bevan- with his strange deep voicehe sounds like a troll on this cut. the originals are excellent late sixties pop , such as the big hit 'fire brigade', 'here we go round the lemon tree' (which was covered by jeff lynne's fine band the idle race-jeff would, of course, join a later move lineup), 'useless information'( a quite satirical look at junk culture with witty lyrics from roy wood), and cherry blossom clinic, the most psychedelic song on this album- it would be redone on the shazam album with incredible results. the band plays extremely well together, and the move featured several great vocalists , their harmonizing was superb as well. the lyrics are quite good , too and this debut certainly belongs in the collection of fans of this band and the offshoot bands, 60's enthusiasts, and anyone who likes british music of the era.



3. It's hard to be objective here; MOVE as been one of my all-time favorite albums now for over 20 years! The original "super-group" (in the true sense of the word), The Move was made up of 5 of the best musicians from the 4 best (but unsuccessful) bands in Birmingham. Led by writer-producer-multi-instrumentalist ROY WOOD and (early on) lead singer CARL WAYNE, they were extremely popular & successful in England in the late 60's. But they never MADE it in America! Which is a shame, because every song on the disc is a standout. The powerful opener "Yellow Rainbow" (which warns of nuclear fallout & contains some of BEV BEVAN's most exciting drumming); "Kilroy Was Here" (a tribute to graffiti artists); "(Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree" (the silly lengths some will go to to impress a girl!); "Weekend" (an Elvis-style rock & roller); "Walk Upon The Water" (please don't drink & drive); "Flowers In The Rain" (a #1 hit in the UK and deservedly so). Even "Zing Went the Strings Of My Heart" (a 1929 song played with a late-50's arrangement-- a double-anachronism-- with a Ted Cassidy-inspired vocal tacked on for really perverse measure!). And on it goes. The Move eventually "evolved" into The Electric Light Orchestra-- and THIS is where it all REALLY started! Amazingly enough, the ELO album this reminds me of the most is OUT OF THE BLUE-- except for the strings being studio musicians.

   Since the still-recent 3-CD box set MOVEMENTS, several packages have been released, most with bonus tracks, and this is no exception. But I'd personally recommend the box set, as it has everything from their first 3 albums and more, and the 2 45s "Night Of Fear" (which includes the "1812 Overture" as its base line) & "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" (with more of Bevan's best-ever drumming) are at the beginning where, chronologically, they really belong. And, if this is your thing, I'd also recommend TOMORROW, THE BEST OF MANFRED MANN, THE COMPLETE EPISODE SIX and The Beatles' MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR. (Now, when will The Banana Splits be put on CD?)

5 comments about The Seeds/A Web of Sound.

1. The Seed's first two lp's reissued on one CD,both with a 1966 release date.Simply a great garage/psych title that more than stands the test of time.Ideal for newcomers.Total of nineteen tracks that managed to hold my full attention.I noticed that on several of the tunes off the first s/t record here,that the main riffs SEEM to be borrowed from the three-chord riff from "Pushin' Too Hard".That's fine because it appears to work in this case.Very much so.Cuts I found most appealing were "Can't Seem To Make You Mine","Evil Hoodoo",their immortal(previously mentioned)"Pushin' Too Hard","Mr.Farmer","Tripmaker","I Tell Myself" and the 14-minute epic "Up In Her Room".Recommended for fans of Human Expression,Amboy Dukes,The Barbarians,The Troggs and Easybeats.



2. I love the Seeds but I am appalled at how a record company can allow such a substandard CD into the market place. One of the tracks ('Tripmaker') is ruined by a sudden blast of some completely different music! (A female singer). It sounds as if when the album was being mastered or whatever, a dozy employee accidentally flicked a switch and managed to stick some other (non-Seeds) music on this CD. It's incredible! Don't they check CDs before they distribute them? Does Edsel/Demon/Westside have no quality control? 'Avoid'!!!



