Editorial Review

Long held as a talisman by Santana fans, who had to buy it as a triple-LP Japanese import before Columbia finally issued it on CD in 1991, Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (43)

What can be better?
The only thing that would be better than listening to this great CD would be to listen to and watch this great recording on DVD. To watch what this band and the fans experienced at this concert has to be a thrill.The only thing better than a DVD would be to watch this concert with documentary-style interviews and hear what fans had to say about their experiences.The only thing better than that would be to have been there myself, live as one of the fans being interviewed and not being able to express in words how great Santana's performance was.The only thing better than that would have been to be Carlos Santana at that time and experience what he must have felt.It had to be a joy to channel so much spiritual energy.

Glitz & Flash w/o substance
I've been a fan of Santana since the first album but Lotus bears little resemblance to what I expected.I read the reviews and bought it based on that about 4/5 years ago.I found most of this album to be annoying--some excellent playing but it goes nowhere.The screeching guitar is just too much to take--almost like fingernails on a chalkboard. I can not imagine sitting down to listen to this again--When I bought it I felt that way but attributed it to maybe I just wasn't in the mood to listen.So I put it away for a month and came back to it twice and feel the same way and my receptivity does not appear to be changing. The last listen was today and it's been a year since I've listened to it last.I'm sorry--it's not happening for me.He's still a great guitarist, but to me---this is noise!

Better Than Great
It may sound silly, but a strong case can be made that this is the greatest "live" performance of all time."Lotus" is better than great, it's phenomenal.Don't settle for any other live Santana CD, THIS IS THE ONE.Sure I program out a few songs...only because I prefer no vocals...so I program out fine performances of Black Magic Woman & Oye Como Va; and track two on CD two, a long drum solo, can be programmed out; etc... But the rest is brilliant, spiritual, intense & magical.This is music of enlightened beings. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Latin Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (3)

The band's best during the Arista period
This is a wonderful album of live acoustic music. The bonus songs on the bonus disc add a nice feel and give a cool view as to what went on during the recording of this album.

Grateful Dead Unplugged and Acoustic!
A very different side to the Grateful Dead.Taken from their 1980 acoustic sets in NYC and SF, they show that they could play and sing with the best of them, and not only in their well known lengthy space jams.The set is a mix of GD originals and folk standards that show the depth of their musical traditions.
great album greatly improved
This was the album that hooked me on the dead. Sadly, I lost the tape years ago and always put off replacing it. I am glad now, because the sound quality is much improved, and the second disc has some really nice additions. The alternate versions don't add greatly to the package, in my opinion, but the new songs are definately worth having. Nice to finally have oh babe it aint no lie included that was absent from the original CD. Far superior to the electric Dead Set recorded during the same shows. If you like any of their acoustic stuff, this is definately recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Country-Rock    3. Folk-Rock    4. Jam Bands    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. United States of America   

Features

• Live
• Import

Reviews (17)

Born Again Tullian
I was a major Jethro Tull fan from 1968 until about 1976, saw him many times in concert but got sidetracked by Springsteen for 10 years.I recently saw Ian Anderson doing the orchestral concert and I'm back for good!Based on everyone's recommendations, I bought this CD and couldn't agree more. Ian Anderson is a true artist, making each song interesting, even ones he's surely played thousands of times, like "Bouree" and "Locomotive Breath".Now, after 30 years, I appreciate the originality and complexity of his music and admire Anderson/Jethro Tull even more.

The Distilled Essence of Jethro Tull
This is a remarkable album - Jethro Tull distilled down to its pure essence, like a fine demiglace slowly simmered in the pan.A collection of live cuts recorded at various venues, often with acoustical "unplugged" renderings of vintage Tull songs, this recording exhibits the high level of musicianship and intricate arrangements that are the hallmark of the Jethro Tull brand."Too Old to Rock and Roll" and "Bouree" are simply amazing!Ian Anderson is in rare form here, a mature craftsman at one with his instruments and voice.His flute improvizations have never been better, and his acoustical guitar technique continues to become more precise and fluid.Martin Barre reminds us once again that he is perhaps the most underrated guitarist in music.He delivers a virtuoso performance.
Delight with A Little Light Music
This CD is one of my all time favorites. It is a fresh look on a an old time favorite band of mine. I would highly recommend this CD to anyone who is tired of the music that is being played now. A refreshing change to the daily grind of today. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Popular Music    4. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (26)

