NIGHT AFTER NIGHT

If memory serves this album comes with a different artwork too, since I remember the back of this vinyl coming with a satellite picture of the UK (and not Alaska like some might have written), but this is the group's ony official live album, the rest being posthumous exploitation albums. Although one might argue that this live album was a shameless exploitation of a flogged to death group, but this album has the merit of bringing to its fans three new track, not yet present on the two studio ones. But that's about its only merit, really as this album doesn't exploit much the live possibilities?? Don't come to this looking for extended solos or very different or powerful version of studio tracks.

After the extremely dull and boring new track Night After Night, where obviously Wetton can't help telling us how his life is a routine (and if not the case, he should choose his track title better, then), how can a prog fan not feel bored. A soporific rendition of RDV 6:02 follows and then an Asia preview with Nothin To Lose (John's really not hiding his career choices here) are preceding another new track, the AOR-lyrics-filled As Long As You Want Me There (John you talking to the fans or your wife???), this opening side is simply laughable and best forgotten. No wonder the punks balked and keeled over from laughter?? Yyyyuuuuuckkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!........ Gooey and slimy stuff.

The flipside is not faring much better I'm afraid, though, even if Jobson's Alaska track brings some ELP ambiance that the other trio had forgotten about. A slow starter Moog-like intro, transformed by Emerson's organ, until Lake's vocals (uuuuhhrrr!!?.. I mean Wetton's) in Time To Kill take the exercise into grotesque territory, even if the violin solo is not without its merit (but nowhere close to Ponty's works). The intro of In The Dead Of Night is fairly different-sounding than its studio version, but ultimately it doesn't change much what is the group's better track over the three albums. As you'd guess Presto Vivace sounds very ELP-esque again and the closing CPBlues is nothing but a bore?. Best forgotten, really, this flipside is somewhat better than the catastrophic alter ego.

Just like its two studios disc, this UK album is better left alone sitting on store shelves or, in case you were ill-advised and acquired it, next to the garbage can. Visibly, ridicule didn't kill or maim in the late 70's, but then when listening to Wetton's next adventures, ridicule didn't kill either in the 80's. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This is the live record of the 2 UK's studio albums. The sound is only good. There are 2 new songs: "Night after night" and "As long as you want me here". The more accessible "Night after night" is not very complex, more diluted, so that it is a bit disappointing, although there is a very good organ solo. "As long as you want me here" contains an interesting & too short intro of really modern & futuristic keyboards; Jobson's simple piano and Wetton's vocals are quite addictive and catchy, but nothing is really complex and elaborated on this track. The keyboards intro on "Alaska" is ABSOLUTELY flamboyant: quite better and louder than on the studio album. The complex & fast parts like on "Presto vivace" are VERY well played: Jobson is a GOD! Jobson's electric violins are very fast and elaborated, especially on "Caesar's Palace Blues", reminding Darryl Way's work or himself playing with Curved Air. The enthusiastic crowd favorably responds. Instead of the 2 new tracks mentioned above, UK should have played the complex bit a la ELP on "Carrying no cross". Have you heard the curious cut effect made on the crowd's "UK" shout, after the "Caesar's Palace Blues" track?

Rating: 4.5 stars

As quickly as it started, it was over, and another supergroup was superseded by individual interests. "Night After Night" was mixed and released after the band's final performances in Japan, during the summer of 1979. Included here are two new tracks performed live, "Night After Night" and "As Long As You Want Me Here", which show a lack of creative chemistry was not UK's undoing. Perhaps the wonder is that UK lasted at all after the loss of BRUFORD and HOLDSWORTH, except that JOBSON and Wetton always were the heart of the group. On this performance, JOBSON's keyboards (and occasional violin) are outstanding, filling in the space so well that he nearly does the work of two musicians ("Alaska" is particularly impressive). JOHN WETTON's voice is in fine form, delivering the new tracks and "old" favorites like "Rendezvous 6:02" with the right amounts of drama and nuance. TERRY BOZZIO does a good job on drums, with plenty of double-stroke rolls tripping smoothly over the tom-toms just as they did in ZAPPA's employ.