3. When the conversation turns to the Seeds, their first album tends to be the one highlighted by those who strain for the least arduous way to let the uninitiated hear why this loopy quartet earned their legend as garage proto-psychedelics. It's the band's most accessible set (not merely because of the presence of their two bona-fide hit singles, "Can't Seem To Make You Mine"--which the Ramones couldn't resist including on their own 60s tribute, "Acid Eaters"--and "Pushin' Too Hard," the Seeds single even nonfans don't mind hearing once a year at minimum) and, over a decade before the Dead Boys picked the phrase for their own debut, the Seeds were young, loud, and snotty (just listen real carefully to Sky Saxon's warbling snarl) without aiming merely to blow out the woofer.
   
   But the hardcore Seedlings point to "A Web of Sound" as the band's unqualified masterwork. You can pick any number of reasons why, from the stripped-Doors style of "Pictures and Designs" and "A Faded Picture" (which, in its idiosyncratic ballad delivery, anticipated the original Modern Lovers' "Hospital") to that impeccable epic of teenage lust smothered in a hookah haze, "Up In Her Room," which wrings out what "Gloria's" subject and protagonist were really up to after midnight, assuming a small quantity of controlled substances were among the consumables consumed. If their publicity was deliberately affected and pretentious ("...leader Sky Saxon's lyrics say today's teens are...the seeds of the next generation which will flower into something very beautiful," went one blurb I remember seeing; "Our music is definitely not rock and roll; our music is blossoming forth with power and colour," went another, attributed to Saxon himself, which was pretty audacious for a guy whose rock and roll heart probably was "Up In Her Room," after all), their attack was anything but. This was rock and roll just before it became just too cool to be mere rock and roll anymore.
   
   And the Seeds themselves seemed to know it going in. It's probably a good bet that the band--or Saxon himself, anyway--had more than a small quantity of said substances in their system for what transpired afterward. When they came back down from up in her room, they went on to make one badly-advised and executed concept album ("Future") and a weakly-recorded live album ("Raw & Alive," though you get enough indication that these guys were pretty fly in front of the right audience), in between which appeared what was a blues album ("A Spoon Full of Seedy Blues," credited to the Sky Saxon Blues Band) just about in name only.
   
   The Seeds might have graduated from there into just a pleasant if loopy memory if Lenny Kaye hadn't butted in and included "Pushin' Too Hard" among the "Nuggets" of his classic original 1960s psychedeligarage anthology. From there, at least a couple of new generations used that entree to give bands like the Seeds a deeper pull. Usually meaning the first two albums. Appropriately.
   
   Those are still the two main reasons the Seeds mattered in the first place. A secondary reason, possibly: the sound and style on those two sets--the cheeseball organ riffing, the cheapo-distorto guitar, the rumbling drumming, Saxon's snarling warble--probably planted more seeds into what was to come from the original (read: the electric) Modern Lovers, the Fleshtones, maybe even Iggy and the Stooges (who could have been the result of what went down "Up In Her Room," if you thought hard enough about it), than people including those who populated those bands (and others) might suspect.



4. In my opinion, the repetitive (and in some cases obviously derived) nature of the first album is enough to warrant a mixed rating for this release. It would be an unfair overgeneralization of the Seeds for one to say that every song is like the classic "Pushin' Too Hard," but as noted by other reviewers, a number of the songs (No Escape, Evil Hoodoo, etc.) do tend to recycle riffs and ideas from the band's lone top 40 hit. In addition, the track "Nobody Spoil My Fun" sounds like an obvious re-write of the Stones cover "Down Home Girl." That said, the first album is still a lot of fun - sort of a wild and trashy brand of rock'n'roll with strangeness and attitude. Also of importance, the electric piano has a mysterious sound, one unique to the Seeds. The instrument is not one often found in garage rock.
   
