Reviews (1)

This Title Is Actually Called "Live In Japan"
That discrepancy aside, I've heard the whole concert from which this very affordable half-hour distillation is taken from, and these are indeed the best performances from that show. A great value for the buck and the opportunity to hear Laura at the piano alone and, on occasion, with three fine harmony vocalists. Gorgeous. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Most listeners were introduced to the songs of the late Laura Nyro through 1960s hits by the likes of the Fifth Dimension ("Wedding Bell Blues") and Blood, Sweat & Tears ("And When I Die"). Such mainstream exposure didn't hint at how strikingly (sometimes stridently) original and passionately obsessive her own performances could be. These 1993-94 recordings from Nyro's annual Christmas Eve concerts at New York's Bottom Line show her music in its most suitably intimate setting, backed only by a female harmony chorus and her spare piano accompaniment. Her incantatory rendition of "Save the Country" and her rapturous signature tune, "Emmie," find her early material maturing with her, while she transforms classic ballads such as the Everly Brothers' "Let It Be Me" and Smokey Robinson's "Ooh Baby, Baby" into personal testament. Though some of her later songs are more didactic and narrowly focused--she plainly wasn't concerned about commercial potential with "Lite a Flame (The Animal Rights Song)" or "The Descent of Luna Rose" (her ode to the menstrual cycle)--her material retains its melodic warmth. In Nyro's musical progression, the soul sister and the earth mother became one. --Don McLeese ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Weaving Beautiful Tales
My longtime love affair with Ms. Nyro continues...and is alive and well! From the first notes of harmony and piano chords on Loom's Desire, I am reminded of hours of alone time spent listening to Eli & the Thirteenth Confession and not feeling lonely. Her voice is strong and sensitive, as is her piano playing.
The song selection includes tunes written throughout her career, with the first CD (the 1993 concert) intertwining beautifully rendered cover tunes popular in her (and my) youth with her songs. What a special Christmas gift to the audiences at The Bottom Line!
For an even more enriching experience, I suggest reading "Soul Picnic: the Music and Passion of Laura Nyro" by M. Kort. The book documents the recording of all of Ms. Nyro's albums as well as her life and love changes. This double CD makes an excellent soundtrack for your reading time!
As I listen now, I remember that the only detractor on the CD was the somewhat jarring abrupt cuts between songs....those seem to lessen as I now anticipate what is next.
Laura Nyro is indeed unique - wrapping beautiful word pictures in colors of chords, rhythm and soul. Thank you for continuing to bring us all such pleasure. (and thanks to executive producer Ms. Silver-Lillywhite for sharing this special part of Ms. Nyro with all of us!)

An open love letter to Luna Rose...
Collectively speaking, the world has never done enough good works to deserve having Laura Nyro in it. It's almost as if she knew it too; Vanishing at the height of commercial success, after writhng pop hits for the 5th Dimension ("Wedding Bell Blues"), Streisand ("Stoney End") and Blood, Sweat and Tears ("And When I Die"), she left for her own version of domestic bliss in the suburbs. Still writing songs and recording, wealthy enough to do both on her own terms, she never toured. As if she knew how special and rare she was, she would make a Holiday Gift of herself...and only to a few. Always playing on Dec. 24th, coming to the city like that perfect snow...you remember that night it snowed? Of course you do.

Of course she'd send us a new gift now. Now that times are scary and people are angry. Christmas in Springtime. The Loom's Desire pairs her 1993 and '94 holiday shows at New York's Bottom Line. Occasionally she's joined by a trio of
harmony/backup singers, but mostly it's just Laura and the Piano, weaving her own peculiar magic. "Doing her thing," as she called it. She sings songs she wrote, songs she's "working on" and songs she just loves. She tells us about her cold, and the cracks and skips in her voice become even more endearing. She wishes us a happy holiday, chiding herself for not wishing it sooner. She tells us she loves us. She DOES love us...for some reason.

The world hasn't been good enough, not beautiful enough to deserve Laura Nyro. It probably never will be. Just lucky, I guess

Absolutely gorgeous album
The Loom's Desire is so rich and beautiful I had to walk away from it several times as it truly overwhelmed me emotionally. This is just heavenly music. Buy it now!!! It deserves 10 stars. Laura, I love you and miss you.

Intimate... beyond intimate....
Knowing as I do how hard it is to perform live, I find this collection amazing. Singing practically "naked" with nothing but your piano and some voices is a daunting task, Laura accomplishes this with verve, passion and great arrangements that belie the lack of other instrumentation. She could sing... her voice will live with me forever... never stilled.

Laura's music comes full circle
This 2CD set is a revelation to me. This is Laura Nyro singing with grand piano and a superb vocal choir of three and six voices. What differentiates these 1993 and 1994 concerts from the ones I heard in person in 1990 and 1991 is how Laura's voice actually grew stronger and more assured in the middle and low ranges and she brings full emotion and depth to each of her songs which is reminiscent of her early years.

Laura's voice is best accompanied with grand, acoustic piano, not electric, and she treats us to it here. The clarity of the piano in "My Innocence/Sophia" and her trademark beautiful changes in pace is compelling. You can actually hear this slowing cascade of notes near the beginning of the song, then she grabs the tempo and leaps it forward again. In "Let It Be Me" the deep, resonant notes of the piano rises to meet her voice, slowly, deliberately, in a harmonious choir of sound.

There is a really great rendition of "Blowin' Away" where Laura sings, "My well meaner, my day fancy dreamer", a choir of voices follow, repeating the words a bar behind, then finally meeting and joining Laura's voice. It is actually more enjoyable than her 1st album version, and in way I think Laura had always envisioned it, spare, true, fun, and in great harmony.

Yet, upon hearing this CD twice in one sitting, one is fully aware that they are Laura's last times she will ever sing in New York City. The upper notes in her voice in "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Broken Rainbow" are suggested rather than sung, and the previous, almost wailing power of "Wild World" as heard on her Live from the Bottom Line album is now subdued to an inner, personal, reflection. Laura has also come full circle, with the (Primal Heartbeat Songs of her youth) in "Dedicated to the One I Love" and "Ooh Baby Baby". Laura always gave her soul and her entire voice when she sang these, as though she would transport herself to the bustling New York city streets at night, and we would hear magic. Somehow, everything changes, and the voice becomes powerful and assured, and the rhythms deep and clear.

