Label: Sanctuary UK
Category: Music
Average customer rating:
Format: Live
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 3
EAN: 5050159020829
ASIN: B0000A5BVB
Release Date: 2003-08-28
Vivacitas: Live at Glasgow 2002
|
|
Artist: Keith Emerson and the Nice
Label: Sanctuary UK Category: Music Average customer rating:
Format: Live Media: Audio CD Number Of Discs: 3 EAN: 5050159020829 ASIN: B0000A5BVB Release Date: 2003-08-28 |
Vivacitas: Live at Glasgow 2002
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Rock
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Live Albums
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Tracks:
Tracks:
Tracks:
Similar Items:
Album Description
2003 live release recorded in Glasgow 2002 features 13 tracks on 2 CDs along with a 3rd CD featuring a Keith Emerson & The Nice interview with Chris Welch from 2001. 3 slimline jewel cases housed in a slipcase. Sanctuary.Album Details
Three CD Set Recorded in Glasgow During his 2002 Comeback Tour featuring Classic Nice Material as Well as Reworkings of Some Elp Songs and an Interview Wtih Chris Welch.Customer Reviews:
Keith Emerson & The Nice - 'Vivacitas:Live At Glasgow 2002' (Sanctuary) 3-CD Box Set.......2006-12-08
The Nice is great - the Keith Emerson band sucks.......2005-09-09
Just an Amazing Reunion.......2004-07-20
You can decide if it is worth the price.......2004-03-13
Keith Emerson went on a short tour with the two members of the Nice (Lee Jackson and Brian Davison)plus a three other musicians who were in an ELP tribure band. This is from the show in Glasgow.
The first disc is around 50 minutes long and features the Nice, plus David Kilimister, from the tribue band on guitar. The second CD is 40 minutes long and does not feature the Nice. The first two tracks are keyboard solos from Emerson. The remaining tracks feature the members of the tribute band. The sound quality is very good to excellent. The third disc is a 22 minute interview with the Nice, talking about what is was like to play in concert 30 years ago.
The first disc, featuring the Nice, is very good. Unlike what another reveiwer said, it is not a note perfect copy of the original Nice. They play every song in a new and different way. Some of the new renditions are great.
It starts out with a Rondo/America medly. Both tunes have been overplayed by Emerson, both with the Nice and with ELP. So, hearing them again can be tedious, especially on some of the later ELP live records. But, here they are given a new treatment with other bits of music mixed in. So, for the most part it is fairly interesting. Here, as on a number of the tracks, the addition of Kilimister's guitar adds new depth to the work.
Next is a really fun and very good jazzy rendition of Little Arabella and a rocky version of She Belongs To Me, with a searing guitar solo. This is followed by the worst track on the album, Cry of Eugene. This is the worst version of the song I have ever heard, and it has a very lame guitar solo. Jackson never had a good voice and it is really rough here. The best version of Cry of Eugene done by Lee Jackson's group called Jackson Heights (and it is the best song that group does).
The version of Hang On To A Dream is completely different than any other version and features a long accoustic guitar solo. It is extremely good. However, I still prefer the version on Elegy, which features one of the best keyboard solos of all time. But, I am glad that the group just didn't try to duplicate what it has done before.
Country Pie is fairly good, but suffers from the keyboard playing at the end, which sounds like it was pulled out of Van Halen's Jump.
The final track is a searing version Karella Suite, which has some firely guitar and keyboard solos.
Overall, this is a 4 to 5 star disc, and would be worth buying on its own at a reasonable price.
On the second CD, the first 2 piano solos are fairly interesting, but nothing significantly different than what Emerson has done before.
These are followed by a complete 20 minute version of Tarkus. It is played differently than how ELP has done it in the past. It is very good and very energetic. It is played differently enough that it is worth owning (unlike the live version of Pirates, by ELP, for instance). The only downside is Kilimister's vocals. He sounds like a screaming corporate rock lead singer, like something you would hear from Kansas or Foreigner.
The final tracks are Hoe Down and Fanfare for the Common Man, which are 2 more tracks that have been overplayed by Emerson. The odd thing is that the original studio versions of these 2 tracks still remain the best and most energetic versions. These tunes are played different than the originals, but I don't think anything is added to make these worth owning.
The Nice started out as a quartet, with David O'List on guitar. O'List was more of a leader than Emerson in the beginning. The CD, The Swedish Radio Sessions, captures the Nice before their first record was released. It is a great album. The band was more jazz oriented and O'List was an amazing guitar player. O'List only stayed for two albums. The group continued on without a guitartist and became more classical oriented. The Nice was on the leading edge of "Art Rock".
The Nice's lead singer has been Lee Jackson, who really doesn't have a good enough voice to lead a band. He would be a great secondary singer, doing choruses. At times, he has this very unique whine that adds an interesting texture and atmosphere to some of the songs. Jackson even admits on the interview CD that he isn't a lead singer, and if the Nice reformed, he would like to add a guitarist and lead singer.
I think the Nice's two best albums are Elegy, (with the fantastic Hang on To A Dream) and the Swedish Tapes. This CD is a nice addition, but it is questionable if it is worth the price.
tjdigit.......2003-12-02
CD1 - All Nice titles; I don't think I ever heard the Nice sound so good! With the addition of Dave Kilminster on lead guitar and Pete Riley/Phil Williams backfilling on drums/guitar, I think all of the Nice titles sounded rich, full and delicious. My favorites were America/Rondo, Hang On To a Dream and Country Pie. This whole disc was a real pleasant surprise. Total score: 5+
CD2 - This was the Emerson/ELP side; Some pluses and minuses here. Tarkus was a slight disapppointment; virtually no vocals and they gutted Battlefield to just a few bars (my favorite part!!! Damn!) but I liked the guitar riffs. Also, Aquatarkus sounded just like it was off the original album so I enjoyed that (except the ending which sounded a little thin). Fanfare for the Common Man was OK; the Albert Hall version has yet to be beat IMHO. Hoedown was tasty. Overall, I rate this disc as slightly uneven. Total score: 3.
CD3 - No score. Just a BS interview that was OK, but I wish they put music here instead of meandering banter.
Music Album:
Music CD
The Famous Castle Jazz Band Plays "The Five Pennies" ~ The Famous Castle Jazz Band
King Jazz, Vol. 2 ~ Mezz Mezzrow
Be Bop: Best of the Bird ~ Charlie Parker
Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo ~ Ennio Morricone
Asi Mit Niwoh ~ Juergen Zeltinger
Blues in the Gutter ~ Dusko Gojkovich
Qualquer Cancao: A Musica De Chico Buarq ~ Toninho Horta, Carlos Fernando