THE TOKYO TAPES

With a such dream team of musicians like this, how could this DVD go wrong? It´s simply wonderful! (albeit not without its faults). Tokyo Tapes got Steve Hackett backed up by John Wetton (Asia, King Crimson, among others), Ian McDonald (King Crimson, Foreigner), Chester Thompson (Genesis, Weather Report) and Julian Colbeck (Steve hackett). As one was to expect, there are interpretations of songs from Genesis, King Crimson and Asia, besides Hackett´s solo highlights.

Pros: great musicanship of all involved, good sound, good production, excellent song selection, good cameras settings.

Cons: some arrangements are not that similar to originals (they should have dropped I Know What I LIke), some annoying keyboards sounds (too 80´s for my taste). And most of all, why they never played the beautiful piano introduction to Firth Of Fifth? I also wished they played more songs, but then it would have to be a 3 hour show at least. Highlights: too many to mention, but it is enough to know they play a wonderful rendition of In the Court Of The Crimson King.

As anyone can see, there are few cons, really. It´s a must have for any prog lover (specially if you love 70´s classic prog). Oh, how I wanted to be there to watch them live! Fortunatly the DVD is available and it did capture most of the show´s magic. Highly recommended. 4,5 stars.