Yes, I admit that it took a bit of convincing to get the 13 year old to agree to come with me and that’s understandable. I mean, these guys aren’t spring chickens by any means and are more likely to appear on the cover of AARP than Rolling Stone magazine. But come on, John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe are legends of 70′s prog rock! And this was the FIRST time they’ve come to Raleigh so I just had to go to show my support as well as educate the young one on how *real rock musicians* play live.

And fortunately Asia did not disappoint. Yes, the members of Asia all look like your average “grandpa” but they can still ROCK. Wetton’s voice sounds stronger than ever – even singing the majority of the old 80′s tunes in their original key. Howe still amazes on the guitar. Downes has reduced the size of his keyboard rig but can still get those signature synths sounds we all know and love. And as for Palmer – man, he’s still a monster behind that double-bass drum kit. Yes, Palmer still has issues with tempo but when you’re there in the audience being pummeled by the mammoth wall of sound that the four of them create, tempo can blissfully be ignored.

highlights for me included: Palmer’s requisite drum solo – definitely worth the price of admission alone, “Holy War”, the unplugged version of “Don’t Cry”, “Time Again” and “Sole Survivor”.

There were a few noticeable rough patches though. Wetton had a hard time remembering the words to “Days Like These” and had to use a prompter. and Howe fudged the signature riff during “Heat of the Moment”. But man, I still enjoyed the show regardless.

As for my 13 year old – he gave me a thumbs up at the end of the night and I’ll accept that since he basically went along to please his old man. Hopefully concerts like this one will instill in him a reference point for what great musicianship is all about. It’s sad to think about but this level of musicianship may not be around when my son gets to be my age.

other random thoughts about the show:
- I wonder what they’re using to flesh out the harmonies during the big choruses especially since Howe and Palmer don’t sing. I suspect some real-time vocal harmonizer device of some sort.

- it was disappointing to see that the 2200 seat auditorium was a little over half full. I guess the concert promoter overestimated what Asia would draw here in Raleigh. It’s not the band’s fault since they don’t decide on the venues. but hopefully the promoter didn’t take too much of a hit for this gig.

- that being said, I like Memorial auditorium (except for the small bathrooms). The seats are nice, the staff is laidback and the section near the stage has plenty of room to move around.

- Geoff Downes didn’t have his keytar on this tour. I miss it.

- love the deep bass sound Wetton was getting with those Moog Taurus 3 bass pedals. it shook the building whenever it was used. nice!!

- Steve Howe had a Line6 Variax on a stand for the sitar sound. I personally didn’t think it was worth the trouble. the variax didn’t sound all that great. maybe a mix issue?

- and kudos to the band for including a healthy chunk of their new songs in the set list. I’m sure it’s easier just to rely on old favorites but the new stuff held their own. The set included 4 from Omega and 2 from Phoenix.

retroGrade: A

Asia
at Progress Energy Center Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
Raleigh, NC
17 August 2010

The band members: John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, Steve Howe

set list:
I Believe
Only Time Will Tell
Holy War
Never Again
Through My Veins
Don’t Cry (Wetton and Downes)
Steve Howe solo
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (Wetton and Downes for Part I, full band for Part II)
Open Your Eyes
-intermission-
Go
Time Again
An Extraordinary Life
End of the World
The Heat Goes On (w/ drum solo)
Sole Survivor
-encore-
Days Like These
Heat Of The Moment

—

Related posts:

1. Asia presale tickets for Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
2. Asia Omega – U.S. Summer Tour Dates – August 2010
3. Yes/Asia 2009 summer tour setlist

First of all, Damn the Torpedoes is Petty’s breakthrough album. It sat at the number two spot for seven weeks on the Billboard album chart and went on to sell over two million copies. With classic songs like “Don’t Do Me Like That”, “There Goes My Girl” and “Refugee”, the album has stood the test of time. And with producer Jimmy Iovine and engineer Shelly Yakus behind the recording console, the record still sounds great even to this day.

If you’ve never seen a “Classic Albums DVD” before, it’s essentially a detailed look back on how a particular album was put together with all the major contributors interviewed on camera. For this Damn The Torpedoes DVD- Petty, Yakus, Iovine, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Ron Blair were brought into a recording studio to go over the multi-tracks of this album. For a “music nut” like me, it’s a huge treat to see and hear what went on “behind the scenes” especially concerning the songwriting and recording of it all.

