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LIVE IN POLAND - RESONANCE

Galahad

Neo-Prog


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Galahad Live in Poland - Resonance album cover
3.83 | 44 ratings | 7 reviews | 42% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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DVD/Video, released in 2006

Songs / Tracks Listing

Intro: Montagues and Capulets (Prokofiev)
1. I Could Be God
2. Year Zero (Parts 1 to 4):
- i. Yearzeroverture
- ii. Belt Up
- iii. Ever the Optimist
- iv. The Charlotte Suite
3. Bug Eye
4. Sidewinder
5. Sleepers
6. Empires Never Last
7. Termination
8. This Life Could Be My Last...

Bonus audio:
1. Termination (sequenced instrumental demo)
2. This Is Where I Come From (from ENL sessions)
3. Empires Never Last - Part 2 (from ENL sessions)
4. Wagging Tongues (from ENL sessions)
5. Spineless (from ENL sessions)
6. Sidewinder (early studio demo)
7. The Pleasure House (original version)

Line-up / Musicians

- Roy Keyworth / guitar
- Stuart Nicholson / vocals
- Spencer Luckmann / drums
- Dean Baker / keyboards, backing vocals
- Lee Abraham / bass, backing vocals

Releases information

Standard Edition (DVD only): Metal Mind MMP DVD 084 (Poland) 2006
Deluxe Edition (DVD+CD): Metal Mind MMP DVD 088 (Poland) 2006

Thanks to Grendelbox for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
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GALAHAD Live in Poland - Resonance ratings distribution


3.83
(44 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(42%)
42%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(42%)
42%
Good, but non-essential (12%)
12%
Collectors/fans only (2%)
2%
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
2%

GALAHAD Live in Poland - Resonance reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by erik neuteboom
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Many years ago Galahad was a promising neo-prog band but when they completely failed to make impression during a triple progrock concert in Amsterdam in the late Nineties, I decided to drop Galahad. So I was very surprised when I got this DVD, I didn't know that Galahad was still alive and I was even more surprised to notice that they are not only alive but also very progging!

After the intro based upon Prokofiev (like ELP) we hear an electronic inspired sound, propulsive guitar riffs and the singer enters the stage with a remarkable outfit: eye make-up, black painted nails, a long coat and a silken sjawl, he could have been the singer of a glamrock - or Eighties New Wave band! But his voice his strong and his stage antics are great with lots of expression, this man knows how to entertain a progrock audience. In the past Galahad their sound had obvious mid-Genesis echoes but the current Galahad sounds electronic featuring sumptuous kebyoards layers, frequent synthesizer sounds and fiery, often propulsive guitar work. During my first session I got more and more impressed by this Galahad on DVD: great interplay, wonderful visuals and lots of strong soli on guitar (varied but functional) and keyboards (from church- organ to swinging piano). At some moments the music reminds me of IQ because of the sumptuous keyboards and fiery guitar but in general Galahad sounds quite unique. The bonus features are a nice docu (15 minutes), an interview and studio recordings. Recommended to the more adventurous progheads! Rating: 3,5 stars.

