RETURNS

I am an unashamed big fan of their Romantic Warrior album. I think it is among the ten best albums, covered by this website. Period. So when this double live album landed in my post box, I was very happy. As happy as a cat with cream.

The problem with cream is that it is fattening. Just ask your local vet and they will confirm that far too many cats are eagerly slurping down too much cream. The result is obesity. The obesity makes the cat loose the ability to chase birds in the trees and mice in the forest. The cat also gets docile and it spends the day between the foodtray (with cream) and the sofa where it sleeps 20 hours a day. Is that a good life ? No.

I just mentioned this because I now want to talk about this double live album by Return To Forever. We have established that too much is no good. So is this album. The opening salvo consists of their best tracks. The more progressive rock tracks. Then the album nosedive into a section of solo numbers with solos from all the band members. The superb Romantic Warrior track is being spread over four tracks, including two solos from Stanley and Lenny. Sorry, but I don't get it. If you have a fantastic song; don't destroy it. Play it ! This double live album can be compared to EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER's brilliant, but equal overblown and self indulgent Welcome Back My Friends ... double live album. But Return To Forever Returns is looser and less band focused than ELP's live album. But when Return To Forever plays like a band, this live album is brilliant. The stuff from Romantic Warrior, with the above mentioned exception, is brilliant. So is the other "band songs". Maybe my problem is that I am not a Jazz fan. I am a Fusion and Prog Rock fan. I also admire and love the interaction between the band members. As a unit, this band is fantastic. Pure and simple fantastic. On their own in their overblown solos, I am not that big fan of them.

So what is my verdict ? I actually like this live album a lot and I have given it a long spin on my disc player. Compared to their other live album ? I have no idea, but I will soon find out. This band and their output is high on my to-do list this summer. But my verdict on this album is that it is overblown, self indulgent........ and good.

3.5 stars.

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