In King Crimson's extensive catalog of archival recordings and box sets, The Great Deceiver (Live 1973-1974) is the undisputed winner, the item truly worth acquiring. The four-CD set Frame by Frame, released 18 months earlier, was light on material previously unavailable and included a few edits and overdubs on classic King Crimson tracks that shocked the fans. Epitaph, another four-CD collection culled from the group's first live shows in 1969, boasted understandably flawed sound and more repetitive content. But The Great Deceiver has it all. Over four discs, the set chronicles the on-stage activity between October 1973 and June 1974 of the most powerful King Crimson lineup. Robert Fripp, John Wetton, David Cross, and Bill Bruford were mostly performing material from their previous two LPs (Larks Tongues in Aspic and Starless and Bible Black)…
It is virtually impossible to write a review which does justice to this impressive release. No less than 4 CD’s at a time of one of the best dark ambient acts around, which has always stood more for quality than quantity. Since the early 90′s this German project, consisting of René Lehmann & Knut Enderlei, only released three albums, plus a couple of hard to obtain vinyl and tape releases and compilation appearances. All the material included in this boxset was recorded during live performances and rehearsal sessions. The recordings span almost their entire career, from 1995 to 2002, at appearances in Germany, France, Russia, Prague, the UK, the USA and Canada. While listening you will hardly notice that these are live recordings, since they were edited and mastered to create the highest possible sound quality…
It is virtually impossible to write a review which does justice to this impressive release. No less than 4 CD’s at a time of one of the best dark ambient acts around, which has always stood more for quality than quantity. Since the early 90′s this German project, consisting of René Lehmann & Knut Enderlei, only released three albums, plus a couple of hard to obtain vinyl and tape releases and compilation appearances. All the material included in this boxset was recorded during live performances and rehearsal sessions. The recordings span almost their entire career, from 1995 to 2002, at appearances in Germany, France, Russia, Prague, the UK, the USA and Canada. While listening you will hardly notice that these are live recordings, since they were edited and mastered to create the highest possible sound quality…
Space Debris hail from the Odenwald region in Germany. The members' main concern is to play improvised music reminiscent to 70s krautrock and psychedelic bands.
Into the Sun: Live at Burg Herzberg Festival 2006 (2007). These guys wear their 70s influences on their shirtsleeves and for a full blown heavy jamming prog-psych-krautrock experience you can do no better than Space Debris. Like their previous albums the guys get a jam going and just take off, with most of the tracks being in the 14-18 minute range, giving them plenty of room to stretch out and explore. This is a world where the guitar and Hammond organ reigns supreme dueling and trading leads throughout…
When David Bowie recorded what became DAVID LIVE at Philadelphia's Tower Theatre in July 1974, he had fully made the leap from Ziggy Stardust and landed feet-first into the shoes of the Thin White Duke. Despite announcing his retirement from live performance the year before, Bowie seemed no worse for wear fronting a ten-piece directed by future LETHAL WEAPON composer Michael Kamen and featuring new guitarist Earl Slick and horn player David Sanborn. This 2-CD set finds the chameleonic performer mixing in Ziggy-era classics such as "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" with material from DIAMOND DOGS ("Rebel Rebel," "1984"), ALADDIN SANE ("Cracked Actor") and HUNKY DORY ("Changes"). The fullness of the horn section and the style of his back-up band give this set a soulful tilt powered by Slick's ballsy playing. This, along with a cover of the Stax nugget "Knock On Wood," pointed at Bowie's immersion in a Philly soul direction that emerged full-fledged on YOUNG AMERICANS.
Sir Elton Hercules John CH CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has more than fifty Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including seven number ones in the UK and nine in the US, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the US…
This remarkable concert at the Paris Olympia in March 1960 features the same group(less Cannonball Adderley) that recorded 'Freddie Freeloader' on Miles Davis's classic album 'Kind of Blue' a year or so earlier but they sound very different here. John Coltrane was reluctant to be part of this European tour and was anxious to leave Miles and start his own band. Despite this he's in absolutely blistering form although some members of the audience are clearly perturbed by the intensity of his playing. The recording quality is excellent and it's a mystery why this concert hasn't received more attention.
Skillfully edited together from the handful of Wall shows Floyd performed between 1980 and 1981 (much of the recordings date from shows at Earl's Court in London), Is There Anybody out There? replicates The Wall live – which, of course, was a replication of the record, only with spectacular visuals. There are two songs not on the studio album – "What Shall We Do Now?," a tune pulled from the record at the 11th hour (early pressings still listed it on the sleeve), plus "The Last Few Bricks," which was an instrumental at the end of the first act that gave the crew time to finish building the wall – but they add nothing to the overall piece. There are no revelations at all, actually, with the possible exception of the layered harmonies on "Outside the Wall," which makes this coda seem like a full-fledged song. Since the show was so rigidly structured, there was little opportunity for the band to stretch out and jam. All of this means that Is There Anybody out There? is The Wall by any other name, and that it isn't for anybody but Floyd fanatics. Will this disappoint the less-dedicated listener? Not necessarily, since anybody familiar with The Wall will likely enjoy it as it's playing. The question is, how often will you put the record on? After all, if you want to hear this music, you'll listen to the studio recording. That doesn't really diminish the worth of Is There Anybody out There?, but it hardly makes it necessary, either. – Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine