LIVE AT THE POINT

Me too wonder why this live album was released some months after the Metamorphosis studio album........ without including anything from that album ! It was a very strange decission, to say at least. The result is a bit of a pointless live album and the band deserve a good spanking for this idea.

But this double live CD has been released and I we have to treat it on it's own merits. It contains songs from all their studio albums, with the exception of the Metamorphosis album. That makes it two double live albums on the basis of three studio albums and some EPs. Well, I am sure they are able to sleep at night. I do not know if I should laugh or cry.

The music on this double live album is great. Magenta's sound is based on Rob Reed's keyboards, Christina Booth's voice and by the solo guitars from Chris Fry and Martin Rossen. That's their formula and it is a good formula. The sound is at times a bit light and poppy. I call it prog-light as in Bud-Light, the beer with the same name. But it is still prog rock somewhere between symphonic prog and neo-prog. The songs on this album is delivered with passion and belief. The small talk between the songs are charming. It also deliver home the truth that this is a real live album. Compared to their last live album Another Time... Another Place, I find Live At The Point a lot less symphonic prog. For me, that's a loss. But the songs from Seven and Home is more than making up for the slight change of direction. The sound on this live album is excellent and the band knows their trade. I hope Magenta one day will break out and make it big. They fully deserve it and those of us who believe in this band deserve to be proven right.

For me, this is a cosy, but still a bit pointless live album. But I happens to really like it and it will be a very regular item on my playlists during the coming months.

3.75 stars