The Change

The Change are Marcus Adrian - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar and Harmonica, Gregg McGean - Lead Guitar and Backing Vocals, Matt "Mars" Finbow - Rhythm Guitar and Backing Vocals, Kevin Pogue - Bass, Roy Bartell - Drums and Percussion. With influences as wide and varied as Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, REM and Buddy Holly (to name a few), their sound is at once very unique and most familiar at the same time.

With one EP and one full CD of original compositions, under their collective belts the first year as a band has seen a lot of firsts for the Change. To mark the relase of their first full length CD, "Roll Y' Tongue", the band played a showcas gig at one of Toronto's prestigious rock clubs, The Horseshoe Tavern, a stage whose boards have been trodden by The Rolling Stones, The Police, The Ramones, Blue Rodeo, The Tragically Hip and Our Lady Peace (again, to name a few). The night was hosted by Toronto radio station 102.1 FM CFNY. This is a band on it's way up folks, make no mistake. One of those rare instances when five distinct personalities get together, strap on their instruments and gell in a way that, if it was easy, everyone would be doing. But it isn't, and so The Change are another comparatively rare instance.

I had the pleasure of catching them live in the kind of venue that you can only ever hope to catch a rising star in it's infancy. An acoustic gig at a coffee shop, For The Love Of Jo's in Port Perry; a location that had seen a number of the members performing solo as part of the usual open mike Friday nights. A kind of payback to Gabby, the owner to be sure. Call it The Change's Cavern Club; the comparison would not necessarily be that far off the mark.

For an aging music aficionado such as myself the pursuit of new music that actually speaks to me in a meaningful way is not as easy as it once was. How can one claim to be a lover of music when the majority of new music just leaves one cold. I will be the first to admit right here and now that I have just never, ever gotten rap, hip hop or techno. Valid musical styles I'm sure; just never for me. To me that music just sounds unabashedly derivative.

While I do hear the seeds of a number of artists which I grew up with and grew to love in their music the thing which sets The Change apart is the fact that they wear their influences on their sleeve for all to see. Marcus Adrian's vocals defy any kind of easy categorization. Kind of an unique amalgamation, if that makes any kind of sense. Marcus's overall range is most impressive.

Gregg McGean, with his bone white Fender Strat, adds tasteful, strident fills, while his solos hearken back to old Slowhand himself; not trying to flash with sheer speed (although he can when he wants to) but rather adding just the right kind of musical punctuation required to drive the song forward. Stratocasters have a very distinct voice, and Gregg takes full advantage.

While watching The Change on a small stage may not have given a true and accurate instance of their individual onstage personas I was still, none the less, drawn back to the energy that Matt Finbow consistently radiated. Playing rhythm guitar and singing backing vocals his energy was infectious. While I could sense the same kind of energy from the other band members, most demurred to the small stage which they occupied. Even Matt himself... but only for so long. Eventually he just could not contain the energy any longer.

There has never, EVER, been a band that I have admired that did not have a solid, killer rhythm section. The Stones with Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, Aerosmith with Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramner, the mighty Led Zeppelin with John Paul Jones and John Bonham; a strong rhythm section

does any number of things. They anchor the beat, giving it continuity and presence. They allow it to expand beyond the norm; all the while keeping up and keeping pace. They provide a solid bedrock to allow the lead vocalist and guitar players to stretch out and let loose.

Kevin and Roy are just such a rhythm section. When all else seems to be coming apart at the seams they are capable of bringing it all back in focus. Kevin plays bass guitar almost as a lead instrument. He put me in mind of Geddy Lee in that respect. While the coffee house show pretty much limited Roy to a pair of bongos, I none the less had to check from time to time that he had not somehow snuck a full set of drums in, such was the beat that he was able to lay down.

And their CD? I like it; very much. The tunes are catchy in a way that stays with you even after a single listening. The harmonies are as tight as any band with five plus years of history; never mind that The Change have had, pretty much, one year to hone their skills. All original tunes I might add; which takes a certain amount of hutspa unless, of course, those original tunes can stand up on their own. Which, trust me, these songs not only can, but do.

A personal favourite of mine is "Her Revolution"; a tune which showed up both on their demo EP and their new CD "Roll Yr' Tongue". "Hit's The Spot" is another fave. "Citizen Of Grace", "I Feel Fine" and "The Change" all resonate with the same, true energy.

I hope that people who know me and know of my passion for music also know that I would not be touting these five young men if their music had not made me sit up and take notice. Trust me folks you owe it to yourself to check The Change out; you will not be disappointed.

Don't we all need a Change from time to time.

The Change - Roll Yr' Tongue is available on Amazon.com and iTunes (too name just two).

Links

The Change on Facebook

 The Change on MySpace

Say it isn't so Charlie!!!!

I suppose you heard the kerfuffle caused by the Charlie Watts Quits Rolling Stones headlines which cropped up at the beginning of September. It kind of got me to thinking "What if that had been true?" I mean, The Stones have survived other members leaving. Brian Jones left (was kicked out) the band and was replaced by a painfully young Mick Taylor. Mick Taylor quit the band, just as they were going to go into rehearsals for an upcoming tour of North America. Ron Wood stepped into Taylor's shoes as a temporary replacement and has just never had the good manners to leave. Bill Wyman, stoicism incarnate decided that, after the bands 1989 - 1990 comeback tour, he'd had enough. Journeyman bassist Darryl Jones stepped into his shoes most admirably and has been there ever since.

So, what then if Charlie had quit The Stones? If Mick Jagger or Keith Richards leave the band, well, the band has come to it's end; but Charlie? Hmmm. In a word, yes. That spells trouble for The Rolling Stones. Charlie is the one that keeps the beat. So what, you may think. So, Charlie is from the old school; the less is more school; the "shit, drum solos even bore me" school. Could any other drummer honestly step into Charlie's shoes and steer the mighty ship along it's course?

We may never know. The Rolling Stones camp, understandably, categorically denied these rumours. So Charlie remains with The Worlds Greatest Rock and Roll Band. At least until tomorrow.

Still, it got me to thinking of other bands from my youth that do not have those options; bands who had an integral member of the band kick the bucket before their time. Sure Brian Jones formed the Rolling Stones, and most likely named them, but by the time he left (was kicked out) he had pretty much become an also ran in the massive tsunami that was the writing partners Jagger / Richards.

Freddie Mercury, flamboyant lead singer for Queen came immediately to mind. A favourite band of mine who I saw live three times during their '70s heyday. The band disbanded after Mercury's death. They did reform (kinda) for a few years with ex Free / Bad Company vocalist Paul Rogers but without long-time bassist John Deacon. Did it work? Yeah, to a point it did. Paul Rogers is an awesome vocalist in his own right (check out Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters if you need any proof). He never was nor did he ever try to be Freddie, which is the only way anyone can hope to pull something like that off.

In the end he tired of the whole thing and handed in his resignation. No more "Queen".

Then there is the case of John Henry Bonham; an integral part of the engine that drove the mighty Led Zeppelin. When Bonham died during rehearsals for the 1980 North American tour (from and alcohol overdose no less (how rock 'n' roll is that?)) the band formally retired, citing the difficulty in finding someone else to helm the ship as good old Bonzo had.

For years afterwards Plant eschewed all things Zeppelin. Finally, in the early 90's he recorded and toured with Jimmy Page once again. But Plant eventually tired of that pursuit and quit. Then Ahmet Ertegun died. Who was Ahmet Ertegun I hear some of you asking? Why, none other than the person who assured Led Zeppelin was signed to their record contract with Atlantic Records.

So, when Ahmet passed on and joined the choirs invisible, the mighty Led Zeppelin took flight once more, with the late great John Bonham's son Jason at the helm. Even with the accolades ringing in their ears and the other two (three) members of the band ready, willing and able to tour behind their resurrected success, Robert Plant demurred.

Randy Rhodes (Blizard Of Oz), Steve Clark (Def Leppard), Joey Ramone (The Ramones), Bon Scott (AC/DC); the list goes on and on. And The Who. How could I ever forget The Who. Manic drummer Keith Moon and the Ox himself, John Entwistle have both died while active members of the band. A full 50% of the original lineup have snuffed it and still Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend continue. But they are a bit of a rarity in that respect.

Now the point of this little ramble isn't to question the relative wisdom of continuing on or breaking up once a member has joined that great big jam session in the sky. However, it did get me to thinking how many of the bands that I have loved growing up are no longer active.