This is the BEST live Hendrix available
I have all of the live Hendrix CDs and this is by far the best, both in having the best sound quality and the best performance by Hendrix.
CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF JIMI, EVEN THOUGH...
BEING THAT THIS IS HENDRIX AND ANYTHING RELEASED IS WORTHY OF AT LEAST 5 STARS, DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THAT MOST OF THIS SHOW IS DRASTICALLY OUT OF TUNE? I PICKED UP THE UNOFFICIAL 1ST SHOW AND THAT WAS JUST AS BAD (PROBABLY WORSE). JIMI PROBABLY JUST DIDN'T WANT TO TRADE OUT GUITARS IN THE MIDDLE OF METALLIC KNEE-CAPS (FOXEY LADY) BUT IT GETS TO BE QUITE UNBEARABLE AT PARTS. I WOULD THINK THAT OF ALL THE RECORDINGS EVER CAPTURED, EXPERIENCE HENDRIX WOULD RELEASE SOMETHING A LITTLE TIGHTER BY THE GYPSYS. PROBABLY WHY THE 1ST SHOW HAS NEVER SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY, HOPEFULY SOMETHING EQUALING OR BETTER THAN THE 2ND SHOW WILL BE PRESENTED INSTEAD.

WARNING!
IF YOU BUY THIS CD, EVERY OTHER ROCK BAND WILL LOOK LIKE ASHLEE SIMPSON IN COMPARISON!If you want to continue to think Eric Clapton is still the best (he is damn close) stay far away from this CD.This CD will also make you realize how bad you and everyone else is at guitar, a real self-esteem killer!
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Bass (Electric)    3. Blues-Rock    4. Drums    5. Guitar (Electric)    6. Hard Rock    7. Pop    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop    10. Vocals   

Features

• Live

Reviews (19)

Two Great Trower Albums At One Low Price
FOR EARTH BELOW/LIVE is a single-disc compilation of two great Robin Trower albums from the 70s. LIVE is one of the best live albums ever released, and FOR EARTH BELOW was a great follow-up to the exceptional BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Any serious fan of blues-based rock & roll should own this one.

Two Of Trower's Best
Any rock fan knows that "Bridge Of Sighs" is one of the best rock albums of all time.
Great Artist, Poor CD Quality
Robin Trower deserves 10 stars. Problem is, this CD sounds like it was recorded to cassette first and then burned on a CD later. Very "muffled" sound and needs to be turned up higher to get the same output as other CDs in my collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues-Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live

Reviews (17)

A Thrilling Mid-Period Live Set
I find it a bit curious so many of the reviews here dislike the live covers on this album; as a fan I really enjoy the boys' takes on the Byrds "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star," or "Needles and Pins," or even "Don't Bring Me Down."I don't look for a "greatest hits live" package from a performer I respect -- I want that artist to dig deep, find some chestnuts from the catalogue, or do some covers that mean something to them -- and that's what Pack Up the Plantation is.
Tom Petty&The Heartbreakers-'Pack Up The Plantation:Live'(MCA)
'Pack Up...' is truly a good live album for Tom Petty&The Heartbreakers.I get SO tired of fans saying that Petty is simply a Bob Dylan rip-off.That's where they're wrong,Petty actually CAN sing.Saw Petty on this very tour.It was his first when he employed that 'Alice In Wonderland' routine.'Pack Up...' sounds decent,not perfect.But awfully close I thought.Saw Petty here recently and I can honestly say it was one of the BEST sounding shows I've seen in sometime.Tunes I thought made this CD a true keeper were The Byrd's "So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star",The Searcher's "Needles And Pins","The Waiting","American Girl","Refugee" and "Don't Bring Me Down".Total of fourteen tracks and a duration of 71:12.A should-have.

Great Live Tom Petty Album, Even If The Horns And Covers Are Too Much
PACK UP THE PLANTATION: LIVE! is a great live album by Tom Petty, with only two flaws: the addition of horns to many of the songs, which were previously rawer in their studio versions, and the excessive number of cover versions that fill out the album. It would have been nice to hear more of Petty's own songs, but some of the renditions of other people's compositions are great, and, combined with Petty's advocacy of sanctions against Indonesia for that country's recent trumped-up drug-smuggling conviction of a young Australian tourist, that more than compensates for the lack of original material on this album. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Bar Band    3. Heartland Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock & Roll    7. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Box set
• Live
• Original recording reissued

Reviews (20)

Very good show
This show marked the end of an era. The band broke out some tunes not played in years. The mix is pretty good on the cd and dvd. It slights Keith a little like most releases generally tend to slight the keyboards nowdays.