Petty and Campbell obviously got most of the screentime but it was nice hearing insight from producer Iovine and from keyboardist Tench. It was a bit of a surprise to hear that Iovine demanded full live performances from the band in the studio instead of building songs track by track. But the interplay among the musicians really made the songs come alive which you may not have gotten if they had decided to record the album piece by piece.

Iovine also reveals the “secret” to the song “Refugee”. The key rhythmic ingredient, according to Iovine, is the *shaker* that was added by legendary musician Jim Keltner. Keltner just happened to be hanging out in the studio at the time and they got him to add a shaker to the track and it was like magical fairy dust sprinkled onto the song. heh. funny stuff.

Oh and speaking of “Refugee”, be sure to check the bonus material on the DVD. Studio engineer Yakus explains that the bass drum was intentionally recorded “out of phase” with the rest of the drums. And by doing so, the bass drum stood out in the overall mix, making it almost “pop out” from the speakers.

Another nugget from the bonus material, is Petty’s Rickenbacker guitar that’s featured on the album cover. It turns out that the Rickenbacker is actually Campbell’s. And get this, Campbell bought it used for only $150!! And by the serial number, he found out that it was the next guitar the shop made after they made George Harrison’s famous Rickenbacker. Man, I wonder if the original seller of that guitar ever found out what the guitar was really worth??

Anyway, there’s tons of neat info like that about the band and the album. It’s definitely worth viewing especially nowadays where professional recording studios are going the way of the dinosaur. The classic album series highlights the achievements that were done in a real recording studio using analog multi-track tapes. In this day and age of ProTools and bedroom recordings, a lot of these techniques and methods will unfortunately be lost. Can you imagine 20 years from now when the Classic Albums series features an album from 2010? The documentary will probably feature just some dude in a bedroom looking at waveforms on a computer screen. yikes!

retroGrade: A

Classic Albums: Damn the Torpedoes DVD
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
DVD U.S. release date: August 3, 2010
also available on Blu-Ray
running time: 98 minutes
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Directed by: Matthew Longfellow

—

and don’t forget to catch Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on tour:

Wed 08/11/10 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
Thu 08/12/10 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Sat 08/14/10 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Sun 08/15/10 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
Tue 08/17/10 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
Thu 08/19/10 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
Sat 08/21/10 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
Tue 08/24/10 East Rutherford, NJ IZOD Center
Wed 08/25/10 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Fri 08/27/10 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Sat 08/28/10 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Tue 08/31/10 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
Thu 09/16/10 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
Sat 09/18/10 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
Sun 09/19/10 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Tue 09/21/10 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center
Thu 09/23/10 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Fri 09/24/10 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sun 09/26/10 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
Tue 09/28/10 Chula Vista, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Fri 10/01/10 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Sat 10/02/10 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Related posts:

1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Damn the Torpedoes DVD to be released
2. The Lou Gramm Band – CD review
3. Chickenfoot – album review – Hagar – Satriani – 2009

Two highlights for me are the guide vocals done by Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes on “Grand Illusion” and “Miss You”. I’m not exactly sure why their vocals were recorded other than for an early run-through of the songs. Nevertheless, it’s a hoot listening to them singing along (presumably without the lyric sheet) filling in nonsense words to fit the melody. fun stuff. The second disc ends with subpar audio from Clapton’s live appearance on the TV show NightLife. Those two tracks aren’t really necessary since there are superior sounding live boots from Clapton’s 1986/87 tour.

So, is this an essential Clapton boot? not really. But if you’ve got a fondness for mid-80′s Clapton (plus the heavy-handed production style of Phil Collins), this boot is worth seeking out.

retroGrade: B

Eric Clapton
August Outtakes & Different Mixes
Duffy Records
recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles April/May 1986
sound quality : B+ (cassette tape quality)

Tracklist:
CD 1 –
Lady From Verona
Hold On
Take a Chance
Bad Influence
Hung Up On Your Love #1
Wanna Make Love to You #1
Behind The Mask
Holy Mother
Walk Away
Run #1

CD 2 –
Tearing Us Apart
Grand Illusion #1
Grand Illusion #2
Wanna Make Love To You #2
Run #2
Miss You #1
Hung Up On Your Love #2
It’s In The Way That You Use It (live, Nightlife TV show, 29 January 1986)
Miss You (live, Nightlife TV show, 29 January 1986)

the band:
Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals
Phil Collins – drums
Nathan East – bass
Greg Phillinganes – keyboards
—

