801

At some point, I don't remember when, where or why, I picked up this album as a cut out at our local record shop. Hopefully, there are others out there that remember cut outs. Any way, I was totally blown away by this album. In fact, the guy in the dorm room next to us decided to quit school and become a professional drummer based on the drumming in this album. I don't know how he fared, but I do know that Simon Phillips is absolutely phenomenal on this effort.

The songs on this album are either from Quiet Sun, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera or cover versions of other artists. Unlike some, I find the live versions of the Quiet Sun songs better than the studio versions. They seem to me to have more energy and life. Ditto the Phil Manzanera songs. The Eno songs, as expected, are quirky and wonderful. But for me the real gems are the cover songs. TNK (Beatles) and You Really Got Me Now (Kinks) are worth the price of admission themselves. Both are memorable and extend the originals into weird and wonderful new territory.

To this day, this remains my favorite all-time live progressive rock album. I believe, maybe with a great deal of sentiment, that this album is an absolute must in any progressive rock fan's collection. Definitely a 5 out of 5.

I should mention that most of these songs blend into one another. "La Grima" from "Diamond Head" features Manzanera doing his thing on guitar and it's impressive. "T.N.K. (Tomorrow Never Knows) is THE BEATLES cover and they make it sound different enough from the original to make it interesting. The rhythm is catchy and how about the bass playing. Killer sound before 5 1/2 minutes as it gets more intense. "East Of Asteroid" combines two songs. One from "Mainstream" called "Mummy Was An Asteroid..." and from "Diamond Head" "East Of Echo". The drumming is prominant early on then it settles but not for long as the guitar comes in lighting it up as the drums stampede. It settles again as we get some raw guitar and electric piano. So freaking good. "Rongwrong" is from QUIET SUN's "Mainstream". Atmosphere and a beat to start and it will close the same way. Vocals and a fuller sound inbetween. "Sombre Reptiles" from Eno's Another Green World" is next and it sounds amazing when it picks up and gets fuller.

"Baby's On Fire" is also from ENO but from "Here Comes The Warm Jets". Lots of energy and the guitar rips it up 2 minutes in. "Diamond Head" has some tasteful guitar early on then it all gets heavier. Love the electric piano 5 minutes in. "Miss Shapiro" is from "Diamond Head" as well. Just a killer instrumental intro. Vocals before 2 minutes. Love the guitar in this one. "You Really Got Me" is a cover of THE KINKS popular song and well done. "Third Uncle" ends it from Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)". It sounds like PINK FLOYD until it kicks in to an uptempo groove. The guitar is killer. Vocals after a minute. Lots of energy and the bass is incredible.

For me this is a high 4 star album. Highly recommended to Eno, Manzanera and ROXY MUSIC fans.

It seems like phil manzanera and brian eno had a good time playing together in roxy music , so why not putting a new band together?? collecting some friends and musicians led to the rise of 801. before cutting their sole album this live show was released , and what a show it is!! it's a slight problem having a concert when you haven't really wrote any songs , so what can you do? if you are a talent bunch you can just play!! what ever you feel like.

So what's presented here is a mix of some cover songs ( tomorrow never knows , you really got me ), some of phil's songs ( diamond head ) and some quiet sun songs ( lagrima , rongwrong ). i'm not familiar with every song's origin but i know about half of them there are some great energies spent in this show and you can find a well organized band playing together . actually not all the songs are in the same high quality , but i'll have to mention T.N.K is good , turning the original song from psychedelic to a groovy energetic rock song, i really like the start , you can never recognize the song before the vocals join in. "east of asteroid" is a different jamy kind of version for "mummy was an asteroid..." out of the quiet sun album and is totally awsome!! "baby's on fire" , " diamond head" and "third uncle" is also to good mention with fiery guitar from manzanera great rhythm and great solos. i like the upbeat moments more than the slow parts which sometimes get me feeling not bored but waiting for something to happen , although "diamond head" is my favourite. "third uncle" ends this album with a great bang ,amazing stuff.

How much prog is it? i would say not prog at all but deffintely not straight forward rock . they are a highly skilled band with great driving enrgies , songs are with a slight jamy feel with good keys , amazing guitar and that's what makes it a prog related offer.

4 star is a proper rating.

Agreeably the repertoire is very many-sided, from Manzanera's biting guitar pieces and instrumental jazz-rock (mainly from his solo album which I haven't heard) to three ENO songs - already familiar to me, and IMHO not among his best - and two 60's rock covers ('Tomorrow Never Knows' and 'You Really Got Me'). On the other hand this diversity means some sort of directionlessness. Maybe I felt too strongly that this band lacks its OWN profile in material instead of taking stuff from here and there. Maybe they could have been called Phil Manzanera & Friends or something, if they were just a live project. It's inevitable that the other musicians - except Eno for his own songs - are in much lesser role than Manzanera in musical direction. For example I wished to hear more of Monkman's excellence.