Essential
The first thing to realize about this 4 CD set is.....
Captures a Special Moment In Dead History
This is recorded in a pristine fashion from 24-track analog master tapes.If you are tempted to buy a "greatest hits" pick this up instead.Then pick up American Beauty and Workman's Dead.Then you'll be hooked on the Dead for the rest of your life.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Country-Rock    3. Folk-Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Though it was made largely to help disentangle Hendrix from a thorny contractual dispute, 1970's live Read more

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (77)

ANOTHER GREAT LIVE COMPILATION BY HENDRIX'S "BAND OF GYPSYS!"
I will be doing a review on the legendary historic landmark 2-CD live compilation set entitled "Jimi Hendrix - Band Of Gypsys - Live At The Fillmore East" by the late great guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. As always, I will be editing this review from time to time so that you the consumer will get the best and most accurate review possible. In case you haven't read my previous review on the "Band Of Gypsys" DVD documentary, this is actually a continuation review of the "Band Of Gypsys" saga, this time focusing and highlighting on some of Jimi's unreleased song performances that were performed "Live At The Fillmore East" on 31 December 1969 and 1 January 1970. This latest 2-CD set, like the DVD documentary, were both separately released in 1999 and includes additional unreleased song performances that were not included in the original partial six song live compilation released in 1970 entitled "Hendrix - Band Of Gypsys." In case you don't remember, there was another live compilation (a sequel) of additional unreleased performances that was released by Capitol Records on vinyl and cassette in 1986, but not on CD, entitled "Jimi Hendrix - Band Of Gypsys 2."
The Electric Lady Land Man In The Hizz-House!!!
Jimmy Hendrix is 1 of if not the most influential guitarist in Rock-N-Roll history. The things he did on his chosen musical weapon are legendary stories for history to pass down from generation to generation.
GREAT LIVE HENDRIX
This CD is taken from a series of concerts over a few days at the Fillmore East in NYC back in '70, right before Jimi died and the Fillmore closed.As usual, the vocals are terrible but who cares, there's Jimi doing his thing on the guitar better than anyone ever did it before or after.And while I am not a real big fan of Buddy Miles, he holds up and Billy Cox, the bass player who was Jimi's friend from the Army, is great.Not his best live CD, but not his worst, either.My favorite one is still "In The West", that one gets five stars instead of four.But I guarantee that this CD will have you playing the air guitar. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acid Rock    2. Album Rock    3. Blues-Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Psychedelic    7. R&B    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live
• Import

Reviews (28)

Buy it for "Sunshine"
The best reason to buy this album truly is to get Hamish Stuart's version of "Ain't No Sunshine." I guess with the advent of ITunes you should just download "Sunshine" and forget the album. Oh wait, that's right. None of Paul's stuff is on ITunes. Never mind.

Who knew a Beatle could go totally unplugged and still sound magnificent
At first when I looked at the songs on the CD, it looks like all the songs were easy to play unplugged, because most of the originals were somewhat unplugged already. As in And I Love Her, and Here, There, and Everywhere. But no, Paul doesn't just rehash the songs, he creates different arrangements, most notably in the harmony of And I Love Her. You also get to hear Paul's bassist/guitarist (mostly bassist) Hamish Stuart sing in Ain't no Sunshine, and Hamish handled the song pretty well. My favorite has to be And I Love Her. I must admit, the original was too fast and boring. But the added harmony and slowed down to an "R&B" pace makes this song shine out from all the others. Robbie's guitar work in all the songs are nothing short of amazing, the drummer's work adds a very essential touch to the music, Hamish's vocals match up right next to Paul's, and Paul, well we all know he's amazing. I recommend this CD to everyone. Beatles fans, or not, this is a live masterpiece.

Who are you???And what have you done with that cute ex-Beatle????
Or so might you say if you hadn't 1) happened to have seen this MTV "Unplugged" special way back when (the copyright tells me it was recorded in 1991) or 2) happened tohave seen Sir Paul on a solo tour since about 1992.Because in many ways, this cozy little performance, supported by the crew who will back him up on some of these future tours (Hamish, Wix, Blair Cunningham, Robbie McIntosh & the late Lady Linda McCartney) and with its intimate feel, is a precursor to those shows (despite his appearance in huge arenas, McCartney has taken to devices that encourage a "sitting together by the bonfire" feel, such as Beatle singalongs, and the audience back-and-forth that occurs here).
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Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop/Rock    3. Popular Music    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

1977's Read more

Features

• Live
• Original recording reissued

Reviews (53)

How Come Everybody Thinks That Mick Jagger Can Sing?
I guess when the lead singer of a band is older than President Clinton then you can't expect too much. This is a poor excuse for a live album with pathetic vocals from Mick and poor quality backing music.You can almost visualize Mick strutting like a rooster in a henhouse although sadly most of his audience now consists of old bantams who want to pretend that they are young chicks again.These guys try to play Rock and Roll but after 30 years of trying to live up to a rather tiresome "Bad Boy Image" these guys are now PureEstablishment which they so readily rebelled against in their youth. I give this album 5 stars because somehow Mick has managed to convince his fansthat he can actually sing and he has maintained this illusionfor over 30 years.