*for a limited time* – here’s Lady From Verona [mp3, download via mediafire]

—


—

Related posts:

1. Eric Clapton – Roger Daltrey – RBC Center – March 2010 – review
2. Genesis Live Madison Square Garden Boot Sept 30 1986
3. Eric Clapton – Minnesota Night – April 1987 – CD review

It’s got Trevor Horn’s signature production touches all over it. The sounds and production techniques that Horn achieved here on this album obviously carried over to his subsequent production work with ABC, Yes (90125) and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. There are also precursors to his work with the Art Of Noise in the song “Vermillion Sands”. Just listen for the samples of a car crashing and the car engine turning over. very AON. Horn also does a “left turn” at the end of “Vermillion Sands” with an upbeat pseudo-big-band like instrumental which would fit right in on an AON album. definitely fun to view all of this in hindsight knowing what he achieved as a producer after his start in the Buggles.

10 bonus tracks are also included here on this release. Notables include “We Can Fly From Here” (which was considered for Yes’ Drama album), the 12″ mix of “I Am a Camera”

Yes, there isn’t another song as catchy as “Video Killed a Radio Star” here but taken as a whole, this album is far more satisfying than their first album. Definitely worth seeking out. Highlights include: Adventures in Modern Recording, Vermillion Sands, I Am A Camera, Lenny.

retroGrade: A

Adventures of Modern Recording by The Buggles
remastered reissue by Salvo/ZTT
released: Feb 2010

tracklist:
1. Adventures In Modern Recording
2. Beatnik
3. Vermillion Sands
4. I Am A Camera
5. On TV
6. Inner City
7. Lenny
8. Rainbow Warrior
9. Adventures in Modern Recording (Reprise)
Bonus Tracks
1. Fade Away
2. Blue Nylon
3. I Am A Camera (12” mix)
4. We Can Fly From Here – part 1
5. Dion
6. Videotheque
7. On TV
8. Walking On Glass (original version of Lenny)
9. Riding A Tide
10. We Can Fly From Here – part 2

—

Related posts:

1. Wetton – Downes – Icon 3 – review
2. Ben Folds – Way to Normal – Review
3. Rick Springfield – Venus in Overdrive – review

As expected, Morrison gets the bulk of the screentime here but the other band members (Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore) make their mark by their notable instrumental performances.

I’m sure longtime fans will gripe about DiCillo not going into more detail about certain events or songs but my guess is that it would take a multi-volume set to get into the real “nitty-gritty” which simply can’t be accomplished in 86 minutes.

The bonus material on the DVD features an interview with Morrison’s dad, Admiral George Stephen Morrison, before he passed away in 2008. From what I heard, it’s the only interview he has done on camera concerning his famous son.

Title: When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors
DVD released by: Eagle Rock Entertainment/Rhino
Directed by: Tom DiCillo
runtime: 86 minutes
released in the U.S.: July 2010

OK, as for the DVD giveaway, here’s the scoop. One lucky retroblog reader will be receiving a new DVD of “When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors”. To enter in the drawing all you have to do is post your favorite Doors’ album in the comment section of this blog post. This will count as ONE ENTRY in the drawing. Please be sure to leave a legitimate email address or else I won’t have a way of contacting you if you’re selected as the winner.

For those that want a better chance of winning, you can also join the retroblog facebook page (which is essentially hitting the LIKE button on that page). And by “LIKING” us on facebook, you’ll get the equivalent of TWO ENTRIES in the DVD drawing. I hope that makes sense. Let me know if I’m confusing you.

Yeah, as you can see, I’m trying to build up the retroblog fanbase on facebook. Hopefully I can get enough people on there so that I can offer exclusive giveaways and contests via the facebook page in the future. It all depends on you guys!

This contest/giveway ends at 11:59pm July 31th, 2010. A winner will be picked at random from all entries and will be contacted by me via email on or around August 1st. Once the winner provides me a mailing address, it will be forwarded to Universal Music who will be sending out the prize.

No purchase necessary and the contest/giveaway is only open to U.S. residents age 18 or older. By participating in this RetroBlog contest, you agree to allow RetroBlog to post the winner’s name and city on this site.

Thanks and good luck!