Review by tszirmay
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars Galahad's DVD really caught me off guard, expecting a somewhat faulty set of otherwise interesting songs scattered among a few really good albums (from « Sleepers » on). It turns out to be one of the most inspiring prog DVDs anywhere! It possesses all the hallmark features of a timeless monument , with pristine sound, imaginative camera-work, great lighting and effects, in a drop-dead gorgeous venue in Katowice, Poland of all places! But the biggest surprise involves the dedicated attitude of the musicians, striving to make this one-shot concert a memorable experience. The set list leans heavily on more recent albums such as the brilliant Year Zero , mainly due to their recent shift from rather traditional neo-prog stylings to a resolutely dreamier, at times Tangerine Dreamy, electronic delivery that suits them well. This was a very good move because POOF! They just metamorphosed into ORIGINAL and Unique, far from the usual IQ, Pendragon, Marillion clone. Their sound relies on rich atmospheric tapestries, with keyboardist Dean Baker at the helm, combining old school chops with liberal sprinklings of bubbly synths and swooshing strings .Drummer Spencer Luckman and bassist Lee Abraham are solid throughout, building the foundation on which Baker and guitarist Roy Keyworth can expand on , creating lush symphonics slashed by the occasional Saga-esque guitar flight. Nothing fancy- shmancy , just the right dose of "Resonance". The real stunner here is singer Stuart Nicholson , who always had a strong albeit at times finicky voice (love it or hate it) , a similar attribute to the Fish-Gabriel-Nichols school of vocals but its his stage presence that really bowled me over , not too hysteric nor rigid, a confident display that is highly sympathetic, passionate, committed and obviously dedicated to making this concert a "show" . I couldn't help having to reinstall my drooping jaw everytime I insert this disc in my laptop. From the opening strains of Prokofiev , all tracks are riveting , especially the bubbling "Year Zero" suite , the powerful "Bug Eye", a modern update on "Sleepers", the enthralling majesty of "Sidewinder" , the raucous "Empires Never Last" and all the other little gems that make up this prog video monument. Perhaps the ideal method to enjoy prog to the fullest is to lend a skeptical ear at first with minimal expectations and wait for the oozing flood of awe take over. Very big surprise are in store. 5 video guided missiles
Review by Finnforest
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Near the end of the interview segment in the bonus features, the lads explain why they are happy and musically free in 2007. After struggling back in the early years for fame and glory they have traded those younger man's aspirations for the freedom to do what they want musically. They don't have to care about selling a million albums anymore, they only have to care that they're having a good time and making music they care about. It really shows. While I'm not an expert on their past even I can recognize that these guys are playing with a renewed commitment and an energy of guys 15 years younger. They made clear they can do anything they want now musically and it must be a fulfilling position to be in.

The show takes place in a gorgeous theater in Poland and the stage set is cool, quite futuristic. The band is in fine form as they crank out about half a set of material from their latest "Empires Never Last" album and about half from older albums. The last three songs from Empires were a particularly effective ending for the show, contemporary and rocking. Nicholson does an amazing job pulling off his live vocal, hitting every note and every bit the passion of Labrie, Sowden, Fish, or Hogarth.

They make excellent choices for the production. The sound is great and the all important visual work is clean with no annoying effects, and nice clear shots of the band members. Sometimes the edits get a bit rapid fire but for the most part not. Recommended to neo-prog fans and to fans of lighter prog-metal. Extras include a good interview, a band rockumentary and photos. I think they are a good band with good songs but that's as far as I can personally go, I can't quite put them up in my 4-star club.

Review by SouthSideoftheSky
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Symphonic Team
4 stars It surely resonates with me!

Galahad has a long and rather uneven career that goes back to 1985. They certainly have several really great songs in their repertoire, but there sometimes seems to be a problem in the quality control department when it comes to putting together their studio albums. This very good live DVD, on the other hand, captures the band playing live in Poland where they perform a short but strong set featuring some of their best ever songs and no filler.

As many as five out of the eight songs are taken from the band's (at that point, yet to be released) Empires Never Last album. Songs like I Could Be God, This Life Could Be My Last and Empires Never Last were almost already Galahad classics before they were even released in studio form! The remaining three songs are simply the respective highlights from the three previous albums; Sleepers from Sleepers (my personal Galahad favourite), Bug Eye from Following Ghosts and (the first four sections of the multi-part, album-length composition) Year Zero. Eight songs in total does perhaps not sound like much, but all of these are quite long numbers.

Even if there is a overly heavy reliance on the Empires Never Last album, the set is still great and the band showcases their best side and perform with enthusiasm. With each song the band grows more accustomed to the stage and at the end of the show they seem very confident. Personally, I prefer the 2CD live album called Sleepless In Phoenixville - Live At RoSfest 2007 where the performances are slightly more energetic, a bit tighter and the set slightly longer and more diverse. That double live CD was recorded in America the year after this DVD was filmed and maybe that extra time on the road gave the band more confidence on stage with the new material and the audience more time to get to know the new songs. The RoSfest set also drops one of the Empires Never Last songs (Termination; one of my least favourite songs from that album) in favour of an extra song from the classic Sleepers album (my favourite Galahad studio album) as well as a song from the very earliest days of the band's career in the mid 80's. All these considerations makes the RoSfest CD set more interesting and in my opinion slightly better than this DVD. Still, you don't get the visual aspect of the performance if you go for the CD, so maybe you should go for both like I did!

