Live at Budokan
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 September, 1999)
list price: $17.49 -- our price: $17.49
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Features

• Import
• Live

Reviews (10)

One of the best "live" albums that I've ever heard!
"Chic: Live at the Budokan" captures the verve and wizardry of the 1997 concert in Japan. Chic was more than just a "disco band"; it was an assemblage of gifted musicians, headed by Nile Rodgers and the late Bernard Edwards. The interpretations of the band's greatest hits take those songs to another level, permitting longer and jazzier extensions of these familiar chart-toppers.

Rodgers and Edwards knew the pulse of the times and produced numerous hits for themselves, as well as others. Label mates Sister Sledge, who were produced by Rodgers and Edwards, appear on "The Greatest Dancer" and the disco anthem "We Are Family". Also, Steve Winwood adds his distinctive vocals to this monumental concert.

The sound quality is excellent, allowing the listener to feel as if he/she is actually there.

Fans of the band or not will enjoy this live release that is definitely kicking!

At their BEST!!!
Getting to the meat of the matter with Nile winning the Producer Of The Year in Japan that year and may I say a quick thinking Nile putting Chic together W/O Tony Thompson was a very smart move but, I think that it still really wasn't Chic without Tony not being part of this event. I think that Nile was very heart felt with the passing of Benard and this being his LAST performance and it being a great one at that...it was good to hear him be so positive even though his life ended the next day after that show....we do miss him!!!!
With all the guess in toe....like Slash, Steve Windwood, Simon La Bon, Sister Sledge and everyone that was a part of this great night and with all the good dance songs that made Chic so great and the musicainship....it's just unexplianible to be so dam good
If you don't have this CD then you're missing out.....not only with Nile but with how great of a group Chic really was because, in the late 70's they were a powerhouse and the writing of songs like "Dance,Dance,Dance & Le Freak" who can go wrong and all the mambers going forward in the music industry as musicians and producers. So if you have the chance to grab this CD before it goes out of print do so because, if you miss it that would be a very SAD!!!!

Just Like a Diamond in the Rough !
First, let's get the list of shortcomings out of the way from this performance. I was hoping for more of their hits and less interludes or tracks with interviews. Secondly, one of the reasons I purchased this performance was to hear the soulful vocals of ex-Prince protogee singer Jill Jones (hailed by music critics as the best female singer to come out of the Paisley one's camp);She is faint and lost in the backup somewhere. One embarrassing moment occurs when Jill Jones is introduced in track 14 of Chic Cheer and she ad libs/sings something that is a far cry of what she is really capable of doing ! Female lead vocalist Sylver Logan Sharp is right on the money but her vocals are too deep to be reminiscent of anything original singers Norma Jean and Alfa Anderson offered with the original lineup. Jean and Anderson would co-harmonize smoothly; it was not a contest to see who could outperform who!Therefore, Sharp overpowers Jone's silky and soulful vocals !Vocals by Sister Sledge seem to falter a little bit in contrast to their awesome vocal work back in the late 70's. Finally, if you are going to record a concert album with all tracks, then include all the tracks. There is another cd version of this Live At Budokan performance that includes Simon LeBon of Duran Duran fame who performs Notorious with Chic. The catch is that you have to fork over some bucks no matter who sells it because it is a Japanese only import...so, then a Chic fan has to ask him/herself if it's worth the money for this one added extra bonus track;who knows...

Now the good stuff ! It's truly a magnificent historical performance unpolished by post studio electronic trickery or contrived production ; What you hear is what you get. The music is more rock-funk than outdated disco. Some of the songs are fitted with a firmer, tighter, more solid up to date edge with great guitar licks by Slash and blue eyed soulful vocals by Steve Winwood. The late Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers proved in 96' that Chic never lost their touch. After all, this multi-talented duo produced some of the most incredible, memorable and skillfully crafted dance, r&b, funk music that will never fade or die. This is where the young and curious can get their 101 basic fundamentals in discovering where the basis of hip hop and other dance music came from. Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards were musical survivors long after the death or "mutation" of disco. All this is evident in the writing and producing they did in the 80's for mega stars David Bowie, Madonna, Duran,Duran,...and the list goes on. One of the best albums they produced for any artist or artists were labelmates Sister Sledge's 1979 We Are Family album;that is another review for another time, though.Despite, the cons I listed in the beginning of this review it is the more solid and positive aspects of this recording that allows me to grant this recording 4 stars !! ... Read more

Asin: B00002DENR
Sales Rank: 517254
Subjects:  1. Dance   

Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (24 September, 2002)
list price: $13.98 -- our price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

The phenomenal story of Motown has been told many times--so many in fact, that the notion of an untold part of its legacy seems far-fetched. But as the documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown demonstrates, there was more to the success of the Detroit-based label than singing babes in gowns and founder Berry Gordy's business acumen. There was also the self-named Funk Brothers: the session players putting the unforgettable guitar sounds into "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and the creeping bass line behind "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." These guys were a crucial piece of the puzzle but have remained largely anonymous. While the Standing documentary tells the Funk Brothers' story via interviews, stock footage, and still photos, the accompanying soundtrack takes liberties, pairing the surviving musicians with contemporary pop, R&B, and funk artists. Together, they faithfully recast Motown hits. What could have been a disaster--would you want to muck with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"?--works beautifully, thanks both to the Brothers' chops and the thoughtful artist selection. While enlisting a soul brother like Ben Harper was a no-brainer, the inclusion of Joan Osborne was especially astute. After all, Osborne's deep connection to R&B is why her production of the Holmes Brothers' Speaking in Tongues disc was genius, and she acquits herself beautifully on "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." Similarly, bass boss Meshell Ndegeocello gives Chaka Khan competition in the gospel diva department. Bootsy Collins, Gerald Levert, and Montell Jordan also contribute. Motown purists may balk at this concept, but they'd have to agree these readings are smart, respectful, and very, very soulful. --Kim Hughes ... Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (52)

WE DIG THE FUNK!
Joan Osborne's version of What Becomes of the Broken Hearted just might move you to tears. Incredible rendition.