The new material, the clean recording, and the lack of anything else from the band conspire to make "Night After Night" that rare essential live recording. Some listeners have even anointed this their best effort; perhaps overenthusiastic praise, but cheeky product this is not. Given the often redundant nature of live recordings, this one is remarkably relevant.

This album was their last album.It shows even more the diferent ideas that Jobson and Wetton had for U.K. This album also has two new songs: "Night After Night" and "As Long as You Want Me Here", which sound more in Wetton`s Pop Rock style which he developed more in the band Asia. The song "Night After Night" has very good keyboards by Jobson and poweful vocals by Wetton. "Rendezvous 6.02" is played better than the studio version, with more energy and very good drums and percussion by Bozzio and a very good synthesizer solo. "Nothing to Lose" shows the limitations of a trio playing a song which originally had keyboards plus an electric violin solo played simultaneously in the studio version. As both instruments were played by Jobson in the studio, the band played a longer version of this song in concert, with some seconds only played by Wetton and Bozzio while Jobson takes his electric violin for playing the solo.The same happens as Jobson goes back to the keyboards to finish the song. Anyway, this live version is better than the studio version as it has more energy. In general, Wetton sang with more feeling in concerts, I think. "As Long as You Want Me Here" has very good keyboards, and Bozzio, apart from his drum kit, also plays a triangle, a percussion instrument that he also played in "Rendezvous 6.02". He and Jobson sing backing vocals in this song and in most of the other songs in this album. The song is finished with a fade out in the album. Side Two of this album has 4 songs from their first album. Bozzio plays very good these songs which originally were played by Bill Bruford in their first album. The styles of the two drummers are different, but Bozzio adds his style and energy to these songs. In "Alaska" Jobson plays in one synthesizer the melody that Allan Holdsworth playerd in his guitar in the studio version. For "Time to Kill" , Jobson also leaves the keyboards to play a very good Electric Violin solo. The song is shorter than the studio version, which has a chorus sung at the end of the song, played in the keyboards by Jobson. In this live version, they couldn`t do the "trick" that they did in "Nothing to Lose", so Jobson finishes the song with his Electric Violin solo without returning to the keyboards for the last chorus of the song. "Presto Vivace" has very good keyboards by Jobson. This song is followed without pause by "In the Dead of Night", with Jobson playing a very good synthesizer solo, replacing Holdsworth`s lead guitar in the same section of the song which appears in the studio version.The last song in this album is an almost "Heavy Prog Metal" version of "Caesar`s Palace Blues", played by Jobson on the electric violin, with energetic solos, showing how good he could fill the sound of the band in concert with his playing. In general, this is a very good album, with a very good recording and mixing. This album was recorded in Japan in June 1979, being mixed in the same month in England, and it was released in September 1979. The band carried on tour until December 1979. After the tour, Jobson and Wetton agreed to take a six months break, after which they were going to decide which musical style was better for the band. During that time, Wetton recorded his first solo album, titled "Caught in a Crossfire", while Jobson joined Jethro Tull as guest for their "A" album, and he was on tour with them until early 1981. U.K. never played together again.They split. In early 1981, John Wetton formed the band Asia. In the mid 90s, Jobson and Wetton planned to record a new U.K. album, with Bruford, Holdsworth and others as guests. But Wetton left the project, called "Legacy". Jobson said that he was going to finish the album as a solo album, without including Wetton`s contributions. Until now, the album has not been released.

