ALCHEMY LIVE

UK composer and musician Clive NOLAN is a household name within the progressive rock universe, and after the last few years probably establishing himself as a known entity also in other circles. He is arguably best known as a member of long lasting neo progressive band Pendragon, but have also been a member of a handful of other notable acts, in addition to contributing to the works of many other artists over the years. The last few years have seen Nolan concentrating on rock operas, or musicals if you like, and "Alchemy" is the latest of those. "Alchemy Live" documents the first live performance of this creation, and has been issued as a standalone DVD and as a deluxe box set edition. This review covers the latter, which consists of 2 DVDs and 3 CDs.

This monumental box set, containing more than 7 hours of material, is one that goes straight into the books as excellent value for money. The main DVD is the best part of the package, with 2 hours of a high quality performance supplemented with an hours worth of extra material, and while I found the live CDs to be somewhat less interesting than the DVD these are excellent productions in their own right as well, especially for fans of musical I might add. The bonus DVD is a bit more of a so-so affair in its own right, but interesting enough for fans of Clive Nolan and his Alchemy project, while the bonus CD is arguably the most interesting production as far as all the additional material goes. "Alchemy Live" comes highly recommended to fans of both Clive Nolan and musicals, especially those with a soft spot for slightly tall tales, and unless you're only interested in the stage performance or you have to deal with a limited budget, this extensive box set is the one you should treat yourself to.