LIVE

Generally seen as one of their prime achievement (GE was a band better on stage than in the studio), this Live album is one of my fave, both GE and amongst "Double Live" albums category. With its drawn famous and dramatic pose, spots and the blackbird in the corner, just the artwork tells you that you're in for a long strange trip, with extended version of some of proggiest of their material. Unfortunately these lengthy tracks are there at the cost of missing a few others that the fans might have wanted to hear. Three tracks from Moontan and three more from Contraband might seem a bit uneven a track selection, but it's the tour supporting the latter album and they don't detract from the rest of the playlist.

If keyboardist Robert Jan Stips is not part of the group anymore, the other clinger-on Eelco Gelling is still around but remains discreet in his rhythm guitarist role. The first disc is a mix of older tracks like the shortened 8MH, the unchanged Candy or the excellent Strange Wings and newer material (Mad Love Is Coming) from the recent Contraband album, but the best track is the excellent Vanilla Queen.

The second disc is made principally of more recent tracks (from To The Hilt and Contraband) with the excellent Fighting Windmills, showing that their better songs from later albums were still good, but less numerous. Then you get the unavoidable Radar Love (extended and allowing drum space) ending the set and the less-than thrilling Vince Taylor homage from the same Moontan album as an encore..

Somehow, it's a bit too bad that this 77 live recording is only their first live release some already 12 years into their career. They'll catch up with another double live in the early 80's, but the track=list of their concert had changed dramatically by then. Hopefully the group will one day release a live album recoded before Moontan time. In the meantime, this double Live album gives you a good idea of what GE was about on stage.