Live music reviews

Live at Luther College is a great CD for any DMB fan. Tim Reynolds and Dave Matthews collaborate on this great acoustic live show. The show is very laid back and chill and less enthusiastic and upbeat than other live shows. If you're debating on a live CD or a studio CD, there is no question with the Dave Matthews Band. Studio CD's do not capture the spirit and originality of the band. The CD includes great renditions of both 'One Sweet World' and 'Jimi Thing.' Live at Luther College is a great example of DMB live.

The best, simply the best... You can't go wrong with this... Music, passion, love, laughter, honesty, a insanely talented guitar player, very emotional beautiful vocals and sweet sweet melodies, songs and lyrics performed flawlessly from the heart. Buy it right now!

Having lived with two DMB fans, one of whom virtually worships the man and his band, I have been exposed to the vast majority of their tunes. I think they're talented, but between Dave's somewhat indecipherable vocals and the sometimes over-the-top instrumentation, I find that whatever message they're trying to convey often gets buried.

That being said, "Live at Luther College" is most definitely one (or two, if a two-disc set can't count as one) of the ten recordings I'd want with me if I were stranded on a desert island.

I'd give all but maybe one or two songs a 5-star rating. Even the "Christmas Song," which, subject-wise, isn't exactly my cup of tea, is just too perfectly executed to deny.

There are thousands of recordings that use electric guitar and of which I'm a huge fan, but if I had to choose, I prefer the purity of acoustic guitar. The use of acoustic guitars alone gives this set a huge edge.

And Tim Reynolds is a virtuoso--probably as technically gifted as many respected classical guitarist, but with an equally impeccable ability to reinvent each of Dave's songs so that they have every bit as much groove, humor, emotion, and force (and often more) as they did with his full band backing him up. Dave isn't half-bad either.

And while they take their guitars to the very limits of unplugged rock, Dave's voice is still able to shine through clearly, and I can actually understand what he's saying more often than not (I've actually memorized most of the album, although there are some areas where I still mumble incoherent phrases in conjunction with what seems to be coming out of Dave's mouth).

Virtually all of the power and emotion is generated by the musicians themselves, not by special effects or gadgets, and you can really feel what a memorable experience it must have been to attend that show.

I really dont like Dave Matthews music that much, but there is one thing that you have to give him and his band credit for. They are very very good musicans. This is the one album that they have that I happen to like, since I think the Live Material is much better then any of the studio work. This is a good concert to listen to, and I highly recommend it to anyone who just wants to kick back and listen to some real good jams. ENJOY

If "Louisiana Bayou" on the DVD with Robert Randolph doesn't do it for you, you are already dead. Jammin' DMB at their best!

Before I review this album let me share with you a brief bit of DMB's history snce this was recorded

1996: Crash is Released
1997: This wonderful Album is released
1998: Before These Crowded Srteets is released
2000: The Lilywhite Sessions are left
2001: Everyday is released; The Lillywhite Sessions are leaked
2002: Busted Stuff is released
2005: Stand Up is released.

bow alot has changed in 10 years, and so has DMB's sound.

This 2 disc jam fest may be a shock to newer DMB fans, who are used to the radio hits.

while there are a few of those on here, they're not this recordings best stuff.

RR95 (as hardcore fans have abbriviated it) starts off with Seek Up, which dictates the pace for the rest of the concert.

the first disc is golden, straying from the radio singles(except for Satlelite which is amazing on this recording)

the second disc doesn't stop that vibe, and makes this truely a greeat live album.

Disc 1

*1. Seek Up 5/5
*2. Proudest Monkey 5/5
*3. Sattelite 5/5
4. Two Step 5/5
*5. Best of What's Around 5/5
*6. Recently 5/5
7. Lie in Our Graves 5/5
8. Dancing Nancies 5/5
9. Warehouse(pre "Whoooo!") 4/5

Disc 2

*1. Tripping Billies 5/5
2. Drive In, Drive Out 4.5/5
3. Lover Lay Down 5/5
4. Rhyme and Reason 4.5/5
*5. #36 5/5
*6. Ants Marching 5/5
7. Typical Situation 4/5
8. All Along the Watchtower 5/5

*= Reccomended Track

1= terrible, 2= poor, 3= decent, 4= good, 5= great

Whoa. Mr. Le Bob's vocal phrasing and delivery on the acoustic numbers is truly moving, weird, mystifying, and gives these songs more (new, emphasized, different)meaning from the album versions. I love it. The electric side is just an onslaught. The bridge to "Thin Man" is spine-tingling, and "Rolling Stone" runs me over like a Mack truck.