So I Googled "Dead Rock Stars". Holy crap Batman, I don't think I am the only person who has considered this subject (Well no shit Sherlock). So, for your amusement, edification, rock and roll knowledge and just basically why the fuck not, here are some of my favorites:

Now, admittedly, this first one does have an axe to grind; witness "For their rock is not as our Rock... Deuteronomy 32:31. Still, that being said, it is a pretty comprehensive list of who died and what from. Premature Death Of Rock Stars

How could I ever hope to say it any better than this; Welcome to the club rock stars are dying to get into. Rock and Roll may never die but rock stars do! This site is a list of dead rock stars, dead people associated with rock and dead people whose music helped influence and create rock (which I feel includes Jazz and Country artists), sorted by the date of their demise. This is a tribute to them. LONG LIVE ROCK!!  The Dead Rock Stars Club

A nice little site with selected dead rock stars Tribute To Dead Rock Stars

Now this one kind of rocks; that and it has a cool title. The 50 Most Awesomely Dead Rock Stars

Since so many rock stars that we here admire in North America originaly either came from or cut their teath in swinging London Town, here is a tour for you to take the next time you find yourself in that fair city. Dead Rock Star Tour Of London

Last but not least, one of my favorites. Find A Death. The link below will take you to a brief synopsis of Brian Jones, founder of the Rolling Stones (no Mick Jagger and Keith Richards did not found the band, regardless of what the spin doctors have managed to feed you over the years). But the website is so much more than that. In depth discussions of famous peoples deaths. More importantly there is a link to a site which will predict when it is that you are going to die. Creepy, n'est pas? My personal Day of death is Monday, August 22nd, 2033. I currently have 749,018,944 seconds left to live. O.K., so who's opening the book? Find A Death

The Aardvark

I wonder what those veterans, those young men who went to war on our behalf and paid the ultimate price would think about the slow but long overdue resurgence of gratitude and admiration the younger generations seem to be brought up with these days. For many years it wasn't acceptable to thank and respect those that went to war so that we could be free.

It seems to be some defacto fact that, the further away that human kind gets from any kind of global conflict the further away the generations get from the truth, and therefore, a true appreciation of the sacrifices made by every countries youth, because youth make the best fodder. And so it was the further we got from the Korean and Veitnam wars the further our youth got from the whys and wherefores.

But 9/11 and all that came after has changed that, hasn't it.

It's ironic, is it not, that the freedom earned in blood and the future of every country's youth embroiled in conflict buys those that come after the freedom to question and criticize the sacrifices that bought them that self same freedom.

My uncle Alec fought in the second war to end all wars, proudly and without reservation. Not because it is what he wanted to do; rather because it was what he felt duty bound to do; for all those that could not to be sure.

He lost his best friend during Operation Market Garden. He once told me about crawling through a graveyard where he and a few comrades had gone to pay tribute to one of their fallen while the shells from an enemy bombardment fell all around. When they stood up afterwards, little tufts of grass had wrapped around their spit and polished buttons. While they could chuckle about it afterwards, while the bombardment was taking place they were terrified for their very lives; who could EVER hope to appreciate the kind of terror they felt, unless they, themselves, had been in a similar situation.

My parents and many of my relations lived through The Blitz, school aged children and therefore to young to take up arms. To me, sitting here safely in 2009. The thought of going to school in the morning after a bombing raid, walking past the bombed out hulks of homes and buildings that had been there just the day before is incomprehensible.

Freedom and democracy are the end results of the cost of a countries youth.

I have been fortunate in my lifetime to not only have known my much loved uncle, but also a very dear friend who served with both the 48th Highlanders and the Cape Town Highlanders. While Bob MacDonald was never called upon to go to war, he was always more than willing to do so. In fact, while a member of the Cape Town Highlanders, Bob was called to duty during those tumultous days during the end of Apartheid.

Growing up watching John Wayne, Sly Stalone and Ahnold beating back the bad guy it is very easy to say that, if called upon, anyone of us would have done the self same. But think about it. Could you honestly say you would be willing to crawl through the rat infested hell holes that were the trenches on the Western Front during the first war to end all wars?

Could you honestly say you could sit their and watch your best friend blown up in a tank from a hidden 88mm gun that you had been dispatched to find but never could.

Could you watch someone, friend or not, laying in a ditch futily trying to stuff their internal organs back into their own body just to stay alive.

Could you ever watch and attempt to comfort a friend while their lifeblood flowed inexorably from their body.

Unless you can, how could you ever hope to question the sacrifice that they make. You can hate and disagree with a war. That is your right, paid for in blood by soldiers. But do not; and I mean DO NOT question the soldiers who are there trying to protect the rights of freedom on your behalf.

All year through, but at this time in particular, each and every one of us owes those who currently serve and those who have served before a debt far to great to ever hope to repay. And those who made the ultimate sacrifice? Words fail me.

On November 11th, and during the entire week of the 11th, you owe it to a veteran to say a heart felt Thank You. That would be a start, because those who protect us from harm deserve our thanks, not to mention our prayers 365 days a year.

In Flanders Field

by John McCrae, May 1915

 In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

 In Flanders fields

A past remembrance of my Uncle Alec

Revenge of the Extended Warranty

Is there anything quite as awful in this world as an Extended Warranty?

While it sounds like this wonderful marketing inspiration is there to give you piece of mind after you have made an expensive purchase, their true goal, their true raison d’être is to make money.

Business' are in business to make money, not to make you life any easier.

In November of '07 I bought a brand spanking new Hewlett Packard Media Edition laptop, 17" screen and all. When I made that purchase from a large big box store (Best Buy) I wanted to protect my investment. After all, I was dropping $1,400 on a new laptop. When the salesman innocently enquired if I wanted to sign up for their extended warranty I thought, shit I had probably better just in case something happened to this bad boy.

Seemed reasonable. $399.99 later I was the proud new owner of a kick ass laptop and peace of mind for the next three years that should anything happen my laptop and I were golden.

Skip forward 22 months. The display on my laptop started acting flakey. Weird patterns would arbitrarily crop up and then just as arbitrarily disappear.

WTF? After a few days the laptop would just boot up to a screen filled with vertical parallel lines and nothing more.

Video card is shot, right?

So, I made my way to the local Best Buy store, located in the Scarborough Town Centre complex. First thing I did was to check to make sure that the laptop was under warranty. Check.

Thus armed I made my way over to the much vaunted Geek Squad. Who ya gonna call? Geek Squad. Doesn’t have the same ring to it though, does it.

I fired my baby up for one of their techs to show the aforementioned behaviour. Sure enough, he concurred, my video card was FUBAR. Still under warranty? You betcha. So, no problems then, right?

Wrong.

After about a week I started getting antsy. The Aardvark without a laptop is not a pretty sight. The Geek Squad dude had given me a website where I might go and check the progress of my order. Which I did. It had been shipped; it had been received; it had been looked at and, wait a minute, that can't be right.

The problem wasn't covered under the extended warranty?

Again I say; WTF?

I checked with the Geek Squad (hitherto fore referred to as GS). You'll hear from someone soon, they assured me.

But what about the message on their website?

You'll hear from someone soon.

So I waited.

Two days later I did, in fact, hear from someone. This someone was telling me that once they popped the lid on my laptop they found extensive water damage.

Extensive water damage? WT... Well, you get the idea.

Plus things were cracked inside and not in generally good repair.

So they were reneging on their warranty. The self same one I dropped $399.99 (plus GST) on in happier, more naive times.

We can still fix it, they insisted, it will cost you $800 (plus GST).

Were they high? $800 to repair something which I had spent $399.99 (plus GST) on to protect against just such an eventuality? To the best of my knowledge I never spilled ANYTHING liquid on my laptop. But since it would only deteriorate to an I said - They said kind of thing I didn't dispute the fact to stridently, other than to say that I never spilt anything on it.

I told them to stuff the $800 (plus GST) where the proverbial sun doesn’t shine and to send it back to the big box store (Best Buy) that I dropped it off in the first place.

Should be there in a day or two they assured me.

At that time I started looking online to see how much a new system board would cost for my laptop. This was the thing that they said was screwed up. $200 give or take (plus GST). Fine, much better than what they were going to charge me.

I am quite comfortable under the hood of a computer so replacing a system board would be a new challenge but not one which I would be uncomfortable with.

Well, their day or two turned out to be a full seven days. When I got my laptop home I tried to fire it up, expecting to see the previously observed horizontal parallel lines. Except pressing the power button did nothing.

Nothing I tells ya.

It wouldn`t even start to boot up. Definitely not the same shape that I dropped the damn thing off in the first place.

The next day I went back to Best Buy (a big box shop) to complain, loudly and robustly) to anyone in a position of power that cared to listen.

All I got for that pain was a not so subtly veiled suggestion that I knew damned well that I had spilled something all over the keyboard but was just trying to put a fast one by them.

Bastards. My hackles still bristle with the memory.

So, I went home, called my insurance company and three days later was in possession of a cheque for $1,199.99 ($1,399.99 less a $200 deductible).

That was Tuesday of this week. My immediate reaction was to run out and buy a new laptop. Yet I hesitated. I didn`t want to buy the first laptop that presented itself and, since I knew that the October 22nd release of Windows 7 was going to bring a veritable flood of new computer hardware I waited a couple of days.

So, after much investigation, I ventured forth to a big box shop (Best Buy, but not the one at STC) and purchased the puppy that I am now typing this entry out on. It has more horsepower than my old laptop did, a larger faster hard drive, Windows 7 Home Premium OS (soon upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate once I got the darned thing home) and so much more. At 15.6 inches the screen is smaller by 1.6 inches, but then again, size doesn’t matter (right ladies?)

