A GREAT INHUMANE ADVENTURE

Although released in 2005 , this album is a live record of the 98 tour of the US when promoting their first real new album in quite a while (C.O.D. and Live were not studio albums or full Present album) called Certitudes. This was recorded on the final day of the tour in Baltimore and it sounds as if they got off to a rough start. I have heard much better versions of Delusions before and most notably very recently with a seven member line-up! But this track is also the only one from the new studio album present on this selection. Actually , this is no surprise as the average track selection in concert Present gives even now still resembles closely the ones on this album. I do believe that most of the tracks written in later albums are rather hard to re-play in concert , this explaining that!

Back to the live record, Alone is however much more lively than Delusions. Le Poison Qui Rend Fou and Promenade Au Fond D'Un Canal are concert faves and remain the "Clou Du Spectacle" , and the versions presented here are good! Laundry Blues is the only track that I know that never had a studio version , but it is a typical Present track.

Musically , the drummer situation seemed to have found a solution (they jungled between Kerman , Denis and buddy Pierre Narcisse for a few years) but it looks like US citizen Dave Kerman has the spot even on European tours. This is excellent news because I find Kerman particularly suited for Present. The father-son Trigaux team being at the forefront but succesfully aided buy Pierre Chevalier.

Do not look for anything remotedly new on this album , though!