   I find the Seeds "minimalism" to be charming, if not wholly artistically successful. Case in point, "Evil Hoodoo" reminds me of some of what the Velvet Underground would later accomplish with their own seeming brand of drug induced instrumentation, yet it doesn't have the strong lyrical flourishes Lou Reed was known for. Another highlight was the almost top 40 "Can't Seem to Make You Mine." This cut gets me every time, as Saxon sounds completely out of his mind in his desire for a girl.
   
   The second album Web of Sound was an improvement, and wound up as the best album the Seeds ever put out. This was chiefly because on Web of Sound, the Seeds had more adventure and variation in the songwriting. Indeed, I would argue that "Pictures and Designs" represents a top-notch effort in early psychedelia with its dark organ, snarling fuzz, sinister vocal exclamations, and out and out dementia. "I Tell Myself" was also a fine Stones-like lighter number. In addition, the overlong "Up In Her Room" has to be considered innovative on some level, because there would be some similarity in the Velvets' "Sister Ray" a little over a year later. And let us not forget the oddball "Mr. Farmer," where Saxon utters the ludicrous line "Mr. Farmer let me harvest your crops [sss]." Though a mixed bag, I would say that the second album was the one to most clearly represent the vision of Saxon and company. All in all, I would recommend this CD, which includes all of the Seeds first two albums, to music fans interested in garage rock.



5. As was mentioned in another Seeds review, people in the early psychedelic age weren't allowed to trip alone or without an explanation of what might occur. The Seeds in their own way move along this same path. Given that Richard Marsh had already remade himself into both "Sky Saxon" AND "Marcus Tybalt", he was both a singer and the singers' publicist. The music, from the enjoyable but unlikely hits "Pushin'" and "Can't Seem" to more experimental stuff like "Mr. Farmer" and "Up in Her Room" covers all of the early ground that so many other of their knowing and inadvertent followers recovered so many times between 1963 and 1969, the end of The First Golden Era. Some reviewers refer to the "repetitive" nature of some of this music: at the time, we looked at it more as a trance-state inducing mechanism. That was the reason for almost ALL of the early, long form songs from Love, the Rolling Stones and The Doors. It was to get your mind from wherever it was to wherever your degree of chemical and mental preparation could take you. It still works for me. Oddly enough The Ramones covered I Can't Seem To Make You Mine, a perfect loop-end for a garage song. Seeds note: the band appeared in Psych-Out, one of the semi-correct hippie movies of the era and also on the sitcom (yes) the Mothers-in-law which starred Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden. Sky and the boys get hired to play at a birthday party and sing a psychedelic version of "The Three Little Fishes" song, with Kaye and Eve in "hippie" regalia. Too bad that isn't on one of these discs - that'd tame your trip tout suite!

5 comments about Vrooom Vrooom.

1. Vroom Vroom is a tale of two performances, one done in Mexico City in 1996, and one done in New York City in 1995. The performance in Mexico City is flawless and very exciting. Not only is the band spot on with the music, but the audience is very involved as well. Just listen to the crowd reaction when they play Red and 21st Century Schizoid Man.
   
   The second performance in New York City, while great has a flaw or two in it that, I think, pulls down the rating to 4.5 stars. For the most part, the performance is typically brilliant, but then we stumble into the rushed Indiscipline. I noticed in the liner notes that Trey Gunn felt that things kind of got away from the band in this performance, and I would have to agree. Thankfully, the band makes a nice recovery. One track that I think was unnecessarily added was 'Free As A Bird', a track from the Belew album 'BelewPrints'. The biggest complaint is that Belew spaces on the lyrics, but the crowd is gracious. I'd rather have done without this track. But the cd ends quite nicely with a brilliant performance (done in LA in 1995), of Walking On Air.
   
   So, while the second performance seems slightly flawed to me, I'd still recommend this cd to King Crimson fans. If a double cd seems too much, there's an abbreviated EP titled Vroom that should satisfy the curious.