The point of this entire diatribe? Well, I hope to warn you off purchasing extended warranties for any of you big budget purchases. It just isn't worth it and, in many ways, is just a money grab from you, the consumer who feels vulnerable after laying down your hard earned cash on a big purchase.

Extended warranties, by and large, are a cash grab. Nothing more and nothing less. If you still feel compelled to go that route... well, question anyone trying to sell you on the concept mercilessly; about every kind of contingency that you can possibly imagine. If they agree that everything is good, get it in writing. If they blanche at any point? Well, you can always thank me latter.

The Aardvark

R.I.P. Les Paul (June 9, 1915 – August 13, 2009

The world of rock music lost one of it's pioneers Thursday. Les Paul, who was instrumental (so to speak) in the development of the solid body electric guitar, an instrument which "made the sound of rock and roll possible" passed away of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.

To say that he had a profound effect on the world of rock 'n' roll would be a gross understatement. Along with pioneering his eponymously named guitar Paul developed and produced the first multi track recording machine, accomplished by stacking eight mono tape machines and sending their outputs to one piece of tape. This allowed him to record each element of the music on a separate track. In this way Paul was able to mix the volumes of the vocals and instruments     separately as well as the ability to add effects to each channel individually.

Another innovation of his was the addition of an extra playback head to his tape recorder which produced a delayed effect which became known as tape echo. This technique gave the recording more of a "live" feel and allowed the player to simulate  different playing environments.

Les Paul was a true legend. Thinking back now over all the guitarists who adopted his creation as their signature axe; Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Duanne Allman, Mike Bloomfield, Eddie Van Halen, Peter Frampton and Slash to name but a few. Paul is Steve Miller's godfather. Jimi Hendrix consulted him about the construction of Electric Ladyland Studios. He was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame at the 3rd annual induction dinner. Jeff Beck was his presenter.

The Gibson Les Paul has always been a personal favourite of mine. I like the look, I love the sound. In that I am not alone.

It isn't everyday that we loose a true original. Thursday, August 13th, 2009 was one of those days. So rest in peace Les, and thank you for your gift.

Enjoy that great jam session in the sky.

The Aardvark

For more information on Les Paul check out the following links:

In Loving Memory of Les Paul (Gibson Guitar)

Les Paul: Lesson's Of A Legend by Jim O'Donnell 

Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee

Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Pictures At An Exhibition - Deluxe Edition


Artist: Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Label: Sanctuary Records

Release Dates:

Original: November, 1971
CD: October 7, 2008

Discs: 2

Aardvark's Rating:


out of 5



Emerson, Lake and Palmer's take on Ravel's arrangement of Mussorgsky's classical piece "Pictures At An Exhibition" has never been one of my favorites works in their cannon, yet it still stands up as a uniquie glance back at a time in progressive rock's infancy, when anything went.

Originally the band recorded and filmed an entire concert at the Lyceum Ballroom, but an intermitent hum from the vocal mikes negated any kind of release of that material. It was decided to give it one more go and their performance of Mussorgsky's masterpiece was captured to the bands satisfaction at the Newcastle City Hall in England. ELP's encore from that period, B Bumble and the Stingers hit "Nut Rocker", a rock take on the Nutcracker Suite, was included.

At the time Pictures was intended to be included as a bonus disc with their then current release, Tarkus. The idea was scraped and was, instead, released as a budget priced disc on it's own.

The piece, or an abreviated version of the piece, would remain in the bands repetoire throughout the rest of the 70's and for their 90's reunion tours.

With more modern recording and editing techniques, any sonic issues with the original recordings meant to comprise the Pictures LP have been eradicated. Their entire set from that night is included in this deluxe edition on disc two.

If your idea of the quintessential Emerson, Lake and Palmer song is Lucky Man, then run, don't walk, away from this release. If, however, you enjoy some of their more demanding pieces this release is for you.

Disc One (Recorded live Newcastle City Hall, England 26th March 1971): Promenade (Instrumental) The Gnome / Promenade (Vocal) / The Sage / The Old Castle / Blues Variation / Promenade (Instrumental 2) / The Hut Of Baba Yaga / The Curse Of Baba Yaga / The Hut Of Baba Yaga (Part 2) / The Great Gates Of Kiev / Nut Rocker / Pictures At An Exhibition Medley i) Promenade (Instrumental) ii) The Gnome iii) Promenade (Vocal) iv) The Sage v) The Hut Of Baba Yaga / The Great Gates Of Kiev/


Disc Two (Bonus Tracks - Live at the Lyceum Ballroom, December 9, 1970): Promenade (Instrumental) The Gnome / Promenade (Vocal) / The Sage / The Old Castle / Blues Variation / Promenade (Instrumental 2) / The Hut Of Baba Yaga / The Curse Of Baba Yaga / The Hut Of Baba Yaga (Part 2) / The Great Gates Of Kiev / The Barberian / Knife Edge / Rondo / Nut Rocker

Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery - Deluxe Edition


Artist: Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Label: Sanctuary Records

Release Dates:

Original: November 19, 1973
CD: October 7, 2008

Discs: 3 (2 CD / 1 DVD)

Aardvark's Rating:


out of 5



Originally titled "Whip Some Skull On Yer" (Cockney slang for fellatio), "Brain Salad Surgery" (a slightly less obvious euphamism for fellatto) was to became Emerson, Lake and Palmer's masterpiece. Forward thinking and original for it's time Surgery is one of those albums that sounds best when played start to finish without a break.

From the opening strains of the bands take on "Jerusalem" and on to the rather abrupt end of the album, ELP took the themes which had been dabbled with on past releases and brought it into a sharp, cohesive focus.

The electronic cacophony of "Toccata" followed, a song for which Carl Palmer used home made drum triggers for what could well have been the first drum synthesizer ever captured on record.

Following in the footsteps of "Lucy Man" and "From The Beginning" Greg Lake penned and recorded the poignant "Still... You Turn Me On" which led right to "Benny The Bouncer" a fun ragtime, piano driven song.

And then, there is Karn Evil #9: a song which Pete Sinfield, an old friend from Lake's King Crimson days helped with the lyrics and also helped title the song, commenting that it sounded like the music sounded like a carnival. And so, the 30+ minute epic was born.

This deluxe edition sounds fantastic and has two discs of bonus content: a CD of b-sides, and outtake and the original first mix of the album rejected by the band and a DVD of the album mixed in 5.1 surround sound.

If you love Progressive Rock, or are just curious about what all the fuss was about, you owe it to yourself to pick this title up.

Disc One (Original album remixed): Jerusalem / Toccata / Still... You Turn Me On / Benny The Bouncer / Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part 1 / Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part 2 / Karn Evil 9: 2nd Impression / Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression


Disc Two (Bonus Tracks): When The Apple Blossoms Bloom In The Windmills Of Your Mind I'll Be Your Valentine / Brain Salad Surgery / Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression - Original Back Track / Jerusalem - First Mix / Still... You Turn Me On - First Mix / Toccata - First Mix / Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part 1 - First Mix / Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part 2 - First Mix / Karn Evil 9: 2nd Impression - First Mix / Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression - First Mix / Excerpts from Brain Salad Surgery - From the NME Flexidisc


Disc Three (DVD 5.1 Mix): Jerusalem / Toccata / Still... You Turn Me On / Benny The Bouncer / Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part 1 / Karn Evil 9 1st Impression Part 2 / Karn Evil 9: 2nd Impression / Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression

R.I.P. Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009)...

So the long saga, sometimes thrilling, sometimes not so much so, has come to a premature end. The talent of the self proclaimed King of Pop is undeniable. While his tabloid lifestyle dominated the later part of his life, it is not my intention herein to question the whys and wherefores. Whether you considered him a freak or a genius, I shall leave the non musical flotsam and jetsom of his life to those more knowledgable than I to debate.

Jackson, who was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984, dominated the pop landscape during the 80's in a way that few, if any, had before or have done since. As a solo artist he had a total of 13 number one Billboard Hot 100 hits, including 3 during 1983 alone (yeah, they were from THAT album). His first number one was a love song to a rat that went by the name of Ben (1972). His last was You Are Not Alone (1995) from his double cd HIStory.

Thirteen more number ones on the Billboard R&B charts, 29 Top 10 Hot 100 its. During his heyday, high profile guitarists Eddie Van Halen (Beat It) and Steve Stevens (Dirty Dianna) added their considerable guitar prowess to the proceedings. Sir Paul McCartney dueted with MJ on Say Say Say, one of those three aforementioned number ones achieved during that heady year 1983. Not to shabby for any artist.

Then there was Thriller. The world wide number one selling album of all time which, to date, has sold in excess of 100 million copies. That's a lot of damned zeros folks; and it will only go up in the days and weeks to come.

Admitedly Michael started to loose me the night I sat in anticipation of the video premiere for his then current single Black Or White. The song itself was quite good; very catchy even. But when the main part of the video ended and Michael went on a rampage in a city street, smashing car windows, "Hooooooooooooo"ing here and there, with no aparent rhyme nor reason, well, it just reaked of being controversial for controversy sake.

I understand and appreciate that sometimes you have to shock to get your point across, but, for the life of me, I just can't figure out what the hell his point was. Apparently, neither could he since the very next day he made a public apology following the world wide approar that followed. While I never followed Michael that closely at the best of times, I believe that was the one and only time the full video was played on the public airwaves.