—

Related posts:

1. winner of the When You’re Strange DVD giveaway
2. DVD giveaway – Win the Rolling Stones – Stones in Exile
3. winner of the Tony’s Pizza coupon giveaway

The new arrangements vary in quality though. Some are very inventive including the new versions of “I Burn For You” and “We Work the Black Seam” but others are unimaginative and basically play it safe like “Englishman in New York” (almost a carbon copy of the original down to the hip-hop drum break in the middle which is a bit lazy in my opinion), “I Hung My Head”, “When We Dance”.

But in the end, let’s just say the album is some damn fine ear candy for the middle-aged. and there’s nothing wrong with that.

retroGrade: B-

Sting – Symphonicities
label: Deutsche Grammophon
released: Jul 2010
produced by Rob Mathes and Sting
mixed by Elliot Scheiner and Claudius Mittendorfer

Tracklist:
1 Next to You 2:31
2 Englishman in New York 4:24
3 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic 4:59
4 I Hung My Head 5:32
5 You Will Be My Ain True Love 3:45
6 Roxanne 3:38
7 When We Dance 5:27
8 The End of the Game 6:09
9 I Burn for You 4:05
10 We Work the Black Seam 7:19
11 She’s Too Good for Me 3:04
12 The Pirate’s Bride 5:07

Catch Sting and The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra as they continue on their extensive world tour -

Sat 07/17/10 Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival At Ravinia Park
Sun 07/18/10 Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival At Ravinia Park
Tue 07/20/10 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavilion At Riverbend
Wed 07/21/10 London, ON The John Labatt Centre
Fri 07/23/10 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Sat 07/24/10 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
Sun 07/25/10 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
Tue 07/27/10 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
Thu 07/29/10 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
Fri 07/30/10 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center For The Arts
Sat 07/31/10 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Fri 09/03/10 Oslo, Norway Oslo Konserthus AS
Sun 09/05/10 Copenhagen, Denmark Royal Theatre
Mon 09/06/10 Copenhagen, Denmark Royal Theatre
Wed 09/08/10 Stockholm, Sweden Ericsson Globe
Fri 09/10/10 Helsinki, Finland Hartwall Arena
Sat 09/11/10 Tallinn, Estonia Saku Suurhall
Mon 09/13/10 St. Petersburg, Russia Ice Palace
Wed 09/15/10 Moscow, Russia Crocus Expo Hall
Fri 09/17/10 Vilnius, Lithuania Siemens Arena
Sat 09/18/10 Minsk, Belarus Minsk Arena
Mon 09/20/10 Ostrow Wielkopolski, Poland Stadion Miejski
Tue 09/21/10 Berlin, Germany O2 World
Wed 09/22/10 Prague, Czech Republic O2 Arena
Fri 09/24/10 Cologne, Germany LANXESS arena
Sun 09/26/10 Geneva, Switzerland Geneva Arena
Tue 09/28/10 Zurich, Switzerland Hallenstadion Zurich
Thu 09/30/10 Paris, France Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
Fri 10/01/10 London, United Kingdom Royal Albert Hall
Sat 10/02/10 London, United Kingdom Royal Albert Hall
Mon 10/04/10 Manchester, United Kingdom Manchester Evening News Arena
Tue 10/05/10 Gateshead, United Kingdom The Sage
Thu 10/07/10 Dublin, Ireland The O2 Dublin
Sat 10/09/10 Edinburgh, United Kingdom Edinburgh Playhouse
Mon 10/11/10 Nantes, France Zenith
Wed 10/13/10 Merksem, Belgium Sportpaleis Antwerpen
Fri 10/15/10 Arnhem, Netherlands Gelredome
Sat 10/16/10 Arnhem, Netherlands Gelredome
Tue 10/19/10 Hamburg, Germany O2 World Hamburg
Wed 10/20/10 Frankfurt, Germany Festhalle – Messe Frankfurt
Sat 10/23/10 Stuttgart, Germany Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle
Mon 10/25/10 Florence, Italy Teatro Verdi
Wed 10/27/10 Bilbao, Spain Bilbao Exhibition Centre
Fri 10/29/10 Barcelona, Spain Palau Sant Jordi
Sat 10/30/10 Madrid, Spain Palacio de Deportes
Tue 11/02/10 Milan, Italy Teatro Degli Arcimboldi
Wed 11/03/10 Torino, Italy Palaolimpico
Fri 11/05/10 Vienna, Austria Wiener Stadthalle
Sat 11/06/10 Budapest, Hungary Budapest Sportarena
Mon 11/08/10 Zagreb, Croatia Arena
Wed 11/10/10 Rome, Italy Santa Ceclia

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Related posts:

1. Paul McCartney – Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five – Phoenix 2010
2. Sting – A Winter’s Night – Live DVD
3. Paramore – brand new eyes – 2009 – review

Thankfully the audiophile record label, Audio Fidelity chose to issue their own version of this landmark pop-prog album. I’m not totally sure how they ended up choosing Asia since they’re not a band high on an audiophile’s list but I ain’t complaining.