2. if you like this version of k.c., you can't miss with these cd's. the mexico city set is much heavier and mostly instrumental. the sound is "in your face" live and couldn't be better.



3. This is a two cd set with disc two being a "best of" of the Collector's club release On Broadway. I like the first disc better than the second although I might be in the minority on that. The first disc which is recorded in Mexico City was only available as a download. It begins with a classic version of Vroom, Vroom which is a great instrumental as is Coda:Marine 475. Dinosaur was one of the songs released as a cd single off the band's then current Thrak cd. Next up are B'boom and Thrak giving us 5 Thrak songs all in a row. Next we get a couple of songs from the Larks Tongues In Aspic album The Talking Drum into Larks Tongues In Aspic(Part Two) which are as good as the rest. This is followed by the Beat song Neurotica which really hasn't been released alot. Prism is such a cool tune. Red finds the Double Trio playing this classic in fine fashion. The Improv: Biker Babes Of The Rio Grande is fun and Schizoid Man is wonderful. Disc two also has some really good moments such as Thela Hun Ginjeet, People, One Time, Indiscipline, Elephant Talk and Three Of A Perfect Pair as well as a cover of Free As A Bird. The filler is Walking On Air from the Wiltern(also a Collector's Club release).



4. Do not listen to this if you are trying to quit smoking. Whenever I listen to _VROOOM VROOOM_, I need precious smoke to calm down afterwards. Some turkey would be good too. Actually, it's almost ceremonial in a way. Honestly, there's not too much that can be said about this release. It's true that you can get most of the package here from two separate King Crimson collector's club discs, although I think this has a few different tracks. But it's hard to argue that this _isn't_ the ultimate live document of the terrorizing Double Trio incarnation. Disc one, from Mexico City, is onslaught after brutal onslaught, disorienting and scary but actually pretty fun. Even by the time "Dinosaur" is over, you've been battered and bruised by the hyper-complex assailment...but it gets CRAZIER. "B'Boom" sounds like the war ritual of a beastman army before it marches to battle. Then "THRAK" enters like a nightmare from the depths of Hell where even devil princes fear to tread, but it is stripped down and with so much room to breathe it manages to be even more menacing. Hearing the Double Trio rip up "Neurotica" (the nastiest song from _Beat_) is just deranged. Then the weirdo-funky percussion jam "Prism", which kind of reminds me of Thinking Plague's "Organism", then "Red" with those familiar ascending Octatonic scales that have never sounded so bloodthirsty. The dual percussion really brings this one to a new level. Bringing it to a close is a juicy rendition of "21st Century Schizoid Man". Disc two, from NYC, has the Double Trio playing some more goodies from _THRAK_ and reinterpreting a lot of great MK IV songs, breathing new life into them (not that they were DEAD or anything, but you know). Instead of more wacky descriptions that I like coming up with, I'll just say it is excellent and fun to hear -- especially since the studio versions sound so TEPID compared to these ones. And of course hearing the surreal beauty of "One Time" and "Walking on Air" is always a treat.



5. It's hard to write a review of something i love as much as this KC set and still be helpful. I saw them during this tour in Seattle in '95 and took my wife and she instantly became a fan. This must have been a pivotal moment in the evolution of Crimson. One might think two stick players and two drummers might be a bit dense...well yes, but each one of these musicians is so talented and unique and the mix is so good that each performer stands out. I was particularly impressed by the way Mastelotto and Bruford (the two drummers) worked together, not entirely unlike the master/apprentice relationship in Indian Raga Music. With the exception of Discipline (1981), i think this one is their best.

No comments about Psychedelic States: Wisconsin In The 60's.

5 comments about Legendary Grape.