The first time I heard a young Michael singing was when he performed "ABC" with his brothers in The Jackson Five. I still love that song.

So rest in peace MJ. Visionary, humanitarian, freak? From today and moving forward non of that should matter. At the end of it all, the only thing that any artist can truely hope is that their art stands the test of time, long after they are gone.

On that point alone I don't think Michael Jackson has anything to worry about.

The Aardvark

Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Deluxe Edition


Artist: Black Sabbath

Label: Sanctuary Records

Release Dates:

Original: September, 1970
CD: April 7, 2009

Discs: 3 (2 CD / 1 DVD)

Aardvark's Rating:






Would it suprise you to know that Black Sabbath's sofmore release was originally slated to be called "War Pigs"? Yet, at the last minute, after the cover artwork had already been shot, the producer announced that the album which they had just struggled to produce was too short. Well, shit; what to do?

Why, record another song, naturally. And thus was born Paranoid, one of Black Sabbath's most easily recognizable songs; a song which, to this very day, finds it's way into their encores with alarming regularity.

Paranoid, the song, became the title of the new release. And what a release it was. One of the things that sets a true superstar band apart from all other bands is their ability to release a second disc which exceeds, if not just meets, the popularity of their first one.

While Black Sabbath, by Black Sabbath had such notable songs as "Black Sabbath", "The Wizard" and "N.I.B., Paranoid produced and entire album of notable songs... "Paranoid", "War Pigs", "Fairies Wear Boots", "Iron Man" and "Electric Funeral"... well, what can I say.

Black Sabbath was THE band which laid down the blueprint for most, if not all, heavy metal bands to follow. Steppenwolf may well have been the band to coin and popularize the phrase, but Black Sabbath made it manifest and real.

For anyone who likes Black Sabbath, or even just wonders about the roots of their favorite metal, thrash band need look no further than "Paranoid".

Dig it!

Disc One (Original album remastered): War Pigs / Paranoid / Planet Caravan / Iron Man / Electric Funeral / Hand Of Doom / Rat Salad / Fairies Wear Boots


Disc Two (Quadrophonic Mixes): War Pigs / Paranoid / Planet Caravan / Iron Man / Electric Funeral / Hand Of Doom / Rat Salad / Fairies Wear Boots


Disc Three (Early takes, demos etc): War Pigs / Paranoid / Planet Caravan / Iron Man / Electric Funeral / Hand Of Doom / Rat Salad / Fairies Wear Boots

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

** A FRIEND OF MINE PUBLISHED THIS NOTE, I HAD TO BORROW IT ***
(Thank you Shawn, loved this)

Sunday Telegraph Article From today's UK wires: Salute to a brave and modest nation - Kevin Myers, The Sunday Telegraph LONDON

Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan , probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

It seems that Canada 's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored.

Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada , the wallflower still, while those she once helped
Glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States , and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts. For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions:
It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved. Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy.

Almost 10% of Canada 's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle.

Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, it's unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular Memory as somehow or other the work of the "British."

The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth-largest air force in the world.

The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British.

It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom
Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the
achievements of it's sons and daughters as the rest of the world is
completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of
themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the
world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping
forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the
greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and
six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from
Sinai to Bosnia .

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular
on-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia , in which
out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their
regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act
of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no
international credit.

So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and
selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in
Afghanistan? Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac , Canada repeatedly
does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being
thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun.

It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud,
yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving
Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.

Favorite Live CDs

Now to finally complete something that I only just started on the old version of the Aattic, here are a list of my top 20 legitimately released live CDs along with explanations as to why they are on this list. There is a heck of a lot of great live music out there to enjoy. Hopefully this will help serve to guide you in some way or another.

Maybe you agree with them, maybe you don't. Maybe this might inspire you to go and check out these little chunks of music history.

Either way and as always, please enjoy.

1. Live in Santa Monica 72 - David Bowie & The Spiders From Mars
2. What Do You Want from Live - The Tubes
3. How the West Was Won - Led Zeppelin
4. The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life - Frank Zappa
5. Seconds Out - Genesis
6. Hammersmith Odeon 75 - Bruce Springsteen
7. Live At Leeds - The Who
8. Budokan! 30th Anniversary Edition - Cheap Trick
9. Live! Bootleg - Aerosmith
10. Weld - Neil Young and Crazy Horse
11. All The Worlds A Stage - Rush
12. Made In Japan (Expanded Edition) - Deep Purple
13. The Last Waltz (Expanded Edition) - The Band
14. Welcome Back My Friends - Emerson, Lake and Palmer
15. Plays Live - Peter Gabriel
16. Pack Up The Plantation - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
17. Frampton Comes Alive 25th Anniversary - Peter Frampton
18. Crossroads 2: Live In The Seventies - Eric Clapton
19. Here And There - Elton John
20. Get You Ya Yas Out - The Rolling Stones

Live in Santa Monica '72 - David Bowie

David Bowie live in 1972. Long available as a bootleg, this seminal concert presents all that is good about his Ziggy Stardust persona. The band was still just a four piece with Mick Ronson on guitar and vocals, Mick "Woody" Woodmansey on drums, Trevor Bolder on Bass and Mike Garson on piano. This was well before he became tired of the Ziggy persona and perpatrated one of the greatest rock 'n' roll exits of all time; his legendary Hammersmith Odeon show when he announced his retirement, much to the shock and horror of his drummer and bass player.

The Santa Monica concert itself was a revelation for a staid North American crowd. Ziggy took androginy to a new level. Coupled with a frenetic stage presence and the mock oral copulation during Ronson's The Width Of A Circle guitar solo... time stood still.

If you would like to find out more about this fascinating era of David Bowie then I highly recommend you check out The Ziggy Stardust Companion for more info.

Tracklist:

Hang On To Yourself
Ziggy Stardust
Changes
The Supermen
Life On Mars?
Five Years
Space Oddity
Andy Warhol
My Death
The Width Of A Circle
Queen Bitch
Moonage Daydream
John, I'm Only Dancing
Waiting For The Man
The Jean Genie
Suffragette City
Rock n Roll Suicide.

Classic rock 'n' roll at it's finest folks.

What Do You Want From Live - The Tubes

The Tubes in the 70's were a group of nine lunatics from the San Fransisco area who took theatrics in rock to the edge, and then promptly leapt over with wild and reckless abandon. Creating musical frameworks for such diverse characters as Johnny Bugger (with his band the Dirt Bags), a Cleausau like detective in Smoke (La Vie en Fumer) and the quintescential burnt out rock and roll singer Quay Lewd (the latter in 12 inch high platform boots, a massive shock of blonde hair, glasses that lit up and spelt the name Quay and a mirrored Q shaped guitar), well, let's suffice it to say that I have never, and I do mean NEVER, seen another band quite like the Tubes.

Of course the fact that they are all consumate musicians only helps to enhance their legacy. If you would like to catch an in depth vision of who and what The Tubes were, then look no further than The Tubes Project, a feature length documentary currently in production and created by one time Tubes keyboard player Michael Cotton. Check out his MySpace Page for mor information and cool videos.

WDYWfL was recorded at the famous Hammersmith Odeon, London England in November of 1977.

Tracklist:

Overture: Up From The Deep / Young and Rich / Madam I'm Adam / Mondo Bondage
Got Yourself A Deal
Show Me A Reason
What Do You Want From Life
God-Bird-Change
Special Ballet
Don't Touch Me There
Mondo Bondage
Smoke (La Vie en Fumer)
Crime Medley
I Was A Punk Before You Were A Punk
I Saw Her Standing There
Drum Solo
Boy Crazy
You're No Fun
Stand Up And Shout
White Punks On Dope

How The West Was Won - Led Zeppelin

Ya know, Led Zeppelin never got the mainstream props they were due... but this fact never seemed to bother them. Their fan base always had more to do with true music afficianados than it did with top 40 kind of tripe. The self same thing that usually precludes a band from having to come up against the usual kind of time sensitive scrutiny only served to preclude the mighty Led Zeppelin from the same. They loved and embraced their blues roots.

As of 1973 the Zepps were already behind four albums, an unheard of state of affairs by these days standards. I mean, let me ask you this... how many CURRENT bands do you know that have already put forth such timeless classics as; Communication Breakdown, How Many More Times, Babe I Gotta Leave You, Dazed and Confused, Whole Lotta Love, Living Loving Maid, Ramble On, Heartbreaker, Thank You, Rock 'n' Roll, Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Stariway To Heaven, Going To California, Gallows Pole, Celebration Day, Since I've Been Loving You in a matter of a couple of years... need I go on.

This set has been culled from two seperate shows (June 25th, 1973 - LA Forum and June 27th - Long Beach Arena) to find out which track came from which date, or, more acurately, which part of which track came from which date then check out The Garden Tapes.

Miss this live offering at your peril...