I recently bought this after months of delay, for whatever reason. The concert certainly lives up to previous reviews expectations and it was nice to hear these songs played live. However, the second set is the most intriguing for me. At least three of the songs date from his acoustic folk days (I dont believe you, Baby let me follow you down, and One to many mornings), while 3 more are from the Highway 61 revisited album (Like a rolling stone, Ballad of a thin man, and Just like tom thumbs blues), one song that cannot be found anywhere else (Tell me mama)and one song from Blonde on Blonde (Leopard skin pill box hat). So what is so odd about this? Well the unrealesed song for one, and the fact that, apart from Like a rolling stone, no hits. Maggies Farm and Tombstone Blues are missing from Highway 61 revisited, while only 1 song is featured from Blonde on Blonde, and the hit single Positivly 4th street is missing. So I wonder is Dylan making a point and being ironic? He plays three songs from his folk days as electric songs, perhaps as a message to the audience that the folk days are numbered and to accept the electric material. Further opening up with an unrealesed song seems like an odd choice. Finally his lack of playing any hits save Like a rolling stone, seems odd. It would seem then that Dylan was playing what he wanted, rather than bowing to the hits, something to be admired. All said a good album and worth getting.

This is a brilliant concert, but perhaps needs some historical context to be fully appreciated. For those who need some history, this 2 cd set includes a beautifully written booklet describing Dylan's '65-'66 transformation from folk troubadour to electrified rock sensation, and the vilification this change inspired in some of his folk fans. This presumes, of course, that people know how to read. Otherwise listeners may be perplexed at hearing some audience members booing and heckling during the electric set (the second disk of the set).
Some of the folk fans were particularly irked at hearing some of their Dylan folk favorites electrified and rocking (Baby Let me Follow You Down), and some of his rock songs sung with only guitar and harmonica during the acoustic set (Desolation Row). The acoustic performances are beautiful, passionate and haunting, and the electic performances, with bristling backup from The Band, are blistering and furious. It is evident throughout that Dylan is wasted (both in terms of exhaustion and drug use). I suppose this might bother some listeners; to me it just adds to the poignancy of the music, and makes the brilliance of the performances even more amazing. The acoustic version here of "Visions of Johanna", one of my favorite Dylan songs,I now prefer to the studio recording on "Blonde on Blonde".
This is a historic recording that circulated on bootlegs for many years. Consult the booklet, and watch Martin Scorcese's "No Direction Home" to get a sense of the kind of pressure that Dylan was under during this watershed period of his career.
Hearing Dylan do battle with the naysayers in his audience is part of the excitement of the performance. That gutsiness in sticking to his artistic vision is one of Dylan's most admirable qualities, but this might be lost on some listeners. Newcomers to Dylan's music, or those who have trouble with performances that sound different from the studio recordings, or those expecting the smoothed out and heavily produced sound of many current recordings, may have some trouble with this one.
Well, I agree with Van. I truly pity anyone who can't appreciate Dylan's music. For those who dismiss it as "old folk's music", that's their loss. Someday they'll be old. How well will the stuff they listen to now hold up years from now, compared to Dylan's music?

For those that get this album it is nothing short of a masterpiece. For those that don't it is just noise. I recommend giving this album a listen before buying it, but for those that have a hard time getting into this album I recommend multiple listenings over a fairly extended period of time. Try listening to it 4 or 5 times with in a couple of weeks time span. I've actually known people who at first thought this album was awful, but after a while their ears just opened up to it.

To the reviewer who said:

"Art reaches out, speaks to the universal, appeals to the heart. Jazz excludes, speaks in code, demands analysis. I prefer art."

I think that it is pretty ironic that you criticized this particular album in this manner. Essentially this album was Coltrane's attempt to reach out, speak to the Universal, and appealing to the heart. If you missed that you missed the entire point. I'll admit this is an album some people are going to love and others are going to hate, but Coltrane's purpose is undeniable. Also your claim that jazz isn't art is laughable.