1. I have been a fan since the opening chords of NAKED IF I WANT TO...and have ridden the MG roller coaster. I even did a favorable editorial on them in CREEM MAGAZINE back in '72 or '73. I know the history of the band as well as any true follower. I must now make a bold statement: This 'album' is a continuation of the work of the first four original LPs.
   This could seriouly have been entitled "MOBY GRAPE '89". I put it on the level of MOBY GRAPE '69 and TRULY FINE CITIZEN. I know of the existence of GRAPE JAM and "SILVERWHEELS"... (and I am excluding for the moment, "20 Granite Creek") but those two albums had too much outside influence. "LEGENDARY" is just the Grape...just the four (5) of them.
   The playing, singing and songwriting is excellent. My favorite tunes (I love them all) are YOU'LL NEVER KNOW, CHANGING and GETTIN' USED TO BEING TREATED WRONG. BUY THIS LP IF YOU ARE A TRUE FAN...AND IF YOU ARE NOT YET ONE...WELL, YOU JUST MIGHT BECOME ONE.
   Vince Lucie (aka Vince DeLucia)



2. I've had this for a couple of years, but with thousands of titles to listen to things get lost in the pack. Thank God for Ipods I put it in a month ago and can't stop playing it. This is without a doubt the equal of their 1st. I do not say that lightly. But from the blistering All My Life to the beautiful Bitter Wind in Tanganika this is Powerful. I won't review each song, not necessary. I'll just say it again the equal of the 1st.



3. What makes me mad in listening to this CD is that with all the people involved in recording Moby Grape and all their friends and family, no one cared enough to maybe mention to them they needed to practice a little more and work on their individual singing. When the first few songs begin to play, I thought this is sort of taking up where "69" and "20 Grantite Creek" left off.
   Moby Grape was a GREAT band back in their day. Bob Mosley's vocals were outstanding - very soulful. This could have been a great CD. Instead, it's decent because it's the original Moby Grape. But they could have taken a little more time to work out arrangements and gotten a little tighter in some areas - although I get the feeling they don't care about how good they are and probably wouldn't have made any sort of serious effort anyways.
   Miller, Lewis and Mosley's vocals need help. Personally, I would have brought in a vocal coach (even now) to get their vocals back in shape so that they could sound as close to the old Grape as possible.
   Having said all of that, this is a good record. They could have/should have cleaned up some parts here and there better. Most of the songs are typical Grape. Some could have been left out.
   Overall, if you're a Grape fan, this CD is good.



4. This album gives a flavor of the genius of the Moby Grape. One can only imagine what they could have achieved without the hassles. When they are tight the harmonies are brilliant as is the guiter playing. When we listen to the songs and say that sounds like The Doobie Brothers or some other band we have to think back to before there were the Doobies or Little Feat there was the Moby Grape. Eventhough they never achieved the level of greatness they deserved, they had a greater effect on many bands that followed than most people realize.



5. What a pleasant suprise to find this! This is the real Grape doing what they do best. My favorites include "It don't take much", "You can depend on me", "Telephone love", yeah I know they're all sung by Bob but hey, what a voice. The guy sings like Otis Redding. A big suprise to me was how funky Pete's rhythm guitar playing is, and good vocals too. Jerry Miller is STILL one of the premier and under-rated guitar players in rock and he does it all with one guitar. Don drumming is great, check out "Depend on me" and the fat groove he provides for the band. Is there a better soulful singing drummer ANYWHERE? I have been a fan since seeing them first in 1966 and let me tell you they were killer then and they still are now. They are the BEST SAN FRANCISCO BAND I ever saw, and I saw them all. RIP Skippy.
   P.S. forget about MK, he is a bitter old man.

2 comments about Retrospectives.

1. En la descripción de este DVD dice que posee subtitulos en español, pero si bien al colocar los subtitulos, estos no aparecen, no posee en su menú la opción de seleccionar subtitulos. Es falso que posee subtitulos en Español, ni en ningún idioma. La descripción de este DV que aparece en sus características es falsa en este ítem.



2. The best that is now and will ever will be. David is no spring chicken anymore but he is still the best around. I can listen to his playing all day long. If I could only play like that!