But to me, the most emotional moment is the song "Emmie". This is the song that Laura sang to close her performances, and the versions she sang changed throughout her ages. From a rocking, burst of youth (Eli) to a long, heartfelt remembrance (Season of Lights), to a deep, personal, memory of life, here.

For those of us who love the words and music of Laura Nyro, she will always be with us. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

WONDERFUL
I've seen Mr. Monroe countless times. I am still having a hard time believing that he is gone. However, this particular album reminds me of the shows I've seen, starring the one and only Bill Monroe. If you've never seen him live, this is a good sampling of what you might have heard. Of course, his live shows were a lot longer than this album, but some of his most requested numbers are contained here. It brings back wonderful, wonderful memories to me. ... Read more

Album Description

Glenn Yarbrough's much acclaimed Live album recorded at San Francisco's Hungry I. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Food for the hungry ear.
In "A Study in Scarlet", Sherlock Holmes reminds Dr. Watson of Darwin's claim that the power of producing and appreciating music existed among the human race before the power of speech was arrived at. "Perhaps that is why we are so subtly influenced by it," Holmes goes on to say. "There are vague memories in our souls of those misty centuries when the world was in its childhood". This Glenn Yarborough arrangement might serve as proof of such a proposition.

Now Yarborough's fine tenor and winning personality stand on their own - but perhaps not as well as they once blended with the voices and personalities of Lou Gottlieb and Alex Hassilev as part of the Limeliters.

There's nothing wrong with this fine set of recordings made by Yarborough one night in the mid-1960's at San Francisco's famous "hungry i" nightclub. But folk music, to my prosaic mind, is made up of two types of songs: energetic toe-tappers and slow moving "crooners". I have an overwhelming preference for the toe-tappers, but I understand that you need a variety of greens to make the salad mix correctly.

Yarborough's personality, standing on its own, however genial, is somewhat introspective, and in this selection, he seems to have a preference for the "crooners" (i.e. "How Deep is Down", "Rose", "Only Love"). Of course, there is nothing wrong with the way that he sings these, but I would have preferred a few more "toe tappers". Perhaps the presence of Yarborough's more animated colleagues was needed to invigorate him. And his mischievous sense of humor simply was more entertaining when mixed with the contrasting personalities of Gottlieb and Hassilev.

But this album is especially valuable because of a unique idea that Yarborough carried out while arranging the performances. Radio personality Jack Carney's original introduction to the original LP is included with this CD, and he explains how the audience members at the hungry i were actually invited to participate as background vocalists.

Though Carney insists that this had never been done before, I imagine that Mitch Miller had already done this with younger audiences but that was unquestionably with no intention other than to allow the kids the fun of participation.

And I imagine that this has been done many times since Glenn Yarborough did it here.

But the quality of music that audiences would sing to, or whatever passes for music nowadays, has greatly declined since the 1960's, and Yarborough appears to have undertaken this task as a serious artistic endeavor, rather than just as a means of gratifying his audience, and the result is quite remarkable.

It is incredible that if one takes 25 people off the street and suits them up in baseball attire, he'll have one rotten baseball team. If one takes dozens of people off the street and puts scalpels in their hands, he'll have a staff of rotten doctors. And just look at the politicians that democracy has turned out.

But the rule that massive numbers equal mediocrity doesn't necessarily apply to music. As individuals, the vast majority of us have rotten singing voices, but by God, put a number of us together in a crowd and ask us to start singing and the result really can be something melodic and enjoyable - think of English sports fans - thousands of them - singing in harmony at a football game.

The concept works in this album too - maybe even better in the surrounding of an enclosed nightclub than in an outdoor or indoor stadium. Put the CD on your player, spin to the first song in this collection, "The Music of the World A Turnin'" (the one REALLY GOOD toe-tapper in this collection), and as Carney says, "...well, you listen..."

Live at the Hungry I
I have many of the songs on this CD in a LP and have been waiting to get a CD replacement since the LP is very old and noisy. I am very disappointed with the sound quality of this CD - my old LP sounds better if I can ignore the clicks and pops.

Glenn' The Glimmering Light Forgotten
I first heard this album when I was a little girl and it has always remained in my heart. Glenn Yarbrough has a way of bringing his music to life. "Rose" shows how a person who has seen alot of sadness can see the light at the end of the tunnel and go on living even through tragic times. "The Mermaid Song" is one of my favorites with it's uplifting and merry music and lyrics. "The Music Of The World A Turning" sees life through every person's eyes. I highly recommened this C.D. to one and all, I'm sure you will enjoy it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A heartfelt tribute...............but a mediocre album
I've loved John Hartford's music for years, and was very happy that a tribute had taken place and was preserved for posterity. But I found the disc that resulted disappointing. The breadth and depth of Hartford's music calls for a towering tribute. Unfortunately, this isn't it.

There are some bright spots .... Riders in the Sky doing "Billy the Kid," Gillian Welch's wonderful rendition of "In Tall Buildings," and, of course, the pieces Hartford does with his string band (especially "Watching the River Go By").

But the great parts are weighed down with, for example, John Cowan's overwrought "Dark as a Dungeon" and the Jamie Hartford Band's run-of-the mill country rock -- pleasant, but nothing to write home about.

I'm glad I got this album -- it rounds out my collection, and Hartford's "goodbye" on the last track is priceless. But this one is for fanatics like me only. For a better introduction to his later music, try "Live at College Station, Pennsylvania" or "Good Old Boys."

Goodbye John....
I'm a huge fan of John Hartford's and have been since I saw him live in Austin many, many years ago. Those who gathered together to play John's music were better musicians than I, but not necessarily bigger fans! In any event, this is not the album to get as an introduction to John -- Aereo-Plain, Live on Mountain Stage or Good Old Boys are far better for that.

The performances are all wonderful here, but what comes through is the emotional energy that runs through it. John was dying of cancer - everybody knew it and he knew everybody knew it -- and his appearance on the final few songs is tough to get through. His fiddle wobbles here and there and his voice is touched by the medication and treatment he'd been through. For those of us who knew his voice, you can hear death's whisperings going on in there and it's disturbing to listen to. What saves it? The very last short speech and song that John gives.

This was recorded a full 9 months before his death, as I understand it, and I've given it a 3 because I want to stress this isn't an introduction, but an emotional experience that, when seen within the body of his work, shows what American music has lost. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

More than worth it
Fred Small is one of the best folksingers born in the second half of the 20th century. This album was his last before going to Harvard Divinity School "to learn to be a divinity." I wish I could've been at this concert. Definitely one of his strongest albums.