I resort many times to this record when I really want to get carried away with music. For me this record is medicine. So Coltrane, Tyner, Jones and Garrison are here like a group of therapists so to speak.
This one is truly unique. Never listened to something even similar and don't want to. Because "A love supreme" is just perfect. I have other Coltrane works like "Giant Steps" or "Blue Train" but these ones don't mean much to me. And I even don't like much John's way of playing: too many notes in such a little time space. Many times they don't tell me anything. And it is the same reaction that I get sometimes from Bird. "Ok, you're a virtuoso. Congratulations!. So what?".
But this record was really his cornerstone for me. He was in a different approach. He meant something to me in every note he blew from his sax. He really got into something. And he's here with the great McCoy Tyner. With his piano helps Elvin Jones to create a mystic atmosphere where you can feel they are in some kind of spiritual voyage. And everything is a wonder.
So if you are one like me who's not very fond of Coltrane, it doesn't matter at all. This is a must have. Who told you that "Kind of Blue" was the all-time best?. It is "a love supreme". It is about pure inspiration from four geniuses of Music. It'll change you. For good!.

It's a testament to John Coltrane's artistic vision that a piece of uncomprimising music such as a 'A Love Supreme' can be heard for the universalism it stands for. Recorded in a studio in New Jersey in late 1964, Coltrane had spent a week alone in a room in his house away from his wife and children. During that time of contemplation and isolation, he put pen to paper to bare his soul to God and the essence of 'A Love Supreme' was born. I don't think it was a coincedence that at the time this album was recorded in the mid-60's, a new philosophy of spirituality and peace & love began to prevade popular music in general. The Church of St. John Coltrane still resides in that bastion of hippiedom, San Francisco.

The music on the album itself is powerful not just for Coltrane's playing itself but also for the fanatical interplay of the quartet. 'Acknowledgement' opens with Garrison's passionate bass line, leading into Coltrane's dynamic and ingenious playing, the quartet's spirited performance like a fervant, untamed emotion that has gripped them all. 'Resolution' blazes from the record with Tyler burnishing the track with some brilliant playing of his own. Jones's frantic drumming comes to the fore on the opening of 'Pursuance', a track where the meaning of 'Chasin' The Trane' becomes self-evident as Garrison, Tyler and Jones follow in hot pursuit of their leader's furious joy. Tyler's playing is again compelling as the quartet trade notes with such alarming velocity before Garrison's bass tip-toes and leads us like the pied-piper to the concluding 'Psalm'.

It's refreshing in this day and age to hear an artist whose sincerity and integrity shines through his work.

For those that get this album it is nothing short of a masterpiece. For those that don't it is just noise. I recommend giving this album a listen before buying it, but for those that have a hard time getting into this album I recommend multiple listenings over a fairly extended period of time. Try listening to it 4 or 5 times with in a couple of weeks time span. I've actually known people who at first thought this album was awful, but after a while their ears just opened up to it.

To the reviewer who said:

"Art reaches out, speaks to the universal, appeals to the heart. Jazz excludes, speaks in code, demands analysis. I prefer art."

I think that it is pretty ironic that you criticized this particular album in this manner. Essentially this album was Coltrane's attempt to reach out, speak to the Universal, and appealing to the heart. If you missed that you missed the entire point. I'll admit this is an album some people are going to love and others are going to hate, but Coltrane's purpose is undeniable. Also your claim that jazz isn't art is laughable.

I resort many times to this record when I really want to get carried away with music. For me this record is medicine. So Coltrane, Tyner, Jones and Garrison are here like a group of therapists so to speak.
This one is truly unique. Never listened to something even similar and don't want to. Because "A love supreme" is just perfect. I have other Coltrane works like "Giant Steps" or "Blue Train" but these ones don't mean much to me. And I even don't like much John's way of playing: too many notes in such a little time space. Many times they don't tell me anything. And it is the same reaction that I get sometimes from Bird. "Ok, you're a virtuoso. Congratulations!. So what?".
But this record was really his cornerstone for me. He was in a different approach. He meant something to me in every note he blew from his sax. He really got into something. And he's here with the great McCoy Tyner. With his piano helps Elvin Jones to create a mystic atmosphere where you can feel they are in some kind of spiritual voyage. And everything is a wonder.
So if you are one like me who's not very fond of Coltrane, it doesn't matter at all. This is a must have. Who told you that "Kind of Blue" was the all-time best?. It is "a love supreme". It is about pure inspiration from four geniuses of Music. It'll change you. For good!.