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
LA Drone
Immigrant Song
Heartbreaker
Black Dog
Over The Hills and Far Away
Since I've Been Loving Your
Stairway To Heaven
Going To California
That's The Way
Bron-Yr-Aur-Stomp
Disc 2:
Dazed And Confused
What Is and What Should Never Be
Dancing Days
Moby Dick

Disc 3:
Whole Lotta Love
Rock And Roll
The Ocean
Bring It On Home

The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life - Frank Zappa

I don't think I could introduce this CD any better than Frank Zappa himself did on the liner notes to this CD:

The 1988 road band self-destructed before U.S. audiences in the south, Midwest and West could hear it perform. It was, however, heard and appreciated by East Coast and European audiences during its brief existence (four months of rehearsal in 1987/1988, followed by a tour, February through June, 1988), and it is from those performances that this compilation has been made.

The collection features big-band arrangements of concert favorites and obscure album cuts, along with deranged versions of cover tunes and a few premiere recordings.

In a world where most of the "big groups" go on stage and pretend to sing and play, we proudly present this quaint audio artifact. Yes, once upon a time, live musicians actually sang and played this. All material contained herein is 100% live, and there are no over-dubs of any kind

A number of wicked covers are true highlights of this disk which, along with the CD's Broadway the Hard Way and Make a Jazz Noise Here
documented this wonderful tour. A tour, I might add, that proved to be Zappa's last before succombing to prostate cancer in 1993.

I'm here to tell you right now that you really haven't lived until you have heard Zappa's arrangement of the Led Zeppelin classic Stairway To Heaven. Nuff said.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
Heavy Duty Judy
Ring Of Fire
Cosmic Debris
Find Her Finer
Who Needs The Peace Corps
I Left My Heart In San Fransisco
Zomby Woof
Bolero
Zoot Allures
Mr. Green Genes
Florentine Pogen
Andy
Inca Roads
Sofa No. 1

Disc 2:
Purple Haze
Sunshine Of Your Love
Let's Move To Cleveland
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
"Godfather Part II" Theme
A Few Minutes With Brother A. West
The Torture Never Stops Part 1
Theme From "Bonanza"
Lonsome Cowboy Burt (Swaggart Version)
The Torture Never Stops Part 2
More Trouble Every Day (Swaggart Version)
Penguin In Bondage (Swaggart Version)
Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue
Stairway To Heaven

Seconds Out - Genesis

With the departure of lead singer Peter Gabriel after the conclusion of the 1975 Lamb Lies Down On Broadway tour Genesis were left looking for a new vocalist. Fortunately they didn't have to look far as they soon promoted Phil Collins from within their own ranks. Two successful studio albums later (A Trick Of The Tail and Wind and Wuthering) and it was time to release their second live album.

Enlisting the aid of Chester Thompson (ex Weather Report, Frank Zappa) and or Bill Bruford (ex Yes, King Crimson) on various tracks Genesis flex their musical muscle with a healthy mix of old Gabriel era songs (classic version of Supper's Ready here) and newer tunes from the two post Grabriel releases.

While the album was being mixed guitarist Steve Hackett handed in his resignation, making him the third member of the band to leave (Anthony Phillips was the first in 1970).

If you like progressive rock you should definately check this double disc set out.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
Squonk
The Carpet Crawlers
Robbery, Assault and Battery
Afterglow
Firth of Fifth
I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Musical Box (closing section)

Disc 2:
Supper's Ready
Cinema Show
Dance On A Volcano
Los Endos

Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

Following the success stateside of Springsteens seminal Born To Run release his record company were hot to introduce The Boss to the United Kingdom and Europe. To that end they organized a brief tour.

The first of two dates at the Hammersmith Odeon in London England was professionally recorded and filmed on silent 16mm stock.

In 2006 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Born To Run, the record company release a special edition of the classic platter which included the aforementioned 16mm film dubed with the professional recording to produce a true treat for fans of this seminal album.

Several months later they released this two cd set with the soundtrack from that long ago November evening in 1975. Classic Springsteen with his long time partners in crime, the E Street Band.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
Spirits In The Night
Lost In The Flood
Mona/She's The One
Born To Run
The E Street Shuffle/Havin' A Party
It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City
Backstreets

Disc 2:
Kitty's Back
Jungleland
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
4th Of July / Asbury Park (Sandy)
Detroit Medley:
Devil With A Blue Dress On, Jenny Take A Ride, Good Golly, Miss Molly and CC Rider
For You
Quarter To Three

Live At Leeds (Deluxe Edition) - The Who

Long considered one of the best live albums ever recorded the original live album contained only six songs from this classic set.

This title has seen three different incarnations on cd. The first mimiced the original LP release. For fun I have italisized the songs which were contained on the original release.

The second incarnation consisted of the entire non-Tommy section of the concert (with the exception of Amazing Journey and Sparks).

The third itereation, and the one I am recommending here, contains the entire concert including bits of between song banter that had been removed from previous releases. The only thing that stops this from being an all time classic is the fact that the entire Tommy set has been dedicated to the second disc rather than residing in the true concert running order.

For informational purposes the Tommy set resided between The Who's mini opera A Quick One While He's Away and their take on the old Eddie Cochran staple Summertime Blues. If you would like to get a fair representation of this then check out Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 a concert recorded the following year.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
Heaven And Hell
I Can't Explain
Fortune Teller
Tattoo
Young Man Blues
SubstituteHappy Jack
I'm A Boy
A Quick One While He's Away
Summtime Blues
Shakin' All Over
My Generation
Magic Bus

Disc 2:
Overture
It's A Boy
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Eyesight To The Blind
Christmas
The Acid Queen
Pinball Wizard
Do You Think It's Alright?
Fiddle About
Tommy Can You Hear Me
There's A Doctor
Go To The Mirror!
Smash The Mirror
Miracle Cure
Sally Simpson
I'm Free
Tommy's Holiday Camp
We're Not Gonna Take It

Budokan! 30th Anniversary Edition - Cheap Trick

Back in 1978 Cheap Trick were a band out of Rockford, Illonois with three studio albums to their credit who seemed destined to languish in relative obscurity. Cheap Trick, In Color and Heaven Tonight were full of catchy pop musings with a harder edge and their wicked sense of humour but none of them had broken the U.S. top 40.

It was suggested by the record company that they should go and tour Japan, where all three albums had gone gold. Upon arriving in Japan the band were greeted with a frenzy approaching Beatlemania.

As a thank you to their Japanese fans the Triksters recorded their April 28th and 30th 1978 appearances at the venerated Nippon Budokan in Tokyo with an eye to releasing a Japan only release.

Cheap Trick At Budokan soon became a highly coveted U.S. Import. Such was the interest shown in the album, Epic Records capitulated and release the LP as a domestic product. Cheap Trick has never looked back since.

This 30th Anniversary edition houses one DVD filmed on that fateful evening, and three CD's. Two of which contain the Complete Concert. The third CD contains an audio companion to the DVD concert.

For anyone who, like me, wondered what gave with Robin Zander's slow "I want you... to want... me" intro to the song of the same titler, the man himself finally comes clean, admitting that he was afraid the Japanese audience wouldn't understand him speaking his native tongue. So in the great tradition of people caught in a foreign land who can only speak English, Robin talked really... really... slowly...

Tracklist:

DVD
Hello There
Elo Kiddies
Speak Now (Or Forever Hold You Peace)
Lookout
Downed
Can't Hold On
Oh Caroline
Surrender
Auf Wiedersehen
Sothern Girls
I Want You To Want Me
California Man
Goodnight
Aint' That A Shame
Clock Strikes Ten
Come On Come On
(above tracks are from the original April 28th 1978 show)
Voices
If You Want My Love
(taken from the 30th anniversary concerts performed at the Budokan in 2008)

DVD Soundtrack:
Hello There
Come On Come On
Elo Kiddies
Speak Now (Or Forever Hold Your Peace)
Big Eyes
Lookout
Downed
Can't Hold On
Oh Caroline
Surrender
Auf Wiedersehen
Need Your Love
High Roller
Southern Girls
I Want You To Want Me
California Man
Goodnight
Ain't That A Shame
Clock Strikes Ten

Complete Concert

Disc 1:
Hello There
Come On Come On
Elo Kiddies
Speak Now (Or Forever Hold Your Peace)
Big Eyes
Lookout
Downed
Can't Hold On
Oh Caroline
Surrender
Auf Wiedersehen

Disc 2:
Need Your Love
High Roller
Southern Girls
I Want You To Want Me
California Man
Goodnight
Ain't That A Shame
Clock Strikes Ten

Live! Bootleg - Aerosmith

I've always loved Aerosmith, ya know. Sure, in the 70's the original and classic line up kind of self destructed due in no small part to the copious amounts of substances they were ingesting. Especially lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. Nick named The Toxic Twins for very very good reason, as messers Tyler and Perry went, so went the band.

Yet, through the drug haze, Tyler must have had a vision of his bands future when he wrote a set of rather prophetic lyrics for a favorite song of mine, No More No More from their classic Toys In The Attic release. It goes sometihng like this:

It's the same old story, never get a second chance for a dance to the top of the heap

Except, in the case of Aerosmith, they did get a second chance and took full advantage of said chance in 1987, when all five original members got clean and released the classic Permanent Vacation.