Mastering engineer Kevin Gray made sure to produce a more faithful representation of the original master tapes with the dynamic range restored. The general public need to finally realize that “louder” isn’t always “better”. And yes, this CD is most definitely not as “loud” as the Geffen/Universal Gold edition. The sound is much more natural and clearer than before. Just listen to the smooth decay of the cymbal crashes as one reference point. Also the mid to high frequencies aren’t as harsh sounding as before. The recording is now easier on the ears and less prone to ear fatigue which tends to happen now with modern masterings.

The only thing missing in my opinion are the B-sides/bonus tracks. But from what I understand Audio Fidelity only focuses on creating the best sounding version of the original album and never adds bonus tracks on their releases.

Now if only we can get a better sounding Alpha album. but from what I understand, a better mastering job can only do so much. With such a dense sounding mix, I believe Alpha requires a full remix to get things cleared up!

retroGrade : A

Asia (self-titled)
label: Audio Fidelity
reissued: June 2010
features: John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, Steve Howe
Produced by: Mike Stone
remastered by: Kevin Gray

TrackList:
1 Heat of the Moment
2 Only Time Will Tell
3 Sole Survivor
4 One Step Closer
5 Time Again
6 Wildest Dreams
7 Without You
8 Cutting It Fine
9 Here Comes the Feeling

—

—

Related posts:

1. Asia Concert Review – Raleigh Memorial Auditorium – Omega 2010 Tour
2. music video of Todd Rundgren’s Fidelity from Nearly Human sessions
3. Martha and the Muffins – Danseparc (2008 remastered edition)

Big Boys Bickering – a non-album B-side that features Sir Paul singing the F word. It’s pretty weird. it’s like hearing your grandfather cussing or something. It’s probably the reason why it was dropped from their live set especially since fans bring their kids to the shows and all. Well that plus maybe the fact the song wasn’t all that good to begin with.

I Owe It All to You – a deep cut off the new album. I’ve always liked the melody and the instrumental portion of the song (especially McIntosh’s fantastic guitar work) but the lyrics are sadly cringe-tastic!

Can’t Buy Me Love – yes, the song has always been part of Macca’s live set but this version was performed in an interesting pseudo-bluegrass style. Pretty fun to listen to. I’m not sure if the way they did the song was simply a spur of the moment thing but it was never done that way again.

There are several versions of this show circulating among fans. I don’t know if there’s a sound quality difference among the versions but I highly recommend getting your hands on one of the recordings of this show. It’s fantastic and definitely *a must* for any McCartney fan. McCartney sounds relaxed and on the top of his game during the show and the band is absolutely flawless. I love the way Robbie McIntosh plays and Hamish Stuart voice blends well with Sir Macca’s. Oh and I have to add that Blair Cunningham drums with restraint which is what these songs need as opposed to sir Paul’s current basher of a drummer, Abe Laboriel Jr. Man, Abe hits his kit so hard that it would seem that he’d require a new set of drums and cymbals every night!!

retroGrade : A++

Paul McCartney
Live at the Ed Sullivan Theater
(Up Close MTV Special)
December 10, 1992
New York, NY
Soundboard Recording

TrackList:
Twenty Flight Rock
Get Out Of My Way
Fixing A Hole
Looking For Changes
Penny Lane
Biker Like An Icon
I Owe It All To You
Big Boys Bickering
Michelle
Hope Of Delieverance
Can’t Buy Me Love
Peace In The Neighborhood
Off The Ground
I Wanna Be Your Man
My Love
C Moon
Lady Madonna
C’Mon People
Live And Let Die

The Band:
Paul McCartney
Linda McCartney
Robbie McIntosh
Blair Cunningham
Wix Wickens
Hamish Stuart

—

here are a couple clips from the 1993 MTV special:

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—

—

Related posts:

1. Paul McCartney – Hey Tokyo – 1993
2. Paul McCartney – Good Evening New York City DVD
3. Paul McCartney – Citi Field – set list – Billy Joel