Awesome for the time period
Awesome live album, for a long time my favorite live album by any group. The version of Sympathy and Get what you want is spectacular. Only down part of this album is the recording mix, album needs to be remastered to clean up sound. This live album better than flashpoint or stripped as far as overall performances but be careful on high quality sounds systems if you are into true clean sound.

5 reasons for a Stones fan to buy this album
1) It contains the only officialy released live versions of the overlooked mid-70s classics If You Can't Rock Me, Fingerprint File, and Star, Star, and all sound excellent
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Exactly what was Pink Floyd's Read more

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (136)

the pink floyd live experience
pink floyds best live album by far, tracks include some offloyds best such as comfortbly numb, young lust in the flesh nobody home, hey you and mother, what shall we do now should have been released on the studio album but at least we have it here, unfortunately some of the songs on here are really bad such as vera lynn and bring the boys back home but those arent good on the studio album, this is even better than the studio album of the wall buy this

An Rare Instance In Live Recording
I bought this album having been in love with PF's album The Wall for years. I also knew the reputation PF had as a live band, and I must say they did not fail me. It is one of the only instances where I prefer the live recording to that of the original. The sound is full, rich, and one can feel the energy bursting out of their speakers. The audience noise also adds to the performance of the concert. People complaining that it's too close to The Wall album are missing the point, Pink Floyd can actually replicate an entire album live! That's an amazing feat for any musician. I would love for a DVD version of this to come out--but until that time I will satisfy my love for The Wall with this live CD.

The Wall Live - My Review
If you are a huge Floyd fan - particularly of the Original Studio version of The Wall, then this is a must purchase.The songs here are true to their studio version counterpart. I just hate it when a "live" version of a song is nearly unrecognizable from the original.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Disco    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live
• Import

Reviews (60)

Wings at their arena rock peak
Not so much anymore but perhaps one of the better secrets out there is how great a band Wings really was in their day.Hindsight has allowed for a better perspective of Paul's post-Beatles output, since at their peak, Wings came too soon after the dissolution of The Beatles and anything Paul did seemed to pale in comparison (a truly unfair burden).By 1976, the chains had come unshackled as McCartney and Wings had several blockbuster albums (Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run, Venus and Mars) and even more hit songs (Live and Let Die, Jet and Junior's Farm) under their belt.Everything peaked on the Wings Over America tour of 1976,Paul's first live appearances in the United States since 1966 when The Beatles gave their last concert performance.
Best live Album of all time
This CD blows away the Tripping the live fantastic and Paul is live CDs away. The Paul Mccartney Band 1989-1993
Paul McCartney's best live album
I concur with other reviewers.This is better than the live albums that followed.The music is top notch and feels like the band is having a great time playing the songs.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Arena Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Popular Music    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live

Reviews (10)

Recommended With Reservation
I don't like to knock any Dick's Picks from this early in the Dead's career, because I wish they'd release more. That having been said, this leaves a bit to be desired in terms of sound quality. The performances are great, especially the Phase I version of "Dark Star" (a mere year later it had morphed into a 20-minute free-jam, but it was still almost at the original tempo here). All too often, however, the vocals are all but inaudible. This isn't just one or two tracks; it's throughout. And it's a shame, because otherwise this is a heck of a show. For Deadheads it might still be worth it, just to hear the nice, early mix of psychedelia and blues crunch. Just be aware of what you're getting goin' in.

A laid-back but solid show
From the point of view of a relative newcomer, the plethora of official live recordings released by the Grateful Dead can be daunting, to say the very least.It's difficult to know where to begin, especially considering the fact that the band went through so many different musical phases during their long career.There is also a lot to choose from, so what you choose should depend entirely on which period in the band's career you prefer, simply because each phase in the Grateful Dead's musical evolution is quite different.I have always enjoyed the psychedelic material, which leads me to this review.
Vol. 22
This is a spectacular representation of primal-dead. The Grateful Dead in 1968 were young and rebellious. Every show they played was played as if it were there last. Jerry, Pig, Phil,Billy, Mickey, and Bobby were all pushing the boundaries of music and their particular talents. It is in this era of Dead where Phil and Jerry truely found their voice. (Can you beleve that Phil was self consious about his playing style in 1966? It didn't show.)
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Country-Rock    3. Folk-Rock    4. Jam Bands    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live