Yet despite Aerosmith's relative logevity they have released a dearth of original studio material. For a band that has been around for pushing 40 years to have released a mere 13 albums of original material, eight during the heyday of vinyl records (read 30 - 35 minutes each) and then you are really in trouble.

Now, ponder this statistic. In that same time period the band have managed to release no less than eight Greatest Hit / Box set packages with an additional four live albums and a studio album of old blues / Rhythm and Blues covers and, well... what can I tell you.

Still, through it all I have remained a fan of the bad boys from Boston, primarily because of their live chops. These guys are one of THE best live bands I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. To this very day.

And, other than a popular bootleg from back in the day called Look Homeward Angel, Live! Bootleg was my first introduction to the magic which is Aerosmith in concert. Recorded at various venues during their Rocks / Draw The Line tours the sheer energy hold up 30 odd years on.

Sounds best when played loud!!!

Tracklist:

Back In The Saddle
Sweet Emotion
Lord Of The Thighs
Toys In The Attic
Last Child
Come Together
Walk This Way
Sick As A Dog
Dream On
Chip Away The Stone
Sight For Sore Eyes
Mama Kin
S.O.S. (Too Bad)
I Ain't Got You
Mother Popcorn
Draw The Line
Train Kept A Rollin'/Strangers In The Night

Weld - Neil Young & Crazy Horse

While I will readily admit that Neil Young is not to everyone's taste, there is still no denying his musical legacy. To call his output prodigious would be an insult. From his earliest days with the Winnipeg band The Squires, through stints with the legendary Buffalo Springfield and on to his on again off again tenure with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young he has managed to turn out memorable song after memorable song.

And we aren't even talking about his solo career yet. Nor his time with Crazy Horse, or The Stray Gators, the Trans Band, The Shocking Pinks, The International Harvesters, The Bluenotes... shit, need I go on?

Hell, Neil also recorded with the late great Rick James of "Super Freak" fame before James was arrested for being AWOL from the army.

But, as always, Neil marched very distinctly to the beat of his own musical drummer.

Weld is a two disc set recorded with Crazy Horse while touring behind his Ragged Glory offering. Inspired in no small way by the then current Gulf War, this release was drowned in a feedback distorted angst which prompted then current music heavyweights Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) and Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) to dub Neil Young as the godfather of grunge.

At the time of Weld's release a companion single disc titled Arc consisted in its entirity a sound collage of guitar noise and feedback, no doubt influenced by Young's choice of Sonic Youth as his opening act.

Listen to his feedback and siren drenched take on the old Dylan chestnut Blowin' In The Wind; his guitar solo during Cortez The Killer or Powderfinger; the mournfull dirge which is Tonight's the Night.

For a reminder that the fire still burns within some elder statesmen of rock, look no further than Weld!

Tracklist:

Disc 1
Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
Crime In The City
Blowin' In The Wind
Welfare Mothers
Love To Burn
Cinnamon Girl
Mansion On The Hill
F*!#in' Up

Disc 2
Cortez The Killer
Powderfinger
Love and Only Love
Rockin' In The Free World
Like A Hurricane
Farmer John
Tonight's The Night
Roll Another Number (For the Road)

All The Worlds A Stage - Rush

O.K. So your name is John Rutsey. You are the drummer for a power trio from the GTA (that would be Greater Toronto Area for all you neophites). After recording your first album but two weeks before your first U.S. tour you decide to quit the band. Good career move or not so much so?

Well, if the band you just quit was Johnny and the Bum Fuckers, then, yeah, maybe it was a good career decision.

If the band you just quit was Rush, well, maybe not so much so.

But here's the rub. John Rutsey's replacement Neil Peart soon became the bands primary lyracist. Which begs the question... if old JR had stayed the coarse, would Rush be the band that they currently are?

Considering the fact that Neil has put the words in Geddy's mouth time after time I would have to vote a great big NO!!!

That being said, Rutsey quit the band in no small part due to his ongoing battle with Diabetes. So there ya go.

All the Worlds A Stage was recorded during a three night stand at the bands home town venue Massey Hall in support of their 2112 release. By the bands own admission this live album marked the end of the "first chapter of Rush" and would start a trend for the band of four studio albums followed up by a live album.

If you are a fan of Rush then you owe it to yourself to listen to this, their first live offering. Everything, every hint of future glory is contained on this release.

This disc still finds it's way into my playlist with alarming frequency.

Tracklist:

Bastille Day
Anthem
Fly By Night/In The Mood
Something For Nothing
Lakeside Park
2112
Overture
The Temple Of Syrinx
Presentation
Soliloquy
Grand Finale
By-Tor And The Snow Dog
In The End
Working Man/Finding My Way
What You're Doing

Made In Japan (Remastered Edition) - Deep Purple

While I can't say for sure that the band Deep Purple have had the most major iterations in band membership I nonetheless don't feel as though I am going out on to big a limb by saying they have had their fare share.

Deep Purple MK I, MK II, MK III, MK IV, MK IIb, MK V, MK IIc, MK VI, MK VII, MK VIII... well, you get the idea.

For many, myself included, the heyday of the band was the original MK II incarnation. Ian Gillan on vocals, Roger Glover bass, Ian Paice drums, Jon Lord on keyboards and the enfant terrible himself, Ritchie Blackmore on guitar.

This was the lineup that recoded the seminal In Rock album, Machine Head with the riff that launched a thousand guitarists, Fireball and Who Do We Think We Are with a personal favorite tune of theirs, Woman From Tokyo.

Then there was this live album. Like Cheap Trick to follow, Deep Purple toured Japan in 1972 and recorded three nights, August 15 - 17 in Osaka and at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. Originally intended as a Japan only release the album eventually broke world wide and became one of the quintesential live albums of all time.

Drawing extensively from their Machine Head release Deep Purple played with such ferocisty the Japanese audiences were left stunned into silence. Ian Gillan's vocal histronics on the In Rock chestnut Child In Time still sends shivers up my spine. And I dare anyone to listen to the opening Machine Head track, Highway Star while driving a vehicle and not exceed the posted speed limit.

In 1993 a three cd set titled Live In Japan was released. While the original Made In Japan release consisted mainly of tracks from the August 16th gig in Osaka (save Smoke On The Water from the 15th and The Mule and Lazy from the 17th, this triple disc offering filled in many of the gaps releasing the remaining tracks from the 15th and the 17th as well as those three non 16th tracks from the original release.

In 1998 an expanded edition of the set was released which includes three encores; Black Night and Speed King from the 17th and Lucille from the 16th.

Confused yet? No need. Just let the boogie take your soul and you will be just fine!

Tracklist:
Made In Japan

Disc 1
Highway Star (Osaka 16th)
Child In Time (Osaka 16th)
Smoke On The Water (Osaka 15th)
The Mule (Tokyo 17th)
Strange Kind Of Woman (Osaka 16th)
Lazy (Tokyo 17th)
Space Truckin' (Osaka 16th)

Disc 2 (The encores)
Black Night (Tokyo 17th)
Speed King (Tokyo 17th)
Lucille (Osaka 16th)

Live In Japan

Osaka, August 15th 1972
Disc 1: Good Morning
Highway Star
Child In Time
The Mule
Strange Kind Of Woman
Lazy
Space Truckin'
Black Night (encore)

Osaka, August 16th, 1972
Disc 2: Next week, we're turning professional
Highway Star
Smoke On The Water
Child In Time
The Mule
Strange Kind Of Woman
Lazy
Space Truckin'

Tokyo, August 17th, 1972
Disc 3: Can we have everything louder than everything else?
Highway Star
Smoke On The Water
Child In Time
Strange Kind Of Woman
Lazy
Space Truckin'
Speed King (encore)

The Last Waltz (Expanded Edition) - The Band

In 1976 Robbie Robertson, erstwhile leader of The Band decided, unilaterally as it turns out, to have one final big shindig before calling it quits.

The Band had been there in Toronto when Ronnie Hawkins was looking for a backup band, The Hawks.

The Band had been there when, in 1965, Dylan first eschewed his acoustic folksy roots and plugged in his Fender Strat and blew away all the allusions his fans had of who it is that he was.

Freed of Dylans reigns The Band toured and recorded in their own right. Moondog Matinee, Songs From Big Pink... The Band had been there, done that and then done that again. By 1976 they were tired of the road; tired of the musical grind. Robertson convinved the other members that maybe it was time for them to hang up their hats while they were on top.

Fried as they were, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson agreed. The Last Waltz, recorded at Bill Graham's Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976 was to have been The Bands swansong.

Director Martin Scorsese was there to capture the proceedings for posterity sake.

Inviting a number of friends and special guests, The Band turned in one of the, if not musically best, most emotionally charged rock 'n' roll concerts of all times. Bar none.

Don't believe me? Check out the tracklisting of this remastered and expanded version of the original double lp set.