Have wondered all these years about the fantastic musicians behind the great Motown sound: who were they?
What were their names? Where did they come from?
Well, the excellent documentary tells you all about them and just might make you buy the CD, as I have recently done.


Grateful to all the talented folks for giving us so muchgreat music over the years! Words are not enough!

THANK YOU, FUNK BROTHERS!!!

Of course the new artists are "standing in the shadows"
I will attempt to keep this review short and sweet.This album is a compilation of old Motown hits, with the vocals done by contemporary artists.On the whole, I thought it came off very well.Some of the criticism of this album relates to the "new vocalists".One has to remember you cannot go home again; you cannot step into the same river twice.So, of course, in the ears of the reviewers the new vocalists can't touch the originals.I'm not sure that I disagree on that point.But to put this whole project down because of who was selected to sing the songs seems whiney.The newer artists do a very credible job carrying the burden they are asked to -- being compared to the originals.This is a fun album and should be approached in that context.Consider it a tribute to the past.

A GREAT TREASURE
THIS CD & DVD ARE GREAT TREASURES, WHICH HAVE BEEN BURIED FOR YEARS. ANYONE WHO LOVES THE GREAT R&B MUSIC PRODUCED BY MOTOWN WILL APPRECIATE THIS CD. THE FUNK BROTHERS WERE THE BACKBONE OF THAT GREAT MOTOWN SOUND. ITS GREAT THEY ARE FINALLY RECEIVING THE NOTICE THEY SO RICHLY DESRVE. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS CD. ... Read more

Asin: B00006JCGI
Subjects:  1. Motown    2. Pop    3. Soundtracks & Film Scores    4. Urban   

Liva at House of Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1994)
list price: $15.98
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Features

• Live

Reviews (1)

music for lovers
I have listened to Solomon Burke's music for years and Beautiful Brown Eyes is by far the best he's ever done. ... Read more

Asin: B000007QBM
Sales Rank: 245073
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop   

Burnin' Down the House: Live at the House of Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 May, 2002)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $18.98
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Editorial Review

Just when it seems that the purr has left Etta James's estimable voice, about halfway through this live concert recorded in 2001 at L.A.'s House of Blues she begins her eternally romantic ballad "At Last," and the years tumble away. James's singing becomes flexible as a tenor saxophone, building to a lovely, serpentine diminuendo, which she caps with an arching phrase that dissipates in a misty exhalation of breath. It's such a beautiful, brilliantly executed performance that it's suddenly clear that for most of this show, the 64-year-old diva played dirty on purpose. So her signatures, "Tell Mama" and "I'd Rather Go Blind" (really, just about everything), are raw and earthy, moan-and-groan R&B milked for every smile and tear. Raunchy, too, since James deploys plenty of her bawdy stage patter and picks numbers like the striptease fantasy "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and the even more obvious "I Just Want to Make Love to You." Her impetuous nature leads her into unpredictable improvisations, like the weird bird calls she warbles during the intro to the ghetto-rocker "All the Way Down," with it's wah-wah guitar and "Theme from Shaft" vibe. And her Roots Band are perfect accompanists. James's sons Donto and Sametto are the rhythm section, and the five horns and two guitarists play with the loose precision of the classic Stax or Muscle Shoals studio crews. Since James has made few live albums, she might have included more of her own gems in this set. But James has the command to transform numbers like Kiki Dee's "Sugar on the Floor" into soulful diamonds. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (9)

Tasty Set!
Some of the other reviews attack this on the basis that it is not as soulful as the 60's and 70's sets that we all know and love.Sure this is not 1962, but the band is on and it is a powerful well produced saucy set.The fact that she can put it out this strong after all of these years is a testament to her artistry.It is a nice blues rock sound and it never dissapointed anyone that has heard it with me.I understand the argument for purity but in this world everything evolves and this one gets a well deserved spot on my shelf next to the classics.

Average at best
She spends as much time talking the lyrics as she does actually singing on this live CD. If your looking for Etta at her best live then buy her CD "Rocks the House".

Still Etta, But Disappointing
Looking at the play list, I was really anticipating a power perfomance by one of my favorite R&B power vocalists.This, however, was not to be.To me this CD had the feel of someone going through the motions and pandering to an audience who wanted to see a "canned" Etta James performance. Too bad, because she can really be a force of nature when she's at her best.Check out The Essential Etta James' version of "You Can Leave Your Hat On" to see what I mean.

Overall:OK, but disappointing. ... Read more

Asin: B000063Y2O
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop   

Nine Lives
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 May, 1995)
list price: $15.98 -- our price: $15.98
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Reviews (1)

texace on the Boogie Kings - Nine Lives
This is the Boogie Kings after they got fat and Clint West dropped out and they went on tour all the way to Vegas.Used to rock and sweat to this group at the Bamboo Hut on Galveston Beach.Some of the best Blue-eyed soul from the late 50's and early 60's.Check out Clint West, the Swamp Legend for some great late 50's Southwest Louisiana gumbo and belly-rubbing music, the original Boogie Kings. ... Read more

Asin: B000002K5U
Sales Rank: 158307
Subjects:  1. Cajun / Zydeco / New Orleans    2. Modern Electric Blues    3. Pop    4. R&B    5. Swamp Pop