Record Reviews

IAN ANDERSON ~ PLAYS THE ORCHESTRAL JETHRO TULL XYZ 3082 (Barcode: 090204905669) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2004 Released: 2005 What a delightful piece of music this is! Ian AndersonFind albums by this artist accompanied by a quartet of rock musicians and a small symphony orchestra (The Neue Philharmonie FrankfurtFind albums by this artist – consisting mostly of young, but excellent classical musicians) create live on stage a re-make of some of the Jethro TullFind albums by this artist favorites and lesser known tunes. Anderson leads the show with vigor and vitality, which surely is a poke in the eye of his many critics, who have been foretelling the end of his career since many years. In fact his appearance proves again that there are very few (if any at all) contemporary Rock artists, who come even close to his level of musicality, wit and intelligence (just watch the extensive interviews with Anderson and enjoy his cracking irony related to his peers). The cooperation between the rockers and the symphony orchestra works like a charm and the exquisite arrangements of older pieces shed a new light on the depth of Anderson’s music, which stand the test of time with flying colors. The 12+ minutes long interpretation of the beautiful “Budapest” (from the Crest Of A KnaveFind albums with this title album) is especially impressive. In short almost 3 hours of great music and English humor – one can hardly ask for more. Essential to all Anderson / JT fans. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, 160 minutes.

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DEEP PURPLE ~ LIVE IN VERONA EAR MUSIC 4029759130147 (Barcode: 4029759130147) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2011 Released: 2014 This is a live album by the iconic British Rock group Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist. It features the Mk VIII lineup of the group: vocalist Ian GillanFind albums by this artist, guitarist Steve MorseFind albums by this artist, bassist Roger GloverFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Don AireyFind albums by this artist and drummer Ian PaiceFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded on July 18, 2011 at the legendary Arena di Verona Roman amphitheater, with the group accompanied by a full scale symphonic orchestra, the Neue Philharmonie FrankfurtFind albums by this artist, conducted by Stephen Bentley KleinFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents twenty-one tracks, spanning the entire repertoire of the group. The music is of course familiar to all the fans of the group, but the amazing performances included herein are simply beyond expectation, proving that Deep Purple are still the best live Rock group out there, which has its roots decades ago and an uninterrupted span of making excellent music without compromise, ignoring the world changing around and the true values of music in general and Rock in particular disintegrating. The orchestral accompaniments are of course new and quite unusual, and although Deep Purple recorded with orchestras before, the integration between the orchestra and the group on this album is absolutely unprecedented and fully complementing. Depp Purple impersonate the Classic Rock definition better that any other existing Rock act today, not only due to their persistence and stamina, but for their ability to keep the music timeless and able to preserve the aesthetic values of creativity, ignoring fads and fashions. Despite the fact that their lineup changed over time and they lost the spiritual leadership of Jon Lord, the managed to overcome the hardships and kept their faith in what they do. Overall, this album is an amazing display of Classic Rock at its best, superbly recorded and performed by incredibly talented musicians, who know exactly what they are doing. There is no one false note, one disturbance in the continuity and flow of the music, simply perfection itself. Regardless of what some people may think, these dinosaurs still rule the earth!

Updated: 08/01/2024Posted: 08/01/2024

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