Uplifting Powerful Human Rights and FUN
One of the best albums I've heard in a long long time.

Wonderfully Meaningful and Amusing
Fred Small brings new focus to the dying art of folk singing. His songs tell stories that in their truthfullness bring hope, commitment and joy to the listener. You will laugh and you will cry- you will be forever changed. One listen and you'll be a fan for life. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great live album, great performer
Excellently recorded live sound, Marti's in fine voice. Jaime Hoover(Spongetones) is a great guitar player who really helps make this a wonderful CD. Jim Brock adds interest with great percussion, and Don Dixon is, as always, right there on bass and vocals. Marti and the songs are the showcase, and this collection is a good overview of her first four albums "Unsophisticated Time", "Match Game", "Used Guitars", and "Any Kind Of Lie". If you want to hear a great, tight band performing quality songs and having fun with one of the most overlooked female voices in pop/rock, look no further.

Superb live album!
Contrary to the previous writer's view, I think this is a wonderful introduction to Marti's music. So little is currently in print that it's the only way to sample her career as a whole.

But it's much more than a filler: the album holds up extremely well by any standard. For a live album, it strikes me as amazingly clean-sounding and vivid -- no doubt partially because of the relatively small venue at Spirit Square in Charlotte.

The songs form a terrific compendium of her work from the beginning through the early 90s (five albums of original work, through "Any Kind of Lie"). There are OK songs here, of course, but there are great ones too : try "Wind in the Trees," E. Costello's "Just a Memory," "Inside These Arms," and one of the most dazzlingly romantic songs I've ever heard, "Follow You All Over the World" (penned by Bland Simpson, and sung beautifully by Marti).

The interplay with her hubby Don Dixon is fun as always, but Marti's pure, powerful voice is the main joy of all her records, and it sounds wonderful on this album.

Three words: buy this album!

Six Years Overdue
Marti Jones recording career is somewhat convoluted and worth mentioning before examining "Live At The Spirit Square." She burst on the scene in 1988 with a critically acclaimed pop album titled "Used Guitars." Two years later Jones records "Live," disappears from the music scene for another 6 years, then finally releases "Live." To make matters more confusing, "Used Guitars" is out of print. So what? Well, we now have "Live At The Sprint Square" (sort of a best of Marti Jones album) with no previous material in print. Although "Live" stands well on its own merits, a better introduction to Jones' work is "Used Guitars."

Anyway, the 19 songs on "Live" are mostly Marti Jones and Don Dixon compositions. Marti sings a lot like Jackie DeShannon, and Don Dixon favors blue eyed soul. Justly, we have Jones writing pop songs and singing like DeShannon against a soulful backdrop. The more captivating moments of the concert are the up-tempo rock selections. "Tourist Town," I've Got Second Sight," and "The Real One" feature chiming rhythm guitar, delectable lead guitar licks and resounding base lines. The second half of "Live" losses some momentum, but closes with a tour de force titled "Inside These Arms." Here, Jones delivers her most passionate singing and the band is in top form. ... Read more

Album Description

The masterpiece performed at The Royal Festival Hall inLondon January 2003. Already being hailed by critics asmatching the quality & importance of the original. Features 11 tracks on disc one & an enhanced bonus disc featuringconcert footage of 'Alone Again Or' (taken from Love TheForever Changes Concert DVD), and four additional Loveclassics, '7 & 7 Is', 'Your Mind & We Belong Together','Signed DC' & 'My Little Red Book', along with extras(picture gallery & downloadable screensaver). Packaged in a double gatefold digipak. Snapper. 2003. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Lee Sets The Scene
It was the cover which caused me to give this CD a second glance. After all, I already own the original recording of Forever Changes, and though the colors and psychedelic style are similar to the original album cover, something was strangely different. On closer examination I discovered the happy news that the recently freed Arthur Lee is back on track with a grand new project.
OK, so I bought the DVD first and after viewing it, gave it my highest recommendation. So why did I buy this too? The extras made me open my wallet and as it turns out, the extras are well worth the additional money.
This CD features Lee and his new band in England performing music from the legendary sixties Forever Changes album. Often this sort of project flops. Not here. Lee's new band has learned the music inside out and plays it with astounding authority. Fans of the original should have no reservations about getting this. From the first notes of Alone Again Or to the fading sounds of You Set the Scene you will be mesmerized at the quality of this CD. The performance is inspired from start to finish.
My favorite cuts are A House Is Not A Motel, featuring some blistering guitar by Mike Randle;The Red Telephone, which energizes both the listener and the crowd; ...Between Clark and Hilldale, again with some great guitar work; the timeless Live and Let Live; and finally a command performance of You Set the Scene.
What about those extras? Well, a couple of the songs here are different from the extras that come with the DVD. The band's rendition of Signed DC alone makes it worth the extra cash. This is Lee's best take on a song he originally wrote back in 1965 and has reworked twice. The guitar and harmonica work on this arrangement are stupendous. There are some other extras that you can view on your computer, I have not yet sampled those.
You might think that with all these superlatives there would be at least one negative. If there is, I have not found it.
With his return to the stage, Arthur Lee has set the scene once again. Forever Changes In Concert is a recording that should one day attain the legendary status of its namesake. Get this one soon, you won't be sorry.

Live in a very positive way
I bought this CD, thinking it was a re-release of Forever Changes, and that it would be nice to have at work. I was initially disappointed, returning to the office, to realize that it is a live concert version of Forever Changes. But - after listening to it - I am absolutley amazed - one of the best recorded concerts I have ever heard. The music is, in many places, actually better than the original recordings, in my opinion. The recording is excellent. There is something precious about a well-recorded live concert - but usually that precious essence is lost in a variety of shortcomings. In this case - it's pure Forever Changes. It's also great that, after so many years, Arthur Lee has overcome so many problems to absolute shine again. Shoot - maybe growing older isn't so bad after all. A chance mistaken purchase has ended up being a treasure.

love redux or how arthur lee got his groove back
what can i say,other than this cd took my breath away.i've been a fan since 1966,thru all the ups and downs,all the personnel changes love has had,and to think 35 years after the release of the original ' forever changes 'a way a head of it's time masterpiece, arthur lee mounts a triumphant live in concert recreation of that album practically note for note horns,strings and all.

A magic moment captured on tape!
If you like the "Forever Changes" album, you will definitely like this album. (It shines from start to finish, and this recording definitely captures Arthur Lee in one of his more sterling moments.) If you have never heard the "Forever Changes" album or Love, this album will be a good introduction for you. The "Forever Changes" album proper, though, is not to be missed.

A Gift from the Music Gods
I never expected this concert to be so good, nor Lee's vocals to be so strong. While not as strong or flexible as his vocals from 1968, Lee's singing is gratifyingly energetic. The band, horns, and strings are great, and the sound is generally very good.
I say this release is a gift because it is so unlikely that Lee would overcome his personal demons and the excesses of the California legal system to finally produce a great live performance of this deservedly legendary masterpiece. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Authentic, Pure and Fun!!!
This live set captures the essence of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the connection they've cultivated over these many years with their fan base. Typically someone not enamored with "Live" albums, I found myself fully engaged by the artfully delivered performance of the NGDB captured at Red Deer. Their unique blend of country, folk, and rock is an enjoyable experience for all.

There are a lot of great songs on the disc, and picking a favorite often depends on what I'm needing to listen to in that moment. The songs are fun, inspiring, and easily turn around any frown I may have had. Some of my favorites are "Stand A Little Rain", "Dance Little Jean", "Fishin' In The Dark", and... I could list them all actually.

I've had the pleasure to experience the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band live twice in my life. Once as a young child and again in my adult years. To this day they remain two of the most memorable performances in my mind. This disc brought those memories back vividly. NGDB is great at connecting deeply with each individual during their performance while also spreading an infectious wave of fun throughout the audience. For that reason "Live Two Five" keeps a prominent place in my CD changer.

A Great Show With The NGDB
I've long been a fan of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I can still remember "Mr. Bojangles" from the early 70's. And while pop & country radio weren't exactly kind to these guys throughout most of the 70's, they still hung with it. They had a number of musicians in & out of the band. But through it all, they remained strong, played their brand of music, and stayed true to their roots.

I love the fact that theyr recorded this show at a smaller venue in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. They could have recorded this in a giant stadium opening up for a country headliner. But doing it this way only added the warmth of the evening. It also produced a better intimacy with the crowd as well.

Most of their popular hits are included here. Anyone who grew up to them or listened to country radio during the 80's will be familiar with the set list. My favorites from this disc are "High Horse," "Dance Little Jean," "Working Man," "Stand A Little Rain," and "Baby's Got A Hold On Me." Of course, a NGDB show isn't complete without "Mr. Bojangles." It's included here, but with a slight alteration. The last time the chorus is played, the audience sings it by themsleves without the band singing. Then, once the song is finished, Bobby Carpenter says, "Congratulations! You're on the record!" As one would expect, the crowd then goes into a thunderous roar.

One of the different sort of gems is "Ripplin'Waters." The song was written by Jimmy Ibbitson right after they moved to Colorado in 1970. It was initially intended as a sort of "postcard" to the family and friends back home in California, where they originated. This version is a bit different than the original. There are 5 solos in this song-acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, piano, and bass. Jimmy Ibbitson trades the acoustic guitar for the bass during the piano solo. In fact, Bobby Carpenter's piano solo is the best part of the instrumentals during this song. This song clocks in at over 10 minutes long. But you almost can't tell because of how well the solos flow smoothly from one to the other.

I do have a couple of complaints about this disc. First, I think they could have made it a double disc and included some songs that weren't here. What's missing is "Oh What A Love," "Down That Road Tonight," "Shot Full Of Love," "Modern Day Romance," "Fire In The Sky," and "Home Again In My Heart." This camplaint is merely a mionor one. I guess to save money to the buyers, it was more feasible making it a single disc.

My other complaint is that this was recorded during John McKuen's 15 year absence (he came back to the band in 2001. Horay!). Noticably absent is John's trademark playing on the banjo and fiddle. I think it would have added that extra texture that they've always been famous for. Without John, the NGDB had to re-work his solos with keyboards and guitar. But again, this camplaint is minor. The stellar singing and playing on this disc makes the show worth it anyway. If I were the NGDB, I'd do another live CD soon with an expanded catalog and with John playing on it. I think it's long overdue.

As another reviewer stated, no one does country rock like the NGDB. I'd also add that no one blends, rock, country, & folk like these guys do. Kudos to these guys!

Pay homage to some of the orignators of country ROCK
Before the Eagles, Alabama, Diamond Rio, Lonestar and all other country rock bands...there was the Dirt Band. Considered by some to be the first to implement rock 'n' roll in country, these boys did it and, unlike other bands, still held true to their country roots. The only problem with this cd and the individual albums with these songs on it, is the fact that John McEuen was not with the band during this time, so the songs lack the incredible talent that he brings with the fiddle, mandolin and of course the mandolin that the albums have. Overall though this is an incredibly fun album. Without it officially being called the "Greatest Hits" album, it has all the great ballads, love songs and classic country rock that has made the Dirt Band last so long.

Great album by NGDB
Until my tape of Live Two Five wore out, I listened to it constantly. I think the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band enjoyed making this record, and it showed.

The highlights here are numerous. My favorite cut on the record is "Mr. Bojangles". Jeff Hanna sang great on NGDB's 1970 version, which is on the band's Uncle Charlie album. The song in my opinion sounds even better live. In addition to Hanna's singing, Bob Carpenter's stellar piano and accordion work highlights this track. Another older Dirt Band tune which is featured is Jimmy Ibbotson's "Ripplin' Waters", which originally appeared on NGDB's 1975 album Dream. "Ripplin' Waters" is a well-written song, but I think it's often overlooked because it wasn't played a lot on the radio. On the live version, the Dirt Band plays all of their instruments except the accordion. Also, Ibbotson and Hanna both do some fine lead guitar work on "Ripplin' Waters", and Carpenter contributes a piano solo which had me mentally exclaiming "Awesome!" the first time I heard it. In my opinion, the live version of "Ripplin' Waters" sounds better than the original studio version--and the original was a great song to begin with.

A third highlight is "El Harpo", an instrumental featuring Carpenter on piano and Jimmie Fadden on harmonica. Fadden plays his harmonica frequently on Live Two Five, but on "El Harpo", a rollicking, bluesy number, he especially shines. Carpenter and Fadden practically outdo themselves on this one.

Besides the three songs I previously mentioned, the Dirt Band does a lot of their other classic hits, among them "High Horse", "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Fishin' In The Dark", "Long Hard Road", "Cadillac Ranch" and "Partners, Brothers And Friends". They sound to me as if they are really enjoying themselves.

