{"id":10005,"date":"2016-01-25T05:30:57","date_gmt":"2016-01-25T05:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=10005"},"modified":"2016-01-24T13:43:17","modified_gmt":"2016-01-24T13:43:17","slug":"hundred-word-reviews-january-2016-archival-live-albums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/25\/hundred-word-reviews-january-2016-archival-live-albums\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundred-word Reviews January 2016: Archival Live Albums"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s time once again to take a stab at clearing out the massive backlog of worthy CDs clogging my inbox. Today, it&#8217;s quick reviews of five archival live albums, all previously unreleased.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10004\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cheap_trick_als.jpg\" alt=\"cheap_trick_als\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cheap_trick_als.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cheap_trick_als-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cheap_trick_als-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00Y0LB66M&amp;asins=B00Y0LB66M&amp;linkId=23KFBTO6ARQID6R3&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Cheap Trick \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Auld Lang Syne<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nBy the tail-end of the 1970s (this show was recorded at Los Angeles&#8217; Forum on New Year&#8217;s Eve 1979), <b>Cheap Trick<\/b> were at the peak of their powers. <i>Dream Police<\/i>, their fourth studio album, was riding the charts, and this show&#8217;s set list focuses on that album, with some old favorites tossed into the mix. The sound of this FM broadcast recording is a bit on the harsh side (note that this is not a band-sanctioned Cheap Trick release), but it ably captures the Rockford, IL quartet in their element. The band&#8217;s high energy sonic attack is what&#8217;s important here.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10003\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/frank_zappa_ritz.jpg\" alt=\"frank_zappa_ritz\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/frank_zappa_ritz.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/frank_zappa_ritz-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/frank_zappa_ritz-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00JQB3HY0&amp;asins=B00JQB3HY0&amp;linkId=KJ6RFYCHT4IXUOQN&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Frank Zappa \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Puttin&#8217; on the Ritz<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nThis one&#8217;s of particular interest to me, as I first saw Zappa live onstage within a few days of this show. Recorded live in NYC on November 17, 1981, this 2CD set \u2013 sourced from a radio broadcast \u2013 captures a <i>You Are What You Is <\/i>tour date. The sound has FM harshness, but it&#8217;s a delight nonetheless. Bits of some of these tracks found their way onto official releases. An on-fire <b>Al Dimeola<\/b> guests on two tracks, but the set&#8217;s highlight is a live version of the instrumental \u201cWatermelon in Easter Hay,\u201d <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/29\/six-years-of-musoscribe-frank-zappa\/\">Frank Zappa<\/a><\/b> at his lead guitar best.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10002\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/utopia_waldorf.jpg\" alt=\"utopia_waldorf\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/utopia_waldorf.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/utopia_waldorf-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/utopia_waldorf-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B015OPM7W4&amp;asins=B015OPM7W4&amp;linkId=YXKTVVD4NUN2FVZ3&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Todd Rundgren &amp; Utopia \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Live at the Old Waldorf<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nAs part of <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2015\/03\/20\/album-review-todd-rundgren-at-the-bbc-1972-1982\/\">Todd Rundgren<\/a><\/b>&#8216;s own ongoing beat-the-boots Archive Series, this 2CD set finds the pared-down Utopia quartet (guitarist Rundgren plus bassist <b>Kasim Sulton<\/b>, drummer <b>Willie Wilcox<\/b> and keyboardist <b>Roger Powell<\/b>) onstage at the intimate San Francisco nightclub. The set features Todd solo favorites plus <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2012\/03\/13\/album-review-todd-rundgrens-utopia-live-at-hammersmith-odeon-75\/\">Utopia<\/a><\/b> tracks from their then-current album, 1977&#8217;s <i>Oops! Wrong Plane<\/i>t. Sound quality is flawless, and the performance \u2013 especially the vocal harmony work \u2013 is stellar. Hints of Utopia&#8217;s prog beginnings crop up, but overall this is a pop\/rock-leaning set. They even do \u201cHello, It&#8217;s Me,\u201d and close with the transcendent anthem \u201cJust One Victory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10001\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/elp_montreux.jpg\" alt=\"elp_montreux\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/elp_montreux.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/elp_montreux-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/elp_montreux-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Emerson, Lake &amp; Palmer \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Live at Montreux 1997<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nBy this late point in their collective career arc, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2009\/05\/09\/dvd-review-emerson-lake-palmer-live-at-the-royal-albert-hall\/\">ELP<\/a><\/strong> weren&#8217;t touring to promote a new release; they hadn&#8217;t put out an album of new music since 1994&#8217;s <i>In the Hot Seat<\/i>, and this set features nothing from 1992&#8217;s <i>Black Moon<\/i>. Instead it&#8217;s an all hits set list, reaching all the way back to their 1970 debut and focusing on ELP&#8217;s run of successful albums. All of the trio&#8217;s strengths (or excesses, depending on one&#8217;s perspective) are on full display here. There are better live ELP albums, but there are worse ones, too; this remains a solid live document.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10000\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/electric_flag.jpg\" alt=\"electric_flag\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/electric_flag.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/electric_flag-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/electric_flag-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00XRFTFRE&amp;asins=B00XRFTFRE&amp;linkId=PUPAOPZDXIA47JKH&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>The Electric Flag \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nEasily the most little-known act covered in this entry, <b>Electric Flag<\/b> were a historically important band thanks to their bridging of soul and rock. This excellent (if warts-and-all) recording captures the band running through a set that mixes originals and soul\/blues covers. In addition to reworked arrangements of <b>Beatles<\/b> and <b>Stevie Wonder<\/b> tunes, the set includes a major highlight: \u201cThe Theme,\u201d a <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/25\/concert-review-the-miles-davis-experience-1948-1959\/\">Miles Davis<\/a><\/b> piece that sounds here very much like what <b>The Butterfield Blues Band<\/b> was doing around the same time with their ambitious \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2014\/05\/19\/album-review-the-butterfield-blues-band-east-west\/\">East\/West<\/a>.\u201d Drummer <b>Buddy Miles<\/b> gamely tackles lead vocals on some tracks; your mileage may vary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s time once again to take a stab at clearing out the massive backlog of worthy CDs clogging my inbox. Today, it&#8217;s quick reviews of five archival live albums, all [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,56,62,65,69],"tags":[501,2592,779,861,2228,2299],"class_list":["post-10005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-release","category-prog","category-rawk","category-review","category-soul","tag-cheap-trick","tag-electric-flag","tag-emerson-lake-palmer","tag-frank-zappa","tag-todd-rundgren","tag-utopia","cat-49-id","cat-56-id","cat-62-id","cat-65-id","cat-69-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10005"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10181,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10005\/revisions\/10181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}