Although their eponymous debut-album is great, I prefer the second album "Danger Money" because it's has a more classic symphonic approach. I'm delighted about Eddie Jobson's contribution on the Yamaha CS80 synthesizer and his electric violin, former Frank ZAPPA drummer Terrio Bozzio is a creative powerhouse and John Wetton has a wonderful voice and his bass play is solid. I was lucky to be one of the spectators during their concert in my hometown The Hague in '79, curious to their forthcoming live album but eventually disappointed after a few sessions. Of course it contains lots of excitement, especially in the tracks "Alaska" (chilling synthesizer sound), "Presto Vivace" (splendid interplay between keyboards, drums and bass) and the alternating and captivating compositions "In The Dead Of Night" and "Caesar's Palace Blues". But this live-album also delivers songs with 'not really an adventurous approach' (understatement for 'almost poppy ') like the boring titletrack, the mediocre new song "As Long As You Want Me Here" and "Time To Kill" (saved by a magnificent violin solo). No wonder that Wetton and Jobson went their own way after the "Danger Money" world tour. Another point of critic concerns the tracking list, I miss the title track of the second album and strong compositions like "The Only Thing She Needs" (Bozzio at his best) and "Carrying No Cross" (very compelling). You have to rely on bootlegs to capture the real spirit of the concerts. It's a pity but it emphasizes how record companies act: they want money, not to please the fans.

All those rating this UK live record higher than 3 stars I think never listened to the unofficial one Shadows In The Sun which is definitively much better despite the worse sound quality. First reason is because it was recorded in 1978 with the full line-up including Allan Holdsworth and second it does not contain such weak poppy tracks like As long as you want me here, Nothing To Loose and the the title track, two of them being new tracks, but providing anything interesting. Apart of this the musicianship on here is really brilliant, good vocals and bass by John Wetton as usual, great keys and violin by Eddie Jobson and Terry Bozzio is anyway an awesome drummer. But still this live record can't fascinate me as much as the other mentioned one. Even highlights as In the dead of night, Alaska or Caesar's Palace blues can't change this impression. So 3 stars is for me the absolute maximum to give for this record.

I knew this album at the first time when I had a recorded cassette of Bruford Tapes where the leftover space of C-60 cassette was filled with "Alaska" - "Time To Kill" of this album. Yes, "Alaska" really blew me away at first spin especially in creating curiosity "what's next after this (segment)" during the keyboard-drone music by Eddie Jobson. When I was in Bandung during my study I once saw a multi purpose car with sizeable (I can see it from 20 meter distance) sticker of this album cover posted at rear body. Wow man! What a rocking car! It stimulated my adrenalin to race rapidly because the car looked really awesome with that sticker. I talked to myself how this guy got this beautiful and rocking sticker? Well, it's not my business but the spirit was that I envy on him having that rare sticker posted in his car. Why? Because I knew that UK is a great band and I had listened to two tracks of this live set.

When the digital era arrived in our age, I saw the CD of this album displayed in Jakarta's CD stores but I did not buy it until such a long time because the price is not friendly at all. But finally, I purchased it because I have no choice man. And, I have no regret at all having this CD in my collection even though with high price. Value for money. Yes, the live set features UK Mark II as three-piece band: John Wetton (bass, vocals), Eddie Jobson (keyboards, electric violin) and Terry Bozzio (drums). It's basically the Danger Money line-up.

Opened with "Night after Night" (5:21) - a song that I have no idea where is it coming from because it was not part of any two albums the band recorded - the band puts their effort heating-up the show as the music here is quiet empty with a song style as a bit poppy one. But it's OK as I enjoy Wetton's voice. In fact this song reminds me to the music of Asia where Wetton joined later. "Rendez-vous 6:02" (5:17) is really a memorable track for me personally. This track was once a hit in Bandung circa eighties when Radio OZ frequently aired this song regularly. Mainly composed with inventive keyboard work combined with Wetton power vocal, this song characterized the late seventies / eighties music scene at that time. In "Nothing to Lose" (5:25) Eddie Jobson performs his electric violin solo wonderfully. I really love the violin solo part of this song.

"Alaska" - "Time to Kill" (4:17) is performed energetically with great keyboard / electric violin work combined with dynamic drum work by Terry Bozio and excellent vocal / bass of John Wetton. The show continues with the pperformance of two songs from debut album: "Presto Vivace" (1:12) - I like this track very much - and "In the Dead of Night" (6:22) which has become the band's legendary track. Wow man . It stirs my emotion when I listen to this hard-driving track with great violin and bass lines. The live set concludes with a song from Danger Money album: "Caesar's Palace Blues" (4:58).