I've been a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fan ever since I was in college in the 1970s. The guys in the Dirt Band make excellent music and have fun doing it--and when they get on stage, as they did when they made this record, they are awesome. From start to finish, Live Two Five is a great album.

Great album
Until my tape of Live Two Five wore out, I listened to it constantly. I think the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band enjoyed making this record, and it showed.

The highlights are numerous. My favorite cut is "Mr. Bojangles". Jeff Hanna sang great on NGDB's 1970 version, which is on the band's Uncle Charlie album. The song in my opinion sounds even better live. In addition to Hanna's singing, Bob Carpenter's stellar piano and accordion work highlights this track. Another older Dirt Band tune which is featured is Jimmy Ibbotson's "Ripplin' Waters", which originally appeared on NGDB's 1975 album Dream. This is a well-written, excellent song which in my opinion is often overlooked. On the live version, the Dirt Band plays all of their instruments except the accordion. Also, Ibbotson and Hanna both do some fine lead guitar work on this one, and Carpenter contributes a piano solo which had me mentally exclaiming, "Awesome!" the first time I heard it. The live version of "Ripplin' Waters", in my opinion, sounds better than the original studio version--and the original was a great song to begin with.

A third highlight is "El Harpo", an instrumental featuring Carpenter on piano and Jimmie Fadden on harmonica. Fadden's harmonica is heard frequently on Live Two Five, but on "El Harpo", a rollicking, bluesy number, he especially shines. Carpenter and Fadden practically outdo themselves on this one.

Besides the three previously mentioned songs, the Dirt Band does a lot of their other classic hits, among them "High Horse", "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Fishin' In The Dark", "Long Hard Road", "Cadillac Ranch", and "Partners, Brothers and Friends". They sound to me as if they are really enjoying themselves.

I have been a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fan ever since I was in college in the 1970s. The guys in the Dirt Band make excellent music and have fun doing it--and when they get on stage, as they did when they made this record, they are awesome. From start to finish, Live Two Five is a great album. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is a big ol' box of Baez; certainly more than any casual fan would need. The hits are here ("Diamonds and Rust," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"), along with a treasure trove of rare duets (with Kris Kristofferson, Bob Gibson, Donovan, and others) and previously unreleased tracks (including a giddy 1965 concert duet with Bob Dylan on his "Mama, You Been on My Mind"). The depth and breadth of Baez's work--from her early traditional bent ("Silver Dagger") to her fine choices from contemporary writers (Merle Haggard, John Prine)--is well-represented. The striking beauty of her voice is, too. Newcomers, however, would be wiser to investigate single disc samplers from Vanguard and A&M. --Michael Ruby ... Read more

Reviews (5)

something in the way she sings...
If you don't like Joan, so be it. But if you appreciate the mind-blowing beauty and clearness of her voice, this is the collection of her songs you must get.

And, can an album that starts with 'Scarlet Ribbons' even be less than perfect?

An eclectic collection of classic Baez.
I've had this CD set for about a year now and I'm trying to wear it out. There is so much classic original material in here that it warms my heart. As a long time Joan Baez fan, like from day one when I saw her at Newport as a teenger in the 50's right up until today, this CD set brings me joy. I've worn out many original vinyl LP's of Joan's work and this remastered CD collection restored what I had lost. My only wish is that there would have been some stuff from her "Come From The Shadows" LP which can no longer be found anywhere in the world as far as I know. One of the greatest songs she ever sang was on that LP. It was titled "The Partisan" and revealed great emotion on Joan's part, a quality that makes her music live forever in the hearts of her fans.

"Rare, Live and Classic" is a "must have" for any true Joan Baez fan as far as I'm concerned. Even though it's a bit pricey the packaging and the enclosed book of rare photos and Joan's thoughts on the songs makes it a fantastic value worth every penny and then some.

WONDERFUL
I bought this CD after I saw Joan Baez in Concert in Salt Lake City. I admit I didn't know most of the songs on the 3 CDs, but I was blown away. There wasn't ONE that I didn't like. They were all amazing. Most of them had never before been released. Rare live perfomances and duets. And Joan wrote something about every song. Either something about the time period, the circumstances surrounding the song/performance, or just some peice of trivia that you wouldn't find anywhere else. It's a rare and precious collection, indeed. Joan is in fine form and this is a WONDERFUL collection of her magnificent 40 year musical career.

For Die-hard Fans
I consider myself pretty-close to a die-hard Baez fan, but agreed wholeheartedly with the amazon.com review of this album. There is some terrific stuff here, including all of her classics. Some of the "rare" and "live" material was previously unreleased for good reason - they aren't Joan at her best or the recording quality is lacking. If you're truly a die-hard fan and need everything she's ever recorded, then you need this and may be thrilled with it. If you're not, go for some of her other, more-consistly wonderful CDs.

Her music is her life .
Where would you begin if you were trying to explain the impression Joan Baez made, and continues to make, on our musical consciousness? I start here. You can listen to hours of albums, which is a delightful prospect as far as I'm concerned, but on the other hand, this collection truly encapsulates Joan's career. The three categories (rare, live, classic) are all represented. For those who want her best, it's here, too. The live performances are unusual, sometimes amusing, and always fresh, like "Mama, You Been on My Mind," a duet with Bob Dylan. Her amazing rendition of "Scarlet Ribbons," which opens the collection, is the perfect example of how she has always been able to find an interpretation that makes it seem as though we had never heard the song before. Her performance of "Joe Hill" deserves another whole generation in these times. The collection also includes little-known artists like Jeffrey Shurtleff, who performed with her for years. Several songs that she composed are also featured, like "Diamonds and Rust," which continues to be played on radio stations today. There's also my personal Dylan favorite, the archetypal Sixties anti-war ballad, "With God on Our Side." In the category of "rare" one must also include a trio performance with her sister Mimi Farina and Judy Collins, "Legend of a Girl Child Linda." The album also includes no less than fifteen previously-unreleased performances, enough to constitute a new album in themselves. For those who know Joan Baez only as an "influence" from the Sixties on today's female vocalists, this collection brings Joan's huge talent and continuing integrity into the clearest possible focus. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Such a voice: warm, inviting, and mysterious, like a lamp glowing in some dark, distant window. When Sandy Denny died in 1978, she left unfinished one of the most intriguing chapters in the history of rock & roll and folk music. This concert, recorded five months before her death, is a suggestion of all the power her voice and vision promised and a picture of Denny at her musical and vocal peak. While her final studio albums for Island possessed fine songs, the production and arrangements were mostly unfocused. But on this night in London, everything falls into place. Denny's vocals are expressive, verging into jazz complexity; the band, including the remarkable Dave Mattacks on drums, Pat Donaldson on bass, Pete Wilsher on pedal steel, and Trevor Lucas and Jerry Donahue on guitars, is sympathetic and rocks when necessary. And the set list features the cream of Denny's compositions. Quite simply one of the most exciting records of the year. --Roy Kasten ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great Concert!
This concert turned out to be Sandy Denny's last. This fact might make it quite sad to listen to it, but fortunately the music is so great that you forget the sadness, and remember Sandy for the great music she created, as a singer and composer. The fact that the CD has been released is a small miracle in itself; Sandy's voice was not in the best condition, as she had caught a cold during the tour; so the tapes had been shelved for years. When the release of the concert was reconsidered, the tapes were in bad condition, but fortunately they were restored; and the result is really magnificent. Even though Sandy voice is not in optimal condition, she is still great; and the band is terrific.