Surely this is a noteworthy set if you dig Manzanera and live albums in general, but to me this was rather unnecessary; I'm not that much into live albums. Actually I would have preferred to hear the Manzanera solo album in question, or Quiet Sun, to find out what kind of music he makes outside Roxy Music. By all means don't let my attitude affect yours. By the way, also in allmusic.com this release is praised (4,5 stars).

You get a couple of covers. The Beatles Tomorrow Never Knows and the Kinks You Really Got Me done quite well. Brian Eno may have had enough of Roxy, but he kept working with Phil and they did make some really good music. This album was one of their best collaborations. When it comes to live albums where the tracks distance themselves from their originals, this one can't be beat.

"When things get bad, I can always turn into a cloud, if the wind will blow me there."

801 is a project formed by ex Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzarena , he released a single album under this name in 1977 named Listen now. To tell the truth I 've realy enjoy this album a lot, great release, smooth and elegant compositions, even for some many listners are kinda pop in aproach. To me is art rock with progressive rock elements, that for sure, very fine pieces, not to mention that on this album are top notch musicians who needs no introtuction, Simon Phillips, Edie Jobson, Mel Collins (Caravan, Camel), Bill MacCormick (Quiet Sun), Kevin Godley (from later Godley & Creme), Brian Eno, etc. The music is very well arranged, great playing, intriguing lyrics, with a jazzy atmosphere sometimes, and other times more art pop, but always shining each musician. I like a lot the title track Listen now, solid playing, fine passages, another worthing and excellent track is the instrumental Islands, beautiful, great guitar by Manzarena over some fantastic contribution to the rest of the musicians, brilliant. The whole album is to me great, not a weak moment and I've enjoyed to the max this release. Warm compositions, mostley mid tempo, but with a good doze of great musicianship and inventive passges. Another thing worth mentioning is the cover art, made by Philip Castle based on an idea of I. Mac Cormick, one of my fav btw, and goes hand in hand with the music. I don't quite understand this low rating, realy, not a masterpice of prog rock, but for sure a very worthy album, and is quite unknown to many. 4 stars easy, one of the most pleasent albums I've heared from late '70's.

So much for the rant. Like K-Scope, this is a precisely produced, and wonderfully written work of prog related music. Initial Speed, an instrumental piece, is the most like pure prog. Almost jazz rock fusion, this song has a fast, energetic theme, that propels the listener along.

Lyrically, the album looks at politics and love with the same humor that Manzanera has shown on his other albums of the time. And even now, after more than thirty years, it still resonates.

From the very first sounds you feel what a great music is! Very rich bass line, melodic, but never too sweet songs, very intelligent Manzanera's guitar line. Mid-tempo songs with perfect vocal. A bit dreamy atmosphere. The music itself is mix of bass driven jazz fusion, some art- rock and some early Eno (before ambient) pieces. Alltogether sounds fantastic!!!

Recorded live, album looks more as studio recording. Sound quality is perfect and music complexity is at the level of studio work. Lp's side A is absolute gem. Second side is good, but not so concentrated. But all album is great!

For me this work, near UK debut album, is two albums illustrated greatest progressive rock level somewhere in late seventies.

The recording quality is fair. The liner notes, written by bassist Bill MacCormick, say the recording was done by Island Mobile. They should know better. It sounds like a tape taken directly from the mixing board, which is mixed for the sound in the hall, not for a home listener. The mix on the whole album is just bad. The vocals are almost pathetic. When Simon Ainley sang on the studio albums, he was not bad. Most of the song have Simon Ainley's vocals doubled, presumably by keyboardist Dave Skinner. The pair should have worked on their synchronization. And whichever one of them was affecting his voice with tremolo during You Really Got Me nearly ruins this great song.

The band itself is just okay. They are somewhat sloppy for the first two thisrds of the album. Initial Speed is almost painful to listen to. But after an extremely bad start to Diamond Head, which causes them to break and start over from the beginning of the song, they pull it together and play well for the rest of the concert.

Honestly, I love the studio recordings of all the original songs here, but there is just too much sloppiness for me to give this more than two stars.

Despite the high praises mentioned above, this is one fantastic album. The band on this night was incredible, led by spectacular performances by the rhythm section of Simon Phillips and Bill MacCormick. The songs are great, nearly all much better than the studio originals. And even the cover songs, The Beatles' Tomorrow Never Knows and The Kinks' You Really Got Me are show stoppers.

My only complaint is that instead of playing the Quiet Son songs East Of Echo and Mummy Was An Asteroid, Daddy Was A Small Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil (there's a song title for you) in their entirety, they blended them into East Of Asteroid.

I own both the original and expanded editions. While the extra songs Golden Hours and The Fat Lady of Limbourg are good, they are not quite as good as the rest of the album. But I'm not complaining.