It's a testament to John Coltrane's artistic vision that a piece of uncomprimising music such as a 'A Love Supreme' can be heard for the universalism it stands for. Recorded in a studio in New Jersey in late 1964, Coltrane had spent a week alone in a room in his house away from his wife and children. During that time of contemplation and isolation, he put pen to paper to bare his soul to God and the essence of 'A Love Supreme' was born. I don't think it was a coincedence that at the time this album was recorded in the mid-60's, a new philosophy of spirituality and peace & love began to prevade popular music in general. The Church of St. John Coltrane still resides in that bastion of hippiedom, San Francisco.

The music on the album itself is powerful not just for Coltrane's playing itself but also for the fanatical interplay of the quartet. 'Acknowledgement' opens with Garrison's passionate bass line, leading into Coltrane's dynamic and ingenious playing, the quartet's spirited performance like a fervant, untamed emotion that has gripped them all. 'Resolution' blazes from the record with Tyler burnishing the track with some brilliant playing of his own. Jones's frantic drumming comes to the fore on the opening of 'Pursuance', a track where the meaning of 'Chasin' The Trane' becomes self-evident as Garrison, Tyler and Jones follow in hot pursuit of their leader's furious joy. Tyler's playing is again compelling as the quartet trade notes with such alarming velocity before Garrison's bass tip-toes and leads us like the pied-piper to the concluding 'Psalm'.

It's refreshing in this day and age to hear an artist whose sincerity and integrity shines through his work.

I had heard a few songs from Songbook in the store, and decided to try this 'live' album. Unfortunately, this was quite disappointing. Nothing of the magic that was Songbook.

Capable note-wise, Cassidy's delivery is however, very unmoving here. It was, and is, very annoying, that I keep imagining this was all sung by Ann Wilson (of rock band Heart). But this is the wrong kind of music for a voice like that; i.e. she doesn't sound good live.

A wonderful and somewhat different contribution from one of the true artists of our time.

It's a shame we couldn't hear more from this exceptional artist. Eva takes me to another world with her soothing voice. I couldn't wait to hear this CD and share it with my friends. I highly recommend it!

This album is one of the BEST live albums in the history of live. This CD marks where Hanson's voices began changing. And there are some new songs and cover songs.

When I was younger at the time when Hanson was super popular, I did not really like them that much, but they've changed my mind the past week. While I was working, I was getting bored of my normal playlist, so I put my iPod on shuffle and Hanson came on. I went and found the CD in its entirety and listened to it. It was amazingly catchy and perfect to work to. This concert is amazing...they have so much talent! I'd recommend Live From Albertane over Middle of Nowhere any day. (Maybe that's because I didn't really like the high, squeaky voices)

great, it feels like your there!!! some person wrote that they didn't like it because MMMBOP does not sound quite the same as it did on middle of nowhere, well of course it doesn't hanson is older now their voices have changed a bit and it's live, so if you fell in love with hanson for their baby voice - you fell in love for the wrong reason. This is the best live cd i have ever heard and if your worried about there being screaming in the middle songs- worry not because there is really none except in the begining and end of tracks - so check it out and if you like buy and then check out their Christmas cd - Snowed in mg:)

I enjoy listening to Brian Regan, his sense of humor is not only funny, but enjoyable and true! I recommend this CD, for sure.

I don't have to hear someone drop an F bomb or an MF in order to know something is funny. (That is really adolescent humor.) Regan tells the same kind of funny stories that all the F-bombers tell but without the cursing. He proves you can do it clean and still be funny.

Brian Regan is hilarious. And he gets it done without any profane language. Very funny!!!

this was a memorable concert...waiting for a DVd of it now.

I have only seen it on VHS back in 1988 and i still remember it fully.

pls pls pls get it out on DVD 5.1 + remastered if possible

This cd was great when it came out in the 70's and now remastered it is even better. This shows just what a powerhouse these guys were live. The songs are great and the sound is raw and very "live".

This is their definitive music !!!

This is personally my favorite live album ever as the entire group gives a very memorable performance. Some tracks i really enjoy are can't explain, magic bus,and im a boy. Please disregard the comments of the reviewer below me as he is most likely into emo music.

this was a memorable concert...waiting for a DVd of it now.

I have only seen it on VHS back in 1988 and i still remember it fully.

pls pls pls get it out on DVD 5.1 + remastered if possible

This cd was great when it came out in the 70's and now remastered it is even better. This shows just what a powerhouse these guys were live. The songs are great and the sound is raw and very "live".

This is their definitive music !!!

This is personally my favorite live album ever as the entire group gives a very memorable performance. Some tracks i really enjoy are can't explain, magic bus,and im a boy. Please disregard the comments of the reviewer below me as he is most likely into emo music.