The concert covers her career from her early masterpiece "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" till her final album "Rendezvous" from 1977. Most of her classic songs are here; some of the performances are maybe even better than the studio versions.

My favourites are "I'm a Dreamer", "Take Me Away", "It'll Take a Long Time", "Solo", "Tomorrow is a Long Time", "One More Chance" and "No More Sad Refrains"

Still an excellent album, despite some recording anomalies
I was surprised to learn only after several listens that there had been serious problems with the master tapes of this concert. I had noticed that some of the vocals on a song or two were not as loud and clear as they could have been, and the ending to "Take Me Away" stumbles, but other than that, it's not easy to spot problems. Since there isn't a lot of live Sandy Denny material available to begin with, I'd recommend this CD without hesitation. Despite the conditions described by other reviewers under which this recording was made, it is still immensely enjoyable as an album and I've listened to it as much as the Fairport albums and her box set. The band sounds great. And considering the high price of imports, the unavailability of much of Sandy's material in the USA, and the low price of this album, I would say if you already like Sandy, you can't go wrong with this album. I have to wonder what a live recording from more favorable conditions would have yielded, but it might have been a classic.

A TREAT FOR HER FANS
I was not really expecting a great sounding recording after reading how the the old master tapes from Sandy Denny's final performance had deteriorated over two decades. I have to say that I was more than pleasantly surprised when it arrived. Great care was taken to add new guitar and backing vocal tracks. The sound is wonderful with the exception of the first verse on "I'm A Dreamer" She sounds like she's singing about 20 feet away from the microphone. Her voice is a bit strained on a couple of tracks, (She was battling a nasty cold at the time) but there are some moments here where she outshines the studio renditions. "The Sea" is spellbinding and the version of "John The Gun" is even better than the one found on "Live Covention". "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" is absolutely haunting.
If you have not yet had the opportunity to listen to this wonderful singer/songwriter I would recomend that you start with the import "Sandy" or perhaps one of the Fairport Convention albums that feature her. If you like any of that then I'm sure you will be drawn to this

A Compelling CD
If you're not already a Sandy Denny fan, this CD will not make you one. It's not Sandy at her best, and her voice is often overpowered by the instruments. However, if you are already a fan, this CD is a wonderful chance to hear the old favorites sung differently. Her singing on the live version of Stanger to Himself is far better than on the previously recorded version. Despite the imperfections, this is a compelling CD that I have played over and over.

Music critic Karl Dallas tells the untold story of this CD
Prospecting for Gold Dust - the untold story It's a miracle this album ever came out. The story begins with Marcel Rodd, whose Saga records label had been the first to feature the then undeveloped but already exciting voice of the young Sandy Denny. In the 70s I was publishing Folk News, and Rodd approached me to ask if I could help him find some of the exciting new folk talent everyone was telling him about. He turned down every one of the fairly trad performers I recommended to him, until I remarked that Sandy was emerging from pregnancy and childbirth to go back on the road, and would be concluding her tour in London in November. Sandy's decade-long deal with Island Records had come to an end, and so she might be available. He jumped at the chance to get her back on to his label, and asked me to set it up. I hired the Fairport recording genius, John Wood, to master the concert and one Sunday night he was ensconced in the Island mobile off Kingsway, getting it all down. But when we played back the tapes . . . disaster! There was a nasty whistle right across every track. Where it had come from, nobody could say. Woodsie assured us he could remove it, but Rodd was adamant: he wasn't going to pay for them, so the tapes languished. I had the monitor mix of the event, with all the dropping in and out as Woodsie punched his buttons, and I came to love it, warts and all. Because it's got to be admitted that these performances weren't Sandy's best. She'd had a bad cold for most of the tour, and at this final concert she was very, very tired. Her voice showed it. Her relationship with Trevor, always stormy at the best of times, was not going well, and she wasn't happy. However, Sandy had always been able to sublimate her emotional feelings into her music, and this event was no different from others, when she could tear out of her very soul music to touch the heart like no one ever has, before or since. But after her death, when Trevor was assembling the excellent 'best of' album, I urged him to include at ! least some tracks from the concert. He persuaded Island to buy the tapes, gave them a listen, and rejected them as not being good enough to stand as a memorial to her work. I thought he was wrong then, and I still do, on listening to this very cleaned-up and slightly 'improved' (with overdubbed backing vocals from Simon Nicol and Chris Leslie) CD. Frankly, my grotty monitor mix has Sandy's voice more prominent (whatever happened at the beginning of I'm a Dreamer, in which she sounds as if she's singing the theatre foyer?) Even so, listening to them again still makes my blood run cold, and the hairs stand up at the back of my head. Singing, just singing, was never meant to be as intense as this. I can hardly bear to listen. When I was assembling The Electric Muse (the original four-album set with the Shirtsleeve Studio artwork, not the travesty 're-release' put out last year by Castle Communications), David Betteridge of Island gave me privileged access to the Island vaults, to listen to a whole lot of unreleased product (including the never-released Maverick Child single from Fairport VI, with Roger Hill on the vocals). Alongside brilliant alternative readings of stuff like the inevitable Sloth and a great Calvary Cross, were some traditional renditions of ballads like Lord Bateman, with a whole range of backings, including Steve Winwood on keyboard on one version. Unfortunately, Sandy's was merely a guide track for the musicians, not even properly on mic. I urged her several times to go back and record the vocals properly, but she said she regarded it as past history, something she couldn't get to work. However, those tracks are still there, somewhere, wherever Polygram (or Seagram's whisky, the label's new owners) have stashed them. Who knows, someone might be able to work a miracle and bring her vocals to centre stage. They can do wonders with electronics, these days. Oh well . . . perhaps not. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Hilarity Unleashed!
My daughter bought me this album because she saw the "Four Bitchin' Babes" in concert and loved their music. I've been a "babehead" since first hearing the album. All four can sing, no question about it, and I like their serious music, but their humor is effervescent. From the song "Dyslexic," with its commentary on the inability to understand basic language ("praying to my DOG"), to "L.A.F.F (Ladies Against Fanny Floss)," with its searing satire on aging and ever skimpier bikinis, the album is an antidote for the blues. Gordon Lightfoot might even enjoy "The Nervous Wreck of Edna Fitzgerald," about a family boating excursion that could not have been worse (we've all been there, if not on a boat at least on an automobile trip). "My Father" and "Intertwined" are lovely ballads, serious though they are, about relationships.