Tracklist:

Disc 1
Theme From The Last Waltz (w/ Orchestra)
Up On Cripple Creek
The Shape I'm In
It Makes No Difference
Who Do You Love (w/ Ronnie Hawkins)
Life Is A Carnival
Such A Night (w/ Dr. John)
The Weight
Down South In New Orleans (w/ Bobby Charles)
This Wheel's On Fire
Mystery Train (w/ Paul Butterfield)
Caldonia (w/ Muddy Waters)
Mannish Boy (w/ Muddy Waters)
Stagefright

Disc: 2
Rag Mama Rag
All Our Past Times (w/ Eric Clapton)
Further On Up The Road (w/ Eric Clapton)
Ophelia
Helpless (w/ Neil Young)
Four Strong Winds (w/ Neil Young)
Coyote (w/ Joni Mitchell)
Shadows And Light (w/ Joni Mitchell)
Furry Sings The Blues (w/ Joni Mitchell)
Acadian Driftwood
Dry Your Eyes (w/ Neil Diamond)
The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
Tura Lura Lural (That's An Irish Lullaby) (w/ Van Morrison)
Caravan (w/ Van Morrison)

Disc: 3
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
The Genetic Method/Chest Fever (Excerpt From Movie Soundtrack)
Baby Let Me Follow You Down (w/ Bob Dylan)
Hazel (w/ Bob Dylan)
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) (w/ Bob Dylan)
Forever Young (w/ Bob Dylan)
Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Reprise) (w/ Bob Dylan)
I Shall Be Released (Finale)
Jam #1
Jam #2
Don't Do It
Greensleeves (From Movie Soundtrack)

Disc: 4
The Well
Evangeline (w/ Emmylou Harris)
Out Of The Blue
The Weight (w/ The Staples)
The Last Waltz Refrain
Theme From The Last Waltz
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
Tura Lura Lural (That's An Irish Lullaby) (w/ Van Morrison)
Caravan (w/ Van Morrison)
Such A Night (w/ Dr. John)
Rag Mama Rag
Mad Waltz (Sketch Track For "The Well")
The Last Waltz Refrain (Instrumental Version)
The Last Waltz Theme (Sketch)

Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends, Ladies and Gentlemen Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Emerson, Lake And Palmer

A litle bombast anyone? A little prog rock goodness? A little excentric noodling?

Emerson, Lake and Palmer were all that was good and all that was bad with the genre. But when they were good, they were very very good. Kind of like they were on this 1974 release. A rare triple LP recorded during their Brain Salad Surgery support tour, the tri-gatefold from the original release was Quite unlike anything we had ever seen.

Taking tracks liberally from their first four studio albums Welcome Back My Friends... offers up a blend of shorter rolicking tracks "Hoedown" (Trilogy) and "Jeremy Bender" (Tarkus)/The Sherif" (Trilogy) "Still... You Turn Me On" (Brain Salad Surgery) and "Lucky Man" (Emerson, Lake & Palmer). But the corner piece, the anchor of this set are the epic numbers, of which there are three. Tarkus is played here in it's 20 odd minute entirity. Take A Pebble from their debut release is performed in two parts. From it's unique opening string section (created by Keith Emerson dragging a pick down the length of the strings of a grand piano) it then incorporates the aforementioned Still... You Turn Me On and Lucky Man, as well as a Piano Improvisation section before wrapping up with the conclusion of Take A Pebble.

The highlight for me is when their new epic composition off the Brain Salad Surgery release closed off the set.

Karn Evil 9 was performed in three parts, in the studio and live. The First Impression itself was actually devided into two unique pieces. Most people don't even realize they have heard this song before but the "single" release from this album started off with those famous lyrics, encorporated in a fashion for the title of this disc.

"Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside."

Heard it, haven't you.

If you are feeling like a trip back to one of the original movers and shakers of progressive rock and roll, you need go no further than this live offering.

Tracklist:

Disc 1
Hoedown
Jerusalem
Toccata
Tarkus
Eruption
Stones Of Years
Iconoclast
Mass
Manticore
Battlefield
Aquatarkus
Take A Pebble incl. Still You Turn Me On and Lucky Man

Disc 2
Piano Improvisations incl. Friedrich Gulda's "Fugue" and Joe Sullivan's "Little Rock Getaway"
Take A Pebble (Conclusion)
Jeremy Bender / The Sherif
Karn Evil 9
1st Impression
2nd Impression
3rd Impression

Plays Live - Peter Gabriel

In the summer of 1983 I got my first job in computers after graduating from the Honeywell Institute for Continuing Studies. It was with a company called Microplace. The whole idea behind Microplace was to train people, well, kids mostly, about the joys of computers and what it was exactly that you could do with said computers.

Being as it was 1983, the computer of choice was the Commodore 64; mocked now I'm sure but at the time the C64 was well ahead of it's time in computing power, multi voice sound and, for the era, cutting edge graphics.

As happens so often, the owners of Microplace opened up far to many locations from the get go. Those centered around larger populations like the one in Oshawa at Camp Samac flourished. Those centered in far flung regions, such as the one that I was originally assigned to in Peterborough... well, not so much so.

While making the daily hour long trek (give or take) up Highway 35/115 from Oshawa to Peterborough, I discovered and fell madly in love with a tape of Peter Gabriel Plays Live. That tape became the soundtrack of my life that summer. At the time it was quite unlike anything else that I had ever heard. Gabriel, the erstwhile former lead singer for Genesis, was now behind four solo albums; Peter Gabriel (Car), Peter Gabriel (Scratch), Peter Gabriel (Melt) and Security (sorry, not Peter Gabriel by this point) and obviously felt the need to express himself in a live context.

And what a context it was. Starting off with his hypnotic drum intro for The Rythm Of The Heat and ending with the haunting strains of his gut wrenching ode to the memory of noted anti-aparthied activist Stephen Bantu Biko the entire concert tape struck a chord so deep within me that it still reverberates in my soul to this very day.

Mellodramatic? Maybe... Hell, probably... but that dosen't diminish in the least, the fact that it is true. Peter Gabriel Plays Live is, for me if for no one else, one of those rare and special musical experiences that can best be described as a religious experience.

Check it out, I beg of you. It might just etch itself upon your psyche as deeply as it has mine.

If it dosen't, I none the less promise you that it will be a musical journey well worth your time.

Tracklist

Disc 1
The Rythm Of The Heat
I Have The Touch
Not One Of Us
Family Snapshot
D.I.Y.
The Family And The Fishing Net
Intruder
I Go Swimming

Disc 2
San Jacinto
Solsbury Hill
No Self-Control
I Don't Remember
Shock The Monkey
Humdrum
On The Air
Biko

Pack Up The Plantation Live! - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

Right. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I've always been a bit of an on again, off again Tom Petty fan. At times he can be so unique, so, if not cutting edge, certainly honing the edge. Then again, at times he can be so lame, so contrived, so predictable.

The live set Pack Up The Plantation was recorded primarily at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles in 1985 with a handful of exceptions as noted below.

Fantastic takes on The Byrds "So you Wanna be A Rock 'n' Roll Star", The Searchers "Needles And Pins", The Animals "Don't Bring Me Down" and The Isley Brothers "Shout". Coupled with live versions of TP&tHb "Breakdown", "The Waiting", "American Girl" and "Refugee".

Southern fried rock at it's best.

Tracklist:

So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star
Needles And Pins
The Waiting
Breakdown
American Girl
It Ain't Nothin' To Me
Insider
Rockin' Around (With You)
Refugee
Southern Accents
Rebels
Don't Bring Me Down
Shout
The Stories We Could Tell

Frampton Comes Alive - Peter Frampton

One thing that I love about all these remasters and deluxe editions of CD's that seem to be quite prevalent these days is the oppertunity they afford the powers that be to "do it up right". For proof possitive of this suposition look no further than the Deluxe Edition treatment afforded the quintessential live album "Frampton Comes Alive" (or as we used to like calling it when in my youth, "Frampton Comes All Over The Place").

The original album has not only been expanded with additional tracks not included in it's initial release, but all the songs have been rearranged and put back into the original running order of the concert itself.

Contrary to some folks belief artists don't just throw a wack of songs together and hope that something sticks. Setlists are a living breathing thing. Even if the exact same songs are played night in and night out they may not always be played in the same order. An artist tweaks here, adjusts there, until the entire concert experience is honed to a place that said artist wants it to be.

As much as I loved the original release, the running order afforded by this deluxe release makes much more sence to me sonically.

Frampton Comes Alive always has been and always will be right there with my favorite legitametly released live albums.

Tracklist:

Disc 1
Introduction/Somethings Happening
Doobie Wah
Lines On My Face
Show Me The Way
It's A Plain Shame
Wind Of Change
Just The Time Of The Year
Penny For Your Thoughts
All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side)
Baby, I Love Your Way

Disc 2
Nowhere's Too Far For My Baby
(I'll Give You) Money
Do You Feel Like We Do
Shine On
White Sugar
Jumping Jack Flash
Days Dawning

Crossroads 2: Live In The Seventies - Eric Clapton

What can you say about god. That would be god with a small "g" for all you keeping track at home. Clapton cut his teeth in such bands as The Yardbirds, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, the first supergroup Cream, the second supergroup Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends before finally winding up as the titular Derek in Derek and the Dominos.

