LIVE

This is the first live album of Spock's Beard that I actually decided to listen to all the way through, and I have to say, it's very well done. The sound quality is fantastic, very clean and polished. But that's not the most important part of the review.

This should be said first: Nick D'Virgilio is not Neal Morse. The two have distinctly different vocal styles; and nowhere is that perhaps as apparant as on these live recordings. That being said, I was very impressed with how well Nick did with the Morse era pieces. In the Mouth of Madness seems to be a perfect fit for him, and the other two I immediately think of Crack the Big Sky and Walking on the Wind are also very well sang. The problem is that while he certainly has the power to project the lyrics, Nick doesn't seem to be as keen at subtlety. Some of the nuances in vocal style from the studio tracks are lost in translation and that's a little disappointing. Nonetheless, the band is in great form. Most entertaining for me was the drum duel towards the middle of the album. It's a very easy way to get your blood pumping, much like my other highlight, which is Rearranged. I use this song (with a palpable sense of irony) to get myself energized when faced with a long, boring day at some other unimportant place in Phoenix. This song just seems made for a live recording, and it flourishes impressively here.

Overall, this is a solid live album. I find it very tough though to consider any live album a masterpiece as there certainly are things they could've done differently. Four stars out of five for a well refined offering that reminds us why we go to see bands live in the first place.