Overall, it's an excellent live set with excellent live vibes - not through the crowd but through the energy that spark from the music the band plays. Really cool. If you love violin in rock music, this album is definitely for you. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

The general rule is that supergroups never work as expected, but despite loosing two key members (Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth) after a strong self titled debut, UK managed to turn successfully into a power trio and recruit the brilliant drummer Terry Bozzio who's style and technique worked so well that honestly I never missed good old Bill.

Despite the majority opinion, I like their second album "Danger Money" much more than "UK" because it's more Symphonic and the trio worked better than a quartet.

After the success of this album the only challenge missing was to release a good live album, so under this circumstances "Night after Night" was released.

"Night After Night" is basically a blend of the two first recordings plus two new tracks so lets focus mainly in this tracks rather than in the others that should be reviewed in their original versions.

"Night after Night" opens the album with great strength and all the power this trio was capable of offering, from the keyboard intro it's obvious this guys knew how to rock, the voice of John Wetton at his peak is simply outstanding and Bozzio makes also an excellent power drumming work that adapts perfectly to what they pretended mostly a Rock song with few changes but solid sound to put the audience in the mood for great music.

Before I talk about the other new track, I must say that the live version of Rendezvous 6:02 is superb, the keyboard playing is stronger than in "Danger Money" and with an inspired Wetton, the song sounds as never before.

Still we have to listen the excellent "Nothing to Loose" before the second new song "As Long as you Want me Here" a nice blend of Hard Rock, Symphonic and a touch of Jazz Fusion, the skeleton of the song is in the rhythm section with Wetton and Bozzio precise plus some nice jazzy piano by Eddie Jobson, but we can't stop mentioning the solid backing chorus for John's voice, surly not the most Progressive track of the album but quality shines despite the genre and this is good Rock.

The rest of the tracks are at least in the same level of the studio albums (Even the ones recorded with Bruford and Holdsworth) and that is something we can say about few bands, because the real musicianship of a group can only be fully appreciated on stage, where you can't correct the mistakes and this guys passed the test with an "A".

But the curse of supergroups reached them and never recorded another album for the disappointment of the numerous fans that UK gained in their very short life.

Four stars for the only chance to listen UK on stage, an experience that I never regretted.

A good, competent, live album, but very little more. UK´s last efford shows two new songs, the title track and As Long As You Want Me Here, both not par to their earlier works. In fact the latter shows quite clearly the commercial path Wetton wanted, and eventually would, follow. Nevertheless, the group still produces a fine performance and you can´t deny the trio´s great musicanship and professionalism. The sound is quite good for the time and the production is very polished.

I´m glad they call it quits afeter that. The new tracks didn´t prmise much and it is better to leave UK´s history the way it was. NIght After Nicht is good album for fans of the second incarnation of the band, though hardly essential. 3 solid stars.

After the release of "Danger Money", the last prog supergroup of the Seventies called it a day. It was the end of an era, the golden age of progressive rock, as well as the end of a very promising musical reality that had unfortunately lasted all too shortly, torn apart by egos and different visions. "Night After Night" bears witness to what was and what could have been - a band that had talent in spades, but ultimately lost momentum and didn't live up to the promise.

Night After Night offers a selection of songs taken from UK's two studio albums, plus two unreleased tracks which show rather clearly what direction they would have taken, had they decided to stay together a bit longer. The title-track, which also opens the album, is a slice of airy, keyboard-driven symphonic prog dominated by John Wetton's sweeping, heartfelt vocals; while "As Long As You Want Me Here" borders on the territory later covered by Asia, but without the shameless pandering to FM radio listeners, and with a lot more bite. However, neither song is on a par with compositions such as "In the Dead of Night" or "Caesar's Palace Blues" - although the former is present here in a somewhat shortened version than the one featured on the band's debut album.

To these ears, one of the undisputed highlights of the album is the absolutely beautiful version of "Rendezvous 6:02", with Wetton (never my favourite vocalist) at his emotional best, and Jobson's scintillating keyboard work adding depth to a song that I would not hesitate to choose as my favourite romantic musical moment. Jobson's violin really comes into its own on classics like the majestic "Alaska/Time to Kill", "Presto Vivace/In the Dead of Night" and the brisk, hard-edged "Caesar's Palace Blues". However, some of the band's most interesting tracks - such as the epic "Carrying No Cross", or "Nevermore" - are missing from this live offering, which is of course a pity.

As it is to be expected, the musicianship is outstanding throughout, with Jobson being the main star of the show, and Bozzio and Wetton providing a textbook-perfect rhythmic background. Wetton's vocals have matured immensely from his days with King Crimson, though I still maintain his voice is more suited to hard rock and AOR than straight prog. Even if "Night After Night" may come across as lacking the warmth that is essential to a really successful live album, it is still a very rewarding listen for every fan of classic prog.

UK's 1979 live release is most notable for the inclusion of two previously unreleased songs, but of high quality: the title cut and "As long as you want me here", which are performed well even if the sound quality is thin. I am sure that the big fans of this latter day supergroup were delighted to have this as a testament to the band's live prowess. It also contains spirited versions of "In the Dead of Night" and "Nothing to Lose". But variety was not UK's strong suit, and beats that might be considered distinctive and innovative are repeated on unrelated songs, which makes me wonder just exactly how freely the creative juices were flowing during the band's brief and shapeshifting run. Night after Night Live could serve as your only UK album if you can be happy with the raw effect, since the highlights of both studio albums are mostly here but, even so, you have to contend with the mediocrity of "Alaska", "Time to Kill", and "Caesar's Palace Blues". Mildly recommended to those who want a sampling of the group.

This album is almost as disappointing as the tour it came from. I saw the original U.K. lineup at the Boston concert that was used for a few different releases (from a radio broadcast), and caught this group when they opened for Jethro Tull. Like night and day.

First, the new material. Neither Night After Night or As Long As You Want Me Here are very interesting songs. They sound like Asia material. Night After Night sounds like they tried to spice it up by moving a few beats off the rhythm. Sorry, it's not enough to save this dog. And on As Long As You Want Me Here, Eddie Jobson adds some dissonance to an otherwise boring keyboard riff. Yawn.

As for the rest, the live performances show what this group was lacking. Without Holdsworth's guitar, the songs all sound somewhat empty. Sorry Eddie, Keith Emerson, you're not.

This posthumous live album from the fallen supergroup was recorded in Japan, which in retrospect makes perfect sense, as the music showed John Wetton well on his way toward the chart-topping entropy of ASIA.

On stage, in front of an adoring crowd, the trio was admirably tight and professional, but I hear no passion whatsoever for the music being played. A moot point, since there isn't any, even in the two new songs: the lively but mechanical title track (by default one of the better selections here), and the entirely too banal "As Long As You Want Me Here", a transparent bid for a slice of the singles market. The latter actually fades out over the final chorus (in a live concert?), anticipating a radio edit that never materialized.

Fans might be curious to hear how the trio sounded playing material from the original quartet...not very different, as it turns out. And Eddie Jobson's lightning synth runs are no substitute for Allan Holdsworth's guitar. Also: what's up with all the obviously pre-recorded background harmonies? Was John Wetton cloned in a secret Honshu lab before the tour? And are there other unfair overdubs hidden in the mix?

In the end the album succeeds in showing how much Wetton had forgotten from his years in KING CRIMSON, a band that rarely failed to honor the integrity of a live performance (except, ironically, when Jobson himself was drafted to 'fix' some violin parts on the "USA" tapes). If this was where the bass player saw his career heading at the end of the 1970s, Fripp was wise to kill the Crimson King when he did.