After mediocre reviews for the album and a tour which degenerated into a haze of drug and alcohol abuse (despite rave reviews and an incredible live album Live at the Fillmore) Eric went into a prolonged period of self impossed seclusion.

It wasn't until early 1973 when close friend and fellow guitar hero Pete Townsend of The Who fame organized a coming out party of sorts for Eric at the London Rainbow Theatre. Townsend put together a group of stellar musicians to act as Clapton's backup band. Clapton, Townsend and Ron Wood (Traffic, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones) on guitar, Ric Grech (Blind Faith) on bass guitar, Steve Winwood (Traffic, Blind Faith) on keyboards and vocals, Jim Capaldi (Traffic) on drums, Jimmy Karstein on drums and Rebop Kwaku Baah (Traffic) on percussion.

They produced a killer live album called Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert. Following this coming out (again) party Clapton started a solo career which has never stopped since.

This four disc set is culled from a variety of concerts played during Clapton's early solo days, anywhere from July 20th 1974 at Long Beach Arena in southern California through to November 28th, 1978 at the Victoria Hall, Hanley with four studio tracks thrown in for good measure.

I knew that I was going to love this set while I listened to it for the very first time. During The Sky Is Crying / Have You Ever Loved A Woman / Rambling On My Mind you can hear Eric calling out chord changes to his band mates, just as though he was teaching the song to his buddies in a rehersal hall somewhere. To me that captured a certain purity to live music.

You can almost sense Clapton thinking to himself "this is fun, let's try this..." and calling an audible to his bandmates.

If that was the only thing that I liked about this release, for me, it would be sufficient. The fact that the rest of the music just rocks your world is a decided bonus.

And if you can't believe in 'g'od, then who can you believe in?

Tracklist:

Disc 1
Walkin' Down The Road
Have You Ever Loved A Woman
Willie And The Hand Jive/Get Ready
Can't Find My Way Home
Driftin' Blues/Rambling On My Mind
Presence Of The Lord
Rambling On My Mind/Have You Ever Loved A Woman
Little Wing
The Sky Is Crying/Have You Ever Loved A Woman/Rambling On My Mind

Disc 2
Layla
Further On Up The Road
I Shot The Sherrif
Badge
Driftin' Blues
Eyesight To The Blind/Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad

Dics 3
Tell The Truth
Knockin On Heaven's Door
Stormy Monday
Lay Down Sally
The Core
We're All The Way
Cocaine
Goin' Down Slow/Rambling On My Mind
Mean Old Frisco Blues

Disc 4
Loving You (Is Sweeter Than Ever)
Worried Life Blues
Tulsa Time
Early In The Morning
Wonderful Tonight
Kind Hearted Woman
Double Trouble
Crossroads
To Make Somebody Happy
Cryin'
Water On The Ground

Here And There - Elton John

I think that I mentioned somewhere in my book Not Only Am I With The Band... that my first true musical love was Elton John. I think that I also mentioned somewhere in that tome that Elton John was my introduction to bootleg recordings.

Given the fact that I am now enraptured with live recordings, that first introduction must well have made an impression.

Elton's first legitamitly released live album was 11-17-70. As his popularity grew the fact that there would be a second live release was a no brainer.

Here And There is that second release. Recorded at two venues (Here being the Royal Festival Hall in London, England, There being Madison Square Garden in New York City) it captured two very different kinds of shows.

Here was recorded before a rather staid audience in London, when Elton and band put on a basic history of his career, starting out solo on the piano for Skyline Pigeon, switching to the late great Dee Murray on Bass guitar and vocals and his long time (and still current) drummer Nigel Olssen for the next three tracks.

A duet with Leslie Duncan on "Love Song" marked the first time (at the time) that Elton had written a song with anyone else other than Bernie Taupin, let alone done a duet with.

Davey Johnstone (guitar and vocals) and Ray Cooper (percussion) rounded out the band for the remained of the show.

In contrast, Elton and his full touring band let their hair down and cut loose on the Thanksgiving Day concert at Madison Square Garden. I love this part due in no small part to the inclusion of rarely if ever played anymore songs Grey Seal and You're So Static.

More importantly this night in NYC Elton had a guest star come up and sit in on three songs with him and the band. He had recorded a song with this guest and, on a whim, bet said guest that if the song they had just recorded ever went to number one that this guest would have to join Elton onstage.

The song was Whatever Get's You Through The Night. The song did go to number one. So, on this Thanksgiving concert the guest, one John Lennon, joined Elton and his band on stage to run through their hit song, Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds and I Saw Her Standing There.

John Lennnon was terrified but still managed to go through with his end of the bargain.

Introducing the final number Lennon said I'd like to thank Elton and the boys for having me on tonight. We tried to think of a number to finish off with so I can get out of here and be sick. And we thought we'd do a number of an old estranged fiancee of mine called Paul. This is one I never sang; it's an old Beatle number and we just about know it.

As it turned out, this was to be Lennon's last live public performance.

As far as I'm concerned, that is reason enough to grab this disc.

Tracklist

Here
Disc 1
Skyline Pigeon
Border Song
Take Me To The Pilot
Country Comfort
Love Song
Bad Side Of The Moon
Burn Down The Mission
Honky Cat
Crocodile Rock
Candle In The Wind
Your Song
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

There
Disc 2
Funeral For A Friend
Love Lies Bleeding
Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time)
Take Me To The Pilot
Bennie And The Jets
Grey Seal
Daniel
You're So Static
Whatever Get's You Through The Night
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
I Saw Here Standing There
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Your Song
The Bitch Is Back

Get You Ya Yas Out - The Rolling Stones

Over the years The Rolling Stones have released more than their fair share of live offerings. From 1966's Got Live If You Want It,through Love You Live, Still Life, Flashpoint, Stripped, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, No Security, Live Licks right up to their most recent offering Shine A Light.

While a number of those releases have their merits, there is far to many lost oppertunities on the bands part to release a definitive live recording. The closest they ever came was on their 1970 release Get Your Ya Yas Out, recorded over two days and three shows (one on the 27th and two on the 28th) at New York City's Madison Square Gardens in November of 1969.

These recordings were made a mere eight days before the infamous Altmount Free Concert at the Altmount Motor Speedway in Livermore California. And we all know how that ended, don't we.

After having been off the road for the best part of three years The Stones found themselves in a situation where they could actually be heard. No longer were bands playing to packed houses just off the output from their individual amplifiers. Bands could now tour with their own custom made sound system and all in attendance could hear them. Coupled with the fact that audiences were now more content to sit and listen to the music being played for them rather than screaming their heads off all the way through the show The Stones found themselves in unfamiliar but invigorating territory.

The playing on the album is universaly great. Jagger is in fine voice, Keith Richards pulls off licks the way only he can and new addition Mick Taylor played the type of lead guitar that helped define the Stones sound during this period.

However, the term "live" should be taken with a small grain of salt when talking about this release. The amount of studio sweetening has been kept to a minimum, but songs and in between banter have been pieced together from best sources and the likes.

Does this detract? Listen to the blistering guitar solos in Sympathy For The Devil, or the intensity of Midnight Rambler and ask me that question again. This coupled with the excellent documentary Gimme Shelter shot by Maysles brothers Albert and David of the 1969 North American tour stand as one of the best documented rock 'n' roll tours in history.

And now, with this the album's 40th anniversary release, the album is returned to the concept which Mick Jagger originally had in mind when it was first set loose upon an unsuspecting public. Conceived as a double album with opening acts BB King and Ike and Tina Turner's sets comprising the first album and The Stones set comprising the second, it has taken until now to finally realize this vision.

An additional CD contains five tracks not released on the original, rounded the set out to the bands full set.

An additional DVD presents video for those five songs which make a perfect companion piece to the Maysles Brothers excellent documentary, Gimme Shelter. If ever there was a doubt that, once upon a time anyway, The Rolling Stones were The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band, then this anniversary edtion should lay them to waste.

For more great information on The Stones and this seminal release then check out this wonderful website Revelations On The Rolling Stones.

Tracklist

Disc 1
Jumpin' Jack Flash
Carol
Stray Cat Blues
Love In Vain
Midnight Rambler
Sympathy For The Devil
Live With Me
Little Queenie
Honky Tonk Women
Street Fighting Man

Disc 2
Prodigal Son
You Gotta Move
Under My Thumb
I'm Free
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Disc 3
Everyday I Have The Blues (B.B. King)
How Blue Can You Get (B.B. King)
That's Wrong Little Mama (B.B. King)
Why I Sing The Blues (B.B. King)
Please Accept My Love (B.B. King)

Gimme Some Loving (Ike and Tina Turner)
Sweet Soul Music (Ike and Tina Turner)
Son Of A Preacher Man (Ike and Tina Turner)
Proud Mary (Ike and Tina Turner)
I've Been Loving You To Long (Ike and Tina Tuner)
Come Together (Ike and Tina Turner)
Land Of 1,000 Dances (Ike and Tina Turner)

Disc 4 (DVD)
Prodigal Son
You Gotta Move
Under My Thumb
I'm Free
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Backstage footage (shot by Albert and David Maysles) with in-studio footage from album cover shoot