If you don't know Galahad, a live release might be a good introduction to the band as it gathers together some of their best songs in one and the same place. I actually like this DVD more than the Empires Never Last studio album and this set features the five longest and best out of the seven tracks from that album. However, as I said, I myself prefer the Sleepless In Phoenixville live album even more. But Resonance is surely a very worthy addition to your Prog DVD collection!

Review by rdtprog
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Heavy, RPI, Symph, JR/F Canterbury Teams
4 stars This DVD is another concert shot by the Metal Mind crew at the same venue in Katowice Poland, so you know what to expect with the stage settings, the light show and camera work. This is a very professional shot concert with another neo prog band that has played in the shadows of the big bands in this genre, like IQ and Pendragon. And to me this band deserve more attention with the quality of the music here. In fact, their music is mostly influenced by the 80's and 90's Neo Prog bands than the 70's bands. They have created a original sound over the years by adding some spacey sounds with the keyboards of Dean Baker. The voice of Stuart Nicholson has always seduce me and his performance is very good on this concert, which feature a greatest hits of their career and also songs that would be part of their next release, the excellent "Empire Never Last"

All the songs are excellent and are in the range of 10 minutes, which give the music a lot of space to reach some emotional climax. The band did this DVD at the right time after 21 years of existence, when the band have reached a lot of maturity in their compositions. The DVD has some interesting extras : interviews, and additional audio demos tracks from the "Empires Never Last" sessions. Their is also a subtle 5.1 surround sound to go with the usual stereo sound.

I would give this a 4.5 stars! Not a classic, but close.

Review by A Crimson Mellotron
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 'Resonance' is the second (or third, depending on who you ask) live album by British neo-proggers Galahad, released in 2006 and recorded in Poland. This Dorset-based band has had an interesting history, starting in 1985, releasing their debut studio album in '91 and going on to release some fairly well-received and respected modern progressive rock records, the most special of which is probably the one that came right after this live album/DVD, and is also prominently featured.

The decision to play almost the entire 'Empires Never Last' album before its official release is a bold and interesting decision that must have surely helped to promote it and to 'pump up' the audience for this behemoth of an album that was going to be released. What is even more pleasant about this recording, is the fact that the band is on top of their game and play flawlessly throughout the entire 90 minutes of length - exactly what one expects from a seasoned prog band, especially if we consider the live album as a snapshot of where the band is at this point in time of their career; and this strong release showcases in just what good form Galahad was around 2006-07, a band that I would say is not easy to get into.

The MVP of this album has to be, if I could put it that way, Stuart Nicholson, the band's enigmatic vocalist. His performance is pretty spectacular, just as it is on the following studio release that I already mentioned. His range and voice fit perfectly the music that these people create, which is a good reason to name the rest of the band: Lee Abraham on bass and backing vocals, Roy Keyworth on guitars, Dean Baker on keys and backing vocals and Spencer Luckman on drums.

The suspense is all over the place, the setlist is well-though out, focusing on the band's epics and on the new material. 'Montagues and Capulets' by Prokofiev opens the set, just to be followed by one of Galahad's masterworks, 'I Could Be God' from 'Empires'. 'Year Zero' comes next, a sort of medley, containing the so-called 'Parts 1-4', a very epic and atmospheric track that embraces the listener in the setting of this concert, followed by 'Bug Eye', a great muscular song from the band's then-previous studio album. Then they set into 'Sidewinder', another fantastic 'new' song, followed by 'Sleepers' from the band's eponymous album, and the set finishes with three more excellent tracks from 'Empires Never Last' - the title track, 'Termination' and the astonishing 'This Life Could Be My Last?'.

A well-recorded album, slightly quiet mix but clear enough to hear all that is happening on the stage. Moreover, a really great selection of songs to fit into this hour and a half, and a stellar performance to top it all. I consider this live album truly excellent.

Latest members reviews

2 stars Oh dear! I can't watch this, the video editing is appaling, your'e never allowed to settle into a visual before the picture changes. There are some weird angles too. Why? The tradegy is that the music and the performance are fantastic. 'Empires never last' is a great album, and seeing some of t ... (read more)

Report this review (#204744) | Posted by sussexbowler | Sunday, March 1, 2009 | Review Permanlink

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