The songs are eloquent and witty, the music stunning, and the humor contagious. The style of the album is folk rock, and its live with interchanges between the Bitchin Babes and the audience. Enjoy.

Musical Hilarity
Musically, this album is quite lovely--but you can get lovely music buying these ladies' individual works. Better is the absolute hilarity of their songs, ESPECIALLY the ones written live onstage in response to strange lines provided by the audience. My favorite is "Breakfast Dishes." I would definitely buy this CD again. It's a great relief from teenage schlock and 20-something angst. I recommend it highly for anyone mature enough to have stretch marks, children, or a minivan.

Excellent!!
Just saw the Babes at the Birchmere (8/5/00). This album was recorded live at the Birchmere and is one of their best! Enjoy!

WOW. The Babes pull off another great CD.
Reasons to buy this CD: 1) You love a great balad ("My Father," "Intertwined," "Wild Berries"); 2) You appreciate comedy with your lyrics ("Dyslexic," "Cyberspace," "Ladies Against Fanny Floss"). Don't loan this CD out to friends--it doesn't come back.

Simply outstanding
For those not familiar the Bitchin Babes is an ensemble group of four fabulous woman "folk" singers. (I use the quotes because this is not your traditional Peter, Paul, and Mary folk group.) These women are redefining the genre.

Each woman takes the lead on one song while the others sing backup.

This CD has you almost in tears one moment only to have you with a stomache ache from laughing so much the next moment.......I've seen these women several times in person and this cd captures the essence of their live performances....... Meaghan's version of Patsy Cline's "Crazy" is priceless. Certainly she has the best pure voice of the four. Each has their own style, but, all are great, and their harmony is outstanding, just check the a capella song "Breakfast Dishes" by Sally Fingerett.

If you're wondering what folk music is all about in 1999 pick up this cd. Not only will you will enjoy it but you will wonder why you've stayed away from folk music so long. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

This album captures Robert Earl Keen, Jr. at his finest.
Robert Earl Keen, Jr. seems to have been lost among the manygreat Texas songwriters of the last 20 years. Though his songs havebeen recorded by Nanci Griffith, Joe Ely, and Lyle Lovett, he remains a rather unknown outside of the bar circuit in Texas. His musical career started when he and Lyle Lovett were sharing a house in College Station, TX, and the feel of that time is present in this collection of songs.

Though this album is his oldest I have found, he was far from just starting out when it was recorded. His song introductions are stories in themselves, and bring to the music a setting that only a true Texas artist can. The songs on this album showcase his entire range from the humorous in "Copenhagen", and serious as in "I would Change My Life" (later recorded by Nanci Griffith), to the absurd as in "The Blue Grass Widow." If you are not familiar with Robert Earl Keen, Jr., this disc is a great introduction to his songwriting and perfoming abilities, and if you are already a fan, you must have this one.

Buy 2 copies, because one's gonna get worn out.
Robert Earl Keen, Jr...a a staple of Aggie life, and one of the sure bets for music lovers that don't like to be spoon-fed - this album never gets old. Grab a beer, sit outside, and hit play.

Whether it's College Station anthem [and Dixie Chicken favorite, for that matter] "The Front Porch Song," hard-driving "Goin' Down in Style," or plaintive "I Would Change My Life," Keen's second album ["No Kinda Dancer" was the first in 1984] is a solid effort, and a great ride. The best way to hear Keen is live, as any fan can tell you, and his trademark storytelling is mixed throughout.

This is the sort of album that causes a michievous grin to creep across your mouth just as sure as it entices you to barrel down dirty Texas backroads singing along at the top of your lungs. Robert Earl has a voice anyone can join in with, and it's only a matter of time til you do. His albums are like the bars that have the sense to play them - a close-gaurded secret and a guilty pleasure. Maybe the only reason he hasn't gone the more commercialized route of some of his compatriots is that we're keeping him to ourselves.

Here's to Robert Earl, and confusion to foreign tyrants.

Confusing for Texans
Keen is from the A&M area of Brenham. I'm from Iowa. I gigged with a Houston band last January, including a bar in Brenham.

I suggested we do "Road" or "Gringo" or "Sonora" or any of Keen's stuff. The band sneered.

Some Texan musicians are just plain jealous of this guy's writing. They should be. This album is a great place to start finding out why.

Best Robert Earle Keen Jr. Album
The best one of the lot by far.

Great CD to take on the road with you!
I love this CD. I listen to it at least 3 times per trip when we are hauling horses. Skewball and Going Down in Style are wonderful songs. I wish more country music people would be brave enough to sing and wright like that! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Boys Want Sex in the Morning
I first heard this album back in 1986.A co-worker was playing it at a costume shop I was working in at the time.I went out the next day and bought the tape and I've been enjoying it ever since.I must say I was thrilled to see if finally released in CD format. The songs are witty, insightful and in the case of my person favorite, "Silent Night" beautiful.If you enjoy acoustic music I suggest you give Uncle Bonsai a try.

