Live At Praxis 1984 - Sun Ra

Advantages: Top quality recording. If you like straighter rock!
Disadvantages: Straighter rock and less space-rock! Pales in comparison to earlier music!!

...Jethro Tull's ' Ian Anderson' . There was also definitely a very strong Pink Floyd influence .....in fact anyone liking them should really check this band out. Take a listen to the ' Eloy's' ' Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes ' CD and you'll hear some very Gilmour-esque guitarwork in the style of ' Shine on You Crazy Diamond ' . 'RA' is a 1988 recording and one of there mid period releases. Preceeding this one are 14 other albums i believe. I have to say this one, is one of my least favourites of theirs. The earlier ones like ' Inside ' ' Ocean' and ' Floating ' show them at their best , as does the ' live ' double. If you prefer a more straighter, linear rock though you might like ' RA ' better ,but it's really not in the same class as the ones mentioned, although it does have it's moments , like on ' Voyager ' and ' Invasion... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Original and Provocative
Disadvantages: Production values are low as a live performance

...and subdued guitars providing a tense and expectant break before exploding into a reprise with a clearer rendition of the original riff and chaotic vocals. Starship Take a passage Through the vacuum Let me feel the stars burnin' on my face Co-credited to Sun-Ra as the lyrics are partly taken from one of Ra's poems. This track is a surreal exploration in three parts. The first part is lead by impatient percussion, staccato vocals and single chord guitars with a tight, tension building composition that becomes increasingly more disorganised. After a brief pause, the second part loses the strict make up and becomes mores surreal with distant spoken word and bizarre space age sound effects. This part takes the greatest chunk of the track and yet it is for the most part just painful noise and feedback from the guitars held together... Read review

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Advantages: One of Van Halen's best - a true classic!
Disadvantages: Arguably too commercial

...Van Halen, if you haven't heard of them you are either too young or are in a perpetual state of deafness. As one of the biggest rock quartets of the eighties to have graced our fine earth, Van Halen never fail to impress and are definitely up there with the best of them. The self-titled debut became an instant hit. With one of the finest rock guitarists and one of the most charismatic frontmen a band could afford, Van Halen rocketed to the top of their genre and mainstream charts. 1984 is seen as the final chapter in the great days of the bands success as the last album before David Lee Roth departed as frontman. 1984 was their biggest selling album to date and arguably their best ever. Die-hard Van Halen fans sometimes find it too commercial but it should be noted that there is a fine line between commerciality and being enjoyed... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful