BBC RADIO 1 LIVE IN CONCERT

For quite a while and at least to my knowledge, this BBC tapes was the only thing available on CD from this strange groups. And while giving an apercu of the band, it certainly was not really representative. Taken from three different recording session, this affair is rather messy as the track listing is heads over heels and the songs from all three sessions are inexplicably (and inextricably) intertwined, without any kind of chronological order or any other kind.

While I would not say that this release does not serve the group's profile, it certainly occults the more instrumental facet of the band and accentuates the short commercial sounds of the band. My main gripes from these live recordings is that the cornerstone of the group's shows, the lenghty Slark is systematically absent from all three sessions. And clearly this can only hurt the progheads, because we are stuck with a big selection of short and crazier tracks that tend to imitate The Beatles's more circus-like sound (Yellow Submarine or Magical Mystery Tour). So aside from the first three tracks which start this collections rather strongly, we then plunge in a rather irritating selection of the more ridiculous side of Stackridge including the appalling Yodel (which was often claimed by a part of their public, but not the progheads).

By the 8th track, the rather lengthy Syracuse, we are confronted to better tracks, but nothing earth shattering until Gordon Haskell-penned Earth Worm, wxhich provides a rare sunray, but this is very isoltated. Those of you aware of thios writer's rzeviews will know that I generally highly regard the BBC Archives, but here we are definitely not among the better of their collection.