I haven’t had a chance to listen to the NYC gig but after listening to the Boston show, it’s pretty obvious to me why the band didn’t last (..well, besides the lack of album sales). In a live setting, the band just didn’t gel. It sounded more like a showcase for Keith Emerson and a backing band. I can’t say if it was his ego or talent or a bit of both but Emerson pretty much overshadowed the rest of the group. And there’s no question about his ability on keys. Just listen to his jawdropping solo piece “Creole Dance”. amazing stuff. But it just seemed that Palmer and Berry weren’t up to the task of pulling their own weight in this setting. Berry’s bass work was simply buried by Emerson’s synthesizers and his vocal range had a lot to be desired. And don’t get me started on Palmer’s drumming. Granted, he’s a world famous rock drummer and does amazing drum solos but when playing with the rest of the band, he simply can’t stay “in the pocket”. his tempo is all over the place. I’m not sure if he was preoccuppied with his electronic drum setup but his playing was pretty subpar in my opinion.

The problem was compounded with lackluster material that just didn’t translate well onto the stage. Come on singing lyrics like: “Sangre de toro, drinking the wine, beneath la montana, the shadows of time” is just embarrassing. Oh, they also included a backing vocalist (Jennifer Steele) and a guitarist (Paul Keller) for these live gigs. I’m almost certain that they brought in Steele for “eye-candy” because from hearing her off key harmonies, she obviously can’t sing.

If you’re interested in the group, I say stick with the studio album. Even though it has the typical 80′s production sheen, it’d a whole lot better than hearing them live.

retroGrade: C (performance), B+ (sound quality, FM source)

3 (three)
Live in Boston
Recorded April 15, 1988 at the Paradise Theater
Radio Simulcast (WBCN)

TrackList:
Fanfare For The Common Man
Desde La Vida
Lover To Lover
Hoedown
You Do Or You Don’t
Talkin’ Bout
Creole Dance
On My Way Home
Runaway
Standing In The Shadows Of Love
America
Blue Rondo
Tocatta
Drum Solo
Flight Of The Bumblebee
Eight Miles High

the live band:
Keith Emerson – keyboards
Robert Berry – bass, vocals
Carl Palmer – drums
Paul Keller – guitar
Jennifer Steele – backing vocals

—

Related posts:

1. Keith Emerson – Letter from the Front
2. Keith Emerson and Greg Lake to tour in April 2010
3. Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla

One of my favorite recordings from this tour is the 9/10/94 show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I’m not sure if it was due to it being in New York or because it was the last U.S. date of the Talk Tour or a bit of both but the band was tight and firing on all cylinders. You can definitely hear the difference in the performance when you compare it to one of the shows at the start of the tour (… but I guess you can say that about pretty much any tour. heh.) Anyway, Trevor Rabin particularly seems to be at his “A” game here. Amazing guitar solos throughout especially on the epic song “Endless Dream”. Yes, Rabin gets a bit self-indulgent with his needless piano solo before “And You and I” but he’s truly mindblowing on guitar.

As for the recording, it’s “FM radio quality” with a bit of static reception at a couple points around the beginning of the recording but still very good overall. Also the audio is heavily limited/compressed just like a radio broadcast so a lot of the big dynamics are missing. In other words, the drum sounds are “squashed” and Chris Squire’s bass isn’t deep and low like it should. But that’s just the audiophile in me talking. In any case, this boot is still a favorite in my collection.

retroGrade: A (performance), B (sound quality: FM quality)

Yes – Madison Square Garden NYC 1994
date: September 10, 1994
recording: from the FM transmitted ConcertSonics broadcast (soundboard mix)

band lineup:
Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Tony Kaye, Chris Squire, Alan White, Billy Sherwood

TrackList:
CD 1 -
Perpetual Change
the Calling
I Am Waiting
Rhythm of Love
Hearts
Real Love
Tony Kaye Solo
Changes
Heart Of The Sunrise

CD 2 -
Make It Easy/Owner of a Lonely Heart
Trevor Rabin piano solo
And You And I
All Good People
Walls
Endless Dream
Roundabout (with Purple Haze)

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Here are two mp3s from the MSG boot. enjoy.

- Endless Dream (the highlight of the show. a favorite off of the album Talk)

- Changes

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Related posts:

1. Genesis Live Madison Square Garden Boot Sept 30 1986
2. Promises by Trevor Rabin
3. the Friday Free for All – Get On Your Boots