NEAR THE BEGINNING

What a great, great album. In my opinion the definitive VF LP to own. The half live, half studio format, balances it just perfectly. The band's playing is just amazing. It's so powerfull, passionate and clever! The 3 studio tracks are far heavier than anything they have done before. Shotgun is a heavily rocked up version of a soul number. So full of energy and Carmine Appice drums like a maniac, couldn't be better for an opening track. The following two, take more of a downbeat approach. Some Velvet Morning, showcases the bands vocal sound, whislt the self-penned Where Is Happiness draws on a more complex, classical approach. The live side, just one track, is a mainly instrumental featuring solos from each member of the band. Often frowned upon in the world of rock, they can do this for nearly 25 minutes without getting tedious. In case you are wondering, there is a bass solo. Bogert makes sounds on it that I never thought would be possible. It's so good, it actually makes me laugh every time I hear it!

If you had any plans for the rest of the day or indeed tomorrow, simply cancel them to go and obtain this amazing piece of work.