MOTHER RUSSIA

This is the second volume of material principally derived from a 1977 concert originally released in 1997 as Live at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Part 2 [King Biscuit/BMG-70710 88026 2]. This is a budget-label re-issue, re-packaged with no liner notes or any other information except basic track listing, and they have seen fit to present the tracks in a different order. Hence, two 'bonus' songs which are not from the concert are here given as tracks 1 and 3!

This album suffers from the same technical flaws as its sister volume [Can You Hear Me]: a seriously distracting buzz throughout the main concert tracks, and some perplexing mixing decisions regarding the orchestra. These mar an otherwise good performance from the band in its heyday, offering an alternative to the classic Carnegie Hall set, though unaccompanied solo spots in Ashes Are Burning soon become very tedious. The 'bonus' tracks interfere with the flow somewhat, the synth-laden You being an unreleased studio track from circa 1982.

Overall, an inferior companion to the earlier volume, but a useful addition to a collection that already contains the better live offerings from Carnegie Hall [1975] and Tokyo [2001].