Reviews (29)

"Easily one of the best live records ever released"
I'm not really much for "classic rock" because it's all been overplayed to death.But you don't hear these selections played on the radio as much as you do the studio versions of these songs.Further note, these live versions (even if there might be overdubs; who doesn't overdub if you want to put out something decent?) sound better than their studio counterparts at times.These guys are already multi-millionaires, but I must give credit where it is due.
The first live effort from The Eagles over 25 years later
The Eagles' seventh album Eagles Live was released in November of 1980.
EAGLES play very well live, but there are problems with this album
First of all, they need to put this album on one disc, because it's under 80 minutes, and it's really a rip-off to pay that much for just 78 minutes. The first issues of the first two CHICAGO double albums were two disc sets, and they cut them down to one disc, so it can be done. Also, is this a Joe Walsh concert? Or an EAGLES album? I don't want to hear "Life's been good" (even though it's a cool song), or "All night long" on an EAGLES live album. Let him play that stuff at one of his solo concerts!!! When you have so many great tunes, why do you waste precious album time playing Joe's stuff. "Lifes been good" takes about 9 minutes of valuable space on this live album. They could have got two of their great songs done in that 9 minute period. Tons of their stuff was left off like "Witchy Woman", "In the City", "One of these nights", "Lyin Eyes", "James Dean", "Already gone", "After the thrill is gone", "Sad Cafe", "The last resort", and "Tequila Sunrise" to name a few. If they would have originally made it a 3-record set, instead of two, they could have got those tunes, plus a few more on this album, but hindsight is 20/20. Walsh is from my hometown Wichita, Kansas, so I shouldn't come down on him too hard for them playing his solo songs. When you get through my ton of gripes, they do play the songs that made it onto this album pretty darn good in my opinion. One great thing that came from this album was the great accopella (I'm not sure I'm spelling that right) tune "Seven Bridges Road", which was one of the few EAGLES songs that my Dad really got into. It had never appeared on any previous EAGLES albums before. I wish they would have left off the songs "Saturday night" and "Doolin-Dalton (Reprise II), because I've never really liked them that much. When I first purchased this album I hadn't ever bought "Hotel California" before, so "New kid in town" and "Wasted time" were real treats for me at that time. They play "Hotel California" very close to what it sounds like on the studio album, and really about all the rest of the tracks are the same as well. This could have been a much better "Live" album, but if you're going to only go by how good they play the material, this is played superbly and should get the full five stars, but I'll remove one because of the gripes that I had over the song selection and the other things that I mentioned. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Country-Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Soft Rock   

Editorial Review

This 1980, 2 CD live set captures Fleetwood Mac at the height of its platinum popularity, performing such durable faves as "Don't Stop," "Dreams," "Say You Love Me," "Rhiannon," "Go Your Own Way," "Over My Head," "Monday Morning," and "Sara." The band's energetic performances put a fresh spin on the familiar material. Elsewhere, the band throws some ace curveballs with left-field oddities like Lindsey Buckingham's gritty blues workout on the early (Peter Green era) Mac tune "Oh Well" and a lilting, harmony-laden reading of The Beach Boys' "Farmer's Daughter." Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (31)

REAL DELIGHT
I love this album.It represents the shows of Fleetwood Mac when they were in their prime.The Dance is very good, but is also very polished.When a band goes on tour, the concert goer does not go to a sound stage venue with perfect acoustics as on The Dance.
An intriguing but spotty collection
I first purchased Fleetwood Mac Live in 1981--and was disappointed. As a whole, the performances seemed a bit sloppy and the vocals out of tune, especially in comparison to the studio versions. But almost twenty five years on, most of the performances seem spirited, raw versions of well-known hits. And in terms of the singing, each of the three leads do most of their songs justice.
One of the best live albums out there!
I admit I'm a fan of The Mac.I also admit that, like another who has written a review here, 'Tusk' is my favourite Mac album.And I love live albums.So this was a real treat for me.It's simply a fantastic mesh of the first three Mac albums made with the great Buckingham/Nicks, with a gritty workout on Peter Green's 'Oh Well' thrown in for good measure.Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Pop    3. Pop/Rock    4. Popular Music    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Soft Rock   

Editorial Review

Bigger-than-life and proud of it, Queen's tongue-in-cheek pomposity was ironically one of its most endearing charms. This double-disc live album recorded at the band's typically massive 1986 Wembley Stadium stand in support of its