Incomparable!
This disc represents quite a departure from my usual tastes in music.It's entirely acoustic, and features the cleverest, most insightful songwriting I've ever heard.The band's "light motif structure" revolves primarily around the differences between men and women, which they present in a hilarious, non-threatening manner.I mean it-- some of this stuff is laugh-out-loud funny.Additionally, the performances are flawless, with lots of skillful vocal harmonizing, and a great stage presence, as demonstrated in their interactions with the audience during the show at which this album was recorded.I don't have one bad thing to say about this disc.While I'm no expert on folk and acoustic music, these guys must be the pinnacle of the form; they're great ambassadors for the genre.My usual taste in music is speed-metal and hardcore, but the brilliance of this disc won me over.Do yourself a favor and buy this, whatever your usual preferences. ... Read more

Album Description

1976 & 1978 concerts by the traditional Irish group for the BBC, including a previously unrecorded pipe solo. 16 tracks total. 1998 Strange Fruit release. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

THE Bothy Band Album
I have to disagree with the previous review of this album- this is, for me, the best example of the masterful Bothy Band in full flight. The live setting removes the frequent over-production of great Irish musicians & almost every set on this record is excellent (a feat that 'After Hours', for example, cannot claim)

The combination of full-on jigs & reels (the opening 'Martin Wynne's' set being a good example) poignant & funny songs and pensive instrumentals ('Maids of Mitchelstown') is unmatched in any other Irish folk record which I have yet heard.

Paddy Keenan's 'Bucks of Oranmore' is indeed a highlight, but the whole set offers more than the rest of the Bothy's back catalogue. This is one of THE irish masterpieces and is a perfect demonstration of exciting music which doesn't rely on production effects or technical wizardry- just fine musicians playing fine tunes.

No surprises, just good music
If you've heard the rest of the Bothy Band's albums, you've heard most of this one -- it's a good recording of a live performance, so it captures both the band's verve and (alas) the whooping yahoos in the audience. However, the wonderful uillean pipe rendition of "The Bucks of Oranmore" is almost worth the price of the whole album. Worth owning, but don't start your Bothy Band collection with this one. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Avoid
I was expecting a tour d' force such as Mixed Bag. Not to be fulfilled. The songs are slowed down to the pace of dirges. Two tracks are wasted on 60's-esqu banter with the audience--once is enough, but after once, you'd rather have 2 more songs. Get a studio album. They are all great.

In search of a classic Richie Havens live show
I love Richie Havens as a perfomer. However, I found his live releases to be pleasant, but infuriatingly unsatisfying. Havens performed at lot of classic shows in the late 60s, early 70s such as Woodstock(1969), Isle of Wight Festivals(69 & 70), Atlanta Pop Festival(1970), any Fillmore East show, etc. His classic strumming and poignant vocal power captured the spirit of the late sixties hippie rock generation. Unfortunately, Havens seemed to pass up the chance for the public to hear the showstoppers. This live album and ON STAGE (1972, currently not available on CD) is made up of mainly slow/moderate tempo tunes that really do not epitomize what Havens made famous. A lot of them are covers. Many are good versions, but they are not from classic shows.I really want a live release that is a complete show from a classic concert or venue. One radio interviewer a few years back asked Havens if he ever planned to release his Woodstck set in its entirety, but he avoided the question and changed the subject. Strange. CELLAR DOOR does have its moments, and is from 1970, a classic year, but the entire show should have been released to make it completely worthwhile.

One of the Great Concerts (actually two)
This somewhat hard to find Ritchie Havens CD combines two 1970 performances-- The Cellar Door in Washington, DC (now defunct), and the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Ritchie Havens puts so much heart and soul in to each song it will make your hair stand up (then, I've never heard of a concert where he didn't).

As usual, Havens does more covers than originals, but every song he plays becomes a Ritchie Havens song. Especially great are his Helplessly Hoping (Stephen Stills), his famous version of God Bless the Child, and Dolphins, a song which he popularized as far as I know.

Another bonus to this as opposed to a greatest hits collection is his "narrations". Havens is gentle and funny, and tells stories like no one else. Buy this CD, see him live, gawk at his underrecognized talent. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I can't get enough
This album will have you smacking your knee, swingin' your partner and pushing play over and over. There is no way you can listen to this album with out smiling. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Keith Frank is arguably the reigning king of the zydeco circuit, his simple, throbbing style derived from Boozoo Chavis. His music is often described as trance inducing, which may be overstating the case somewhat, but it is repetitive in the best sense; the songs are short and to the point, and the beat (even more than the accordion) is everything. This is unequivocal dance music, recorded in one of south Louisiana's premier dance halls. Frank plays fat, harmonica- or horn-like lines, each note so carefully chosen it can't help but stand out, but a track like "Why You Wanna Make Me Cry?" displays considerable dexterity. He's very much in the zydeco tradition, yet also squarely in the here and now, tossing off pop-culture allusions to television theme songs, patriotic anthems, classic rock hits, and consumer products, such as the toothpastes he plugs in the playful, even slightly ludicrous, "Hey Pretty Baby (With Your Teeth So White)." --John Morthland ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Live and Loud on Labor Day
This album does for zydeco what the Beausoleil *Live from the Left Coast* album did for Cajun music: to translate the vibrant experience of a zydeco dance and music event and crowd, and the interaction between a band and its fans. Keith Frank brings a superb talent and tight group work to the zydeco rhythms, and this CD varies brief but intense tunes with longer pieces that are no less enjoyable. My favorite tunes are "Co Fa", "Hold On To it", "Maymel", and "Rising to the Top." This CD is the ONE place to start for music from the younger generation of zydeco performers.

This cd is fantastic! A must have!
This cd is just wonderful, it will make you move. I saw Keith at the zydeco festival in Plaisance and in Lake Charles, LA. He was simply off the hook. Had to have the cd. My friends in Oakland, CA love it but I don't let it out of my sight.

Keith captured with all the sweat from the dancefloor!
This is the best live zydeco recording ever and perhaps Keith Frank's best record because it is so well produced that it captures the true magic of the Creole experience as it is felt from the dancefloor in South Louisiana's most popular zydeco club, Slim's Y-Ki-Ki. If you've ever been to a live show there, this album will "brought ya right back" and put a cold Bud in your hand. If you've never been there, after listening to this release, you'll probably want to learn more about Opelousas, Louisiana and the wonderful Creole culture there. The generous number of tracks on this disc spans Keith's entire career, with songs from his impossibly-difficult-to-find first cassette to several previously unreleased numbers that Keith only does live. Keith Frank and his Soileau Zydeco Band is no doubt the current reigning leader in the zydeco arena, mixing trademark irresistable accordion grooves, and clever lyrics with a fat, reggae-like feeling. Keith is updating the sound of the "old folk's" zydeco music, weaving textures of soul, R&B and hip-hop, presenting it to a younger audience. There is nothing else like Keith's double kicking noveau zydeco sound. You will not be able to stand still listening to this release! Perfect party music! If you were to purchase one zydeco release, this would be it. Highly recommended! ... Read more